This is a photograph of two New Zealand possum trappers. It was taken in 1929 in Taranaki, North Island, and shows the trappers with the dried skins of the Australian brush-tailed possum ('Trichosurus vulpecula').
This asset shows the skins of the Australian brush-tailed possum, which was introduced to New Zealand in 1837 to establish a local trade in animal fur - importation continued until 1920 and by 2004 there were approximately 70 million possums in New Zealand eating their way through seven million tonnes of vegetation per year.
It depicts a common scene of the time, when the fur trade was important - changes in fashion, in part influenced by shifting attitudes to the treatment of animals, have now caused a decline in the industry.
It illustrates the appearance of possum trappers and the sort of clothing they wore, especially when posing for the camera.