Photographic Archives

Curatorial Assistant: Mark Etheridge BA

An unemployed miner coal-picking in the Rhondda in 1937.

The collection comprises over 100,000 images, presently in copy print format, covering all aspects of Welsh industrial, maritime and transport activity. The Photographs are not available for general browsing; you will need to contact a curator who will make an appointment for you to see any images we have on the subject of your choice. An index is available. Copies of images, for private use, for use in academic projects and for publication can be ordered from the museum. Details of costs and, where available, reproduction fees, can be supplied upon request.

Some of the larger individual collections include:

The TEMPEST Collection

Established in Cardiff as an aerial photographic specialist after the Second World War, H. Tempest & Company took some 25,000 aerial photographs covering the whole of the UK (concentrating naturally on Wales) from 1950 - 1970. These include the early development of the M4 Motorway, the growth of post war industrial estates, and images of long established industries which have since vanished.

The Sandfields Comprehensive School, Aberavon near Port Talbot.

A view of the Aberthaw Power Station taken in 1972.

A lovely period image of the Cambrian Air Services passenger registration facilities at Cardiff's Pengam Airport, taken in January 1954.

The HANSEN Collection

This consists of 4,560 full frame images of ships in and around Cardiff Docks taken between 1920 and 1975 by the local photographic firm of Lars Peter Hansen and his son Leslie.

In this typical example of his well-composed photography, Leslie Hansen captured the tramp steamer Llanberis approaching Cardiff docks in the summer of 1948. Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. of Wallsend-on-Tyne built this vessel for the local Cardiff shipowners Evan Thomas, Radcliffe & Co. in 1928. Named after the village at the foot of Snowdon, she was one of many vessels in the Radcliffe fleet that bore Welsh place names beginning with Llan, meaning "church".

The J. E. MARTIN Collection

Comprising 575 negatives showing good quality images of various aspects of land, sea and air transport (Welsh and English) of the post-war period up to about 1970.

The A. C. MITCHELL Collection

258 negatives showing mostly town and rural road scenes of south Wales. Born in Chatham, Mr. Mitchell settled in Wales in the 1950s and photographed "Things which he thought would pass away with time."

The A.B.P. Collection

Donated in 1996 by the Cardiff office of the Associated British Ports, this collection of about 2,000 negatives provides not only the workings of the south Wales docks, but also the social events such as visiting VIPs and staff presentations.

The Museum offers a photographic service where we can take and supply new photographs of objects in the Museum collection, and produce copy prints of photographs in the collection. A list of charges for this service, and additional reproduction fees, where applicable, is available from the Department.

Opening hours and conditions of use

An interior view of the Ascom Telecommunications factory in St. Mellons, Cardiff.

The figurehead of the Terra Nova.

The photographic reference collection is located at the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea and is open to the public, by appointment only, from Monday to Friday from 10.30am - 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 4.30pm. It is closed on weekends and on national holidays.

If you would like to visit the photographic reference collection you will need to make an appointment. See the contact details for the photographic collection.

For further information contact:

Image Licensing Officer,
NMW Enterprises Limited,
Cathays Park,
CARDIFF
CF10 3NP

Tel: 029 2057 3280