Description Comments

Argosy Aerial - Hokowhitu

Object type

Image

Description: In this aerial photograph, the street running from the lower centre left of the photograph into the distance is Manawatu Street. Part of Albert Street is visible in the lower left hand corner of the image. Erin Street is visible in the lower centre right of the photograph, running parallel to Manawatu Street before coming to an abrupt stop. Stirling Crescent
branches off the lefthand side of Manawatu Street and joins up with Albert Street just outside the lower left corner of the image.
Argosy Studio (Argosy Industrial Photos) was a photography business owned and operated between 1950 and 1980 by Joe Greening (formerly employed by Elmar Studios). Originally located in Broadway, Argosy later moved to Cuba Street on the corner with Lombard Street.

As well as commissioned work (such as photographing the old railyards or aerial shots for the Council) Greening was known to operate as a street photographer, capturing the likenesses of passersby, offering his card with the negative number so they could buy the image if they wished. Many of these images will be in family photo albums.

A fire in 1965 destroyed many negatives in Argosy's collection but this image was one of the 400 or so survivors. Greening donated many of these surviving images to the Ian Matheson City Archives in 1989 before retiring to Kaitaia. He died in 2001.