Marquesan Tattooed, circa 1882

carte de visite

PHOTOGRAPHS
Hoare, S. (Mrs.)
French Polynesia, Marquises Îles; Société, Îles de la, Tahiti, Papeete
circa 1882
paper
overall: 4-1/8 x 2-1/2 in.

Carte de visite, albumen print on white card; Marquesan Tattooed, circa 1882 (see Manuscript Coll. 311); collected by Captain Richard C. Mears (1829-1899) during his travels as a shipmaster to the South Pacific; photograph of an original engraving or drawing, showing a Marquesan man with full body tattooing (in the Marquesas Islands, tattoos shows both lineage and identity, depicting images that spoke of their clan, their position or role in the family and society, as well as personal achievements); handwritten on back "Marquesian/ Tattooed"; printed on back "MRS. S. HOARE,/ Photographer,/ PAPEETE,/ TAHITI."

2005.34.39