Overend collection

Identity Statement

Content & Structure

• Scope & Content: Naomi and Letitia Overend ↴

  The Overend Collection was filmed during the 1930s and ‘50s, and comprises 41 rolls of 16mm film and three VHS tapes. It consists mostly of amateur travelogue footage, much of which features the Overend sisters Letitia and Naomi on holiday – frequently on board cruise ships. A large portion of the collection is devoted to maritime activities, recreational and occupational, and features exotic high seas locations and the Allied naval fleets just before the Second World War. The collection includes four newsreel films (British Movietone) depicting events relating to George VI.

  The amateur films share the theme of transport, primarily by sea and much of the footage has a kinetic feel, having been filmed from moving vehicles (boats, motorcars, steam trains, trams and even a rickshaw) and from ships. Cruise destinations include ports of call in Panama, Australia, India and Egypt.

  Having perhaps the most foreign locations of any amateur collection held by the IFA, the Overend Collection captures exotic sights including the Acropolis in Athens, the Grand Canyon of Nevada, Pyramids of Eygpt, Bridges of Panama, the Washington DC Monument & surrounds, and what possibly are the arches of the Taj Mahal in India.

  The second tranche of the collection includes films depicting the Sisters recreating at home in Airfield, playing with pets, posing with their Rolls Royce, and enjoying their beautifully tended gardens. Domestic events attended by the sisters include weddings and showjumping. One snippet of film shows the sisters climbing a rock incline in their marture years. The sisters’ humanitarian interest is reflected in a Knights of the Order of Malta Parade filmed in the 1930s.

• Appraisal Destruction ↴

  Permanent Retention

• Arrangement ↴

  Due to the nature of the collection little arrangment required

Conditions of Access & Use

Allied Materials

Descriptive Control Area