A.J.N. Richards photographs in the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Tun Jugah Foundation Libraries.

Among the materials presented by the Richards family to Sarawak is an extensive collection of photographs and negatives, the great majority taken by the late A.J.N. Richards himself during his years as an administrative officer in Sarawak, from September 1938 through February 1964. These have been divided between the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) library, or CAIS (Centre for Academic Information Services), Kota Samarahan, and the Tun Jugah Foundation library-archives in Kuching.

Anthony Richards was an avid amateur photographer who took many pictures throughout his years in Sarawak, including classic over-the-railing photos of his first sighting of the Sarawak coastline and his journey up the Sarawak River to Kuching. By good fortune, a brother owned a photographic studio in England and many of his earlier photographs were sent to England for processing. As a result, the negatives and many prints survived the Japanese Occupation, and so provide a rare photographic glimpse of pre-war life in Sarawak, from late 1938 through 1941.

The photographic record takes up again with an official photo taken in October 1945 in Labuan showing an extremely gaunt and bearded Anthony Richards shortly after his release from the civilian prisoner of war camp at Batu Lintang (see the Richards memorial). This photo is now kept in the Tun Jugah Foundation archives. Richards' own photographic record begins again in 1946, following his return to Sarawak after a period of recuperation in England, and continues, uninterrupted, until his departure with his family in 1964. While the pre-war photographs were taken largely in the First and Second Divisions and in the lower Rejang, following his posting to Sarikei in 1940, these later photographs were taken at sites all over the state, including Miri, but more importantly, in the mid- and upper Rejang, at Kanowit, Kapit and Belaga; again in the Second Division, at Betong and Simanggang (now Sri Aman), and in the First Division, mainly at Bau. In addition to photos taken during official travels, the photographs in the collection now include family scenes, including pictures taken during family holidays at Bako.

In the division of photographs between the Tun Jugah Foundation and CAIS, generally speaking, the Tun Jugah Foundation received those concerned primarily with Iban social life and culture, historical events and personalities related to the Iban community of Sarawak, and, geographically, the Rejang and former Second Division; while CAIS received those of more general Sarawak interest and particularly photos of Kuching and the former First Division, including a valuable series taken in the Bau district, where Richards served as District Officer between 1948 and 1951 (Photo 2). There are, however, notable duplications and overlaps in the two collections.

Photographs held in the CAIS Library at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

In October 2001, the UNIMAS library received, in addition to the personal books and papers of the late Anthony Richards, 260 black-and-white photographic prints and 411 negatives. These now form part of the library's AJN Richards Collection. At the time of writing, eighty percent of this material, including most of the negatives, has been scanned and digitized in jpg format and, together with the original prints and negatives, has been stored for conservation on CD files as part of the AJN Richards Collection. Eventually, all of this material is scheduled to be digitized and, according to CAIS plans, an extended collection of photographs with captions will be made available online through the CAIS website.

There is considerable overlap between the prints and negatives and a good deal of material is unidentified, or is identified only very generally, as, for example, "river scenes," "Bau," Kapit," etc., and most of the photos are undated. However, by matching the location of photos and Richards' service record, it is possible to assign approximate dates to most of them. Although most of the photographs in the collection were taken by Anthony Richards himself, including a number of interesting photos of Kuching and Kuap (Quop) taken between 1938 and 1940 (Photo 3), there are also a small number of official photos and studio prints. Among the latter is a complete set of seven panoramic photos of Kuching produced by Nam Hua Studio, Kuching, and dated 1939. Included in the Collection are also an aerial photograph of Kuching most likely dating from the early 1960s (Photo 5) and several photos of the well-known, then newly-built but now no longer extant Aurora Hotel, as well as other landmark buildings. Also notable is a set of nine Information Service photographs of the ceremony in 1961 at which Richards officially represented the Sarawak colonial government, marking the readjustment of the Indonesia-Sarawak border and the re-establishment of an Indonesian government station at Badau, Kalimantan Barat. Similarly, of special interest is a series of 22 official photographs taken during a visit by Anthony Richards to the Sarawak Ranger training camp, Camp Baird in Ulu Johore, showing, among other things, Richards reviewing the Rangers then serving in Malaya and awarding medals (Photos 7 and 8).

Further information on the A.J.N. Richards photographs in CAIS can be obtained by writing to Ms. Zainun Mat Nor, Special Collections Librarian, Centre for Academic Information Services, UNIMAS, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia (email: [e-mail]), or by consulting the CAIS website: http://www. Unimas.my/en/cais.

Photographs in the Tun Jugah Foundation Archives

In October 2001, the Tun Jugah Foundation was presented, as a gift from the Richards family, with a collection of 490 photographs and 986 negatives belonging to the late A.J.N. Richards. Included in the gift were two albums of negatives, one labeled mainly "rapids" and "river scenery" and containing 89 negatives, and the second, "Kapit," consisting of 168 negatives, apparently dating from the 1950s, mostly showing scenes of Iban life, e.g., women pounding rice and weaving, farming, boat-making, fishing, and fighting cocks. There are also two albums of photographic prints. The first, containing 22 photos, is divided between "Kuching and Quop-1939-40" and "Kanowit-1946-47." Also contained in this album is the photo of Anthony Richards taken in 1945 immediately after his release from the Batu Lintang prisoner of war camp. The second album, containing 49 photographs, is labeled "1939-40--Kuching, Quop, Bintulu, Anap." Included are several photos of the cross-river house, then called "Sanroque," in which Richards and W.E. Morison lived immediately after their arrival in Kuching, and an ethnographically interesting set of photos of the Bukitan (or Beketan) communities on the Anap and Tatau Rivers.

The photos in the Tun Jugah Foundation collection cover the whole of Anthony Richards' career in Sarawak. They begin with 30 negatives labeled "voyage August 1938" that record his outbound journey and first arrival in Sarawak. Another set of negatives, labeled "Kuching 1938," shows scenes of Brooke Kuching, including horse racing and band concerts. There is a small collection of negatives and prints depicting pre- and post war Sarikei, including 11 negatives labeled the "Sarikei Coronation celebrations." There is also a set of 33 negatives labeled "Miri etc." Much richer, however, is the photographic record of the former Second Division. Particularly valuable are scenes of Iban life, including burials, house building, weaving, boats, cast-net fishing and hunting. There are also official photos of the Saratok regatta and an official posed photo of the "Simanggang takeover" in which A.J.N. Richards replaced M. Forster as District Officer. Additionally, there is a group of seven postcard-sized photos of H.E. the Governor, Sir Alexander Waddell's 1961 visit to Debak, including his visit to St. Christophers' School. A larger set of 40 photos depict the "Governor's tour of Strap (Lingga, Barang)," but also included are scenes of the Ulu Undup.

Also well represented in the collection are photos of the Kanowit district, including scenes of river travel and longhouse life in the Poi. Of special historical interest are photos of the Kanowit fort and bazaar taken in 1946 and 1947 (see Photo 9).

However, the bulk of the Tun Jugah Foundation collection comprises photographs and negatives of what is now the Kapit Division. Again, especially rich are scenes of Iban life, including weaving, river bathing, boat building and rituals. Among the latter are over 30 negatives labeled "Gawai Kenyalang." Notable are a number of photos of the historic Kapit fort, taken in the early 1950s, including two especially interesting negatives, "inside Kapit fort, case in progress," showing a native court case in progress. There are also a large number of photos of the Kapit regatta and an interesting set of 11 postcard-sized studio photos showing what is now the old Kapit bazaar as it appeared when it was under construction in 1952. Also of historical interest is a series of 23 photos labeled "Pelagus sappers begin work," showing engineering crews blasting the Pelagus Rapids. Additionally, there are photos of government longboats being hauled by ropes through the rapids (Photo 10), as well as a number of other upper Rejang river scenes. A group of 20 negatives portray the "H.E.'s visit to Belaga," and there are six negatives taken in the Ulu Katibas in the early 1950s.

In addition to Richards' own photographs, the collection contains a small number of official photographs. Especially notable is a large picture of the 1924 peacemaking ceremony at Kapit with a letter dated 1954 attached to the back that lists the names of all the persons who appear in the photo. Also included in the collection is a folio of four large black-and-white photos of the Sarawak Council Negri, with the names listed below. The four are dated: 6 December 1955, 4 December 1956, 8 December 1959, and 23 March 1960.

The Richards photos now form part of the Tun Jugah Foundation archives and library collection, housed in the Tun Jugah Foundation offices on the fourth floor of the Tun Jugah Towers, Kuching. More information can be obtained by writing to Janet Rata Noel, The Tun Jugah Foundation, Level 4 Tun Jugah Towers, 18 Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia (email: [e-mail]), or by consulting the Tun Jugah Foundation website: www.tunjugahfoundation.org.my.

Clifford Sather

Cultural Anthropology

P.O. Box 59

00014 University of Helsinki 

Finland