Skip to main content

Interior View of a Chief's Compound

Image Architecture
A monochromatic photograph of a chief's compound featuring several mud buildings, palm frond thatched roofs and a tall central palm tree.
View of the interior of a Chief's compound, showing mud buildings with palm frond thatched roofs. Albumen print, c.1870-1900.

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 low, horizontal arrangement of the dwellings.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

Sep 23, 2026

This photograph is part of a 29-image album donated to the British Museum in 1952 by William Main. The collection, cataloged under numbers Af,A7.1 to Af,A7.29, was assembled by Main's father, who resided in southern Nigeria as a trader between 1891 and 1901. Additional details are available in the British Museum biographical record for William Main and the associated object record.

Log in to add context.

Previous
Carved Wooden Ceremonial Board Staff
Next
Feathered Headdress Ogonya Play

You May Also Like

Discussion

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Discussion

Guest Mode