Duggan-Cronin Gallery
The Duggan-Cronin Gallery in Kimberley is a photographic museum showcasing the work of Alfred Duggan-Cronin, Aubrey Elliot, Jean Morris, and Alice Mertens. Their photographs of the indigenous peoples of southern Africa, taken between 1919 and 1980, capture aspects of traditional life and dress that are now largely vanished.
Duggan-Cronin arrived in Kimberley in 1897. He worked in the De Beers compounds, where he began to build up a photographic record of the different tribes working on the mines. Encouraged by Maria Wilman, he undertook expeditions to the main tribal areas, where he photographed the people before the Western influence drastically changed their traditional ways of life. T
The Duggan-Cronin collection comprises negatives and prints, as well as artefacts of material culture from the tribes, including beadwork, costumes, pottery, iron tools, and wood carvings. A selection of his photographs has been featured in publications such as "The Bushmen Tribes of Southern Africa" and "The Bantu Tribes of South Africa."
Today, the McGregor Museum is responsible for maintaining this collection. It is housed in a building in Belgravia, initially known as The Lodge but now simply referred to as the Duggan-Cronin Gallery.
The Duggan-Cronin collection comprises negatives and prints, as well as artefacts of material culture from the tribes, including beadwork, costumes, pottery, iron tools, and wood carvings. A selection of his photographs has been featured in publications such as "The Bushmen Tribes of Southern Africa" and "The Bantu Tribes of South Africa."
Today, the McGregor Museum is responsible for maintaining this collection. It is housed in a building in Belgravia, initially known as The Lodge but now simply referred to as the Duggan-Cronin Gallery.
Photo courtesy of McGregor Museum
Address: Egerton Road, Kimberley, 8301 Phone; +27 538311761. (Photo by Richard Jones)
