Journey of the Barong Tagalog, Addendum Part 10.9: 19th Century French Artist Illustrations of Life in the Philippines

by Randy Gonzales May 28, 2021

Gabriel Lafond de Lurcy was a French navigator, explorer and adventurer that traveled around the world and visited the Philippines twice. He wrote about his experiences during these voyages and extensively described the people he encountered, their manners and customs in his two major works: Quinze Ans de Voyages Autour du Monde (1840) and Voyages Autour du Monde et Naufrages Célèbres (seven volumes, 1842-1845). Both publications contained lithographs of Manila and other parts of the Philippines.

Propriété de Mr. La Géroniére, 1844 - Lafond. Artwork by J. Collignon and Lechar. There are 2 male hunters in barongs

The illustration in the first image above is titled Propriété de Mr. La Géroniére, 1844, from one of Lafond’s Voyages volumes. The artwork was done by J. Collignon and Lechar. This drawing shows a view of Paul Proust de la Gironière’s estate in Jala Jala (in present day Rizal province), which we covered in our last installment. As we mentioned, many French explorers visited de la Gironière’s estate.

The two men in the foreground, shown enlarged in the second image above, are likely native Filipino hunters working on de la Gironière’s estate. They wear long color dyed Barong Tagalog extending far down the thighs, cropped work pants and salakots on their heads. They also carry rifles and satchels.