Glass Plate Negatives Collection

Virtual Exhibition

Basket Making

Fijian Couple

Above left: Two Fijian women demonstrate the traditional art of basket weaving. Photo by journalist George L. Griffith, founder of the daily paper The Fiji Times, which was established in Levuka in 1869.
Above right: A Fijian couple photographed in the studio. The man is dressed in sulu-vaka-toga and is holding a throwing club while the woman wears a dress and a sulu-i-ra. Behind her is a fan. Dufty Collection, circa 1890.


Burns Philps at Marks Street Fijian Canoe Postcard

Above left: View of Marks Street taken from the Metropole Hotel. The McGowan building is now Courts building. The structure in the foreground left is the old wooden Burns Philp department store. J.B. Turner Collection, circa 1920.
Above right: The Camakau, a Fijian traditional canoe in full sail. Such canoes were commonly seen in the outer islands in the Fiji group. Dufty Collection, circa 1880.



Fan Post Card Kids in Costume

Above left: A fan from Fiji by the Dufty Brothers, depicts a bure, cartes-de-visite of Ratu Cakobau, Fijian men and women, as well as ornaments. These items were placed on the fan and photographed for use as a greeting card. Dufty Collection, circa 1880.
Above right: These children were probably dressed for a school concert and displayed their costumes to the photographer, circa 1920. Both the name of the photographer and the actual location are unknown. This image was made from a glass plate in the James Burton Turner collection.



Grand Pacific Hotel Young Warrior with Necklace

Above left: View of the Grand Pacific Hotel taken from Albert Park. Built in 1914, its guests included HRH Queen Elizabeth, Somerset Maugham, and famous actors and actresses from Hollywood.
Above right: A Fijian warrior is shown wearing a 'wasekaseka' made from whales teeth which have been carved to the shape of a boar's tusk and strung on a coconut fibre to make a necklace. This photo was taken by the Dufty Brothers at their Levuka studio circa 1876.



Little Fijian Princess Making Masi

Above left: A young Fijian princess. Dufty Collection, circa 1890.
Above right: Masi-making played an important role in the lives of early Fijian women. Here, the two women are using a technique they call 'kesakesa' (stencilling) on an almost completed masi. Photograph by J. W. Waters of Suva.



Warrior with Large Fan Warrior with warclub

Above left: A Fijian warrior dressed in traditional costume and holding a fan was photographed by Alfred Dufty at the Dufty Studio in Levuka circa 1876. This photo later appeared on a postcard.
Above right: Solomon Islander, possibly one of the labourers brought in during the blackbirding period. Dufty Collection, circa 1860-70.


 

Ratu Finau canoe Display Case

Above left: The double-hulled canoe, 'Ratu Finau', was photographed at the home of James Burton Turner in Nasese circa 1920. The print was made from a 6"x8" plate from the Turner Collection. In 1981, the canoe was donated to the Fiji Museum and is now on display in the main gallery.
Above right: A display of Fijian artefacts photographed in the Nasese home of James Burton Turner in the 1920s. This print was made from a plate in his collection.


Morris Hedstroms store Mother & Baby

Above left: Morris Hedstrom Ltd., photographed by Harry Gardner circa 1930, was a well-known landmark in Suva. Built along the banks of the Nubukalou Creek, it caught fire in 1999 - only a small part of its structural design is still evident today.
Above right: A mother and child photographed by the Dufty Brothers at their Levuka studio. The original glass plate was 4"x5" in size.


 

Pig Farm Kai Colo

Above left: Scene from a planter's farm with copra left to dry on racks. Location of the farm is not known. J.B. Turner Collection, circa 1930.
Above right: Fiji Hill Tribe warriors with wigs (ulumate) photographed at the Dufty Studio in Suva. Dufty Collection, circa 1890.


Posing Fijian Women Police Bure (Hut)

Above left: Fijian women dressed in "sulu-i-ra" with garlands and headwear making up part of their attire. Neither the photographer nor the location of the picture is known. The image was made from a glass plate in the James Burton Turner collection.
Above right: Bure built especially for the Royal Highnesses, Prince Albert and Prince George' s visit to Nasova, Levuka in September 1881. In the foreground are officers and members of the Armed Native Constabulary. Dufty Collection, 1881.


War Club Display Warrior posing with warclub

Above left: A collection of war clubs, ornaments and tabua's on display in Levuka was photographed by the Dufty Brothers circa 1876. This image was made from a glass plate in the James Burton Turner collection.
Above right: A Fijian warrior in full dress posing with his gata club (used for dance). Photograph was taken at the Dufty Studio in Levuka. Dufty Collection, circa 1880.


Police Court Three Fijian Women

Above left: One of the first Native Police Courts, photographed by the Dufty Brothers, was established in Levuka in 1872, before Fiji was ceded to Great Britain in 1874. In the foreground are members of the Native Police Constabulary.
Above right: Fijian women dressed in wedding attire. Photograph was taken at J.B. Turner's residence in Suva. J. B. Turner collection, circa 1920.

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Apr-2008