Gezo, King of Dahomey [graphic] / F.E. Forbes, del. ; M. & N. chromo lith.
Title
Gezo, King of Dahomey
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), 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.
Creator
M.&N. Hanhart Chromo Lith, lithographers
Date
1851
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare U Afri Forbes 9727.D v 1 frontispiece, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A2905
The reception of the "Ah-Haussoo-Noh-Beh" or "Queen's Mouths." [graphic] / F.E. Forbes, del. ; M. & N. chromo lith.
Title
The reception of the "Ah-Haussoo-Noh-Beh" or "Queen's Mouths."
Description
Depiction of a ceremony featuring King Gezu's ambassadors ("Ah-Haussoo-Noh-Beh"), which Forbes witnessed during his travels in the Kingdom of Dahomey, now part of southern Benin. In Part II, "Abomey, its Court and its People," Forbes recalled seeing "a vast assembly of cabooceers and soldiers, with umbrellas of state, flat-topped, and ornamented like those of the Chinese, and banners of every hue and most varied devices. Besides the Dahoman standards, each of which was ornamented by a human skull, floated the national flags of France, England, Portugal, and Brazil, whilst evey cabooceer had his own particular pennon." (p. 73) "The square of the palace," Forbes continued, "was filled with armed people, seated on their hams, the polished barrels of their Danish muskets standing up like a forest. Under a thatched gateway [right] was the king, surrounded by his immediate wives; while on each side sat the amazons, all in uniform, armed, and accoutred; and in the centre of the square squatted the males. Hundreds of banners and umbrella enlivened the scene, and a constant firing from great guns and small arms increased the excitement." (p. 75), Plate in 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, p. 74., Fels Afro-Americana Image Project, Africa: Images, Maps, and Geography.
Creator
M.&N. Hanhart Chromo Lith, lithographers
Date
1851
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare U Afri Forbes 9727.D v 1 p 74, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A2906