The book ”The Secret Museum of Mankind” is an unique image source, which I stumbled upon some days ago. When you first get started with looking through this online edition of the book, you will not want to miss a single photo.

I was literally thrilled when I found the site. My first thought was that it was a kind of mysterious collection of unpublished and uncensored images – but it’s actually a book published in 1935 in New York.

But there is still an aura of dubiety. No author, no date nor no written object. Anyhow the assumptions are that the book was a quick way to earn money or just a way to provoke the more uptight/racist people of America at the time.

I really love the whole spectra of the motives. The book is divided into five sections: America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania, so there rules a strong diversity. There are so many funny details to be inspired by, weird looking hairdos and also some strong looking women, which I find enriching. Even though the descriptions of each photo smell a bit of arrogance towards ethnic populations, it is stated on the site that the book is not intended for an educational purpose, but rather as an image source to have fun with while looking through it.

So go on, click here to see the book – but be ready to get absorbed into this forgotten world.

By Cecilie E / Highlydazed