A North Prospect of the Town and Fort of Kachao; Negros of Kachao and Bisao Preparing the Maniok Root

This engraving is divided into three sections: the top shows the Portuguese colony and town of Kachao in the Upper Guinea Coast region; the bottom two scenes show people grinding, cooking and growing manioc at Kachao and Bissau, which is a root vegetable of New World origin. Thomas Astley (d. 1759) was a British bookseller and publisher who never went to Africa. His imagined localities and illustrations of Africa were informed by a library of travel books at his disposal.

Image Title

A North Prospect of the Town and Fort of Kachao; Negros of Kachao and Bisao Preparing the Maniok Root

RegID

SI-OB-807

Date

1745-1747

Title

A North Prospect of the Town and Fort of Kachao; Negros of Kachao and Bisao Preparing the Maniok Root

Source

"Plate XVI" in Thomas Astley (ed.), A New General Collection of Voyages and Travels, vol. 2 (London: Thomas Astley, 1745-1747), facing p. 90.

Language

English

Item sets

Pre-Colonial Africa: Society, Polity, Culture

Spatial Coverage

Africa--Rivers--Bissagos Islands

Reproduced In

The bottom two images of manioc preparation were reversed versions from Jean Baptiste Labat, Nouvelle Relation de l'Afrique Occidentale, vol. 5 (Paris: Chez G. Cavelier, 1728), facing p. 181); and Jean Baptiste Labat, Nouveau voyage aux Isles de l'Amerique, vol. 1 (Paris: Chez Theodore le Gras, 1742) between p. 378 and 379. See image Labat001.

Researchers

Jerome Handler; Michael Tuite; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May

Last Updated

5-Apr-16; 21-Aug-19

Identifier

Astley002