Hugh Exton Photographic Museum

A photography tour to the past of Polokwane is an opportunity that Hugh Exton Photographic Museum opens to the public. Thousands of images portray what this city looked like between the end of the 19th and the middle of the 20th century. Citizens and researchers of Polokwane (previously known as Pietersburg) love this museum. It is a great chance to get an idea of historical architecture, celebrities of the time, clothing, industry, and trade.

The museum is named after Hugh Exton – a South African self-taught photographer. He is known for creating tens of thousands glass slides during his career spanning 1892 to 1945. Exton moved north from Cape Town in 1886, eventually settling in Polokwane in 1899. He has photographed a wide variety of historic events and served as a British news correspondent during the Anglo-Boer War. He has documented ordinary people and celebrities of the period, images of the local industry, and everyday life. Exton photographed everyone and everything, regardless of race, age, or religion, and captured gold mines' migrant workers and hunters.  He tried not to miss local events and document everyday life, for example, the opening of the railway station, the visit of General Louis Botha, the local newspaper working process. Besides, Exton also was a correspondent, kept meticulous records in diaries, specifying the details and circumstances of each picture.  The master lived to be 91 years old and left a really rich and valuable historical heritage.

The museum is one of the best tourist attractions in Polokwane, and it ranks first in the list of tourist interests, due to its novelty and scale. This is a "time portal" to the past! Photos are carefully placed on numerous stands, systematized, and classified by events. In addition to a selection of photos, the museum has a collection of historical cameras and diaries with Exton's notes.

The museum is located near the municipality of Polokwane and is open from 9:00 to 15:30 from Monday to Friday. Please note: visitors are not allowed to take photos in the museum.