Period Photos of People with Ethnographic Arms

[CharlesS]

I think these pics are the first I've seen of Tartar style swords outside of museum photos. Great pics!!

[rickystl]

WONDERFUL Circassian photos with weapons!! Thank you for posting.
Rick

[David R]

Originally Posted by David

I haven't gone through the entire thread to see if this was covered already, but this is identified as an Onna-Bugeish, a female warrior of the Japanese nobility.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onna-bugeisha

A nice photo by Mr T. Enami 南 信國 Enami Nobukuni during the Meiji period using original armour as props and almost certainly a Geiko as the model. Mr Enami took loads of pictures during this period, all of them useful as reference but not to be taken as literal representations of the Samurai Era. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Enami
More useful as a source for Samurai is the Beato collection mainly photographed during the Late Edo, Bakumatsu, and Meiji period. http://credo.library.umass.edu/view/collection/muph004

[mahratt]

Japanese archers

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by David R

A nice photo by Mr T. Enami 南 信國 Enami Nobukuni during the Meiji period using original armour as props and almost certainly a Geiko as the model. Mr Enami took loads of pictures during this period, all of them useful as reference but not to be taken as literal representations of the Samurai Era. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Enami
More useful as a source for Samurai is the Beato collection mainly photographed during the Late Edo, Bakumatsu, and Meiji period. http://credo.library.umass.edu/view/collection/muph004

David, try these links, along with the studio models there are actual samurai photographs.


https://www.pinterest.com/worldantiq...i-photographs/

https://www.pinterest.com/worldantiq...-meiji-period/

[arsendaday]

Where: Armenian Highlands
When: late 1800's, early 1900's.
Who: Armenian Fedayeen (Freedom Fighters).
Weapons visible: Xanchals, rifles, shashkas.

Here are some photos of notorious Armenian Fedayeen and Armenian soldiers of Russia's Caucasus Front during WWI.

[Kubur]

Dr. Kaempfer's Album of Persian Costumes and Animals In 1683 Dr. Kaempfer joined the Swedish embassy to visit the Shah of Persia

[sirupate]

Gurkha in leave dress circa 1930

[estcrh]

Ottoman guards late 1800s to early 1900s, a type of honor or consular guard (kavas or cawas) in the middle east. The last image is of Joseph P. Khabbaz from around 1940, wearing the traditional uniform of chief cawas/kawas, standing under the US Consulate General emblem atop of the gate leading to the embassy where he has worked for 20 yrs.

[RobertGuy]

Interesting to see in the last few posts that the swords are all worn or carried edge up. The suspension rings are sometimes aligned to the edge but often to the back as ''normal''. I'm fairly new to this forum so apologies if I've picked up on something that has been discussed many times before.

[Royston]

I love the staffs, anyone got any information on them or does anyone have one ?
Roy

[CharlesS]

Interesting that the fellow to the far left in photo 4 is also carrying a Moroccan koummya.

[Kubur]

I don't where this guy is coming from but I like the suma ramrod between the two pistols...

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Kubur

I don't where this guy is coming from but I like the suma ramrod between the two pistols...

Actually I recently made this image, it was cropped and edited from the original. Below is the original image and the end result.

https://archive.org/details/lescostumespopul00osma
Les costumes populaires de la Turquie en 1873. Ouvrage publié sous le patronage de la Commission impériale ottomane pour l'Exposition universelle de Vienne by Osman Hamdi Bey, 1842-1910; Launay, Marie de; Turkey. Commission impériale ottomane pour l'Exposition universelle de Vienne, 1873

[estcrh]

A few more examples from the same book.

[Kubur]

You are amazing! Thank you for sharing all this!

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Kubur

You are amazing! Thank you for sharing all this!

When edited down you can see some interesting weapons etc. I do not know if these are staged with props or not but there are axe, a large qama, war hammer, clubs/mace, shields including the only photos showing the small Ottoman bucklers that I know of, The book unfortuately is in French but there are regional descriptions including zeibek.

[Martin Lubojacky]

Originally Posted by RobertGuy

Interesting to see in the last few posts that the swords are all worn or carried edge up. The suspension rings are sometimes aligned to the edge but often to the back as ''normal''. I'm fairly new to this forum so apologies if I've picked up on something that has been discussed many times before.

In the case of Ottoman shamsirs which I could see in natura - the suspension rings are so close each other, that the sabre always turn edge up when hung.

[Martin Lubojacky]

Originally Posted by estcrh

Ottoman guards late 1800s to early 1900s, a type of honor or consular guard (kavas or cawas) in the middle east. The last image is of Joseph P. Khabbaz from around 1940, wearing the traditional uniform of chief cawas/kawas, standing under the US Consulate General emblem atop of the gate leading to the embassy where he has worked for 20 yrs.

Estcrh, thank you very much for this photos. If it´s not secret - isn´t it consulate general in Istanbul ?

And as Kubur said - you are amaizing - thanks for the link to that costumes book !

[Martin Lubojacky]

Photo with bigger shields:
Wakuasi warriors from Kavirondo, Western Kenya, probably end of 19th century

Photo with smaller shields:
Also warriors from Kavirondo, Western Kenya, 1910

I do not know, if both groups are Nilotic Kavirondo (that time also used name "Wakuasi"), or not (there are living Nilotic and Bantu Kavirondo in the same region). In any case, the change of the spearheads style and the change of the size of the shields is interesting. As far as the spearheads, I red somewhere, that the era of very long and narrow spearheads began when the export of steel rods to Africa started.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Martin Lubojacky

Estcrh, thank you very much for this photos. If it´s not secret - isn´t it consulate general in Istanbul ?

And as Kubur said - you are amaizing - thanks for the link to that costumes book !

Martin, here is the information I have, the location is supposedly Beirut, lebanon.


Cities Of Beirut & Damascus
Joseph P. Khabbaz, clad in traditional uniform as chief cawas standing under US Consulate General emblem atop gate leading to the embassy where he has worked for 20 yrs.
Location: Beirut, Lebanon
Date taken: 1938
Photographer: Margaret Bourke-White
Size: 1002 x 1280 pixels (13.9 x 17.8 inches)

[Martin Lubojacky]

Estcrh, Thank you

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by RobertGuy

Interesting to see in the last few posts that the swords are all worn or carried edge up. The suspension rings are sometimes aligned to the edge but often to the back as ''normal''. I'm fairly new to this forum so apologies if I've picked up on something that has been discussed many times before.

RoberyGuy, this facet of sabre suspension is extremely common throughout many societies as it facilitates the draw cut.
The bottom fitting is usually the weight bearing point whilst the upper suspension point positions the hilt to the preferred draw point.

Gavin

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by CharlesS

Interesting that the fellow to the far left in photo 4 is also carrying a Moroccan koummya.

Certainly an interesting point Charles and well spotted Charles.

Whilst not of the norm or national dress, I don't find it a surprise though, especially when consideration to the Turkish and Moroccan relationship throughout history.

Gavin

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Martin Lubojacky

Photo with bigger shields:
Wakuasi warriors from Kavirondo, Western Kenya, probably end of 19th century

Photo with smaller shields:
Also warriors from Kavirondo, Western Kenya, 1910

I do not know, if both groups are Nilotic Kavirondo (that time also used name "Wakuasi"), or not (there are living Nilotic and Bantu Kavirondo in the same region). In any case, the change of the spearheads style and the change of the size of the shields is interesting. As far as the spearheads, I red somewhere, that the era of very long and narrow spearheads began when the export of steel rods to Africa started.

Martin, here is the Royal Geographical Society description for the first image. Those are some massive spears.

Six Wakwifi warriors taken at Mumia's Kavirondo, Artist / photographer: Ernest Gedge, Date: 1889. Country: Kenya.

[rickystl]

Thanks for the GREAT photos.
Rick.

[David]

I don't think i've seen this one appear on this thread yet.
These guys look fierce to me. I am especially enamored of that rather princely looking fellow in the center whom i assume might be their leader.
"Gewapende Gajo's"expeditie Veldtocht met overste Van Daalen naar de Bovenlanden van Aceh - 1904

[Rumpel]

Photos of Greek-identifying insurgent bands in late Ottoman Macedonia. As much of interest for the accountrements (cartridge boxes etc) as the qamas and bichaqs.

Equivalent pics of pro-Bulgarian and pro-Ottoman fighters show a less 'ethnographic' quality, with a greater emphasis on modern German firearms and equipment.

Original source in higher resolution here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/C...das_Papazoglou

[Rumpel]

Low-res, but interesting, from the Pitt-Rivers (South) Sudan collections. I hope the formatting works...

1. An assemblage of Shilluk material culture displayed on a table and against a wall, including metal arm ornaments, pipes, shiled, spears, club, leopard skin with cowrie fringe and neck ornament. Richard Buchta, 1877 - 1879.

2. Lango men cutting and straightening spear shafts using a hole in a tree, one of a series of images relating to Lango spear-making. It is likely that this print is a still taken from the cine-film made by Powell-Cotton during a hunting expedition in the Imatong hills. Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton.
Date of Photo:
1933
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Eastern Equatoria Mt. Imatong Lomuleng

3. A large group of Shilluk men in a line brandishing hide shields and spears at a dance gathering. Charles Kingsley Meek
Date of Photo:
1928 circa
Region:
[Southern Sudan] ? Upper Nile

4. A man demonstrating the throwing of a curved throwing weapon with a bulbous end, on the lower slopes of the jebel, rising some 1,000 feet out of the Blue Nile plain, and with a circumference of some five miles. The Seligmans visited this location during their 1910 expedition. [nb we would now call the Gule part of the Funj tribe]

5,6,7. A group of Dinka youths at a funeral dance near Malakal, carrying numerous spears and ambatch parrying shields, and wearing numerous dance ornaments and accessories. Wilfred Patrick Thesiger
Date of Photo:
1939
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Upper Nile Malakal

[Rumpel]

More. Cool links to spear collection here:

http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/southernsuda...ord=Spear.html

and knives here:

http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/southernsuda...offset=20.html

1. A posed group of five Zande men, three standing and two seated, one on a carved stool playing a harp, the other on a shield. The standing men are all carrying a spear and shield, two wearing grass-woven hats and one wearing a monkey skin in front of his barkcloth. Buchta made an excursion to the groups west of the Nile in 1879 setting out from Juba on 7th July and returning there on 26th August.

2. A man (identified as Sirdal) holding a large hide shield covering his body with two spears behind it, as well as a luin (Arabic, trombash) or throwing stick in his right hand held by his side. Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard
Date of Photo:
1926 November - December
Region:
Blue Nile Tabi Hills Baw
Group:
Ingessana (Gaam)

3. A man (identified as Adumfa) holding a large hide shield (with incised decoration) covering his body with two spears behind it, as well as a throwing stick (luin) in his right hand just visible above the shield. Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard
Date of Photo:
1926 November - December
Region:
Blue Nile Tabi Hills ?Soda
Group:
Ingessana (Gaam)

4. An arrangement of seven Zande throwing knives, four of which are of the same type, two more being somewhat similar, and another of a different type being a long curved blade with a thicker end. It is possible that Buchta collected a number of Zande objects on his brief expedition to this part of Sudan. Buchta made an excursion to the groups west of the Nile in 1879.

5. A portrait of a man of Prince Rikita's court (identified as Ndaura) sitting on a low bench-stool (kitikpara) wearing a straw hat and holding a deputy's knife of office (mambere).
Photographer:
Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard
Date of Photo:
1927
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Western Equatoria Yambio

6. A portrait of a man of Prince Rikita's court (identified as Ndaura) sitting on a low bench-stool (kitikpara) wearing a straw hat and holding a deputy's knife of office (mambere). Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard
Date of Photo:
1927
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Western Equatoria Yambio
Group:
Zande

7. A portrait of a man of Prince Rikita's court (identified as Gbarika) sitting on a low bench-stool (kitikpara) with a dog beneath wearing a straw hat and holding a deputy's knife of office (mambere). 1927
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Western Equatoria Yambio
Group:
Zande

8. Male warrior (identified in [1998.341.311] as Kuagbiaru) demonstrating the use of a wickerwork shield (kube), coming towards the camera with a raised spear. Although the use of shields was illegal under British adminstration, Evans-Pritchard had several examples made for him by those who still knew the craft.
Photographer:
Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard
Date of Photo:
1927 - 1930
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Western Equatoria Yambio
Group:
Zande