Reverend William George Lawes
1881-1889
Five girls with tattoo markings on body, wearing plant fibre skirts, necklaces, earings, bracelets, armlets; three bags hanging; white screen as (studio) background; Papua New Guinea.

Gelatin silver print
British Museum
Museum number: Oc,B24.3
 
Printed by Henry King Studio.
 
The image was taken between 1881-9 by Reverend William G Lawes (1839-1907). Lawes was a missionary based in the Papuan Gulf, who established the London Missionary Society's station in Port Moresby in 1874. W.Y. Turner, a mission colleague, noted that Lawes made his photographs in Port Moresby (Welsch 2006).
 
Henry King, of King Photos Sydney, placed numbers on the photos by Lawes that he sold, the numbers referred to the 'List of New Guinea Photographs by Rev. G Lawes' (Welsch 2006). His list was divided into categories 'General', 'Missionary' and 'Anthropological', this image is number 81. For more information see ' Welsch. R. 2006. Coaxing the Spirits to Dance. University of Washington Press: Seattle'.Related image: this same image can be found in the School of Oriental and African Studies collection, inv. # impa-m2585, and is available through the University Southern California Internet Mission Photography Archive: http://digarc.usc.edu/impa/controller/view/impa-m2585.html?x=1204024828230 (accessed 26/02/08).
 
LL/89876