Alfred James Tattersall (29 March 1866 – 25 November 1951) was a New Zealand photographer, who lived in Samoa for most of his life and contributed a significant collection of images of the Pacific Island country and its peoples during the

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

era.

Biography

Tattersall was born in Auckland on 29 March 1877.Alfred James Tattersall
Museum of New Zealand He moved to Samoa in 1886 to work as an assistant in the studio of John Davis. When Davis died in 1893 Tattersall took over his studio and negative collection. He went on to live in Samoa from 1886 to 1951, including the volatile era when Britain, Germany and the United States were vying for control of the Samoa Islands. Many of his photographs are significant in the history of Samoa and covered eras such as German Samoa (1900 - 1914) followed by the country's administration under New Zealand which saw the rise of the pro-independence Mau movement. Tattersall went to Samoa in 1886 to be an assistant in the photography studio of British photographer, John Davis. This was the era of colonial photography in the South Pacific when the tropical landscapes and indigenous people provided 'continual fascination' for foreign photographers. In 1891, another New Zealander, Thomas Andrew joined Davis and Tattersall. In the same year, Tattersall married Blanche Yandall. In 1903, Tattersall took over the business when Davis died. Postcards were a popular part of his business which distributed the images around the world. Apart from landmark historical events, Tattersall also photographed hundreds of landscape scenery and studio portraits of Samoans posing in traditional attire. In 1920 Tattersall was appointed as one of the three unofficial members of the new Legislative Council of Western Samoa.Lauofo Meti (2002) ''Samoa: The Making of the Constitution'', National University of Samoa, p17 He contested the

1926 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1926. Africa * 1926 Egyptian parliamentary election * 1926 Lagos by-election * 1926 Northern Rhodesian general election * 1926 South West African legislative election Asia * 1926 Hong Kong sanitary ...

to the Council, but was unsuccessful.Legislative Council Elections
''Samoanische Zeitung'', 3 December 1926 He died in Western Samoa on 25 November 1951 at the age of 85.Mr. A.J. Tattersall
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', December 1951, p120

Gallery

File:German, British, American warships in Apia harbour, Samoa 1899.jpg, German, British and American warships in Apia harbour, 1899 File:Mau leaders and Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III in front of Mau office 1929.jpg, Mau movement leaders and

Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III Tupua Tamasese Lealofi-o-ā'ana III (4 May 1901 – 29 December 1929) was a paramount chief of Samoa, holder of the Tupua Tamasese dynastic title and became the leader of the country's pro-independence Mau movement from early 1928 until his assa ...

in front of the octagonal Mau office, 1929. File:Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III lying in state at Vaimoso 1930 - AJ Tattersall.jpg, The death of

. File:NZ police in Samoa during Mau uprising ca 1930 - AJ Tattersall.jpg, New Zealand police in Samoa, 1930. File:Lauaki Namulau'ulu Mamoe (standing 3rd from left with orator's staff) and other chiefs aboard German warship taking them to exile in Saipan, 2909.jpg, Samoan exiles aboard German warship taking them to

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

, including

Lauaki Namulauulu Mamoe Lauaki Namulau'ulu Mamoe (died 14 December 1915) (also known as Lauati) was a renowned orator chief and the first leader of the Mau, a resistance movement in Samoa during colonialism. Mamoe was exiled to Saipan in 1909. He died in 1915 as he was ...

, 1909. File:Matavanu volcanic eruption - Savai'i 1905.jpg, Volcanic eruption of

Mt Matavanu Mt Matavanu is an active volcano on the island of Savai'i in Samoa. The volcano was formed during an eruption in 1905. Lava flows from the eruption covered a large area of land in the Gaga'emauga district, leading to the relocation of several vil ...

on Savai'i, 1905. File:LMS church in Samoa damaged by lava 1905 photo AJ Tattersall.jpg, A church damaged by lava on Savai'i, 1905. File:Mulinu'u by Tattersall Studios - Samoa 1893-1949.jpg, Architecture of Samoa, traditional houses (''fale'') in Mulinu'u, circa 1900s.

References

External links

''Samoans Posed in Front of a Hut with Palm Fronds and Thatched Roof''
a photograph with biographical information about Tattersall from the World Digital Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Tattersall New Zealand photographers History of Samoa Photography in Samoa 1866 births 1951 deaths New Zealand expatriates in Samoa Members of the Legislative Council of Samoa Colony of New Zealand people