item details
NamePango Pango (sic) Harbour, "Sauimatani" & Bloomfield
ProductionBurton Brothers; photography studio; 23 July 1884; Dunedin
Alfred Burton; photographer; 23 July 1884; Pago Pago Harbor
Alfred Burton; photographer; 23 July 1884; Pago Pago Harbor
Classificationblack-and-white negatives, gelatin dry plate negatives
Materialssilver, photographic gelatin, sheet glass, photographic plates
Materials Summaryblack and white gelatin glass negative
Techniquesgelatin dry plate process, black-and-white photography
Registration NumberC.017669
Credit linePurchased 1943
Overview
A Samoan woman (Sauimatani) and a European man (Bloomfield) are posed on a beach with an outrigger, in Pago Pago harbour. Sauimatani holds a paddle in one hand and rests her other hand on Bloomfield's shoulder. The man is either Mr G R or Mr L R Bloomfield, from Auckland; both men were passengers on the second cruise with Alfred Burton. In the Burton Brothers negative register, this image is marked 'private neg'.
Bloomfield rivalled another passenger for Sauimatani's attention. Burton described the composing of this photograph and two others: 'two love-sick swains - rivals for the attention of the lovely Sauimatani - dubbed "the beauty with the languishing eyes", had persuaded that charmer to come across in her canoe to be photographed."