Photos and Phantasms

Résumé du livre

In 1908 and 1909, the geographer, explorer and colonial officer, Sir Harry Johnston produced a remarkable series of photographs of everyday life in the Caribbean for inclusion in his book, Negro in the New World. Until now, the bulk of these images have remained largely unknown, languishing as fragile glass plate negatives within the vast archives of the Royal Geographical Society, London. In this, the first publication devoted to the life and work of Johnston in the Caribbean, Dr. Petrine Archer-Straw presents a lively and provocative account of the background of Johnston's mission, highlighting the social and political context in which he operated. Drawing on recent developments in Caribbean scholarship, Dr Petrine Archer-Straw examines Johnston's questionable anthropological theories and colonial views whilst also acknowledging his considerable skills as a photographer, environmentalist and linguist. In a region where photographic archives from the period hardly exist, this publication provides an invaluable record of the Caribbean during the post-emancipation period, providing new visual evidence of the social and political situation in Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Cuba and Haiti at the beginning of this century.