For more than a decade — since Tamakloe began managing the Deo Gratias Photo Studio, which her grandfather set up in the Jamestown area of Accra, Ghana in 1922 — she has overseen an archive of some 50,000 images. “Photographers of that generation were not capturing images for recognition or with the aim of being showcased in an exhibition,” explained Muluneh. Later, he trained with J.A.C Holm (another Ghana-based photographer) for three years before establishing his own studio aged just 23. I needed to sort out the archive.”For the past 12 years, Tamakloe has been digitalizing her grandfather’s pictures. “Unveiling the Shadows of the Past: J. K. Bruce-Vanderpuije — The Hidden Icon of Photography in Africa” runs until Feb. 20, 2024 at Efie Gallery, Dubai.
