Featuring several images taken between 1853 and 1890, the “Origins” exhibition revisits the early years of photography in Madagascar and unveils previously unseen photographs to the public.
The Museum of Photography of Madagascar opens “Origins” to the general public today, an exhibition gathering over 270 images tracing the roots of photography in the country. Scheduled to run for six months, it presents images captured between 1853 and 1890, offering a look at a foundational period in Madagascar’s photographic history, including shots displayed for the first time.
The exhibition also highlights the diversity of techniques used to preserve and transmit these ancient images. Some photographs were reproduced and distributed, interpreted on wood using fine hatching, then transferred onto glass plates before being hand-enhanced with watercolor or transparent paint.
The history presented begins in 1853, when British missionaries William Ellis and James Cameron arrived in Tamatave with a camera. They produced the first known images of Madagascar. Ellis later continued his work in Foulpointe and then in Antananarivo.
Within a few years, photography spread across the country. European missionaries, travelers, and explorers photographed the inhabitants, landscapes, and scenes of daily life. It also became a means of representing power, with portraits of sovereigns and members of the court. The prints brought back to Europe helped to make Madagascar known and shape its image.
In 2026, the exhibition takes on a particular pedagogical dimension, as the history of photography enters the high school history curriculum for the first time. “Origins” thus allows for the discovery of the beginnings of this practice while questioning how images are produced, transmitted, and used to represent a society.
A roundtable discussion on the beginnings of photography in Madagascar will be held today at 10 a.m. at the Museum, featuring photographer Tangalamamy and historians Helihanta Andrianetrazafy and Hemerson Andrianetrazafy, moderated by journalist Lova Rabary. On the same day, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., admission to the Museum will be free.
A workshop for children, “Mianatra tantara (Learning History),” is also scheduled for October 7, focusing on the history of photography and the discovery of images.
Indeed, the Museum of Photography of Madagascar works to preserve photographic heritage, notably through the digitization of ancient photographs whose supports are degrading. It also identifies collections dedicated to Madagascar held in foreign institutions to integrate them into its digital database. Through these actions, the Museum participates in a process of cultural repatriation and relies on a transnational community that contributes to reconstituting, in a participatory manner, the Malagasy photographic heritage.
Captured & Published at: 2026-10-03 06:23:44 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/10/exposition-les-origines-de-la.html