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.][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 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 Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III.
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 vi ...
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