THE KING & ROYAL OFFICIALS OF THE MADAGASCAN COURT

A Collection of Six Photographs of the King and Ministers and Officers of the Royal Court of Madagascar, King Rainilarivony, Rainiharovony, Rainandriamampandry, & Ravoninahitriniarivo, with Photographs of Portraits of King Radama II and Queen Rasoherina

6¼ x 4 ins. mounted on original card and titled in manuscript below, some s surface abrasions and some slight marginal soiling, c.1896

The photograph of Rainandriamampandry in dated in the plate Sept. 1896, which means that the photograph of Rainilarivony, who died that year at the age of 68, is from an earlier plate. The all have been similarly mounted on card with manuscript titles, printed from negatives and issued at the same time.

William Ellis of the London Missionary Society, first arrived in Madagascar in 1853, but was not allowed to reach the capital. He retired to Mauritius for a while and then made a second attempt with the same result. It was not until 1856 that he was allowed back but only for a month. Soon after this the Queen died and attitudes towards Christianity changed. Ellis’s fourth, most successful and productive visit began in 1861, not leaving until 1865. There are a few images and glass negative plates from the early visits, but superstition and hostility to the camera made such pieces rare. The majority of his photographs were taken during the 4th visit. From the age of King Rainilarivony in this image, compared with other images he took of the King, this could have been produced from one of Ellis’s negatives, see Working of Miracles by Simon Peers, plate 27 p.45.