Jopie Fourie: Foto-album – J.M. de Wet
Jopie Fourie: Foto-album – J.M. de Wet
Jopie Fourie: Foto-album (Rare Antiquarian Afrikaner Rebellion Photo-Memorial)
A Pictorial Archive and Commando Reminiscence of the 1914 Rebellion Martyr
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Jopie Fourie: Foto-album
- Author: J.M. de Wet (Johannes Marthinus de Wet)
- Publisher: Majuba Album Uitgewers, Pretoria
- Printed By: Middleton en Joubert, Pretoria
- Publication Date: 1965 / 1966 (First Edition)
- ISBN: None Issued (Pre-dates the standard adoption of ISBNs in South Africa).
- Edition Details: First Edition, Standard Softcover Release. Prepared as a reverent photo-memorial album.
- Binding: Original publisher's side-stapled illustrative matte card wraps.
- Physical Format: Quarto (4to style format), 32 pages. Luxuriously printed on heavy, high-grade vintage paper stock to support fine photographic plates.
- Language: Afrikaans
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Exterior / Wraps: The fragile, original matte card covers are remarkably clean and well-preserved. Free from the heavy perimeter tears, typical dark finger-grubbiness, or rusty staple disintegration common to this specific binding. Displays only minimal, authentic handling and faint shelf-rubbing at the spine fold.
- Interior: Text block and photograph frames remain crisp, tightly stapled, and bright. Pages are free from foxing, moisture damage, previous owner ink naming, or dog-ears. A remarkably crisp, well-shelved example of a delicate mid-century publication.
- The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)
Synopsis & Historical Value
Compiled with deep devotion and historical solemnity by Jopie Fourie's close friend and commando brother, J.M. de Wet, this album stands as an essential artifact of early 20th-century Afrikaner history. It serves as a visual archive of Captain Josef "Jopie" Fourie, an active officer in the Union Defence Force who refused to fight for Great Britain in WWI, joining the 1914 Boer Rebellion instead. Following his capture, he was court-martialed and executed by firing squad for high treason, turning him into a historical symbol. This album features rare family snapshots, portraits of his grandparents, unedited photographs of his rebel commando units on the move, prison correspondence facsimiles, and views of the family graveyard on the farm Wildebeesthoek.
Author Profile: J.M. de Wet
Johannes Marthinus de Wet (1907–2002) was a prominent Afrikaans historical author and activist. Having personally known Fourie and shared the field with the rebellion's commandos, de Wet spent his twilight years gathering primary visual evidence to counter mainstream political views, immortalizing his fallen comrades through Majuba Album Uitgewers.
