Story: Ideas of Māori origins
In the age of exploration Europeans were enchanted with the exoticism of foreign lands and their peoples. Artists gladly fed the hunger for romantic notions of life in natural settings, and artistic licence was widespread. This image, ‘Girl of New Zealand’, is derived from an original engraving of a young man, by Piron, a French artist who visited in 1793.
About this item
Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: PUBL-0172-2-136
Hand-coloured engraving by Piron
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.