Alan Spearman Evans Collection
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Alan Spearman Evans (1902-1963) was a Sydney-based amateur photographer who spent much of his life recording his houses, gardens and workplaces as well as those of his family and friends. Evans married his childhood sweetheart, Sylvia Winifred Henderson (1902–1995), in 1927, and together they built their first home, Alwyn, in Arncliffe, in south-west Sydney. Photographing the construction of the house from its earliest stages, Alan initiated a routine of documenting the homes of his family and friends that would continue for over 30 years. Employed as an accountant for Davis Gelatine (Aust) Ltd, Evans took his photographic hobby into the workplace, capturing images of the extensive Davis Gelatine industrial garden and factory complex in Botany. He was also photographer for the company newsletter Davis Gelatine Review. In 1933 the Davis firm leased the Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney and Evans documented ship-building activity and ship launches there. |
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In 1944 Sylvia Evans published her book, Tail Up, illustrated with Alan’s photographs, and this, along with related correspondence, provides a curious insight into their lives at Arncliffe as seen through the eyes of their cross blue heeler/kelpie, Manna. Manna died unexpectedly in 1946 and the devastated Evans’ named their next property, in Mosman, Manna House in memory of their beloved kelpie.
Alan and Sylvia moved into Manna House in 1950 and Alan continued to document the house and garden until his death in 1963. Sylvia stayed in the house they had built together for another 30 years.
The Alan Spearman Evans Collection comprises over 2000 photographic images of houses, house interiors, garden landscapes and industrial workplaces in New South Wales, taken by Alan Spearman Evans between 1924 and 1957.
The photographic images are in various formats including photonegatives (21 boxes), silver gelatin photoprints and 35mm slides. The photonegatives are stored with the original envelopes annotated by Evans and provide an historical record of photographic documentation – often providing detail on aperture settings, light conditions and type of film used.
The collection also includes family and general correspondence, property valuation certificates, the published book ‘Tail Up’ written by Sylvia Evans, a personal notebook and scrapbooks of newspaper clippings.
Parts of the Alan Spearman Evans Collection were acquired between 2006 and 2008 on eBay and a subsequent direct purchase from the dealer of those parts of the Evans material relating to houses, interiors and gardens. It is believed that the material was originally disposed of following the death of Sylvia Evans in 1995. The extent of the original collection is unknown but many images relating to Cockatoo Island, other industrial sites managed by the Davis firm, some domestic photographs, and personal correspondence are known to have been dispersed via eBay.
Given the haphazard nature of the disposal and subsequent acquisition of the Evans collection, the CSL&RC is responsible for the current arrangement of boxes and folders.
For more information about Evans material held by other institutions see the list of related material at the end of this finding aid.
A range of Alan Evans photographs can be viewed online through the Historic Houses Trust Pictures Collection catalogue http://www.hht.net.au/research/picture_collection
For further access to Alan Spearman Evans Collection material, contact:
Caroline Simpson Library & Research Collection
T 02 8239 2233
E library@hht.net.au
Series A: autobiographical material
Included in this series are scrapbooks of newspaper clippings, a personal notebook kept by Alan Evans as a young man, and photograph album pages documenting the Alwyn garden and social outings with family and friends.
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Folio Box 22: EC22/A/1 |
Alan Evans leather-bound notebook, 1910s-20s |
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Series B: general correspondence and ephemera relating to Tail Up by Sylvia Evans, 1944-1948 This series contains general correspondence and ephemera relating to the published book Tail Up written by Sylvia Evans. |
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EC22/B/1 Folio Box 22 EC22/B/3 |
Mock-up of book titled Tail Up, written by Sylvia Evans
Envelope to Alan Evans from Sun Newspapers Ltd |
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Folio Box 22: EC22/C/1A–2K |
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This series includes silver gelatin prints and coloured slides of the following people and properties: |
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Folio Box 23: EC23/AE/P/1-4
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Alan Evans Alwyn, 16 Loftus Street, Arncliffe, N.S.W, 1926 – 1950 – Residence of Alan and Sylvia Evans: Burnham Thorpe, 10 Edward Street, Gordon, N.S.W. – Residence of John Woolcott-Forbes |
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James John Henderson Properties |
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EC24/MAN/P/1-10
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‘Manna’ – The Evans’ Dog Manna House, 34 Killarney Street, Mosman, N.S.W, 1950-1957 - Residence of Alan and Sylvia Evans |
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EC24/PAL/P/1-6
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Palmeyrie, 54 Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, N.S.W. – Residence of Sir George Francis and Elizabeth Davis People |
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Sylvia Evans Tail Up – Photographs taken for Sylvia Evans’ book ‘Tail Up’ 72 Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, N.S.W. |
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EC1/ALW EC2/ALW EC3/ALW EC4/ALW |
Alwyn, 16 Loftus Street, Arncliffe, N.S.W., 1927-1947 Alwyn Construction, Interior and Exterior images Alwyn Interior and Exterior images and excavation for air-raid shelter Construction of air-raid shelter, house exterior and garden Alwyn interior and exterior images |
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EC6/CLI EC7/DAV EC8/HEN |
Clifton Gardens, N.S.W., 1944-1948 Davis Gelatine (Aust) Limited, Spring St, Botany, NSW, 1937-1941 James John Henderson Properties and views of Blayney, 1941 |
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EC10/PAL EC11/PEO |
Palmeyrie, 54 Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, N.S.W.), 1937-1943 People, 1930-1949 |
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The Pines, Upper Manilla, N.S.W., Undated Properties, 1938-1941 |
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EC20/TAI
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‘Tail Up’, 1943-1945 72 Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, N.S.W., 1939-1946 Vaucluse House, Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, N.S.W., 1920s |
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Properties listed include:
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