Bora Bora, circa 1910
by Lucien Gauthier

Lucien Gauthier spent well over a decade at the dawn of the 20th century capturing the sense and rhythm of life in French Polynesia. This image, taken on the South Pacific Island of Bora Bora – with “coconut palms nodding gracefully toward the ocean,” the calm waters of the lagoon providing a reflective mirrored surface and the rugged mountains in the distance keeping the clouds at bay – is a near perfect representation of life on this South Seas isle.