Photo card folder "Loloma Fiji Islands" ("Love Fiji Islands"):
This is a long connected strip of colour photographs, all of which were also published at the time as individual postcards, some of which I own and have put on my 'poscard' site, in the 'modern' section. The photographs are by Charles Stinson, son of W.J.B. (Bolton) Stinson, the founder of the original Stinsons Studios in 1912. Charles (later Sir Charles) was perhaps the most important of the post-war commercial photographers, as distinct from Fiji's unrivalled official government photographer, Rob Wright. Like Rob, Charles recorded the scenery of Fiji and the life of the people of all ethnicities. His photographs often go beyond being mere "postcard snapshots" and provide an aesthetically and culturally aware image of Fiji in the last days of its colonial era. He was also keen to use the emergent colour film technology, particularly Kodak's Ektachrome positive transparency film, which was at that time regarded as the best for producing print reproductions. He was for a number of years prominent in local government politics and finally retired to the Gold Coast of Queensland.
The folder is copyright 1968 by Curt Teich & Co.Inc., California, USA. Inside the front cover is a brief note on Fiji's location, geography, population, history, economy, tours & trips, sports and recreation. Inside the back cover is a small map of the island of Vitilevu (written as Viti Levu). These Curt Teich postcards and folders were probably the first colour cards produced of Fiji which were printed sharply and in reasonable colour, though in the nature of Ektachrome of the time they tend to be weighted rather too heavily to the blue side of the spectrum. It should be noted, however, that some of the images were almost certainly photographed several years before this collection was produced.
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