Germany controlled several territories in Africa and the Pacific, even though it entered the race for colonies relatively late. Lured by the prospect of adventure, economic opportunity, and profit, more than 70,000 Germans sought to establish a life in the colonies, often chasing indigenous peoples off their lands or hiring them as low-paid servants for menial work. This photograph offers a glimpse into the colonial lifestyle of a German official, whose family is being transported in a litter carried by four Africans from the German East Africa colony (modern-day Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda).