1 Albumen print (cabinet card, black and white, 12.7 x 17.8 cm. (5 x 7 inches) (without mount))
Container:
Box 1
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Albumen prints
Cabinet photographs
Place:
Africa
Nigeria
Benin (Nigeria)
Date:
1891 May
Summary:
One cabinet card with an albumen photographic print by Cyril Punch of a Benin altar with two bronze heads supporting ivory tusks and framing a group of brass statues and bells, an inscription on the frame reading, "Juju altar, Benin City, May 1891.
Scope and Contents:
A handwritten title on this albumen photograph reads: "Juju altar. Kings compound Benin City May 1891." This cabinet card is considered the earliest known photograph of a Benin altar and the only one known to exist prior to the British invasion of Benin in 1897. It shows the configuration of carved ivory tusks, commemorative heads, bells, a king figure with an eben (sword), and smaller bronze figures. The photograph was taken by Cyril Punch in 1891.
Biographical / Historical:
Cyril Punch was a British merchant who lived in the late 1800s and who often traded between Lagos and Benin.
Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
