Portrait of a Colonial Family

Dr Paulien Martens, Museum Curator Human History, presents an intimate portrait of an early colonial settler family. 

Alfred Charles Barker was a doctor who established the first medical practice in Christchurch in a tent-like structure on the banks of the Avon River soon after arriving in New Zealand with his family in 1850. But Barker was also a prolific photographer who captured the landscapes, people and events of early colonial Canterbury.

Martens, who specialises in the history of the family in colonial New Zealand, will draw on the remarkable collection of Barker family letters, items and photographs cared for by Canterbury Museum to tell a story about one settler family.

Presented by the Friends of Canterbury Museum