An eloquent picture gallery

Bringing to life a unique cultural gallery of both known and unknown figures of the early 1860s with an astonishing veracity, this remarkable photographic collection is a visual documentation of South Africa's people. Aesthetically stunning and of surprising technical quality for the period taken, this intriguing collage represents the life work of 25-year-old German doctor and anthropologist Gustav Fritsch, who utilized the relatively new photographic medium to complement his scientific expedition to the South African landscape. Reflecting how the native tribes remained untouched by the social and industrial revolution around them, and accompanied by essays that set in context Fritsch's outlook on racial discovery and theory, this invaluable photographic insight is an artistic and historically significant addition to South Africa's cultural heritage.

In the early 1860s, Gustav Fritsch, a 25-year-old German medical doctor and anthropologist, travelled through southern Africa on a scientific expedition to study the 'native races', making great use of the new medium of photography.In the early 1860s, Gustav Fritsch, a 25-year-old German medical doctor and anthropologist, travelled through southern Africa on a scientific expedition to study the 'native races', making great use of the new medium of photography. Fritsch's portraits of southern African people are extraordinary images, bringing to life a whole gallery of both known and unknown figures with astonishing veracity. Retrieved from archives in Germany and reproduced here in their entirety for the first time, these photographs can now be reclaimed as part of our common cultural heritage. They are accompanied by several essays that describe Fritsch's journey and scientific project and set them in the context of his racial theories and life's work.