Marshall Rare Books
Photographs by G.P.R. Papua, April – July, 1920. A.M.
A Scarce Presentation Album inscribed by Pitt-Rivers: To Angus Moncrieff from George Pitt-Rivers, July 1922. A unique collection of photographs by Pitt-Rivers of Papua New Guinea. The Museum of Victoria has a collection of 28 prints, while the Pitt-Rivers Museum has a large collection of artifact from his time in Papua, they only list 16 photographs.
Original Oblong Crown Quarto Photograph Album, (250 x 190mm), Lettered in Gilt with the above title on the upper board, original half soft leather over blue cloth.
Thirty-four Silver-print photographs, each enclosed in a paper folder with type-written caption to the paper, in very good condition, with a page from the Sydney Mail, March 12th, 1922 that includes an article entitled ‘Papua: Land of Mystery’ with photos by Capt. G.H.Pitt-Rivers, July 1922. Annotated by Pitt-Rivers ‘ I am not responsible for the journalese of the text! G.P.R.’
A Scarce Presentation Album inscribed by Pitt-Rivers: To Angus Moncrieff from George Pitt-Rivers, July 1922. A unique collection of photographs by Pitt-Rivers of Papua New Guinea. The Museum of Victoria has a collection of 28 prints, while the Pitt-Rivers Museum has a large collection of artifact from his time in Papua, they only list 16 photographs.
Captain Pitt-Rivers (1890-1966), was the grandson of Lieut – General Augustus Lane Fox Pitt-Rivers, the pioneering archaeologist and founder of the anthropological museum in Oxford.
After being invalided out of the First World War in 1917, Captain Pitt-Rivers studied psychology and anthropology at Oxford. In 1920 he travelled to Australia as a member of his father-in law, Governor-General Lord Forster’s staff, where he conducted important fieldwork.
In 1921 he left Melbourne for the Bismark Archipelago, North of Papua New Guinea to undertake anthropological field research among the native groups there. Specifically, his interest was in two islands ‘Wuvulu and Aua’ that had rarely been examined by anthropologists. Lying about 150 kilometres Northeast of New Guinea, the islands had been discovered in the 16th century by Europeans but had been left alone due to their small size. This album describes photographically his time there.
The Photographs of People and Places Include:
Government House; Port Moresby; The ‘Elevala’, the Governor’s Yacht; Motu Fishermen; Motuan girls in gala dress; village of Kapa-Kapa; Hanuabada; Orangerie Bay; Logia Island; Buna Village (N.E. Papua); Roro People and Mekeo; No.23 is titled ‘Breakfast before starting, left to right: Pitt-Rivers, Leonard Murray, Judge Murray (Leut-Governor), and Angus Moncrieff.