Thelma Kent
Thelma Kent | |
|---|---|
 Self-portrait panning for gold in the Arawhata River, Westland, 1939 | |
| Born | Thelma Rene Kent 21 October 1899 Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Died | 23 June 1946 (aged 46) Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Known for | Photography |
Thelma Rene Kent (21 October 1899 – 23 June 1946) was a New Zealand photographer.[1]
Biography[edit]
Kent was born in Christchurch, New Zealand on 21 October 1899. She attended Addington School and Christchurch Technical College.[1]
She traveled around New Zealand by car, horseback and foot to find photographic subjects. She had an affinity for the New Zealand landscape, with a particular interest in the South Island high country. Around 1937, Kent met the legendary Arawata Bill (William O’Leary) and took several photographs of him, which have been regularly reproduced.[1]
Her photographs and articles were published in the Auckland Weekly News, the New Zealand Railways Magazine,[2]the Australasian Photo-Review and in the British annual Photograms of the Year 1939.[1][3]
From 1939 until 1941 she did a series of Saturday evening talks on Christchurch radio station 3YA on photography topics.[3]
Through experimentation, Kent became adept at microphotography.[1] In this field she did work for the organisations such as the Canterbury Museum, Cawthron Institute, and the Pathology Department at Christchurch Hospital.[3]
Kent never married and died at the age of 46 in Christchurch on 23 June 1946.[2]
Legacy[edit]
Her collection of negatives and prints is held by the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington.[1][3]
In 2017, Kent was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "150 women in 150 words", celebrating the contributions of women to knowledge in New Zealand.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f McCracken, Joan. "Kent, Thelma Rene". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Thelma Kent: Biography". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ a b c d Mitchell, Lissa (2023). Through shaded glass: women and photography in Aotearoa New Zealand 1860-1960. Wellington, New Zealand: Te Papa Press. pp. 317–326. ISBN 978-0-9951384-9-0. OCLC 1374563763.
- ^ "Thelma Kent". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
