Deciding on New Items to Accession
At the SJPA, we are privileged to hold a vast array of over 125,000 photographic items, reaching across a broad and varied range of contexts, subjects and themes. With an abundance of generous donations that we gratefully receive throughout the year, ranging from single items to substantial numbers of hundreds and in some cases even thousands of photographs, this number continues to rise. As such, it is important that we remain as considered and selective as possible when reviewing items for potential accession.
When deciding what items would be of interest to our collection, there are a variety of factors that we need to consider. To help us make an informed decision regarding this, the main document we refer to as a guide and reference point is our Collections Information Policy.
This document, in a very effective and concise manner, outlines exactly the type of material that most appropriately fits our collection requirements. Firstly, it highlights the type of themes and subject matter which are appropriate for us to collect. Secondly, it provides a breakdown of the gaps in our collection that we are looking to fill. In essence, an item that is both appropriate to our collection scope, and at the same time helps us to fill important gaps within our archive, would be considered an extremely valuable and welcomed addition. This article will discuss a particular example of a collection of images we reviewed, and subsequently accessioned last year, which can be considered a strong example of this type of collection.
Reg Walsh Collection
The collection of photographs, known as the Reg Walsh Collection (SJPA/2024/09), is a fascinating series of snapshot images relating to musical performances in Jersey across the mid-20th century. Consisting of 21 monochrome photographic prints, together with 5 colour prints, the images all relate to an individual named Reg Walsh, with the images appearing to be a compilation of snapshots both taken and collected by Reg.
From analysing the photographs, including reviewing some notes and descriptions on the back several of the prints, the collection appears to document a series of musical performances which took place in Jersey, across both the Jersey Summer and Winter Hospitality Seasons of 1959 and 1960. Reg, who himself appears in several of the photographs, was one of the musicians who took part in these performances. Also included within the photographs are ‘The Don Dwight Quartet’ and the ‘Allentones’, the latter Reg was a member of. The style of performances undertaken by these acts are known as ‘Jazz Orchestra’, a type of jazz musical performance comprising a mini orchestra of around 10 musicians. These performances were an extremely popular across the post war period up to the early 1960s, forming a very popular part of the British music scene between this period.
In terms of arrangement the collection has been separated into two parts, the first and most substantial part being the documentation of the various musical performances themselves, and the second part being more informal images of Reg and the other musicians socialising both after performances as well in outdoor locations across the island.
Full of dynamic and highly charged photographs of several large-scale performances during this period, in locations including West Park Pavillion, Portland Hotel and the Jersey Opera House, this collection offers a very unique and rare insight into examples of Jazz Orchestra performances in Jersey during this period. Within the SJPA collection, we surprisingly do not have an existing photograph showing examples of these performances. As such, this collection of images is completely unique to our collection, serving as the sole example of Jazz Orchestra performances, and for that matter, the only example of a photographic collection relating to musical performances of any kind throughout the mid-twentieth century that we hold.
As well as therefore being a very rare collection which serves a valuable role in filling a clear gap within our archive, the fact the images provide both a very detailed, intimate, first-hand account taken by various individuals who were either presumably performing musicians themselves, or otherwise closely associate to Reg and the other performers, makes for a very raw and insightful visual account. Even the physical appearance of the prints, physically small and heavily worn in appearance with clear signs of physical degradation, suggests they were never intended to be shown or display in a formal or professional context, but rather were intended to be personal photographs, capturing and relaying the subjective experiences of Reg and his fellow performers, across this brief period of time. Typically, when it comes to the photographic documentation of musicians and performances in this period, in particular bands performing classical music, to have such a candid, informal and vernacular style of visual documentation is both highly unusual and rare, as well as extremely fascinating.
Below are a few examples of images from this collection. A full, digitised version of the collection will be available online in the near future.
HA-041-A-07 – Band Show, Opera House. Reg Walsh (furthest right) playing Maracas. c.1959-60.
HA-041-A-02 – Reg Walsh (furthest right) with fellow members of the Allentones. Playing at West Park Pavillion. St Patrick’s Day 1959.
HA-041-A-09 – Reg Walsh practising drums in the studio. Winter season Jersey. 1959.
HA-041-B-05 – Reg Walsh (middle) with fellow members of the ‘Allentones’ outside ‘Les Allen Registered Offices’. 1959
If you have any questions surrounding this collection or have any information surrounding this collection or the subjects mentioned, you can contact us via email on photoarchive@societe.je, or alternatively via phone on +44 (0) 1534 633394.
By Max Le Feuvre, Assistant Archivist – SJPA
