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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

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

  • Kyaman goldsmith, Anna village, Ivory Coast

  • Man fishing in water falls, near Banza Kwilu (Moerbeke Kwilu), Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Bassa forehead mask, known as Geh-naw, Ganta Mission, Liberia

  • Joseph, a park guide, Virunga National Park, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Mbuti hunter's celebration after successful hunt, Epulu, Ituri Forest, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Flow racks of electrolyzed copper, Gecamines Shituru refinery, Likasi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Military training on the field, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Togu na, Dogon men's meeting house, Ireli, Mali

  • The river market, Mopti, Mali

  • Female musician playing drum, Tombouctou, Mali

  • Osiride statues in the court of the temple of Ramses III, Karnak, Egypt

  • Mosque Hassan El Kordi. Nile Delta region, Egypt

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

  • Form of boxing fights organized by the Amalaita migrant association, near Pretoria, South Africa

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

  • Traditional mud brick village at the top of the Bandiagara escarpment, Sanga region, Mali

  • Logs of tropical wood for export on diesel locomotive, Kinda, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Division 20, part of Rubber plantation owned by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, Liberia

  • Oil palm mill at Calabar Oil Palm Estate (COPE), Calabar, Nigeria

  • Worshippers at the Friday Masallacin Bello mosque, Sokoto, Nigeria

  • Asante men playing wari outside of shrine house, Besease, Ghana

  • Hausa woman, Chadawanka village, Niger

  • Dromedary camels being loaded with slabs of salt. Tombouctou, Mali

  • Joseph Mokobi and friend, Bunia, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Izere woman with facial scarifications, near Jos, Nigeria

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

  • Nupe people displaying traditional glass beads, Bida, Nigeria

  • Oji River Power Station run by the Electricity Corp. of Nigeria, 25 miles west of Enugu, Nigeria

  • The African Timber & Plywood Limited plant on the Ethiope River, Sapele, Nigeria

  • Musicians and masqueraders from the Liberian National Dance Troupe

  • The Step Pyramid of Djoser, Ṣaqqārah, Egypt

  • Tourist art, Bouake, Ivory Coast

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

  • Shrine house priestess Okomfoyaa Anosua and attendants, Besease, Ghana

  • The pyramid of Khafre, stripped of its outer casing of fine Tura limestone and red granite, Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

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

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

  • Variety of vegetables for sale at the market, Bukavu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Two Egyptian boys, Egypt

  • Aerial view of the Step Pyramid inside the complex of Djoser, Ṣaqqārah, Egypt

  • Fish and wild animals on deck of Congo River steamer Colonel Ebeya, near Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Mbuti people during expedition to gather wild vegetables, Epulu, Ituri Forest, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Woman with four-lobed gold earrings, known locally as "kwottenai," Mopti, Mali

  • Lumber and rubber businessman Joseph Asaboro, Sapele, Nigeria

  • Woman with silver earrings, Chadawanka village, Niger

  • Parachute Troops training camp, CIPA, near Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Pool at the Funa Club, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Aerial view of the city, Lubumbashi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Modern painted figure carved by Anang (Ibibio) artist, Ede, Nigeria

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

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

  • Gynecological operation in progress at Lagos General Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria

  • Mangbetu women removing seeds from cotton pods, Mongomasi village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Nufori acrobat-mask performs the final rituals of a Senufo funeral, near Korhogo, Ivory Coast

  • Enya fisherman displaying fish caught from fish-trap constructions, near Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Parachute Troops training camp, CIPA, near Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Sunday service at White Fathers Mission, Shabunda, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Agricultural landscape around King Sneferu's pyramid, Meidum Pyramid, Egypt

  • Sandstone cliffs bordering the Nile River. Aswan, Egypt

  • Egungun masquerade, Ede, Nigeria

  • Fon appliqué banner, on display, Abomey, Benin

  • Women selling manioc tubers and vegetables at the market, Bunia, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • The river market, Mopti, Mali

  • Yoruba hunter, Nigeria

  • Cacao tree with fruit pods, Besease, Ghana

  • Congolese woman, with her twin babies, carrying tomatoes to the market, Bukavu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Congolese army soldier, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Frère Joseph Cornet, director of the Institut des Musées Nationaux du Congo, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Domestic scene among Mbuti people, Epulu, Ituri Forest, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

  • Man fishing on the White Nile, Uganda

  • Joseph Mokobi feeding goat, Bunia, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • The riverbanks of the Nile. North of Idfū, Egypt

  • Sarkin Musulmi alhaji Sir Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, with his retinue on the palace grounds, Sokoto, Nigeria

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

  • Goats for sale at the market, Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Heraldic symbols on columns before the sanctuary of the temple of Amon, Karnak, Egypt

  • Crowd at the market, Tombouctou, Mali

  • Female soldiers at parachute troops training camp, CIPA, near Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Tuareg men and riding dromedary camels at the 10th anniversary of independence celebration, Niamey, Niger

  • Pool at the Funa Club, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Dolo, a blacksmith and woodcarver, and his son Samuel, making a Kanaga mask, Ogol du Haut village, Mali

  • Asante architectural decoration of the walls, near Besease, Ghana

  • The African Timber & Plywood Limited plant on the Ethiope River, Sapele, Nigeria

  • Man net fishing, near Kom Ombo, Egypt

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

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

  • Initiation rituals among Ndaka people, near Epulu, Ituri Forest, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Masks carved by Kamba people, on display for tourist trade, near Mombasa, Kenya

  • Law School of Lovanium University, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Burial chamber with its wall decoration, in the tomb of Rameses VI, Valley of the Kings, Necropolis of Thebes, Egypt

  • Traditional mud brick village at the top of the Bandiagara escarpment, Sanga region, Mali

  • Igbo masked dancers performing during the Onwa Asaa festival, Ugwuoba village, Nigeria

  • Massive papyrus columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall at the temple of Amon, Karnak, Egypt

  • Men accompanying Ge Gblin stilt-dancer mask, Man region, Ivory Coast

  • Mangbetu women removing seeds from cotton pods, Mongomasi village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • A view of the city, Goundam, Mali

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

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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
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