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Historical African Community Life

19th century engravings showing African communities engaging in everyday activities, from construction to cultural practices, reflecting diverse traditions.

King Kamehameha I and a group of Hawaiian warriors in 1815.

Ancient Egypt. From left to right; 5: animal skin used as a cape, 6: costume adhered to the body with long narrow sleeves, 7: priestess in ceremonial costume, 8: breastplate or chain-mail of scales. Chromolithography. "Historia Universal" (Universal History), by Cesar Cantu. Volume I, 1881.

Metacom, son of the sachem Massasoit, was also known by his English name, King Philip, after he became sachem to the Wampanoag Indians in 1662. Unlike his father, the sachem Massasoit, Metacom, opposed the colonists' encroachment. By the 1670's New England had a population of 80,000 colonists to 10,000 native Americas. King Philip's War began in spring 1675 with the uprising of many Indians, who destroyed white settlements and all their inhabitants. When the war ended, 1,000 colonists and 3,000 Indians were dead, including Metacom (BSLOC_2020_1_173)

A shaman or medicine man from the Lower Congo. Colour process print after N.H. Hardy.

Dancing Tapuyi DancingIndians - Albert Eckhout, 1600s

An Indian funeral procession. Date: 1846

Women from Senegambia, Senegal, Gambia, Women in the 19th century, Historical, Digital Reproduction of an Original 19th Century Original, Africa

Squeezing of cassava, 1820, engraving, Africa 19th Century.

Clothing in ancient Egypt, in the Ramesside period, 1350-1200 BC from left a high official with frond, then a scribe, a temple servant with vessel, an overseer of Heliololis with leopard skin and a sacrificial priest with incense burner, digitally enhanced reproduction of a 19th century illustration

Buy the Empire Wringer. First dispute between Christopher Columbus and the American Indian -- over the "Empire.". Buy the Empire Wringer. First dispute between Christopher Columbus and the American Indian -- over the "Empire."

Colonial Indian images our missionary India Copyright: xJehangirxSorabjee/DinodiaxPhotox

The Major and the Soothsayer, in Angola, Southern Africa, drawing by Bayard based on a sketch by Serpa Pinto, vintage engraved illustration. Le Tour du Monde, Travel Journal, 1881

History of Africa. 19th century. The Congo. Choreographic exercises of the inhabitants of Ndunga. Illustration by Sadurni. Chromolithography. El Congo y la Creacion del Estado Independiente de este nombre. Historia de los Trabajos y Exploraciones Verificados (The Congo and the Founding of its Free State. A Story of Work and Exploration), by Henry M. Stanley. Edited in Barcelona, ca.1890. Spain.

Illustration showing a group of native American Indian women of the Pimo tribe carrying baskets and water vessels on their heads, wearing full wrap around skirts and heavy jewellery. Date: 1858

Rome. Barbarian invasions. Sacrifice and religious rite by the Old German people. Engraving. ITALY. LOMBARDY. Milan. Civica Raccolta delle Stampe 'Achille Bertarelli' (Achille Bertarelli collection of prints).

Moulibahan, the chief of the tribe, vintage engraving. Moulibahan, the chief of the tribe, vintage engraved illustration. Jules Verne 3 Russian and 3 English, 1872. Copyright: xZoonar.com/PatrickxGuenettex 10647462

David Livingstone (1813-1873). Scottish explorer. Death of Livingstone in the village of Chief Chitambo's, 1873. Engraving by Riov. The Illustrated World, 1882. Colored.

Assorted costumes from Oceania (Malaysia, Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia), with weapons and utensils.

Aztec human sacrifice, in which a beating human heart was removed, for placement on the face of an idol (not shown) on a pyramid. A priest presides over the sacrifice. Another man on the steps of a pyramid holds an incense burner (BSLOC_2020_1_100)

" A Human Sacrifice in a Moral, in Otaheite ". A human on a roasting pit, ready to be sacrificed in a ceremony in honour of Capt. Cook in French Tahiti. From Watercolours illustrating Captain Cook's last voyage ca. 1773-1784 by John Webber. Webber was appointed topographical artist and sailed with Cook on the third voyage

Arrivals at the North Gate of Cape Coast Castle. In 1873, after decades of an uneasy relationship between the British and the Acing people of central Ghana, the British attacked and virtually destroyed the Asanti capital of Kumasi, and officially declared Ghana a crown colony on 24 July 1874. After this the British moved their administrative capital from Cape Coast Castle to Accra. Date: 31 January 1874

Tumbuya, 1869, Peru

Les Gunguns, 1895, published by Hachette et cie in Paris. The image features Fon (African people) in traditional attire, showcasing masks significant to African culture

Worshippers come out of the church in Villa Rica in 1880, Colombia, digitally restored reproduction of a 19th century original, exact date unknown, South America

Cannabalism in the Congo, 1908, illustration taken from Journal of Journeys, recounting tales of exploration in the Congo with the Bondjos by the Belgian explorer Hodister.

Musician with a d'hauk, a large drum carried over the shoulder and decorated with feathers, played at marriages and religious occasions, Calcutta, West Bengal. Coloured etching by Francois Balthazar Solvyns, 1799.

Hindu fakir with one shoe and half a moustache, Calcutta, West Bengal. Coloured etching by Francois Balthazar Solvyns, 1799.

Indian warriors: Brahmin Rajput warriors in white robes at left, Rahut or Rawat mountain warrior caste in distance, and Bahelia or B'Halya soldier at right. Handcoloured copperplate engraving by Andrea Bernieri after Francois Solvyns from Giulio Ferrario's Ancient and Modern Costumes of all the Peoples of the World, Florence, Italy, 1844.

Chief Coba, or Kobe, possibly grandson of Gwali, of the Ama-Gwali tribe, The bead or 'Captain' Coba (or Kobé), a chief of the Gqunukhwebe, draughtsman: Robert Jacob Gordon, Great Fish River (South Africa), (possibly), Oct-1777, paper, brush, pen, h 660 mm × w 480 mm, h 270 mm × w 413 mm, h 220 mm × w 370 mm

Cremation ceremony of the Hottentots and Kaffirs, southern Africa. Date: 1836

Liebig Bild, Bilder aus Transvaal, Ein Dorf der Eingeborenen, Historic, digitally restored reproduction of a 19th century original, exact date unknown

Cooking of Casabe, 1920s. Artist: Unknown

Artist being carried in box palanquin with writer s buildings beyond Calcutta West Bengal India Copyright: xJehangirxSorabjee/DinodiaxPhotox

Mandan religious ceremony. The keeper of the ceremonies, O-kee-pah ka-se-kah, praying by the fire in a lodge with young men of the village. Handcoloured lithograph from George Catlin's Manners, Customs and Condition of the North American Indians, London, 1841.

Africa. Sudan. Nuba lady with child and servant, c.1880. Engraving. Colored. Colored.

c.1816 Kailua, Kona straw huts with Hawaiian carvings of gods

Man, probably of the AmaXhosa, wearing a leopard skin and holding a spear. Xhosa-man.

Man playing a borung, a type of horn played at Hindu festivals, Calcutta, West Bengal. Coloured etching by Francois Balthazar Solvyns, 1799.

A Hindu ascetic or holy man: standing, with withered left arm raised over his head, and overgrown fingernails. Watercolour, ca. 1880 ().

A begging Brahman carrying some rice accompanied by his wife. Gouache drawing.

Dances from Samoa, Sit Dance, War Dance, Dog Dance, Historic, digital reproduction of an original 19th century pattern

Buddhist secretaries praying before the dragon of the Gautama pagoda. Myanmar. Engraving, 1875. The Spanish and American Illustration, 1875. Spanish edition.

Indian dancing boys or balak dancers with musicians in a ceremony called Jhulan Yatra. Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by Andrea Bernieri after Francois Solvyns from Giulio Ferrario's Ancient and Modern Costumes of all the Peoples of the World, Florence, Italy, 1844.

Sri Lanka, Boursse, Esaias, Two Sinhalese men with bales of cinnamon, Outside, two men are standing along the road. They both carry a carrying pole (pingo) over their shoulders, from which hangs a bale of rolled-up cinnamon bark in front and behind. They belong to the occupational group of cinnamon peelers (chalias or Salagama). The man on the left is bald. He wears a hip-dress (veshti, lungi) that reaches above the knee, wrapped around in the Sinhalese manner and fastened at the waist; his upper body is uncovered. He holds the carrying pole (pingo) on his right shoulder with his right hand. The rear bale of cinnamon is partly hidden in the binding at the back. The man on the right is dressed in a hip-dress (veshti, wrapped around in the Sinhalese manner and fastened at the waist; his upper body is uncovered. He has short curly hair, a moustache and a short beard. On the left shoulder lies the carrying stick (pingo) from which hangs a bundle of cinnamon bark in front and behind. Sheet

Native African indigenous people of the village of Kameruka, Uganda, East Africa. Drawing by Edouard Riou (1833 - 1900) The lakes of equatorial Africa, exploration voyage 1883-1885 by Victor Giraud (1858-1898) Le Tour du Monde 1886

Illustration depicting the funeral procession of a man of rank in the Congo. Dated 19th Century

Muteesa I Mukaabya Walugembe Kayiira and his chiefs Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda. Uganda, Central Africa. Travel to unexplored Africa, the mysterious continent of Henry Morton Stanley. Old engraved illustration from the 19th century, El Mundo Ilustrado 1880

Tänze aus Samoa, Sitztanz, Kriegstanz, Hundetanz, Historisch, digitale Reproduktion einer Originalvorlage aus dem 19. Jahrhundert

Series of different types of wells, draw wells in Africa, locals fetching water, digitally restored reproduction of a collector's picture from c. 1900

A cangue was a device that was used for public humiliation and corporal punishment in China and some other parts of East Asia and Southeast Asia until the early years of the 20th century. It was somewhat similar to the pillory used for punishment in the West, except that the board of the cangue was not fixed to a base, and had to be carried around by the prisoner.

Conclusion of the Treaty between England, Egypt and King John of Abyssinia 1877, Historical, digitally restored reproduction from a 19th century original

Mutesa I, King of Uganda from 1856 to 1884, Africa. Old XIX century engraved from Le Tour du Monde 1864

A man and woman of the Moluccas (formerly Spice Islands) - a group of islands of eastern Indonesia between Sulawesi and New Guinea. A book of national types and costumes from the early 19th century. Date: 1818

Zulus, Natal, South Africa, 19th century. Artist: St de Dree

Playing on the Balafo, Africa

Poulaho, King of the Friendly islands (south Pacific), drinking kava during a ceremony. Engraving by W. Sharp after J. Webber, 1780/1785.

Armenian or Greek women at work at a carpet factory at Usak, Izmir (Smyrna), Turkey. They sit on the carpet they are slowly producing, the different coloured balls of wool hanging above their heads on the loom. It looks likely that a huge carpet was produced which was then section off. Date: circa 1910

Ceremony of Secotan warriors in North Carolina. Watercolour painted by John White in 1585

Mandan medicine man Wak-a-dah-ha-hee, White Buffalo's Hair, performing a rain dance, and Mandan warriors playing Tchung-kee, a game of skill played with a ring and sticks. Handcoloured lithograph from George Catlin's Manners, Customs and Condition of the North American Indians, London, 1841.

Engraving depicting Gaúcho using friction to create fire. Dated 19th Century

Mexicans preparing tortillas, Mexico 19th century.

Beating Cotton, Africa

Chain Gang Carrying Merchandise, East Africa, "Classical Portfolio of Primitive Carriers", by Marshall M. Kirman, World Railway Publ. Co., Illustration, 1895

Meskwaki braves performing the Slave Dance. Handcoloured lithograph from George Catlin's Manners, Customs and Condition of the North American Indians, London, 1841.

People of Siam, Cambodia and Annam, from Exploration de L´Indo_Chine by Delaporte, Southeast Asia, Asia

Engraving depicting a North American Indian using a bow drill, a prehistoric form of drilling tool, which was used to produce fire. Dated 19th Century

Malagassische krijger met assegai en schild.Black warrior in a white leather cloth. He is wearing an assegaa (spear) and a red shield.

Villagers in India sacrificing themselves on fire to avoid cruel raiding Pindaris Copyright: xKenxGraham/DinodiaxPhotox

Description: Ghost from "Daily Mail africa

A group of Native American men and women of Virginia worshipping fire. Handcoloured lithograph from Friedrich Wilhelm Goedsche's "Vollstaendige Völkergallerie in getreuen Abbildungen" (Complete Gallery of Peoples in True Pictures), Meissen, circa 1835-1840. Goedsche (1785-1863) was a German writer, bookseller and publisher in Meissen. Many of the illustrations were adapted from Bertuch's "Bilderbuch fur Kinder" and others.

A witchdoctor of southern Africa encountered by the American traveller William Seabrook Date: 1930

A native of the Mandara kingdom, Cameroon, and a native of Borneo in turban. Handcoloured lithograph by from James Cowles Prichard's Natural History of Man, Balliere, London, 1855.

Marquesas Islands: two native men with an idol Date: circa 1870

Diorama of a Du, Dance Celebration on the Plantation, 1830 The wooden cabinet has a rising bottom and a curved back and top on the inside. The rear wall is covered with painted paper with a forest and a blue sky with white clouds. The inside of the sides also have blue with white clouds. The plastic representation consists of a small hut on the left in the background and a large cabin with dancing figures. The performance proposes a performance of a du. These (dance) communities held a feast several times a year, in which performances were given that often had a socially critical charge. There were several dus in the city, who competed together to give the most beautiful performance. Schouten has shown a party on a plantation. The dance tent is built from four uprights on either side connected by five horizontal beams. The sides of the hut are open. In the back is a kind of balustrade that separates the space from the outdoor space with the heirs of the people made to slave. The slopi

THE SAMOAN ISLANDS, 1881: 1. Leumanu, Chief of Apia. 2. Fantulia, Wife of Leumanu. 3, 4. Types of Natives. 5. A Village Scene. 6. The Siva or Sitting-down Dance.

America. Colombia. Witote people inhaling snuff. Engraving, 19th c. Author: Barbant.

Picture series from East Africa, a Shauri, consultation, digitally restored reproduction of a collective picture from ca 1900, in the public domain, exact date unknown

Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthramaha Mongkut Phra Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua, or Rama IV, better known as King Mongkut (18 October 1804 - 1 October 1868), was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1851-1868. He was one of the most revered monarchs of the country. During his reign, the pressure of Western expansionism was felt for the first time in Siam. Mongkut embraced Western innovations and initiated the modernization of Siam, both in technology and cultureearning him the nickname 'The Father of Science and Technology' in Siam. Mongkut was also known for his appointment of his brother, Prince Chutamani, as vice-king. Prince Chutamani was crowned in 1851 as King Pinklao. Mongkut himself assured the country that Pinklao should be respected with equal honor to himself. Mongkut's reign was also the time when the power of the House of Bunnag reached its zenith and became the most powerful noble family of Siam.

Pocahontas intercedes for the life of Smith, 1607 Captain John Smith, 1580-1631 English soldier and explorer. Pocahontas (Matoaka) 1595-1617 Algonqiuan Indian princess, Historical, digitally restored reproduction from a 19th century original, Record date not stated

Information office and radio broadcaster Dutch New Guinea. Artful carvings from the cases coast. The figures are all cut with a shell. November 1957. New Guinea

The caption for this 1902 illustration reads: Pocahontas darted forward and thus prevented my death - from Captain John Smith's Narrative. English Captain John Smith guided the colonists through difficult times in the Jamestown settlement of 1607. Tradition (not authenticated) says that Pocahontas saved him from death at the hands of Native Americans. Pocahontas, c. 15951617, was the daughter of American Indian chief Powhatan. She married John Rolfe, an English colonist in Virginia.

Watercolour drawing 'Native american indians eating corn' by John White (created 1585-1586).

Malay tomb at Timor, vintage engraved illustration. Magasin Pittoresque 1842.

The body of Waheiadosa, chief of Oheitepeha lying in state; encountered by Captain Cook on his third voyage (1777-1780). Coloured etching after J. Webber, 1 July 1789.

Snake charmers in Ceylon Date: circa 1930

Black slaves working on a plantation and sugar factory in Haiti. Illustration in 'Histoire gŽnŽrale des Antilles habitŽes par les Franais' by Jean-Baptiste Du Tertre, Paris. 1667. Engraving.

Picture series from East Africa, in an Arab house, digitally restored reproduction of a collective picture from c. 1900, in the public domain, exact d...

Clothes, fashion in Java, Javanese costumes, from the left, musicians to the dance accompaniment, illustration, Java

Illustration showing a European slaver trader negotiating with an Arab slave owner to purchase slaves for his journey from West Africa. Circa 1725

Our foreign missions;-- an embarrassment of riches for the heathen by Louis Dalrymple 1866-1905. 1900 Illustration, showing missionaries from various religions appealing to an African man sitting on a throne.

Engraving of Dr. David Livingstone (1813-1873), the Scottish missionary and explorer, reading the Bible to some of his African helpers. The discoverer of Victoria Falls, Livingstone's extensive explorations of Central Africa were chiefly driven by the strength of his missionary ideals. He died in Zambia in 1873, while searching for the source of the Nile. Date: 1874

Aztec human sacrifice. Historia de los Indios by Diego Duran, 1579. Engraving, 19th century.

Thakombau, a famous King of Fiji. He ruled over the greater part of the Fiji Islands from 1852 to 1883. The islands reached their greatest prosperity under him and he voluntarily ceded his country to the British Government in the year 1871.

African headdresses, 19th century illustration

African traditional dance, 1795, print from Travels into the African Interior, Africa 18th Century.

French lithograph of high caste Brahmin women drawing water from a well in India, By Marlet 1828

A Seminole family group. A Seminole family group

Picture series from East Africa, maize harvest of the Wanyamwesi, digitally restored reproduction of a collective picture from ca 1900, in the public domain, exact date unknown

Chapel at Ambatonakanga. Illustrations. 1839. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division. Madagascar, Chapels

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