Overview
W O Oldman was a British collector and dealer in tribal art. He acquired many pieces from Oceania, which was one of his favourite areas, although he never actually went there.
After World War I, Oldman purchased, at little cost, exotic collections surplus to the requirements of many smaller British museums. He kept all the best items and sold the rest.
During World War II, Oldman, along with his wife and his valuable collection, sat out the bombing of London in the basement of his brick villa in Clapham. Miraculously, Oldman’s collection survived despite direct hits on adjoining houses.
A number of New Zealand scholars visited Oldman to view his collection and made a very favourable impression. The Polynesian Society published annotated catalogues of his Maori and Polynesian collections. These events encouraged him to sell his collection to the New Zealand Government in 1948 for a sum believed to be 44,000 pounds sterling. Oldman died in 1949.
Text originally published in Tai Awatea, Te Papa's onfloor multimedia database.