The Jersey Archives were established as a part of Jersey Heritage in 1993. These archives are the island’s national repository holding archival material
With collections recognised by UNESCO, the Jersey Archive is the Island’s national repository holding records on all aspects of Jersey’s history. Researchers can use archive resources to trace their family history, the story of their house or street and to find out more about the German Occupation of Jersey during the Second World War.
In 2017 the archive team launched thousands of images from the Jersey Evening Post photographic archive. These are now available to view online.
The archive catalogue can be found online. The online catalogue includes images of a number of documents including Occupation Registration Cards, will and testaments and transcriptions of early baptism, marriage and burial registers. Documents can be downloaded through an annual subscription or on a pay per view basis. Information leaflets are available on a variety of subjects. Staff at Jersey Archive can assist with legal and property research enquiries, offer advice about preservation, and give talks, tours and education services. Jersey Archive also holds the collections of the Channel Islands Family History Society.
The Jersey archives were awarded Accredited Archive status in 2014.
Our visit to the Jersey archives gave me a good insight into how I can use archives into my own work and how they can be helpful with looking at something with a historical subject matter. Below I have some photographs of some of the documents that we were lucky enough to be able to look through and gather information on, from letters between Jersey and England during the war to identification cards that were used throughout on the island.
Contemporary portrait photographer from the Archisle Contemporary Programme
In the 2001 Jersey survey people were asked questions about their use and understanding of Jèrriais. The islanders were also asked which language they spoke. Out of a total of 87,186 residents of Jersey only 113 people described Jèrriais as their main language.
In 2016 the local photographer Martin Toft made it his mission to capture the island’s last remaining native Jèrriais speakers to hopefully give visibility and recognition to the people of a unique but sadly fading language. The project is called ‘Becque à Barbe’ and was hosted by the Société Jersiaise Photographic archive.
Some portraits have darker tones to reflect the language hidden when English became the formal speech in Jersey. Jèrriais was suppressed publicly and prohibited to be spoken in schools.
Martin Toft has juxtaposed the portraits of speakers of the island’s native tongue with photographs of Jersey rock that are all designated as Sites of Special Interest (SSI). The SSI are important geological outcrops that are protected from development and preserved for the public and research. Toft has juxtaposed the portraits with the rocks because the Jèrriais speakers should also be equally protected from extinction through greater visibility and recognition as people of a unique language.
The Becque à Barbe project depicts human faces that are juxtaposed with “portraits” of rock faces. Martin Toft has taken images of rocks that appear similar to the native speakers due to their posture, facial features and overall silhouette. I believe that the concept of juxtaposing a portrait of a native speaker with an image of a rock face is to look at how Jérriais is used, not only to describe characteristics of people but also how it is embedded in Jersey’s native tongue in describing a landscape. Some portraits are darker than others in tone which could reflect how the language was hidden when English became the formal speech in Jersey and Jèrriais was suppressed publicly and prohibited to be spoken in schools. Like Ernest Baudoux’s Victorian portraits, the portraits from the Becque à Barbe project also have a formal style by capturing the subjects with a head shot. These portraits appear to look like Passport Photos which may have been intentional in order to show the importance of the native speakers identity. The idea of using an inanimate object to create a comparison between a subject is a concept I would like to recreate in my own photography work.
Francis Foot was born in 1885, Jersey, were his father’s occupation was being a glass and china dealer, at a time were St. Helier was affluent. Francis Foot’s passion for photography started when phonograms and gramophone records were realised and he realised he could make a career out of it, thus leading his family open up another store, where he worked as a photographer and they sold phonograms and gramophone records.
Mood Board capturing the work of Francis Foot
The time at which Francis worked, helps to showcase the cultural and aspects of society, which illuminates the classical work during the early 20th century. His interest in photography lies with portraiture work, were he captured citizens of Jersey. He looked at producing family portraiture, in the subjects natural environment, usually somethings which has personal value to the subjects. Occasionally Foot would capture his own family, and sometimes appear in the images. The background often had different objects located, which signified the wealth and personal lives of the subjects. Foot produced imagery which showcased the formality of the families, outlining their importance and wealth, and combined it with the natural environment of the Island, creating an interesting series of images.
Francis Foot – George, Stanley and Dora in 1919
I have decided to analyse the image above, which is a portrait of the three children of Foot. Conceptually, he wanted to showcase the wealth of his children, and the good life that they have due to the financial situation of his parents, showcasing the contextual factor of how the class system affected Jersey Channel Island. The portrait almost brags about the ideology that Foot is proud to have legacy to his family, and document’s the beginning of these children’s lives. Visually, we are presented with his three children in the foreground, centre of the photograph, who are all dressed in white clothes. The colouring of the clothes could represent the purity of the family, again presenting the conceptual factor of wealth and upper class. The positioning of the children do not seem to be pre planned as they are not all facing the camera and are at different angles, this could be because children are difficult subjects to position and then capture, or it can represent the naturalistic stylisation Foot consistently showcased in his work. The background of the photograph seems to be dirty and displeasing, which creates a contrast between the children and the environment, illuminating the importance of the children in their life. Technically, the camera quality would not be as good as a modern camera, due to the development of technology, making it harder to analyse technical elements, but the quality of the imagery help to showcase the contextual factor within the image. The shutter speed used is likely to be quick due to no intended blur. On the other hand the ISO seems to be higher due to the noise presented in the photograph, however this could have been created by the poor camera quality. The exposure seems to be high, due to faces of the boys seem brighter as well as the background, creating a slight blur. This then showcases how a narrow depth of field is used, making the three children the main focus point within Foot’s photography. The main formal elements presented in Foot’s work is space and texture, which is presented through the environment and the subject’s. As mentioned previously the photographs are taken in the model’s natural environment, thus this is taken outdoors, which informs us that natural sunlight was used in order to capture the above image. Due to Foot’s work being captured in the early 20th century, means that all images would be in black and white. Needless to say, the black and white and the sun create a warm atmosphere which juxtaposes the facial expressions of the children.
Michelle Sank was originally from Cape Town, South Africa. But she later decided to move to England in 1978 where she could present her images and they could be viewed as a social documentary. Her work has been set around social and cultural diversity. The photos I have chosen to look at are Sank’s project called Insula. In this project she has photographed people in their day to day environments or places which best describe her models. Her images are simple yet captivating but they have a deeper context behind them, which I like. These are a few of her images I like;
Mood-bored Of Image From Michelle’s “Insula” Project
From all of her images this is my favorite image from her project, Insula.
Technical; This image is in portrait style, where the man is centred in the image. The lighting is very bright, this is due to the fact of the white wall he is sat in front of emphases the light and by the looks of it the lighting has come from the rooms natural lighting and I cam to this decision because of the shadows that have been created are soft and are coming from a downwards direction . The image is balanced nicely with all the light colours, so it is not over exposed and the man is focused on in the middle of the image.
Visual; The image is almost monotone, with the colours in the image all nearly black and white. Looking at the image, on the right hand side of the image the wall is bricks which gives the image a different texture instead of it being all smooth there is a wall that is rough, which makes the image more interesting to look at. The image is also satisfying to look at due to the fact of the man sitting in the middle of the image and the straight lines on the floor.
Contextual/Conceptual; This man was photographed in his home and in this background to show off the success he has made through is surroundings he is photographed in. Along with the smart clothes he is photographed in, suggests he is successful and plays an important role in a business.
Francis Foot was born during 1885 in Jersey Channel Island. He began working as a gas fitter, but shortly after starting he was fascinated by photography and learnt he would be able to make a living off it. His family went on an brought anther shop in Pitt Street, where he would be able to work on his photographs and develop as a photographer. Many of Foot’s images have family members in them, this made him create an archive for his family, where he was able to document peoples existence, actions and show individuals growing up from his family. His work has a personal touch too it, as he is presenting to society, the evolution of his own family, it is almost as if he is paying tribute too them, with all the different photos of them all. Not only has foot taken portraits but he has also documented events happening around the island during his time.
Mood-board Of A Selection Of Photos From Foot.
When analysing one of Foot’s images I went through different stages and picked the image apart;
An Image From Francis Foot’s Portraits
Technical; The image is taken at a direct on approach, capturing the ‘models’ face on. The lighting in this image is all natural and has come from the sun, but you can see that the ‘models’ have been placed in the shade, this may of been because the photo was too over exposed in pure sunlight, or maybe foot just preferred out the features could be outlined in the image in the shade. Within the image you can see a deep depth of field as the children are close up towards the lens then you have the background behind them going on a far way back. Whilst having the deep depth of field, the focus remains on the children, with the features of them being sharp and accurate.
Visual; You can see the image is in black and white, and that the white is very bright, it almost looks over exposed. But as the children are dressed in white, it makes them stand out of the surroundings they are being photographed in. The image does look very 2D as you can’t see much shadow. There are 3 young children stood in the centre of the image wearing white, they are related to Foot.
Contextual; The image is there to show what the children looked like before they grow, its a photo showing the beginning of their timeline. It is also there as a document of their existence. Foot took many portraits of his family members so this is just another image of family. The images he took where during his time as his family grew and is photographic ability improved, these photos are also reminders for him and his family whenever somebody passes, they still have the images of them.
Conceptual; The idea behind this photo is too document these younger children in the photo as they grow up, it is showing their existance and what they began looking like. There could be many reasons behind why Foot took many of photos like this, it maybe so the family can keep memories about individuals forever and family members can be shown and taught about them when they pass, it is like they are keeping them alive even when they do pass. You can see the photos are personal to foot, as they are all images of his family, he is creating an archive for his family by documenting different images of them over many years.
Portrait photographer from Societe Jersiaise Photo-Archive
Ernest Baudoux, born in France in 1828, worked in Jersey from 1869. There are 1385 photographs by Baudoux online from the Société’s archive. Most of the images are portraits, which was the photographer’s speciality. Baudoux’s was without a doubt the most prolific Jersey studio. He mainly had clients from the Jersey born and French speaking population.
The portraits Ernest Baudoux captured are great examples of the Victorian art of photographic portraiture. They show the fashion of the time in terms of clothing and hairstyles. The subjects would usually wear their best clothes for the portrait photoshoot. For women in the 1870s and 80s this meant that they would wear long black dresses. It was also common for children and occasionaly adults to be photographed wearing fancy costumes. Wearing a sailor’s outfit was popular for boys at the time. The subjects in the images always appear stern for a reason. They had to hold their pose for a long amount of time, which is why they often had their arms folded and were supported on the back of a chair. Holding a smile was impossible.
Most of Baudoux’s studio portraits were produced with a sliding plate mechanism designed to give two exposures on one glass negative. After he chose the best image he eliminated the rejected image by marking it with a cross. With the preferred image, Baudoux retouched the negative to enhance the complexion of the subject and hide facial blemishes. This shows that the practice of photographic manipulated originated before the digital age.
This portrait depicts a full body shot of a young woman. She appears to be sitting down on a stool with her arms slightly crossed. Most Victorian portraits have their subjects sitting down on a chair because they had to hold their pose for a long time in order for the picture to be captured. Holding a smile was impossible for a portrait picture in those days, which explains why she has a blank stare and stern appearance. The woman appears to be affluent which is showcased by her fashionable Victorian clothing and hairstyle. The aspect that most captures the viewer’s attention is her long black dress which was popular for women in the 1870’s and 80’s. This dress would probably be her best iteam of clothing since subjects would usually wear their best clothes if they were going to have a portrait taken.
I want to incorporate Ernest Baudoux portrait photography style by capturing photos of the subject in a formal posture. Taking a direct picture of my subject will make him/her look like an important, powerful figure. This formal style will be interesting to capture when the people who experienced the German Occupation in Jersey come over to join our photography class for a studio photoshoot. I will capture upper body and full body shots with the subject sitting on a chair to reflect the Victorian portraiture style.
To evaluate my zine design, I believe I have produced a strong outcome which showcases my work following my intended narrative. To begin with my front cover takes inspiration from the bunker green books made by the German’s during the second world war, which showcases my ability to take inspiration and implement said inspiration into my work for an intended affect. The sequencing of my imagery within my photographic zine works well, as it clearly showcases my narrative, the decay of Jersey’s bunker’s and how nature is taking back its land, and each image compliments one another with not having any miss fits within the design. My layouts are well thought out, as I have considered contrast, shape and how the images compliment each other, and work at different sizes. This process was not easy and my experimentation can be seen on previous blog posts, were I explored the layouts of different images. In my final design I decided to include text, which I believed to help convey my narrative, supporting the images in the story. I experimented with different fonts till I was happy with one which fit well with my images and presents an older time frame within my images. To conclude, I am very happy with my final design, as it showcases my strongest outcomes from my work so far, and shows my understanding of what makes a successful zine, which shows how I have acted upon my research.
For my first design I followed the sequence which I outlined on my previous blog post. Having the start and finish have imagery of landscapes of and around the bunkers, and the middle pages containing images of the bunkers, showcasing their decay. To create this layout I used InDesign, I set up my page to be portrait and the size of A5 paper and in the style of a photo book. In this attempt I looked at different page spreads, what works and what does not look as effective. Within this initial design and experimentation I managed to produce spreads which work well in showcasing my narrative. However, some pages need to be reconsidered and the sequencing of my images could also be reconsidered in order to produce a stronger outcome.
For my front cover, I took inspiration from the archival green books found at Society Jersiase. Below is an example of the green book cover.
Societe Jersiaise – Photo Archive & Lord Coutanche Library.
The ideology behind replicating this, was that the green books were created by the German’s during the war, showcasing the defence systems in the area on the front cover. Due to them being archival material it begins to suggest that the defence systems have changed due to the abandonment, thus it begins to present my narrative of the decay of Jersey Bunkers. For my cover I used a dark green to cover the back and black text. Although the two covers are very different, I wanted it to be a ‘modern’ version of the green book, thus this simplistic design clearly showcases this. The title of the Zine is ‘Bunker-Archäologie’, it translate to Bunker archeology in English. Deciding to have my title in German, reminds us of how the bunker’s were built for German soldiers to prevent people getting into the Island, thus it showcases how the Germans have left their mark on the island and allowing it to decay. The font used for the title is bold and has a rigid structure, which represents what the bunkers once were.
For my second page of the Zine, I used a full page spread of the landscape photograph, looking out from the Noirmont point, a location of one of Jersey’s bunkers. I kept this image in colour to showcase that the image is recent and reinforces the idea of a modern green book. In addition, it showcases the beauty of Jersey, and although the bunker’s are decaying on the top, it is not forcing the rest of the island to decay with them. The full page spread clearly showcases the sea line, and beauty of the nature, which creates a sense of space and a peaceful mood, which holds a ameliorative tone towards the photograph.
For my next page, I wanted to start showcasing the decay of the bunker’s, this layout clearly emphasises this. The juxtaposing colours, showcases the abandonment of the bunkers, which is reinforced by the formal elements of space and texture. The image on the left is a half page spread, filling the screen creating the sense of space. The image on the right is much smaller and located in the centre of the page, producing juxtaposing colours which helps the photographs to compliment one another. I believe that this layout is my strongest page spread, and is unlikely to be changed.
In my next page spread, I used a 3/4 page spread to showcase this macro image of the bottom of the gun. This layout allows the formal elements of texture and shape to clearly be showcased, reinforcing the narrative of the decay of the bunker. This photograph is strong enough to be alone and is busy, allowing viewers to be drawn into the image. In my opinion this page works well within my design.
For my middle page spread I decided to repeat the idea of have a landscape image looking out in colour. I used a full page spread, for the same reasoning as the first page. This artistic design worked well, as it reinforces the idea that the bunker’s are decaying but the island will not decay with the bunker. The image works well as it uses the technique of framing to enclose a bunker type building out at sea, leaving the rest of landscape to be free. Although I like the way in which this page turned out, I do not believe that having a colour image in the centre of the zine is the best idea, as it almost distracts viewers from the actual narrative, decay of the bunkers.
For my next page spread I decided to go with a half page spread for the image, and leave the other half blank. Creating this blank page takes a break from the action, allowing the information and concept of the zine to settle into viewers heads, it can also be used represent the idea that one day the bunkers will be gone, due to them decaying so rapidly. The image is placed on the right side of the page, as the structure is cut off on the right, so the edge of the zine acts as the end of the bunker.
In my next page, I decided to use the 3/4 page spread again, due to me liking the way in which the other 3/4 page spread look. The image used suits being a larger image, due to the texture being presented through the raindrops and decaying of the bunker.
For my final page spread I wanted to use another landscape image, to create a circular plot and allowing it to follow my intended sequence stated in a previous blog post. I used a full page spread, and a colour image. This time the landscape photograph is looking back at the bunker, which nicely brings the zine to an end, as we can see how the bunkers are decaying the but what surrounds is not decaying. Although this image works well on a full page spread, I do not believe that it is the strongest finish to my zine, thus I will look at changing this.
The back page of my zine is simply the same colour green as the front cover, which refers to the archival green books which showcase the layout of the bunkers, made by the German’s.
Design 2:
In my second design I looked at alternative ways in displaying my images, by changing the spreads and adding in text in my zine. I explored a different front cover option as well as different layout options. I intend to use my best page spreads, from this design and my previous design, to create my final sequence and make my final zine design. Doing this further exploration of page layouts has allowed me to develop my skills within InDesign and has allowed me to show development within my work.
In this front cover design, I decided to use my strongest image produced in my photoshoot, It clearly showcases the decay of the bunkers, thus bringing my narrative from the get go. In addition, I used the same title and font as I did in my first design, but set the colouring to white. The placement of the text is in the top left corner, which is a little hidden, but is placed with in a completely black are making it work successfully. Although I like the way in which this front cover looks, I think this image would work better in the spread created in the previous design. Needless to say, it was well worth doing this experimentation as it confirms that I like the way in which my original front cover looks, and the conceptual and contextual factors it holds.
In my next layout I wanted to experiment with adding text into my work, in order to clearly outline the historical factors of the Second World War in Jersey. With this I simply added a title and text which outlines the liberation of the island and how the bunkers have been left to decay. The short text allows my narrative to be presented, and works well with the one page image spread next to it. I really like the way in which this spread looks, thus I am planning on implementing it in my final design. However, I will develop the font and layout of the text, as I do not believe it is having maximum impact within the zine.
My next layout, I looked at placing two landscape images on a page. I selected two images which juxtapose the sense of space. One image is placed at the top and the other at the bottom. For the narrative I am going for I do not believe that this spread is effective, or fits in with the other layouts within my zine. Therefore, I will not be further developing this layout.
I then decided to look at another alternative for a middle page spread as I was not happy with the one created in my initial design. I decided to use this photograph, which was originally a 3/4 page spread, and made the black and white photograph a full page spread in the middle. I much prefer this layout, as it does not disturb viewers from the narrative with a colour photograph in the middle, thus fitting my sequence more appropriately.
Changes:
After developing my two design idea, I still had pages which I liked but still needed developing in order to have maximum impact. Below are the three main changes I made. This shows my further development and me critiquing my work from an artistic perspective.
Font:
As mentioned earlier I was not happy with the font I used to create the page spread which included information about the decay of Jersey’s bunker’s. I decided to change the font to one which is similar to my title, keeping my work consistent. I also decreased the size so my title fitted on one line as well as getting rid of the hyphens within the paragraph. In addition, I moved all my text down to the bottom of the page, which is a typical design layout for a zine when the text does not fill the whole page. I am much happier with this change in design, as it allows the zine to flow more fluidly now and presents my narrative well.
First and Last Page Design:
My next major change was the two images I would use as my first and last page. I still stuck with the idea of looking out on the first page, thus keeping the same image as it had the intended meaning. For the last page I used a different image which looked up at a bunker with nature surrounding it, I believe that this image presents the concept of the bunker decay but nature is not much better than the original image used. Moreover, it fits my intended sequence much better.
Colour Changing:
My last major change was the colouring and positing of the image above. Originally this image was in colour and a full page spread in the centre of my zine. As mentioned, I did not think this was an affective look as disturbed the rhythm within my zine so I created a new centre page. I still wanted to include this image somewhere in my final produce. I decided to turn it black and white and have it as a 3/4 spread, taking the position of where the wheel image was. I believe that this image is better suited in black and white and in this layout, as it showcases the decay more appropriately.
Action Plan:
As an action plan I will now combine my favourite spreads onto one document, creating my final design for my zine. I will then place them in the appropriate sequence and evaluate my final outcome on another blog post, which shows my final design page by page.
I used Adobe InDesign in order to produce the final layout for my zine. In doing so, I was able to manipulate the layout and sequence of the images easily, and could continuously develop my ideas as I worked to find the best layout for the narrative of my zine. The following steps are those that I followed using InDesign:
In the above image, I was experimenting with the layout of individual images. With some of the images, I decided that in order to keep the interest of the viewer, and to break the images between the pages up more clearly, I would use some of the landscape images, and rotate them 90 degrees so that they presented landscape, horizontally across the book, and by reducing their size, they fit on the page, leaving blank space on all sides. I n doing this I feel I am able to draw more attention to these specific images, and it allows me to break up the images so that they do not look like one continuous block of image.
The above image is an example of one of the final doubly-page spreads for the zine. One of the images is portrait, and the other is landscape. I used a full bleed layout, and rotated the landscape image in order to fit it on the page.
The above image is an example of where I reduced the size of a portrait image, in order to break up the images further along in the zine. These images are both dark in colour, and so in order to between distinguish between the images, I reduced the size of one of them, leaving blank space as a boarder to frame the image and draw more attention to it.
The final image is an example of the layout of all of the pages for my zine. Here it is easier to see the progression from the lighter images to the darker images as the zine progresses, reflecting the increasingly dismal atmosphere of the occupation of Jersey by the German forces.
The above image is what I will be using as a front cover. It is a simple image of close up concrete, which I feel provides a minimalist and tidy layout as the front cover. I have experimented with having a leaflet stapled to the size of the zine, which would showcase a map of Jersey taken from the archives, in order to draw the attention of the viewer and add more to the front cover. The title I have chosen is the German translation of “Concrete Island”. I feel like this title sums up what the German occupation did to the island of Jersey, turning the landscapes from fields and forest land into concrete bunkers and watch stations.
Above is an experimentation with what I may use as a leaflet stapled to the outside of the zine to add more to the front cover. It is an image of a map of Jersey designed around the time of the occupation. I increased the contrast and saturation to make the lines darker, which draws more attention to the image.
