Black and white negative

Museum number:
15-32557
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm21150032557
Accession number:
Acc.4054
Description:
8 x 10" Negative. French Congo. Image depicting Sara-Kyabe women wearing lip disks, posing for the camera. Hoefler's original description: "French Congo, women of the Sara-Kyabe. One of the strangest sights in Africa is presented by these women of the discs. The hideous practice originated in the early days of slavery, when this means was resorted to in order to prevent the slave hunters from taking their women. These women are really fine looking in their natural state and were much sought after by the slavers, hence this disfigurement. After the need has passed, the practice was continued as a custom of the tribe. In remote places such as where this photo was taken many still distend the lips."
Donor:
Jacqueline Hoefler Troyer, Paul L. Hoefler, and Sharon Cordary
Collection place:
Republic of the Congo
Verbatim coll. place:
French Congo
Maker or artist:
Paul L. Hoefler
Collector:
Paul L. Hoefler
Collection date:
1828-1929
Materials:
Cellulose nitrate film
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Black-and-white negatives
Production date:
1828-1929
Accession date:
August 8, 1985
Department:
Still and motion photography
Images:
Hearst Museum object titled Black and white negative, accession number 15-32557, described as 8 x 10" Negative. French Congo. Image depicting Sara-Kyabe women wearing lip disks, posing for the camera. Hoefler's original description: "French Congo, women of the Sara-Kyabe. One of the strangest sights in Africa is presented by these women of the discs. The hideous practice originated in the early days of slavery, when this means was resorted to in order to prevent the slave hunters from taking their women. These women are really fine looking in their natural state and were much sought after by the slavers, hence this disfigurement. After the need has passed, the practice was continued as a custom of the tribe. In remote places such as where this photo was taken many still distend the lips."

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