People, 1930s-1950s

Containers:

Box 1, Folder 1

Physical description:

21 items

Scope and content:

A series of 52 small black-and-white photographs consisting chiefly of portraits, candid and formal, of Amy Ashwood Garvey's many friends and acquaintances in Africa - female friends, politicians and heads of state, and native inhabitants. Most are in Western dress, but some are in traditional clothing, as in a portrait of a tribal chief with two women. The dates that appear on prints are from the 1940s. The majority are unidentified. Amy Ashwood Garvey appers in at least two of the images, one of which has several copies; one depicts a group of women on the "Shanahan" ferry at the landing (probably in Asaba, Nigeria), with Garvey in the center.

People whose names appear in captions are: William Tubman, President of Nigeria; Felix Wambu and Lawrence Payne of Nigeria; Ben K. Tamakloe; Viscount Bernard Montgomery and a "Chief Commissioner, N.P." in an unspecified location (possibly taken during the Viscount's visit to Kaduna, Nigeria, in 1947); and Gaius Ikuobase Obaseki of Benin, a member of the legislative council of Nigeria (handmade Christmas card). One individual with a diploma is identified as a "young African barrister, son of the Alaki Jay [alake?] of Abeyacouta [Abeokuta?] Nigeria."

There are numerous photographs of groups: one is entitled "Oration at the grave of Late H. Macauly" (Herbert Macaulay, Nigerian journalist and nationalist, died in 1946), and one is of a side view of a group of seated women, and is captioned "1949 Accra [Ghana]." Others include school groups, parades, and gatherings for special visitors. There is also a scene of a public hanging.

A few of the photographs bear inscriptions to Amy Ashwood Garvey, and some reveal photographer's markings. The prints measure from 2.5x2.5 to 3.25x5.25 inches and are in original order as received.

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