IDNO

P.57228.RDG

Description

Full-length portrait of three Upoto maidens wearing traditional decoration of status. The girls wear rows of pale beads attached to form collars, from which a band of eight rows of beads hands before separating into two bands that are looped downwards before attaching at the hip to rows of beads attached to form a short skirt. Metal bells are attached to the bottom of the skirt at the hip. Metals rings are worn on the ankles. The girls have facial cicatrisation and a row of triangular cicatrisation down their torsos.

Place

C Africa; Republic of the Congo; Upoto [Bopoto]

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

?Smith, Kenred (Rev.)

Collector / Expedition

Ridgeway, William

Date

circa 1895 - 1914

Collection Name

Ridgeway Collection

Source

Format

Print Black & White

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.

Place: Upoto (Bopoto) is situated almost at the extreme north of the great ‘Horseshoe Bend’ (in 2 deg 7’ N. lat.) [Source: ‘The Upper Congo as a Waterway’, Rev. George Crenfell, in The Geographical Journal, Vol. 20, No 5 (Nov 1902) pp. 485-498. JSTOR Online. JD 4/10/2006]

Publication: A cut-out of this image and related text are published in Smith, K., 1920. Congoland: A Book for Young People (Carey Press, London) p.14, and captioned :
"More Bead Decorations."
In the Author's Note, p.ix, Smith makes the acknowledgement:
"While most of the photographs have been taken with my own little camera, I am indebted for others to the kindness of several of my fellow missionaries in Congoland."
[Full text available at https://archive.org/details/congolandbookfor00smit, JD 21/2/2014]

Place: A BMS mission was established in Upoto (Bopoto) in 1890. [Source: ‘Protestant missions and the History of Lingala’ William J. Samarin, in Journal of Religion in Africa, Vol. 16, Fasc. 2 (June 1986) pp. 138-163, JSTOR Online, JD 4/10/2006]

Photographer: This photograph appears to be part of the series of prints annotated as being “K. Smith’s Congo phot.” See P.57233.RDG. The record has been amended accordingly. [JD 14/6/2007]

Biographical Information: See Biographies file for information on Reverend Kenred Smith. [JD 14/6/2007]

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