Real photo of Mirambo

[Fanis]

I was searching online for info on Ruga ruga dress and also had a looksie about Mirambo and I stumbled on this pic.
I had never seen an actual pic of the fella so I thought I would post it here in case fellow lovers of DA found it as interesting as I did.



The pic actually surprised me somewhat because I had this image of him in afro hair from a sketch of a book of the era.

[Plynkes]

Cool. Not seen that one before, thanks.

His appearance seems to have changed over time (but then, whose hasn't?), as each chronicler who met him gives us a very different description. Stanley's description of him in the 1870s has him cultivating the look of an Arab nobleman, complete with beard, white robes and a turban. The wild, unkempt afro picture comes to us I think from Jerome Becker's La Vie en Afrique which dates from the 1880s, and where he is styled as "Le Bonaparte Noir."  

Looks like he's wearing a tatty european jacket under his cloak in the photo. It does look rather hobo-ish for a powerful warlord. Maybe it's his campaigning gear, and he saved the robes and such for best?

[Dr Mathias]

Great post, I'm working on a Mirambo figure right now. As in about 20 minutes ago.

The facial features look very similar in both.

Not a very striking figure in the photo though. Hmm.

I'm thinking I need to revisit the hair, I used a Somali head and added some greenstuff, and now he looks straight out of the 70s. The 1970s, unfortunately

[Fanis]

Lads you had the same reaction to the photo as I did; I was struck by how rag tag he appeared. It appears as if he has thrown on anything he found and struck his fancy at one time or another and has been wearing the same things for a good decade or so!!!

I am now agonizing about what figure to choose to portray the fellow...

It also got me thinking regarding how shiny/clean I paint my figures when all the reports of the era speak of unspeakable filth and dirt abounding.

[chicklewis]

GREAT JOB !  Thanks for posting it.  I had never before seen a photo of the guy.  What's the provenance of that snap, please? Who took it and when? 

Fascinating. 

Chick

[Fanis]

ooh! I too wish I knew where the photo originated mate! The idea being that whoever took it likely shot other pics of the era too in his travels.

Sadly it just comes up when you google his name and though included in a few online articles here and there all list it as Public Domain without referencing the source :-(

[H.M.Stanley]

Ohh nice find!