Traditional tanning Photo

Photographer’s Note

In ancient history, tanning was considered a noxious or "odiferous trade" and relegated to the outskirts of town, amongst the poor. Indeed, tanning by ancient methods is so foul smelling that tanneries are still isolated from those towns today where the old methods are used.
In northern Cameroon these methods are still actuals.
People use leather for waterskins, bags, harnesses, boats, armor, quivers, scabbards, boots and sandals. Skins typically arrived at the tannery dried stiff and dirty with soil and gore. First, the tanners would soak the skins in water to clean and soften them. Then they would pound and scour the skin to remove any remaining flesh and fat. Next, the tanner needed to remove the hair fibers from the skin. This was done by either soaking the skin in urine, painting it with an alkaline lime mixture, or simply letting the skin putrefy for several months then dipping it in a salt solution. After the hair fibers were loosened, the tanners scraped them off with a knife.
Once the hair was removed, the tanners would bate the material by pounding dung into the skin or soaking the skin in a solution of animal brains.
The traditional tanner might use his bare feet to knead the skins in the dung water, and the kneading could last two or three hours. Depending on the type of dung used, the mixture might be rather acidic, causing irritation or minor burns during its prolonged contact with human skin.
It was this combination of animal feces mixed with decaying flesh that made ancient tanneries so odiferous.
Leftover leather would be turned into glue. Tanners would place scraps of hides in a vat of water and let them deteriorate for months. The mixture would then be placed over a fire to boil off the water to produce hide glue.

vonp, Deepforest, Silvio1953, grigand, Wanda1, Ertan, Charo, Angshu, bebep trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

Deepforest (8823) 2007-06-05 15:25

Hi Alberto,
very interesting shot and excellent note. Good composition and natural colours. I think my friend who loves reptiles wouldn't be happy to see this scene...
Best regards,
Andrzej

grigand (12756) 2007-06-05 16:38

Ciao Alberto,
Un'immagine forse un pò cruda ma interessantissima e ben fatta, bravo.
ciao
andrea

Wanda1 (11015) 2007-06-05 23:42

Hi Alberto,
This is a very good shot of this ancient process and daily life scene. I like your off centre composition of the man and his skin at the tanning hole. I also like that we are able to see the rest of the surroundings and the goats in the background are great and add that bit of extra interest. A very interesting image witha good descriptive note.
Regards
Wanda

vincz (19043) 2007-06-06 2:41

Une image comme celle-la ne pouvait venir que d'Afrique! Tres impressionante, tres inattendue cette scene dans ce decor d'abandon.

vonp (2235) 2007-06-06 3:38

Ciao Albertone!!!
Questa è la fine che potresti fare se non ti fai sentire la prossima volta che passi da Milano :))))))))
Bellissima l'immagine: per quanto cruda,la composizione ben interpreta un momento che per qualcuno è comune.
Dispiace che, oltre al povero coccodrillo, che avrebbe preferito una fine migliore, al ragzzo rimarrà ben poco rispetto al commerciante che venderà la cintura, la borsa o che altro fatta con la pelle del povero bestione:(
That's life... Comunque, bello il POV e l'inquadratura.
Quando sei in Italia? Ho in macchina Samsara che scalpita;)
Buona Notte
Paolo

Silvio1953 (42579) 2007-06-06 8:40

Ciao Alberto, ecco come da coccodrillo uno si trasforma in una borsetta,un po' triste ma interessante, ottima foto con grande nitidezza e buona nota, ciao Silvio

Clementi (44919) 2007-06-06 13:31

Ciao Alberto ,
bella immagine ottima realizzazione ,
certo loro lo mangiano ma da noi ci fanno le borse ,
e comunque fa' sempre un certo effetto vedere la fine di questi animali.
Giorgio

Ertan (2979) 2007-06-06 16:23

Hi Alberto
Very interesting shot.Good composition and nice idea.Excellent work.Well done.
Best Regards
Ertan

brevbrev14 (372) 2007-06-08 9:04

ciao Alberto!
impressionante questa immagine!mi dispiace per il coccodrillo...povero...
ottima nota!
ciao!
Valeria

Charo (31677) 2007-06-08 13:26

Hola Alberto,
Impresionante foto de esta curtiduría tan especial que nos hace ver estos métodos tan primitivos e impactantes.
Buena composición y estupendo color y definición.
Saludos cordiales
Charo

Jgirl (27) 2007-06-09 5:59

Hi Alberto,

Thanks for this lovely shot of traditional tribal practices- it really accentuates the wonderful diversity of the world. I particularly like the off-kilter composition here, well done :)

hookery (621) 2007-06-11 16:11

Una fotografía muy interezante, esas escenas cotidianas que para muchos nos son extrañas!

Yuri

Angshu (33995) 2007-06-14 23:51

Ciao Alberto
Skinning of a dead crocodile..that's quite a scene! Very interesting scene & well captured the entire panorama with the background of the grazing sheep. A well written note too
Regards
Angshu

bebep (2087) 2007-07-03 6:29

Ciao Alberto,
questa foto mi fa pensare a tutte le concerie del nostro vicentino dove questa pratica "modernizzata e civilizzata" attraverso l'uso di cromo e altri metalli pesanti ha sicuramente creato più danni di quella di cui parli tu nella tua ottima nota, comunque ottima foto ben realizzata

ti saluto

Giuseppe

yanseiler (20) 2007-09-15 3:11

Hi Alberta, I am not sure about your POV, I think that it would be better a bit on the right and a little higer up in order to give a view on the left, however the timing is good and the subject interesting...

MarcT (21103) 2007-10-14 8:33

Salut Alberto,
image originale que celle de cette peau de croco qui sort de son bain. Ta notice est très détaillée et intéressante même si tu ne donnes pas envie de goûter auplaisirs du tanneur...
Merci pour ta visite
Marc

pattyis (1313) 2007-11-10 5:59

Oh mamma mia....una lavanderia per pelli di coccodrillo...! :)
La forma arrotondata delle vasche di lavaggio mi ricorda le vasche utilizzate a Fez per tingere le pelli.
bellissima foto!
Mi fa anche pensare alla filastrocca della favola di Alice nel paese delle meraviglie...
"un coccodrilletto nel fiume discese
e a nuotar sorprese di pesci un gruppetto,
tutto arcigiulivo gli artigli suoi arrotò
dischiuse poi le fauci e i pesci si mangiò"
povero coccodrillo o poveri pesci?
ciao :)
Patrizia