Tribes of Belgian Congo trading cards

Containers:

Box 11a

Scope and content:

This information has been provided by the seller and has not been verified: "These cards were printed in Holland circa 1924. The Publisher was the Liebig Company and the product being promoted was soup, although the product is not shown. According to information on the back of the cards, the images shwon are based on engravings prepared in 1865. Each card depicts a male and a female member of a different tribe in the tribe's natural environment. The male appears in characteristic, often highly elaborate, garb at center, while the female appears in a circular portrait in the upper corner. The latter portrait showcases the female's hairstyle or headwear. Situated in the foreground are works of tribal art, artifacts, implements and/or musical instruments coming from the respective ethnic group. Typical dwellings and/or other figures appear in the background. The tribes treated in the series are: The Baluba, The Bangala, The Babali, The Wagenia, The Bushongo, The Azande, The Ngome, The Bagelima, The Wasongola, The Gearabiseers, The Sango, The Bayaka, The Bambuti, The Batetela, The Mangbetu, The Basengele, The Batutsi and the Bambala. Each reverse contains 5-10 paragraphs of text, in Dutch, describing the demographics, customs, rituals, art, and environment of the respective tribe."

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