Portrait and Place

A richly illustrated history of photography in one of the epicenters of African modernity. When the daguerreotype first arrived in sub-Saharan Africa in the early nineteenth century, local kingdoms still held in power in Senegal and the French presence was limited to trading outposts along the coast. The pioneers of photography in Senegal worked within, across, and beyond the borders of colonial empire, expanding the medium’s possibilities and contributing to a global visual language. Portrait and Place. explores these unique encounters, providing an in-depth and nuanced look at the images made at the intersection of the Black Atlantic, Islamic, and African cultures. Giulia Paoletti takes readers from the 1840s with the oldest-surviving daguerreotype from West Africa to the 1960s, when photography became the most popular medium as the country achieved its independence. She discusses some of Africa’s most celebrated modernists like Mama Casset, and also offers insights into lesser-known photographers like Oumar Ka and once-anonymous figures such as Macky Kane. Paoletti examines both professional and amateur artists in genres ranging from portraiture to landscape and across media such as glass painting and lithography. Featuring a wealth of breathtaking images published here for the first time, Portrait and Place. brings to life the important histories of photography on the African continent.