Rearview of Igbo Boy with Elaborate Hairstyle

Image Fashion

A photograph showing the back of the head of an Igbo boy with a conical hairstyle.

Rearview of a young Igbo boy featuring an elaborate hairstyle with shaved and painted areas. Gelatin silver print, c.1880-1939.

A monochrome photograph depicting the back of the head of a young Igbo boy. The subject features a highly structured, conical hairstyle with tightly coiled hair extending upward, adorned with a light-colored, flexible material wrapped horizontally around the mid-section. The hair contains shaved and painted areas, consistent with traditional aesthetics. The background is shallow and blurred, showing indistinct silhouettes of other human figures in an outdoor communal setting. The image is a gelatin silver print characterized by analog film grain.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

Oct 15, 2026

The photograph is cataloged by the British Museum under museum number Af,B54.26 and reference document [STO-] PIC DOC 33. It was produced in Nigeria and purchased from J Stöcker in 1939. According to records from The Last Museum, J Stöcker has 34 indexed artworks across two museums, although a 1997 note by T Cotterill indicates uncertainty as to whether the previous owner was also the photographer.

Onyeka Nwokike

Oct 15, 2026

Traditional Igbo hairstyles often carry social significance. The Ngala hairstyle is worn during large ceremonies to demonstrate class and cultural pride, as noted by Loving Kinky Curls. Similarly, the crested ojongo style was popular until the mid-20th century, though it is more commonly a distinctive feature of Igbo art depicting women, according to AfroCrowns on X.