In 2022, the Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive was delighted to receive a vast collection of over 1,000 monochrome film negatives, generously donated by Phillip Charles Stevens. The negatives belonged to his mother, the late Joan Stevens – one of Jersey’s most celebrated and revered writers on the island’s history and architecture.
This article will explain who Joan Stevens was, explore the context behind the Joan Stevens Photographic Collection, and examine why this collection is so important and significant, both from a historical and photographic perspective.
As a photographer myself, with a particular interest in architectural photography, the opportunity to observe and write about the collection has been a fascinating and enriching experience.
Joan Stevens
Joan Charity Stevens OBE (née Collas) was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, in 1910. In 1924, at the age of fourteen, she moved to Jersey with her family. She was educated at Jersey Ladies’ College and later studied French in Lausanne, becoming fluent in the language. By 1931 she had returned to the island and spent three years working as Assistant Secretary at the Société Jersiaise, marking the beginning of a lifelong association with the organisation.
In 1934, she married Charles Stevens. The couple subsequently lived in several parts of Africa during Charles’s career in the Colonial Service before returning to Jersey with their four children in 1949. In the years that followed, Stevens developed a strong interest in the island’s traditional architecture and became increasingly motivated to research and document the historic buildings she encountered.
Old Jersey Houses
Over the next 28 years, Stevens undertook an intensive research project, visiting countless historic properties across Jersey, spanning buildings from the early sixteenth to the early twentieth century. This work culminated in the two-volume Old Jersey Houses series, a comprehensive study of vernacular Jersey architecture. The first volume, published in 1965, covered buildings from 1500 to 1700; the second, published in 1977, covered 1700 to the early 1900s.
Both volumes were met with enormous success and critical acclaim, and they remain among the most important publications written on Jersey’s historic architecture.
The Joan Stevens Collection
Through her extensive exploration, Stevens compiled a substantial number of photographic images documenting the various properties she visited, alongside detailed notes and drawings. Taken both by herself and by family members who accompanied her on her visits, the collection consists of 1,144 monochrome negatives in total. While a small number of these photographs appeared in Old Jersey Houses, several hundred have, to this point, remained unseen.
Figure 1. SJPA/STE/0816: Exterior of Le Ponterrin, showing stone archway, windows, and chimneys.
Figure 2. SJPA/STE/0679: View of a farmyard showing outbuildings, water pump, cart, and stone troughs.
The images document building exteriors from multiple perspectives, including surrounding outdoor areas such as courtyards, gardens, and farmland; structural features such as pillars and archways; small details such as stone carvings; and interior spaces. Many photographs also include people, pets, and vehicles.
The quality of the work is exceptional. Not only do the images serve as reliable visual records, they are also visually striking, composed with great care and poetic sensitivity. There are three factors in particular which combine to make the collection so effective and powerful.
Visual arrangement and composition
The images have been made with a strong focus on form and structure, carefully considering the architectural qualities of the buildings. Such a style is typical of traditional ‘architectural photography’, of which this collection can be considered an excellent example. The clear, simple, and matter-of-fact manner in which the properties have been photographed allows the viewer to see precisely how the buildings have been designed. Through this natural and objective approach, the photographs allow the beauty of the buildings, their features, and their surrounding environment to speak for themselves.
Lighting
The use of lighting is a key factor that elevates the images in terms of the mood and atmosphere they evoke. The choice of lighting when creating these images was very deliberate, with the majority of the photographs taken during the morning and the late afternoon or evening, when the light is softer. This creates a dreamy and painterly quality. Photographing the properties in such a way emphasises their beauty and, in many cases, their fragility, demonstrating a clear awareness and sensitivity on the part of the photographers.
Human presence
In the preface to Old Jersey Houses, Volume I, Stevens stated her hope that the book would “excite curiosity and interest in the minds of the owners, occupiers, or would-be owners, and help them to cherish and appreciate what is theirs.” The photographs embody this intent, frequently showing people, pets, vehicles, and subtle signs of daily life. By emphasising the human connection to place, the images move beyond being objective documents that merely record places, becoming something far more layered and subjective.
Figure 3 (left). SJPA/STE/0268: Granite wall with double archway at Morel Farm; tenant standing beneath the larger archway holding a cow.
Figure 4 (right). SJPA/STE/0170: Portrait of Maud Mary Stevens with a small dog by an open arched doorway at Gouray Cottage.
Figure 5. SJPA/STE/0905: View of wooden front door in La Motte Street, with fanlight above, stone archway surrounding the door, sidelights, and railings.
Figure 6 (left). SJPA/STE/0001: Granite internal archway with open door leading to a study at the Lex Aix property.
Figure 7 (right). SJPA/STE/0649: View of a bénitier with pointed trefoil at Cap Verd, St Lawrence, circa 1500.
The Joan Stevens Collection is an extraordinary photographic collection rich in both depth and quality. Complementing her written research, it captures Jersey’s architectural heritage with clarity, precision, and sensitivity. Through meticulous documentation, thoughtful lighting, and careful attention to human presence, the work perfectly reflects and complements the objectives of Stevens’ Old Jersey Houses series: to inspire curiosity, cultivate appreciation, and celebrate traditional Jersey architecture.
As a lifelong member of the Société Jersiaise, Joan Stevens dedicated much of her time, effort, and energy to the organisation, until her passing in 1986. An active and highly committed member, she served as President between 1971 and 1974, during which she oversaw the Société’s centenary celebrations in 1973. Upon her resignation from the presidency, she was awarded the prestigious Membre d’Honneur title. It is therefore fitting that this photographic collection now proudly resides in the Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive’s permanent collection. Through this accession, these wonderful, invaluable photographic records will be carefully preserved by our specialist team, ensuring that they can continue to be studied, appreciated, and admired for many years to come.
Figure 8. SJPA/STE/1068: Sundial on facade of La Grange, St Mary.
Written by Max Le Feuvre, SJPA Archive Assistant, and Photographer
All photographs featured in the essay are courtesy of the Joan Stevens Photographic Collection.
