John Pascoe's photography of the New Zealand home front during the Second World War: an historical analysis

Abstract

Employed as the official photographer of the New Zealand home front war effort during the Second World War from 1941-45, John Pascoe created over 2100 photographs which were subsequently deposited in the Alexander Turnbull Library as the War Effort and John Pascoe Collections. A small number of these images are frequently used in publications to illustrate the home front during the Second World War creating a distinctive visual memory of this period in New Zealand's history. However, little critical analysis or interpretation has been made of these images. The thesis explores both collections through examining the content and context of Pascoe's images. It also investigates the more general question of the use of photographs as historical sources and what they tell of history, rather than simply as illustrations to written historical text. The War Effort and Pascoe collections are significant for a number of reasons; the size, accessibility and quality of the photographs, along with the range of subjects and areas covered. The creation of the collection, a government-initiated and controlled project, adds to the uniqueness of the archive and invests a kind of authority in the images. The collections are also remarkable because of the rich written text Pascoe created, such as captioning and photographic notes, which can be read in conjunction with the images. In his photography, Pascoe ensured that he depicted many facets of wartime change. The collections are dominated by three themes: production, the women's war effort, and victory celebrations. These themes are replicated as the focus for analysis within this thesis. Pascoe has, and will continue to shape the way that the war is presented visually. The record he created is one of a positive and united population that was both contented and productive. He maintained this by omitting dissent, grief, trauma, isolation and alienation from the images, as well as their accompanying texts. Pascoe focused on the public sphere of war effort and this frequently takes place outdoors. His depictions of rural workers, usually male, are heroic and romantic. They are the heroes of the home front. The women's war effort is portrayed in a way that denotes 'acceptability' whilst also asserting it as a temporary measure. Images of the victory celebrations acknowledge the complex reaction of Pascoe's contemporaries on these momentous occasions. These themes provide a frame for analysis while still allowing for a broader contextual discussion. A photograph is a static moment which is able to carry only a partial view of the past through time. As the distance grows between when the image was made, and when it is seen, the more important its status becomes for viewing and interpreting the past. Pascoe was a visual storyteller. His images provide visual access to an event, a time, and a place, both for the participants and for future generations. This thesis not only provides a context within which the photographs can be viewed, but highlights the value of placing images at the centre of study.