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
  • …
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • …
  • next ›
  • last »
  • Kuba warrior dressed for the state visit of the Nyim (ruler) Kot a Mbweeky III, Bungamba village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Hausa man studying the Koran, Chadawanka village, Niger

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

  • Rain altar, Sanga region, Mali

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

  • Wattle-and-daub houses with metal or thatched roofs, Bukavu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Boys among girls carrying trays on their heads, Nigeria

  • Sail boat on Lake Nokwe, near Ganvie, Benin

  • Dance of the mukyeem (mukenga) mask, Muentshi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Mushenge Art School. Mushenge, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Extensive regalia worn by titled Kuba soldier known as Iyol, Bungamba village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Colossal statue in the Great Court of Ramses II. Luxor, Egypt

  • Colossus of Memnon at the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, Necropolis of Thebes, Egypt

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

  • Dogon women attending a funeral celebration, Sanga, Mali

  • Raised-relief carving displaying Amenhotep III in a gesture of offering to the god Amon, Luxor, Egypt

  • Dance performer from the Liberian National Dance Troupe

  • Mushenge Art School, Mushenge, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Doctor examining child at Bulape Presbyterian Medical Center, Bulape, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Rural Hausa family compound walled with traditional seccos fences, east of Zinder, Niger

  • The making of mud bricks. Mellaui, Egypt

  • Maasai warrior (olmurrani) shooting blunt arrow into the carotid artery of a cow, Olengaitoli village, Kenya

  • Market vendors selling raw materials used for sacred objects, medicine and prestige paraphernalia, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Mangbetu woman pounds manioc leaves to cook in palm oil, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Kuba man at his loom, Nemwele village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Vegetation around the capital city, Niamey, Niger

  • Cattle. Bin village, Mali

  • Market scenes at the foot of industrial building, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Women selling cassava at Basoko market, near Mbandaka, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Woman with elaborate hairstyle, Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • The minaret of the DjinguereBer Mosque, Tombouctou, Mali

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

  • The reservoir at Aswan Dam. South of Aswan, Egypt

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

  • Muslim cemetery in Zāwiyat al-Amwāt Site, near Al Minyā, Egypt

  • Man getting a shave. Bin village, Mali

  • The Shango shrine of the Timi of Ede, Ede, Nigeria

  • Lamidi Olonade Fakeye, at work, Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Necropolises hollowed out of sandstone cliffs, near Sanga, Mali

  • Catfish being sold on deck of Congo River steamer Colonel Ebeya, near Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Egungun masquerade, Ede, Nigeria

  • Pair of masked dancers during a Gelede performance, Meko, Nigeria

  • Female workers at Farmitalia Carlo Erba pharmaceutical company, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Fishermen by Fort St. Jago, Elmina, Ghana

  • The sacred lake of the temple of Amon, Karnak, Egypt

  • Marching band performing at Place de la Poste, Lubumbashi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • The village Mosque, San village, Mali

  • Carved ivory tusks and decorative art objects for sale, on the streets of Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Chief Victor Teingu, Mongomasi village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Traditional house among the Nande people, Rutshuru, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Pwoom Itok and mukyeem masked dancers, Muentshi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Aerial view of Sophiatown, as it was left after removal of the population under the Western Areas Removal Scheme, Johannesburg, South Africa

  • Students at May Day celebration, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Mounted armed guard in a procession during festival of Sallah, Katsina, Nigeria

  • Workers at the Kolwezi mine drinking beer at the company canteen, Kolwezi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Kuba elders and warriors dressed for the state visit of the Nyim (ruler) Kot a Mbweeky III, Bungamba village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Irrigated fields, Aswan, Egypt

  • Lamidi Olonade Fakeye, at work, Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Mbuti bow-hunters, near Beni, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Initiated performers at a mungonge ceremony, near Gungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Kuba women decorating woven cloth, Mushenge, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Conical fish-traps suspended from wood construction in the cataracts, near Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Oba Ademuwagun Adesida II, the Deji (ruler) of Akure, in courtyard of Akure palace, Akure, Nigeria

  • Raised-relief carving displaying Ramses II in a gesture of offering to the god Amon. Luxor, Egypt

  • Dan acrobatic dancers, Man region, Ivory Coast

  • Kyaman goldsmith, Anna village, Ivory Coast

  • Male defassa waterbuck on the Kibirizi plains, Virunga National Park, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • John Adetoyese Laoye I, Timi of Ede, in palace courtyard, Ede, Nigeria

  • Tahrir Bridge. Cairo, Egypt

  • Dogon settlement with old Tellem granaries integrated to its compound architecture, Sanga region, Mali

  • Regiment of mounted armed guards in a procession during festival of Sallah, Katsina, Nigeria

  • Conical fish-traps suspended from wood construction in the cataracts, near Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Woman coming from market, near Mombasa, Kenya

  • Enugu Municipal Offices building, Enugu, Nigeria

  • Musicians and dancers in the courtyard of the shrine house, Besease, Ghana

  • Kuba women decorating woven cloth, Mushenge, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Tuareg men riding dromedary camels, Tombouctou region, Mali

  • Marching band performing at Sunday service of Kimbanguists, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Dogon settlement at the top of the Bandiagara escarpment, Ireli, Mali

  • Drummer and horn player, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

  • Dan acrobatic dancers, Man region, Ivory Coast

  • Dromedary camel riders attending a tende, Tombouctou, Mali

  • Women cleaning pots. Diffrah village, Egypt

  • Mangbetu woman, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Boating and sailing in Malebo Pool, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Mbuti bow-hunters, near Beni, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto; Premier of Northern Region of Nigeria, Sokoto, Nigeria

  • Dromedary camels walking to market loaded with ground nuts, Sokoto, Nigeria

  • Nubian rural settlement. El Haisa, Egypt

  • The DjinguereBer Mosque, Tombouctou, Mali

  • Cattle brought to Sango cattle market, near Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Masked performer wearing male Chi wara headdress, Bamako (national district), Mali

  • The Shango shrine of the Timi of Ede, Ede, Nigeria

  • Aerial view of Shela, an old Swahili settlement, near Lamu, Kenya

  • Pyramids of Giza by the dawn's early light, Giza Plateau, Egypt

  • Ruins of the extinct city of Karanis. Kom Oshîm, near Al Fayyūm, Egypt

Pages

  • « first
  • ‹ previous
  • …
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • …
  • 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