Four women flounder fishing

This image is from a collection of two hundred and thirty-four glass plate negatives ranging in date from circa 1902 to circa 1916. We have featured two photographs from this collection previously. These are the glass plate negatives which were found by Geoff Steven, the world-renowned photographer and film director, under his family home in Auckland. He was a teenager at the time and after holding them for some years, eventually donated them to Hamilton City Libraries.

This looks to be a dangerous activity – flounder spears were very sharp and you had to be very sure it was not your own foot you were about to stab. Two flounder are well and truly destined for the pan. We know the lady second from right is Fanny Edith Maunder. She was known as Edith probably because her mother was also Fanny. The identities of the other three women are not known to us but they do appear in several other photographs in this collection. Whatever are they wearing – bloomers? Otherwise very Edwardian. This was taken in Raglan harbour.

Contributed by Perry Rice, Heritage Librarian – Photographs, Hamilton Central Library. If you have any information you would like to pass on or would like to buy an electronic copy of the photo, please e-mail heritage@hcc.govt.nz quoting: HCL_16743