Evolution in Art

A carved bird, a woven pattern and a floral scroll provide Alfred C. Haddon with clues to how decorative designs change. His study begins with the ornament of British New Guinea, comparing examples from the Torres Straits, the Fly River and other districts. From there, it considers patterns drawn from manufactured objects, plants, animals and human figures. Plates and numerous illustrations accompany discussions based on museum specimens and the work of other investigators.

Decoration serves several purposes in Haddon's account, including information, wealth, magic and religion. He examines combinations of animal and plant forms, such as a bird's tail passing into a floral scroll, and considers competing explanations of Scandinavian symbols. These examples show how materials, repeated copying and inherited meanings enter the study of ornament. Readers interested in art history can follow a detailed method of comparing designs while encountering the cultural classifications used in the book's period.