Thomas Ritchie Lake House Chatham Islands

 

This picture of Lake House is from an album once owned by Thomas Ritchie titled Photographs of the Chatham Islands by Mr A Martin, circa 1876.
Ritchie has added hand written captions below the photograph in the album as follows:

H. Bauck           T.R.      Dr. Cooper                     Miss Hurley       E Coffey            Piripi     C. Seymour       Jacob

Young Rider                  F Newtham                                            Hapurona (spelling unclear)

Tapui & Capt Cook                                              Boy Rider                                  Kereopa
(names of horses)                                                                                                           in Cart

 

 

This same picture is reproduced on page 42 of the book A Land Apart - The Chatham Islands of New Zealand by Michael King and Robin Morrison first published in 1990. The accompanying caption reads:

Tom Ritchie's homestead and busy farm at Kaingaroa in 1877. Ritchie himself stands at the left on the verandah. The Pakeha women are his sisters. The farm workers are Maori and Moriori.

Clearly the two women are not Ritchie's sisters. What appears to be a dress on the figure sitting to the right of the front door is if fact a black dog at the knee of Doctor Cooper. We have no records concerning Miss Hurley.

 

 

 

 

 

Contact us at cole@familycole.net  Return to Home Page