Suva, Fiji
1880
Albumen print, original frame
18 × 15 in. (45.7 × 38.1 cm) framed
Provenance: Private collection, Santa Barbara, CA
W. Dufty's studio portrait depicts a Fijian warrior posed against a large decorated tapa cloth, holding a carved club across his body and wearing flower and shell armlets, fiber skirt, and a neck ornament. The tapa backdrop — patterned with bold geometric chevrons and triangles — is itself a significant artifact, and its inclusion as a studio prop gives the composition an unusually rich ethnographic backdrop. Dufty was active in Suva in the late 19th century and this 1880 portrait is among his earlier documented studio work.
The subject is posed in a three-quarter seated position, his direct gaze and composed bearing giving the image a formal dignity within the conventions of colonial studio portraiture. The albumen surface renders the tapa pattern, fiber textures, and the carved club with considerable detail. The framed presentation and Santa Barbara provenance suggest this piece has been in a private collection for some time, consistent with the early circulation of Pacific photographic material in American collections.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Suva, Fiji
1880
Albumen print, original frame
18 × 15 in. (45.7 × 38.1 cm) framed
Provenance: Private collection, Santa Barbara, CA
W. Dufty's studio portrait depicts a Fijian warrior posed against a large decorated tapa cloth, holding a carved club across his body and wearing flower and shell armlets, fiber skirt, and a neck ornament. The tapa backdrop — patterned with bold geometric chevrons and triangles — is itself a significant artifact, and its inclusion as a studio prop gives the composition an unusually rich ethnographic backdrop. Dufty was active in Suva in the late 19th century and this 1880 portrait is among his earlier documented studio work.
The subject is posed in a three-quarter seated position, his direct gaze and composed bearing giving the image a formal dignity within the conventions of colonial studio portraiture. The albumen surface renders the tapa pattern, fiber textures, and the carved club with considerable detail. The framed presentation and Santa Barbara provenance suggest this piece has been in a private collection for some time, consistent with the early circulation of Pacific photographic material in American collections.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
