Vintage African Safari Photos: Africa With A View

Before the invention of the camera, sketchbooks were our answer to viewing the incredible wildlife of Africa .Vintage African safari photos are some of the unique photograph collections today. Many early African safaris were taken so the artist could catch the image of the wild animal on canvas. The painter would stand for hours painting under the shade of a great palm, while his tribal guides fended off the animals with their spears.

Sometimes at night, these early explorers would get trampled in their small tents by elephant stampedes. If they slept too soundly and didn’t hear the loud snorting or the vibrations on the ground of these mighty beasts, their demise would surely come quickly. So it was very timely when the camera was invented and photographic African safaris could be made.

There were many photographers in the early days of photography that attempted African safaris. Lucky for us they did, because we now have the remarkable vintage African safari photos to exhibit to the world. Without the vintage African safari photos we would not know of the tribulations and adventures that these early explorers endured. These photographers, as the early artists, roughed it in Africa.

These images are very apparent in their vintage African safari photos. There was no ban on game killing in those days and many of the vintage African safari photos showed the grisly killings as proud trophies of their hunt. The black and white prints tell a story and reveal a lot of the early history of Africa.

The Dangers

One of the biggest dangers in capturing the early vintage African safari photos were the African natives. They were very tribal then and many were not friendly, especially to a white face. And it was only white faces that traveled to Africa in the early days of the African safari. Finding a friendly tribe who would guide you to the perfect view was the biggest hurdle. Almost all of the vintage African safari photos have tribesmen pictured in them.

These African vintage photos teach us about the culture of that time. They give us a history of the African and his land. Because there was an abundance of wildlife at that time, the next major danger was the animals themselves. The hunters were not shy to shoot any animal they saw, therefore, the animals sensed danger whenever they smelled a white man. The wild animals were quickly becoming predators of the white hunter and vice versa.

The vintage African safari photos provide us with the knowledge we have today of many of the early mishandling of wildlife by these hunters. The vintage African safari photos speak volumes as to how history should not be repeated.