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

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

Arranged by subject.

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.