The names of Burton and Speke, Stanley and Livingstone have been etched indelibly into the annals of British history. But less known are those of the men who led the explorers’ entourages, acted as diplomats and even carried them when the going got tough. Drawn from Bombay Africans 1850–1910, an exhibition showing at the RGS-IBG until 29 November, these images tell the stories of these right-hand men – many of whom were liberated African slaves hired in India



October 2007