Secondary Breathing, 1932 onward
The Breathing Photographs in this gallery breathe through time (diachronically) within Paul Julien’s legacy. Each of these breathing photographs consists of at least two manifestations of the same exposure. Such a manifestation may be a lantern slide, produced and used by Julien for his illustrated lectures, or a published version of a photograph from a book, journal, magazine or newspaper. All the materials were produced in direct relation to Paul Julien’s life and work. Some of them are part of the documents in the collection of the Nederlands Fotomuseum, others have been collected by me over time. In this category the expansion of the photographic moment provides insights into the choices made not only by Julien, but also by (other) editors towards an encounter with a particular audience.
This Breathing Photograph consists of 9x12 sheet films PJU-2831 [Mabia] and PJU-2848 [Nkoul Mabia boy Mabia], produced in Cameroon in 1936.
In his 1936 notebook Paul Julien wriote: "In the flickering light of our torches I see a distinct and energetic face with a hautain expression. Mabéa greets me cordially but without the servility of the ordinary chiefs. A leader. [...]"
In his 1936 notebook Paul Julien wriote: "In the flickering light of our torches I see a distinct and energetic face with a hautain expression. Mabéa greets me cordially but without the servility of the ordinary chiefs. A leader. [...]"
This Breathing Photograph consists of three exposures on 6x6 roll film
PJU-921 [Landscapes Chela MuKubal - airplane], produced in Angola in 1960.
![PB 1952 PJU-570_1-3-4 + Color Slides](https://pju.bridginghumanities.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2021/10/PB-1952-PJU-570_1-3-4-Colour-Slides-1/3945575688.jpg "This Breathing Photograph consists of three exposures on <a href=\"http://pju.bridginghumanities.com/tag-search-results/?categorie=$1#79585/f:roll%20film/p:1\" onclick=\"window.location.reload()\">roll film</a> <a href=\"http://pju.bridginghumanities.com/tag-search-results/?categorie=$1#79585/f:PJU-570/p:1\" onclick=\"window.location.reload()\">PJU-570</a> [bird <a href=\"http://pju.bridginghumanities.com/tag-search-results/?categorie=$1#79585/f:mask/p:1\" onclick=\"window.location.reload()\">mask</a>, <a href=\"http://pju.bridginghumanities.com/tag-search-results/?categorie=$1#79585/f:self-portrait/p:1\" onclick=\"window.location.reload()\">me</a> with <a href="http://pju.bridginghumanities.com/tag-search-results/?categorie=$1#79585/f:Bobongo/p:1" onclick="window.location.reload()">bab.</a>] and a <a href=\"http://pju.bridginghumanities.com/tag-search-results/?categorie=$1#79585/f:35mm%20color%20slides/p:1\" onclick=\"window.location.reload()\">35mm color slides</a>, produced in <a href=\"http://pju.bridginghumanities.com/tag-search-results/?categorie=$1#79585/f:Congo%20Brazzaville/p:1\" onclick=\"window.location.reload()\">Congo Brazzaville</a> in <a href=\"http://pju.bridginghumanities.com/tag-search-results/?categorie=$1#79585/f:1952/p:1\" onclick=\"window.location.reload()\">1952</a>.")
This Breathing Photograph consists of three exposures on roll film PJU-570 [bird mask, me with <a href="http://pju.bridginghumanities.com/tag-search-results/?categorie=$1#79585/f:Bobongo/p:1" onclick="window.location.reload()">bab.</a>] and a 35mm color slides, produced in Congo Brazzaville in 1952.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a 35mm color slide and an exposure on roll film PJU-636 [Road to Neghelli, mudd, phallus stones, Borana well], produced inEthiopia in 1955.
This Breathing Photograph consists of photographs made from the roof of the Khalifa House Museum in 2015, when Sudanese photographer Elsadig Mohamed and I were trying to trace Paul Julien's steps in Khartoum and Omdurman.
We had little prints made to help our search. The print held by Elsadig comes from roll film PJU-314 and offers a view onto the Guba of Al Mahdi.
We had little prints made to help our search. The print held by Elsadig comes from roll film PJU-314 and offers a view onto the Guba of Al Mahdi.
This Breathing photograph consists of a panoramic line drawing of part of Dambarra town, based on ca. two dozen 9x12 sheet film exposures produced in 1934 in Sierra Leonee, and a film clip of 16mm film that appeared on a dvd and has, it seems, not yet otherwise been digitised.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab PJU-2542, and an exposure on roll film PJU-308 produced in 1947.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a spread in Campfires Along The Equator captioned "Lobi baby in reed cradle," and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2542 [Cradle Lobi], produced in present day Burkina Faso in 1935.
The negative and the print in the book are not of the exact same moment, but they must have been produced not long after one another.
The negative and the print in the book are not of the exact same moment, but they must have been produced not long after one another.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Sierra Leone, and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2381 [Bundu Devil Gbaiima], produced in 1934.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a screenshot of a 1942 newspaper article titled "Dr. Paul Julien's terrain of labour in Africa", a spread in Campfires Along the Equator with a photograph that also appears in the newspaper captioned "Dr. Julien with the Mende Nawphalie devil, Sierra Leone," the lantern slide of this photograph (its negative is no longer available) and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2328, that appears to have been produced just moments before or after the picture that made it into the book.
This is only one of the examples in which Paul Julien's confusion on the names of the masks that were presented to him in Dambarra, despite the list he received from Paramount Chief Moriba Kargobai. He stands here next to Yavie, not Nawphalie.
This is only one of the examples in which Paul Julien's confusion on the names of the masks that were presented to him in Dambarra, despite the list he received from Paramount Chief Moriba Kargobai. He stands here next to Yavie, not Nawphalie.
This Breathing Photograph consists of two exposures on roll film PJU-540 [Ngoubou 2 portraits Babongo] and a 35mm color slide, produced in 1952.
This is one of two Breathing Photographs that gives a panoramic impression of Dambarra. The photographs were produced on August 8th or 9th 1934, when Chief Moriba Kargobai organised several dance performances on the occasion of Julien’s brief stay in his Selenga Chiefdom.
In this Breathing Photograph different performers make their appearance. Note that Julien here, as elsewhere mixes up the Yavie mask (that he calls Yarvie) and Nawphalie.
PJU-2269 [SL Dance Yarvie Dambarra], PJU-2263, PJU-2289 [S L Dambarra, Humoi], PJU-2262 [Devil Dambarra], PJU-2357, PJU-2384, PJU-2379 [Yarvie devil Dambarra SL], PJU-2387 [Mende Dancer Sierra Leone], PJU-2375, PJU-2373, PJU-2304, PJU-2389 [Mende], PJU-2332, PJU-2380, PJU-2341, PJU-2363, PJU-1475, PJU-2335 (Mende), PJU-2284 [Karimou + vriend SL 1934], PJU-2256 [Bundu girl], PJU-2265, PJU-1420 [Zande girl Sierra Leone], PJU-2283 [Mende].
In this Breathing Photograph different performers make their appearance. Note that Julien here, as elsewhere mixes up the Yavie mask (that he calls Yarvie) and Nawphalie.
PJU-2269 [SL Dance Yarvie Dambarra], PJU-2263, PJU-2289 [S L Dambarra, Humoi], PJU-2262 [Devil Dambarra], PJU-2357, PJU-2384, PJU-2379 [Yarvie devil Dambarra SL], PJU-2387 [Mende Dancer Sierra Leone], PJU-2375, PJU-2373, PJU-2304, PJU-2389 [Mende], PJU-2332, PJU-2380, PJU-2341, PJU-2363, PJU-1475, PJU-2335 (Mende), PJU-2284 [Karimou + vriend SL 1934], PJU-2256 [Bundu girl], PJU-2265, PJU-1420 [Zande girl Sierra Leone], PJU-2283 [Mende].
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Kilimandzjaro, and sheet film PJU-1837 [Kilim. from Gillmanspoint], produced in Tanganyika in 1933.
It looks like this is the most extreme crop among the lantern slides in the PJU collection.
It looks like this is the most extreme crop among the lantern slides in the PJU collection.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a spread in the book Campfires Along the Equator including a portrait captioned "Lobi man", and sheet film PJU-2496 produced in present day Burkina Faso in 1935.
This Breathing Photograph is based on the Italian version of Campfires Along the Equator, which includes 14 photographs produced in the years 1933, 1934, 1935 and 1936.
In the captions of the photographs the misunderstanding of the mask Julien identifies as Nawphalie is further disseminated.
Another caption places a photograph in Cameroon. In the register it is said to have been produced in Congo. The caption in the 1941 edition (27.000 copies sold) of the Dutch version of the book speaks of "West Equatorial Africa". A caption in the KRO Radio Magazine, dated 1938 mentions a particular river, but with a Dutch name, "De Beukrivier". The same river is also mentioned in a newspaper article reporting the safe return of Dr. Julien from his 1937. It seems safe to conclude that in this case the register is wrong, and the various publications of the picture point in the right direction.
The date of publication of this Italian edition is for the time being unknown but will be updated after diving into file with the documents related to translations of the book.
In the captions of the photographs the misunderstanding of the mask Julien identifies as Nawphalie is further disseminated.
Another caption places a photograph in Cameroon. In the register it is said to have been produced in Congo. The caption in the 1941 edition (27.000 copies sold) of the Dutch version of the book speaks of "West Equatorial Africa". A caption in the KRO Radio Magazine, dated 1938 mentions a particular river, but with a Dutch name, "De Beukrivier". The same river is also mentioned in a newspaper article reporting the safe return of Dr. Julien from his 1937. It seems safe to conclude that in this case the register is wrong, and the various publications of the picture point in the right direction.
The date of publication of this Italian edition is for the time being unknown but will be updated after diving into file with the documents related to translations of the book.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Ivory Coast Lobi, and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2509 [Peuhl at Kampti], produced in 1935.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a spread in the book Campfires Along the Equator with a photograph captioned "Silinsi of the Lobi tribe", and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2537 [Dancers LobiBouroun], produced in 1935.
This Breathing Photograph consists of two lantern slides stored behind the tab Sudan, and a six by nine exposure registered as PJU-1508 produced in 1933.
This Breathing Photograph consists of the cover of a report, and 9x12 filmcolor direct positive PJU-NN1154 produced in Congo in 1933.
The report was written in 2008 during an internship by Ben Krewinkel during for Flip Bool and titled "The dark continent imaged/imagined. Africa through the eye of Dutch photographer. Towards a publication and exhibition.
Flip Bool was the head of collections when Paul Julien's photographic legacy was placed in the care of the Nederlands Fotomuseum. Ben Krewinkel runs the Africa in the Photobook website.
The intended publication and exhibition did not materialise.
The report was written in 2008 during an internship by Ben Krewinkel during for Flip Bool and titled "The dark continent imaged/imagined. Africa through the eye of Dutch photographer. Towards a publication and exhibition.
Flip Bool was the head of collections when Paul Julien's photographic legacy was placed in the care of the Nederlands Fotomuseum. Ben Krewinkel runs the Africa in the Photobook website.
The intended publication and exhibition did not materialise.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Ruwenzori, and an exposure on roll film PJU-308 [Ruwenzori] produced in 1947.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Liberia, and spread in a booklet kept in a folder with the same name.
The handwriting on the document states: "A small part of the St. Matthew's Gospel in the Bassa Dialect in Dr. Lewis' Bassa characters".
The handwriting appears to be Paul Julien's. He probably brought the booklet with him from his 1932 journey.
The handwriting on the document states: "A small part of the St. Matthew's Gospel in the Bassa Dialect in Dr. Lewis' Bassa characters".
The handwriting appears to be Paul Julien's. He probably brought the booklet with him from his 1932 journey.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a spread in Campfires Along the Equator with a photograph captioned "view onto Freetown", and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2427 [Freetown] that was produced in Sierra Leone in 1934.
A share of the picture in the Facebook group Old Photos of Sierra Leone led to various options of the view, ranging from "Red pump separating Wilberforce & Brookfields", "Kissy Brook" to "the Brook fed by upstream Falls off Mount Aureole, and showing a scenic view of part of Freetown’s East End and Central with their lovely coastal areas."
A share of the picture in the Facebook group Old Photos of Sierra Leone led to various options of the view, ranging from "Red pump separating Wilberforce & Brookfields", "Kissy Brook" to "the Brook fed by upstream Falls off Mount Aureole, and showing a scenic view of part of Freetown’s East End and Central with their lovely coastal areas."
This Breathing Photograph consists of sheet film PJU-2190 [Chamber of Commerce Dakar], produced in 1932, and a lantern slide stored behind the tab Senegal.
This Breathing Photograph consists of 9x12 sheet film PJU-1627 [in the Erica forest, Ruwenzori], a lantern slide stored behind the tab Ruwenzori, the end paper of the 1997 edition of "Eternal Wilderness", and the cover of a Dutch translation of Alejo Carpentier's "Los Pasos Perdidos" in a series of 20th century classics (published in 1999).
PJU-1627 was produced in 1947.
Both books were published by Dutch publishing house Atlas. The print on the end paper mirrors Julien's photograph, which results in a Rorsach like image.
The English title of "Los Pasos Perdidos", originally published in 1953, is "The Lost Steps". The Dutch title "Heimwee naar de jungle" would translate into something like "Homesick"- or "Longing for"- "the jungle".
PJU-1627 was produced in 1947.
Both books were published by Dutch publishing house Atlas. The print on the end paper mirrors Julien's photograph, which results in a Rorsach like image.
The English title of "Los Pasos Perdidos", originally published in 1953, is "The Lost Steps". The Dutch title "Heimwee naar de jungle" would translate into something like "Homesick"- or "Longing for"- "the jungle".
This Breathing Photograph consists of 9x12 black and white sheet films PJU-2941, PJU-2942, PJU-2966, PJU-2973, PJU-2984-2, PJU-3071, and filmcolor direct positive PJU-NN1154, all ['pygmy' or 'pygmies', Alimasi] produced in Congo in 1933.
This Breathing Photograph consists of one exposure on roll film PJU-84 [Nola Berberati - Ken[txou - Douala], and three on roll film PJU-85 [village en route to Barumbi Lake, Jerry], produced in 1938 in Cameroon.
Jerry is mentioned in Julien's notebook as 'his boy'.
It is unclear whether Julien was referring to Lake Barombi en Western Cameroon. He may have taken a trip there from Douala, but there is no lake on the film, nor any other mention of it.
The text on the exposure on roll film PJU-84 translates as "Below: Martin (accidental encounter) with Jerry along the railway track 9-8." Jerry is identified with a J. above his head, Martin with an M.
Jerry is mentioned in Julien's notebook as 'his boy'.
It is unclear whether Julien was referring to Lake Barombi en Western Cameroon. He may have taken a trip there from Douala, but there is no lake on the film, nor any other mention of it.
The text on the exposure on roll film PJU-84 translates as "Below: Martin (accidental encounter) with Jerry along the railway track 9-8." Jerry is identified with a J. above his head, Martin with an M.
This Breathing Photograph consists of four exposures on roll film PJU-438 [Kereng - Mpanyam] and a 35mm color slides, produced in Northern Nigeria in 1950.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Sierra Leone and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2425 [Graveyard Freetown] produced in 1934.
This Breathing Photographs consists of a spread in one of the editions of Campfires Along the Equator and lantern slide stored behind a blank tab. Triangulating within the collection it has become clear that the negative of this picture, that is no longer available, was produced in 1935.
This Breathing Photograph consists of an announcement of a radio lecture devoted to Julien's ascend of mount Kilimanjaro in the magazine of broadcaster KRO and three 9x12 sheet film produced in Tanganyika in 1933. This 1934 lecture series is titled "Of strange lands and peoples".
PJU-1820 [Masai Moshi], captioned "Masai, lion hunters at the foot of the Kilimanjaro".
PJU-1829 [Kilim. from Gillman's point], captioned "In the crater of the Kilimanjaro".
PJU-1831 [Kilim. from Johannes peak]. captioned "Mount Kilimanjaro seen from the edge of the forest belt".
PJU-1820 [Masai Moshi], captioned "Masai, lion hunters at the foot of the Kilimanjaro".
PJU-1829 [Kilim. from Gillman's point], captioned "In the crater of the Kilimanjaro".
PJU-1831 [Kilim. from Johannes peak]. captioned "Mount Kilimanjaro seen from the edge of the forest belt".
This Breathing Photograph consists of two exposures on roll film PJU-442 [Kagoro - Jos - Yola] and two 35mm color slides, produced in Northern Nigeria in 1950.
This Breathing Photograph consists of 9x12 sheet films PJU-2691 [Pygmies crockery Etekessang] and PJU-2804 [Bibayak crockery etc Etekessang], produced in Cameroon in 1936.
This Breathing Photograph consists of to consecutive exposures on roll film PJU-851 [Burg Doumé, Mission, monkey, en route towards the south], produced in northern Cameroon in 1959.
With Julien are German writer Herbert Kaufmann (1920-1976), and anthropologist Uta Huttenmeister (1935-1995).
With Julien are German writer Herbert Kaufmann (1920-1976), and anthropologist Uta Huttenmeister (1935-1995).
This Breathing photograph consists of two 35mm color slides and three consecutive exposures on roll film PJU-844 [André Bangda
Dimako also see 848], produced in Cameroon 1959.
This Breathing Photograph consists of sheet films PJU-2078 [Wife of Tyerno Ibrahima], PJU-2121 [Wife of Tyerno Ibrah. Wife of Mamadou Alfa], PJU-2134 [Wife of Mamadou Alfa], produced in Guinée in 1939.
This Breathing Photograph consists of two exposures on roll film PJU-636 [Road to Neghelli, mud, phallic stones, Borana well] and three 35mm color slides, produced in Ethiopia in 1955.
This Breathing Photograph consists of two exposures with the inscription "porters near Youk" on roll film PJU-126 [Negaré - Youkounkoun], produced in Guinée Conakry in 1939.
This Breathing Photograph consists of three exposures on roll film PJU-286 [Ngorongoro + Masai], produced in 1947.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Sierra Leone and 9x12 sheet filmPJU-2306, produced in 1934.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a spread in the book Sons of Cham including a picture captioned "Woman of the Dorobbo tribe," and an exposure on roll film PJU-289 [Shed Donkeys - Inside Crater Ng.], produced in Tanganyika in 1947.
This Breathing Photography consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab "Ituri Forest Negroes" and 9x12 sheet film PJU-3018 [Walesse Ituri Forest], produced in 1933.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a vintage print in the PJU collection, and a digital image provided by the collection of the Vlisco company in Helmond.
Mr. Fentener van Vlissingen, director of the company, knew Paul Julien personally, and more than once helped him with contacts on the African continent. Decades after the objects depicted on this design were brought to the Netherlands, a Vlisco designer visited Julien for inspiration, finding it, obviously, in the Borfimah that was a souvenir from the 1934 journey to Sierra Leone, and the Leopard Skin that was given to Julien in Liberia in 1932.
Mr. Fentener van Vlissingen, director of the company, knew Paul Julien personally, and more than once helped him with contacts on the African continent. Decades after the objects depicted on this design were brought to the Netherlands, a Vlisco designer visited Julien for inspiration, finding it, obviously, in the Borfimah that was a souvenir from the 1934 journey to Sierra Leone, and the Leopard Skin that was given to Julien in Liberia in 1932.
This Breathing Photograph consists of 9x12 sheet films PJU-1368, PJU-1371, PJU-1374 [Man - Baya tribe, blacksmith at Potopota near Nola], produced in Central African Republic in 1938.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a montage of photocopies of the announcement of the second radio lecture series by Paul Julien devoted to his research trips to 'Equatorial Africa', titled "Between Nile and Congo " in the broadcaster's magazine, and the following 9x12 sheet films. The magazine is dated December 2nd 1933, "mere weeks after Dr. Julien's return of his latest Africa expedition".
The information in the register, if available, is provided between square brackets, followed, when relevant by the translated captions as provided by the magazine.
PJU-1561 [Omdurman Mahdi],
PJU-1570 [Shilluk at Lub], Shilluk of the Upper Nile,
PJU-1579, [Market Omdurman],
PJU-1584 [], Derwishes at the Mahdi's grave in Omdurman
PJU-1596 [Grave Mahdi Omdurman], Shilluk of the Upper Nile,
PJU-1600 [Grave Mahdi Omdurman],
PJU-3153 [], Arabs and Nubians at the market in Omdurman.
The information in the register, if available, is provided between square brackets, followed, when relevant by the translated captions as provided by the magazine.
PJU-1561 [Omdurman Mahdi],
PJU-1570 [Shilluk at Lub], Shilluk of the Upper Nile,
PJU-1579, [Market Omdurman],
PJU-1584 [], Derwishes at the Mahdi's grave in Omdurman
PJU-1596 [Grave Mahdi Omdurman], Shilluk of the Upper Nile,
PJU-1600 [Grave Mahdi Omdurman],
PJU-3153 [], Arabs and Nubians at the market in Omdurman.
This Breathing Photograph consists of two exposures on roll film PJU-958 [Information on film: information on film: 1-9 around Luanda, 10-12 Serpa Pinto. Information in register: Angola, 1962, coast at Luanda - Serpa Pinto (Mulatto girl)]
This Breathing Photograph consist of six 35mm color slides, produced in the Congolese Kivu
region 1947.
This Breathing Photograph consists of sheet films PJU-1419 [Baka pygmy child with amulet Etekessang], PJU-2739 [Baqa child at Etekessang] and PJU-2877 [Child at Etekessang, Bayak] produced in Cameroon in 1936.
This Breathing Photograph consists of the cover of a book titled "The Red Land of the Black Caryatides" by Belgian ethnographer Frans M. Olbrechts (1899-1958) and 9x12 sheet film PJU-1397 [Four Lobi women carrying a burden on their heads], produced in in Ivory Coast.
From Wikipedia: "A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term karyatides literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town on the Peloponnese."
The book was published in 1935, the same year that Julien produced the photograph. It is a travelogue in which Olbrechts reports on a journey through West Africa with the goal of collecting objects of material culture, ranging from sculptures to jewels and fabrics, for Belgian collections.
From Wikipedia: "A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term karyatides literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town on the Peloponnese."
The book was published in 1935, the same year that Julien produced the photograph. It is a travelogue in which Olbrechts reports on a journey through West Africa with the goal of collecting objects of material culture, ranging from sculptures to jewels and fabrics, for Belgian collections.
This Breathing Photograph consists of 35mm color slides and one exposure on roll film PJU-307 [Ituri Forest], produced in 1947.
This Breathing Photograph consists of and exposure on roll film PJU-41 [Andjek - Bouéma - Bitande], and 9x12 sheet films PJU-2630 and PJU-2689 [Niete river] produced in 1937.
This Breathing Photograph consists of two roll film exposures produced mid 1930s by Dutch anthropologist Sjoerd Hofstra (1898-1983).
The photographs produced by Hofstra, currently partially reside with the Africa Studies Centre at Leiden University and partially with his daughter Marijke Gijswijt-Hofstra. They form an interesting collection in comparison to the photographs Julien produced in the same decade and the same part of Sierra Leone among the Mende.
Hofstra lived in a town named Panguma, further east than the area around Bo, through which Julien tracked. Hofstra's name does appear in Julien's notebook, but it seems like they did not meet because Hofstra was recovering from a severe case of black water fever.
While the two men both made use of their dr. title to gain the trust of the people they met by providing medical services, they had very different approaches to 'anthropology'. Hofstra was an ethnographer, conducting post-doc research for Bronislaw Malinowski, advocated thinking about encounters with 'others' as something that should be enriching for all involved. Julien was of a school with emphasis on physical anthropology, in which the field was primarily linked to, indeed, to biology and medicine.
The pdf of a book titled "Among the Mende in Sierra Leone: the letters from Sjoerd Hofstra (1934-36)", published in 2014 and edited by his daughter, can be downloaded here.
The photographs produced by Hofstra, currently partially reside with the Africa Studies Centre at Leiden University and partially with his daughter Marijke Gijswijt-Hofstra. They form an interesting collection in comparison to the photographs Julien produced in the same decade and the same part of Sierra Leone among the Mende.
Hofstra lived in a town named Panguma, further east than the area around Bo, through which Julien tracked. Hofstra's name does appear in Julien's notebook, but it seems like they did not meet because Hofstra was recovering from a severe case of black water fever.
While the two men both made use of their dr. title to gain the trust of the people they met by providing medical services, they had very different approaches to 'anthropology'. Hofstra was an ethnographer, conducting post-doc research for Bronislaw Malinowski, advocated thinking about encounters with 'others' as something that should be enriching for all involved. Julien was of a school with emphasis on physical anthropology, in which the field was primarily linked to, indeed, to biology and medicine.
The pdf of a book titled "Among the Mende in Sierra Leone: the letters from Sjoerd Hofstra (1934-36)", published in 2014 and edited by his daughter, can be downloaded here.
This Breathing Photograph consists of, respectively, filmcolor direct positive and black and white 9x12 sheet film sheet films PJU-3157 and PJU-2702 [Yokadouma ], produced in 1936.
This Breathing Photograph consists of 9x12 sheet films PJU-1512, PJU-2024 and PJU-2026 [Ngorongoro], produced in Tanganyika in 1947.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a spread in the book Sons of Cham captioned "A part of Dr. Julien's caravan in the East African savanna", a lantern slide, and an exposure on roll film PJU-292 [Oldeani - Mwanza], produced in Tanganyika in 1947.
This Breathing Photograph consists of two lantern slides stored behind the tab "Ituri Pygmies" and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2952 [Near Alimasi pygmies], produced in 1933.
This Breathing Photograph consists of two exposures on roll film PJU-310 [Monigi - Kinyamahura] and 9x12 sheet film PJU-1683 [Pygmies at Monigi], produced in 1947.
This Breathing Photograph consists of three exposures on roll film PJU-804 [Foulbe at Maroua], and a 35mm color slide produced in Cameroon in 1959.
This Breathing Photograph consists of 9x12 sheet films PJU-1762 [My tent at Yaida] and PJU-1765 [Staff Yaida 1. Emilius 2. Lazarus 3. me 4 Issa (hunter)], produced in Tanganyika in 1947.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Sierra Leone and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2409 [Freetown], produced in 1934.
The picture shows some of Freetown's signature board houses.
The picture shows some of Freetown's signature board houses.
The Breathing Photograph consists of an exposure on roll film PJU-531, produced in 1952, and its use with a brief article in local newspaper for the The Hague area "Het Vaderland" [The Fatherland], published March 24th 1966.
Below are selected translated quotes from the text.
"We Spoke With ...
Dr. Paul Julien
Dark Africa
The house in Wassenaar is full of treasures of art. And since it is the home of a man had made so many journeys to Africa, one expects that these treasures are witnesses thereof. And they do - in a humble way. One finds many more specimens of old Spanish art, Balinese art, icons, crucifixes from Easter-Europe etcetera. [...]
Mr. Julien has written four popular-scientific books about his African journeys: Campfires Along the Equator, The Eternal Wilderness, Pygmies (which he currently rewrites) and Sons of Cham. He has three more laid out. But let us forget Africa for a moment, including those territories in which the once extinct cannibalism has returned. [...]
Soon he will retire. "I am weighed down by the richness of my fields of interest!" he says, and he has a point. "I hope to expand my anthropological studies in the future."
Below are selected translated quotes from the text.
"We Spoke With ...
Dr. Paul Julien
Dark Africa
The house in Wassenaar is full of treasures of art. And since it is the home of a man had made so many journeys to Africa, one expects that these treasures are witnesses thereof. And they do - in a humble way. One finds many more specimens of old Spanish art, Balinese art, icons, crucifixes from Easter-Europe etcetera. [...]
Mr. Julien has written four popular-scientific books about his African journeys: Campfires Along the Equator, The Eternal Wilderness, Pygmies (which he currently rewrites) and Sons of Cham. He has three more laid out. But let us forget Africa for a moment, including those territories in which the once extinct cannibalism has returned. [...]
Soon he will retire. "I am weighed down by the richness of my fields of interest!" he says, and he has a point. "I hope to expand my anthropological studies in the future."
This Breathing photograph consists of a screenshot of the Breathing Photograph in the Secondary Breathing Category based on 9x12 sheet film PJU-2412, a 10000 Leone banknote including the famous Cotton Tree in central Freetown, and a picture of the "Premisses of Dr. T.G. Reffel at the corner of Percival and Siaka Stevens (formally [sic] Westmoreland street. The site is now occupied by Electricity House.
The Breathing Photograph was appropriated by a descendant of Dr. Reffel's and, in turn, shared with Rex Leopold, who is an active members of a Facebook group devoted to Old Photos of Sierra Leone.
The following information was added to the photograph(s):
"As was hoped, a nephew to Dr Thomas George Reffell Jnr reacted to my RFI in a most educative telecon of a family home rich in history, although neither its year of construction nor the source of that smashing photograph could be pinpointed. My understanding however is that the house was built by the Doctor’s father and namesake; the Hon Thomas George Reffell, a member of the then Legislative Council, who lived there with wife Winifred and their two children T.G.R Junior and daughter Ola, for “very many” years until his death in 1930.
Dr T.G. Reffell ran a Surgery and Nursing Home adjacent to the building on Percival StreeT until his death in 1952.
The property was eventually sold by the surviving family to the GoSL during the tenure of Alhaji Hon Dr Muhammad Sanusi Mustapha as Minister of Finance in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Sir Albert Margai (1964-67), which led to the building’s demolition followed by the construction of Electricity House before Sir Albert left office in 1967.
The home’s marvellous interior as mentioned by Melbourne, was said to have indeed been akin to a premium class Museum, decorated with topnotch paintings, sculptures and sparkling artefacts signed by world renowned heavyweights."
In response to this Breathing Photograph the following comment was sent by Charles Nicol: "Stunning pictures thank you! Dr T. G. Reffell's daughter Ola Bruce married Victor Bruce and moved to Trinidad where he was Governor of the Central Bank at one time also. She was a gracious lady, a generous doyen of the arts for many years in Trinidad - and in Tobago, her husband's family home."
The Breathing Photograph was appropriated by a descendant of Dr. Reffel's and, in turn, shared with Rex Leopold, who is an active members of a Facebook group devoted to Old Photos of Sierra Leone.
The following information was added to the photograph(s):
"As was hoped, a nephew to Dr Thomas George Reffell Jnr reacted to my RFI in a most educative telecon of a family home rich in history, although neither its year of construction nor the source of that smashing photograph could be pinpointed. My understanding however is that the house was built by the Doctor’s father and namesake; the Hon Thomas George Reffell, a member of the then Legislative Council, who lived there with wife Winifred and their two children T.G.R Junior and daughter Ola, for “very many” years until his death in 1930.
Dr T.G. Reffell ran a Surgery and Nursing Home adjacent to the building on Percival StreeT until his death in 1952.
The property was eventually sold by the surviving family to the GoSL during the tenure of Alhaji Hon Dr Muhammad Sanusi Mustapha as Minister of Finance in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Sir Albert Margai (1964-67), which led to the building’s demolition followed by the construction of Electricity House before Sir Albert left office in 1967.
The home’s marvellous interior as mentioned by Melbourne, was said to have indeed been akin to a premium class Museum, decorated with topnotch paintings, sculptures and sparkling artefacts signed by world renowned heavyweights."
In response to this Breathing Photograph the following comment was sent by Charles Nicol: "Stunning pictures thank you! Dr T. G. Reffell's daughter Ola Bruce married Victor Bruce and moved to Trinidad where he was Governor of the Central Bank at one time also. She was a gracious lady, a generous doyen of the arts for many years in Trinidad - and in Tobago, her husband's family home."
This Breathing Photograph consists of two 35mm color slides.
The man on the pictures can be identified because he and his young companion appear on roll films PJU-848 and PJU-844 with a mention of his name in the description.
In his thesis, political scientist Gildas Allan Ofoulhast-Othamot mentions that André Bangda "reigned over [Dimako for] a thirty years period [...] and became the facilitator of forest harvesting in the area."
In the notebook of his 1959 trip Paul Julien mentions that "André Bangda has gathered all the pygmies around him. Reason they are gone everywhere. And origin of disagreements with other chiefs."
The man on the pictures can be identified because he and his young companion appear on roll films PJU-848 and PJU-844 with a mention of his name in the description.
In his thesis, political scientist Gildas Allan Ofoulhast-Othamot mentions that André Bangda "reigned over [Dimako for] a thirty years period [...] and became the facilitator of forest harvesting in the area."
In the notebook of his 1959 trip Paul Julien mentions that "André Bangda has gathered all the pygmies around him. Reason they are gone everywhere. And origin of disagreements with other chiefs."
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Sierra Leone, and sheet film PJU-2320 [Coastal market, Freetown], produced in 1934.
Responses to a share of the picture on Facebook led to the conclusion that this has to be a picture of King Jimmy market.
Responses to a share of the picture on Facebook led to the conclusion that this has to be a picture of King Jimmy market.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a spread in the book Campfires Along the Equator with a photograph captioned "Creek in South Western Cameroon," sheet film PJU-2630 [Niete river], produced in 1936, and a lantern slide stored behind the tab 'Cameroon landscapes' of the same picture.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a clip of 16mm film, and corresponding 9x12 sheet films PJU-2386, PJU-2425 and PJU-23433 [graveyard Freetown], produced in 1934 in Sierra Leone.
Upon the handing over of Paul Julien's legacy to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the 16mm film material was passed on to Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
Digitalized versions of video reproductions made by Mr. Adolfse during the 1990s have given me the most comprehensive overview of this part of the collection. Eye Filmmuseum made reconstructions of the fully edited films that include titles on Liberia, the 1933 journey down the Nile, and "Bibayak".
Included in the files Mr. Adolfse shared with me were "an amateur copy" and a Betacam one. In 2018 the Betacam tapes were handed over by Mr. Adolfse to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. It took me a while to find a good opportunity to see the tapes and add, yet another, reproductive layer to them that made it possible to make film fragments and their corresponding photographs breath again.
While it could be argued that what happens here is Primary Breathing, I place these clips in the Tertiary Breathing category because of the stages in their making and my role in their current appearance.
Upon the handing over of Paul Julien's legacy to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the 16mm film material was passed on to Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
Digitalized versions of video reproductions made by Mr. Adolfse during the 1990s have given me the most comprehensive overview of this part of the collection. Eye Filmmuseum made reconstructions of the fully edited films that include titles on Liberia, the 1933 journey down the Nile, and "Bibayak".
Included in the files Mr. Adolfse shared with me were "an amateur copy" and a Betacam one. In 2018 the Betacam tapes were handed over by Mr. Adolfse to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. It took me a while to find a good opportunity to see the tapes and add, yet another, reproductive layer to them that made it possible to make film fragments and their corresponding photographs breath again.
While it could be argued that what happens here is Primary Breathing, I place these clips in the Tertiary Breathing category because of the stages in their making and my role in their current appearance.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a copy of an interview in local weekly (Sunday) paper "De Rotterdammer" of November 7th 1959 titled 'Dr. Paul Julien twenty times to Africa for science' with the quote "One tribe alone would take a lifetime" as subtitle, and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2842 [Yokadouma dwarfs], produced in 1936.
The publication includes four portraits made, apparently, during the interview in Paul Julien's home in Wassenaar. On one of them his wife Elly is behind the a grand piano. The picture is captioned with “this is how the scientific articles and the more popular books for the general audience in casa Julien come to being. ‘I always have to play the piano as he writes,’ his wife states. Otherwise it just won’t work.”
The publication includes four portraits made, apparently, during the interview in Paul Julien's home in Wassenaar. On one of them his wife Elly is behind the a grand piano. The picture is captioned with “this is how the scientific articles and the more popular books for the general audience in casa Julien come to being. ‘I always have to play the piano as he writes,’ his wife states. Otherwise it just won’t work.”
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Sierra Leone, and sheet film PJU-2379 [Yarvie devil Dambarra], produced in 1934.
This Breathing Photograph consists of the book cover and dust jacket of 1990s pocket and luxury editions of Paul Julien's third book Pygmies, originally published in 1953, and exposures on roll films PJU-567 and PJU-17, which are part of the designs.
These photographs were produced in, respectively, 1952 and 1936.
These photographs were produced in, respectively, 1952 and 1936.
This Breathing Photograph consists of three lantern slide versions of 9x12 sheet film PJU-1938, stored behind the tab Liberia.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a detail of an undated magazine publication titled "A Dutch warehouse on the coast of West Africa" from Paul Julien's personal document collection, and 9x12 sheet film PJU-1894 [Dutch Consulate Monrovia] produced in 1932.
The photograph in the magazine is captioned "The "Dutch House" on Ashmun Street where a O.A.C. employees live and also the Dutch Consulate-General is housed". O.A.C. stands for East [Oost] African Compagny.
The photograph in the magazine is captioned "The "Dutch House" on Ashmun Street where a O.A.C. employees live and also the Dutch Consulate-General is housed". O.A.C. stands for East [Oost] African Compagny.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a postcard, a digital collage by Babak Fakhamzadeh of the Wesley Methodist church published on his website Once Salone
, a digital copy of the postcard Fakhamzadeh used for his collage, and sheet film PJU-2440 [Freetown near Konde], produced in 1934.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a clipping the September 1st 1997 edition of Dutch regional newspaper Haagsche Post, with an exposure on roll film PJU-567 [Fam Clerc and I, with Bab.</a Dyéngé], produced in 1952.
The article appeared on the occasion of the new edition of Paul Julien's third book titled Pygmeeën and first published in 1953. Its headline is "A discoverer of what is now over" and it includes a portrait made in the office of Julien's home in Wassenaar produced by Maurice Nelwan.
The picture on the left is captioned "A photograph from over fifty years ago, with Pygmies in Africa."
The article appeared on the occasion of the new edition of Paul Julien's third book titled Pygmeeën and first published in 1953. Its headline is "A discoverer of what is now over" and it includes a portrait made in the office of Julien's home in Wassenaar produced by Maurice Nelwan.
The picture on the left is captioned "A photograph from over fifty years ago, with Pygmies in Africa."
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide
stored behind the tab Sierra Leone, and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2440 [Freetown near Konde], produced in 1934.
The main building in the picture is the Wesley Methodist church, located on Lightfoot Boston Street.
The main building in the picture is the Wesley Methodist church, located on Lightfoot Boston Street.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a triptych of photographs made in Omdurman in 2015, and two 35mm color slides produced in January 1948, at the tail end of the 1947 journey through East Africa, of the Guba of Al-Mahdi, which had then just been re-opened.
Elsadig Mohamed, the photographer who I worked with in Sudan, and I looked through the guest books still kept in the guba, but could not find Julien's signature.
The interior and view is of the house of one of the descendants of Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, aka Al-Mahdi who had himself been collecting historical materials about his ancestor's grave and was therefore highly interested in the photographs in Paul Julien's legacy.
Elsadig Mohamed, the photographer who I worked with in Sudan, and I looked through the guest books still kept in the guba, but could not find Julien's signature.
The interior and view is of the house of one of the descendants of Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, aka Al-Mahdi who had himself been collecting historical materials about his ancestor's grave and was therefore highly interested in the photographs in Paul Julien's legacy.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a clip of 16mm film, and corresponding 9x12 sheet films PJU-2309 and PJU-2336 [Freetown], produced in 1934 in Sierra Leone.
Upon the handing over of Paul Julien's legacy to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the 16mm film material was passed on to Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
Digitalized versions of video reproductions made by Mr. Adolfse during the 1990s have given me the most comprehensive overview of this part of the collection. Eye Filmmuseum made reconstructions of the fully edited films that include titles on Liberia, the 1933 journey down the Nile, and "Bibayak".
Included in the files Mr. Adolfse shared with me were "an amateur copy" and a Betacam one. In 2018 the Betacam tapes were handed over by Mr. Adolfse to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. It took me a while to find a good opportunity to see the tapes and add, yet another, reproductive layer to them that made it possible to make film fragments and their corresponding photographs breath again.
While it could be argued that what happens here is Primary Breathing, I place these clips in the Tertiary Breathing category because of the stages in their making and my role in their current appearance.
Upon the handing over of Paul Julien's legacy to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the 16mm film material was passed on to Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
Digitalized versions of video reproductions made by Mr. Adolfse during the 1990s have given me the most comprehensive overview of this part of the collection. Eye Filmmuseum made reconstructions of the fully edited films that include titles on Liberia, the 1933 journey down the Nile, and "Bibayak".
Included in the files Mr. Adolfse shared with me were "an amateur copy" and a Betacam one. In 2018 the Betacam tapes were handed over by Mr. Adolfse to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. It took me a while to find a good opportunity to see the tapes and add, yet another, reproductive layer to them that made it possible to make film fragments and their corresponding photographs breath again.
While it could be argued that what happens here is Primary Breathing, I place these clips in the Tertiary Breathing category because of the stages in their making and my role in their current appearance.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a spread in Sons of Cham containing a picture captioned "Masai Moran (warrior)", and sheet film PJU-1821 [Masai Moshi] produced in 1933.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Sierra Leone, and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2261 [bridge or bush SL], produced in 1934.
This Breathing Photograph consists of an exposure made in Nengbema in 2020 in which a print of sheet film PJU-2255 is held up next to a death announcement of the late Philip Nallie.
Philip Nallie was the last born son of Jacob Nallie, the man on the print.
At the time Paul Julien produced the portrait of Jacob Nallie in Sierra Leone in 1934 Jacob Nallie was the Paramount Chief. He mentions the photograph in his notebook, but the negative is in the register only identified as 'Mende'.
Philip Nallie was the last born son of Jacob Nallie, the man on the print.
At the time Paul Julien produced the portrait of Jacob Nallie in Sierra Leone in 1934 Jacob Nallie was the Paramount Chief. He mentions the photograph in his notebook, but the negative is in the register only identified as 'Mende'.
This Breathing photograph consists of the title page of one of the publication in Belgian magazine Ons Land in 1932 titled "Through the black republic, as a blood hunter through Liberia", two lantern slides stored behind the tab Senegal, and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2188 [Dakar], produced, also, in 1932.
The photograph is captioned "Dakar, capital of French West Africa, where Drs. Julien ended his track through the black continent. The picture shows the palace of the governor near Dakar."
The photograph is captioned "Dakar, capital of French West Africa, where Drs. Julien ended his track through the black continent. The picture shows the palace of the governor near Dakar."
The Breathing photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Sierra Leone, and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2371 [Leper, Bo], produced in 1934.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a clip of 16mm film, and corresponding 9x12 sheet films PJU-2324, PJU-2325 [Tabe near Baiima], PJU-2382 [Chief [Nuyaba] Baiima] produced in 1934 in Sierra Leone.
Upon the handing over of Paul Julien's legacy to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the 16mm film material was passed on to Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
Digitalized versions of video reproductions made by Mr. Adolfse during the 1990s have given me the most comprehensive overview of this part of the collection. Eye Filmmuseum made reconstructions of the fully edited films that include titles on Liberia, the 1933 journey down the Nile, and "Bibayak".
Included in the files Mr. Adolfse shared with me were "an amateur copy" and a Betacam one. In 2018 the Betacam tapes were handed over by Mr. Adolfse to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. It took me a while to find a good opportunity to see the tapes and add, yet another, reproductive layer to them that made it possible to make film fragments and their corresponding photographs breath again.
While it could be argued that what happens here is Primary Breathing, I place these clips in the Tertiary Breathing category because of the stages in their making and my role in their current appearance.
Upon the handing over of Paul Julien's legacy to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the 16mm film material was passed on to Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
Digitalized versions of video reproductions made by Mr. Adolfse during the 1990s have given me the most comprehensive overview of this part of the collection. Eye Filmmuseum made reconstructions of the fully edited films that include titles on Liberia, the 1933 journey down the Nile, and "Bibayak".
Included in the files Mr. Adolfse shared with me were "an amateur copy" and a Betacam one. In 2018 the Betacam tapes were handed over by Mr. Adolfse to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. It took me a while to find a good opportunity to see the tapes and add, yet another, reproductive layer to them that made it possible to make film fragments and their corresponding photographs breath again.
While it could be argued that what happens here is Primary Breathing, I place these clips in the Tertiary Breathing category because of the stages in their making and my role in their current appearance.
This Breathing Photograph consists of two six by nine exposures on film PJU-142 [Wadi Halfa - Khartoum], produced in Sudan in 1933.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a spread from the book Sons of Cham with a photograph captioned "Elderly Masai woman with head chain and copper surutaya ear hangers", a lantern slide stored behind the tab Masai, and an exposure on roll film PJU-286 [Ngorongoro + Masai] produced in 1947.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Sierra Leone and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2346 [Freetown], produced in 1934.
This Breathing Photograph consists of the following fifteen exposures, produced in 1933.
9x12 sheet film: PJU-2943 [pygmy ddance Alimasi]
PJU-2947, PJU-2963, PJU-2994 [pygmies Alimasi]
PJU-2981 [Alimasi]
six by nine negatives: PJU-3020, PJU-3022, PJU-3026, PJU-3030, PJU-3034, PJU-3035 [pygmies Alimasi], PJU-3042 [dance Alimasi]
PJU-3028 [Efé hunter with bow and arrow, Democratic Republic of Congo]
PJU-3032 [Elderly pygmies]
9x12 sheet film: PJU-2943 [pygmy ddance Alimasi]
PJU-2947, PJU-2963, PJU-2994 [pygmies Alimasi]
PJU-2981 [Alimasi]
six by nine negatives: PJU-3020, PJU-3022, PJU-3026, PJU-3030, PJU-3034, PJU-3035 [pygmies Alimasi], PJU-3042 [dance Alimasi]
PJU-3028 [Efé hunter with bow and arrow, Democratic Republic of Congo]
PJU-3032 [Elderly pygmies]
This Breathing Photograph consists of a review of a lecture held November 14th 1956, and 9x12 sheet films PJU-2783 and PJU-2938, produced respectively, in 1936 and 1933.
The lecture was held for the leisure club of NAM staff in Rijswijk. NAM is the company that is mining petroleum in the Netherlands in Rijswijk, from where, according to Wikipedia, an oil field was mined from 1954 until 1994. The text is published in a magazine titled "Our Company".
The review starts like this: "It was a truly commendable thought of the board of our leisure club to invite Dr. Paul Julien to present us with a lecture illustrated with projected photographs and films. Dr. Julien is without a doubt known by all of us, either through his books or through his radio causeries."
The focus of the lecture was on 'pygmies', also the title of Julien's most recent book at te time. Julien is appraised as a selfless man helping pygmies and researching them and their religion. He is mentioned as having undertaken 19 anthropological expeditions through "Central Africa" at the time. The following paragraph describes the lecture:
"After the lights in the hall were switched off, one picture after the other appeared on the screen. In a captivating, often humorous way the narrator gave and explanation with the different images."
The reviewer continuous in a tone similar to the one deployed by Julien himself in his radio lectures: "We tracked with him through the dense forest and swamps to discover a trace of the pygmies. It is not easy to gain the trust of these primitive people. The speaker had himself experienced the "age of the small mirrors", but currently the pygmies are no longer to be satisfied with those. Currently one asks for a machete or something like that. [...]"
PJU-2938 is here captioned as "Drummer of the Efé Pygmy tribe." PJU-2783 as "Elderly Pygmy woman of the Bakah Tribe (Southern Cameroon)."
Both are "From Dr. Paul Julien's book Pygmeeën".
The lecture was held for the leisure club of NAM staff in Rijswijk. NAM is the company that is mining petroleum in the Netherlands in Rijswijk, from where, according to Wikipedia, an oil field was mined from 1954 until 1994. The text is published in a magazine titled "Our Company".
The review starts like this: "It was a truly commendable thought of the board of our leisure club to invite Dr. Paul Julien to present us with a lecture illustrated with projected photographs and films. Dr. Julien is without a doubt known by all of us, either through his books or through his radio causeries."
The focus of the lecture was on 'pygmies', also the title of Julien's most recent book at te time. Julien is appraised as a selfless man helping pygmies and researching them and their religion. He is mentioned as having undertaken 19 anthropological expeditions through "Central Africa" at the time. The following paragraph describes the lecture:
"After the lights in the hall were switched off, one picture after the other appeared on the screen. In a captivating, often humorous way the narrator gave and explanation with the different images."
The reviewer continuous in a tone similar to the one deployed by Julien himself in his radio lectures: "We tracked with him through the dense forest and swamps to discover a trace of the pygmies. It is not easy to gain the trust of these primitive people. The speaker had himself experienced the "age of the small mirrors", but currently the pygmies are no longer to be satisfied with those. Currently one asks for a machete or something like that. [...]"
PJU-2938 is here captioned as "Drummer of the Efé Pygmy tribe." PJU-2783 as "Elderly Pygmy woman of the Bakah Tribe (Southern Cameroon)."
Both are "From Dr. Paul Julien's book Pygmeeën".
This Breathing Photograph consists of ten exposures on roll film PJU-520 [Flash photographs Babongo near Sibiti finger prints] and five exposures on roll film PJU-521 [Babongo portraits (a.o. with little dog)], produced in Congo Brazzaville in 1952.
This Breathing Photograph consists of 9x12 sheet films PJU-1552 and PJU-1558, and a 35mm color slide, produced Sudan in 1947.
This Breathing Photograph consists of photographs produced in 2019, and sheet film PJU-2201 [Gorée], PJU-2203 [Gorée near Dakar] and PJU-2204 [Gorée] produced in 1932.
Judith is a Dutch photographer. In 2019 she lived on the island of Goré with her son. I asked them whether they were up for a re-photography mission with the photographs made by Paul Julien in Senegal.
They were. This led to several Breathing Photographs.
In addition, Judith Quax told me, the searching for the right locations resulted in valuable engagements and conversations with people that otherwise would never have taken place.
Judith is a Dutch photographer. In 2019 she lived on the island of Goré with her son. I asked them whether they were up for a re-photography mission with the photographs made by Paul Julien in Senegal.
They were. This led to several Breathing Photographs.
In addition, Judith Quax told me, the searching for the right locations resulted in valuable engagements and conversations with people that otherwise would never have taken place.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a clip of 16mm film, and 9x12 sheet film PJU-1990 [Krutown Monrovia], produced in 1932
Upon the handing over of Paul Julien's legacy to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the 16mm film material was passed on to Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
Digitalized versions of video reproductions made by Mr. Adolfse during the 1990s have given me the most comprehensive overview of this part of the collection. Eye Filmmuseum made reconstructions of the fully edited films that include titles on Liberia, the 1933 journey down the Nile, and "Bibayak".
Included in the files Mr. Adolfse shared with me were "an amateur copy" and a Betacam one. In 2018 the Betacam tapes were handed over by Mr. Adolfse to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. It took me a while to find a good opportunity to see the tapes and add, yet another, reproductive layer to them that made it possible to make film fragments and their corresponding photographs breath again.
While it could be argued that what happens here is Primary Breathing, I place these clips in the Tertiary Breathing category because of the stages in their making and my role in their current appearance.
Upon the handing over of Paul Julien's legacy to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the 16mm film material was passed on to Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
Digitalized versions of video reproductions made by Mr. Adolfse during the 1990s have given me the most comprehensive overview of this part of the collection. Eye Filmmuseum made reconstructions of the fully edited films that include titles on Liberia, the 1933 journey down the Nile, and "Bibayak".
Included in the files Mr. Adolfse shared with me were "an amateur copy" and a Betacam one. In 2018 the Betacam tapes were handed over by Mr. Adolfse to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. It took me a while to find a good opportunity to see the tapes and add, yet another, reproductive layer to them that made it possible to make film fragments and their corresponding photographs breath again.
While it could be argued that what happens here is Primary Breathing, I place these clips in the Tertiary Breathing category because of the stages in their making and my role in their current appearance.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a lantern slide stored behind the tab Liberia, and 9x12 sheet film PJU-2012 [mission Monrovia], produced in 1932.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a film clip recorded in 2020 at the cemetery next to Christ the King school, and sheet film PJU-2416 [Graveyard Bo Mission Father Scheer].
It was not possible to identify the graves shown on the photograph. The workers on site pointed us towards the grave of Father Scheer himself. The inscription tells me that he lived in Sierra Leone for two decades after he helped Paul Julien, August 1934.
It was not possible to identify the graves shown on the photograph. The workers on site pointed us towards the grave of Father Scheer himself. The inscription tells me that he lived in Sierra Leone for two decades after he helped Paul Julien, August 1934.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a clip of 16mm film, and lantern slide PJU-10989
The title at the beginning of the Breathing Photograph translates into "Liberia, from Monrovia to the Niger. Recorded by Drs. Paul Julien."
Upon the handing over of Paul Julien's legacy to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the 16mm film material was passed on to Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
Digitalized versions of video reproductions made by Mr. Adolfse during the 1990s have given me the most comprehensive overview of this part of the collection. Eye Filmmuseum made reconstructions of the fully edited films that include titles on Liberia, the 1933 journey down the Nile, and "Bibayak".
Included in the files Mr. Adolfse shared with me were "an amateur copy" and a Betacam one. In 2018 the Betacam tapes were handed over by Mr. Adolfse to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. It took me a while to find a good opportunity to see the tapes and add, yet another, reproductive layer to them that made it possible to make film fragments and their corresponding photographs breath again.
While it could be argued that what happens here is Primary Breathing, I place these clips in the Tertiary Breathing category because of the stages in their making and my role in their current appearance.
The title at the beginning of the Breathing Photograph translates into "Liberia, from Monrovia to the Niger. Recorded by Drs. Paul Julien."
Upon the handing over of Paul Julien's legacy to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the 16mm film material was passed on to Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
Digitalized versions of video reproductions made by Mr. Adolfse during the 1990s have given me the most comprehensive overview of this part of the collection. Eye Filmmuseum made reconstructions of the fully edited films that include titles on Liberia, the 1933 journey down the Nile, and "Bibayak".
Included in the files Mr. Adolfse shared with me were "an amateur copy" and a Betacam one. In 2018 the Betacam tapes were handed over by Mr. Adolfse to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. It took me a while to find a good opportunity to see the tapes and add, yet another, reproductive layer to them that made it possible to make film fragments and their corresponding photographs breath again.
While it could be argued that what happens here is Primary Breathing, I place these clips in the Tertiary Breathing category because of the stages in their making and my role in their current appearance.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a picture made in Mr. Adolfse's sitting room in 2014 with a poster size advertisement for the 1997 edition of Paul Julien's third book pygmeeën placed on a cupboard, the cover of the book itself in hard-cover and paperback editions, and the exposure on roll film PJU-17 that features on it.
Mr. Adolfse told me that he knew this had to be the cover the moment he laid eyes on the picture and that the publisher had immediately agreed.
Mr. Adolfse told me that he knew this had to be the cover the moment he laid eyes on the picture and that the publisher had immediately agreed.
This Breathing Photograph consists of a clip of 16mm film, and corresponding 9x12 sheet film PJU-2365, produced in 1934 in Sierra Leone.
During screenings of the film in Sierra Leone in 2020, viewers informed me that the man is chasing away birds from the rice fields with a particular type of slingshot and stones.
Upon the handing over of Paul Julien's legacy to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the 16mm film material was passed on to Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
Digitalized versions of video reproductions made by Mr. Adolfse during the 1990s have given me the most comprehensive overview of this part of the collection. Eye Filmmuseum made reconstructions of the fully edited films that include titles on Liberia, the 1933 journey down the Nile, and "Bibayak".
Included in the files Mr. Adolfse shared with me were "an amateur copy" and a Betacam one. In 2018 the Betacam tapes were handed over by Mr. Adolfse to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. It took me a while to find a good opportunity to see the tapes and add, yet another, reproductive layer to them that made it possible to make film fragments and their corresponding photographs breath again.
While it could be argued that what happens here is Primary Breathing, I place these clips in the Tertiary Breathing category because of the stages in their making and my role in their current appearance.
During screenings of the film in Sierra Leone in 2020, viewers informed me that the man is chasing away birds from the rice fields with a particular type of slingshot and stones.
Upon the handing over of Paul Julien's legacy to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the 16mm film material was passed on to Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam.
Digitalized versions of video reproductions made by Mr. Adolfse during the 1990s have given me the most comprehensive overview of this part of the collection. Eye Filmmuseum made reconstructions of the fully edited films that include titles on Liberia, the 1933 journey down the Nile, and "Bibayak".
Included in the files Mr. Adolfse shared with me were "an amateur copy" and a Betacam one. In 2018 the Betacam tapes were handed over by Mr. Adolfse to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. It took me a while to find a good opportunity to see the tapes and add, yet another, reproductive layer to them that made it possible to make film fragments and their corresponding photographs breath again.
While it could be argued that what happens here is Primary Breathing, I place these clips in the Tertiary Breathing category because of the stages in their making and my role in their current appearance.
This Breathing photograph consists of 9x12 sheet films PJU-1396and PJU-1774 [Maniok caravan at Potopoto], probably produced in 1938 in what is now the Central African Republic.
This Breathing Photograph consists of the dust jacket to Campfires Along The Equator in the editions published by Scheltens & Giltay (between 1953 and 1959), and a pictures published in all the editions with the caption "Dr. Julien with two pygmy children of the Motaba river".
The negative of this picture is no longer available, but PJU-1442 [Liganga peace treaty] must have been made moments earlier or later.
The negative of this picture is no longer available, but PJU-1442 [Liganga peace treaty] must have been made moments earlier or later.
This Breathing Photograph consists of an undated announcement of an illustrated lecture concerning "The primitive mountain tribes of the Bauchi Plateau" and and exposure on roll film PJU-428 [market at Manok] produced in 1950.
From the documents in the PJU collection it looks like Paul Julien wrote most of his lecture announcements himself. In this case an announcement for one lecture, is used for another one. The suggested edits include replacing "display of slides" by "lantern slides" [literally here light-images], "primitive mountain tribes" by "savages", and correcting the spelling of Julien's last name.
