item details
NameThree Maori women and a baby
ProductionAugustus Hamilton; attributed; 1903-1913; New Zealand
Classificationphotographic prints, gelatin silver prints, group portraits
Materialsphotographic gelatin, silver, paper
Materials Summaryblack and white photograph, gelatin silver print
Techniquesblack-and-white photography
DimensionsImage: 103mm (width), 148mm (height)
Registration NumberMU000522/001/0043
Overview
These portraits may look ordinary today, but their informal style was unusual in the early 1900s. They document unknown Māori women and children at a time when images of Māori tended to be of single, romanticised figures and important leaders.
The photographs are attributed to the Director of the Colonial Museum (Te Papa’s first forerunner), Augustus Hamilton. They contrast with the mostly traditional, fine-art portraits elsewhere in this gallery, giving us a small insight into everyday Māori life.