David L. Easterbrook
Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies
Northwestern University
Abstract
The Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies ( www.library.northwestern.edu/africana ) is widely recognized as the largest separate library for the study of Africa in the United States . Its collections are used onsite by scholars from all over North America and abroad while thousands of publications or photocopies are lent on interlibrary loan annually. Less well known are the Herskovits Library's special collections including rare books, manuscripts, archives, posters, ephemera and photographs. For many years the Herskovits Library has been collecting photographs relating to Africa and at the present time has a collection approaching 10,000 images. These photographs range in date from the 1860s to the 1960s. Collections include sets of a few loose photographs to elaborately labeled photograph albums. The photographs were taken by private individuals including travelers, missionaries, settlers and merchants. Photographs also include those produced by professional studios and government ministries. The photographs depict the breadth of the African experience, document African life, European life in Africa in all its manifestations and the African landscape, in particular as it changed over time. Included are photographs showing the building of railways, the growth of urban centers and the development of colonial administration. The largest component of the Herskovits Library's photograph collections, The Humphrey Winterton Collection of East African photographs, was acquired in 2003 ( www.library.northwestern.edu/africana/winterton/index.html ). Photograph collections in the Herskovits Library are available for research to all. The paper will highlight strengths of the Herskovits Library's photograph collections by briefly describing many of them with illustrations from the collections included in the presentation. The paper will demonstrate the depth of the collections and how the images contained in them provide a comprehensive resource for the study of Africa .