Josiah Martin and Elizabeth Pullman: the Maori Collection

Nicholas Wells Antiques is delighted to share a preview of an exciting new acquisition — Josiah Martin and Elizabeth Pullman: The Māori Collection.

All of the photographs shown are currently available, so please do get in touch if you are interested.

Josiah Martin and Elizabeth Pullman’s images of New Zealand, its islands, and its people became hugely popular in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Their work is now held in major museum collections worldwide. At the height of Empire, such photographs fed Europe’s appetite for the exotic, presenting cultures strikingly different from their own and underscoring the reach and influence of Britain across the globe.

Josiah Martin

Born in London in 1843, Josiah Martin emigrated to New Zealand in 1868. Initially devoted to education, he worked as a teacher, Headmaster, and founder of the Teacher’s Association before turning his attention to photography. A formative visit to London in 1879 introduced him to the latest photographic innovations at the Royal College of Chemistry, inspiring him to open a studio in Auckland.

Martin became a member of the Auckland Photographic Society and is best remembered for his dramatic images of the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera, published in the Auckland Evening Star. His broad interests led him to edit Sharland’s New Zealand Photographer, co-found the Auckland Society of Arts, and serve on the Auckland Institute Council, becoming its President in 1889. After his death in 1916, many of his works entered the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Elizabeth Pullman

Elizabeth Pullman (née Chadd) arrived in New Zealand from England in 1861 with her husband George. Together they established one of Auckland’s earliest photographic studios. Following George’s death in 1871, Elizabeth ran the business single-handedly until its sale to the Government Tourist Bureau shortly before her own death in 1900.

Recognised as the first female professional photographer in New Zealand, Pullman left an enduring legacy of portraits and scenic studies. Among her most significant works are images of prominent Māori leaders, including King Tāwhiao, the second Māori King, photographed in Auckland shortly after leaving his King Country stronghold.

A Shared Legacy

Martin and Pullman’s photographs reflect both the nineteenth-century fascination with distant cultures and the colonial dynamics of their time. Their portraits captured not just likenesses but also the presence and character of important Māori figures, many of whom played pivotal roles in negotiations between Māori communities and European settlers.

A Who’s Who of Sitters

• Anehana — Māori chief, depicted with a full ta moko (chiselled tattoo denoting rank and respect), a feather in his hair, and a cloak with tāniko border.

• Rewi Manga Maniapoto (1807–1894) — Chief of the Ngāti Maniapoto, who led Kīngitanga forces during the New Zealand Wars, particularly the Waikato campaign.

• Te Ritimana Te Napoutu — Māori chief.

• Tūhoto — Esteemed tohunga (spiritual expert) of Te Wairoa, who survived four days buried during the eruption of Mount Tarawera. Rescued by Europeans, he later died soon after his sacred hair was cut, aged nearly 100.

• Sophia Hinerangi — Celebrated guide to the Pink and White Terraces at Lake Rotomahana. A leading figure of the Tūhourangi tribe, she played a central role in the development of early tourism in New Zealand.