The Société Jersiaise is an academic charity that’s concerned with the history, language, culture and environment of the island of Jersey. The SJPA serves this purpose by preserving and providing access to records. The archive is a unique and important cultural heritage asset for Jersey, documenting our archaeology, geology, ecology, economy, community, architecture and culture through 150 years of producing and collecting photographic materials.
The Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive contains over 125,000 items dating from the mid-1840s to the present day. It is the Island’s principal collection of nineteenth and early twentieth-century photography and reflects a rich history generated from our geographical and cultural position between Britain and France, two nations that were prominent in developing the medium.
It was founded in 1873 for the study of Jersey archaeology, history, natural history and the ancient language of Jèrriais. They have special events and the Lord Coutanche Library supports the work of the Société Jersiaise by collecting and preserving material relating to Jersey’s history. They are important resources holding family archives, local newspapers and almanacs, photographs, prints, maps and genealogical material. Visitors of the Société Jersiase may use the library by purchasing a Reader’s Ticket. As well as that they also have a photographic archive containing over 80,000 images, which can be searched via the Société website.
They “aim to promote the study of Jersey’s archaeology, history, natural history, the ancient language and the conservation of the environment”. Many of Jersey’s prehistoric sites are owned by the Société and are free for visitors to enjoy. It also owns many of the items on display in Jersey’s museums.
Société Jersiaise holds exhibitions and displays, collects artefacts and other items of interest, and also coordinates art scholarships which encourage the development of contemporary art by young Islanders.
In the time I was there, my class and I listened to a worker present what role she taken on when working for Jersey Heritages, Socitete Jersisaise. He film pphotographers used to develop photographers and what kind of photogroahers round the world decided to come to jersey during the perriod of time.
She mentioned that many photographers at the time photography was being more widespread and popular, it was a cheaper alternative to produce photographs in Jersey therefore known film photographers took photographs on the island as well e.g. Henry Mullins, Albert Smith etc.