Photograph, Captain John Macdonald; Unknown Photographer; 1900; BL.P587
Photograph, Captain John Macdonald
About this object
This photograph is of Captain John Macdonald who was the first signal man in Bluff Harbour stationed at the top of Motupōhue (Bluff Hill). The site afforded a commanding view allowing the signalman, by use of flags attached to a mast, to communicate with the ships and the shore below. The original mast still survives and can be seen outside the Bluff Maritime Museum.
Working and living atop Motupōhue was hard for the MacDonalds. Due to the isolated barren nature of the hill top, the family needed to be completely self-sufficient. With no road up Motupōhue, all supplies had to be carried up the hill on the couples backs. They cleared the surrounding bush, established a garden and imported goats to provide milk, butter and cheese and from then on, the Macdonald's required little contact with the town below.
This is a reproduction of the original image.
Oceania, New Zealand, South Island, Southland, Bluff
Maker Maker RolePhotographer
Date Made1900
Measurements
h 600 mm x w 450 mm
1900s
Object Type Subject and Association KeywordsPeople and Families (including births, weddings, deaths)
Subject and Association Keywords Medium and Materialsorganic, vegetal, processed material, paper, photographic paper
Object numberBL.P587
Copyright Licence
No rights reserved - no known copyright restrictions
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