Thomas Selby Cousin's 1875 engraving shows a swagman on the West Coast's Hokitika Road, smoking his clay pipe as he waits for his billy to boil. In the male communities of 19th-century New Zealand smoking a pipe was an almost universal indulgence, and both pipes and tobacco were comparatively inexpensive. Pipe smoking was often, as in this case, a solitary pleasure and an aid to contemplation, but it was also enjoyed in social situations such as the pub.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Alexander Turnbull Library, Making New Zealand Centennial Collection (PAColl-3060)
Reference:
PUBL-0047-1875-098-08
Wood engraving by Thomas Selby Cousins
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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