Sphere / Ottosdal, South Africa: 1916 - August, 1918.
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Hardcover. Small quarto. Green cloth with "Album" in white on front board. Boards a bit worn, front hinge a little tender, very good, photographs near fine. Contains 39 gelatin silver photographs, both sepia and silver-toned. The images measure about 4" x 3.25" and are housed in slots provided in the album. A few of the images have captions. The first image is of a British officer, captioned "Self, 1916." The rest of the album is almost entirely devoted to black colonial soldiers training in South Africa, probably at Ottosdal. There are three additional penciled captions labeled "Sphere, Aug. 1918." We think "Sphere" refers to Klerksdorp spheres, which are 3-billion-year-old geological oddities which are mined in Klerksdorp, in the area adjoining Ottosdal. The images show black soldiers practicing marksmanship with rifles and machine guns, in various military formations, and undergoing inspections, often with either the compiler or other British officers observing. One image shows a horse being hoisted aloft by the means of a crane, a few others show the surrounding camp with native women and children in evidence. While modest in number this is a splendid album of well-composed subject specific images of colonial troops in training. Albums of this sort are uncommon.
Item #416683
