Mounted Photograph
3 1/8 inches by 4 3/8 inches
(8 cm x 11.1 cm)
Unknown Photographer
Christmas Island
c. 1900s

Cut from an album of images taken on isolated Christmas Island, this photograph may depict a British police magistrate assigned to the island. No hint of identification is present on the photo or backing. Exploited for its rich phosphate deposits, the island is located in the Indian Ocean several hundred miles southwest of Java. I do not believe that the island ever had a garrison of regular British troops but security duties were detailed to a small detachment of Sikh police.