Photograph, 'Entrance Hall'

This small, sepia-toned photograph shows the entrance hall of the model Plunket rooms constructed for the 1940 New Zealand Centennial Exhibition in Rongotai, Wellington. The posters on the wall include one showing the '12 Essentials' of baby care formulated by Truby King: water, food, clothing, bathing, exercise, warmth, regularity of all habits, cleanliness, mothering, air and sunshine, rest and sleep, and management. A doorway leading to the preschool room is also visible.

A handwritten note on the back of the photograph in black ink reads: 'Entrance Hall. Door on left leading to pre-school room. '12 Essentials' chart on wall. Literature showing method of contact with parents and nurse - on wall. Entrance to kitchen on right.'

Significance
In the 1940 New Zealand Centennial Exhibition, utilitarian memorials such as the Plunket rooms reinforced the government message that New Zealand was overcoming the Depression of the early 1930s.

The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society
Sir Frederick Truby King founded the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children in 1907 in an effort to improve childcare standards, and it is still active today. It is, however, more commonly known as Plunket, after Lady Victoria Plunket, wife of the Governor of New Zealand at the time of the Society's establishment and a great supporter of King's work. In 1980, the Society officially changed its name to the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society.

Acquisition
In the late 1980s, Te Papa received a collection of objects and ephemera from the Plunket Society, including promotional leaflets, a 'Well Child' baby book, and a set of scales for weighing infants. These items date from different periods in the history of Plunket, from its inception in 1907 to the time of this acquisition.