IDNO

P.87374.VH

Description

Studio portrait of a young Fijian Christian man with striped, macerated and frazzled coconut or pandanus leaf plumes in his hair and what looks like a black cloth band about his throat. He is holding a book, but is dressed in pre-Christian fighting of ceremonial dress, with fringed white barkcloth iwabale shoulder sash and waist sash - worn rather incongruously over a coloured cloth sash - and an black liku overskirt.
Levuka, circa 1875-1876. [Fergus Clunie, 26/7/2003]

Place

Oceania Polynesia; Fiji; Ovalau Island; Levuka

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Dufty Brothers, Levuka

Collector / Expedition

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Date

circa 1875 - 1876

Collection Name

Von Hugel Collection

Source

Format

Carte-de-visite; Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.87352.VH to P.87387.VH were in the envelope now numbered C512/6/. This envelope came from the Museum’s paper archive envelope VH1/4/7, which has now been re-numbered C512/.

Photographer: Dufty’s Levuka studio is recognisable through the use of the sideboard with darker decorative scroll work and leaves? added to the plainer and paler base (see P.4920.ACH1 for same? sideboard undecorated). The sideboard is normally positioned to the left, and often appears with an ornate wooden box? on top. 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 29/12/2011]

This print has been catalogued with the support of the Getty Grant Program One. [A. Nadin, 2/7/2003]