Have you ever wondered how we were able to view records from time past? For Nigeria in the late 19th century, many of the primary answers lie with pioneering photographers who challenged untried technologies to record the people and places of the time.
While photography was a novelty for Africa, a few visionary Nigerians were among the first to recognize its ability to hold memories. These photographers played an important role in establishing the craft and making it available in the country.
Through their pictures and images, they have provided rare domestic windows into time past and helped solidify the function of photography in documenting Nigerian records.
One of the first to learn photography was Jonathan Adagogo Green. Born in 1873 in Badagry, Green discovered the craft from European photographers running in Nigeria.
In 1892 he established his first studio in Lagos. Using large-format cameras, Green carefully composed snapshots and road scenes to document the bustling port city and the quick fixes added with the help of colonialism.
Its graphics provided residents with primary glimpses of what they gave appearance through the brand new era. Green photographed all levels of society, from elites in their best conventional clothing to workers at work.
In addition to human images, Green also captured unique street scenes depicting how Nigerians lived, worked, socialized and dressed at the turn of the twentieth century.
Through his hands-on studio, Green played a key role in introducing photography to a close audience and establishing its roots in Lagos.
Chief Alonge excelled as the royal photographer of the Kingdom of Benin since the 1890s. Born around 1860 in Benin City, Alonge learned photography from Europeans working in the area. He quickly surpassed his teachers in his technical skills.
From his distinguished studio on the main street of Benin City, Alonge captured the vital ceremonies, rituals and attendants of the royal Obas, preserving the delicate tradition of the Benin court record for posterity.
His portraits of kings in ornate costumes, crowns and beaded regalia provide a window into this cutting-edge pre-colonial society.
Additionally, Alonge photographed normal citizens and helped shape the identity of Benin through its various peoples. His prolific work helped to establish the function of images in documenting Nigerian history and cultures.
Another pioneer worth mentioning in this post is George Lutterodt, a photographer born in Ghana.
Operating from his pioneering studio established in 1876 in Accra, Gold Coast (modern Ghana), Lutterodt served as a photographer for the British colonial government. Born in 1844, Lutterodt became one of the first Africans to understand photography, which he learned from Europeans.
In the nineteenth century he traveled all over the place conducting workshops on mobile images. These visiting workshops were instrumental in teaching subsequent technology to African photographers along with Solomon Acolats.
Through his training, Lutterodt ensured that local residents discovered the craft's potential for self-presentation. His photographs expressed the position of dignitaries and chiefs in colonial society and celebrated African identity. Lutterodt played a key position in introducing photography and establishing his roots at some point in West Africa.
In conclusion, this post has touched some of the pioneering photographers of the late 19th century who helped establish a stable base for photography in Nigeria and West Africa. Figures like Jonathan Adagogo Green, Chief Solomon Osagie Alonge and George Lutterodt faced untried technologies to record human beings and places and capture rare glimpses beyond borders.
Through their accessible nearby studios and visiting workshops, they integrated photography into the surrounding cultures and trained African practitioners in the subsequent technology. Their portraits and paintings provide windows into the fashions, rituals and daily life of cases long past.
Most importantly, they demonstrated the power of images to document records and rejoice in African identity. Their persistence and determination played a key role in the early development of images in Nigeria and deserve recognition.
