Nineteenth-century settlers sewed on board ship to pass the time, as well as to create garments and other items to use in their new homeland. John Pearse painted James Humphries, a young, single man, sewing a wallet (a bag used to store possessions) on board the Duke of Portland bound for Canterbury in 1851. Pearse also painted other passengers sewing and knitting – all women.
Using this item
Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference:
E-455-f-011-14
Ink and watercolour by John Pearse
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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