Solomon Osagie Alonge

Alonge's work spans half a century and records the reigns of Oba Akenzua II (1933–1978) and Oba Erediauwa (1979–2016). Alonge photographed the political and social events surrounding the royal palace, including the royal wives and children, visiting dignitaries and politicians, and annual festivals and court ceremonies. Over 3,000 of Alonge's photographs have been archived at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art.^[1]

His style combined traditional and modern motifs. Alonge took portraits outdoors with a large format, glass plate camera and a locally made studio backdrop. Using kerosene lanterns, he developed the glass plate negatives at night and contact printed the images on gaslight paper. Reading instruction booklets from Kodak and Ilford, he taught himself to mix his own chemicals and use sunlight to develop his prints. In 1940, Alonge began to retouch, sepia tone, and hand-colour his photographs. When electricity came to Benin in 1945, he was able to take studio portraits and develop his photos indoors.^[1] Alonge's first camera was a Kodak Brownie; later, he used a Rolleiflex and other 35 mm cameras, and finally high-speed film.^[2]

Alonge's photographs were intended for his subjects, for private home use, and for his personal interest in building a visual record. His subjects chose their own attire and presented themselves to the camera in preferred cultural attitudes.^[2]

In the late 1800s, the British seized control of Benin City, bringing with them their photographic traditions. British photographers depicted locals through the viewpoint of the colonist. The first photographs of Benin depicted defeated royal families in exile, burned palaces, and "punitive" expeditions. As the first indigenous royal court photographer, Alonge changed this narrative. His work helped to usher in an era of Nigerians representing themselves and acting as keepers of their own history. This shift allowed the subjects to present themselves in a way that they felt was dignified.^[4] One such photograph was that of a proud Oba Akenzua II displaying the royal regalia of his grandfather, Ovonramwen, that was returned by the British to Benin in 1938.^[2]

Alonge's photography preserves an important historical record of Benin arts and culture during the periods of British colonial rule and the transition to Nigerian independence during the 1950s and 1960s.^[5]

The National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., exhibited Alonge's work beginning in September 2014, displaying some of his rarely seen photographs. The exhibition, which coincided with the Nigerian celebration of 100 years as a united country, was curated by professor and photographer Flora S. Kaplan, who corresponded with Alonge and visited Benin in 1982.^[2] Among the first visitors to the exhibit were members of Benin's royal court and Alonge's family. Attendees included his colleagues and friends, his children, and Prince Ademola Iyi-Eweka, grandson of the oba who served from 1914 to 1933. Also present were many subjects of Alonge's photographs, then in their late 70s and 80s. After the exhibition, scheduled to continue until January 2016,^[4] was finished, it was hoped that the exhibition will return to Benin, where it will continue to be displayed.^[6]