The William Walpole Lidbetter collection housed at Rhodes University constitutes a primary source for the study of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, during the early to mid-twentieth century. Lidbetter, a prominent photographer based in Cradock, is recognised for his prolific and detailed visual documentation, which offers insights into the region's social, political, and environmental history.
The archive, primarily comprising glass-plate negatives and lantern slides, functions as a visual ethnography of the Cradock district and the broader Karoo.
