industries, and the Jamaican people. In the section titled Picturesque Jamaica , the ravishing beauty of the island captured by nineteenth-century practitioners is abundantly evident in breathtaking vistas of the famed tropical paradise, which Christopher Columbus described as the most beautiful island that has yet been seen . Jamaica s post-emancipation history is reflected in rare photographs of sites, personalities and events surrounding the so-called Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865, which form a significant sequence, as does the poignant penultimate section, which deals with the destruction of Kingston in the earthquake and fire that ravaged Jamaica s capital in 1907. The final sequence, which shows a new Kingston being rebuilt and developed, is a moving tribute to the resilience of the Jamaican people. This fascinating collection clearly demonstrates that historic photographs can be used as a sharp-edged historical tool, to analyse the evolution of what is now one of the most fascinatingly complex and vibrant societies in the world.

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