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Photo, Print, Drawing African Ox and Khoi Couple.

About this Item

Title

  • African Ox and Khoi Couple.

Summary

  • These two sketches depicting an African ox and a Khoi couple are from a set of 27 drawings on 15 sheets that was discovered in the National Library of South Africa in 1986. The drawings are important for presenting the earliest realistic depictions of the Khoikhoi, the original inhabitants of the Western Cape. The annotations provide details about African cattle and about the differing dress worn by Khoi men and women. The cattle owned by the Khoikhoi were of the Sanga breeds, which resulted from the interbreeding of the indigenous wild cattle found in North Africa and the Sahara 8,000 years ago with the humped Zebu introduced to Africa from Asia more than 2,000 years ago. The drawings in the collection were made in situ and, unlike most of the few early European depictions of the Khoikhoi, were never filtered through the eyes of European engravers. The artist most likely was a Dutchman, born in the 17th century, who was attached in some capacity to the Dutch East India Company and possibly en route to the Dutch East Indies or on his way back to the Netherlands when he visited the Cape. Evidence suggests that the drawings were made no later than 1713, and possibly a good deal earlier. Most of the drawings have annotations, in Dutch, made by another person, also unidentified, after 1730.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [1700 to 1730]

Headings

  • -  South Africa--Western Cape
  • -  1700 to 1730
  • -  Cape of Good Hope
  • -  Cattle
  • -  Clothing and dress
  • -  Indigenous peoples
  • -  Khoikhoi (African people)
  • -  Oxen

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "Reproduced as Plate 14 in The Khoikhoi at the Cape of Good Hope: Seventeenth-century drawings in the South African Library / text by Andrew B. Smith, from which this description is adapted. On verso of Khoikhoi in a storm (INIL 6255); number 6255v of a set: INIL 6250-6264."--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 drawing : pen and sepia ink, black and grey wash on paper ; 31 x 20 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of South Africa.
  • -  Content in Dutch.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • The Khoikhoi at the Cape of Good Hope

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021670543

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

African Ox and Khoi Couple. Western Cape South Africa, 1700. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1730] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670543/.

APA citation style:

(1700) African Ox and Khoi Couple. Western Cape South Africa, 1700. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1730] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670543/.

MLA citation style:

African Ox and Khoi Couple. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1730] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670543/>.