IDNO

P.57195.RDG

Description

A group of men annotated as a 'Swazi Impi' (an armed body of native warriors involved in urban and rural conflict) and body guard of King Sobuza' presenting a defensive line. The 'Impi and guard' consist of an extensive number of warriors (probably exceeding 100 men), predominantly carrying decorated skin shields and spears. The men are lined up on a grassy plain with hills in the background and the photograph was made during the wedding ceremony that the British Association for the Advancement of Science attended at Henley in August 1905. [Information provided by by Nessa Leibhammer, Curator of Traditional Southern African Collections, Johannesburg Art Gallery, JD 12/13/2012]

Place

S Africa; South Africa; KwaZulu-Natal; near Pietermaritzburg; Henley [Natal]

Cultural Affliation

Zulu

Named Person

Photographer

None

Collector / Expedition

Ridgeway, William

Date

25 August 1905

Collection Name

Ridgeway Collection

Source

Format

Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.57192.RDG to P.57260.RDG were found in C274/1/ which came from C274/. The latter was kept in Wooden Drawer VI.

P.57194.RDG and P.57195.RDG are pasted on the same mount.

Place: The Place field was previously recorded as being “S Africa; ?Swaziland”, but matching this image to print P.56867, shows that it was taken at Henley, 25 August 1905. The Place field has been amended accordingly.

Expedition / Collector: This photograph was taken during a wedding, which the BAAS conference group visited on the 25th August 1905. The wedding was between the chief, Mhlola of the Nadi, and a commoner bride. [Information provided by Nessa Leibhammer, Curator of Traditional Southern African Collections, Johannesburg Art Gallery, JD 1/16/2013]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Jocelyne Dudding 2/7/2007]