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Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title from content of the collection.
Level of description
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
ca. 2 million negatives.
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
The Kitchener-Waterloo Record began with the publication of the Daily News of Berlin on February 9, 1878 and was the first daily paper in the area. It was published by Peter Moyer. Over the years it had several names and publishers: in January of 1897 it was purchased by the German Printing and Publishing Company and was amalgamated with that company's Berlin Daily Record to become the Berlin News Record, and later still the News Record, all published by William (Ben) V. Uttley. In 1918 the publishers of the German-language paper the Berliner Journal, William D. Euler (later Senator for North Waterloo) and William J. Motz, purchased the News Record and changed the name to the Kitchener Daily Record. On July 17, 1922 the Record absorbed the other daily, the Daily Telegraph. With that event, the original three daily papers (the News Record, the Berlin Daily Record, and the Daily Telegraph) became one.
The Berliner Journal began in December 29, 1859 by Frederick Rittinger and John Motz, and was located on Queen Street south, Kitchener. Motz remained editor until his death in 1899, at which time his son William acquired his father's interest. When Rittinger died in 1915 his share was acquired by William D. Euler. The weekly Journal ended on May 10, 1924. The Record’s first staff photographer was Harry Huehnergard, who worked for the paper for 49 years before retiring in 1986 as Manager of the Photographic Department.
In 1948 the Kitchener Daily Record was re-named the Kitchener-Waterloo Record, which name it retained until 1994, when it became simply The Record. In 1928 the paper moved from its home at 49 King Street west to a new building at 30 Queen Street north where it was to stay for 44 years until moving in May 1973 to 225 Fairway Road. When William J. Motz died in 1946 his son John E. Motz took over as publisher. The by-then Senator Euler sold his interest to Southam Press in 1953. John E. Motz died in 1975 and the Motz Family continued to own a controlling interest in the paper until 1990, when it was sold to Southam. In 1998, The Record was sold to Sun Media Corporation, and then in March 1999, to Torstar Corporation. In January 2005, the paper moved its offices to Market Square on King Street east in Kitchener's downtown core, and on March 11, 2008, the name was changed to the Waterloo Region Record.
Custodial history
Scope and content
More than 2 million negatives taken between 1938 and 2001 by staff photographers at the Kitchener-Waterloo Record (KWR) and its predecessors. Providing a historical look at the Region of Waterloo, the Collection includes documentary photographs of local news events, community activities, regional development, human-interest stories, businesses, schools, and sports teams. Portraits of business and community leaders, as well as commissioned photos taken for advertising purposes, are part of the Collection. It also includes scrapbooks containing clippings and pictures that appeared in the paper from 1971 to 1995.
Notes area
Physical condition
Nitrate-based negatives have been copied using safety film and replaced. The conversion of negatives from 1939 to 1951 was completed thanks to a grant received by the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation.
Immediate source of acquisition
The bulk of the Collection, consisting of negatives from 1938 to 1981, was donated to the University of Waterloo Library in 1987. At the time of donation it was agreed that the 5 most recent years of negatives would be kept for use by KWR staff and as each year passed, another year of negatives would be deposited at the Library.
Arrangement
Negatives are arranged in cabinets by year, then by caption. Titles are those supplied by newspaper staff as part of day to day operations.
The negatives were used as a working collection by KWR staff. It is not uncommon for negatives to be missing from files. Negatives may also appear in envelopes with dates that don't align with when they were taken as they were pulled to be used as part of subsequent news coverage or were grouped together based on theme, event or person.
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Negatives are scanned on a case by case basis for preservation and access purposes. A selection of high-quality scans are available for viewing as part of the Kitchener-Waterloo Photographic Negative Collection on the Waterloo Digital Library. Work to add reference copies of available scans to the Archives Database began in 2020, and is on-going.
Please contact us for assistance accessing copies of photos described in this finding aid.
Restrictions on access
KWR photographers sometimes took photos on behalf of the police that may include graphic, upsetting and harmful content. Access to these types of negatives is restricted and noted, where applicable, at the file level.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Copyright is held by the University of Waterloo Library. The use of material, not currently in the public domain, for commercial purposes, advertising or in association with any product or service is prohibited. Exceptions may be granted on a case by case basis.
Reproduction fees, payable to the University of Waterloo, may apply.
Please contact us for more information.
Finding aids
Associated materials
Accruals
New accruals ended in 2001 when the KWR shifted to predominantly digital photography.
General note
Special Collections & Archives does not have back issues of the newspaper as part of the department's holdings. Microfilm reels of the newspaper are available as part of the University of Waterloo Library's microfilm holdings. See MIC S118 for more information.
General note
Only photographs taken by Kitchener-Waterloo Record staff photographers are held in the Collection. Photographs taken by other photographers or photographic services that appeared in the paper are not included.
General note
A series of negatives from the 1970s have been refrigerated for preservation purposes, which may cause a delay in accessing requested negatives. For more information about the refrigeration of photographic negatives, we recommend the National Park Service's Cold Storage for Photograph Collections