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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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  • Fishing on Lake Karoun, Al Fayyum, Egypt

  • An industrial center, Lubumbashi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Michel Afram, party representative, Anna village, Ivory Coast

  • Inga Falls on the Congo River, near Matadi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Cattle in the surrounding plains, Mount Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania

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

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

  • Domestic scenes among the Kuba people, Mushenge, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Food distribution in a camp with refugees from Eastern Congo's rebellions, Wanie Rukula, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Students with elaborate hairstyles, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Mangbetu court music, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Enya women dancing together at festivities, between Kisangani and Ubundu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Smoke-cooking of an antelope among the Mbuti people, Epulu, Ituri Forest, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Lovanium University, building under construction, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Copper plant (Sodimiza Co.) owned and operated by a Japanese consortium, Musoshi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Gwari women carrying firewood in basket, near Kaduna, Nigeria

  • Worshippers outside the Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos, Nigeria

  • Yoruba farmer, Michael Ige, with members of his family, Adamo village, Nigeria

  • Sirige and kanaga masqueraders during the Dama ceremony, Sanga, Mali

  • Eleventh Foundation Day anniversary at University College, faculty members and new graduates in front of Trenchard Hall, Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Hotel Inter-Continental, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Rites built around a door-shield (keibi), part of the lutumbo lwa kindi initiations, Kabila village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Lega woman and child, west of Kingulube village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Mbuti woman caring for child of the camp, Epulu, Ituri Forest, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Worker at Amalgamated Tin Mines of Nigeria Ltd. washing earth down into pump that will take it to sluice boxes

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

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

  • The construction of a house, near Mushenge, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • View of the city, Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Enya men participating in joint canoeing to the fish-traps in the cataracts, near Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Elderly woman, Ife, Nigeria

  • Motor mechanics class at the Kano Government Trade Center, Kano, Nigeria

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

  • Symetain tin mine, near Kalima, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Smelting center and railroad yard, Lubumbashi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria, Nigeria

  • The hot springs at Maya Moto, Virunga National Park, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Front entrance of the palace of the Emir of Zaria, Zaria, Nigeria

  • Boys fishing, Nile Delta region, Egypt

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

  • The pyramid of Khafre, Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

  • Clearing the fields, Mongomasi village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Students at the government school Lycée Kele Kele, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Interior of Khafre's valley temple. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

  • Bassa girls, with body painting, dancing before women and elders of the village, part of their initiation rites, 20 miles north of Monrovia, Liberia

  • People on the beach by fishing boats, near Dakar, Senegal

  • Women pounding millet, Niger River valley, Mali

  • Children at the beach, near Dakar, Senegal

  • Dyoboli dancers wearing metal-covered masks, Cercle of San, Mali

  • Yoruba women wearing headties of their own creation, Ife, Nigeria

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

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

  • Rites built around a door-shield (keibi), part of the lutumbo lwa kindi initiations, Kabila village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Yoruba hunter, Nigeria

  • Lega women carrying firewood, near Shabunda, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • The pyramid of Khafre, Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

  • Women on their way to the market, Meko, Nigeria

  • Street vendors, Oshogbo, Nigeria

  • Maasai girl eating blood mixture from calabash gourd, Olengaitoli village, Kenya

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

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

  • Mbuti woman breast feeding child of the camp, Epulu, Ituri Forest, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Lega women of kanyamwa rank wearing the lukunia headdress to indicate their position, near Kalima, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Domestic scenes among the Kuba people, Mushenge, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Murchison Falls, also known as Kabalega Falls, 20 miles east of Lake Albert, Uganda

  • Supply of Tilapia, a freshwater fish, at Vitshumbi, Virunga National Park, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria, Nigeria

  • Kanaga masqueraders during the Dama ceremony, Sanga, Mali

  • Congolese war veteran, Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Sawmill with giant crane framework, at African Timber & Plywood Limited plant , Sapele, Nigeria

  • Egungun masquerade, Ede, Nigeria

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

  • Cattle, driven from northern Nigeria, arriving at outdoor market, Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Maasai of ilpayiani (junior elders) age-grade, with hair painted red, near Lake Manyara, Tanzania

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

  • Market scenes, Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Soldiers of the Nigerian Army third battalion on a training exercise, Victoria Beach, outside of Lagos, Nigeria

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

  • Two women having a conversation, Lubumbashi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Interior of Khafre's valley temple, Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

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

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

  • Ngady Amwaash masked dancer, Mushenge, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Drummers, balaphon players and children dancing, near Korhogo, Ivory Coast

  • The Alake of Abeokuta (seated) and his son, the Chief Justice of the Federation of Nigeria (supreme court), Abeokuta, Nigeria

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

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

  • The drawing and porterage of water, Al Uqsur and Karnak village, Egypt

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

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

  • Domestic scenes in urban settlement, on Lagos Island, Lagos, Nigeria

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

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

  • Maasai settlement consisting of several houses with dome-shaped roofs, Olengaitoli village, Kenya

  • Birth house of Ptolemy VIII for Horus-Hathor-Harsomtus. Idfū, Egypt

  • The river market, Mopti, Mali

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

  • A worker at the Calabar Oil Palm Estate (COPE) carrying big bunches of oil palm fruit to a central collection point, Calabar, Nigeria

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

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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
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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