Maison James Norman Hall is a historic house museum in Arue, French Polynesia. It exhibits the home of writer James Norman Hall, as it was in 1951 at the time of his death. Its collection includes a 3,000-volume library and the author's typewriter.
 Museum mural showing James Norman Hall and HMS Bounty | |
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| Established | January 17, 2002 |
|---|---|
| Location | Arue, French Polynesia |
| Type | Historic house museum |
| Website | www |
History
editThe museum was the home of the writer James Norman Hall, his Tahitian wife Sarah Teraureia Winchester, and their children.[1] Hall settled in Tahiti in 1924 and built the house himself in 1926,[2] where between 1932 and 1934, he co-wrote the three volumes of The Bounty Trilogy.[3]
Whilst Hall died in 1951, his wife continued to live there until her death in 1985.[1] After 1985, the house then began to fall into disrepair and in 1991 it was purchased by the government of French Polynesia.[1]
Administration
editOn 20 July 1993, the house was declared a historical monument.[1] However, due to a lack of funds, the building continued to degrade. By the mid-1990s, the house was a ruin, however, Hall's daughter Nancy then worked with the French Polynesian government to restore the home to its 1951 condition.[2] It opened as a museum on 17 January 2002.[1] As of 2008, the museum was managed by the Association of the Friends of the James Norman Hall Home, who report both to the government of French Polynesia and to Hall's descendants.[4]
Collection
editThe museum's collection includes Hall's 3,000-volume library, his typewriter and other objects.[5][6] The displays also include personal effects on loan from the Hall family.[5] "The house itself is neither large nor prepossessing; it was built for comfort and practicality," wrote author and screenwriter Peter Benchley. "It's what's inside the house that I found most fascinating: paintings, photographs, artefacts and anecdotes from Hall's preliterary life."[2]
Public engagement
editIn 2018, the Minister of Tourism, Nicole Bouteau, alongside Nancy Rutgers-Hall, opened a new terraced area at the museum, which expanded its capacity for catering and conference provision.[7] As of 2021, the museum provided personalised guided tours, where visitors could choose the aspects of the site they wanted to discover.[8]
Legacy
editAlongside the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum in Samoa, the museum is considered an important site for European colonial heritage in the Pacific.[9]
Gallery
edit-
Museum entrance -
James Norman Hall's office -
Music room -
House viewed from the garden -
Veranda
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Maison musée de James Norman Hall – Arue – Tahiti Heritage". 2021-11-08. Archived from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ a b c Benchley, Peter (2004-05-02). "ONE OF A KIND: TAHITi; Maison James Norman Hall". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
- ^ Charles Nordhoff, James Norman Hall (1945). The Bounty Trilogy.
- ^ "About Our Organization". 2019-01-17. Archived from the original on 2019-01-17. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ a b "About Our Organization". James Norman Hall Museum. Archived from the original on 11 April 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ^ Alexeyeff, Kalissa; Taylor, John (2016-12-15). Touring Pacific Cultures. ANU Press. ISBN 978-1-922144-26-3.
- ^ "La maison James Norman Hall inaugure sa terrasse – Polynésie la 1ère". 2021-11-08. Archived from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ Barrais, Delphine. "Des "histoires sur-mesure" à la Maison James Norman Hall". TAHITI INFOS, les informations de Tahiti (in French). Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ Banaré, Eddy; Lagarde, Louis (2017-12-01). "La maison nouméenne de Victor Segalen". Francosphères. 6 (2): 103–124. doi:10.3828/franc.2017.10.