An Anonymous African Photo Album. Is it Nuba or Jos Plateau?

 

African Photo Album

I have owned an interesting African photo album for a couple of years.  It is anonymous.  No names or dates or any data on it anywhere.  It has a snake skin cover.  I have shown it to several people with no leads.  Andrew McKecknie suggest last week that it might be Nuba. That’s where Leni Reifenstal photographed.  I scanned it and posted it to flickr.  You can see it there now. Just click on that Flickr link two sentences back.

   I labeled the album as Nuba and asked for comments.  The next day I received an opinion that it was not Nuba.  Someone named Nanne emailed me with the following.

 

Great album, for sure. I can see the striking ressemblence to Nuba but I think they are from Nigeria, the Jos Plateau. A few reasons: the landscape is just a bit too undulating to be South Kordofan; I never saw the cactus plants lining the fields; the girls have no tribal marks on their bodies; the men have facial marks I don’t recognize; the type of bow and arrow are not typical of Nuba… And if you look at images from the Jos Plateau in Nigeria it all fits perfectly.

 

Kind regards

Nanne

I went back and retitled the album on Flickr as Anonymous from the Jos Plateau.  I Googled for images and it sure looks like the Jos Plateau to me.  The album contains several interesting nudes.  Here’s one.

  

Jos Plateau Nudes

 

 

Today I got another email from my new cyberfriend Nanne.  He added this.

  

Dear John,

 

I saw just a few historic images that closely matched your album, some featuring the cactae, a clay pot similar to the ones in your album, and the landscape. But like you said, very little historic images.

 

This is one: http://sirismm.si.edu/eepa/eep/eepa_02635.jpg

Here are two more: http://www.photographersdirect.com/buyers/stockphoto.asp?imageid=1605437

and: http://www.photographersdirect.com/buyers/stockphoto.asp?imageid=1203856

 

There is a plain and simple answer to your question as to why the photos were taken. According to the wikipedia: ‘After the British colonization of Nigeria, Jos Plateau became one of the most important tourist destinations of Nigeria’. I would guess the photos were taken just before or after WWII. Most of them are staged, and from the way the girls pose for the photographer, it is clear that they were used to take directions.

 

The photographer selected his models with care – some of the girls are just stunningly beautiful – and he (I don’t think a woman would have taken thse photos) even selected the scenery with care. (The one with the diagonal cracks in the rocks is a very clear example.) So probably an amateur photographer who knew he would get some great shots here.

 

Best

Nanne

  The plot thickens.  I found another African scholar and have emailed her for her opinion.  I’ll report on any new developments.  I would really like to find out who took it and when and why.  Be sure to add any comments you have on this album.

  Oh, yeah.  Here’s what the cover looks like.  

Well.  Here’s an addition to this post.  I just received an email from the National Museum of African Art.  One person there said:

Dear Mr. Nichols, 

    In my opinion, the photographs you have posted are Nuba, Sudan  based on many things including:  the stature of the people, succulent plants, housing style, pipes, amulets, & facial scarification.   They most definitely are not by William B. Fagg, CMG.  Beyond that, you might try contacting our senior photo archivist.

 

I’ll follow up and report back.