Suzanne Teriimarama Bambridge (1844–1911) was a leading social figure in Tahiti in the late nineteenth century.

Life

Bambridge was the daughter of Thomas Bambridge and Maraea Haumani O'Connor. Her English father was a missionary in

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...

and Tahitian-Irish O'Connor was his second wife. In 1891 French artist

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

, recently arrived in Papeete, secured a commission to paint Bambridge's portrait. Her great-grandfather, James O'Conner, had been a sailor aboard the whaler , which had wrecked on

Moruroa Moruroa (Mururoa, Mururura), also historically known as Aopuni, is an atoll which forms part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is located about southeast of Tahiti. Administratively Moruroa Atoll i ...

on 25 May 1792. The crew had survived and reached Tahiti on 5 March. O'Conner and a handful of other survivors declined later opportunities to return to Britain, preferring to settle in Tahiti.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bambridge, Suzanne 1844 births 1911 deaths People from Tahiti Tahitian women French Polynesian people of English descent