J. A. Green

• Birthplace — Ayama, Kingdom of Bonny • Known for — early photography in historical Nigeria • Illustration — Ovonramwen, the Oba of Benin, photographed by Green on board the Niger Coast Protectorate SY Ivy, while the Oba was on his way to exile in 1897

Green was born in Ayama-Peterside, Kingdom of Bonny, present-day Rivers State, Nigeria, to Sunju Okoronkwoye Dublin Green and Idameinye Green. His father was a village chief and palm oil trader who died in 1875, after which Green was raised by his paternal uncle, Uruasi Dublin Green. He received his education at Bonny's Church Mission Society high school and in Lagos. Green learned the skills of a photographer in Sierra Leone around the early age of 18 and then founded his own studio in Bonny. The area where he lived became part of the British Oil Rivers protectorate in 1884, which was renamed the Niger Coast Protectorate in 1893. Most of his images were taken in Bonny, Opobo, and Kalabari. From 1900 onwards, these areas were part of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate for the last few years of Green's life. Green's photographic output encompassed a broad spectrum of subjects, ranging from portraits to images of daily and ritual life, commerce, and architectural scenes. Some of his more than 300 photographs were published in books and magazines in Europe and the US. Additionally, he produced both common picture postcards as well as real photo postcards with his logo embossed. Green was active as a photographer only for a short time, as he died at the early age of 32. His nephew, Gobo Green, later continued the photography business and a descendant, James A. Green, operated the studio until 1993.

• Illustration — Prince Archibong II, Calabar • Illustration — Chief Dore, Benin City • Illustration — Chief William Brown and his wives, Bonny, Nigeria • Illustration — Chief Arthur Prest and Erejuwa II, the Olu of Warri