The SJPA is delighted to report that very strong progress has been made over the last few months across our various cataloguing projects. This is thanks to the brilliant work of our dedicated volunteers, who generously give their time each week to support us in this extensive process. We currently have seven regular volunteers who, between them, contribute approximately 21 hours per week.
Thanks to their efforts, alongside our department staff, we have now completed the cataloguing of all photographs from the Joan Stevens Collection, are in the latter stages of cataloguing the Johnnie Johnson Collection and have made significant progress on the very extensive Maurice Richardson and Arthur Mourant collections.
All of the collections described above require item-level cataloguing, meaning each individual photograph must be fully described, along with the recording of important contextual and background information. This is a detailed and time-consuming process requiring a high level of focus and attention to detail, particularly to meet the high archival standards we uphold. We therefore cannot overstate how grateful we are for the hard work and commitment of our volunteers.
These efforts are helping to significantly speed up the accessioning of these key collections. This is important, as the sooner collections are accessioned, the sooner they can be made available for the public to view and access.
Below is a summary of the key collections our volunteers are currently helping to catalogue.
MAURICE RICHARDSON COLLECTION
The Maurice Richardson Collection is a fascinating group of photographs ranging from the late 1960s to the early 1990s, all taken by Maurice Richardson (1931–2022), a prolific Jersey-based amateur photographer. Adopting a documentary approach in both theme and style, the photographs explore Jersey life and culture from a range of perspectives. The work focuses particularly on agriculture, leisure, community life, craftsmanship, and traditional Jersey life.
Out of over 5,500 colour slides, we have so far catalogued close to 2,000.
SJPA/AC004/01/40/11: Marjorie Beryl Maillard wearing traditional Jersey costume, pouring milk into two large milk cans, October 1977.
SJPA/AC004/03/15/12: Two beekeepers standing among a large number of hives, August 1981.
ARTHUR MOURANT COLLECTION
The Arthur Mourant Collection is a diverse body of several thousand photographs taken by Dr Arthur Mourant (1904–1994), one of the Société Jersiaise’s most influential and respected members. Reflecting his wide range of interests, the collection spans multiple themes, including Jersey landscapes, archaeology, geology, aerial photography, and rare examples of pre-war colour photography.
Through a joint effort between staff and volunteers, we have catalogued around 60% of this extensive collection.
AC002/BA/013: Close-up of flowers and foliage at Maison de Haut, c. 1930s.
AC002/BA/054: Field in Longueville with tree and two cows beneath, one grazing, 1936.
JOAN STEVENS COLLECTION
The Joan Stevens Collection, consisting of over 1,000 black-and-white photographs documenting historic Jersey farmhouse properties dating between 1500 to 1900, is arguably one of the most significant photographic collections held by the SJPA relating to architecture and the built environment.
These photographs, taken by the prominent local historian Joan Stevens (1910–1986) and her family, formed both visual research material and accompanying imagery for her landmark two-volume work Old Jersey Houses. Thanks to the hard work of our staff and volunteers, this collection has now been fully catalogued.
SJPA/STE/0816: Exterior of Le Ponterrin with stone archway, windows, and chimneys.
SJPA/STE/0268: Granite wall with double archway at Morel Farm; tenant standing beneath the larger archway holding a cow.
JOHNNIE JOHNSON COLLECTION
The Johnnie Johnson Collection consists of several hundred photographic slides by Johnnie Johnson (1919–2005), co-owner of the local photographic shop Johnson & Johnson. In his spare time, he was also a prominent local ornithology expert and an active member of the Société Jersiaise Ornithology Section.
Combining his photographic expertise with his passion for ornithology resulted in a sizeable collection of colour slides, primarily focused on birdlife, alongside a smaller number of personal photographs. These were generously donated to the SJPA following his death.
We are pleased to report that just over 70% of this collection has now been catalogued.
SJPA/AC/008/B03/12: View of the oiled razorbill ‘Gilette’ sitting on the beach at St Ouen’s Bay, March 1950.
SJPA/AC/0008/B03/13: Three people observe the razorbill ‘Gilette’ taking flight at St Ouen’s Pond, March 1950.
Special thanks to our current volunteers – Sue, Alan, Chris, Tom, Caroline, Carolyn and Julie – for their continued hard work and dedication, which has been instrumental in helping us to achieve this excellent progress.
To view more of our fascinating collections, please visit our online catalogue for a full list of published material, as well as Past View – the Société’s dedicated digital platform offering an engaging and interactive way to explore many of our key collections, available directly through the Société Jersiaise website.
Online Catalogue: Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive | Jersey Heritage
Past View: Société Jersiaise
Text by Max Le Feuvre, Assistant Archivist – SJPA
