Picturing the Past: African photographic collections at the British Museum

Abstract

The African pictorial collections at the British Museum number around 50,000 images, comprising photographs from around 40 countries across the continent. Ranging from albumen prints from the 1870s to contemporary digital collections, these photographs are a testament to the richness and complexity of Africa as a continent; the wide-ranging landscapes and climates, the diverse groups of people, and the varied cultural lives. Moreover, they document the changing face of the continent; photographs are seen through the prism of colonialism, decolonisation, nationalism and diasporic experiences. This talk will provide an overview of the collections focusing on my current research project investigating the personal histories of colonial collectors and a critical engagement with photographic collections from the Niger Delta. It will consider the importance of different colonial experiences and to what extent they are visually articulated through photographic images and albums. This case study demonstrates how photographs conceal as much as they reveal, and that hidden in the pages of albums are complex and intertwined histories and sets of relationships that remain relevant today.

All welcome! Any enquiries about the event may be directed to Pauline Harding.