LATOUCHE (John) — CAUVIN (André) Congo. - Lot 192

Lot 192
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LATOUCHE (John) — CAUVIN (André) Congo. - Lot 192
LATOUCHE (John) — CAUVIN (André) Congo. Written by John Latouche. Photographed by André Cauvin. [New York], Willow, White & Co., 1945. In-4 (approx. 26 cm), publisher’s red cloth binding, title “CONGO” embossed in gold lettering on the front cover, 192/195 pp. according to bibliographic descriptions, numerous black-and-white photographs by André Cauvin. American first edition. An important photographic work devoted to the Belgian Congo, published immediately after World War II. The text was written by the American writer and lyricist John Latouche (1914–1956), while the photographs were taken by the Belgian filmmaker and photographer André Cauvin. The book is the result of a trip to the Congo sponsored by the Belgian government and combines narrative, ethnographic observations, and a wealth of photographic material. Today, it serves as both a visual record of the Congo in the 1940s and a revealing document of the Western and colonial perspective on the territory at that time. A review of the book was published as early as 1946 in the journal *Africa* of the International African Institute. Cauvin’s photographs play a central role: full-page portraits, scenes of daily life, landscapes, villages, activities, and customs. The photographs featured in your copy, particularly the remarkable portraits depicting scarification and traditional hairstyles, lend the volume genuine significance as a postwar book of African photography. First edition from 1945, not to be confused with the French edition adapted by Marianne Pierson-Piérard, published in Brussels by Elsevier around 1949 and comprising 207 pages. A fine copy without a dust jacket. Original red hardcover preserved, gilt title clearly visible on the front cover. Cloth slightly faded and rubbed, with a few marks and stains on the back cover, and minor rubbing on the headband and corners. Interior is particularly clean and fresh, with well-contrasted photographic prints. The absence of a dust jacket is worth noting, although a significant number of copies currently found on the market are also missing it.
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