Horatio Robley, seated with his collection of severed heads of Maori people. Photograph by H. Stevens, 190-.

concept

Shop

Galleries and Reading Room

Library

Café

We’re undertaking research with website visitors to find out some more about you and what you thought about your visit. This survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your time!

What brought you to our website today?

<p>"The most gruesome offerings [auctoned by Henry Stevens] were shrunken human heads, sold by Stevens on several occasions, the most remarkable being, in 1902, the collection of thirty-three tattooed Maori heads, the property of General Robley, who, it is said, decorated his bedroom wall with these relics and 'when unable to sleep at night   would rise and comb his Maoris' hair, and felt himself soothed' (Allingham, 204-5). " (Michael P. Cooper, 'Stevens family (per. c.1830-1925)', Oxford dictionary of national biography, Oxford 2004). The accuracy of Allingham's account is questionable</p>

1 photograph : photoprint ; sheet 18.4 x 21.4 cm

<p>Many of the photographs show flowers and/or ferns in Chinese or Japanese vases</p>

1 album (24 photographs) : photoprints, carbon ; mounts 52 x 35.3 cm

Wellcome uses cookies.

Stevens, Henry, 1843-1925

Images

Works

Horatio Robley, seated with his collection of severed heads of Maori people. Photograph by H. Stevens, 190-.

Flowers. Album of photographs by H. Stevens, ca. 1882 (?).

Today’s opening times

Wellcome uses cookies.

Stevens, Henry, 1843-1925

Images

Works

Horatio Robley, seated with his collection of severed heads of Maori people. Photograph by H. Stevens, 190-.

Flowers. Album of photographs by H. Stevens, ca. 1882 (?).

Wellcome Collection

Today’s opening times