Americans can now see a famous portrait of the Pacific Islander who captivated 18th-century England for the first time
The Conversation · 12 Oct 2026

Americans can now see a famous portrait of the Pacific Islander who captivated 18th-century England for the first time

Joshua Reynolds’ 1776 ‘Portrait of Omai’ portrays a commoner from Tahiti as a nobleman, reflecting European fantasies and assumptions about Pacific cultures.


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