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

  • Zamālik, Jazīrat az Island. Cairo, Egypt

  • Students at Shell-BP Trade School in Automotive and Diesel, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

  • Popular paintings and decorative art objects for sale, on the streets of Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Oil refinery, Kitombe, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Tuareg men riding dromedary camels, Goundam, Mali

  • Woman with elaborate hairstyle, on a Congo River steamer, near Bumba, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

  • John Adetoyese Laoye I, Timi of Ede, Ede, Nigeria

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

  • Dogon settlement and mosque at the base of the Bandiagara escarpment. Near Sanga, Mali

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

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

  • Tuareg men gathering nearby encampment, near Tombouctou, Mali

  • Parade in support of the "African Authenticity" movement, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Shi women pounding manioc, Makelele village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Masked performer wearing vertical Chi wara headdress, Bougouni village, Mali

  • Woman carrying tin basin. Bin village, Mali

  • View of Central Market and Kejeta Lorry Station, Kumasi, Ghana

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

  • Aerial view of Anglican Church of Christ the King, Sophiatown, Johannesburg, South Africa

  • Yoruba weaver, Nigeria

  • Feluccas on the Nile. Near Beni Hasan, Egypt

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

  • Musicians accompanying female dancers, Bamako, Mali

  • Children on donkey, Karnak, Egypt

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

  • School children lined up at school sponsored by the Gécamines, a state-owned mining company, Kolwezi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Kimbanguist church people, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Woman cooking manioc in Ndesha commune, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Ejagham people (members of Qua clan) perform Obon dance procession, Big Qua Town, Nigeria

  • Recently constructed urban housing units in new section of the town, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • The 125-mile-long Bandiagara escarpment with Dogon settlements, Sanga region, Mali

  • Wodaabe male performers at the jeerewol celebration, Chadawanka village, Niger

  • Portrait of a middle-class family, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Young Kuba people on their way to a village, near Mweka, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Natural landscapes in the eastern highlands region, Ituri Forest, 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

  • Fishing boats on the beach, Elmina, Ghana

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

  • Aerial view of old Mombasa Harbor at the foot of the Old Town, Mombasa, Kenya

  • Ferry Kionzo crossing Congo River, near Matadi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Crowd at soccer game in Accra Stadium, Accra, Ghana

  • Maasai olmurrani warrior in conversation with young woman, Olengaitoli village, Kenya

  • Mangbetu people picking cotton, Mongomasi village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Musicians and masqueraders from the Liberian National Dance Troupe

  • Fish and wild animals, brought by dugout canoe, for sale on Congo River steamer Colonel Ebeya, near Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Bridge over Inkisi River, near Mbanza-Ngungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Hippopotamus at Vitshumbi, Virunga National Park, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

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

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

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

  • Farmer plowing land, Gouft, Egypt

  • View of the city, Ibadan, Nigeria

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

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

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

  • Lumber and rubber businessman Joseph Asaboro, sheds for curing rubber in background, Sapele, Nigeria

  • Young Dan dancer, Man region, Ivory Coast

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

  • Lever Bros. Ltd., soap factory, Aba, Nigeria

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

  • Shi women pounding manioc, Makelele village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • First year cadets in drilling formation at Ecole formation d'officiers, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Yoruba man with facial scarifications, Meko, Nigeria

  • The building of the High Dam, south of Aswan, Egypt

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

  • Drummers accompanying masqueraders during the Dama ceremony, near Sanga, Mali

  • Boys taking cattle through village, Bougouni village, Mali

  • President "Mzee" Jomo Kenyatta, Mombasa, Kenya

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

  • Bedouin woman and child. Abu sir, Egypt

  • Royal attendants at the Asantehene's court, Kumasi, Ghana

  • Dan acrobatic dancers, Man region, Ivory Coast

  • Nupe people displaying traditional glass beads, Bida, Nigeria

  • Bas-relief sculpture adorning small building, near Kumasi, Ghana

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

  • Clothes selling section at the market, Bamako, Mali

  • King Sneferu's pyramid, Meidum Pyramid, Egypt

  • Fishing on Lake Karoun. Al Fayyum, Egypt

  • Footbridge across the river, Man region, Ivory Coast

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

  • Kiosk for a barbershop, Onitsha, Nigeria

  • Men's tailor shop with painted sign, Benin City, Nigeria

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

  • The pronaos of Tiberius for Hathor of Dendera. Dendera, Egypt

  • Lumber and rubber businessman Joseph Asaboro, sheds for curing rubber in background, Sapele, Nigeria

  • Senufo women dancing around drums, near Korhogo, Ivory Coast

  • Nile River flooding the fields, near Al Uqsur, Egypt

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

  • Bamana weaver at his horizontal loom, Senou village, Mali

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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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