Historical organizations paid tribute to American photograph archivist John Tewell responsible for collecting historic photos of the Philippines from different eras.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) on Thursday, February 13 expressed its condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the heritage advocate who passed away on Tuesday, February 11.
Tewell was a retired American pilot who “enthusiastically collected photographs of the Philippines which illustrated life in the country from the 19th to 21st centuries,” the commission said.
“Aside from curating images from various repositories in his Flickr account, he also collected physical prints of historic photographs which he shared freely,” it added.
Tewell’s collections have been featured in various audiovisual presentations and documentaries, as well as in permanent and special exhibitions of NHCP Museums.
The NHCP also quoted the archivist who spoke in a television program:
“It is my belief that I don’t really own the pictures. They belong to the people of the Philippines, their heritage.”
For the historical commission, Tewell will “forever be remembered by a grateful Filipino nation, whenever his photographs are seen in our history museums and beyond.”
Renacimiento Manila, a cultural organization, also paid tribute to Tewell who they described as a “friend of Filipino people.”
“Renacimiento Manila joins the nation in mourning the loss of a man, whose greatest gift to the Filipino national was access to their own history through thousands of photos,” it said on a tribute post.
“From personal photos to those he arranged with different institutions to be made accessible via his Flickr account, John Tewell gave Filipinos a glimpse of the past making it accessible to the digital age,” the cultural org added.
It also posted one of Tewell’s collected photos as a way to honor the late archivist — a clear aerial photograph of pre-war Intramuros taken in 1936 and retrieved from his prolific Flickr account.
“This photo has been shared by countless people, seen by thousands, and reshared several times,” the organization said.
“Through this photo, people can see the details of a lost city, a lost version of Intramuros made more real by high-resolution photos like this,” it added.
“Renacimiento relies on his photos a lot when it comes to the digital reconstruction of Manila’s lost cityscape. This, and thousands of other photos are John Tewell’s gift to our nation,” the org said.
“Farewell, John Tewell. Our prayers go out to you and your grieving family and loved ones. We will forever be grateful,” it continued.
Bea Dolores of Renacimiento Manila, meanwhile, said that Tewell’s “selfless act” of searching and cleaning photos from his collection and in international digital archives was “a significant contribution in democratizing Philippine history.”
“Until the very end, he kept saying that the photos are for the Filipino people and he wished for us to see the beauty of the Philippines through its details. He did not entrust this endeavor to one specific person or organization, meaning this will be our collective effort,” she wrote.
“Let’s honor his wishes and continue loving and advocating Philippine heritage,” Dolores added.
She added that the wake for Tewell will be on Sunday, February 16.
Tewell, whose name is synonymous with old photos of the Philippines that are widely available online, enjoyed collecting heritage photos and said it was a “personal satisfaction” that he was helping preserve the country’s history.
A photographer since the 1950s, the archivist has images documenting historical events like the Liberation of Manila and the Second World War, as well as countless antique photos of women, children, churches, buildings and monuments, schools, homes, and marketplaces.
Tewell’s collection can be viewed on his Flickr account he created in 2009.
He caught headlines in 2023 when he accused a hospital in Las Piñas of “illegally” holding his passport and performing a “wrong” operation on him.
The hospital, in response, said it had a “notarized promissory note” he signed which stated that he agreed to “relinquish his passport” until his bill was settled.
It also said they “corrected” his conditions from a previous operation which was not performed in their institution.
In January, Renacimiento Manila raised awareness about Tewell’s condition and said that he needed general care support and shelter.
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