| Thanks to the work of several generations of enthusiasts, and to Hugues Fontaine’s careful analysis of the available sources in his recent book, we may conclude that Rimbaud’s photographic adventure in Harar lasted only a single month: May 1883.
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“ARTHUR RIMBAUD AND PHOTOGRAPHY” (following previous article) It all began with coffee. Bardey, Rimbaud’s employer, started questioning the stories surrounding the trade. At Aden, Bardey realized he was being misled: the “Moka” coffee he bought was not from Yemen. Instead, large shipments were arriving from the northern coast of the Horn of Africa, an area known to the Arabs as “Barr Adjam”—the “unknown land.” This coffee, labeled “Berberah” after the Somali port, was considered equal to Moka but actually came from mountain country said to be thirty or forty days by caravan inland from Berberah and Zeilah. That region, the true heartland of coffee, was called Adaré or Harar. This was the adventure Bardey proposed, and Rimbaud accepted. 16 November 1880. Rimbaud leaves Aden by ship for Zeilah with two team members and one guide. 13 December 1880. He settles in Harar with companions, housed in the former residence of Raouf-Pacha, made available by the Bardey trading house. This would become Rimbaud’s “photographic studio”.
During this time, discussions start around acquiring a camera. Rimbaud hopes for an apparatus, but it never arrives, and logistics remain complicated for the Bardey Agency in Harar. January 1881. Rimbaud returns to Aden From Aden, Rimbaud outlines his personal plan: “I am setting out to make a work for the Geographical Society, with maps and engravings, on Harar and the Galla region. I am currently ordering a camera from Lyon. I will take it to Harar and bring back images from these unknown lands—it’s a very good venture. I also need instruments for topographic work and to take latitudes. When this work is finished, and received by the Society, I may be able to secure funding for further travels. The thing is very easy.” (Letter to family, 18 January 1882) November 1882. The equipment—expensive and complex—was finally assembled for shipping in autumn 1882: a five-month salary investment, 1,850 francs, with an additional 600 francs paid from Charleville by his mother. March 1883. After a detour via Mauritius, the camera reached Aden and on 22 March 1883, Rimbaud leaves Aden for Harar with his long-awaited photographic kit. Ca. 20 April 1883, Riombaud is back in Harar, once again at the Bardey house—now, definitely, the studio.
Photo sessions begin, several in the courtyard of the Bardey house and photographic prints are produced, only seven will survive. 6 May 1883: Rimbaud mails three prints to his family. Shortly after, he sends more prints (probably less than a dozen, four survive today) to Bardey, who acknowledges receipt on 24 July 1883. By late August, Rimbaud explains to Bardey that the rainy season of the three past months (June–August) has prevented any new photography. This timeline leaves little room for doubt: all surviving photographs made by Rimbaud date from a narrow window—between the end of April and the end of May 1883. If we consider he lost no time in writing a letter to his family, the first essays are probably very close to the date of 6 May 1883. In short: after two and half years of anticipation and setbacks, Arthur Rimbaud’s adventure as a photographer in Harar lasted just one month— let say May 1883.
Each image appears as a gentle enlargement, printed by Andrea Franceschetti on handmade Fabriano paper. The result is an intimate setting that invites viewers to encounter these rare images up close.
Hugues Fontaine, as well as several photographers from Senigallia, emphasize—based on what we can judge—the quality of Arthur Rimbaud’s photographs: “It’s the darkest area of the image where these details would have disappeared if the exposure had been set incorrectly. On the left, a staircase rises to the upper floor. Under the stairs are piled a few hides or sacks—a broken elephant tusk, discarded, perhaps?”
“The care taken with composition in these photographs is clear, both in the self-portraits and in the portraits of Sotiro and the daboula maker. In these prints, you see exactly what Rimbaud intended by choosing the placement of his camera and composing the image—reversed—on the ground glass. Printed by direct contact, the negative image is reproduced as is on paper: there’s no cropping. Each time, you can see the intention to balance the volumes of the surroundings or landscape with the figure in the photograph. In the self-portrait with ‘arms crossed in a banana grove,’ Rimbaud positions himself on the left, composing an image meant—as we’ve said—to show the landscape as much as the person. This somewhat unorthodox arrangement must have displeased one past owner of the print, as traces of a later mounting can be seen: by recentering the composition on Rimbaud himself, part of the garden was cut away—going against the author’s intent.” (Fontaine)
In this article, the seven known photographs by Arthur Rimbaud, taken in his Harar studio in May 1883, are presented in an unconventional order. First, to question whether they present any particular quality. Next, we can observe the two images taken inside the Bardey house—note the same wooden railing in both. Then, we bring together the two photographs from the banana garden; as has been observed, the chemical quality of the portrait of Sotiro is much better, and the photograph itself is better preserved.
As for the last three: one is of the Harar market, but it is rather too blurry for an audience in 1883 already keen on instant images.
Historical and oral traditions relate that Abadir, a scholar from the Hijaz (present-day Saudi Arabia), was invited by the local ruler, Amir Haboba, to bring peace and unity to the then-fractious region. He is said to have arrived in Harar around 1216 AD (612H), accompanied by other religious leaders, his family, and fellow saints.
And finally, there is that very damaged photograph which still intrigues and troubles commentators. How does one make a self-portrait in which one is not visible at all?
“This final, terrible photograph where you see him all in black, with bare feet and head, dressed like a convict, his feet bare on the banks of that Abyssinian river. (They showed me his portrait, half-erased, there—the blackened face, near that Ethiopian river.)” —Paul Claudel, Journal, July 2, 1912 It was not until 1922 that the photograph was finally published, appearing in La Banderole. STILL MISSINGBardey sent all or part of the photographic prints he received from Rimbaud to the Société de Géographie on 24 November 1883. They were later returned—date unknown. He then sent some of them to Paterne Berrichon on 6 June 1898. In his letters, Bardey mentions a self-portrait of Rimbaud, barefoot, and a portrait of Ahmed Ouadi Bey, Egyptian Officer in Harar—both of which are still missing. For anyone interested in those photograph, Fontaine’s book offers guidance on how it might be found (page 103). Honestly, no respectable paper library should be without it. Think of this as a quiet push in the right direction.
If you would like to contact Hugues to talk with him or ask questions about Harar, simply click on one of the images to visit his blog at https://rimbaudphotographe.eu or send him an email at the following address: huguesfontaine La Fotografia è la più bella delle collezioni … Senigallia, città della fotografia, ospitera nuovi spazi dedicato alla ricerca e promozione della fotografia. Atelier 41 si trova 41 via fratelli Bandiera. Senigallia diventerà la Città delle collezioni. Any question : fotografia
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