The abolition of slavery in 1887 marked a great turning point on the Swahili coasts and photography was definitely one of them.
What was previously mass marketed as posters and souvenirs before was now an essential part of Swahili culture.
Women adorning themselves in expensive clothes and jewellery in light of celebrating this newly found freedom was now part of every day life. Looking closely at the photos many of the women’s poses and demeanors suggest a strikingly modern and assured connection with the camera.
Photographer Sultan Barghash Bin Said created acamera obscura room in a high tower of his new palace, called the House of Wonders. And we can see the magnificent results here:
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