Robin Lush collection of Thomas Gulliver photographs

Thomas Gulliver (1891-1933) was a civil engineer and amateur artist, considered New Zealand’s foremost authority on the graphic arts in his time.

An exponent of etching, dry-point, aquatint, wood engraving and wood block colour printing, he excelled in pencil sketches of buildings and Auckland city scenes. Other interests included bookplate design and lettering, as well as book production and typography which led to the limited run production of a volume of poetry entitled ‘The years go round’, by R. A. Singer, and assisting the Auckland Little Theatre Company with their set design.

Gulliver was also a keen photographer and operated his own darkroom where he experimented with photographic printmaking.

In 1916 he founded the Quoin Club which helped revive national interest and recognition of etching and the graphic arts, through promotion and exhibition, until its dissolution in 1929.

Despite these activities Gulliver rarely exhibited, and did not refer to himself as an artist.

From 1927 he assisted the Auckland Art Gallery with curating graphic arts exhibitions, and in 1929 advised the Gallery on purchases for a permanent print collection. This led to formal recognition of his assistance with his appointment as ‘Honorary Curator of the Print Collection’.

Robin Lush came into possession of the photograph collection when the estate of one of Gulliver’s relatives was dispersed. The intention was to use the images to create a calendar through the Elam Fine Arts Printing Research Unit, however this publication never eventuated.