“Alcohol and Art”: Charles Davidson Bell and his cari-catured images of Colonial Khoikhoi in early nineteenth century Century South Africa

Abstract

International interest in and encounters between Europeans and the “Hottentots” (Khoikhoi) of South Africa date back and span many centuries. Recurrent colonial encounters influenced the way in which artists, engravers, travel writers and colonial observers represented the Khoikhoi people. The production and reproduction of perceived images of these people in European literature and art not only reinforced distorted images of the Khoikhoi population but, moreover, influenced the perceptions of those who laid eyes on the Khoikhoi for the first time. Against this backdrop, the colonial artist Charles Davidson Bell had produced a few sketches of Khoikhoi men and women, depicting them either as useless drunkards or lazy members of Cape society. My paper attempts to explore how Bell through personal observation captured and caricatured some Khoikhoi men and women and created his own “characterisation” of Khoikhoi colonial identities and “native types”.

Internasionale belangstelling in en ontmoetinge tussen Europeërs en die “Hottentotte” (Khoikhoi) van Suid-Afrika dateer terug baie eeue. Herhaalde koloniale ontmoetinge wat oor die eeue gestrek het, het kunstenaars, grafeerders, reisbeskrywers en koloniale waarnemers, beïnvloed hoe hulle die Khoikhoi voorgestel het. Die skepping en her-skepping van voorgestelde beelde van die Khoikhoimense in Europese literatuur en kuns het nie slegs hierdie verwronge voorstellings van die Khoikhoi bevolking beaam nie, maar dit het ook die persepsies beïnvloed van diegene wat vir die eerste keer in aanraking met die Khoikhoi gekom het. Teen hierdie agtergrond het die koloniale kunstenaar Charles Davidson Bell, verskeie sketse geteken waarin Khoikhoimans en vroue uitgebeeld word as dronkaards en lui lede binne die Kaapse samelewing. In hierdie artikel word gepoog en verken hoedat Bell deur persoonlike waarneming ’n aantal karikature van sommige Khoikhoimans en vroue geskets het, en dus sy eie “karakterbeeld” van koloniale Khoikhoi identiteite en “inboorling tipes” geskep het.