143 x 202 mm. A head and shoulders portrait of an elderly Maori, with a feather in his hair and a fur cloak draped over one shoulder. This powerful photograph illustrates well the art of tattooing and shows the depth to which the incised swirls and curlicues were cut into the face. The instrument used, an adze shaped shaft with a bone blade called uhi, was struck with a small mallet and the line chiselled out from the flesh of the face. The implement was dipped regularly into a mixture of soot and water while the tattooing was taking place.