National Library of Australia - Gateways

ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 57| June 2002


Snapshots of Old Japan:
Additions to the Harold S. Williams Collection

Peter Williams discussing his father’s Japanese albums with Jan Fullerton, Director-General (left) and Dr Keiko Tamura (right)
Peter Williams discussing his father’s Japanese albums with Jan Fullerton, Director-General (left) and Dr Keiko Tamura (right)

The National Library has just received 10 albums of photographs, which provide a fascinating insight into the life of the foreign community in Japan. They belonged to Harold S. Williams (1898–1987) an Australian businessman, writer and collector, who spent most of his adult life in Japan. Williams developed an outstanding library of books, manuscripts, pictures, serials and other materials on the history of foreigners in Japan and the interaction between Japan and the West. He donated his collection to the National Library, and also established a trust in perpetuity for its maintenance and development. His wife Jean Williams (1909–1999) later donated further papers, pictures and books.

The photographs were taken between the 1920s and 1980s. They relate particularly to the Kobe area where Harold and Jean Williams lived for many years. In addition to photographs of family and friends, their houses and gardens, there are group portraits of staff from many nationalities at the companies with which Harold Williams was associated. Social activities included dinners, dance parties, sporting occasions and visits to the beach. Historical events such as the terrible Tokyo earthquake of 1923 are shown in graphic detail. The Williams family travelled extensively. The albums contain views from around Japan, East Asia and many other countries.

Peter Williams, son of Harold and Jean Williams, has donated these albums along with various papers by his father and a number of publications. Peter Williams has also passed on copies of the two volume collection of writings by his parents West Meets East : The Foreign Experience of Japan, to be made available to any interested individuals or institutions. For a free copy please contact Andrew Gosling (details below).

Peter and his wife Mac Williams recently visited the National Library to present these materials. While at the Library they met Dr Keiko Tamura, a researcher at the Australian National University and the Australian War Memorial, who will be undertaking a Harold White Fellowship from July 2002 on the Harold S. Williams Collection. She was most interested in the detailed background to the collection that Peter and Mac Williams provided.
—Andrew Gosling

For more details or a copy of West Meets East please contact:

Andrew Gosling
Chief Librarian, Asian Collections
Tel: (02) 6262 1286
Email: agosling@nla.gov.au

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