Frank Jermyn:
Today I was reading a magazine when I came across this wonderful depiction of an Elephant. I cannot be sure if it is an Indian elephant or an African one from the drawing but either way it reminds me of my travels in Africa which I enjoyed ever so much. While in Africa, however, I did miss my wife Lucy-a woman who I assisted in opening her photography studio whom I later went on to marry- quite a bit. I remember when I told her I was going to Africa to replace my predecessor, Leadpoint, she was understandably distraught, however it was not an opportunity I would easily dismiss. While in Africa I got to see sights that most men of my standing could only dream of, I got to see elephants, monkeys, lions, and much more which I lack the knowledge to name at this time. My party also had interactions with many of the tribespeople and got to observe their customs and dances, which while peculiar to someone such as myself, were quite mesmerizing. I also made lifelong friendships on the expedition which have already begun to help catapult my career and open many new prospects. I was in charge of illustrating the sights we came across in Africa, if photography were not such a process I would have been ecstatic to bring my camera and get photos of what we saw, but with the long development processes and long exposure required to get a good photo it would have been futile.
21st century
Frank Jermyn was clearly a man who was passionate about his career and always seeking ways to improve his situation. His willingness to leave everything back home behind, including his wife, and take off to Africa for months in order to do work he cares about and find better job prospects proves this. Being away from home wasn’t the only risk involved in going to Africa, however, during the Victorian times Africa was a very wild place without much human development such as western medical practices. This implies that if Frank were to have gotten sick on his journey, he likely would have been met with the same fate as his predecessor who had likely passed away from some disease out in Africa, hence the need for a replacement. Even though it is evident Frank supports new woman ideals based on his support and assistance in his wife opening a photography studio, it is also clear that he was a career and financially driven man. Frank heading to Africa from London to improve his job prospects may seem counterintuitive given that Europe was undoubtedly the hearth of the Victorian Era, however this is not the case. In the late 1800s, there was widespread imperialism and colonialism by Europe in Africa and Asia. One major goal of England throughout this period was to maintain control of the Suez Canal and the surrounding countries in order to keep the region from being taken by France or Germany (Gallagher 62). While colonialism was certainly the reason Frank could find so many new job prospects in Africa, it is likely that as an artist, Frank was there on an expedition more aimed at exploration and more likely than not finding natural resources. Based on my reading, Frank’s efforts were successful and his career back in London really blossomed once he returned.
BravuraMedia. Vintage Illustration of an Elephant (1890). RedBubble, https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/35030965/comments.
Robinson, Ronald, et al. “Africa and the Victorians.” The Canadian Historical Review, vol. 43, no. 1, Mar. 1962, pp. 62–63, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-05917-1.