Conference Paper

Author

Bishop, Warwick T.

Title

William Ferguson, Founding Father of the Engineering Profession in New Zealand

In

Second Australasian Conference on Engineering Heritage, Auckland, 14-16 February, 2000: Proceedings

Imprint

Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand, 2000, pp. 57-65

ISBN/ISSN

0980960352

Url

https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.909923499571298

Abstract

In a recent tidy-up of the Wellington offices of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) an old oil portrait of a William Ferguson was discovered wrapped up in corrugated cardboard in the top of a cupboard where it had lain for over thirty years. Although in poor repair and unsigned it appeared to be of good quality. At the same time a bundle of hand written correspondence from the early 1950's was found. These letters helped explain some of the intriguing history behind the painting, the subject, and the 'anonymous' artist. While researching the background to the portrait the author gained an insight into not only the interesting and varied career of the 'founding father' of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand but also the unhurried and very polite society that surrounded the profession some fifty years ago. The fully restored painting will be 'unveiled' to the profession in Auckland in February 2000 along with the artist's motivation, name, and position.

Related Published resources

isPartOf

• Second Australasian Conference on Engineering Heritage, Auckland, 14-16 February, 2000: Proceedings edited by Lowe, P. G.; Hill, R .F. (Auckland, New Zealand: Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, 2000), 248 pp, https://search.informit.org/doi/book/10.3316/informit.0980960352. Details