Sof'town Blues: Images from the Black '50's (Special Binding)

Johannesburg: Published by Author, 1994

4to (29.6 x 24 x 1.7cm) 160pp. Special full leather hardcover binding, with gilt lettering to spine and front board. Original lint with Nedbank bookmark attached as issued.

'Jürgen Schadeberg (18 March 1931–29 August 2020) was a German-born South African photographer and artist. He photographed key moments in South African history, including iconic photographs such as Nelson Mandela at Robben Island prison. He also lived, worked and taught in London and Spain, and photographed in many African countries.

He moved to South Africa to rejoin his family in 1950 and, the following year, found employment on Drum magazine as official photographer and layout artist. Schadeberg became the senior figure of the group and a teacher and mentor to some of the most creative South African photographers of his time, including Bob Gosani, Ernest Cole, and later Peter Magubane. As one of the few white photographers who photographed daily life among the black community, he became knowledgeable about black life and culture. As a result, he captured on film the beginnings of the freedom movement, the effects of apartheid, and the vibrancy of township life.

Schadeberg photographed many historic and pivotal events in the 1950s among them the Defiance Campaign of 1952, the 1956 Treason Trial, the Sophiatown removals of 1955, the Sophiatown jazz and social scene, the Sharpeville funeral of 1960, and pictures of Robben Island inmates. Some of the famous people he photographed include Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, Trevor Huddleston, and Govan Mbeki. He also documented 1950s jazz legends such as Thandi Klaasen, Hugh Masekela, Kippie Moeketsi and Miriam Makeba.' (wikipedia.com)

Condition: Very good. Slight rubbing and a few very small scuff marks to the boards and spine. Slight yellowing to the edges of pages, more pronounced to the first and last few pages. The photographs and text are clean and clear. A solidly bound copy.