Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
      • Group Sales
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current
      • Upcoming
      • Past
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • - Art & Design
    • - History & Culture
    • - Science & Nature
    • Collections
      • Open Access
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Asian Art Museum Archives
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
  • Learn
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
      • Art & Design Resources
      • Science & Nature Resources
      • Social Studies & Civics Resources
      • Professional Development
      • Events for Educators
      • Field Trips
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
  • Support Us
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Ambassador Program
      • Museum Information Desk
      • Docent Programs
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Participatory Science
  • About
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
        • Contact
      • Museums and Zoo
      • Research Centers
      • Cultural Centers
      • Education Centers
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Employee Benefits
        • How to Apply
        • Job Opportunities
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • EEO & Small Business
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Small Business Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Contracting Opportunities
          • Additional Resources
        • Special Emphasis Program
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Combating Trafficking in Persons
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Eliot Elisofon Field collection

National Museum of African Art

Object Details

Photographer
Elisofon, Eliot
Place
Africa
Congo (Democratic Republic)
Mali
Ghana
Côte d'Ivoire
Benin
Burkina Faso
Egypt
Kenya
Liberia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Senegal
South Africa
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Central African Republic
Topic
Body arts
Photographer
Elisofon, Eliot
See more items in
Eliot Elisofon Field collection
Summary
This collection is comprised of photographic and manuscript materials, primarily created by Eliot Elisofon to document his travels and work. The images portray many aspects of African life and culture including agriculture, wildlife, archaeology, architecture, art and artisans, children, cityscapes and landscapes, leaders, markets, medicine, recreation, ritual and celebration, and transportation. The manuscript materials include correspondence, essays, clippings, puobligations, notes, research, and itineraries.
Biographical/Historical note
A photographer best known for his work in Life magazine. Elisofon worked as a free-lance magazine photographer from 1933 to 1937, as a staff photographer for Life from 1933 to 1937 and on photographic assignments for various magazines, including the Smithsonian magazine, from 1942 to 1945. Elisofon traveled extensively in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America documenting the peoples of these lands as well as their arts and environments. A founding member and curatorial associate of the private Museum of African Art, which in 1981 became the National Museum of African Art (NMAfA), Elisofon bequeathed his collection of African photographs to the museum when he died in 1973. To honor Elisofon's contribution to the understanding of African art and culture, NMAfA named its archives after him.
Extent
14000 Negatives (photographic) (b&w, 35mm)
30000 Slides (photographs) (color)
80,000 Photographic prints (b&w, 25 x 20 cm. or smaller.)
Date
circa 1935-1978
Custodial History note
Photographs from this collection appeared in Life magazine and in the following publications; Color Photography by Eliot Elisofon (London: Thames & Hudson, 1962), The Nile by Eliot Elisofon (New York: Viking Press, 1964), Zaire: A Week in Joseph's World by Eliot Elisofon ((New York: Crowell-Collier Press, 1973), Africa by Eliot Elisofon edited by Tom Maloney (New York: U.S. Camera Annual, 1953-54) and Memorable Life Photographs by Edward Steichen (New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1951).
Archival Repository
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
Identifier
EEPA.1973-001
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Slides (photographs)
Photographic prints
Negatives
Color slides
Black-and-white negatives
Black-and-white photographs
Citation
Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
Rights
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Genre/Form
Negatives
Photographic prints
Color slides
Black-and-white negatives
Black-and-white photographs
Scope and Contents
This collection is comprised of circa 14,000 negatives, 30, 0000 slides, 8,000 photographic prints, and 14 boxes of manuscript materials that date from circa 1945-1978. The photographs document Eliot Elisofon's travels and work in Africa. The images portray many aspects of African life and culture including agriculture, wildlife, archaeology, architecture, art and artisans, children, cityscapes and landscapes, leaders, markets, medicine, recreation, ritual and celebration, and transportation. Artisans shown include an Asante weaver making kente cloth in Ghana; a Dogon carver in Mali making a kanaga mask; an Ebrie goldsmith in Cote d'Ivoire; Hausa dyers in Kano, Nigeria; and Nupe beadmakers in Nigeria; as well as artists at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Kinshasa, Congo. Portraits of leaders include the Asante court at Kumase in Ghana; Ebrie chiefs and notables in Cote d'Ivoire; the timi (king) of Ede, a Yourba town, Nigeria; the emir of Katsina, Nigeria; and the Kuba king and his court in the Congo. There are informal portraits showing children of the Kuba royal court dancing, Fulbe women with gold earrings in Mali, Mangbetu women in the Congo, and Maasai elders in Kenya. Masked dances documented include a Dogon dama festival celebration in Mali, an Igbo festival in Nigeria, and Kuba and Pende masked dancers in the Congo. There are also images of Yoruba gelede (men's association) masks in Nigeria. Non-masked dancers shown include Dan professional acrobatic dancers in Cote d'Ivoire, Irigwe dancers in Nigeria, Mangbetu dancers in the Congo, Mbuti dancers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Wodaabe men dancing in Nigeria. Events shown include Hausa riders in chain mail during the Independence Day celebration in Katsina, Nigeria. Images of art in situ include ancestral altars in the King of Benin's palace in Nigeria; Dogon rock paintings in Mali; and Yoruba Shango shrine sculptures in the palace courtyard of timi (king) of Ede in Nigeria. Landscapes include views of mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Animals shown include birds, buffalos, elephants and giraffes. Traditional architecture shown includes Asante shrine houses with raised wall decorations in Ghana, Dogon villages in Mali and mosques in Mopti. The manuscript materials include correspondence, essays, clippings, puobligations, notes, research, and itineraries.
Restrictions
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1536870822481-1536871012384-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo763575c19-5f10-470a-af8b-75ebd1c82664

In the Collection

Pages

  • « first
  • ‹ previous
  • …
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • …
  • next ›
  • last »
  • Wall decoration displaying scene of Ramses III's victories against the Sea Peoples. Medinet Habu, Egypt

  • A Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti, Bunia, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Eliot Elisofon photographing joint canoeing to the fish-traps in the cataracts, near Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Ecole de Formation d'Officiers, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Young Senufo dancers, Boundiali village, Ivory Coast

  • Woman and children pounding manioc, Rutshuru, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Young Dan dancers, Man region, Ivory Coast

  • Buffaloes on the Rwindi plains. Virunga National Park, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Congolese women selling vegetables at market, Katanga Province, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Traditional earth architecture, Tombouctou, Mali

  • Ancestral shrine, House of the Oba, Benin City, Nigeria

  • Sir Adesoji Aderemi, Oni of Ife, Ife, Nigeria

  • Dogon man in his compound. Songo village, Mali

  • Soccer game, Catholic mission school, Bunia, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Artist carving monumental wood sculpture, Benin City, Nigeria

  • Crowd at the market, Tombouctou, Mali

  • Asantehene Otomfuo Nana Opoku Ware II, Kumasi, Ghana

  • Polychrome low relief in tomb of Idut. Ṣaqqārah, Egypt

  • Nupe compounds with perimeter fence made of grass, Mokwe village, Nigeria

  • Military academy, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Women dancing at the royal palace, Abomey, Benin

  • Kouakou Yao, a Baule sculptor at work, Yagolikro village, Ivory Coast

  • Joseph Mokobi with family, Bunia, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Wanyugo mask dancer, near Korhogo, Ivory Coast

  • Ntore dancers. Goma, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Senufo women using mortar and pestles, near Korhogo, Ivory Coast

  • Enya fishermen on fish-trap constructions in the cataracts, near Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Women cleaning pots. Diffrah village, Egypt

  • Statue of Amon with features of Tutankhamen before the sanctuary of the temple of Amon, Karnak, Egypt

  • Zamālik, Jazīrat az Island. Cairo, Egypt

  • Military academy, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Paramount Chief Nana Akyanfuo Akowuah Dateh II, Kumasi, Ghana

  • Fishing boat, Elmina, Ghana

  • Workers camp at hydroelectrical complex, Inga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Clearing earth on top of ore with excavator at diamond mine, Société Minière de Bakwanga (MIBA), Mbuji Mayi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • A Mungonge ceremony, near Gungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Pwoom Itok mask dancer. Muentshi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Musicians accompanying Egungun masquerader, Ede, Nigeria

  • Kanaga masquerader with Dolo, the blacksmith and wood carver of Ogol du Haut village, near Sanga, Mali

  • Field of potatoes. Near Ṣaqqārah, Egypt

  • Traditional Nande house on the lower eastern slopes of the Ruwenzori Range, Rutshuru, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Congo River, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Statues of Amon with features of Tutankhamen before the sanctuary of the temple of Amon. Karnak, Egypt

  • Outdoor bar and dancing in Ngiri-Ngiri district, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Joint canoeing to the fish-traps in the cataracts, near Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Pwo mask dancer, near Gungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Ruins of St Simeon's Monastery. Near Aswan, Egypt

  • Natural landscapes in the south Sahel belt, near Zinder, Niger

  • Kuba sculptor carving a ndop, Mushenge, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Ceiling decorations at the Hathor temple. Dendera, Egypt

  • Joseph Mokobi, Bunia, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • At the market, Senufo region, Ivory Coast

  • Ntore dancers, Goma, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Woman carrying cloths on her head, Kumasi, Ghana

  • Passengers on steamer, near Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Dolo, a blacksmith and woodcarver, Ogol du Haut village, Mali

  • Domestic scenes in front of house of Latifu Awoyale, Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Pende man after stick removed from cheeks, near Gungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • The river market, Mopti, Mali

  • Nupe women carrying enamelled tinware with flexible woven cover, Wuya, west of Bida, Nigeria

  • Traffic policeman, Lubumbashi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Congolese women, with bunches of bananas on their heads, walking through manioc fields, Bunia, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Eliot Elisofon and cameraman Georges Bracher filming the Mbuti people. Near Epulu, Ituri Forest, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Clothes selling section at the market, Bamako, Mali

  • Partial view of the city, Matadi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Class taught by a professor from Ohio University at an elementary and business teacher training program, Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Lega village within a hillside clearing, Bashi village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Dragline removing overburden at Amalgamated Tin Mines of Nigeria Ltd., a tin and colombite mining operation, Barakin Akawu, south of Jos, Nigeria

  • Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim & Seraphim, on Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria

  • Monique Mbuni, age 6, a Lulua girl, carrying water in Congo beer bottle, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Shovel and 100-ton truck at work, Kamoto open pit copper mine, Kolwezi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Ecole de Formation d'Officiers, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Two young Lega women, Shabunda, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Yoruba hunter, Nigeria

  • Stilt masquerader during the Dama ceremony, Sanga, Mali

  • Dakpa boy, with white dots painted on his body, dancing at his initiaton rites, Ubangi-Shari region, Central African Republic

  • Dancers performing Minganji face mask, near Gungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • The minaret of the DjinguereBer Mosque, Tombouctou, Mali

  • Kuba Nyim (ruler) Kot a-Mbweeky III. Mushenge, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Medje Village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Granite boulders at the First Cataract. South of Aswan, Egypt

  • Shovel and 100-ton truck at work, Kamoto open pit copper mine, Kolwezi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Bamgboye, a sculptor, Odo-owa, Nigeria

  • The drawing and porterage of water, Man region, Ivory Coast

  • The profile of the Great Sphinx. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

  • The riverbanks of the Nile. Elkab, Egypt

  • Pulo Yana masquerader during the Dama ceremony, Sanga, Mali

  • Latifu Awoyale and a guest, Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Natural landscape in eastern Bamana country, Niger River valley, Mali

  • Minganji masqueraders, near Gungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Hunters' festival during 10th anniversary of independence celebration, Niamey, Niger

  • 100-ton truck at work, Kamoto open pit copper mine, Kolwezi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Workers at Goodyear tire plant, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Lulua woman burnishing pottery before firing, Bakwa Balaie village, near Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Caravan of dromedary camels passing at dawn, Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

  • Kimbanguist church people, dedication of new religious headquarters and theological school, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Natural landscapes along the Niger River valley, north of Niamey, Niger

  • Man making shishkebabs. Damanhur, Egypt

  • Karen Blixen's (Isak Dinesen) house, near Nairobi, Kenya

  • Académie des Beaux-Arts, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

Pages

  • « first
  • ‹ previous
  • …
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • …
  • next ›
  • last »
Woman dancing at the royal palace, Abomey, Benin
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer
View Finding aid

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Sign up for Smithsonian e-news

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Back to Top