Clifton Firth's portraiture

Clifton Firth had a photographic studio in Queen Street, Auckland, from the end of the 1930s to the 1970s. His studio was a stamping ground for people interested in art, literature and politics and his portraits reflect this social group. Janis Fairburn notes, in her chapter on Clifton Firth in the book 'Fairburn and friends', that the heyday of Firth's studio was during the turbulent years of World War II when Auckland was "a small but lively intellectual melting pot."

Fairburn goes on to state "the studio was unique in doubling as an Auckland mecca of photography and a den of discussion for radical thinkers."

Over time Firth photographed many well-known New Zealand writers, artists, dancers, musicians, academics, historians, lawyers, politicians and architects.

Ref: Clifton Firth, Portrait of the writer Ngaio Marsh, 22 January 1947,
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 34-304

Ref: Clifton Firth, Portrait of the writer A.R.D. Fairburn, about 1945,
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 34-107

Ref: Clifton Firth, Portrait of the writer, R.A.K. Mason, 1947,
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 34-308

Ref: Clifton Firth, Portrait of the dancer Rowena Jackson,
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 34-239 

Firth's portraits are recognisable for their dramatic use of light and shadow. Stylistically they are similar to Hollywood black-and-white still photography. There is an intensity, glamour and inventiveness to Firth's portraiture. Firth's advice to clients was: "Don't put on your best -- whether it's clothes or expression or pose. You may impress the photographer but you won't impress the lens. The camera has no mercy on affectation."

Ref: Clifton Firth, Portrait of the artist Eric Lee-Johnson, 19 April 1948,
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 34-259

Ref: Clifton Firth, Portrait of official war artist Captain Peter McIntyre, 1944,
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 34-282

There are a number of unidentified people in the Firth portraits. Our wish in highlighting these photographs is for the people in the images to be connected to family and friends. It is possible to share information about the people in these photographs from the Heritage Images link below each image or by sending an email to library_photos@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.

Ref: Clifton Firth, Portrait of an unidentified woman, 1960s,
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 34-644

Ref: Clifton Firth, Portrait of an unidentified woman,
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 34-501

Ref: Clifton Firth, Portrait of an unidentified woman,
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 34-556

Another place to browse reliable, digitised New Zealand cultural material is DigitalNZ. Digital collections from New Zealand libraries, museums, galleries, government departments, the media, community groups and others are gathered together on this website. The content is varied and includes interviews, videos, newspaper clippings, maps, photographs, audio and artworks.

One feature of DigitalNZ is the option of creating a 'story' -- a way to collect digital items you are interested in and to build a narrative around them. There is an Auckland Libraries' story on DigitalNZ including further examples of Clifton Firth's portraits. 

When he retired, Firth gave a large collection of prints and negatives to Auckland Libraries. In 2001, the digitisation of a selection of his negatives, held in Sir George Grey Special Collections, was funded by the Auckland Library Heritage Trust. The Trust seeks financial and other support to assist Auckland Libraries and Auckland Council to preserve, care for, add to, and promote the Sir George Grey Special Collections for the benefit of the people of Auckland. Search for 'Clifton Firth' in the Heritage Images database to browse this collection.

Author: Zoë Colling, Heritage Collections