Scope and Contents From the File: A collection of photographs on 77 loose sheets. On one sheet, in ink capitals, is written 'Photographs taken between June 18th 1934 - December 1934, in the Lamu Archipelago, Tanganyika, Kenya, Uganda, Belgian Congo, Ruanda Urundi, French Equatorial Africa, Cameroons, Nigeria, French West Africa.' The majority of the photographs have been captioned by hand, in a difficult handwriting, and some of the names of peoples and places have not been traced in works of reference. The following...

Scope and Contents

56 x 84 mm. A 'lady doctor' - an old woman who specialises in Circumcisions. She attended hospital to see the White Man's method but thought her own was easier and quicker.

Scope and Contents

Showing a man wearing an unusual helmet.

Scope and Contents

64 x 109 mm. Showing the method of shaving the head when they have conceived. They wear long hair till this occurs. The remaining centre portion is left and mixed with a concoction of Red Camwood powdered and mixed with palm oil which dries hard like clay and is called Nga. The woman here shown has a small bunch of leaves on her back which indicates she is menstruating.

Scope and Contents

67 x 89 mm. ‘Alexander' the assistant surgeon at Bamenda Hospital. About 4ft. high he is a 'character' and has had a most interesting life under German and British rule.

Scope and Contents

Scene on day of public celebrations.

Scope and Contents

Scene on day of public celebrations.

Scope and Contents

57 x 84 mm. Baffreng woman with her child, she has her head shaved at the sides to show she has conceived and wears the strings in front to show she is suckling a child. The baby girl also has her head shaved as it is taken for granted that as soon as she marries she will also conceive immediately. This is the fervent desire of every girl among the pagans.

Scope and Contents

76 x 103 mm. A proud young lady at the dance, showing off her numerous black jiggedars and a band of hide decorated with old German military buttons. Her sexual taboo is well advertised by the number of black strings she has hanging in front.

Scope and Contents

76 x 103 mm. A Bafut woman guest at the ceremonies with her shaved head and girdle of cowrie shells as a fertility fetish.

Scope and Contents

76 x 103 mm. A Bafut woman dressed for the party with her necklaces of German beads, her brass bangles and anklets and her cowrie shell jiggedar for fertility though the two little strings with cowrie shells attached and hanging in front show she is still sexually taboo on account of suckling a child.

Scope and Contents

76 x 103 mm. A Bafut woman dressed for the party with her necklaces of German beads, her brass bangles and anklets and her cowrie shell jiggedar for fertility though the two little strings with cowrie shells attached and hanging in front show she is still sexually taboo on account of suckling a child.

Scope and Contents

76 x 103 mm. Another well dressed lady at the dance. She proudly displayed her hide hip-band studded with old German buttons and her numerous jiggedars of soft black stick joined with grass rings. Her legs were coloured red with powdered red cam wood.

Scope and Contents

60 x 93mm. Fez shaped Bamenda cap in blue and white. [Fig. VII in West African Caps.]

Scope and Contents

68 x 95 mm. The 'rayed' cap of white cotton with blue rays. [Fig. X in West African Caps].

Scope and Contents

56 x 91mm. A 'rayed' cap with the rays made in such a way that they lie flat. [Fig.XI in West African Caps].

Scope and Contents

76 x 103 mm. A Bamenda cap shaped like the modern chef's cap, the lower part is of raffia and the crown of blue-black feathers. [Fig.V in West African Caps].

Scope and Contents

61 x 98 mm. A fez shaped cap in blue and white cotton [Fig.VIII in West African Caps].

Scope and Contents

69 x 87mm. A cotton cap in blue and white with the tied fillet and the knot behind [Fig. IV in West African Caps].

Scope and Contents

65 x 81mm. A fez shaped cap with the crown band and tied fillet.

Scope and Contents

60 x 88 mm. A rayed cap with the crown band and the tied fillet of the Egyptians [Fig. IX in West African Caps].

Scope and Contents

40 x 62 mm. The owner of another pattern of hat crown in blue and white enjoying 'one for the road'.

Scope and Contents

40 x 76 mm. Another pattern of hat crown. Crowns were originally somewhat like a Persian cap or Fez - almost the blood-brother of the red velvet cap of maintenance of the English Kings. Caps of special shape, Fez-like or like that of a Chef are today still the sign of Royalty among the Pagan Tribes of the Bamenda Division. The cloth caps with cloth 'spikes' may be an imitation of the radiated or rayed crowns of ancient Egypt.

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm.

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. Purchasers at the gown dept. at Bamenda market. Women are from Bamenda N'Kwele. Only after marriage do they wear brass on the waist strings and mud on the hair.