FRENCH WEST AFRICA. Boucle du Niger, circa 1930. Approximate - Lot 375

FRENCH WEST AFRICA. Boucle du Niger, circa 1930. Approximately 260 color magic lantern plates, 8.5 x 10 cm. About ten broken. The Boucle du Niger refers to the regions south of the Niger River. Koupela, Tenkodogo, Gao sur Niger, Mossi, Boussancés, Yarcis, Peulhs, Kaoussahs, Songhais, Touaregs, Armas peoples, etc. "According to Captain Paul Voulet, who explored the region at the end of the 19th century, this is "that vast region of West Africa which the ocean bathes to the south and which the great river limits almost everywhere else. Beyond the river, towards the north, are the often deserted Saharan steppes; inside the immense loop, on the contrary, are the fertile regions, watered by numerous streams and equatorial rains, and where a more clement nature has taken pleasure in making man's existence easier and gentler. The northernmost regions of the loop are located in Mali between the cities of Timbuktu and Gao." Wikipedia