British naval officer Richard Aldworth commanded the survey vessel Fly in New Zealand and the Pacific from 1847 to 1851. A keen amateur artist, he made many drawings and watercolours of the Māori he encountered, including this scene of four card-players outside a thatched house. From their intent manner, it appears that card games were already a popular pastime among Māori in this early period of European colonisation.
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National Library of Australia
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nla.pic-an2963587
Watercolour by Richard Aldworth Oliver
Permission of the National Library of Australia must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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