Market Scene with Metal Goods

Image Daily Life

A photograph showing metal goods and people in a market scene.

Market scene with metal goods laid out on mats. British Museum, No: Af,B54.35.

A photograph depicting a market scene with various metal goods displayed on mats on the ground. The collection of implements includes knives, hoes, gongs, axes, and machetes. In the mid-ground, a group of five individuals, consisting of three adult males and two children, are positioned near the display. The subjects are dressed in utilitarian western clothing, including short-sleeved shirts and shorts. The environment consists of an unpaved, sandy terrain with improvised shelters or stalls constructed from fabric and wooden poles in the background. The image is a monochromatic gelatin silver print.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

Oct 20, 2026

This photograph is part of a series (Af,B54) purchased by the British Museum from J. Stöcker in 1939, as detailed in the British Museum - Af,B54.35 record. The series documents daily life and cultural practices of the Igbo people of Southern Nigeria during the early 20th century, including other subjects such as market scenes with yams and portraits of individuals with Ichi scarification. The physical print measures 6.50 centimeters in both height and width.

Onyeka Nwokike

Oct 20, 2026

The assortment of metal implements, specifically the gongs (likely Ogene), hoes, and machetes, is characteristic of the specialized blacksmithing trade of the Awka region. Traveling smiths from this area were prominent throughout the markets of the Bight of Biafra hinterland. The presence of Ichi markings in related photographs from the same series further localizes the subjects to the Northern Igbo heartland, specifically the Awka, Nri, and Onitsha axis.