Colony and protectorate · 1896–1960
Farming,foodandtrade
Rice farms, palm oil and kernels, fishing nets and traps, cooking, shops, mines and markets: the work that fed the country and paid its way.
Many were made by colonial officials, missionaries and foreign visitors. Titles and descriptions come from the collections that hold them and can carry the attitudes and language of their time. We show them as historical records, not as endorsements. Dates, eras and categories were assigned automatically from those records and some will be wrong. If you or your family appear in a picture, you hold rights to one, a detail is wrong, or you think a picture should not be here, press “Report this picture” under it: your note reaches our editors with the picture attached, and they can take it down straight away. You can also write to hello@dt-ets.com.
Market day on Sackville Street 1915
Sir Kenneth James Beatty · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
The stores of Pickering & Berthoud c. 1905
From a postcard bought in Freetown in 1905.
John Atherton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
The "cabbage" from the oil palm, Sherbro (Alldridge, 1901) 1901
Original title: The Sherbro and its hinterland (1901) (14596573550)
Internet Archive Book Images · No restrictions · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
A coconut palm in full bearing, Sherbro (Alldridge, 1901) 1901
Original title: The Sherbro and its hinterland (1901) (14780927584)
Internet Archive Book Images · No restrictions · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Banana Island, Sierra Leone (West Africa) 1905 (12312269234) 1905
John Atherton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
A dying native industry: weaving fine cloth in a barri at Gigbehma, Tunkia country, 1910 1910
Original title: A dying native industry: weaving a fine cloth from country-grown cotton that has been treated with native vegetable dyes, within a barri or palava house, at the town of Gigbehma, in the Tunkia country
T. J. Alldridge · Public domain · Internet Archive · Source ↗ · Report this picture
A mud-walled, thatched store up-country, 1910 1910
Original title: A mud store of Syrian traders
T. J. Alldridge · Public domain · Internet Archive · Source ↗ · Report this picture
This picture shows nudity. Many old pictures like this were taken by European visitors, colonial officials and missionaries, and we often cannot know whether the people in them agreed.
Market place, Bo, Sierra Leone Lisk-Carew postcard, c. 1905–1920s
Original title: SierraLeoneP006
Lisk-Carew Brothers, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Copyright Sierra Leone: photographs: 50 years after publication. See http://www.sierra-leone.org/Laws/2011-08.pdf ( · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
This picture shows nudity. Many old pictures like this were taken by European visitors, colonial officials and missionaries, and we often cannot know whether the people in them agreed.
Preparation of palm oil, Sierra Leone Lisk-Carew postcard, c. 1905–1920s
Original title: SierraLeoneP011
Lisk-Carew Brothers, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Copyright Sierra Leone: photographs: 50 years after publication. See http://www.sierra-leone.org/Laws/2011-08.pdf ( · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Picking palm kernels, Sierra Leone Lisk-Carew postcard, c. 1905–1920s
Original title: SierraLeoneP012
Lisk-Carew Brothers, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Copyright Sierra Leone: photographs: 50 years after publication. See http://www.sierra-leone.org/Laws/2011-08.pdf ( · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Reaping rice, Sierra Leone protectorate Lisk-Carew postcard, c. 1905–1920s
Original title: SierraLeoneP014
Lisk-Carew Brothers, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Copyright Sierra Leone: photographs: 50 years after publication. See http://www.sierra-leone.org/Laws/2011-08.pdf ( · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Sir Samuel Lewis's house, with Temne, Mende, Susu and Vai workers, 1916 1916
Original title: The mansion of the late Sir Samuel Lewis (with group of Temne, Mendi, Susu and Vai labourers and servants)
H. Osman Newland · Public domain · Internet Archive · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Hammock of plain and brown cord Collected by 1928
Original title: Hammock
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
This picture shows nudity. Many old pictures like this were taken by European visitors, colonial officials and missionaries, and we often cannot know whether the people in them agreed.
Mende women knotting nets, 1930–31 1930
Original title: Hantverk
Bolinder, Gustaf Wilhelm · Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
This picture shows nudity. Many old pictures like this were taken by European visitors, colonial officials and missionaries, and we often cannot know whether the people in them agreed.
Women pounding rice in mortars, Bo, 1930–31 1930
Original title: Mortar, matberedning, women
Bolinder, Gustaf Wilhelm · Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
A man hoeing the ground, Mende country, 1930–31 1930
Original title: Hacka, village, hackning
Bolinder, Gustaf Wilhelm · Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
This picture shows nudity. Many old pictures like this were taken by European visitors, colonial officials and missionaries, and we often cannot know whether the people in them agreed.
Woman knotting a net 1930
Original title: Woman, knyta, net
Bolinder, Gustaf Wilhelm · Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
A market, with iron bars of Kissi money in front, 1930–31 1930
Original title: järntacka, fotografi, photograph
Bolinder, Gustaf Wilhelm · Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Twisting thread from palm-leaf fibre, Kissi country, 1930–31 1930
Original title: fotografi, photograph
Bolinder, Gustaf Wilhelm · Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
A butcher, Kissi country, 1930–31 1930
Original title: Slaktare
Bolinder, Gustaf Wilhelm · Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Sorting fish (perhaps), 1930–31 1930
Original title: Village
Bolinder, Gustaf Wilhelm · Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Congo Town river, with Sugar Loaf mountain (Lisk-Carew postcard) 1930
Original title: Palm, flod
Lisk-Carew, Alphonso · Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Picking palm kernels (Lisk-Carew postcard) 1930
Original title: Palm
Lisk-Carew, Alphonso · Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Vegetable market, Protectorate (Lisk-Carew postcard) 1930
Original title: Hut, market
Lisk-Carew, Alphonso · Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Man with a pot of palm wine 1930
Original title: Kruka, vin, man
Lisk-Carew, Alphonso · Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Plaited sieve for grain, Mende Collected by 1931
Original title: Sikt
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Narrow fish trap of sticks, Mende Collected by 1931
Original title: fiskfälla
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Climbing rope of lianas, for climbing palm trees, Mende Collected by 1931
Original title: Ring
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Wide rain hat of palm leaves, Mende, collected 1931 Collected by 1931
Original title: Regnhatt, hat
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Hunting net of knotted bast cord, Mende Collected by 1931
Original title: Net
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Women's fishing net on a bent stick, Mende Collected by 1931
Original title: Fishing-net
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
A fishing net being made, Mende Collected by 1931
Original title: Fishing-net
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Hammock of bast cord with red-yellow stripes, Mende Collected by 1931
Original title: Hammock
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Wooden scales with pans of bast cord, Mende Collected by 1931
Original title: våg
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Cotton bow, Mende, collected 1931 Collected by 1931
Original title: Karda
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Hoe with a wooden handle, Mende Collected by 1931
Original title: Hacka
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Knife for cutting palm fruit, forged from Kissi pennies (eastern Sierra Leone) Collected by 1931
Swedish catalogue: a knife forged from Kissi money, slightly bent, with a wooden handle burnt with two stripes and a metal ferrule, made mainly for harvesting palm fruit; 22 cm long. Kissi pennies were long twisted iron rods used as money. Collected by Gustaf Bolinder in 1930–31.
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Boys' hand net of palm fibre, southern Sierra Leone Collected by 1931
Original title: Net
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
A ball of wound palm leaf, a toy Collected by 1931
Original title: Boll
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg · Source ↗ · Report this picture
This picture shows nudity. Many old pictures like this were taken by European visitors, colonial officials and missionaries, and we often cannot know whether the people in them agreed.
Sierra Leone 1944 approx . Woman husking rice (3134619748) 2008
Sludge G · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - Min. Of Information of Sierra Leone in an official delegation at the diamond exchange in Tel Aviv 1959
Moshe Pridan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Many hands make light work Lisk-Carew postcard, c. 1905–1920s
Original title: SierraLeoneP004
Lisk-Carew Brothers, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Copyright Sierra Leone: photographs: 50 years after publication. See http://www.sierra-leone.org/Laws/2011-08.pdf ( · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Palm wine distiller, Sierra Leone Lisk-Carew postcard, c. 1905–1920s
Original title: SierraLeoneP005
Lisk-Carew Brothers, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Copyright Sierra Leone: photographs: 50 years after publication. See http://www.sierra-leone.org/Laws/2011-08.pdf ( · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Rope Collected 1930–31
Original title: Rep, rope
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
A twig sample Collected 1930–31
Original title: Materialprov, kvist, twig
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Stand for oil-palm fruit Collected 1930–31
Original title: Tool
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Cotton bow for cleaning and fluffing cotton, cotton still on the string, collected 1931 Collected 1930–31
Original title: Karda, carding comb
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Hoe with a rough wooden handle Collected 1930–31
Original title: Hacka, pick
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Hoe, well used Collected 1930–31
Original title: Hacka, pick
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Old hoe with a dark handle Collected 1930–31
Original title: Hacka, pick
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Hoe Collected 1930–31
Original title: Hacka, pick
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Climbing rope of lianas, for climbing palm trees Collected 1930–31
Original title: Climbing tool
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Women's hand net on two bent canes Collected 1930–31
Original title: Net
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Old women's hand net Collected 1930–31
Original title: Net
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Fish net set in a hole in the riverbed Collected 1930–31
Original title: Net
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Women's hand net still being made Collected 1930–31
Original title: Net
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Fishing net of knotted palm-leaf fibre, 12 m long Collected 1930–31
Original title: Fishing net, net
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Bast fibre sample Collected 1930–31
Original title: Bast, materialprov, sample
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Fish trap, fish- Collected 1930–31
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture
Fish trap Collected 1930–31
Original title: Fish trap, fish-
Public domain (CC0) · Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm · Source ↗ · Report this picture