Freetown, Sierra Leone 1950s
Views of the capital, including the law courts.
Huntley Film Archives (film 93346) · © Huntley Film Archives, embedded from YouTube · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Di Salone akayv
Olfoto,stampɛnfim
Foto, poskad, stamp, map ɛn fim frɔm ɔlsay na Salone, we wi gɛda frɔm opin kɔlɛkshɔn dem. Wi gi krɛdit to di wan we mek am ɛn di ples we kip am.
№ 01
All 74 →Before the slave trade
to 1561
Freetown SPOT 1094 2006
Cnes - Spot Image · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Head (Temne or Bullom) 12th–16th century
Temne or Bullom artist(s) · Public domain (CC0) · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Seated Figure (Temne or Bullom peoples) 12th–16th century
Temne or Bullom artist(s) · Public domain (CC0) · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Seated male figure (Temne or Bullom peoples) 12th–16th century
Temne or Bullom artist(s) · Public domain (CC0) · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Head (Temne or Bullom peoples) 12th–16th century
Temne or Bullom artist(s) · Public domain (CC0) · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Figure (Africa, West Africa, Sierra Leone, Sapi-style carver) possibly early 1400s
Africa, West Africa, Sierra Leone, Sapi-style carver artist · Public domain (CC0) · Cleveland Museum of Art · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Figure of a Man Holding a Crocodile 15th century or earlier
Unknown author Unknown author · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Figure of a Man Holding a Crocodile 15th century or earlier
Unknown author Unknown author · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
№ 02
All 150 →The colony
1787–1895
A view of Freetown 1803
One of the earliest pictures of the settlement, from Thomas Winterbottom's account of the colony.
Thomas Masterman Winterbottom · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Regent's Town c. 1820
Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Free Town, Sierra Leone 1850
Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Freetown from the water c. 1856
John Leighton Wilson or an uncredited artist employed or licensed by him · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Pademba Road 1856
Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
The New Burial Ground 1860
Julia Sass · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Freetown from the hills c. 1892
Robert Brown · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Plan of Free Town 1885
J. T. F. Wallace · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
№ 03
All 361 →Colony and protectorate
1896–1960
The Cotton Tree, Bungalow Train 1910s
The Mountain Railway's 3.30 p.m. train waiting at Cotton Tree Station, photographed by Freetown's own Lisk-Carew Brothers studio.
Lisk-Carew Brothers, Freetown · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
The Lisk-Carew Bros. studio, Freetown 1938
Many of the city's early photographs and postcards were made here.
Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Market day on Sackville Street 1915
Sir Kenneth James Beatty · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Freetown rooftops 1915
Sir Kenneth James Beatty · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Kroo Town Road 1911
William H. Heard · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
A building on the waterfront c. 1911
CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Bai Bureh 1898
The Temne leader of the 1898 Hut Tax War, photographed as a prisoner by Lieutenant Arthur Greer of the West India Regiment.
Lieutenant Arthur Greer · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Troops embarking at Freetown for Douala 1914
Agence Rol · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
№ 04
All 5 →Independence
1961–1990
The Cotton Tree 1970
Photographed in October 1970.
Batobureh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Looking over the city 1968
John Atherton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Freetown and the harbour 1967–68
John Atherton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Young woman, Freetown 1968
John Atherton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
The Law Courts and the Cotton Tree 1984
Brian Harrington Spier · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
№ 05
All 11 →Since 1991
1991–today
The Cotton Tree 2007
Christian Trede · CC BY-SA 2.0 de · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
The stump, two years after the fall 2025
The tree fell in a storm in May 2023.
Smoking Tyre · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
The King's Yard gateway 2016
danbjoseph @ Mapillary.com · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
St. John's Maroon Church 2016
redcross @ Mapillary.com · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
The Maroon flag outside St. John's 2017
Caupolicaningles · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
St. George's Cathedral 2016
danbjoseph @ Mapillary.com · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
The old Fourah Bay College building, Cline Town 2007
Jared & Melanie & Huxley Ponchot · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
The Deep Water Quay from Fourah Bay College 2008
mifl68 · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
№ 06
Na fim
Sierra Leone Greets the Queen 1961
Queen Elizabeth II's visit, 25 November – 1 December 1961, months after independence. Made by British Pathé for the Central Office of Information.
Internet Archive · Crown copyright (Central Office of Information) · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Sierra Leone on 8mm 1950s
Home-movie footage shot in the 1950s.
Archival Footage Service (A0389) · © Archival Footage Service, embedded from YouTube · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Sierra Leone on 8mm, reel two 1950s
More 1950s home-movie footage.
Archival Footage Service (A0380) · © Archival Footage Service, embedded from YouTube · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Birch Collection: Freetown and Yengema 1950s
Amateur film by John Birch, head of Unilever in Sierra Leone and a member of the Legislative Council.
Colonial Film catalogue · Catalogue record, viewing via the holding archive · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Africa's Fighting Men 1940s
Wartime film with scenes of Freetown: anti-aircraft crews and sailors in training.
Colonial Film catalogue · Catalogue record, viewing via the holding archive · Usay i kɔmɔt ↗
Frɔm di pipul dem
Sheb foto →Yu gɛt ol foto frɔm Salone?