Black Marriage at Goree
This image depicts conical roofed houses and musical instruments on Gorée in the Senegambia region. According to Durand, "a girl is frequently betrothed to a man as soon as she is born. . . On the day agreed on for the marriage, the bridegroom places on the road which the bride has to pass, several of his people at different distances, with brandy and other refreshments; for if these articles are not furnished in abundance, the conductors of the bride will not advance a step further, though they may have got three parts of the journey. On approaching the town, they stop, and are joined by friends of the bridegroom, who testify their joy by shouting, drinking, and letting off their pieces," i.e., firing guns (p. 104-105). This image is one of several fanciful engravings created by the publisher for this volume and not based on an eye-witness sketch. Jean-Baptiste-Léonard Durand (1742-1812) was a French director for the Compagnie du Sénégal in 1785 and 1786. The first edition in French does not contain any images.
Image Title
Black Marriage at Goree
RegID
SI-OB-579
Date
1806
Title
Black Marriage at Goree
Source
Jean Baptiste Durand, A voyage to Senegal. . . translated from the French, & embellished with numerous engravings (London, 1806), between p. 104-105.
Language
English
Item sets
Pre-Colonial Africa: Society, Polity, Culture
Spatial Coverage
Africa--Western Savanna--Gorée
Reproduced In
Jean Baptiste Durand, A voyage to Senegal. . . translated from the French, & embellished with numerous engravings (London, 1806), between pp. 104-105.
Researchers
Jerome Handler; Michael Tuite; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
11-Apr-16
Identifier
durand2