Africa photograph archive on display

An online collection of some of the earliest known photographs of Africa and its inhabitants is on display.

Featuring rare images from as far back as the 1860s, the British public are being asked to help identify the people, places and events featured in the National Archives exhibition. Users will be able to tag and comment on the images as well as upload their own photos of Africa via Flickr.

Oliver Morley, acting chief executive officer of the National Archives, said: “An online col-lection like this reaches beyond the academic world and into people’s living rooms, enabl-ing everyone to contribute to our understanding of past events.”

The Colonial Office collection covers more than 100 years of British involvement in Africa, from early expeditions to the Boer War and Harold Macmillan’s famous Wind of Change” tour in 1960.

The collection can be accessed at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/africa and the Flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/nationalarchives.