Color photograph of the facade of a store with cars parked out front and figures around the enterence

Untitled (44UN-7982-128), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), 1958

Todd Webb

Archival pigment print

Courtesy of the Todd Webb Archive L2020.85.40

Not on View

At first glance, this photograph of a South African–owned department store in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) appears to illustrate the dynamics of a burgeoning modern economy. However, the realities were more complex: the store provided essential commodities, but it diverted Black workers’ earnings from locally owned businesses, contributing to systemic policies that limited the economic prospects of non-white residents.

Image: In Copyright. Courtesy of the Todd Webb Archive

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