Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 April 2022
The Illustrations Section of the National Archives of Zimbabwe (NAZ) is administered by the library, which, in addition to being a legal depository, is Zimbabwe’s national reference library. It collects printed and audiovisual materials, relating to this country, both published and unpublished, for permanent preservation. The photographic collection originated as a group of 343 prints and negatives illustrating the country’s history from 1561 to 1924 and collected for an exhibition in 1936, and it has grown into a classified and indexed collection of nearly 23 000 negatives and approximately 26 000 photographs. There is also a number of other large deposits, as yet unprocessed, which will be referred to later. The section strives to reach the twin goals of preserving a photographic record of every aspect of life in this country and of providing a service to members of the public.
1 These include the photographs taken by W. Ellerton Fry, the official photographer with the Pioneer Column; the Strachan collection of negatives taken by Strachan and Co. which show aspects of Salisbury now Harare) 1891-1940 with special attention to the buildings in that there is a photograph of virtually every pre-1936 building; and copies of the pictorial Africana collected by W. Fehr of Cape Town.