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Comorian Woman Striking a Playful Pose

Coutinho Brothers Studio1890

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
Washington, DC, United States

Comorian Woman Striking a Playful Pose

Photographer unknown
Albumen print
Zanzibar, c. 1890

One of three photographs from the Coutinho Brothers studio show women reflecting distinct and different engagements with the photographer and each other. Alternately resistant, playful, and decorous, this range of interactions leaves a complex and ambiguous photographic record. References from the albums in which they were collected suggest two may represent Comorian women, likely referencing the long chemise and trousers and the stylish kanga.

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  • Title: Comorian Woman Striking a Playful Pose
  • Creator: Coutinho Brothers Studio
  • Date Created: 1890
  • Location: Zanzibar, Tanzania
  • Subject Keywords: African Colonial Photographs
  • Type: Photograph, Portrait
  • Publisher: Winterton Collection of East African Photographs, Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston
  • External Link: Original Record
  • Medium: Albumen print
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

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