IDNO

P.99785.VH

Description

F.H. Dufty photograph of Lieutenant Henry Olive’s quarters, either at Nasova or at the Waitovu barracks of the Armed Native Constabulary, about a mile north of Levuka. Lieutenant Olive is seated on the ramp leading up to the doorway, flanked by sentries and white and Fijian ovisa, including two senior Fijian ones armed with sword bayonets and wearing tunics instead of the blue pullover jersey-type shirts of the junior NCO’s and men. All of the Fijians wear white issue isulu skirts, with red waist sashes beneath their snake-buckled belts. Apart from its beautiful workmanship, the building, built in the style of that of Ratu Seru Cakobau, the Vunivalu of Bau, is symbolic of high spiritual status and authority, standing on a raised yavu mound faced with stones, having a cleated ramp leading up to its door, and having as ornate a ridge as the finest spirithouses of the Fijian religion, with the projecting ends of the ridge-pole wrapped with white bulidina cowry shells.
1875. [Fergus Clunie, 14/7/2003]

“Bure built especially for the Royal Highnesses, Prince Albert and Prince George' s visit to Nasova, Levuka in September 1881. In the foreground are officers and members of the Armed Native Constabulary. Dufty Collection, 1881.” [From Fiji Museum catalogue, JD JD 10/3/2012]

Physical Condition: Print mounted onto card.

Place

Oceania Polynesia; Fiji; Ovalau Island; Near Levuka; ?Nasova; ?Waitovu

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Lieutenant Henry Olive; Prince Albert; Prince George; William Seed; Edward Herbert; Hugh Amherst

Photographer

Dufty, Francis Herbert (Dufty Brothers, Levuka)

Collector / Expedition

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Date

September 1881

Collection Name

von Hügel Collection

Source

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Format

Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.99759.VH to P.99825.VH were in the belted folder now numbered C539/2/. This was formerly kept in paper archive Large Box G; VH1/4/5. It has now been transferred to the photo archive. The lists describing the contents of this box have been returned to the Paper Archive.

Publication: A duplicate print is also held at the Fiji Museum, with the following information:
“Bure built especially for the Royal Highnesses, Prince Albert and Prince George' s visit to Nasova, Levuka in September 1881. In the foreground are officers and members of the Armed Native Constabulary. Dufty Collection, 1881.”
[Source: www.fijimuseum.org.fj/online_exibitions_glassplate_negatives.html, JD 10/3/2012]

Related Image: Same image held at the Royal Collection Trust, reference Albumen print | RCIN 2580903, and captioned as: "The Princes' Hut. [The Cruise of H.M.S. Bacchante 1879-1882. Volume IV, Australia, Fiji].  4-9 Sep 1881.
Group photograph in front of the Princes' Hut: small thatched building: seven Fijian police wearing skirts, with three British officials, (left to right) Seed, Herbert and Amherst.
Provenance - The Album 'Cruise of H.M.S. Bacchante 1879-1882. Volume IV, Australia, Fiji' was compiled by the Reverend J N Dalton (1839-1931) and presented to King George V." [Source: https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/search#/22/collection/2580908/fijian-police-nasova, JD 04/04/2017]

Named Person: Herbert, Edward William, Lt., Aide de Camp to Governor of Fiji (fl.1874-1880s)
Seed, William Henry (? fl.1880s)
Hugh Amherst, 4th Earl of Amherst (1856-1927). [Source: https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/search#/22/collection/2580908/fijian-police-nasova, JD 04/04/2017]

Biographical Information: Reverend (later Canon) John Neale Dalton KCVO CMG (24 September 1839 Margate, Kent – 28 July 1931) was a Church of England clergyman and author. He was a chaplain to Queen Victoria, a Canon of Windsor, and tutor and chaperone / companion to the future King George V and his brother Prince Albert Victor from c.1869 until 1882. [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Neale_Dalton, JD 4/5/2017]

Related Image: This print or negative appears to be a unique image within the MAA Photograph Collections. [JD 9/1/2012]

This print has been catalogued with the support of the Getty Grant Fund. [A. Nadin, 4/9/2003]