The Landing of Savage South Africa at Southampton

Members of a South African performance troupe arrive for an Earl's Court date

WKL Dickson and his large format Biograph camera was at Southampton to catch the arrival of the 1899 visit of the Savage South Africa performance troupe, due to perform at Earl's Court's Empress Theatre as part of the Greater Britain Exhibition. The black members of the troupe have been assembled in costume by the impresario Frank Fillis who we can see darting about. The show, which subsequently toured the UK, was primarily equestrian, with lots of stunt riding by Fillis and his wife among other performers, and was designed along the lines of the hugely popular Buffalo Bill's Wild West. It included African dances and battle recreations from the recent 'Matabele' war, where the British South African Company were pitted against the Ndebele Kingdom. The troupe was assembled by Fillis in South Africa and with warriors from the Zulu and Swazi tribes, Boer families and mounted policeman, as well as African wild life including elephants, lions and tigers.