An Eloquent Picture Gallery: The South African Portrait Photographs of Gustav Theodor Fritsch,1863-1865

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.