Lady Jackson's Kenya album

An album of prints whose subjects include scenes on the Simba River, in the Aderdare Mountains, Laikipia, and elsewhere; views in Nairobi, including a race meeting, Government House, and the Jackson's house (48); a settler's house in Naivasha (71); and Masai men and women. Four photographs taken from the same point show the gradual break-up of a sailing ship wrecked off Mombasa (84-87); and there are photographs of individuals such as A.H. Neumann (25), 'Lord John' Wilson of Smith Mackenzie and Co. (45), Sir Ralph and Lady Combe (7-8, 56), and the Jacksons themselves (27, 34, 45, 57, 75).
Frederick John Jackson (1860-1929) first went to East Africa on a hunting expedition in 1884. He later joined the service of the imperial British East Africa Company and in 1894 was appointed by the Foreign Office as a First Class Assistant in Uganda. In 1902, following boundary changes, his post was transferred to the East Africa Protectorate (Later Kenya) from which he returned to Uganda as Governor in 1911. During his leave in 1904 he married Aline Cooper and this photograph album was collected by her during their years in Kenya. After his death Lady Jackson completed his unfinished autobiography 'Early days in East Africa' and eventually in 1938 saw the publication of his 'Birds of Kenya and Uganda.' She continued to live at St. Leonards on Sea until her death at the age of 88 on 27 May 1966. One of her regular visitors was H.B. Thomas, who had served in Uganda during Sir Frederick's Governorship, and she gave him a number of items relating to Sir Frederick's service in Africa, including this album, which he presented to the RCS. Before doing so he added a number of notes to the captions under the pictures for fuller identification.

Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).

Presented to the Royal Commonwealth Society by H.B. Thomas around 1970.

Includes index.

A catalogue of the collection can be found on ArchiveSearch.

This collection is available on microfiche: Africa, fiche number 76.

The album is black, with padded covers, but lacking a spine. The photographs are in generally good condition.

For Frederick Jacksons publications see: Jackson, Frederick John (1930), 'Early days in East Africa - by the late Sir Frederick Jackson', London: E. Arnold & Co; Jackson, Frederick John (1938) 'The birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate,' London.

This collection level description was entered by WS using information from the original typescript catalogue.

DateText: The dates are approximate..

Lady Jackson