IDNO

P.87268.VH

Description

Dufty studio portrait of an elderly Joeli Pulu (in Fiji, Bulu), the celebrated Tongan missionary to Fiji, dressed in traditional Tongan barkcloth chiefly dress, and holding a fly whisk (iroi in Fiji) in his right hand. His right forearm is scarred from his celebrated fight with an attacking bullshark, from which he emerged victorious. Joeli Bulu was influential in the conversion of Ratu Seru Cakobau, the Vunivalu of Bau, to Christianity in the 1850s, and was for many years Cakobau’s personal chaplain. He died at Bau on 7 May, 1877.
Circa 1875. [Fergus Clunie, 14/7/2003, from record P.52412.VH, JD 22/11/2011]

Place

Oceania Polynesia; Fiji; Tonga; Ovalau Island; Levuka

Cultural Affliation

Tongan

Named Person

Joeli Pulu (also spelt Joeli Bulu)

Photographer

Dufty, Francis Herbert (Dufty Brothers, Levuka)

Collector / Expedition

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Date

circa 1875

Collection Name

Von Hugel Collection

Source

Format

Photomechanical Print

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.87222.VH to P.87277.VH were found loose in the Museum’s paper archive envelope, VH1/4/7, which has now been re-numbered C512/.

Related Image: A set of the same or similar woodburytype from Dufty portraits are in the collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, some of which are named, see reference 1998.237 [E. Edwards]

Place: These are mounted prints and most depict people of Samoa and Tonga. [Alex Nadin, 12/02/2003]

Named Person: This man is named as Joeli Bulu on the page under P.87268.VH. [Alex Nadin, 12/02/2003]

Photographer: The fly wisk held by the sitter is a distinctive prop of the Dufty Brothers’ Levuka studio. [Alex Nadin, 26/9/2003]

Photographer: This image is recognisable as Dufty’s Levuka studio through the painted studio backdrop to represent a view out a window with shutters (note the knob added to the shutter that casts a shadow). This appears to be a feature of Dufty’s studio throughout the 1870s, although the idealised landscape ‘view’ changes around 1875-1876. The Photographer, Date, and Place fields have been amended accordingly. [JD 13/3/2012]

Publication: A duplicate of this photograph is on the website ‘www.justpacific.com’ in the section concerning the photographs used on Fijian postcards, and captioned:
“Unidentified chief wearing loose barkcloth, skirt i-sulu, and holding the chiefly symbol flywhisk (i-roi).” [Alex Nadin, 12/02/2003]

This print has been catalogued with the support of the Getty Grant Program One.