Lot n° 69
Estimation :
1500 - 2000
EUR
Result without fees
Result
: 2 520EUR
CONGO BELGE - CHEMIN DE FER Set of 9 albums on the Chemins d - Lot 69
CONGO BELGE - CHEMIN DE FER Set of 9 albums on the Chemins de fer du Congo by Charles Janssen, Photographic archives of the Compagnie de Chemin de Fer du Katanga, Belgian Congo, 1920-1930. Leopold III's trip to the Congo in August 1925, creation and development of the railway network, Charles Janssen's activities in the Congo as director of the C.F.K. Personal photographs, railway infrastructure and major engineering structures, means of locomotion (motorcycles, automobiles, steamships, liners), urban views and landscapes, portraits and scenes of local life. Photographs. 9 albums containing around 822 vintage silver prints, some with captions, including 1 signed by the future King Leopold III. Visiting card from Charles Janssen on the 2nd cover. Images: 4 x 6.5 cm to 24 x 29.7 cm; albums: 13.5 x 18.5 cm to 30.5 x 40.5 cm At the end of the XIXᵉ century, the mining enclave of Katanga emerged as one of Africa's richest mineral regions: copper, cobalt, zinc, and later uranium at Shinkolobwe. The main challenge was to transport this production to a seaport. To break this isolation, the Comité spécial du Katanga (CSK) created the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Katanga (CFK) on March 11, 1902. This was followed, on October 31, 1906, by the creation of the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Bas-Congo au Katanga (BCK), responsible for extending the network to the northwest and the Atlantic Ocean. Between 1920 and 1930, the period corresponding to our albums, Katanga's rail network underwent major strategic development. Under the direction of Odon Jadot, the Bukama-Port-Franqui line, almost 1,000 kilometers long, was built. It linked the Katanga mines to the Congo River and Leopoldville, opening up a continuous rail-river axis to the port of Matadi. At the same time, the Tenke-Dilolo section, completed around 1930, connected the network to the Benguela Railway, linking Katanga to the Atlantic port of Lobito, Angola. These two links enabled copper, and later cobalt, to be exported to Europe faster and more cheaply. Appointed director of CFK in 1925, Charles-Henri Janssen played a central role in coordinating this work. That same year, he welcomed Crown Prince Leopold on his official tour of the Congo. The railway network became a fundamental tool for the colonial economy and Belgian control over the region.
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