Hoa Hakananai‘a, an Easter Island statue now in the British Museum, photographed in 1868

Abstract

This paper considers two early photos of Hoa Hakananai‘a, a fine statue removed from Rapa Nui in 1868 and now in the British Museum. As well as documenting part of the voyage, they show details significant for our understanding of the statue and its petroglyphs. The photos seem to have been taken by a Valparaíso studio. It is hoped that research by others in Chile may reveal more about them.