Untitled Image (Elmina Castle and Neighboring Village)
This sketch shows Elmina Castle in the Voltaic region. Durand sailed on a French slaving vessel when he visited the West African coast. He wrote that "Elmina is undoubtedly the most handsome and strongest fort of the coast. It is situated on the seashore, and farther up on a mountain is another fort that dominates the one below. . . The village at the foot of the two forts resembles a small city. The streets are well laid out, and there are workers of all professions. The houses are very pretty" For Durand's comments on this drawing and its historical context, see Robert Harms, The Diligent: A Voyage through the worlds of the slave trade (Basic Books, 2002), fig. 17.1 pp. 133-135; and also Christopher DeCorse, An Archaeology of Elmina: Africans and Europeans on the Gold Coast, 1400-1900 (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2001).
Image Title
Untitled Image (Elmina Castle and Neighboring Village)
RegID
SI-OB-97
Date
1727
Title
Untitled Image (Elmina Castle and Neighboring Village)
Source
Robert Durand, Journal de bord d'un negrier, 1731-1732, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, Gen Mss, vol. 7, p. 38. Courtesy of Robert Harms.
Language
French
Item sets
European Forts & Trading Posts in Africa
Spatial Coverage
Africa--Voltaic--Elmina
Researchers
Handler, Jerome; Tuite, Michael; Harms, Robert; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
9-May-17
Identifier
Harms-1