In 2013, when the last of Knight’s vast collection was auctioned in Dunedin, local archivist and architectural historian David Murray bought several boxes of his colour slides.
Most were damaged beyond repair by years of neglect in Knight’s famously ramshackle Broad Bay cottage, but several hundred remained.
The photographs dated from Knight’s time as a young man in Britain during the 1950s, and included images of Suffolk, West Cornwall and Gloucestershire.
In an effort to pin down names and locations, Murray posted images from some of the slides on the internet, gaining many responses, including from London-based web designer Sean Naghibi.
A fan of mid-century Kodachrome photography, Naghibi saw the social and historical value of the images, and was determined to publish a limited edition book.
And so the collaboration between Murray, Naghibi and Dunedin-based historian and Hardwicke Knight authority Meg Davidson began, eventually resulting in the publication of limited-edition book Hardwicke Knight: Through the Lens.
‘‘The result of putting the images on the internet was quite extraordinary, including from special interest groups like the narrow boat group — they were thrilled to see the colour images,’’ Murray said.
The book contained about 200 ofthe best images captured by Knight during this period, although Murray still had thousands of other slides in his living room.
Davidson said Knight had lived through two world wars in England, including as a conscientious objector in World War 2, when he was assigned to work on ambulances and as a medical photographer.
He came to Dunedin at the age of 46, and started collecting and publishing early photographs to preserve the city’s past.
‘‘The life of this eccentric polymath was the stuff of legend and 10 years after his death, interest in him is still high,’’ she said.
★ David Murray and Meg Davidson will talk about the long-distance collaboration that led to the publication of Hardwicke Knight: Through the Lens at a free session next Tuesday, August 14, at 5.30pm on the fourth floor of Dunedin City Library, Moray Pl.
