Through the Lens of Time:
A Historic Photographic Record
In the 1880s, a catalogue of glass plate photographs was captured in East Africa. These historic photographs span our diverse landscapes, from the coastline of Mombasa to the shores of Lake Victoria.These images offer an unparalleled glimpse back into the lives of our people, our land, and our cultures, at the brink of change.
Lost for over a century.
About the catalogue: The known images in this catalogue span across the entire width of East Africa. From the city state of Zanzibar, into the island of Mombasa, they capture the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the vast plains south of Ngong Hills, the Eastern Rift Valley escarpment, through corridor between Mt. Longonot, Lake Naivasha, and the Aberdares, up to the western slopes of Mt. Kenya, across Lake Baringo, and into the Kerio Valley, to the shores of Lake Victoria. Today, this historic catalogue captured by Joseph Thomson, is known through the engraving illustrations in his book, Through Masai Land .