The Topography of the Early History of African Photography

Abstract

African historians' interest in photographic sources is still rather recent and can be traced back to the mid-1980s. Today, after more than twenty years of research, we know the general outlines of the history of African photography, but have yet to move beyond the larger picture. In having a close look at some centres of the early history of West and Central African photography such as Sierra Leone, Fernando Po and Gabon, as well as at the professional careers of African photographers such as Francis W. Joaque, this paper will contribute to a better and deeper understanding of the early history of West African and Central African photography. Research using and comparing photographs and textual sources from the archive of the Atlantic Visualscape displays a world and a time between 1850 and 1900 when African photographers moved beyond cultural, political and linguistic boundaries to explore potentials in an increasingly competitive market.