Royal Commonwealth Society Photography Holdings on Latin American and the Caribbean

The Royal Commonwealth Society photography collection encompasses all Caribbean islands and Central American countries involved in the Commonwealth. The collection comprises both boxes of loose photographs and albums. Most photographs are listed on the online catalogue. Many images concern the British interest in local resources (Cacao and cotton for example) as well as the development of transport infrastructure, especially harbours and the possibility to load or unload boats easily.
Over 700 images have been digitised to date and may be viewed on the gallery page or on DSpace. The latter enables broad geographical browsing (such as 'North and Central America').

Please note that the following list is not exhaustive, it only represents some of the highlights of the RCS collection on Latin America an the Caribbean.

Y307G (Sir Daniel Morris Collection)

West Indian Views (40 images)

Photographs: J.F. Coonley

Antigua, Nassau, St Kitts, Dominica, St Vincent, St Martin, including:

‘Government House’ (Nassau)
‘Government House Garden’
‘Along Shore, East of Nassau’
‘The Silk Cotton Tree’
‘The Banyan Tree’
‘Bread Fruit Tree’
‘Coconut Tree in Full Bearing’
‘Parasitical Cactus’
Landscapes, harbour, city views, church
‘Government House’ (Antigua)
‘Botanic Garden at St Vincent’
‘The Crater of the Soufrière, St Vincent. Tempest Anderson 1907’
Views of St Batholomew, St Martin

c. 1880

Y 307 6A (Fisher Collection)

Tobago (3 images, anon.)

‘Market Shed’
‘Government House’
‘Wireless Station’

c. 1906

Y3077 1B (Fisher Collection)

Grenada (6 images, anon.), including:

‘Grenada: Cacao Estate’
‘Grenada: Cacao Pickers and Collectors’
‘Grenada: Packing Cacao for Fermentation’
‘Grenada: Sun Drying Cacao Beans’

c. 1890

Y3077 3A (Fisher Collection)

Views of St Vincent (4 images)

Photographs: J.C. Wilson (and anon.)

Y3077 3B (Fisher Collection)

St Vincent (6 images, no titles), including:

Photographs: Cyril Adams and anon.

Soufrière
Cotton factory
Portrait of locals (ca. 1915)

c. 1900-1910

Y3078 A (Fisher Collection)

British Honduras (17 images)

Photographs: B.H. Avery, J.E. Plummer and Boyle

Images include:

Views of city, of countryside, and of pier
‘Children’s Parade at Government [house], Belize, on Coronation Day, 1911’
'Woman Making Tortillas in an Indian Village'
‘On the Estate “Never-Delay”, Old River’

c.1911

Y3078 B (Fisher Collection)

British Honduras (36 photographs and postcards, anon.), including:

Views of city, river, countryside, and railway
Coconuts; banana plantation
City on Coronation day (1911)
Coronation celebrations
'United Fruit Coy's Plantation, Stann Creek'

c. 1911

Y3079 A (Fisher Collection)

British Guiana (1 image)

Boy with Lily, British Guiana, titled: ‘Ginger Lilies (Hedychium Coronarium) XMAS 1891’

1891

Y 3075 A (Fisher Collection)

Trinidad (9 images, anon.), including:

Public buildings
Shipping pier [Asphalt Company's Shipping pier (from Lake a mile inland). Showing barrels of asphalt moving along the pier on a cable car towards a waiting sailing ship.]
‘Breaking Cacao’

c. 1890

Y3075 B (Fisher Collection)

Trinidad (1 image, anon.)

‘The Royal Colonial Institute’

1902

Y3075C (Fisher Collection)

Trinidad (4 photographs, anon.)

Landscapes and plants

1911-1912

Y3077 1A (E.A.Gay Collection )

Grenada (Album [oversize], 30 images, anon.), including:

‘Government House. SW Entrance, Grenada’ and other pictures of the Government house.
'The Vale of Temple'
‘Market Day, St George’
‘Tennis Court, Government House’ (with English kids playing and sitting around)
Views of St George, St Andrews, landscapes, reservoir and pond
‘Native Laundry, Grenada’
‘A Home amidst the Golden Bean, Grenada’ (Cacao)
‘Drying the Golden Bean, Grenada’ (Cacao)
‘Palmiste Estate, Grenada’
‘The Brothers’ Estate, Grenada’

c. 1890-1893

Y307 2A (Fisher Collection)

Barbados (20 images, anon.), including:

Views of city, houses, churches, Chamberlain bridge, sea, landscapes
‘Native Street Hawker’
‘Exterior of Cotton Factory’
‘Interior of Cotton Factory’
‘Wind Mill, Sugar Works, Springhall’, St Lucy
‘Team of Mules Carting Cotton’, Carringtons, St Philip

c. 1905

Y3072 B (Fisher Collection)

Barbados (12 images, anon.)

Landscapes, roads, landscapes with houses

c. 1905

Y3072 C (Fisher Collection)

Bridgetown, Barbados (2 images)

‘The Wharf'
‘Bridgetown from the Railway Station’

c. 1880

Y307 2D (Fisher Collection)

Views of Barbados (12 images)

Photographs: Raphael Tuck and Sons Limited

'Windmill on sugar estate'
Marine Hotel
Sugar Factory
‘Native Village’
View of Harbour, Bridgetown
'Cutting Sugar Cane'

Printed from: http://www7.bbk.ac.uk/ibamuseum2/resources/photography/RoyalCommonwealthSociety/RCSholdings
Date printed: 19/04/2024

Y307G (Sir Daniel Morris Collection)	West Indian Views (40 images) Photographs: J.F. Coonley Antigua, Nassau, St Kitts, Dominica, St Vincent, St Martin, including: ‘Government House’ (Nassau) ‘Government House Garden’ ‘Along Shore, East of Nassau’ ‘The Silk Cotton Tree’ ‘The Banyan Tree’ ‘Bread Fruit Tree’ ‘Coconut Tree in Full Bearing’ ‘Parasitical Cactus’ Landscapes, harbour, city views, church ‘Government House’ (Antigua) ‘Botanic Garden at St Vincent’ ‘The Crater of the Soufrière, St Vincent. Tempest Anderson 1907’ Views of St Batholomew, St Martin	c. 1880
Y 307 6A (Fisher Collection)	Tobago (3 images, anon.) ‘Market Shed’ ‘Government House’ ‘Wireless Station’	c. 1906
Y3077 1B (Fisher Collection)	Grenada (6 images, anon.), including: ‘Grenada: Cacao Estate’ ‘Grenada: Cacao Pickers and Collectors’ ‘Grenada: Packing Cacao for Fermentation’ ‘Grenada: Sun Drying Cacao Beans’	c. 1890
Y3077 3A (Fisher Collection)	Views of St Vincent (4 images) Photographs: J.C. Wilson (and anon.)
Y3077 3B (Fisher Collection)	St Vincent (6 images, no titles), including: Photographs: Cyril Adams and anon. Soufrière Cotton factory Portrait of locals (ca. 1915)	c. 1900-1910
Y3078 A (Fisher Collection)	British Honduras (17 images) Photographs: B.H. Avery, J.E. Plummer and Boyle Images include: Views of city, of countryside, and of pier ‘Children’s Parade at Government [house], Belize, on Coronation Day, 1911’ 'Woman Making Tortillas in an Indian Village' ‘On the Estate “Never-Delay”, Old River’	c.1911
Y3078 B (Fisher Collection)	British Honduras (36 photographs and postcards, anon.), including: Views of city, river, countryside, and railway Coconuts; banana plantation City on Coronation day (1911) Coronation celebrations 'United Fruit Coy's Plantation, Stann Creek'	c. 1911
Y3079 A (Fisher Collection)	British Guiana (1 image) Boy with Lily, British Guiana, titled: ‘Ginger Lilies (Hedychium Coronarium) XMAS 1891’	1891
Y 3075 A (Fisher Collection)	Trinidad (9 images, anon.), including: Public buildings Shipping pier [Asphalt Company's Shipping pier (from Lake a mile inland). Showing barrels of asphalt moving along the pier on a cable car towards a waiting sailing ship.] ‘Breaking Cacao’	c. 1890
Y3075 B (Fisher Collection)	Trinidad (1 image, anon.) ‘The Royal Colonial Institute’	1902
Y3075C (Fisher Collection)	Trinidad (4 photographs, anon.) Landscapes and plants	1911-1912
Y3077 1A (E.A.Gay Collection )	Grenada (Album [oversize], 30 images, anon.), including: ‘Government House. SW Entrance, Grenada’ and other pictures of the Government house. 'The Vale of Temple' ‘Market Day, St George’ ‘Tennis Court, Government House’ (with English kids playing and sitting around) Views of St George, St Andrews, landscapes, reservoir and pond ‘Native Laundry, Grenada’ ‘A Home amidst the Golden Bean, Grenada’ (Cacao) ‘Drying the Golden Bean, Grenada’ (Cacao) ‘Palmiste Estate, Grenada’ ‘The Brothers’ Estate, Grenada’	c. 1890-1893
Y307 2A (Fisher Collection)	Barbados (20 images, anon.), including: Views of city, houses, churches, Chamberlain bridge, sea, landscapes ‘Native Street Hawker’ ‘Exterior of Cotton Factory’ ‘Interior of Cotton Factory’ ‘Wind Mill, Sugar Works, Springhall’, St Lucy ‘Team of Mules Carting Cotton’, Carringtons, St Philip	c. 1905
Y3072 B (Fisher Collection)	Barbados (12 images, anon.) Landscapes, roads, landscapes with houses	c. 1905
Y3072 C (Fisher Collection)	Bridgetown, Barbados (2 images) ‘The Wharf' ‘Bridgetown from the Railway Station’	c. 1880
Y307 2D (Fisher Collection)	Views of Barbados (12 images) Photographs: Raphael Tuck and Sons Limited 'Windmill on sugar estate' Marine Hotel Sugar Factory ‘Native Village’ View of Harbour, Bridgetown 'Cutting Sugar Cane'