Artwork Information

By the early 1900s, Josiah Martin was well known for the excellence of his Māori and Pacific photographs. While basing his photography business in Auckland for over 30 years, he had travelled extensively throughout New Zealand and the Pacific, encouraged by the international response that Alfred Burton had gained for his photographs in the 1880s. He determined to improve on the work of his competitor from Dunedin by showing more attention to how Pacific people dressed, worked and took their leisure. Martin's Tongan portraits are among the finest Pacific portraits from the ninteenth century. Fusipala was of high Tongan rank, the daughter of Tāvita'Unga, son of Tupou I (also known as Tāufa'āhau). She had married her cousin, Tui'ipelehake Fatafehi, in 1870, and their son Tui'ipelehake Taufa'āhau became Tupou II in 1893. Up until her death in September 1889, Fusipala was the senior matrilineal embodiment of the Tongan royal lineage of Tui'ipelehake. Although this was the first time that she had met a photographer, Fusipala is at ease being photographed sitting outside in her garden at Nukunuku on the island of Tongatapu. As a Christian convert to the Wesleyan Mission, she wears the already standard blouse of her status. Her crimped black tapa and fine woven pandanus skirt further affirm her rank. By allowing his sitters to pose naturally, Martin was able to represent Māori and Pacific people with respect and distinction. (from The Guide, 2001)