'Spears from Feejee [Fiji] & New Hebrides'

No. 32b in Fanshawe's Pacific album, 1849 - 52. Captioned by the artist on the album page below the image, as title. A drawing of five spears lying in parallel, their origins listed by the artist down the left margin; the top two and bottom two are bracketed together and noted as 'Feejee', the broader and shorter one in the middle is inscribed 'New Hebrides'. See also PAI4639 for a related drawing of Fijian and Samoan clubs. It is likely that these were items Fanshawe brought away from the islands and drew at his leisure. Whether they are weapons or hunting/ fishing equipment, or both, remains to be clarified. Fanshawe did nine drawings of Fiji and Fijians, PAI4631-PAI4639, including these two weapons studies.

Object Details

ID: PAI4639
Type: Drawing
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Fanshawe, Edward Gennys
Date made: Late 1849?
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Sheet: 54 x 325 mm
Parts: Album of watercolours of Madeira, Brazil, the Falkland and Pacific Islands, Chile, Panama, Mexico, Vancouver, and California (Album)