Headhunt Revisited: With Brush, Canvas and Camera by Michele Westmorland

Headhunt Revisited: With Brush, Canvas and Camera is a documentary that explores the extraordinary 1926 journey of artist Caroline Mytinger and her friend Margaret Warner, who travelled through Melanesia painting portraits of Indigenous people, striving to document the culture of the time. Well before it was usual for women to travel abroad she was able to complete her journey, returning with 25 oils and many sketches, which she later went on to exhibit, write and speak publicly about.

Michele Westmorland and her crew spent several months aboard MV FeBrina in 2005, retracing and recreating the remarkable route taken by these pioneering artists and attempting to locate some of the living descendants of the original artworks. Her documentary is a tribute to art, culture and connection that spans oceans and decades. The documentary film premiered in Port Moresby in 2017.

Revisit Caroline’s Journey via the following links:

• Michele’s 2018 article — discover the background, inspiration and planning behind the recreation of Caroline’s extraordinary journey.

• The documentary trailer — get a glimpse of the adventure in this free preview.

• The full documentary — available through Vimeo On Demand for private hire.

Many thanks to Michele Westmorland for sharing this remarkable and historic journey with us.