Guide to the Papers of David Moore

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MS 9382

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Creator
David Moore
Title
Papers of David Moore
Date Range
1980-1988
Collection Number
MS 9382
Extent
2.66 metres (13 boxes, 4 folio boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Repository
NLA

Introduction

Scope and Contents

David Moore was commissioned by William Collins to produce Australia: Image of a Nation 1850-1950 which was published in 1983. The book is a visual record of all aspects of life in Australia - urban and rural life, domestic life, employment, leisure, transport, communications, celebrations, religion and social events, race relationships, calamities and war and peace.

Moore constructed an extremely detailed brief which sought the best available images between the dates 1850 and 1950. Australian and British archives were searched with over 100,000 images viewed. Eight researchers worked on the project. An initial collection of 2,638 images was located and documented for possible publication. This was ultimately refined to 413 published images. The final selection was accompanied by text by Rodney Hall.

The collection consists of correspondence, working prints, caption working sheets, reproduction prints, press prints, overprints, an index to working prints, final typescript of text, printer's layouts, overlays, slides, notes and background information relating to the publication.

Conditions Governing Access

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1844140).

Conditions Governing Use

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of David Moore, National Library of Australia, MS 9382, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Provenance

The papers were donated by David Moore to the National Library under the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme in 1993.

Other works by David Moore are held in the Pictorial Collection. The 54 exhibition prints which were also received with this consignment are held in the Pictorial Collection, drawers R1-R3. Two interviews with Moore are held in the Oral History Collection at DeB 674 and TRC 2017.

Arrangement

Caption work sheets contain the name of the researcher, archive numbers, holding institution, caption information, name of photographer where known, date of photograph and copyright restrictions.

The caption sheets were housed in nine ring binders and the working prints in twelve ring binders. They have been removed from the binders for preservation purposes and placed in folders and bags. Similarly, other material in binders has been removed and placed in folders. Within the numbered sequence of working prints a number of prints are missing.

Biographical Note

David Moore was born in Sydney in 1927 and educated at Geelong Grammar School, Victoria. Moore discovered photography at the age of 11 when a relative presented him with a Coronet box camera. Later, during his teenage years, his father, artist and architect, John D. Moore gave him a book of Edward Weston's photographs of California and the American West.

Moore began working as a professional photographer in the studio of Russell Roberts in 1947. The following year, he went to work for Max Dupain for a period of three years. In 1951 he left Australia to work overseas. He worked as a freelance photojournalist in London for seven years for publications including Life, Time and Fortune magazines. He also worked for the Observer before returning to Australia in 1958.

As a photographer, he has made an important contribution to the visual arts in Australia. His photographs are in the collections of major institutions both in Australia and overseas, including the National Gallery of Australia, the New York Museum of Modern Art, and le Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. The Art Gallery of New South Wales mounted a retrospective exhibition of his work in 1988 and in 1993-94 the State Library of New South Wales exhibited Sydney Harbour - 50 years of photography .

His most famous works include photographs such as Sydney Harbour Bridge (1947), Redfern Interior (1949), Newcastle Steelworks (1963), European Migrants Arriving in Sydney (1966) and President Johnson and Prime Minister Holt at Canberra Airport (1966).

Publications by Moore include David Moore, Richmond, Vic, Richmond Hill Press, 1980; Australia: image of a nation, 1850-1950, Sydney, William Collins, 1983; The Australian functional tradition, Fitzroy, Vic, Five Mile Press, 1988; David Moore, Australian photographer, Sydney, Chapter and Verse, 1988; An Australian place: the Upper Hunter Valley, McMahon's Point, NSW, Chapter and Verse, 1991; Image of New England: Armidale, Walcha, Uralla, Dumaresq and Guyra, Armidale, Armidale Development Corporation, 1992; Sydney Harbour, McMahon's Point, NSW, Chapter and Verse in association with the State Library of New South Wales Press, 1993; Railways, relics and romance: the Eveleigh Railway Workshops, Sydney, NSW, Sydney, Caroline Simpson, 1995; To build a bridge: Glebe Island, Sydney, Australia, Neutral Bay, NSW, Chapter and Verse, 1996 and David Moore, theunseen images: an exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Neutral Bay, NSW, Chapter and Verse, 1997.

Item Descriptions

Correspondence, 1980-88, with researchers, state libraries, museums, other photographic institutions, publisher, photographic materials suppliers and others relating to the publication of the book (File 1_4) - Box 1

Draft contents list, a preliminary list of photographs for each chapter, miscellaneous dummy layouts, various contact prints and a copy of Metro: media and education quarterly, Winter 1981 (File 5) - Box 1

Final typescript of text by Rodney Hall with pencilled notes and suggestions by Moore (File 6) - Box 1

Background information and notes relating to the publication (File 7_8) - Box 2

Reproduction and copyright clearance forms (File 9) - Box 2

Index to working prints arranged alphabetically by subject with print number (File 10) - Box 2

Duplicate sheets of captions provided by Ann Phelong and a list of prints held in the Battye Library, Perth (File 11) - Box 2

Photograph checklists, researchers' accounts and notes for researchers (File 12) - Box 2

Text of captions for a travelling exhibition to publicise the book. The exhibition was held in Sydney, Melbourne and China (File 13) - Box 2

Check lists for edited pictures and check lists for reproduction clearance. The lists are in table form (File 14_15) - Box 3

Caption work sheets, 1-283 (File 16) - Box 4

Caption work sheets, 284-571 (File 17) - Box 4

Caption work sheets, 572-860 (File 18) - Box 4

Caption work sheets, 861-1200 (File 19) - Box 5

Caption work sheets, 1201-1530 (File 20) - Box 5

Caption work sheets, 1531-1852 (File 21) - Box 5

Caption work sheets, 1853-2170 (File 22) - Box 6

Caption work sheets, 2171-2479 (File 23) - Box 6

Caption work sheets, 2480-2640 (File 24) - Box 6

Working prints, 1-150 (File 25) - Box 7

Working prints, 151-272 (File 26) - Box 7

Working prints, 273-520 (File 27) - Box 7

Working prints, 521-658 (File 28) - Box 8

Working prints, 659-895 (File 29) - Box 8

Working prints, 898-1170 (File 30) - Box 9

Working prints, 1171-1395 (File 31) - Box 9

Working prints, 1396-1650 (File 32) - Box 10

Working prints, 1651-1852 (File 33) - Box 10

Working prints, 1853-2256 (File 34) - Box 10

Working prints, 2257-2479 (File 35) - Box 11

Working prints, 2480-2638 (File 36) - Box 11

Twelve envelopes of reproduction prints arranged by chapter. Most of the prints still retain a printer's overlay with dimensions for the photograph as it appeared in the final publication (File 37_48) - Folio-Box 12, 13

Envelope of miscellaneous prints including duplicates and material not used in the publication (File 49) - Folio-Box 13

Layout sheets and mock copy of the publication with a possible cover photograph (File 50) - Folio-Box 13

Five boxes of prints labelled 'overprints' (approximately 400) (File 51_55) - Box 14 + Folio-Box 15

Three boxes of prints labelled 'press prints' (approximately 275) (File 56_58) - Folio-Box 15

One box and one envelope of miscellaneous prints (File 59_60) - Folio-Box 16

Set of 413 slides of final images numbered in book order and used by Moore for lecture purposes (File 61) - Folio-Box 16

Box of captions for exhibition prints: these prints are held in the Pictorial Section (drawer R1-R3) (File 62) - Box 17

A travelling exhibition to publicise the book was held in Sydney, Melbourne and China. It consisted of 54 images chosen from the book and mounted for display.

Miscellaneous box of slides and eleven loose slides of various prints (63 negatives transfered to cold store) (File 63) - Box 17


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