| Creator |
R. Havell & Son, engraver. |
| Contributor |
Bowdich, T. Edward (Thomas Edward), 1791-1824 artist. |
| Title |
The first day of the yam custom [graphic] / Drawn by T.E. Bowdich Esq. ; Engraved by R. Havell & Son. |
| Publisher |
London: Published by John Murray, Abermarle Street |
| Publisher |
ENGLAND. London. 1819 |
| Date |
Dec. 2, 1818 |
| Physical Description |
1 print: hand-colored aquatint; image 22 x 72 cm (8.5 x 28.75 in) |
| Description |
Depicts the annual yam festival, a large public ceremony held at the beginning of the yam harvest in September. It includes
a vast and diverse array of figures: the King, his warriors, dancers, musicians, officers of the foreign mission, Moors, and
various onlookers. Toward the center of the scene, the King sits underneath the state umbrella, which is bright red, topped
by a golden elephant, and flanked by the flags of Great Britain, Holland, and Denmark. The children of the nobility sit at
the King's feet, waving elephant tails. A procession of dancers approaches the King; those at the front beat skulls decorated
with thyme. Farther to the left, a bloody prisoner is being led by two of the King's messengers. In the background, Odumata,
an aged aristocrat, is being carried in the state hammock. At the extreme left, a group of captains dance in a circle, firing
their guns. At the far right, a group of Moors watch the festivities. Closer to the center, officers of the mission can be
seen. Their linguists sit in front of them; their soldiers and servants stand behind them.
|
| Is part of |
Bowdich, T.E., 1791-1824. Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee. London: J. Murray, Albemarle-Street: printed by W. Bulmer
and Co., Cleveland-Row, St. James's, 1819.
|
| Notes |
Fold-out plate in T. Edward Bowdich's Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee: with a Statistical Account of that Kingdom,
and Geographical Notices of Other Parts of the Interior of Africa (London: J. Murray, Albemarle-Street: printed by W. Pulmer
and Co., Cleveland-Row, St. James's, 1819), p. 274.
|
|
Fels Afro-Americana Image Project, Africa: Images, Maps, and Geography. |
| Subject |
Ashanti (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies. |
|
Harvest festivals -- Ghana -- Ashanti Region. |
|
Celebrations -- Ashanti. |
|
Ashanti (African people) -- Pictorial works -- 19th century. |
| Genre |
Aquatints -- Hand-colored -- 1810-1820. |
|
Book illustrations -- 1810-1820. |
| Location |
Library Company of Philadelphia| Books & Other Texts | Rare | *U Afri Bowd 12983.Q p 274 |
| Accession number |
12983.Q |
