Over a century's worth of portraits detailing the intimate lives of West Africans have gone on show for the first time in New York. The exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, titled "In and Out of the Studio: Photographic Portraits from West Africa," looks at the earliest pioneers of African photography.
Renowned artists such as Samuel Fosso and Seydou Keita take their place alongside many lesser known photographers in a captivating journey capturing snapshots from the lives of everyone from the metropolitan upper classes through to the very poorest rural communities in countries including Senegal, Cameroon, Mali and Gabon. Drawn deep from the museum's vaults, the exhibition features photos, cartes de visites, postcards, real photo postcards and original negatives taken between the 1870s and the 1970s.
"The earliest images in the exhibition, taken by professional and amateur photographers in the urban centers of Ghana, Togo, and Senegal, are the most moving and should not be missed as they convey an entirely different narrative than the one disseminated through the colonial channels at the time," says curator Yaelle Biro.
"'In and Out of the Studio' is a rare opportunity to see how photographers and sitters collaborated to fashion their sense of self and define their own modernity," she continues.
The exhibition runs until January 3, 2016 -- Gallery 916, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Go through the gallery above to see some of the powerful images and read descriptions by the curator.
Portrait of a Woman, ca. 1910
Unknown Artist (Senegal)
Glass negative
Renowned artists such as Samuel Fosso and Seydou Keita take their place alongside many lesser known photographers in a captivating journey capturing snapshots from the lives of everyone from the metropolitan upper classes through to the very poorest rural communities in countries including Senegal, Cameroon, Mali and Gabon. Drawn deep from the museum's vaults, the exhibition features photos, cartes de visites, postcards, real photo postcards and original negatives taken between the 1870s and the 1970s.
"The earliest images in the exhibition, taken by professional and amateur photographers in the urban centers of Ghana, Togo, and Senegal, are the most moving and should not be missed as they convey an entirely different narrative than the one disseminated through the colonial channels at the time," says curator Yaelle Biro.
"'In and Out of the Studio' is a rare opportunity to see how photographers and sitters collaborated to fashion their sense of self and define their own modernity," she continues.
The exhibition runs until January 3, 2016 -- Gallery 916, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Go through the gallery above to see some of the powerful images and read descriptions by the curator.
Portrait of a Woman, ca. 1910
Unknown Artist (Senegal)
Glass negative
Highly choreographed, the importance of the central figure is emphatically symbolized in this glass negative from the Lutterodt studio circa 1880-1885.
Five Men, ca. 1880-5
George A. G. and Albert George Lutterodt (Ghanaian, active from 1876)
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Five Men, ca. 1880-5
George A. G. and Albert George Lutterodt (Ghanaian, active from 1876)
Albumen silver print from glass negative
According to Biro, this woman poses in a relaxed way as to display her sociability and better show off her elegant dress.
Reclining Woman, 1950s-1960s
Seydou Keita (Malian, 1921/23 -- 2001)
Gelatin silver print, 1975
Reclining Woman, 1950s-1960s
Seydou Keita (Malian, 1921/23 -- 2001)
Gelatin silver print, 1975
The setting and proportions mark this as a formal portrait of a man believed to be a mason in his everyday work wear, the photographer's wide lens drawing out each element of the sitter's environment.
Man Standing in a Courtyard, 1959-1968
Oumar Ka (Senegalese, b. 1930)
Inkjet print, 2015
Man Standing in a Courtyard, 1959-1968
Oumar Ka (Senegalese, b. 1930)
Inkjet print, 2015
A pioneer of documentary photography, J.D. Okhai Ojeikere's series of over 2,000 negatives capturing myriad hair styles manages to convey the transience of creativity within Nigerian culture, according to Biro.
Untitled (Modern Suku), 1975
J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere (Nigerian, 1930--2014)
Gelatin silver print, 2009
Untitled (Modern Suku), 1975
J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere (Nigerian, 1930--2014)
Gelatin silver print, 2009
Malick Sidibe is famous for capturing the transition between colonial and post-colonial Mali. In this rare self-portrait Sidibe appears animated, even surprised, within his own composition.
Self-Portrait, 1956
Malick Sidibe (Malian, b. 1936)
Gelatin silver print in original frame of reverse-painted glass, tape, cardboard, string
Self-Portrait, 1956
Malick Sidibe (Malian, b. 1936)
Gelatin silver print in original frame of reverse-painted glass, tape, cardboard, string
![In cases such as this postcard, the exact name of the photographer was often lost in the long process between sitting and production. However, the curator speculates Alphonso Lisk-Carew could be behind this work from Sierra Leone.<br /><br />Bundoo Girls -- Sierra Leone, ca. 1905-1925<br />Unknown Artist [possibly Alphonso Lisk-Carew, Sierra Leonean, 1887-1969]<br />Photomechanical reproduction published by Lisk-Carew Brothers](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/150908170348-met-photographic-portraits-of-west-africa-2.jpg?q=w_1440,h_2232,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
In cases such as this postcard, the exact name of the photographer was often lost in the long process between sitting and production. However, the curator speculates Alphonso Lisk-Carew could be behind this work from Sierra Leone.
Bundoo Girls -- Sierra Leone, ca. 1905-1925
Unknown Artist [possibly Alphonso Lisk-Carew, Sierra Leonean, 1887-1969]
Photomechanical reproduction published by Lisk-Carew Brothers
Bundoo Girls -- Sierra Leone, ca. 1905-1925
Unknown Artist [possibly Alphonso Lisk-Carew, Sierra Leonean, 1887-1969]
Photomechanical reproduction published by Lisk-Carew Brothers
A cheaper alternative to a cabinet card or the older carte-de-viste, postcards such as this were printed directly from the negative and were far more likely to be bespoke rather than mass produced.
Senegalese Woman, 1910s
Unknown Artist (Senegal)
Postcard format gelatin silver print
Senegalese Woman, 1910s
Unknown Artist (Senegal)
Postcard format gelatin silver print
This unknown but nonetheless prolific amateur photographer appears to have captured a series of shots of his friends and family, often in their own homes.
Seated Man, 1930s-1940s
Unknown Artist (Senegal)
Gelatin silver print
Seated Man, 1930s-1940s
Unknown Artist (Senegal)
Gelatin silver print
Nothing is known regarding the origins of this image of two Senegalese girls, other than its French-colonial setting.
Two Girls, Indoors, ca. 1915
Unknown Artist (Senegal)
Gelatin silver print from glass negative, 2015
Two Girls, Indoors, ca. 1915
Unknown Artist (Senegal)
Gelatin silver print from glass negative, 2015
