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Primary sourcePhotograph

Menelik II in Coronation Garb

A lifetime photograph of Emperor Menelik II seated on his throne in full coronation regalia.

This lifetime photograph shows Menelik II in coronation regalia, projecting his image as Emperor.

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Black and white photograph of a bearded man seated on an ornate chair, wearing a tall jeweled crown with fringe, large earrings, and a heavily embroidered velvet robe. He holds a long staff topped with a knob and gazes to the side against a draped patterned backdrop.
Emperor Menelik II photographed on the throne in coronation garb.

About this source

What it is

This black-and-white photograph shows a bearded man seated on an ornate chair, wearing a tall jeweled crown with fringe, large earrings, and a heavily embroidered velvet robe. He holds a long staff and gazes to the side against a patterned backdrop.

Why it matters

The image was taken during Menelik II's lifetime and shows how he wished to be seen: as the Solomonic Emperor of Ethiopia, dressed in the symbols of imperial authority. Photographs like this circulated as a way of presenting Ethiopian kingship to both his own subjects and the wider world.

Look closer

  • What details of the crown, robe, and staff suggest power and religious legitimacy?
  • Why might a ruler choose to be photographed seated and gazing to the side rather than directly at the camera?
  • What does this staged image not tell us about daily rule or the people he governed?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Emperor Menelik II on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Engraved portrait of a bearded man wearing a dark skullcap with a light band, a high-collared embroidered garment, and a large white cross on a beaded cord around his neck. Printed caption below reads: Menelek, Prince of Shoa and Emperor of Abyssinia. Text columns from the book page surround the portrait.Painting

Primary source

Menelek II illustration from The Wars of the 'Nineties

1899

Front page of the newspaper Le Petit Journal Supplément illustré, dated Sunday 28 August 1898. A colour illustration shows Emperor Menelik II on a white horse wearing a red cape and a feathered headdress, with armed followers behind him on rocky ground.Newspaper article

Primary source

Menelik - Adoua

F. Méaulle · 28 August 1898

Black-and-white photograph of a bearded man seated on an ornate throne, wearing a tall jeweled crown, an embroidered velvet robe with medals, and large earrings. He holds a long staff and looks to the side.Photograph

Primary source

Emperor Menelik II Enthroned

Black-and-white photograph of two people seated side by side. On the left, a woman wears a light, loose garment and looks toward the camera. On the right, an older man wears a white turban, a white shawl, and a dark robe with embroidered trim.Photograph

Primary source

Menelik II and Empress Taytu Betul

Two sides of a copper coin. Obverse: a bearded man in a tall ornate crown and cloak, facing right, with Ethiopian script around the rim. Reverse: Ethiopian script around a central inscription in a circle, with a small mark at the bottom and decorative stars.Artifact

Primary source

Matonya Coin of Menelik II

Jean Lagrange · 1897 (1889 Ethiopian calendar)

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