Early Banjos in Well of SoulsClick below to enlarge and read captions. These are photos that I have taken of the panja (Ethnological Museum in Berlin), Creole-bania (Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, where it was still on display), Haiti banza (Musee de la Musique, Paris), and the new banjo in Lyon (Musee des Confluences, no collection guide available online). Gerrit Schouten's DioramasDiorama van een du, dansfeest op de plantage, Gerrit Schouten, 1830, Rijksmuseum  The diorama on display at the Rijksmuseum. Diorama van de Waterkant van Paramaribo, Gerrit Schouten, 1820, Rijksmuseum  Waterkant van Paramaribo diorama we saw at the Rijksmuseum.  Detail of the banjo player in the Waterkant diorama. Click here for more of Schouten's dioramas at the Rijksmuseum. Click here for more of Schouten's dioramas held by the NMVW. Images of Banjos in Well of SoulsEngraving of the Strum Strumps in Sir Hans Sloans Voyage to...Jamaica (1707). "1.1.2.2. Strum Strumps, lutes of the Indians & Blacks, made of different hollowed-out gourds covered with animal hides."  John Rose's South Carolina watercolor is viewable in color here. Engraving of instruments in John Stedman's Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Suriname (1796). For more on this image, see this blog post.  Study For Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences, or The Genius of America Encouraging the Emancipation of the Blacks, ca. 1791–92, Samuel Jennings, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The original Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences belongs to the Philadelphia Library Company and can be seen online here. Winterthur Museum also has a copy here. Detail from Recueil de vues des lieux principaux de la colonie françoise de Saint-Domingue, 1791. The dance of a calinda at Nippes, St. Domingue with a banza (banjo) player at right. (James Ford Bell Library, University of Minnesota Libraries.)  Detail of Isle de St. Domingue, Vue de la Fossette, unknown painter, c. 1790. (Image from Etude Tajan catalog, 1999).  Benjamin Henry Latrobe's drawing of a banjo and other instruments in New Orleans are available here. Illustration in Cynric R. Williams, A Tour Through the Island of Jamaica: From the Western to the Eastern End in the Year 1823.  Images of Dances in Well of Souls (and more)Click below to enlarge and read captions. Images of MusiciansClick below to enlarge and read captions. Images of ProcessionsClick below to enlarge and read captions. Images of Religious Ritual without DanceClick below to enlarge and read captions. Images of Places in Well of SoulsClick below to enlarge and read captions. This is part of Banya Obbligato, a series of blog posts relating to my book Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo’s Hidden History. While integrally related to Well of Souls, these posts are editorially and financially separate from the book (i.e., I’m researching, writing, and editing them myself and no one is paying me for it). So, if you want to financially support the blog or my writing and research you can do so here.
1 Comment
Susan Hengelsberg
3/3/2023 05:12:19 pm
I am enjoying the book, and am thankful for these color illustrations. Lots of detective work here! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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Come in, the stacks are open.Away from prying eyes, damaging light, and pilfering hands, the most special collections are kept in closed stacks. You need an appointment to view the objects, letters, and books that open a door to the past. Archives
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