Early Speculations on Rapanui: Thomas Croft to Alphonse Pinart, 1876

Alphonse L. Pinart (1852-1911), anthropologist and linguist,

had established himself as a tireless documenter

of native North America, before turning his sights on the Pacific.

Rapa Nui, in particular, held him in thrall, and his diary

of the 1877 expedition aboard the Seignelay documents the

island during its most depopulated and depressed period. As a

linguist, he was also interested in rongorongo, and attempted

a collection of reproductions of the available texts.