The photo was taken by Merl La Voy (1885-1953), who was an American pioneer documentary filmmaker, photographer and world traveller, and was nicknamed “The Modern Marco Polo.” Director of documentary 'Heroic France' (1917) and cinematographer of 'Serbia Victorious' (1917) he was a member of several expeditions, such as the Parker-Browne Mount McKinley expedition. Some collections of his photographs have been cataloged separately and can be searched on through online catalogues i.e. Davidson Library, University of California.
The image appeared in a pictorial series published as part of fifty-five photographs in the 'Sydney Mail', in a four-part series titled "With a camera in the Solomon Islands" 1921.
From article in 'Sydney Mail': "This photo shows the home of one of the most popular planters in the Solomon's , Mr James Risby. He and Mrs Riby were noted for their warm hospitality to visitors. The planters in these islands specialize in cocoanuts (old spelling). Over 1 million sterling has been invested in the plantations, and when they are in full production the export of copra, apart from what is known as native copra, is expected to reach 16,000 tons per year. There are no other agricultural industries except a few acres of rubber".
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