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Man in Embroidered Beadwork Canvas Costume and Mask
A monochrome, full-length photographic portrait of a man standing in a frontal, upright posture. The subject is wearing an elaborate, form-fitting suit that covers the torso, arms, and legs, featuring a high-density pattern of geometric and organic motifs, including concentric circles and cross-shaped motifs. The garment's thoracic region includes two hemispherical forms to mimic female mammary anatomy. The subject wears a light-colored mask that covers the face and a dark-toned hood that obscures the hair and neck. The figure stands …
Oji Onu Masquerade with Janus-Faced Helmet Mask
This black-and-white photograph shows a close-up view of a seated masquerade character in the oji onu masquerade, photographed by Gwilliam Iwan Jones between 1932 and 1938 in Akama, Anambra State, Nigeria. The masquerader wears a janus-faced helmet mask featuring two distinct faces: one with deep-set eyes, a hooked nose and wide open mouth, the other with a hooked nose and long downward curving beak. Both faces are painted white with features highlighted in dark pigment. The mask is topped with …
Buildings and Warehouses along the River Niger
A photograph depicting buildings and warehouses along the River Niger. The image shows a series of low-profile, single-story buildings with gabled roofs and a long, open-fronted warehouse containing stacked raw materials, likely palm oil, as indicated by the metadata. The shoreline is reinforced with wooden pilings and a pier extending over the water. Several human figures in light-colored clothing are dispersed across the cleared area, and large cylindrical drums are situated near the buildings. The background features a dense, continuous …
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 …
Mgbedike Masquerade from Onitsha Province
The masquerader wears a headdress carved with horns, figures, and animals. The costume includes cloth, palm fronds, shells, seeds, and porcupine quills. The mask is covered with palm fronds and omu. The masquerader holds an object, possibly a machete or knife, in one hand. The background features trees, bystanders, and houses.
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 …
Carved Wooden Shrine Object from North Ika
A photograph depicting a multi-tiered carved wooden shrine object from Asaba village in North Ika. The sculpture consists of a circular base supported by two crouched anthropomorphic figures, with a larger upper platform containing multiple figures. A central large-scale figure dominates the upper tier, wearing a tall structured headpiece and exhibiting dark linear scarification patterns on the face. This figure holds a long vertical staff in the left hand and a large curved blade in the right hand. All figures …
An Ekpe Masquerader in Uzuakoli
A black-and-white photograph from the 1930s by G.I. Jones depicting an Ekpe masquerader in Uzuakoli, present-day Abia State. The figure is centered in a medium-wide shot, wearing a large, volumetric mask with textured patterns and dark ocular regions. The costume consists of a thick, fibrous garment on the torso and form-fitting leggings featuring repeating geometric patterns, including triangles and zig-zags. The masquerader holds a long, thin, flexible rod diagonally across the body. The figure is surrounded by a semi-circle of …
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 …
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 …
Heavy Wood Door from Nri Awka
This heavy wooden door from the Nri-Awka region, known as ḿgbó èzí, is an example of traditional Igbo wood carving from the 19th-20th century. Carved from sacred hardwood like iroko with symbolic motifs and patterns, such doors served as entrances to compounds of influential families, conveying stories, status, and spiritual beliefs.
Ogbugulu Mau Masquerade, Amuda Village
Black-and-white photograph of the Ogbugulu Mau (Ghost) masquerade performed in Amuda village, near Awka, Onitsha Province, South Eastern Nigeria. The image shows four masqueraders and their attendant. From left, Iro Ekpetu (Merciless) wears a black fierce face mask with white painted eyes and protruding teeth, cloth top and tights, and a raffia skirt. Eju Ono (Long Mouth) wears an animal-like mask painted black with white markings and horns, cloth top and tights, and a raffia skirt, holding two sticks. A …
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 …
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 …
Group Portrait of a Family
A photograph depicting a group portrait of eight individuals arranged in three tiers in an outdoor setting. The rear tier features an adult male in a patterned long-sleeved tunic and a structured headpiece, holding a slender vertical staff, flanked by two females. The middle tier consists of three seated females who are bare-chested and wear patterned textile wraps and head wraps. The front tier contains three children seated on the ground. The environment is an unpaved area with palm-like vegetation …
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.
Portrait of Man and Woman
A photograph depicting a man and a woman standing in front of a vernacular architectural structure. The man, on the left, stands upright with a direct gaze, wearing a thin neck ring and a minimalist waist garment. The woman, on the right, is positioned in a three-quarter profile with arms crossed over her chest, wearing multiple stacked neck rings and a thin cord encircling her waist. The background structure features a thick thatched roof and earthen walls. This image is …
Portrait of a Woman in Striped Cloth
A photograph depicting a woman seated on a low, curved wooden stool, posing for the camera. She wears a fabric wrap or turban with a geometric pattern and a large piece of textile with wide, dark, horizontal stripes wrapped around her chest and lower body. A singular, light-colored circular ring or torque is positioned around the base of her neck. The subject is situated outdoors against a background of dense, blurred vegetation and is seated on a light-colored, granular surface. …
Carved Wooden Face Mask with Protruding Eyes
A photograph depicting a carved wooden face mask characterized by protruding eyes and mouth, with natural hair attached as a beard. The head and crested headdress are painted black, while the primary facial substrate is an off-white to cream tone. This documentation photograph records an object currently held in the British Museum collection under reference Af1954,23.512, featuring a height of 45.80 centimetres, a width of 25.30 centimetres, and a depth of 25.30 centimetres.
Mud Figures of Chief, Attendants, and Commissioner of Police
A photograph depicting a series of humanoid figures composed of molded clay or similar material, arranged on a raised earthen platform within a semi-enclosed structure. The assemblage includes a seated figure in a military-style hat and jacket, a prominent seated figure in a patterned long-sleeved garment and flared skirt, and standing figures with bare torsos wearing necklaces and wrap-around lower garments. The figures are positioned under a roof of organic materials, with a central unhewn wooden post and a textured …
Young Igbo Christian Man in Kano
A photograph depicting a young Igbo Christian man employed as a translator for the Greater Kano Planning Authority. The subject is shown in a full-length portrait, standing upright with hands clasped at the waist. He wears a white cylindrical cap, a light green tunic-style garment extending to mid-thigh, and matching light green trousers. He wears polished black slip-on shoes and a dark watch on his left wrist. He is positioned against a white masonry wall of textured rectangular blocks on …
Ogbugulu Mau Mask
A photograph depicting a side view of an Ogbugulu Mau helmet mask modelled by a male subject. The face of the mask is painted white with darker pigments accentuating the eyebrows, eyes, mouth, hair, and crested structure. The eyes are small slits with rounded pupils, and the mouth is open to reveal teeth. The cheek and the side of the face feature circular designs. The top of the mask consists of an elaborate crested coiffure with painted pegs in the …
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.
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 …
Royal Niger Company Soldiery
A photograph depicting a large group of approximately 45 to 55 individuals arranged in a formal, shoulder-to-shoulder linear formation. The personnel are wearing matching light-colored short-sleeved shirts and shorts, with most holding long-barreled firearms. To the far left, a single individual is positioned on horseback wearing a light-colored uniform and a pith helmet. The scene is set on a flat, open parade ground backed by a picket fence and dense tropical vegetation, including tall palm trees. In the distance, structures …
Ngbangba Ikoro Masquerade at Abiriba
This black-and-white photograph by G.I. Jones shows the Ngbangba Ikoro masquerade at Abiriba, circa 1930s. The scene depicts performers and spectators outside a traditional thatched building. One figure wears a dark wooden mask painted white with horns, attached to woven sackcloth. A young boy touches this character. Another rounded mask with white bulbous eyes appears upside down. The audience includes women, men, and children wearing printed cloths. Jones documented that Abiriba carvers created masks for this masquerade, with copyright shared …
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 …
Group Portrait with Igbo Masquerade Headdress at Fort Salisbury
A black-and-white albumen print photograph depicting a staged group of approximately eight men in an outdoor tropical setting with dense foliage. The group includes subjects standing, seated, and kneeling, with several men wearing light-colored, long-sleeved collared tunics and two wearing dark, cylindrical headgear. Two men seated on the ground hold drums, and an Igbo masquerade headdress with circular features and carved ocular cavities rests on the ground in front of a drum. The image exhibits chemical degradation and fading in …
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 …
Mau Ghost Face Mask
A photograph depicting a Mau (ghost) face mask painted white with black pigment. The mask features slit eyes, an elongated nose, and a mouth with teeth, accompanied by ear projections. The forehead and under-eye regions are decorated with carved and painted extended triangles, while the center of the forehead and areas near the ears contain etched markings. Darkly painted circular decorations appear on the chin, and the top of the mask is finished with a black, scalloped edge. The object …
Aro Women
A photograph depicting three Aro women with distinct cranial hair styling. The subjects are positioned in a row in front of a vertical structure of thin, dried organic stalks and horizontal poles. One subject is shown in profile facing right with layered, horizontal hair ridges and a light-colored necklace. A second subject is shown from a posterior view with a tall, vertical, segmented columnar hair structure. The third subject is in profile facing left with a large, voluminous, and rounded …
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.
Portrait of Two Women
A photograph depicting two women in an outdoor setting. One woman is seated on a wooden chair, wearing a striped head scarf, a shawl, and a striped cloth. A second woman stands beside her with an arm placed on the seated woman's shoulder, wearing a head scarf and a printed wrapper. The background consists of a fence made of wooden poles or reeds and blurred vegetation. The image was captured by William Henry Crosse between 1886 and 1895 as part …
Decorated Pot from North Ika
A monochrome photograph depicting a large, globular vessel with a wide, circular rim. The body of the pot features a dense pattern of closely spaced, diagonal parallel ridges. Three high-relief anthropomorphic figures in squatting or seated positions are attached to the upper exterior edge just below the rim. Two low-relief zoomorphic figures, resembling lizards, are applied to the shoulder of the vessel. Human hands are partially visible at the top of the frame, gripping the rim, and a bare human …
Landscape of the Niger River
A monochrome photograph from the Crosse Collection depicting a landscape along the Niger River. In the foreground, a single open-hull rowboat floats on a calm body of water with visible ripples. The midground features a shoreline that transitions into a large, rocky topographical elevation dominating the background. A prominent light-toned linear feature is visible on the slope of the mountain. The image was captured as a lantern slide between 1886 and 1895 by William Henry Crosse, the Principal Medical Officer …
Igbo Elder from Awka on Oche Mpata
These black-and-white photographs, taken by Northcote Thomas between 1910 and 1911 as part of his anthropological survey, feature an Igbo elder from Öka (Awka). The first shows a close view of her face and head, adorned with a wooden head dress set with pearl buttons, known as “isi ojongo,” embodying Igbo identity and artistic expression. The second depicts the elder seated on an “oche mpata,” a stool reserved for titled individuals with the Ọzọ title, wearing a patterned sarong and …
Portable Household Shrine, North Ika
A monochromatic photograph depicting a portable household shrine from North Ika. The assemblage features a central anthropomorphic wooden carving with stylized facial elements, a torso, and horizontal lines suggesting arms, flanked by two weathered wooden slabs. To the right is a composite structure of two vertical wooden pieces secured by a dark circular band. These elements are positioned atop a conical mound of compacted earth, clay, or mud, which rests on a flat, rectangular wooden platform.
Exhibition Stall of Local Produce
A photograph depicting an exhibition stall housed within an open structure of bamboo poles. The display features a two-tiered wooden shelving system containing various artifacts, including Igbo carvings, Nupe brasswork, Igbo ankle-ornaments, Igbo combs, and mats. Two swords from Benin are also present alongside a musical instrument. The background and upper sections of the stall are lined with woven mats featuring geometric diamond and triangular motifs. The image is a gelatin silver print from the British Museum collection, part of …
Two Igbo Women in Traditional Attire, Onitsha
A photograph depicting two ladies from the Onitsha area. Both subjects are bare-chested and wear tight-fitting dark bands around their heads, multiple beaded necklaces with a central crescent-shaped pendant, and a diagonal sash across the torso. Their attire includes metallic bands on the upper arms and wrists, a wide multi-layered waist belt, and short wrap-around skirts. Both wear cylindrical metallic leg guards extending from the ankle to below the knee. One subject holds a fly-whisk and a closed umbrella, while …
Family Group Portrait
A photograph depicting a family group of three females positioned in front of an open-fronted structure with a thick thatched roof supported by unrefined wooden poles. The group consists of an adult woman seated in the center, wearing a large light-colored textile with prominent vertical stripes covering her torso and wrapping around her lower body, and two other females standing on either side. The female on the left is an adolescent or child with a bare upper torso and a …
Ohaffia Masquerader Performing in Okwanku Masquerade, Akanu Village
Black-and-white photograph by G.I. Jones showing a masked Ohaffia performer in the Okwanku masquerade at Akanu village. The figure wears a wooden face mask with white pigment, high forehead, slit eyes, long nose and mouth, surmounted by a hat, with long raffia hair hanging down. The performer plays a horned instrument while spectators watch in the background. Jones recorded that Okwanku masquerade characters performed comic dramas, including one in which the Dibia (Doctor) character poisoned and revived the Rain Driver. …
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.
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 …
Notes and Queries on Anthropology: Descriptive Characters
An image showing pages 12 and 13 from the 1899 edition of Notes and Queries on Anthropology. The text presents a systematic framework titled 'Descriptive Characters' for the morphological and chromatic classification of human physical traits. Categories include skin coloration, ocular coloration, hair texture, facial geometry, nasal profile, and labial morphology. The layout consists of two columns with a serif typeface, utilizing an alphanumeric system for trait classification.
Portrait of Soldiers Outside Barracks
A photograph depicting approximately 18 to 20 men seated in a row outside a long, open-sided structure with a corrugated roof. The seated men wear light-toned, loose-fitting garments and some wear head coverings. Behind the group, several pieces of mobile artillery with large wooden-spoked wheels are visible. One man stands to the right, wearing a dark-toned military uniform and a peaked cap. The scene is set on flat ground with a hillside in the background. The image was captured during …
Nwamno Figure
A photograph depicting a multi-tiered vertical wooden sculpture from the Ika Igbo region. The sculpture consists of four horizontal registers: a topmost avian figure with a beak and wings resting on a geometric engraved disc, an upper tier of circumferential female figures with stylized faces and pronounced breasts, an intermediate divider, and a lower tier of circumferential female figures. The figures on the lower tier exhibit vertical linear cicatrization markings on the forehead and cheeks. The sculpture is mounted on …
Dancing Initiation Masks, Boys Initiation
A photograph depicting a boys' initiation ritual in Nkporo. The central figure wears a voluminous, bell-shaped mass of light-colored fibers, likely raffia or dried grass, and a tall, dark cylindrical headdress with horizontal bands and a fibrous cap. This attire is characteristic of the Ofogu (or Ovu) mask used by Isiji trainees of the Egbela warrior society. In the midground, three individuals, including an adult in a checkered garment and a child, are visible. The setting is an outdoor village …
Rural Scene with Igbo Masquerades
A black-and-white gelatin silver print depicting a rural scene with two adult Igbo males dressed in masquerade costumes. The figures wear shaggy costumes and painted wooden masks featuring large horns, with one mask also exhibiting large teeth. The image was identified as originating from the Niger Delta region, with ethnic group and location suggestions provided by N F Barley in 1998.
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, …
Onu Kamma Masqueraders at Nimo
Black-and-white photograph showing three Onu Kamma (Mouth stronger than sword) masqueraders at Nimo, Nri Awka, Onitsha province. Each figure wears a large conical faceless mask constructed from layered fibre with a cloth panel at the front. Their attire includes tie-dyed or batik upper garments, striped woven cloth trousers, and fibre skirts secured at the waist; cowrie shells are visible on the rightmost performer. Two masqueraders hold metal gongs, one striking his with a stick. A sizable crowd of bystanders observes …
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