The John James Quinn (1873-1944) Collection,
This collection contains photographs, glass plate negatives, postcards, and personal letters created and collected by Irish photographer John James Quinn of Ballypatrick, Clonmel in the late 19th and early 20th century. The collection has been digitised and made available online through the generosity of Quinn’s granddaughter, Carol Hennessy.
Quinn was an avid photographer who documented his life in both Ireland and abroad through images. Between 1906-1914, he worked in Derby, England and Ipswich, Australia, photographing local people and places. The collection includes images from his voyages along with scenes of daily life in rural Ballypatrick, Ireland where Quinn farmed after returning to Ireland sometime before 1920.
Spanning a period of great change in Ireland, this collection provides insight into the evolving landscape and culture of Quinn’s native country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The glass plate negatives, photographs, postcards exchanged, and personal letters and Quinn’s own written account of his voyage to Australia offer researchers a unique primary source perspective on rural Irish life during this transitional time period.
We are grateful to Carol Hennessy for providing access to this rich collection of one man’s photographic legacy for future generations. The digitisation of these materials ensures John James Quinn’s visual chronicle of his times will be preserved.
A sample of his work is shown here; the full collection can be accessed on our tippstudiesdigital.ie archive site