Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

L. Gabriel photographs, EEPA 1989-001, between 1920-1940

Summary

Collection ID:
EEPA.1989-001
Creators:
Gabriel, LĂ©opold
Dates:
between 1920-1940
Languages:
Undetermined
.
Physical Description:
370 Postcards
silver gelatin (2 v.)
black & white
9 x 14 cm. or smaller
Repository:
Container:
1
2
Photographs taken by L. Gabriel in Central Africa and Mozambique between 1914-1920.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The photographs document African peoples, mainly in the French and Belgian Congo, during the first half of the 20th century. The images also depict many views of the countryside and cities. Cities documented include Elisabethville (now Lubumbashi), Kansenia, Likasi and Panda in the Congo. Peoples depicted include Luba, Ngale, Songye and Tutsi. Activities documented include men weaving baskets; prisoners in chains carrying wood and working in fields; soldiers performing military exercises and playing in a band; women making pots; and workers building a railroad. There are also portraits of the Mwami (king) of Rwanda and his wife in Western dress, as well as people with different clothing, hair styles and scarification. Objects depicted include baskets, gourds and pots. Buildings shown include a church, a hospital, houses in villages, a prison and a school. There are several images of a copper mine at Likasi, showing the buildings, pits and workers' quarters.

Arrangement note

Arrangement note
Arranged by subject.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
L. Gabriel, commercial photographer, worked in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), the French Congo (now the Congo), Mozambique and Zambia, from the 1910s to 1940.

Administration

Author
Paul Wood
Custodial History note
Photographs by L. Gabriel assembled by the staff of the National Museum of African Art through donations and purchases, 1989.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Conditions Governing Access note
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Panda (Congo) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kansenia (Congo) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mozambique Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zambia Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Congo (Brazzaville) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Postcards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lubumbashi (Congo) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Congo (Democratic Republic) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Africa Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Luba (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tutsi (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Songye (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rwanda Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
National Museum of African Art
P.O. Box 37012
MRC 708
Washington, DC 20013-7012
elisofonarchives@si.edu