Casimir Zagourski
Encyclopedia
Casimir Zagourski (1883–1944) was a pioneering photographer of Central African peoples and customs.
Zagourski was born in Zhytomyr
(Ukraine
) in 1883. He was of Polish ethnicity, from the noble Clan of Ostoja
. He served in the Imperial Russian Air Force
until 1917, rising to the rank of colonel, and in the Polish military during 1920.
He emigrated from Europe in 1924 and settled in Léopoldville
(Belgian Congo
), gallicizing
his name and opening a photographic studio. Between 1924 and his death he travelled widely in Central Africa, undertaking expeditions to photograph "disappearing" African folkways in 1929, 1932, 1935 and 1937.
His albums and a postcard series collectively titled L'Afrique qui disparaît! gained him considerable renown.
Zagourski was born in Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr is a city in the North of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zhytomyr Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Zhytomyr Raion...
(Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) in 1883. He was of Polish ethnicity, from the noble Clan of Ostoja
Clan of Ostoja
The Clan of Ostoja was a powerful group of Knights and Lords in late medieval Europe. The clan encompassed several families in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Upper Hungary , Hungary, Transylvania, Belorus, Ukraine and Prussia....
. He served in the Imperial Russian Air Force
Imperial Russian Air Force
The Imperial Russian Air Force existed in the Russian Empire between 1910 and 1917....
until 1917, rising to the rank of colonel, and in the Polish military during 1920.
He emigrated from Europe in 1924 and settled in Léopoldville
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
(Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
), gallicizing
Francization
Francization or Gallicization is a process of cultural assimilation that gives a French character to a word, an ethnicity or a person.-French Colonial Empire:-Francization in the World:...
his name and opening a photographic studio. Between 1924 and his death he travelled widely in Central Africa, undertaking expeditions to photograph "disappearing" African folkways in 1929, 1932, 1935 and 1937.
His albums and a postcard series collectively titled L'Afrique qui disparaît! gained him considerable renown.
Sources
- Krzysztof Pluskota. "Atelier Photo Cinématographique—C. Zagourski." In Christraud M. Geary, In and Out of Focus: Images from Central Africa, 1885-1960. London: Philip Wilson, 2002. ISBN 0-85667-551-1. pp. 59–68.
- Christraud M. Geary. "The Image World of Casimir Zagourski." In In and Out of Focus: Images from Central Africa, 1885-1960. London: Philip Wilson, 2002. ISBN 0-85667-551-1. pp. 69–79.
- Zagourski: Lost Africa. Skira, 2001. ISBN 8884910080.
- Zagourski: Africa perduta. Skira, 2001. ISBN 8884910064.
External links
- Casimir Zagourski postcard collection in Yale University LibraryYale University LibraryYale University Library is the library system of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. It is the second-largest academic library in the North America, with approximately 12.5 million volumes housed in 20 buildings on campus...
. - Holdings of Zagourski photographs in the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at the National Museum of African ArtNational Museum of African ArtThe National Museum of African Art is a museum that is part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. Located on the National Mall, the museum specializes in African art and culture...
. - Web gallery of Zagourski postcards.