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Study of Igbo Wooden Mask
A photograph depicting a side view of a carved wooden mask. The object is vertically oriented and anthropomorphic, featuring a prominent horizontal fissure separating the upper and lower segments. The lower segment displays stylized facial features, including an almond shaped eye, a defined nasal bridge, and small closed lips tapering toward an elongated chin. The image is a monochromatic gelatin silver print with directional lighting that emphasizes the relief of the facial carvings. The provenance of the object was suggested …
Maiden Spirit Mask (Isi abogefi)
A photograph showing the interior and exterior of an Igbo maiden spirit mask, known locally as Isi abogefi, collected by Northcote Thomas in Agukwu Nri in 1911. The mask is carved from egbu wood and features a white facial surface with yellow and ochre pigments on the forehead and black pigments on the nose and eyebrow ridges. It is decorated with circular raised-relief dots on the cheeks and linear patterns along the margins. The elaborate headdress, recorded as isi nkpo …
African Priest and Altar Boys at a Christian Church
A photograph depicting an African priest and four altar boys worshipping at a Christian church. The priest wears a white alb and a dark embroidered chasuble with floral motifs. The four boys are dressed in dark short capes over white ankle-length garments with lace-like edging. The church interior is constructed from corrugated iron. The altar is decorated with candles, floral garlands, and a patterned cloth, with a rug featuring geometric motifs on the floor.
Portrait of a Male Elder with Staff
A photograph depicting a half-length portrait of an elderly Igbo man. The subject is wearing a textured, ribbed knit beanie and an unfastened, heavy-weight jacket with a discernible weave. He holds a light-colored, smooth-textured wooden staff vertically in his right hand. The image is a monochromatic sepia-toned print showing signs of chemical spotting and surface scratches, with a blue ink overlay across the frame. A partial view of another person is visible on the right edge, and blurred figures appear …
Group Portrait of Titled Igbo Men
This photograph from between 1900 and 1915 shows a group of titled Igbo men, likely members of the prestigious Nze na Ozo society. Their traditional attire includes symbolic robes, headgear, and red caps known as okpu mme, with ceremonial staffs and ivory bracelets indicating high status.
Royal Niger Company Station with Soldiery
A monochromatic photograph depicting a two-story masonry structure built from irregular stone and mortar in a hilly landscape. Five uniformed male subjects, identified in manuscript notes as "Soldiery", are present: four stand in a line in the foreground holding rifles, and one is positioned within a pitched-roof sentry box to the right of the building. The structure features a corrugated metal hip-roof with a central spire, upper-level windows with awnings, and arched openings on the ground floor. The image was …
Painted Courthouse at Nri
A black-and-white photograph from 1938 depicting a single-story open-sided courthouse structure in Nri, Onitsha Province. The building features a corrugated metal hipped roof supported by vertical pillars and low-set perimeter panels serving as canvases for high-contrast, stylized murals. These murals include figurative motifs such as a large tortoise, a bovine, a figure in official attire, a figure holding a chain attached to another figure, and a series of figures in linear progression, some associated with a vessel. The background shows …
Agwu Nsi Figures
A photograph depicting four wooden Agwu Nsi figures arranged linearly on a flat surface. From left to right, the figures include a small anthropomorphic figure with a conical headdress, a zoomorphic avian figure with an elongated beak, a stylized hybrid figure with tapered upward-pointing protrusions, and a larger anthropomorphic figure with a disc-like head topped by lateral protrusions and holding a vessel. These carvings were used by dibia (diviners) as part of their ritual paraphernalia to assist in divination practices. …
Portrait of an Igbo Woman
A photograph depicting a bust-length portrait of an Igbo woman in a frontal pose. She wears a light-colored, voluminous headwrap with dark repetitive decorative motifs and a light-colored short-sleeved blouse with a scooped neckline, decorative lace trim, and a single button. Visible dark, linear markings are present on her upper chest and sternum area. The image is presented as an oval vignette within a rectangular border. The photograph was taken by Dr. William Henry Crosse during his tenure as Principal …
Pyramids at the Nsude Village Shrine, Abaja Igbo, Northern Igbo
This black-and-white photograph from the 1930s by G.I. Jones shows a series of stepped earthen pyramids at the Nsude village shrine in Abaja Igbo, Northern Igbo. The pyramids, constructed of mud, feature rounded graduated levels decreasing in size and culminating in a pointed top. Tall grasses and vegetation surround the structures, which are strategically placed on elevated ground. The image documents the architectural and religious significance of these shrine pyramids, which were associated with the Uto deity and represent important …
Portrait of a Man with Facial Scarring
A grayscale photograph depicting a head and shoulders portrait of a man facing the camera. He wears a collarless shirt with a dark-toned, textured garment and a light-colored cloth draped around his neck. The man's right eye appears to be scarred or bruised, with the eyelid puffed up and closed. The background consists of a shallow depth of field with out-of-focus natural elements, including trees and low-lying vegetation in an outdoor setting.
Uxurhe Staffs
A monochrome photograph depicting a collection of approximately eight carved wooden vertical shafts, identified as Uxurhe staffs. The shafts are slender and cylindrical, featuring relief carvings of anthropomorphic figures, including large-scale carved heads at the terminals and smaller human forms interspersed along the length. Decorative elements include horizontal bands, circumferential rings, and textural patterns such as chevrons and cross-hatching. The objects are shown leaning against a coarse, textured wall, with a strong light source from the left creating high-contrast shadows …
Portrait of a Man with Carved Wooden Door
A black-and-white photograph depicting an adult male seated on a low, tripod-style carved wooden stool. To his left is a large, vertical rectangular wooden panel featuring extensive geometric relief carving, including parallel linear grooves, a central square field with intersecting diagonal lines, and chevron patterns. The subject is shirtless and smiling, positioned in front of a structure made of organic materials with a thatched roof and walls of fibrous plant matter. In the foreground, a shallow circular tray and a …
Excerpt from Anthropological Report on the Ibo-speaking Peoples of Nigeria
A photograph depicting three sequential pages (81, 82, and 83) from Northcote Thomas's 1914 publication, Anthropological Report on the Ibo-speaking Peoples of Nigeria, Part IV: Proverbs, Stories, Tones in Ibo. The pages feature a dual-script format with a primary language using a modified Latin alphabet with extensive diacritics, accompanied by English translations. Page 81 includes the story of the blind man, cripple, poor man, thief and the king (Record 613), and page 83 begins the story of the poor man's …
Standing Igbo Wooden Male Figure
A monochromatic gelatin silver print depicting a standing anthropomorphic carving of an adult male. The figure is carved from wood and features a stylized elongated, cylindrical headdress with a flat top. The face includes horizontal slit eyes, a broad nose, and a wide mouth with defined teeth. The torso is characterized by parallel horizontal incised lines on the chest and shoulders, with a prominent ribbed columnar element extending vertically from the mid-chest to the pelvic region. The arms are positioned …
Decorated Pots of North Ika
A monochromatic photograph depicting two earthenware vessels from North Ika. The vessels feature globular bodies with short cylindrical necks and wide, flattened rims. One vessel stands upright while the other lies recumbent on a granular substrate. Both pots are adorned with high-relief, segmented geometric ornamentation on the upper shoulders, consisting of radiating curvilinear segments defined by punctate borders and fine parallel striations. The high-contrast lighting suggests an archaeological or field-documentation setting.
Royal Niger Company Steam Vessel on the Niger River
A photograph depicting a medium-sized transport vessel with hybrid steam and sail propulsion anchored along a riverbank on the Niger River. The vessel features a single mast and a mid-aft smokestack emitting steam. The upper deck is heavily laden with rectangular bundles of cargo. Approximately 8 to 12 individuals in utilitarian clothing are visible on the main deck. The surrounding environment consists of a sloping riverbank with low vegetation and a background of dense tropical forest.
Royal Niger Company Soldiery
A photograph depicting a formation of approximately thirteen African males, identified in the source metadata as \"soldiery\", who are members of the Royal Niger Constabulary. The individuals are arranged in two rows behind two small-bore artillery pieces with spoked wooden wheels. The subjects wear dark cylindrical caps, high-collared button-down tunics, and leather belts with equipment pouches. Several men hold rifles vertically at their sides. The setting is an open, flat area with tropical vegetation, including palm trees, in the background. …
Interior View of a Chief's Compound
An albumen print photograph from approximately 1870-1900 showing the interior of a Chief's compound. The scene depicts five or six mud buildings with thatched roofs made from palm fronds. The architectural layout includes several steeply pitched, gabled structures. A single, tall palm tree with a slender trunk stands centrally in a cleared, flat area of earth. A small, indistinct humanoid figure is visible in the center of the clearing. The composition emphasizes the verticality of the central tree against the …
Nwamno Figure from Ogume Village
A photograph depicting a multi-tiered vertical wooden sculpture from Ogume village in South Ika. The object consists of a circular base supporting three vertical pillars, which in turn support a platform for a sculptural grouping of three anthropomorphic figures. The figures vary in scale and postural orientation, featuring stylized facial features with deeply set eye cavities and tiered headdresses. The surface of the carvings exhibits rhythmic horizontal and vertical incisions on the torsos and necks, indicating a precise carving technique. …
G.I. Jones at Nsude Village Shrine Pyramid
A black-and-white photograph from the 1930s showing anthropologist G.I. Jones seated in front of a stepped earthen pyramid at the Nsude Village Shrine in Abaja, Northern Igbo region. The pyramid structure consists of rounded graduated steps decreasing in size and culminating in a pointed apex. The structure, made of mud, stands in an open area surrounded by grasses and vegetation. Jones is wearing shorts, a white shirt, and a pith helmet. The Nsude pyramids were temples dedicated to the deities …
Group Portrait from Royal Niger Company
A photograph depicting approximately 13 individuals standing in a horizontal line before a long, low-profile building. The structure features a steeply pitched gabled roof made of thatch or plant fibers and walls constructed from vertical organic elements such as reeds or wooden poles. The subjects exhibit a variety of clothing, including traditional wrapped textiles with geometric or organic motifs, and Western-influenced attire such as button-down shirts, shorts, and trousers. The setting is characterized by a flat, unpaved earth surface and …
Portrait of an Igbo Woman Clerk in Maiduguri
A photograph depicting a young Igbo woman employed as a clerk in Maiduguri. The subject is shown in a three-quarter profile, facing left, with a smile. She wears a multicolored, mottled textile head wrap with red, green, yellow, and white pigments, large metallic-toned hoop earrings, and a metallic-toned chain necklace with a rounded dark pendant. Her garment is burgundy with a visible collar. The background is an indoor setting with low ambient light, featuring a blurred mechanical or electronic device …
Trader from Timbuctou and Rich Trading Woman
This photograph, taken by G.F. Packer in 1889 and housed in the Pitt Rivers Museum, features a trader from Timbuktu on the right and a rich trading woman on the left, possibly a member of the Onitsha women's Otu Odu (ivory group) society or an Omu, the female counterpart to the king. The woman wears large ivory anklets, indicative of high socio-economic status in this traders' group. The image illustrates long-standing trade connections across West Africa and Igbo commerce along …
Earthwork Structures and Wooden Barrels along the Niger River
A photograph depicting a site featuring linear earthwork enclosures or partitioned embankments made of compacted soil. Several cylindrical wooden barrels are placed upright or tilted near the center, with one positioned horizontally in a depression. A temporary shelter consisting of light-colored fabric over a frame is visible on the right. The landscape includes tropical vegetation with palm-like trees and a large body of water in the background. The image was captured by William Henry Crosse during his time as Principal …
Ikem Masquerade Play in Umuahia
A black-and-white photograph depicting an Ikem masquerade play. The central figure is a masquerader wearing an Anang carved female face mask featuring naturalistic human features, dark eyebrows, a fine nose, and marks on the cheeks, topped with an elaborate black coiffure in large plaits. The mask is mounted over a square frame covered in printed cloth, and the masquerader wears a striped wrapper. The figure holds an umbrella in one hand and a handkerchief in the other. To the side …
Mask Maker in Workshop with Fish Mask
A photograph depicting a male mask maker in his workshop, holding a completed wooden mask representing a fish. The subject is seated on the ground, wearing a light-colored sleeveless garment, and is surrounded by wood shavings. The image, taken circa 1935, was provided by G. I. Jones to the Pitt Rivers Museum.
Stanford's Map of the British Possessions in West Africa 1895
A grayscale cartographic map titled Stanford's Map of the British Possessions in West Africa 1895. The document depicts the Gulf of Guinea, Bight of Benin, Bight of Biafra, and various river systems. It includes labels for regions such as Borno, Kumbawa, and the Sahara. The map uses specific shading and hatching patterns to delineate territories associated with British, French, German, Portuguese, and Belgian colonial interests. This map was part of the Crosse Collection, documented in relation to the Royal Niger …
Young Igbo Girl Painted with Uli
This black-and-white photograph from the 1940s by Sylvia Leith-Ross shows a young Igbo girl adorned with traditional Uli body art patterns. She wears a headpiece with feathers and decorative elements, with her back turned to emphasize the designs. Blurred figures in the background suggest a public event. The image highlights the cultural significance of Uli in Igbo identity and aesthetics, as documented in Leith-Ross's book African Conversation Piece (1944).
Royal Niger Company Constabulary Band
A monochromatic photograph showing a musical ensemble from the Royal Niger Company Constabulary on a maritime vessel. The group consists of approximately eleven Black men in military-style tunics and garrison side caps, playing woodwind and brass instruments and a snare drum. On the lower deck, a mixed group of individuals, including two light-skinned males in wide-brimmed hats and other men, are observing. The vessel features a protective canopy and a suspended bell. This image belongs to a series documented by …
Mural Decorations in Nri Akwa
A photograph depicting a close up view of mural decorations on a wall in Nri Akwa. The murals feature two raised figures in relief, rendered with light colored pigments on a dark matte substrate. The figure on the left is stylized with extended arms, wearing white painted clothing and body decorations, and holding a rectangular object. This figure is flanked by birds and leaf designs and stands on a decorated plinth. The figure on the right stands with arms on …
An Igbo Elder from Awka, Wearing a War Helmet and Holding a Shield
This photograph, taken by Northcote Thomas around 1913, shows an Igbo elder from Awka wearing an okpu agha, a fibre 'crash' helmet plaited from coarse fibre of Colocasia antiquorum stems for defense against weapons, and holding an ekpeke, a woven shield. These items represent elements of traditional Igbo martial attire and protection in warfare.
Ofo, Uxurhe, and Ikenga from North Ika
A monochromatic archival photograph depicting a collection of three carved wooden objects from North Ika. On the left is a carved pedestal or vessel with a ribbed rim and a conical base. In the center is an elongated vertical staff, identified as an uxurhe, featuring a carved human figure at the apex and a textured shaft with horizontal bands. On the right is a complex sculptural assemblage, including an Ikenga, characterized by pointed appendages and a carved face, resting on …
Steam Vessel Anchored on the Niger River
A photograph depicting a single-masted, steam-powered vessel moored parallel to an earthen riverbank along the Niger River. The vessel features a vertical smokestack emitting a plume of white smoke, a central multi-level superstructure with railings, and a tall mast with rigging lines. On the sloping bank, a group of approximately five to six men wearing minimal clothing, primarily light-colored wraps or loincloths, are engaged in manual labor near the water's edge. The image is part of the Crosse Collection, taken …
Oganochi Mgbedike Masquerader, Nimo
This black-and-white photograph shows an Oganochi mgbedike masquerader standing and facing the camera. The masquerader wears a full-length cloth costume with light and dark striped ruffles on the body, upper arms, and legs. Porcupine quills hang from the edges of the ruffles. The dark wooden helmet mask features white paint accentuating the mouth, teeth, and eyes. Two feathers are held in the front of the band at the bottom of the horns. Four carved horns curl inwards on top of …
Eze Nri Obalike with his attendants and Chiefs at Enugwu-Ukwu
This photograph, taken by Northcote Thomas in 1911, shows Eze Nri Obalike, who ruled from around 1889 to 1926, surrounded by his attendants and chiefs at the Nkwọ Marketplace in Enugwu-Ukwu. Under the watchful eyes of British colonial officers, Obalike was forced, reportedly at gunpoint, to denounce nso and alu, traditional codes of taboo and abomination that underpinned Nri authority. This event marked the decline of the Nri hegemony and the end of its ritual control over Igbo communities.
Portrait of a Woman Seated on a Bentwood Chair
A monochrome photograph of a seated woman posing in an outdoor setting. The subject is bare-chested and wears a white cotton wrap-style waist cloth. Her adornments include a narrow necklace, bracelets on both wrists, a ring on her right hand, and bands with white fibrous attachments around her ankles. Repetitive patterned markings, consistent with scarification, are visible on her abdomen. She is seated on a bentwood-style chair on a dirt surface with dense vegetation in the background.
Temporary Wooden Bridge over the Imo River
A photograph depicting a temporary trestle-style bridge constructed from native, locally grown timber spanning the Imo River. This structure was part of the Eastern Division railway line, built starting in 1913 to facilitate access to the Udi coalfields near Enugwu Ngwo, terminating at the Diobu cliffs of Port Harcourt. The image shows vertical pilings and diagonal cross-bracing supporting the bridge deck. A dense tropical forest canopy is visible in the background. The construction of this railway involved forced labor coordinated …
A Lady of Ụgwụtā wearing Ivory
A photograph depicting a woman from Ụgwụtā (Oguta) in the Òru area, dating from the early 20th century. The subject is seated on a wooden chair in an outdoor setting with palm-like vegetation. She is dressed in a patterned blouse and matching full-length skirt with small light-colored dots, complemented by a light-colored waist wrap. Two thick ivory rings are worn on her wrists. The source indicates that wealthy traders in the riverine Òru region, who utilized waterways for commerce, wore …
Ojo Onu Masquerade in Amuda Village
A photograph depicting a close up portrait of the Ojo (Eju) Onu (Long Mouth) masquerade character, part of the Obugulu Mau (Ghost) masquerade. The subject wears a carved and painted wooden head mask with two horns, eyes, nose, ears, and a protruding snout with teeth. The mask is painted with dark pigment and adorned with pale spots and lines. The costume includes a woven cloth that covers the upper half of the wearer. The background shows grasses, huts, and trees, …
Building on the Banks of the Niger River
This monochrome lantern slide, taken between 1886 and 1895 by Dr. William Henry Crosse, depicts a single-story building on the banks of the Niger River in Nigeria. The structure features a pitched gable roof with an organic covering and an elongated front porch supported by decorative wooden latticed elements. Tall vegetation and a calm body of water occupy the foreground, while rolling hills and distant structures are visible in the background. The photograph was part of a series documenting the …
Dancer Wearing Fish Mask
A photograph depicting a dancer in a mid-motion stance during a ritual or ceremonial performance. The figure wears a vertically oriented head structure with a rectangular textile element featuring a four-armed geometric motif, and elongated pointed components extending upward. The torso is draped in a heavy patterned textile with a geometric or checkered motif, while the lower extremities are covered in voluminous light-colored fibrous material. A multi-generational group of spectators, including adults and children, is positioned in a semi-circular perimeter …
Alose Shrine Figure
This black-and-white photograph by G.I. Jones documents an Alose shrine in south-eastern Nigeria. The wooden figure stands inside a thatched structure, wearing a striped hat with feather and white facial paint. The deity holds objects in both hands among carved pots and stools. The sculpture represents spiritual forces significant in Igbo religious practice.
Aro men in loincloths clearing thick forest overgrowth under direction of colonial forces
This photograph, taken by Donald A. MacAlister as part of a series from the Aro Punitive Expedition, shows a group of Aro men clearing forest vegetation with machetes to facilitate British colonial troop movement during the Anglo-Aro War of 1901. The war sought to dismantle the Aro Confederacy and the Ibini Ukpabi (Long Juju) oracle, marking a significant event in British colonial efforts against indigenous powers in eastern Nigeria.
Figure in an Ancestral Shrine, North Ika
A photograph depicting a carved humanoid figure situated within an ancestral shrine in North Ika. The figure is shown in a kneeling or seated posture, oriented in profile, with an elaborate, high-reaching headdress featuring vertical striations and conical protrusions. The figure's right hand grasps a flat, circular disc, and its neck is adorned with a collar of small, oval-shaped objects. The carving is positioned against a coarse, layered background surface and is secured with thin, dark filaments around the lower …
Northcote Thomas Collection: Awgbu Artifacts
A monochromatic photograph documenting a collection of objects acquired by Northcote Thomas in Awgbu (present-day Anambra State, Nigeria) in 1911. The items are arranged in a horizontal line against a light-colored fabric backdrop in an outdoor setting, with a person partially visible on the left holding the backdrop. The arrangement includes a tall wooden Ngene alusi figure, two cylindrical drums with vertical slits, a staff with a knobbed top, an oval shield-like object, a woven cone, a rolled mat, and …
Two Ikenga Figures from Nri Awka Igbo
Two wooden Ikenga figures. The figure on the left is seated on a stool and is holding a staff in one hand and another object in the other. The figure has a stylised human face painted white with black markings accentuating the eyebrows, eyes, nose and mouth, the two horns are curled. The figure is sitting and around the neck are coiled rings, the torso is painted white and black and he is wearing a painted ruffled tunic, there are …
Palm Oil Market Scene in Akwete
A monochromatic photograph depicting a market scene in Akwete. The image shows a group of approximately 15 to 20 individuals, primarily Igbo men wearing waist-wrapped garments, gathered under an open-sided structure with a corrugated roof. Several large, spherical vessels encased in rope netting are visible on the ground, with one individual carrying two such vessels using a wooden yoke. A single individual is depicted in Western-style clothing, consisting of a long-sleeved shirt, trousers, and a wide-brimmed hat, appearing to be …
Entrance to an Igbo Farmer's House near Nnewi
A photograph depicting the entrance to a compound of an Igbo farmer's house near Nnewi. The structure features a thick-set wall constructed from earthen material, characterized by extensive high-relief geometric and organic patterns. The ornamentation includes concentric circles, scalloped motifs, and diamond shapes arranged in rhythmic grids and bands. A central rectangular portal is framed by two decorated pillars and topped with a small, gabled thatched roof. The building is set against a backdrop of dense vegetation, including palm-like species. …
Igbo Musical Band in Cross River Area
A monochrome photograph depicting a group of boys performing in a musical band. The ensemble utilizes several traditional instruments, including igba (membrane drums made of wood and leather), pot drums, ngedegwu (xylophones consisting of wooden slats on a pot base), ogene (metal gongs), and rattles constructed from small basketwork containers. The musicians are dressed in loincloths, with some wearing cloth kerchiefs on their heads. A group of male spectators, wearing a mix of wrappers, jackets, shirts, and hats, stand behind …
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