New Guinea, circa 1885

by John William Lindt

The German John William Lindt settled in Melbourne in 1862 and quickly became one of the most well known photographers in Australia. This image, taken during an 1885 British expedition to New Guinea where Lindt served as the official photographer, shows the extraordinary homes of the people of the Kombai tribe. Built as high as 30 feet up into the towering sago palms and serving as a defense against attacks by hostile tribes, Lindt called them, simply, “Houses in the sky.”