Still life of mask, Papua New Guinea, ca. 1890

"Mask, from the Torres Straits"; One of 113 albumen prints mounted in an album by W.G. Lawes. Formerly the first resident missionary on the South Sea island of Niue, Lawes transferred to Papua New Guinea in 1874 until his retirement in 1906. Lawes was a pioneer missionary photographer, and the first permanent non-indigenous resident of Papua New Guinea. He created the first photographic images of the islands and its peoples as well as images of missionary work, which were distributed commercially through Henry King of Sydney. Lawes' knowledge of, and role in, Papuan life was also of paramount importance to other photographers, particularly those of colonial government and expeditionary parties, such as the Australia-based professional photographer J. W. Lindt, who acknowledged the decisive role that Lawes played in facilitating his visit to Papua New Guinea and the photographic work he was able to carry out.

来自托雷斯海峡的面具（Mask）；该作品为W.G.劳斯（W.G. Lawes）粘贴于相册中的113张蛋白印相照片（albumen prints）之一。劳斯曾担任南太平洋纽埃岛的首位常驻传教士，1874年转赴巴布亚新几内亚，直至1906年退休。他是传教士摄影师领域的先驱，同时也是巴布亚新几内亚首位常驻的非原住民居民。劳斯拍摄了巴布亚新几内亚群岛及其原住民的首批影像，同时记录了当地传教活动，这些影像由悉尼的亨利·金（Henry King）进行商业发行。劳斯对巴布亚社会的了解及其在当地扮演的角色，对其他摄影师而言也至关重要——尤其是殖民政府与考察团的摄影师，例如澳大利亚职业摄影师J.W.林特（J.W. Lindt）。林特曾坦言，劳斯在他到访巴布亚新几内亚以及顺利开展摄影工作的过程中，发挥了决定性的作用。