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Overview
Half length seated portrait of a middle aged Maori man, Wi Tako Ngatata. He has short wavy hair, a moko, and a moustache. He is wearing a light coloured jacket over a houndstooth waistcoat, and a small bow tie.
This extract originally appeared in New Zealand Photography Collected: 175 Years of Photography in Aotearoa (Te Papa Press, 2025).
Until technology enabled photographic reproductions to appear in books, magazines and newspapers, the only way to own an image of a well-known personality was to buy a carte-de-visite from a studio. Portraits of King Tāwhiao, leader of the Kīngitanga (Māori King movement) from 1860 to 1894 during a turbulent era of Māori–Pākehā relations, were, not surprisingly, amongst the most sought-after. Images of the dashing Major Gustavus von Tempsky, well known for his exploits in the New Zealand Wars, were also popular, judging by the number of times his portrait appears in collections. Wiremu Tako Ngātata, commonly known as Wī Tako, was a Te Āti Awa chief who lived in the Wellington area and became a member of the government’s Legislative Council (Upper House) from 1872. Sir George Arney was Chief Justice from 1858 to 1875.