Return of the Sultan
This image depicts the Sultan of Sokoto, Ali Babba bin Bello, on horseback returning to the capital city, Sokoto, after a slave-raiding expedition. He is accompanied by an entourage on camels and horses from the Central Savanna region. This picture accompanies an article on the American edition of Henry Barth's Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa (Philadelphia, 1859). Heinrich Barth (1821–1865) was a German explorer and scholar of North Africa. He spoke Arabic, Fulani, Hausa and Kanuri, meaning he carefully documented the details of the cultures he visited. He traveled through the Western and Central Savana region between 1850 and 1855, which he published in a five five-volume account in both English and German. In 1853, Barth and Ali Babba bin Bello, the Sultan of Sokoto, negotiated an extensive trade agreement. Harper's Weekly: A Journal of Civilization was an American political magazine based in New York City and published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916. It featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects and humor, alongside illustrations. It covered the American Civil War extensively, including many illustrations of events from the war.
Image Title
Return of the Sultan
RegID
SI-OB-663
Date
1850s
Title
Return of the Sultan
Source
Harper's Weekly (Sept. 12, 1857), p. 581.
Language
English
Item sets
Pre-Colonial Africa: Society, Polity, Culture
Spatial Coverage
Africa--Central Savanna
Reproduced In
Harper's Weekly (Sept. 12, 1857), p. 581.
Researchers
Jerome Handler; Michael Tuite; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
10-Feb-17
Identifier
HW0004