The Powell-Cotton Museum at Quex Park in East Kent was established in 1896 by Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton (1866-1940) and added to by subsequent generations of the Powell-Cotton family to house the natural history and cultural artefacts they collected during their expeditions to Africa and Asia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
For the Somali Object Journeys group it was the unrivalled collection of historical Somali objects and the bountiful archive material that drew them to visit the Museum on a sunny day in April 2016. A long-term partner of the British Museum, the Powell-Cotton Museum enthusiastically welcomed the opportunity for the Object Journeys group to explore their collection and discuss ideas and research with curators and staff.
During a 1934-1935 expedition to the Somali region Diana Powell-Cotton (1908-86) not only collected hundreds of wonderful objects but meticulously photographed and documented her trip and the collections process. These photographs, journals and records revealed much to the Object Journeys group about the objects the Powell-Cotton’s collected and gave context to their research by providing information on the places the objects were collected or bought from and the people the Powell-Cottons encountered. The photographs in particular fascinated the group. Incredibly rare and special they also provided an insight into the time period the group were researching and were for many the first time they had seen such a volume of images of the Somali region at this time.
A sample of the wonderful photographs from the Powell-Cotton Somali collection can be seen above and the project was generously given permission to showcase them in their display in the Wellcome Gallery at The British Museum.
All photos © Courtesy of the Trustees of the Powell-Cotton Museum and not for reuse
It is interesting collections, as I belongs to that Reagan of Somalia I would like to have more objects, how I can get accession to the this work , thanx
This is a wonderfully archived collection of pictures. The first picture is of my great grandmother her name was Amina Hebeshi nicknamed N’chuke mweusi.
The 3rd picture of 3 women are also my great grandmothers, 3 sisters named Saada Ali, Dodi Ali and Salma Ali from left to right. Saada Ali gave birth to Maka Bakari who gave birth to my mother Amina Mwalimu.
These images have brought much happiness to our families as most memories were lost during the war. Most of us, Bajunis are living in Kenya, Mombasa, and small groups spread across the world. I would like to personally thank you for this. And in case there are many more images from chovae island we would be happy to see them.
Much Regards
Faiz Mohammad Shee, PhD
Hello
Apologies for the very slow reply – this website is not checked very often as the project finished in 2018. That’s fascinating to hear you know these women. Where you aware that they photos were part of the Powell Cotton Collection and on display at the British Museum?
When the museum is open again I can certainly look to see if there is anything else that might be of interest to you from that region
Thank you for your comment and deepest apologies again about the slow response