Tempo, Anna (c. 1870-1946) Large-format Photograph Portrait.
[Ireland? circa 1912-1914].
Oversized black-and-white photograph depicting Tempo and an unidentified white women, both wear ornamental vests with fancy fringes identifying Tempo as "Chief Templar," by way of an embroidered patch, and the other woman as "Vice Templar," both seated and looking steadily into the camera, Tempo with a white apron, a silk paisley headscarf, and holding a piece of folded paper, posed in a studio; the photo on its original mount, accompanied by the original frame backing with the label of William Rodman & Co. Ltd. of Belfast, the photo itself 11 x 9 1/4 in. on a 17 x 14 in. mount.
Tempo was born to enslaved parents originally taken from Mozambique. She grew up in South Africa and had an early association with Olive Schreiner. Schreiner was a feminist, novelist, and intellectual born to white Wesleyan missionaries in South Africa in 1855. The two women traveled together to Australia, England, and the United States. When Schreiner died in 1912, Tempo worked for the family of a colonel, staying on until 1914, likely the period when the present photograph was taken. She then returned to South Africa. Tempo, also known as "Sister Nannie," is most famous for her social work in support of female sex workers. She established a home in Cape Town for women who wanted to leave the profession.
