Evelyn Vaile of Auckland was a very skilled woodcarver active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her work was recorded by her photographer brother Hubert Vaile. In this period women rarely 'signed' their craft work, nor were photographed alongside it – Evelyn Vaile's work is remembered because of the photographic record. She made a wide range of carved furniture, some of which was very large and heavily decorated. In 1909 she made an impressive carved hallway seat complete with lions (one of which she is carving in the top photo) resting on the arms.
Using this item
Auckland Council Libraries − Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero o Tāmaki Makaurau, Sir George Grey Special Collections
Reference: 2-V1145 (top); 2-V1149 (bottom)
by Hubert Earle Vaile
Permission of Auckland City Libraries Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero must be obtained before any re-use of this image.