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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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  • Slums on Niger riverbanks, consequence of large influx of immigrants into the city, Onitsha, Nigeria

  • Kuba children, Mushenge, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Eleventh Foundation Day anniversary at University College, academic procession going into Trenchard Hall for the graduation ceremony, Ibadan, Nigeria

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

  • Paratroopers using round parachutes at parachute troops training camp, CIPA, near Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Pieter L. Ferreira, 91 years old, veteran of 1895 Trek, Enkeldoorn, Zimbabwe

  • A view of the city central market known as Grand Marché, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Hausa armed horsemen in quilted armour during 10th anniversary of independence celebration, Niamey, Niger

  • Industrial plant, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Nurse lectures mothers on infant feeding in an Infant Welfare and School clinic in the Oko-Awo area of Lagos Island, Lagos, Nigeria

  • King Sneferu's pyramid. Meidum Pyramid, Egypt

  • Ntore dancers. Goma, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Soccer game at Kashama commune stadium, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Street vendors, Lome, Togo

  • Ntore dancers, Goma, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Concentrator buildings and stack, Kolwezi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Dromedary camels passing by the Pyramid of Userkaf, Ṣaqqārah, Egypt

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

  • Shell-BP oil drilling rig at Alakiri site, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

  • Ntore dancers, Gisenyi, Rwanda

  • The pyramid of Khafre, Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

  • Swimming in the river, Man region, Ivory Coast

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

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

  • Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Kanaga masquerade during the Dama ceremony. Sanga, Mali

  • El Kanater Barrage. Cairo, Egypt

  • Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara at N.C.N.C. rally, Ndizuogu, Nigeria

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

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

  • Woman at the market, Elmina, Ghana

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

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

  • Folk art sculpture, Nsapo region, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Tuareg men gathering nearby encampment, near Tombouctou, Mali

  • Mounted armed guards of the Emir of Katsina during festival of Sallah, Katsina, Nigeria

  • African grey parrot, in captivity, Bunia, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Hairdressing among Mangbetu people, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Oil palm trees in experimental field at West African Institute for Oil Palm Research, near Adamo Village, Nigeria

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

  • The temple of Amon. Karnak, Egypt

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

  • Kyaman chiefs and notables, Anna village, Ivory Coast

  • The old quarter, street scene. Cairo, Egypt

  • Kuba Nyim (ruler) Kot a Mbweeky III, Bungamba village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Shell-BP oil drilling training rig, still under construction, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

  • Ighogho masquerade, Benin City, Nigeria

  • Joseph Mokobi playing soccer, Bunia, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Kwilu Pende Chief, Gungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • High-altitude tea plantation, near Virunga National Park, 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

  • Dancing at La Cote nightclub, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • The making of a dug-out canoe, near Dakar, Senegal

  • Nile River flooding the fields. Near Al Uqsur, Egypt

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

  • Tea plantation, Makelele village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Drummer and horn player, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

  • Mosque of Abu el-Haggag, Luxor, Egypt

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

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

  • Plant nutrition experiment at West African Institute for Oil Palm Research, near Benin City, Nigeria

  • Kuba women cooking in the open air, Mushenge, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Wholesale plantain market, Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Statue of Henry Morton Stanley, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Women and children at the beach, Albert, Lake, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Premier of Eastern Region, at N.C.N.C. rally, Urualla, Nigeria

  • Tuareg man on dromedary camel wearing turban and face veil, near Tombouctou, Mali

  • Columns of the peristyle sun court of Amenhotep III. Luxor, Egypt

  • Statue in second-century tomb of Kom el-Shukâfa. Alexandria, Nile Delta region, Egypt

  • Musonoi open pit copper mine, Kolwezi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Mangbetu man spreading coffee out to dry, Mongomasi village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Mbombio, Chief Mogendo's principal wife, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Tuareg adobe houses, beehive straw huts, and wind-screen, near Tombouctou, Mali

  • Hairdressing among Mangbetu people, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Tutsi woman with traditional hairstyle, Buhanga-Ndara, near Butare, Rwanda

  • Kple Kple and Kpan Pre masks dancers during a Goli performance, Kondeyaokro village, Ivory Coast

  • Masked dancer during a Gelede performance, Meko, Nigeria

  • Mangbetu woman pounds manioc leaves, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Yoruba women on their way to market carrying gourds, near Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Men drawing water. Near Girza, Egypt

  • Kuba women preparing fiber for embroidery, near Bulape, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Pastoral Maasai drawing cow's blood into a calabash, Olengaitoli village, Kenya

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

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

  • Ntore dancers, Goma, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

  • Narrow street with open sewer in the old walled section of town, Kano, Nigeria

  • Narrow street with open sewer in the old walled section of town, Kano, Nigeria

  • Market vendors at the river facilities, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Oil refinery, Kitombe, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Dr. E. Van der Veer performing a hernia operation at Bulape Presbyterian Medical Center, Bulape, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

  • President "Mzee" Jomo Kenyatta, Mombasa, Kenya

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

  • Players in action at Nigeria vs. Dahomey (Benin) soccer game, Lagos, Nigeria

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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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