Story: Home décor and furnishings

Inside a mission house, 1844

Inside a mission house, 1844

William Bambridge, teacher at the Waimate Anglican mission station in Northland, included this sketch of his study in a letter of 1844. The very plain room, with its wooden-plank walls and floor, contains a few items of good furniture, including a bed, so it clearly served two functions. At the door sits a visiting Māori chief, and behind him can be seen the Reverend Richard Davis’s cottage.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: MS-0130-144
Ink drawing by William Bambridge

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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How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick, 'Home décor and furnishings - Settling in, 1790 to 1860', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/40702/inside-a-mission-house-1844 (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 5 Sep 2013