Australian Ethnic Types
1897
This 1897 chromolithograph from the famous Brockhaus Encyclopedia is a fascinating, if now outdated, attempt to categorize the diverse peoples of the Pacific. Titled 'Australische Völkertypen' (Australian Ethnic Types), the plate features fourteen distinct figures, ranging from a tattooed Maori warrior with traditional facial markings to a Samoan woman adorned with flowers. The artist arranged these portraits like a group photo, showcasing different hairstyles, body modifications, and traditional garments like the patterned tapa cloth held by the figure on the right. While modern anthropology rejects these rigid racial 'types,' this print offers a vivid window into how 19th-century Europeans viewed and documented the indigenous cultures of Australia, New Zealand, and the surrounding islands.
- Technique
- Chromolithograph
- Material
- Paper