Studio Pellosh

Studio Pellosh was a legendary photography studio by Maurice Bidilou, also known as Pellosh, was a Congolese portrait photographer. He produced small and medium format photographs of Congolese society in the early 1970s to mid 1990s. Operating out of his famous Studio Pellosh in the coastal city of Pointe-Noire, Congo-Brazzaville.






he spent over two decades chronicling the vibrant social and cultural shifts of his country. At 19 years old, he secured an apprenticeship at Studio Janot Père in 1971. In a traditional arrangement, his uncle paid for his training using a demijohn of wine, a chicken, a bunch of bananas, and 20,000 CFA francs.






After working briefly as a traveling photographer with a Yashica 6x6 camera, he opened his permanent studio near the Central Market of Pointe-Noire in 1973. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Pellosh meticulously preserved thousands of his original film negatives in Kodak boxes inside his home.Unlike many of his contemporaries, Pellosh meticulously preserved thousands of his original film negatives in Kodak boxes inside his home.






Between 1973 and 1995, Pellosh captured all echelons of post-independence Congolese society. His archive features working-class families, high-fashion sapeurs, couples, and nightlife in local music bars. Pellosh passed away on May 25, 2023, at the age of 71 in Pointe-Noire. His family and estate continue to manage his extensive photographic archive via the official instagram page.