Dimensions
240 x 280 x 22mm
Fragile Legacies showcases the extraordinary photographs of Chief Solomon Osagie Alonge (1911–94), one of Nigeria's
premier photographers and the first official photographer to the royal court of the Benin kingdom. Alonge’s photographs
document a half century of the palace rituals, pageantry, and regalia of the obas (kings), and provide rare insight into the early histories and practices of studio photography in West Africa. S.O. Alonge's photographs also offer a unique perspective on the transformation of Benin City during the early to mid-twentieth century, and its relationship to the visual arts and cultures of the Benin-Edo peoples.