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Thousands of striking photographs document the history and culture of East Africa
Thousands of photographs documenting the history and culture of East Africa have been added to the collection of the Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies. These rare images, which make up the Humphrey Winterton Collection of East African Photographs, add new depth and dimension to the Library’s extensive collection of East Africa materials.
Assembled over a 40-year period by British collector Humphrey Winterton, the photographs provide a remarkable view of cultural and social life throughout East Africa between 1860 and 1960. Taken by colonial officials, geographical society explorers, settlers, missionaries, military officials, and travelers, the photographs record the dramatic changes in East Africa brought about by European colonization. More than 100 years of history and local color are captured in the 6,500 photographs that make up the collection.
The earliest images date from the 1860s and portray life in Zanzibar, an island located off the east coast of Africa. Panoramic views of the town and waterfront, photos of landmarks such as the Sultan’s palace, and snapshots of the Zanzibari people provide a strong visual history. Several of the photo albums show women and girls in traditional dress with plaited hair or turbans, people in the streets and markets, and the Sultan with groups of Zanzibari officials. The British presence is also clearly evident in portraits of diplomats and photos of official government events and social occasions.
Major historical events are also covered in the collection. Photos of the Abyssinian Campaign of 1868 represent the first extant use of photography in a military campaign (photographs had been taken during the Crimean War, but both photographers and pictures were lost at sea). The collection also contains images of the 1896 British bombardment of Zanzibar, which was ordered as a result of a succession dispute following the death of the Sultan. Other albums document the construction of East African railways including the Mombasa/Uganda Railway, the Bugosa line in Uganda, and the line from Dar es Salaam to Tabora. These images chronicle a period in history when the British were attempting to open the interior of East Africa to commerce and colonial settlement.
The collection offers a wonderful contrast between rural villages and emerging urban areas such as Zanzibar, Bagamoyo, Tabora, Tanga, Moshi, Mwanza, Bukoba, Mombasa, Nairobi, Kampala, and Kisumu. Photos of grass-and-mud dwellings, camels, and village life provide a view of traditional East Africa, while places such as Zanzibar and Nairobi are pictured with shops, hotels, medical facilities, and an occasional church or post office. These images show a society moving forward and a people adapting to growth and change.
Many photographs of this era “dwell on what the photographer considered the glamorous aspects of East Africa – wildlife, landscapes, settler life, the occasional posed portrait of an African sultan or Maasai warrior,” says Jonathon Glassman, associate professor of history in the Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. “What makes the Winterton Collection stand out is the large number of items that document more prosaic matters during the late precolonial and early colonial years. Such matters are precisely the most difficult to get a handle on for the historian of Africa. This collection’s potential for informing us about crucial changes in social and cultural life is enormous.”
The 77 albums in the Winterton Collection contain the work of both professional and amateur photographers. James Augustus Grant (1827-1992), an African explorer, created some of the earliest stereoscopic images of Zanzibar. These images date from 1860 and are annotated by Grant, who is known for his best-selling book, A Walk across Africa: Or, Domestic Scenes from My Nile Journal (London: Blackwood and Sons, 1864). Additional examples of Grant’s early photographs can be found at the Royal Geographic Society in London. Professional studios such as Underwood & Underwood, A.C. Gomes & Company, Coutinho Brothers, and Pereira de Lord Brothers are also represented in the collection.
Purchased with support from the Charles Deering McCormick Endowment for Special Collections and the George and Mary LeCron Foster Endowed Fund, the Winterton Collection provides exceptional material for teaching and research. The collection has significant potential as a source of dissertation topics and undergraduate research projects on East Africa and colonialism, the politics and economics of colonial society, traditional African dress, colonial photography, and many other topics.
“This extraordinary collection of primary historical and cultural documents…will extend and deepen the incomparable collection of Africana held by the Herskovits Library,” says David Schoenbrun, associate professor of history in the Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. The work of our undergraduates, graduates, faculty, and visiting scholars “will be much the richer for having access to these photographs.”
For more information or to schedule an appointment to view the photographs, call the Africana reference desk at 847-467-3084 or send an e-mail to Africana@northwestern.edu.