Self-portrait with a store assistant at the West African Drug Company

James Barnor

1952 (printed 2023)

Gelatin silver print

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A man holds a twin-lens reflex camera to take a selfie in a store, with a woman standing beside him and other figures blurred in the background. James Barnor’s 1952 photograph offers a triple portrait; depicting the artist, a store attendant, and a small sliver of life in Accra in the years leading up to Ghana’s independence from Britain in 1957. Trained as both a portrait photographer and photojournalist, Barnor blends both traditions here. By pointing his camera at a mirror, Barnor places himself and his work in the bustle of the store, while the smiling young woman leaning against the counter. Gallery Not on View The Walter McCarthy and Clara Ueland Endowment for Photographs and gift of funds from an anonymous donor