Town and architecture in Congo, 1885-1940
Theme:
dwelling/house, buildings, colonial administration
Photographer:
Ernest Gourdinne
Place of production:
Democratic Republic of the Congo > Kasaï > Lusambo
Legend:
The white colonial often construed a ‘home’ with furniture, interior design, paintings, photographs and bibelots, to create an environment that explicitly kept the memory of the familiar life in Belgium alive. However, the presence of African domestic personnel simultaneously ensured that the illusion remained extremely fragile as the home was the pre-eminent place where the encounter with the ‘colonial other’ was always very tangible.
Acquisition related person:
Colonial Office as donor
Date of acquisition:
1941-02-12
Original legend:
Habitation d'un colon.
Inventory number:
AP.0.1.1391