The Devonport Regional Gallery is set to unveil Jackie (JH) Robinson: Mining Fields Reporter, a new exhibition curated by author and historian Nic Haygarth that shines fresh light on one of the region’s most important photographic collections.
The project brings forward a remarkable rediscovery: a significant body of images long attributed to Bert Robinson have now been confirmed as the work of his older brother, Jackie, revealing a photographer whose contribution has been hidden in plain sight for decades.
The Robinson Collection entered public ownership in 1993, when Devonport City Council acquired more than 100,000 negatives that had sat untouched in the closed Robinson Studio since 1975. Carefully catalogued by Gallery staff and volunteers, the collection has become a cornerstone of North West Tasmania’s cultural record, capturing the region’s social, industrial, and environmental history from the 1920s to 1975.
The Gallery continues to care for and share this extraordinary archive, supporting research that deepens understanding of the region and honours the Robinson brothers’ enduring legacy.
The latest chapter in that legacy begins with the Council’s 2024 digitisation project, which saw thousands of fragile cellulose nitrate negatives scanned for long-term preservation. This newly accessible material opened the door for Haygarth to undertake a targeted study of
the Collection. His research revealed that many of the mining and West Coast photographs were, in fact, Jackie’s.
“This research has opened a new chapter in the Robinson story,” says Gallery Curator Ellina Evans.
“Nic’s work has allowed us to recognise Jackie’s contribution to the region’s cultural record, capturing the West Coast’s communities and landscapes, while also strengthening future research and enriching the breadth of knowledge held in our Collection.”
Jackie (JH) Robinson: Mining Fields Reporter showcases these newly attributed works, spanning Waratah, Savage River, Corinna, and other remote centres tied to the pulse of mining life. Jackie’s photographs capture technology on the move, landscapes in flux, and communities bound together by tough conditions and shared stories.
Exhibition Details
Dates: 22 November 2025 to 21 February 2026
Location: Upper Gallery, paranaple arts centre
Opening Event: Saturday 22 November, 11am. Followed by a talk with Author and Historian Nic Haygarth at 12pm on the life and work of Jackie Robinson. All welcome.
For more information, contact the Devonport Regional Gallery at (03) 6420 2900 or email artgallery@devonport.tas.gov.au.
