| Title |
Views in Fiji |
| Reference |
GBR/0115/Y3091A |
| Creator |
Ragg, Hugh Hall, fl 1885, engineer |
| Covering Dates |
1885 |
| Extent and Medium |
48 images; photographs in varying conditions: some good and some yellowing. |
| Repository |
Cambridge University Library: Royal Commonwealth Society Library |
|
| Content and context |
|
An album containing mounted albumen prints, most measuring approximately 230 x 175 mm., and mostly captioned in pencil. Photographs are probably by the firm of Besse & Black. The album cover is stamped 'H.R.' beneath the title and it is suggested by Dr. E.M. Stephenson that this refers to Hugh Hall Ragg, engineer, boiler maker, general smith and government contractor in Fiji at this time.
Besse & Black: it seems likely that the photographs were selected individually from prints offered by the studio of Besse & Black, which was operating in Suva in 1885. Both Besse & Black and the Dufty Bros. (also in Suva then) offered selections of photographs for standard prices per number bought. Both firms photographed private houses also. A number of the pictures in the album were published in 'Besse & Black's illustrated history of Fiji' (John Sands, Sydney 1885). Besse left Fiji in 1887. It was probably after that that F. Dufty bought his negatives, thus leading to much confusion regarding the identity of the photographer.
|
Access and Use
|
Please cite as Cambridge University Library: Royal Commonwealth Society Library, Views in Fiji, Y3091A |
| Further information |
|
Indexed
This item level description was entered by NE and MJC using information from the original typescript catalogue.
This collection is available on microfiche: Oceania, fiche numbers 6-7.
To view three images from the collection see:
(http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/752/simple-search?query=y3091a)
To use these images or obtain copies please refer to our Terms of Use:
http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/rcs_photo_project/gallery1.html
|
| Index Terms |
| Fiji |
| Oceania |
| Ragg, Hugh Hall (fl 1885) engineer |
| RCS/Y3091A contains: |
|
1
|
Govt House, Suva. 229 x 173 mm. A view looking along the front façade of Government House, with parts of the town and harbour visible in the distance. Built in 1882 when Suva became the capital of Fiji, although the decision to move from Levuka, on the small island of Ovalan, had been made some years before, Levuka being situated on a narrow strip of land between sea and high mountains which allowed no room for expansion. The move was providential: in 1885 Levuka was devastated by a powerful hurricane. Government House was partly a new construction, but also incorporated parts of the original Government House at Nasova, Levuka. Struck by lightning and destroyed by fire in 1921. The bearded European is probably J.B. Thurston (Sir John Bates Thurston [1836-1897], Consul for Fiji, 1859, Colonial Secretary after 1874, Lieutenant-Governor, 1886, Governor 1888-97.).
Fair condition, some overall yellowing and slight fading.. |
1885 |
|
2
|
Govt House, Suva 1885. 227 x 170 mm. A view showing the side and front of this long and narrow wooden bungalow.
Fair condition apart from some overall yellowing and fading.. |
1885 |
|
3
|
Native Constabulary and police on parade outside Govt House, Suva. 228 x 175 mm. A view showing a European officer in charge of a squad of the native police (unarmed and dressed in white). Behind them, and largely obscured, stands a squad of the native armed constabulary in blue blouses and white sarongs cut into a serrated pattern round the hem. Formed in the early 1870s, the force was used extensively against the hill tribes of the interior, and in the days of King Cakobau, this small army was said to have numbered 1400 men. The Europeans standing in the background have not been identified. The parade was to present medals to the Fijian boats crew and police who distinguished themselves during the rescue of survivors of the 'Syria' wreck in 1884. [This was the second ship to bring indentured Indians to Fiji. She was wrecked on Nasilai Reef with the loss of 55 lives.].
Fair condition, apart from some overall yellowing and fading.. |
1884 |
|
4
|
Suva from the Harbour. 224 x 169 mm. A view looking shoreward and showing a wharf and a few warehouses.
Poorish condition, fading and yellowing and one tear.. |
1880–1889 |
|
5
|
Suva from the harbour. 223 x 168 mm. A view looking shorewards to the commercial centre of Suva and showing warehouses and commercial premises crowded around the wharf. The anchored brigantine is the 'Meg Merilees', a labour ship carrying Melanesian labourers. (See also Y3091A/41).
Fair condition, apart from overall yellowing and some fading.. |
1880–1889 |
|
6
|
Principal street for ships, showing Custom House. 228 x 174 mm. Looking up the 'main drag' from Nabukalou Creek in 1885. The Customs buildings are at the extreme right.
Poorish condition, considerable fading and some yellowing.. |
1885 |
|
7
|
Pier, Suva 1885. 228 x 177 mm. A view looking along the pier where a mixed group of unidentified Europeans and natives are standing. Tram tracks for goods trucks in foreground, two ships (single funnels) at anchor. The only part of the name visible on the foremost vessel is '--AT'. Pencilled note says 'Ararat'.
Good condition, apart from overall yellowing.. |
1885 |
|
8
|
Portion of Govt Offices, Suva. 228 x 169 mm. A view showing a group of European Government employees standing outside the two-story Government Offices, which were opened in 1882 when Suva became the seat of Government. Members of the group have not been identified.
Fair condition, fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
9
|
Victoria Parade, Suva, from the water, taken at low tide. 229 x 174 mm. A slightly blurred view taken from the beach and showing houses and business premises.
Poorish condition, overall yellowing and some fading.. |
1880–1889 |
|
10
|
Suva from harbour before a thunder storm. 228 x 169 mm. A view taken at low tide from the beach and looking shoreward at warehouses and business premises.
Poor condition, some fading and yellowing.. |
1880–1889 |
|
11
|
Native Town. 211 x 174 mm. A view from behind the town, looking over the thatched roofs and towards the harbour. It shows the Strangers' House, an immensely long bure where visitors were accommodated, in the foreground.
Creator: Besse, B G, photographer.
Poorish condition, overall yellowing and some fading.. |
1880–1889 |
|
12
|
Native Town. 228 x 175 mm. A view looking down on the native town showing Fijian huts and neatly fenced-off gardens, with the harbour in the background.
Creator: Besse, B G, photographer.
Fair condition, apart from some yellowing and fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
13
|
Native Town. 227 x 173 mm. A similar view to Y3091A/11, looking over the thatched roofs to the harbour beyond.
Creator: Besse, B G, photographer.
Fairish condition, apart from yellowing and fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
14
|
Waimarui [Wainibuka] River near Suva. 209 x 176 mm. A view looking over the neatly thatched roofs of a Samoan village towards the river beyond.
Good condition, apart from slight fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
15
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Waimarui [Wainibuka] River near Suva. 229 x 175 mm. A view looking down on the junction of two rivers (possibly the River Navua and the River Wainikolluva; see Y3091E/30 for a modern picture of the area), with an unidentified European standing in the foreground.
Good condition, apart from fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
16
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[Village Scene]. 228 x 175 mm. A view showing a group of natives standing in front of a Fijian bure (thatched hut). It is of the Western Viti Levu type. The picture and the photographer are not recorded at the Fiji Museum.
Poorish condition, yellowing and considerable fading.. |
1880–1889 |
|
17
|
Sugar plantation (small part of). 224 x 170 mm. A view from a hillside, looking down on the plantation headquarters located beside a river, with fields of cane beyond. Sugar was first planted on a commercial scale in the early 1870's and soon after this the Colonial Sugar Refining Company of Sydney opened a large mill and refinery. The growth in output was therefore impressive: in 1875, 95 tons of sugar were exported, to the value of £650. By 1904 these figures had risen to 52,138 tons, earning £469,391.
Fairish condition, but fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
18
|
Rewa River. 229 x 175 mm. A view looking across the River Rewa, and showing well-known island near Naduruloulou. The Rewa is the largest of Fiji's rivers, running north-west from the east coast of Vitilevu.
Fairish condition, fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
19
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Native girls washing on River Rewa. 233 x 173 mm. A view showing Fijian girls doing their laundry from wooden outrigger canoes. Good detail of anchored canoes. A few girls have hair worn as tobe, i.e. long plaits characteristic of unmarried girls.
Fair condition, fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
20
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Fijian scrub each side Rewa River. 228 x 175 mm. A view showing scrubland on either side of the river, with a small native settlement on the nearer bank.
Fairish condition, but fading in from edges and some yellowing.. |
1880–1889 |
|
21
|
Natives spearing fish [sic]. 227 x 170 mm. Title as given in the album is incorrect. The men are poling a canoe off the island of Bau.
Fair condition, apart from fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
22
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Plantation. 225 x 161 mm. A view looking out over fields planted with sugar cane. |
1880–1889 |
|
23
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[Banana Plantation]. 228 x 175 mm. A view from a hillside looking down on a small banana plantation and a Fijian village. Small fields under different cultivation can be seen on the hill in the background.
Fairish condition apart from overall yellowing.. |
1880–1889 |
|
24
|
Banana plantation. 215 x 176 mm. A view showing two Fijian workers standing among banana plants.
Poorish condition, considerable fading.. |
1880–1889 |
|
25
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Banana plantation. 212 x 178 mm. A view showing a Fijian man and woman standing on a path which runs between banana plants.
Good condition, apart from some yellowing.. |
1880–1889 |
|
26
|
Fijian lali in native town. A form of gong for summoning people together. 212 x 178 mm. A view taken at Bureta, Ovalau, showing a group of Fijians standing beside the 'lali' with village houses and hills in the background. The 'lali' consists of a hollowedout wooden log which is beaten with a wooden mallet; formerly used to gather warriors to war, it is now only used to bring participants to feasts and other ceremonial occasions. For a modern photograph of the 'lali', see Y3091E/85.
Good condition, apart from some yellowing and fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
27
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[Fijian villagers]. 228 x 175 mm. A view showing a group of Fijian men and women posed in a village square, with thatched houses in the background, and hills beyond.
Poorish condition, fading and some yellowing.. |
1880–1889 |
|
28
|
[Sugar plantation]. 216 x 169 mm. A view looking across a field planted with young cane, with plantation buildings in the background. For a note on the Fijian sugar industry, see Y3091A/17.
Good condition, apart from slight fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
29
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[Fijian villagers]. 227 x 174 mm. A view showing a group of Fijian men and children standing in a village square, with thatched houses in the background.
Fair condition.. |
1880–1889 |
|
30
|
[Fijian villagers]. 215 x 177 mm. A formally arranged group portrait showing three rows of Fijian men posed in front of a thatched hut. The chiefs stand in the centre of the group.
Fair condition, some fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
31
|
Levuka old capital. 223 x 176 mm. A view from a hill behind Levuka looking along the waterfront and showing shops and warehouses, and the native town in the foreground. The capital was moved to Suva in 1882, and Levuka as a commercial centre lost most of its attraction. After a hurricane in 1886, many of the destroyed buildings were not replaced, and a comparison of photographs taken in 1880 and 1906 shows the town actually contracting in size. |
1880–1885 |
|
32
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Levuka. 202 x 135 mm. A view looking along the waterfront at Levuka, from the other end of the town to the preceding plate, showing the narrow built up area along the water's edge and ships and boats in the harbour. |
1880–1885 |
|
33
|
Govt. House, Levuka. 203 x 137 mm. A view from the hills behind the town down on the original Government House, with the harbour in the background. The building is an extensive single-storeyed construction with a large lawn in front, on which can be seen members of the Armed Native Constabulary. Part of this complex was transferred to Suva in 1882. The bure or native houses are on the Armed Constabulary parade ground. |
1880–1885 |
|
34
|
Govt. House, Levuka. 200 x 138 mm. A view from the Government House jetty, looking back towards the house and the hills beyond. |
1880–1885 |
|
35
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Fijian hut outside Govt. House, Levuka. 200 x 135 mm. A view showing a small group of European officers and Fijian men of the Armed Native Constabulary posed in front of a Fijian house. This beautifully-constructed bure is illustrated in 'Cyclopaedia of Fiji' published in 1907. It was built for the visit of the royal princes, the Duke of Clarence and George, Prince of Wales, who visited Fiji in H.M.S. 'Bacchante' in 1881. |
1880–1885 |
|
36
|
Waterfalls near Levuka. 228 x 176 mm. A view showing a waterfall.
Poorish condition, fading and yellowing.. |
1880–1889 |
|
37
|
[Stream near Levuka]. 226 x 175 mm. A view showing an unidentified group of four Europeans sitting beside a woodland stream near Levuka. With them are Fijian servants.
Fair condition, apart from yellowing and fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
38
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[Naililili Catholic Mission School, Rewa]. 216 x 169 mm. A view showing a formally posed group of Fijian men and children with offerings of various kinds of Fijian fruit placed on mats in the foreground. |
1880–1889 |
|
39
|
Group of native chiefs. 228 x 176 mm. A view showing a group sitting in two rows in front of the verandah of Government House at Suva. All the men were Government Rokotui. (Roko were native officers in charge of a district. Tui means king or sovereign). All the men were high chiefs in their own right. 1 6 left to right front row:. 1. Not known. 2. Katonivere Rokotui Machuata. 3. ? Rokotui Ra. 4. Ratu Epeli Nailatikau Rokotui Tailevu (Eldest son of Seru Cakobau). 5. Marica Toroka Rokotui Lomaiviti. 6. Not known. 7 13 left to right back row:. 7. Not known. 8. Ratu Peni Rokotui Naitasiri. 9. Not known. 10. Ratu Luke Nakulanikoro Rokotui Nadroga . 11. Ratu Timoci Rokotui Rewa (and, by Fijian title, Rokotui Dreket. 12. Ratu Timoci Tavanavanua Rokotui? (Son of Seru Cakobau). 13. Ro Matanitobua Rokotui Namosi.
Creator: Besse, B G, photographer.
Fair condition, slight fading and yellowing.. |
1880–1889 |
|
40
|
Vei Bose or native Parliament. 228 x 175 mm. A view showing a native assembly, with Europeans and natives sitting on the grass in a clearing, while a European in a white suit addresses them.
Fair condition, some yellowing and fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
41
|
Labour schooner with recruits. 228 x 176 mm. Taken aboard the brigantine 'Meg Merilees' in Suva harbour, 1885. The people are Melanesian labourers, and a European sailor is shown in the foreground. |
1885 |
|
42
|
Natives ready for a meke (dance). 142 x 100 mm. A view showing a group of Fijian girls in white skirts preparing to perform a ceremonial dance. |
1880–1889 |
|
43
|
'Our house', Suva. 248 x 198 mm. A view showing a two storey house with an outside staircase leading to the first floor verandah. The house seems newly built, with the garden dug but not yet planted out (compare with Y3091A/47). |
1880–1889 |
|
44
|
[Fijian Family]. 197 x 154 mm. A group portrait of a Fijian family, ranging from a white-haired grandfather, to two young children, posed against a backdrop of palm-leaves.
Fairish condition, fading in from edges.. |
1880–1889 |
|
45
|
Group of native fisherman. 265 x 208 mm. A view showing a large group of fishermen and young children, posed in a village clearing with a net spread on the ground in front of them.
Fair condition, slight yellowing and some dirt marks.. |
1880–1889 |
|
46
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Tropical scenery showing labour depot. 263 x 208 mm. A view showing trees and other vegetation, with a road in the middleground, and the buildings of the labour depot in the distance. |
1880–1889 |
|
47
|
'Our house' Suva. 228 x 175 mm. Another view of the house seen in Y3091A/43, with two men, a woman and a dog sitting at the bottom of the entrance staircase. The man reclining on a caine chaise lounge can also be seen in Y3091A/48 and is presumably H.R. [R. Henry Reeve]. This is a later picture of the house than is seen in Y3091A/43, as can be judged by the extensive growth of vegetation on either side of the group.
Fair condition, but overall yellowing.. |
1880–1889 |
|
48
|
[Studio portrait,? possibly J.D.W. Vaughan]. 179 x 204 mm. Formal studio portrait, full length, of an unidentified European male. It is suggested by Mr Fergus Clunie of the Fiji Museum that this could possibly show a Mr J.D.W. Vaughan.
Fairish condition, overall yellowing and some small tears.. |
1880–1889 |
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