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Masquerades

Feathered Headdress Ogonya Play

A photograph depicting a feathered headdress used in the Ogonya Play in Ogume village, South Ika. The image shows a vertical ornamental structure with a dark central axis and radiating light-toned, blade-like feathers. An arm clad in patterned fabric holds the object aloft. In the background, a group of young males with bare torsos are positioned among dense tropical vegetation, including palm trees. The high-contrast monochrome composition emphasizes the verticality of the headdress and the surrounding flora.

Arts

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).

Masquerades

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 …

Architecture

Corrugated Metal Building and Individual along the Niger River

A photograph depicting a single-story, elongated rectangular building constructed from corrugated metal sheeting on both the walls and the roof. The structure features ornamental metal cresting along the roof ridge and one visible rectangular window. A single human figure wearing light-colored clothing stands in the mid-ground before the building. The surrounding environment consists of dense vegetation, including shrubs, tall grasses, and a palm specimen. This image is part of the Crosse Collection and relates to the operations of the Royal …

Architecture

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 …

Masks

Agbhogho Mmanwu Maiden Mask

A photograph depicting a profile view of an Agbhogho Mmanwu maiden mask. The object is a stylized human head carved from wood and painted, featuring a prominent nose, thick lips, and a slightly open mouth revealing segmented teeth. The cranium is adorned with high-relief carvings, including parallel vertical ridges, spiral motifs, and dotted patterns. Perforations at the base and posterior edge indicate the mask was intended for attachment. The image is a monochromatic gelatin silver print set against a neutral …

Artifacts

Questionnaire on Dolls

A two-page printed questionnaire from 1906 created by Northcote Thomas, M.A., for publication in the journal Man. The document is a formal inquiry into the cultural significance and use of dolls, categorized by thematic inquiries into physical description, biological mimicry (such as feeding and sleeping), mortality and trauma (including disease and burial ceremonies), social and emotional dynamics, and ritual or supernatural uses. It features an institutional stamp from the Anthropological Institute in London and was printed by Eyre and Spottiswoode. …

Portraits

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 …

Architecture

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 …

Portraits

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.

Masquerades

Dancer Wearing Fish Mask

A photograph depicting a dancer wearing a ceremonial mask representing a fish. The apparatus is an elongated, tapered horizontal structure with a crest-like form, featuring small, stylized facial motifs and light-colored decorative accents. A rectangular textile banner with a central four-pointed motif is mounted atop the structure. The dancer and other participants wear wrap-around garments with dense, repetitive geometric patterns of interlocking squares and diamonds. The scene is set outdoors in a tropical environment with dense vegetation and a crowd …

Architecture

Landscape of an Escarpment Area along the Niger River

A monochromatic photograph from the late 19th century depicting a landscape view of an escarpment area along the Niger River. The foreground consists of dense, low-lying shrubbery and grasses on sloping terrain. In the midground, a cluster of vernacular structures with steeply pitched conical thatched roofs is situated, featuring a single light-toned flag positioned near the primary buildings. The background is dominated by a prominent, elongated forested ridge spanning the horizon under a hazy sky. The image was captured by …

Artifacts

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. …

Architecture

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 …

Masquerades

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 …

Artifacts

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 …

Proverbs and Sayings

Conversation between John and Nwile

A photograph of two facing pages, 48 and 49, from Northcote Thomas's Anthropological Report on the Ibo-Speaking Peoples of Nigeria, Part III: Proverbs, Narratives, Vocabularies and Grammar. The pages display a transcribed and translated dialogue between two young men: John, identified as an Onitsha boy, and Nwile, identified as a Nibo boy. The text is organized into two columns with the original Igbo language using specialized diacritical marks for phonetic values, followed by English translations. The conversation documents a visit …

Arts

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.

Masks

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 …

Portraits

Portrait of a Man in a Roofed Building

A photograph depicting a half-length portrait of an adult male with dark skin pigmentation and short, textured hair. The subject is shirtless, wearing a thin, dark, cord-like necklace with a single, small, cylindrical or bead-like element centered over the sternum. He is positioned centrally in a medium close-up shot against a background showing the internal structural framework or rafters of a roofed building. The image is a monochrome print showing signs of physical aging, including fine linear scratches and particulate …

Arts

Painted Courthouse Mural at Nri

A photograph depicting a monochromatic mural painted on a dark, textured exterior wall of a courthouse in Nri, Onitsha Province. The mural is divided into two primary zones: a left-hand section featuring architectural motifs like a window frame alongside concentric spirals, dots, and wavy lines; and a central scene enclosed in a light-colored, scalloped perimeter. This central scene features a large stylized humanoid figure with triangular tessellation on its torso and legs, flanked by two smaller figures in wrap-like garments. …

Architecture

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 …

Masquerades

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.

Masquerades

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.

Others

Landscape of the Niger River near Asaba

A monochrome landscape photograph taken between 1886 and 1895 by William Henry Crosse, Principal Medical Officer of the Royal Niger Company. The image depicts a large, calm body of water in the foreground with a prominent, vegetated hill centered in the background, creating a symmetrical reflection on the water's surface. The composition is a wide-angle view with a high-key sky and diffuse lighting. The photograph is a lantern slide, identified by archival markings including the alphanumeric code LS.82550 and a …

Daily Life

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 …

Fashion

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 …

Masquerades

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 …

Portraits

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 …

Masks

Face Mask Documentation Photograph

A documentation photograph of a face mask. The face is elongated. The mask has a thick stud-shaped crest on top, a prominent forehead above recessed eyes and wide nose, with a small straight open mouth. The mask is decorated with metallic paint, and has a beard of hair.

Others

Northcote Thomas Botanical Collections

A photograph depicting a composite montage of three herbarium specimen sheets from the botanical collections of Northcote Thomas, curated at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The first panel shows a specimen of Psychotria scindaphos from Ubulu, recorded as specimen number 2315. The second panel displays a specimen of Solanum from Hugo, recorded as number 2310, dated November 8, 1912. The third panel contains specimens identified as Omphalogonus calophylla and Omphalogonus nigrescens. These collections were gathered during Thomas's anthropological surveys in …

Architecture

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.

Festivals

Boys' Initiation Dance in the Nri Akwa Area

A photograph depicting a boys' initiation dance in the Nri Akwa area. The male initiates are adorned with tight loin cloths decorated with bells around the waist, knee bands made of seeds or metal, and black caps styled as coiffure and studded with round metal decorations. Some individuals wear necklaces. In the background, spectators observe the ceremony. The image captures the physical posture of the initiates, including one subject in the foreground leaning forward at the waist with hands near …

Others

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 …

Fashion

Igbo Woman with Elaborate Geometric Hairstyle

This photograph, taken by Northcote Thomas around 1910 as part of his anthropological documentation, features an Igbo woman with an elaborate geometric hairstyle. In Igbo culture, hairstyles often signified age, social status, and marital status, offering insight into personal adornment practices in early 20th-century Igbo society.

Architecture

Thatched Dwelling and Group of Individuals

A photograph depicting a single-story dwelling with a steeply pitched thatched roof and light-colored walls. The structure features a veranda area with a low perimeter wall and several dark rectangular openings. To the right, a group of approximately five individuals wearing light-colored tunics and hats stands near a tall, slender vertical pole. The environmental context includes a tall, slender tree in the left foreground and a broad canopy tree behind the building. This monochrome image is a glass negative halfplate …

Portraits

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 …

Masquerades

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 …

Portraits

Portraits of an Igbo Woman in Oweri Province

These black-and-white portraits, taken by Northcote Thomas between 1909 and 1913 as physical type photographs in his anthropological survey, depict an Igbo woman from Oweri Province (now Owerri). The frontal view highlights her direct gaze and the gap between her front teeth, a cultural marker of beauty, with a simple headscarf against a plain background. The side profile shows her headscarf revealing neat hair lines, characteristic of Igbo styles, and a small earring, contrasting with her simple attire.

Masquerades

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 …

Architecture

Mural Building at Okwu

A monochromatic photograph depicting a long, single-story building with a flat roof and a colonnade of vertical support columns. The wall behind the columns features large-scale graphic murals showing repetitive, stylized silhouettes of human figures in dynamic and rhythmic poses. A group of approximately 25 to 35 individuals, including adults and children in varied attire such as light-colored wraps and Western-style shirts and trousers, is gathered in the cleared earthen foreground. The scene is set against a backdrop of dense …

Portraits

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.

Masquerades

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. …

Architecture

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 …

Personality Profiles

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 …

Architecture

Entrance Portico of Chief Ogbua's Iba

This black-and-white photograph, taken in 1961 by Z.R. Dmochowski as part of his documentation of Nigerian traditional architecture, features the entrance portico of Chief Ogbua's Iba (palace or house) in Onitsha. The entrance is adorned with intricate Igbo wood carvings on pillars and walls, depicting symbolic motifs and ancestral figures that reflect the owner's spiritual and social status.

Daily Life

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 …

Masquerades

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 …

Artifacts

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.

Masquerades

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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