Group of seven original gelatin silver photographs from the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, including images of Emperor Haile Selassie, Ras Mulugheta, Fox Movietone news cameramen, and the female war reporter Mademoiselle Schusser.
Bibliographic Details
Author / Compiler: Anonymous.
Date: 1935–1936.
Medium: Original gelatin silver photographs.
Quantity: Seven photographs.
Mount: Mounted recto and verso on a single contemporary buff album leaf.
Photograph Size: Approx. 12 × 8.8 cm each.
Album Leaf Size: Approx. 30.7 × 20.5 cm.
Captions: Contemporary captions written in black ink beneath each photograph.
Special Feature: One photograph includes Amharic (Ge'ez script) inscription within the photographic image area.
Condition
Very Good overall condition. Photographs remain crisp with strong tonal range and sharp detail. No significant fading or silvering observed. Ink captions are clearly legible and confidently written. The photograph bearing Amharic script remains especially clear. Please ask if you require a more detailed condition report or examine the gallery images closely.
Description
A rare and historically compelling group of seven original photographs documenting people and events connected with the Second Italo-Ethiopian War (1935–1936), the conflict in which Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in an attempt to expand Italy’s colonial empire in Africa.
Mounted together on a contemporary album leaf and accompanied by handwritten captions, the photographs provide an unusually varied record of individuals connected with the campaign, including military leaders, journalists, and religious figures. The images appear to have been assembled by someone with direct interest in the conflict, and the captions help identify several notable personalities present during the campaign.
Photograph Subjects
Mademoiselle Schusser. An uncommon image of a female war correspondent shown typing a dispatch at Masgal, probably close to the Ethiopian front lines. Photographs of women working as war reporters during this period are rare and highlight the early participation of women in frontline journalism.
Fox Movietone News Crew. An image showing Hal Waldron and Oto Yusuf of Fox Movietone News, the American newsreel company whose film crews documented major world events for cinema audiences. Their presence illustrates the intense international media interest surrounding the Ethiopian campaign.
The “Popez” Plane. A rare photograph of an aircraft identified as the “Popez” plane photographed in its hangar before being destroyed by incendiary bullets. The image reflects the fragile aviation infrastructure present during the conflict and the increasing role of air power in modern warfare.
The Abuna and the Emperor. A striking image showing Abuna Qerellos IV, head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, together with Emperor Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian ruler who led resistance to the Italian invasion and later became an international symbol of anti-colonial resistance.
Ras Mulugheta. Portrait of the Ethiopian Minister of War and commander-in-chief Ras Mulugheta Yeggazu. The photograph includes an Amharic inscription written directly within the image area. Ras Mulugheta was killed in February 1936 during the Battle of Amba Aradam.
Count Vinci. A portrait identified as Count Antonio Vinci, likely connected to the Italian administrative or military presence during the campaign.
Priests in Festival Dress. A visually rich scene depicting Ethiopian Orthodox clergy wearing ceremonial vestments. The photograph offers an important cultural counterpoint to the wartime images and illustrates the resilience of Ethiopian religious life during the conflict.
Historical Context
The Second Italo-Ethiopian War represented one of the most significant colonial conflicts of the interwar period. The invasion provoked international condemnation and exposed the weakness of the League of Nations when economic sanctions failed to halt Mussolini’s campaign. The conflict also marked a turning point in global attitudes toward fascist expansion and imperial aggression.
Images taken during the campaign—especially those identifying key Ethiopian leaders and international media representatives—are relatively scarce. Photographs accompanied by contemporary handwritten captions such as these are particularly valuable as primary visual documents of the conflict.
Notes
Original photographs from the Ethiopian campaign of 1935–1936 remain highly sought after by collectors of African history, photojournalism, and twentieth-century military history.
The presence of figures such as Haile Selassie and Ras Mulugheta, together with documentary evidence of international news coverage, makes this an especially interesting visual archive of the conflict.