Three Old Women, Kikuyu, Kenya, ca.1911

"The women in that land are the beasts of burden; the father sells his daughter for a sum of 50 to 60 sheep, and there-after she becomes the property of her husband. Her work is to weed and cultivate her garden, sew, plant, and harvest it, to go to the forest to cut firewood, bringing back a load weighing anything from ten to fourteen stone, to help to make her husband, and the other old men, to make his pots and to cook his food, and that of the other members of the family. Her life is a hard one, and not relieved by much In the way of pleasure. No wonder then she soon becomes an old woman, one of many wives, without much joy in the present, and no hope for the future." Group portrait of three older, indigenous women, wearing many beaded necklaces as part of the tribal dress. ❧ "This Lecture was prepared by Dr J.W. Arthur in October 1911 on his voyage to Mombasa. The set of slides is the gift to the Kikuyu Mission of the Young Peoples Meeting at the Burgh Hall, Hillhead, of which he was for many years a member." A green folder marked 'Kikuyu' and containing lecture notes and relevant photographs to accompany lantern slides.该地女性宛若役畜般承担全部劳作：父亲将女儿以50至60只羊的价格变卖，此后她便成为丈夫的私产。她需为园地除草、耕作、缝纫、播种与收获，前往森林砍伐柴火并背负10至14英石的重物返回，协助丈夫与其他年长男性制作陶罐、烹制食物，同时照料家族其他成员的饮食起居。她的人生困苦不堪，鲜有娱乐慰藉，无怪乎她很快便年华老去，成为众多妻子中的一员，当下毫无欢愉可言，未来亦无希望可寻。 三张年长原住民女性的集体肖像，她们佩戴多串珠饰项链作为部族服饰的组成部分。 ※ 本讲稿由J·W·亚瑟博士于1911年10月在前往蒙巴萨的航程中撰写。该组幻灯幻灯片由希尔黑德堡厅青年集会赠予基库尤（Kikuyu）传教团，亚瑟博士多年来均为该集会成员。 一个标注有‘基库尤（Kikuyu）’字样的绿色文件夹，内附用于配合幻灯演示的讲稿笔记与相关影像资料。