Dogs in Early New Zealand Photographs

Introduction by Mike White, Te Papa Press, $34.99

It seems that our obsession with dogs is not new. This charming book is an insight into the history of our companionship with dogs when they were loved so dearly that they were sometimes taken into photographic studios for formal portraits with their owners. Journalist Mike White has collected dozens of images from 1870 to 1920. Some are studio shots but others are more casual – a family gathered informally outside a house, a woman harvesting grain, a fisherman loading a boat, miners, firemen and bushmen. There are dogs dressed up and set into human-like poses, like driving a car. A favourite is a begging fox terrier with a group of carefree smiling girls circa 1910 sitting on lichen-dotted rocks around a fire; one even has bare feet. An index gives as much detail as is available about each image. A whimsical book full of intriguing photographs that will delight not only dog-lovers but all New Zealanders.