IDNO

P.99836.VH

Description

F.H. Dufty studio portrait of Ratu Seru Cakobau, Vunivalu of Bau, seated in a chair with his walking stick, wearing a long sleeved shirt and gatu barkcloth in the vakatoga or Tongan fashion, folded high up under his chest and girded by a waist sash. On his head is a masikuvui or smoked barkcloth ivauvau or hair wrapper. Circa 1873-1874.
The photographer has added a later background taken at Draiba in circa 1876 (notice Charlie Eyre peeping over the back of the chair, wearing his silly little hat again) - see P.99813.VH. [Fergus Clunie, 14/7/2003]

Physical Condition: Print mounted onto card.

Place

Oceania Polynesia; Fiji; Ovalau Island; ?Levuka

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Ratu Seru Cakobau, Vuniivalu of Bau, Tui Viti (formerly spelt as Thakombau); Charles Eyre (Charlie)

Photographer

?Dufty Brothers, Levuka

Collector / Expedition

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Date

circa 1873 - 1876

Collection Name

von Hügel Collection

Source

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Format

Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.99726.VH to P.100050.VH were in the belted folder now numbered C539/3/. 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: Same image without added backdrop published on ‘The Fiji Photographs of F.H. & A.W.B. Dufty’ with the following information:
“Ratu Seru Cakobau wears a copious, red-brown Tongan ngatu. In Fiji this cloth is associated with chiefs and sacred uses. He catches it with a white barkcloth cummerbund (i-oro) and holds another chiefly symbol, a fan (iri), in this case feather-trimmed (vakavuti).” [Source: www.justpacific.com/ fiji/fijiphotos/dufpics/, JD 28/3/2008]

Biographical Information: ‘Thakombau, ex-king of Fiji’, also known as Ratu Seru Cakobau, Vuniivalu of Bau, Tui Viti, chief of Fiji 1871 - 1874, b.1817 d.1883, accepted Christianaity 1854 and ended cannibalism, instrumental in ceding Fiji to Britain in 1874] [Source: University of Southern California, Mission Photography Archive, http://digarc.usc.edu/impa/controller/view/impa-m2531.html, JD 26/3/2008]

This print has been catalogued with the support of the Getty Grant Fund. [A Nadin, 10/9/2003]