African Postcards

A Look at History Through Pictures

Abstract

There are many ways someone can look at African women throughout history. One of these ways is to analyze photographs and postcards of Eastern African women during the first decades of the twentieth century and observe just how much gender norms have changed. This is important because not only can we figure out how Western countries and people thought of these African women, particularly European countries and people, but also how the lifestyles of these women changed over time due to Western influence. They have changed in many ways from the clothing they wore to how they are presented, and even to how they think later in time. I think looking at these postcards can show not only how they were presented, but also why they are presented this way.

Let’s start by looking at 2 postcards from 1900 and see just how they were presented. This first postcard is titled, “Ragazza Abissina” which, translated from Italian, means, “Abyssinian girl.” For context, Abyssinian is a part of Ethiopia. The second postcard is titled, “Africa Orientale - Ragarre bilene,” which, also translated from Italian, means, “East Africa - Bilene girls.” Both of these photos show African women not wearing much clothing, only wearing something either around their waist or over their shoulder. They are also shown as being outside looking dead-on towards the camera. The woman in the first postcard is holding a piece of pottery while the women in the other photo doesn't hold any objects, however there may be a chair that the woman in the very front is sitting on.