IDNO

P.70829.ACH2

Description

Dufty studio portrait of “Maraia - Half-caste English & Tokolau”, meaning descended from a white man and Tokelau [loosely meaning what are now Tuvualu and Kiribati) woman. She is dressed here in quasi-Fijian fashion, with vau hibiscus bast streamers falling from one side of her head, a pair of small white shells tied at her throat by a black velvet or similar band, white masi barkcloth iwabale shoulder sash, and, below her bare breasts, white masi sashing over a curiously patterned barkcloth isulu. She is holding a small bouquet of flowers and standing next to an ornate chaise lounge.
Circa 1875-1876. [Fergus Clunie, 14/7/2003, from record P.70829.ACH2, updated JD 5/12/2011]

Place

Oceania Polynesia; Fiji; Kiribati; Tuvalu; Ovalau Island; ?Levuka [Tokelau]

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Maraia

Photographer

Dufty Brothers, Levuka (Dufty, Francis Herbert)

Collector / Expedition

Date

circa 1875 - 1876

Collection Name

Unmounted Haddon CollectionVon Hugel

Source

Format

Carte-de-visite; Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.70818.ACH2 to P.70848.ACH2 were found inside the envelope now numbered C309/4/3/ which came from drawer 4 of the entire cabinet formerly numbered as batch 153, now re-numbered C309/.

Context: The woman is annotated as half-caste “Tokolau & English”, meaning descended from a white man and Tokelau [loosely meaning what are now Tuvualu and Kiribati) woman. “Tokelau” labourers were imported for the Fiji plantations, and Tokelau women, with their less melanesoid features, being favoured as planters’ and traders’ wives or mistresses. [Fergus Clunie, 14/7/2003, from record P.70829.ACH2, updated JD 5/12/2011]

Photographer: Dufty’s Levuka studio is recognisable through the use of the ornate deep-buttoned chair with carved wooden framework which appears in a number of Dufty studio portraits, suggesting that it too was owned and used by Dufty as a studio prop (see P.70834.ACH2). This configuration of studio props appears to be used by Dufty between circa 1875 - 1876. The Photographer, Date, and Place fields have been amended accordingly. [JD 13/3/2012]

Related Image: This print or negative appears to be a unique image within the MAA Photograph Collections. [JD 5/12/2011]