This collection contains 147 photographic prints and 43 postcards from East Africa (circa 1907-circa 1914), especially Kijobe, which depict the activities of the Africa Inland Mission; Theodore Roosevelt's safari in 1909; views of Nairobi, Mombasa, Port Said, Lake Victoria and other landscapes; and portraits of Maasai, Kikuyu, Kamba, Kavirondo, Akawba, Gikuyu, Somali and Swahili coast peoples. Missionaries pictured include Hetz, Hurlburt, and Wallace, who is listed as photographer on many of the prints. The collection also contains 3 paperback books, published by Africa Inland Mission, which describe the history of the organization and the experiences of its missionaries: Faster Beats the Drum (1978), Another Hand on Mine (1975) and Gardens of Miracles (1976).
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in four series:
Series 1: Locations
Series 2: Cultures
Series 3: Other
Series 4: Publications
Biographical / Historical:
The Africa Inland Mission (AIM) is a non-denominational Christian missionary organization that focuses on Africa. The organization was founded in 1895 by Scottish-American missionary Peter Cameron Scott of the International Missionary Alliance. Scott and his fellow missionaries arrived in Mombasa in October of 1895 and within a year had established four missions in Kenya. Scott's untimely death in 1896 almost led to the dissolution of AIM, but support from the Philadelphia Missionary Council and a new director in the person of Rev. Charles Hurlburt reinvigorated the project. In 1909 a station was set up in what was then German East Africa (Tanzania) and in 1912, Theodore Roosevelt intervened on behalf of his friend Hurlburt to persuade the Belgian government to allow the mission to establish a station in the Congo. Today, AIM operates in 13 countries in Central and Southern Africa.
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.