"White homes are the crucible of racism in South Africa. Here the races meet face to face as master and servant. The Africans, for their part, are bitter over what they consider to be degrading treatment and poor pay. The Whites are baffled when servants seem lazy, resentful, and ungrateful...Needless to say, all servants under discussion here are Black and all masters White...Black help is easy to come by....Because they come so cheap, hardly a White family in all the land is so ‘poor’ that they cannot afford at least one or two African servants." - Ernest Cole, House of Bondage
Ernest Cole archive : House of Bondage (1966)Photography Legacy Project
Servant quarters atop a luxury apartment house in northern Johannesburg. It is against the law for black servants to live under the same roof as their employers. In private home, a servant would have little room in a backyard.
House of Bondage (1966) by Ernest ColePhotography Legacy Project
She lives on the edge of opulence, while her world is bare. Newspapers are her carpet, fruit crates her chairs and table.
Ernest Cole archive : House of Bondage (1966)Photography Legacy Project
Dogs are well tended by Black servant and well fed.
Ernest Cole archive: South Africa (1966)Photography Legacy Project
Servants are given ‘boysmeat’, the cheapest cuts available. Everything connected with eating is segregated: there are spoons, enamel plates, and mugs, even cooking pots specified for use by servants only.
Ernest Cole archive: South Africa (1966)Photography Legacy Project
A woman carries a baby on her back.
Ernest Cole archive : House of Bondage (1966)Photography Legacy Project
Ernest Cole archive: South Africa (1966)Photography Legacy Project
Living in her ‘kaya’ out back, a servant must be on call six days out of seven and seven nights out of seven.
Ernest Cole archive : House of Bondage (1966)Photography Legacy Project
She lives a lonely life, apart from family. In White suburbs there are no recreation centres open to Black servants.
Ernest Cole archive : House of Bondage (1966)Photography Legacy Project
On off hours, she may dress as fashionably as she can afford. The girl in the striped dress lost her job twice because she was too "chic".
Ernest Cole archive : House of Bondage (1966)Photography Legacy Project
An on duty servant dresses in an unpretentious cap and apron. She must go bareheaded during work hours.
Ernest Cole archive: South Africa (1966)Photography Legacy Project
After working all week in a modern kitchen, a servant returns to her own with no hope of making it any better.
Ernest Cole archive : House of Bondage (1966)Photography Legacy Project
Ernest Cole's influential 1967 photobook, House of Bondage, captured the everyday hardship faced by Black South Africans during apartheid. A new edition of this pivotal book published by Aperture in 2022, preserves Cole's original writings and images, and includes contemporary perspectives on his life and lasting impact.
This digitization of Ernest Cole's archives, along with his first-person accounts, offers the opportunity to appreciate and comprehend the work of one of South Africa’s most significant photographers. This accessible digital collection makes his legacy available for educational purposes, academic study, and research, effectively integrating Cole's contributions into the global visual heritage.
Read more about Ernest Cole’s biography in the title story, Ernest Cole Archives: House of Bondage.
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