Sources on the visual history of African wildlife, 1940s to 1980s: images that changed the animal world

Abstract We have recently completed the draft of a book on the changing representation of East African wildlife from the 1940s to the 1980s. We have used many published texts as well as visual representations such as photographs, films, and television. The output of material in these years was huge. We suggest that these media representations were a significant, and neglected, element in the emergence of a global animal-centric conservationist ethos. This article discusses some of the people involved and the papers, many of them in private hands, that we used. We believe that this is valuable material and should, where possible, be acquired by archives. The material is scattered, especially in Kenya, the UK, and USA. In the UK, the University of Bristol library now houses the Wildscreen film archives and also some private papers that could form the foundation for a larger collection.