The antique photos of Rapa Nui by Hans Helfritz are kept today in the Museum of Cologne, Germany. (sentence added)
The Exhibit of Hans Helfritz’s Photographic Legacy
The researchers Betty Haoa Rapahango and Tania Basterrica Brockmann have set up an exhibit in the Tadeo y Lilly Gallery taken from the photographic legacy of the Chilean-German Hans Helfritz (1902-1995), who visited Rapa Nui in 1946 as a member of the “Easter Island Commission”, together with Federico Felbermayer and Robert Gerstmann. These last two belonged to the Society of Friends of Easter Island, which had been formed in Valparaiso (Chile) as a response to Chilean journalists’ accusations about the situation on the Island, at that time leased to the “Compañía Explotadora de Isla de Pascua” owned by the English firm Williamson, Balfour & Company.
The Easter Island Commission and Its Mission
The mission of this “Easter Island Commission” was to investigate and register the needs of the Island from both scientific and technical points of view, with the objective of proposing improvements in the lives of the Islanders. Previously, the Society of Friends of Easter Island had, for many years, been maintaining the leprosarium on the Island, as well as assisting those Islanders who had made it to Valparaiso stowed away on ships so that they could study and find work, among other charity activities.
The Photographs at the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum in Cologne
The photos by Hans Helfritz that are on exhibit show people and places on the Island that were eventually published in his book “Isla de Pascua” and today are archived in the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum in Cologne, Germany. The Museum offered these images in high resolution that were brought by the curator Lucia Halder specifically for this exhibition, solidifying an alliance for a coming project, which is to publish a bilingual Spanish-German book on the time spent by Hans Helfritz on Rapa Nui. This research was financed by the Ministry of Culture, the Arts and Heritage.
Keep reading: the agreement between the Ibero-American Institute of Berlin and the Ma’u Henua Indigenous Community to preserve Rapa Nui archival records, and the historical advances in the repatriation of Rapanui heritage. (line added)
Frequently Asked Questions About Antique Photos of Rapa Nui
Who was Hans Helfritz?
A Chilean-German (1902-1995) who visited Rapa Nui in 1946 as part of the “Easter Island Commission”, together with Federico Felbermayer and Robert Gerstmann. His photographs record people and places on the island.
Where are Hans Helfritz’s photographs today?
They are archived in the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum in Cologne, Germany. The museum provided the high-resolution images for the exhibit.
What was the Easter Island Commission?
A mission to investigate and register the needs of the island from scientific and technical points of view, in order to propose improvements in the lives of the islanders.
Who presented the exhibit of these photos?
The researchers Betty Haoa Rapahango and Tania Basterrica Brockmann, at the Tadeo y Lilly Gallery.
What project came out of the alliance with the museum?
A bilingual Spanish-German book on Hans Helfritz’s time on Rapa Nui. The research was financed by the Ministry of Culture, the Arts and Heritage.
