IDNO

P.145334.RDG

Description

Documentary photograph of a "Gold earring: Lamu, British East Africa. The disc goes through the lobe of the ear: the thirty small rings strung together are separated and placed individually round the rim of the ear down to the lobe whilst the four pendants are attached to the outside of the lobe, the largest hanging low."
The gold disc is the care of MAA, reference 1927.330, and the chain, reference 1927.331 A-E. [JD 11/02/2020]

Place

Kenya; Lamu [British East Africa]

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

None

Collector / Expedition

Hollis, A. C. [Object Collector]; Ridgeway, William

Date

circa 1927

Collection Name

Ridgeway Collection

Source

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.145303.RDG - P.145387.RDG were located in a white archive sleeve, now numbered C999/, and transferred from MAA Paper Archives, W10/2/10, by Jos Dudding, 13/12/2019.

Collector: "Hollis was born in Highgate, London, and was privately educated in England, Switzerland and Germany. He worked for a commercial company in German East Africa (1893–96) and in 1897 he was appointed assistant collector in the British East Africa Protectorate. He wrote pioneering works on the Maasai (1905) and the Nandi people (1908). Took part in numerous expeditions including the Uganda Mutiny (1897–98) and the Juba land Expedition (1900–01). Between 1901 and 1907 he worked as Secretary to the East Africa Protectorate administration, and was Secretary for Native Affairs between 1907–1913.
In 1913, Hollis took up the post of colonial secretary in Sierra Leone, and in 1920 he was appointed chief secretary in Tanganyika and in 1924 he became British Resident Minister in Zanzibar.
Hollis died at the age of 87 in Cambridge." [Information provided by Njeri Gachihi, Rethinking Relationships Project, 15 December 2020, JD 04/03/2021]