Alfred James Tattersall (29 March 1866 – 25 November 1951) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

photographer, who lived in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

for most of his life and contributed a significant collection of images of the

Pacific Island Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

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 au ...

era.

Biography

Tattersall was born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

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 Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

were vying for control of the

Samoa Islands The Samoan Islands ( sm, Motu o Sāmoa) are an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Independent State of Samoa ...

. Many of his photographs are significant in the

history of Samoa The Samoan Islands were first settled some 3,500 years ago as part of the Austronesian expansion. Both Samoa's early history and its more recent history are strongly connected to the histories of Tonga and Fiji, nearby islands with which Samoa ha ...

and covered eras such as

German Samoa German Samoa (german: Deutsch-Samoa) was a German protectorate from 1900 to 1920, consisting of the islands of Upolu, Savai'i, Apolima and Manono, now wholly within the independent state of Samoa, formerly ''Western Samoa''. Samoa was the las ...

(1900 - 1914) followed by the country's administration under

which saw the rise of the pro-independence

Mau movement The Mau was a non-violent movement for Samoan independence from colonial rule during the first half of the 20th century. ''Mau'' means ‘resolute’ or ‘resolved’ in the sense of ‘opinion’, ‘unwavering’, ‘to be decided’, or ...

. 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 Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

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.

Postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

s 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 sanitar ...

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 Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. ...

harbour, 1899 File:Mau leaders and Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III in front of Mau office 1929.jpg,

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, including Lauaki Namulauulu Mamoe, 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 The architecture of Samoa is characterised by openness, with the design mirroring the culture and life of the Samoan people who inhabit the Samoa Islands.

, traditional houses (''fale'') in

Mulinu'u Mulinu'u is a small village situated on a tiny peninsula on Upolu island in Samoa. It became the site of the colonial administration in Samoa in the 1870s and continues to be the site for the Parliament of Samoa. It is located on the central nort ...

, 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 The World Digital Library (WDL) is an international digital library operated by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress. The WDL has stated that its mission is to promote international and intercultural understanding, expand the volume ...

{{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