Photograph of the machinery used to hoist and wash diamond soil at a mine in Griqualand-West. There are thick cables in the foreground, attached to machinery lining the edge of the mine to the right. The bottom of the mine has been cut into earth ledges of different sizes. A settlement of wooden huts can be seen beyond the mine.

Griqualand-West was a former British colony in southern Africa. The discovery of diamonds in the area led to vast excavation sites and the mass immigration of workers.