Smithsonian National Museum of African Art Exhibits 60 Years of Nigerian Royalty and Style

On September 17, 2014, The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art debuted an exhibit that allowed art and history lovers to peek through a door not accessible to most. "Nigerian Chief S.O. Alonge: Photographer to the Royal Court of Benin, Nigeria" is a breathtakingly stunning photography exhibition that boasts haunting, yet captivating portraits of Benin elite.

The Smithsonian NMAA Website provided a brief history of the featured works:

"Solomon Osagie Alonge (1911–1994) is one of Nigeria’s premiere photographers and the first official photographer of the royal court of Benin, Nigeria. His work spans half a century and presents a dynamic continuous record of the reigns of Oba Akenzua II (1933–78) and Oba Erediauwa (1979–present) and the political and social events surrounding the royal palace.

For five decades, Alonge photographed the royal wives and children, visiting dignitaries and politicians, and annual festivals and court ceremonies from a unique insider’s perspective.Chief Alonge’s legacy includes 60 years of photography—an archive of over 3,000 images that represents an unprecedented visual history of Benin royalty and society in the 20th century. His photographs have been compared to the famous bronze plaques of the Benin kingdom, as modern visual records that preserve a history of Edo-speaking peoples."

The exibit closes on January 10, 2016. For more information, visit The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art here. In the meantime, take a look at some of Cheif Solomon Osagie Alonge's gorgeous portraiture below!