IDNO

P.87273.VH

Description

On Catalogue Card for duplicate print P.4108.ACH1: “17 plates of Fijians.” [typed text]

Studio portrait of a sotia (“soldier”) of the Armed Native Constabulary in full battle array, armed with an Enfield or Snider-Enfield rifle complete with bayonet. He is wearing an A.N.C. issue snake-buckled cartridge belt, but otherwise dressed as a Christian warrior, with patterned barkcloth iwabale sash and malo loincloth, the latter worn with a high waistband in the defiant malowala style, and with its chiefly train tucked through the waistband so as not to impose movement, but with a liku kilt tied discretely round his waist over the malo. His left arm is braced above the elbow with vesa wrappings of masikuvui, or oiled and smoked barkcloth, tied in an ornamental knot. At his throat is a batinivuaka boar tusk pendant on a beaded tie, and he wears tufted ornaments thrust into the hair at the back of his head.
1875 - 1876. [Fergus Clunie, 14/7/2003, from record P.4108.ACH1, JD 9/11/2011]

Place

Oceania Polynesia; Fiji; Ovalau Island; Levuka

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Dufty Brothers, Levuka

Collector / Expedition

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Date

1875 - 1876

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]

Photographer: This image was previously provisionally attributed to Dufty, but the studio wall with skirting board are identifiable as being of Francis Dufty’s studio, Levuka. (Compare with P.70157.ACH2.) [JD 28/3/2012]

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