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Soldiers of the Force Publique
Émile Gorlia (1887-1966)
c. 1912, silver gelatin print and water colors
Gift of Sanford M. and Nancy H. Harris
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives
National Museum of African Art
Smithsonian Institution
1977-0001-152

The Force Publique (Public force), which consisted of soldiers from many African countries and Congolese conscripts, commanded by white officers, was responsible for many of the atrocities committed in the Congo Free State. Émile Gorlia was a Belgian judge in Léopoldville and Lusambo from 1902 to 1929. His photographs and his collection of images by other photographers entered the museum's collection in 1977.