What Tintin Would of Seen in the Congo - Beauty and Brutality

Hundreds of photographs taken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the early 20th century, about twenty years before Herge drew Tintin in the Congo, are online. They show a fascinating glimpse of life around that time and are a million miles from the images of colonial propaganda Herge produced in his book.

Mural Decorated Hut

Tribal Chief

These photos come from Photographs from Lang-Chapin Congo Expedition (1909-1915). Whilst these photos capture some of the beauty of the Congo and its people, they only tell half the story. The photo below is of rubber plantation workers, punished for failing to meet quotas by having their hands cut off (Belgian Congo Free State, 1905).

More striking and disturbing images can be found on the blog Constant Siege.