After my exhibition Intended for Jamaica opened, I made an intriguing discovery: I realised that one of the commercial prints I had featured was the same as one collected by Helen Caddick (1845–1927), as documented in her travel diaries and preserved in the Library of Birmingham Archives. This surprising connection highlights how we both acquired the same print, bridging a historical gap between her time and mine.
Image: A Native Cane Mill Jamaica (reproduction print) unknown publication photography credited to James Johnson Esq, MD, Jamaica, from Tracey Thorne's Jamaica Collection, exhibited in (2024) Intended for Jamaica.
Unlike Caddick, who bought her print in Jamaica, I stumbled across the same print on eBay while researching Boulton & Watt steam engines used for powering sugar mills on sugar plantations in Jamaica during the 19th century. My focus was on understanding how sugar mills were powered before steam technology, which led me to this image. Dating from around the 1880s-1890s, the print depicts a group of people using a small sugar cane crusher with a horse nearby, extracting sugar from the cane. This photograph is reminiscent of colonial imagery made during the late 19th century. Reflecting also the early use of photography to document such scenes in Jamaica.
I placed the image in an exhibition case alongside other artefacts, including a contemporary cyanotype of a watermill and a photograph of the ruins of an eighteenth-century windmill.
Photograph: A Native Sugar Mill in Jamaica in a display case in the exhibition Intended for Jamaica at the Library of Birmingham, 2024.
The photograph was taken by James Johnston (1851–1921), a British missionary, early photographer, doctor, and explorer. Johnston established a mission in Brown's Town, Jamaica, where he pursued his photographic interests to document the local community. I discovered the photograph on eBay, torn from a photographic book. Such books were popular during the late 19th century, and often showcased Jamaica's picturesque landscapes and colonial life.
Recently, a conversation I had led me to spot the print in a book called Making Connections: Birmingham Black International History (2002), edited by Ian Grosvenor, Rita McLean, and Sian Roberts. To my surprise, I found a copy of the print on page 48, identified as being in Helen Caddick’s travel diaries in the West Indies, 1900 which are held at the Library of Birmingham.
Image: Book page in Making Connections: Birmingham Black International History (2002), edited by Ian Grosvenor, Rita McLean, and Sian Roberts
Helen Caddick’s (1845–1927) photographic work offers a rare and often overlooked female perspective on the Americas and other places around the world that she visited, showcasing extraordinary visual storytelling that has left us with a vast collection that can help us reflect on the legacies of British colonialism.
Travelling to Jamaica in 1900 as part of a tour through the USA, Mexico, and the West Indies, her images, preserved in her detailed diaries, document Jamaican society during a period of significant transformation. As a female photographer in a predominantly male field, Caddick’s contributions are notable not only for their historical value but also for challenging the historical invisibility of women in photography.
Photograph: Helen Caddick, from Diary of Travels by Helen Caddick of Birmingham, Vol 6, USA., Mexico & West Indies 1900-1901, Library of Birmingham, Ref: MS 908/6
Her diaries reveal that she not only captured her own images but also acquired photographs from commercial studios in the places she visited. For instance, she visited Duperly & Son on King Street in Kingston and purchased their photographs. Interestingly, I've also collected prints by Duperly & Son and had the chance to visit the location where the old studio had been several years ago. Founded by Adolphe Duperly (1801–1865), a French-born photographer known for his publication Picturesque Jamaica, the studio was renowned for its depictions of landscapes and daily life in colonial Jamaica. Evidence on the reverse of the photographs pasted into Caddick’s diaries confirms these purchases.
Caddick’s illustrated photographic travel diaries, which remain largely tucked away in boxes, offer an important resource for understanding 19th-century photography and the legacies of colonialism. Her vivid portrayal of Caribbean landscapes and people not only showcases the photographic practices of her time but also reflects the cultural and imperial biases of her era. By studying her work, we can explore how colonialism influenced both the content and context of photography and how women’s contributions have shaped our historical narratives. However, her remarks often make for uncomfortable reading due to the prevailing colonial attitudes. Engaging with her diaries allows us to reflect on the legacies of those who captured the world through an imperial lens.
I only had time to examine one volume today and didn’t manage to read everything, so I plan to immerse myself further in the volume on the 'West Indies'. There's so much to explore and recover in these pages.
I wish I had discovered Helen Caddick's diaries before the exhibition opening, but I hope this blog serves as a valuable connection to an important part of the story behind one of the prints in the exhibition, A Native Sugar Mill in Jamaica. The discovery of a copy of this print in Helen’s diaries has added greater significance to it.
Photograph: A Native Sugar Mill in Jamaica from Diary of Travels by Helen Caddick of Birmingham, Vol 6, USA., Mexico & West Indies 1900-1901, Library of Birmingham, Ref: MS 908/6
The diaries are remarkable, and reading Caddick’s work has been truly eye-opening. Including this volume in the exhibition, would have provided an opportunity to further highlight Birmingham’s historical connections to the Caribbean.
Helen lived in Edgbaston in Birmingham. At the end of this volume (6) after this epic voyage dated Friday, September the 13th she writes 'Reached New Street Birmingham at
7-20.
Helen Caddick's travel diaries and photograph albums are stored in Birmingham archives held at the Library of Birmingham - the reference for these items is MS 908. The archives other material and additional works are held in Sandwell Archives.
Photograph: Helen Caddick, from Diary of
Travels by Helen
Caddick of Birmingham, Vol 6, USA.,
Mexico & West Indies 1900-1901,
Library of Birmingham, Ref: MS 908/6
Intended for Jamaica exhibition was supported by a grant from Arts Council England and the exhibition is delivered in partnership with the Library of Birmingham.
Additional References
The Travels of Helen Caddick - Connecting Histories
Helen Caddick Collection - Sandwell Museums
Comments