Significant Queensland architectural heritage collection donated to State Library

Recently State Library of Queensland formally received a very significant and generous donation from distinguished architectural photographer Richard Stringer at a morning tea attended by State Librarian and CEO Vicki McDonald, Josephine MacLeod from the Office of the Queensland Government Architect, members of Richard’s family and other invited guests.

With over 50 years of professional photography experience, Richard is widely recognised for his talent and his coverage of many major urban and regional centres throughout Queensland. This very generous donation, to be known as the Richard Stringer Architectural Photography Archive, includes over 63,000 photographic negatives and approximately 100,000 digital images, providing a substantial documentary record of Queensland’s built heritage from 1967-2021.

Richard Stringer is known for his tremendous eye for bringing attention and beauty to the most intimate details of the photographic composition, resulting in decades of leading exemplary photography that is recognised throughout Australia. He is known for "telling a story" with each photograph. In 2018, State Library of Queensland created a digital story and an oral history with Richard that reveals his philosophies, his creative process and his archive, as well as the breadth of his documentary record of Queensland and the beauty of his work.

Along with State Library of Queensland, Richard’s photographs are also in a number of other cultural institutions including the National Trust, the National Library of Australia, Queensland Art Gallery and National Gallery of Victoria. In 2014, Richard Stringer was awarded the John Oxley Library Award in recognition of his longstanding work in documenting Queensland’s landscape and architectural heritage.

Collections of Richard Stringer photographs previously acquired by State Library can found via our One Search catalogue, some of which can be viewed digitally. The newly donated Richard Stringer Architectural Photography Archive is undergoing conservation treatment and processing.

More images from the morning tea can be viewed on Flickr.