| Creator |
M.&N. Hanhart Chromo Lith. lithographers. |
| Contributor |
Forbes, Frederick E. (Frederick Edwyn) artist. |
| Title |
Gezo, King of Dahomey [graphic] / F.E. Forbes, del. ; M. & N. chromo lith. |
| Publisher |
London: Longman & Co |
| Publisher |
ENGLAND. London. 1851 |
| Date |
1851 |
| Physical Description |
1 print: chromolithograph; image 15 x 9 cm. (5.75 x 3.5 in) |
| Description |
Portrait image of King Gezo [i.e. Gezu], who ruled the Kingdom of Dahomey (now part of southern Benin) from 1818-1858. Through
the help of the slave-trade, Dahomey flourished during the 18th and 19th century, and is said to have reached its highpoint
during Gezu's rule. In the lithograph, the king is shown with one of his attendants, who holds a parasol over his head. In
Part II, "Abomey, its Court and its People," Forbes described King Gezo as "about forty-eight years of age, good-looking,
with nothing of the negro feature, his complexion wanting several shades of being black; his appearance commanding, and his
countenance intellectual, though stern in the extreme. That he is proud there can be no doubt, for he treads the earth as
if it were honoured by its burden. Were it not for the slight cast in his eye, he would be a handsome man. Contrasted with
the gaudy attire of his ministers, wives, and caboceers (of every hue, and laden with coral, gold, silver, and brass ornaments),
the king was plainly dressed, in a loose robe of yellow silk slashed with satins stars and half-moons, Mandingo sandals, and
a Spanish hat trimmed with gold lace; the only ornament being a small gold chain of European manufacture." (vol. 1, p. 76-77)
|
| Is part of |
Forbes, Frederick Edwyn. Dahomey and the Dahomans. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1851. |
| Notes |
Frontispiece for Frederick E. Forbes's Dahomey and the Dahomans: Being the Journey of Two Missions to the King of Dahomey,
and his Residence at the Capital, in the Years 1849 and 1850 (London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1851), vol. 1.
|
|
Fels Afro-Americana Image Project, Africa: Images, Maps, and Geography. |
| Subject |
Gezo, King of Dahomey, d. 1858 -- Portraits. |
| Geographic subject |
Benin -- Kings and rulers. |
| Genre |
Chromolithographs -- 1850-1860. |
|
Book illustrations -- 1850-1860. |
| Location |
Library Company of Philadelphia| Books & Other Texts | Rare | U Afri Forbes 9727.D v 1 frontispiece |
| Accession number |
9727.D |
