[Merrett, Joseph Jenner], 1815-1854 :[The Hobson album. Woman and child. ca 1842]

A Maori woman, wearing a flax cloak, and a blanket, seated in profile in front of a whare. She is holding a baby and reading a book. The baby is dressed in a white frilled bonnet and white gown. The woman's cloak is a korowai-ngore (pompom cloak) with flax tags and woollen pompoms, (and possibly fringe). In the background is a lake and perhaps Ngaruhoe's volcanic peak beyond that. (Merret visited Taupo in 1841). The woman's name is likely to be Ewaka, judging by the inscription on the verso.

The facsimile edition of Mrs Hobson's album (by Else Locke and Janet, Paul, Auckland, 1990) assigns this work the title 'Maori woman reading'.

Other Titles - Maori woman reading

Inscriptions: Verso - top centre - Ewaka [in pencil]

A related pencil blue pen and wash drawing is held in the Grey album, British Library, Add. MS 19953, folio 81, no. 229, lacking the background of lake and mountain shown in the Hobson Album version. The Grey album was donated to the British Museum in 1853, when Grey returned to Britain after his first governorship of New Zealand (Correspondence from Aneleh Midgley Auckland, 13 November 2006).

Quantity: 1 watercolour(s).

Physical Description: Watercolour on cream wove paper, 170 x 120 mm

Provenance: Originally part of Mrs Hobson's album. The album was passed by Eliza Hobson to her daughter, Eliza, Lady Rendel.

Transfers: One of several pages removed from the Hobson album for conservation reasons, 1990. This page was formerly located on p. 19 of the album..