House of Bondage

House of Bondage is a seminal photobook by Ernest Cole, first published in 1967. The work serves as a powerful and harrowing visual documentation of life under the apartheid regime in South Africa. Through a collection of black and white photographs, Cole exposes the systemic discrimination, poverty, and social segregation faced by Black South Africans. The book includes an introduction by Joseph Lelyveld and text by Thomas Flaherty. Due to its unflinching portrayal of racial injustice, the publication was immediately banned in South Africa, leading to Cole's exile in New York and Europe. It remains one of the most significant photographic records of 20th-century human rights abuses.