Margaret Matilda White

Margaret Matilda White
Born	(1868-01-09)9 January 1868
Died	6 July 1910(1910-07-06) (aged 42) Waihi, New Zealand
Nationality	New Zealander
Known for	Photography
Spouse	Albert Reed

Margaret Matilda White (9 January 1868 – 6 July 1910) was a New Zealand photographer and nurse. Her best known works are photographs she took at the Auckland Mental Hospital. A collection of her glass plates is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Biography

White was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and emigrated to New Zealand with her family in 1886.[1][2] From 1890 she worked with New Zealand photographer John Hanna in his studio.[2] She later established her own photographic studio in Newton, Auckland.[3] However this venture was not a success and she was forced to close her business.[1] Despite this failure she continued to take photographs up until her death.[4] After the closure of her studio she worked as a nurse at the Auckland Mental Hospital in Avondale.[5] It was while working there that she took a series of photographs for which she is best known.[6]

She died at Waihi hospital on 6 July 1910. Auckland War Memorial Museum holds a large collection of White's photographic glass plates.[1]

References

1. "White, Margaret Matilda". findnzartists.org.nz. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
2. "Margaret Matilda White". aucklandmuseum.com. Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
3. Maxwell, Anne (1998). "Theorizing settler identities". In Dale, Leigh; Ryan, Simon (eds.). The Body in the library. Amsterdam: Rodopi. p. 133. ISBN 9042007532. OCLC 40805559.
4. Brookes, Barbara Lesley (2016). A history of New Zealand women. Wellington, New Zealand: Bridget Williams Books. p. 165. ISBN 9780908321452. OCLC 936372906.
5. Darian-Smith, Kate; Edmonds, Penelope, eds. (2015). Conciliation on colonial frontiers : conflict, performance, and commemoration in Australia and the Pacific Rim. New York: Routledge. p. 213. ISBN 9781317800064. OCLC 903488817.
6. "Highlights - Margaret Matilda White". AucklandMuseum.com. Retrieved 23 September 2018.