Mary Henrietta Kingsley (1862-1900), Traveller and writer

Sitter in 1 portrait
Mary Kingsley was an explorer and writer who greatly influenced European ideas about Africa and its people. Her ethnographical studies drew attention to the importance of looking at West African societies from the inside out. Kingsley began travelling after the death of her parents, financing herself by carrying cloth that she traded for rubber and ivory. She also collected numerous insect, shell, plant, reptile, and fish specimens for the British Museum, as well as studying the culture and religion of the Fang people. Her travels brought success with her books Travels in West Africa (1897) and West African Studies (1899).