In Photos: This Is What 1890s Jamaica Looked Like

Making Jamaica, at London’s Autograph ABP, is an exhibition of archival images of Jamaica taken in 1891 by a Scottish maker of landscape photography.

These photos were meant for a showcase at Chicago’s World Fair in 1893 as a way to draw investment to the country and boost its struggling economy.

The over 70 images on display are from a larger collection called The Photo Archive owned by Patrick Montgomery, an American archivist and curated by Dr. Mark Sealy, MBE and Renée Mussai, respectively the director and head of archive of Autograph ABP.

These images were restored from albumen prints of the original glass plate negatives which were destroyed in 1961. Alongside the images is Valentine Days, a group of are five new hand-tinted prints made from original postcard by British-Guyanese artist, Ingrid Pollard.

Making Jamaica at London’s Autograph ABP opens until April 22.

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