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

  • Children of former Minister of Culture Paul Mushiete, with their horses at a riding club, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Young man separating chaff from wheat, Minshat Ramzi, Egypt

  • Two Yoruba messengers of the Oni of Ife playing old African game of Ayo on porch of Oni's palace, Ife, Nigeria

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

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

  • Paratroopers waiting to board plane, near Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • The external gate of traditional building, Mopti, Mali

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

  • The Step Pyramid of Djoser, Ṣaqqārah, Egypt

  • Domestic scenes along the Niger riverbanks, Niamey, Niger

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

  • Sarkin Musulmi alhaji Sir Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, with his retinue in the walled (old) town, Sokoto, Nigeria

  • Student with elaborate hairstyle at the government school Lycée Kele Kele, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Habe woman pouring out threshed millet, Barhin village, near Katsina, Nigeria

  • Dan acrobatic dancer, Man region, Ivory Coast

  • Katherine Ake Agouabe and Franc̦oise Dao Alouette wearing gold hair ornaments, Anna village, Ivory Coast

  • Baule woman holding gilded wood fly whisks of dignitary N'Goran Koffi, Kouassiblekro, Ivory Coast

  • Pwo mask dancer, near Gungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • From the plain, trees at the edge of the village, Sanga region, Mali

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

  • Large crowd at N.C.N.C. rally, Urualla, Nigeria

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

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

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

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

  • Group of men, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • The Great Sphinx before the pyramid of Khafre. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

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

  • The Atlantic coastline, near Elmina, Ghana

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

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

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

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

  • Woman dancing at the royal palace, Abomey, Benin

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

  • Excavated houses, ruins of the walled city of Gedi, south of Malindi, Kenya

  • Irigwe dancers of Miango village, Jos Plateau, Nigeria

  • Large carrying baskets containing coffee beans, near Lake Kivu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Fellahin on the way to a wedding. Near Kom Ombo, Egypt

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

  • Fac̜ade of the Pavilion of the South at the complex of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, Ṣaqqārah, Egypt

  • Wanyugo masks dancer, near Korhogo, Ivory Coast

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

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

  • Kyaman goldsmiths, Anna village, Ivory Coast

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

  • Asante men playing Wari, Besease, Ghana

  • Dromedary camels at the river, Tombouctou, Mali

  • Mangbetu man clearing the fields, Mongomasi village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Toppled colossal seated figure of Ramses II and Osiride pillars in the second court of the Ramesseum, Necropolis of Thebes, Egypt

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

  • Dakpa horn ensemble accompanying boys during their initiaton rites, Ubangi-Shari region, Central African Republic

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

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

  • Diamond processing plant and dragline on the Katsha River, Société Minière de Bakwanga (MIBA), Mbuji Mayi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Masked dancers during a Gelede performance, Meko, Nigeria

  • Ntore dancers, Goma, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Girl wading with dromedary camels on the riverbanks, Tombouctou, Mali

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

  • Street vendors in front of new public administration building, Kaduna, Nigeria

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

  • Workers at Goodyear tire plant, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Kimbanguist church people, dedication of new religious headquarters and theological school, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • The binu ginu, a shamanistic shrine, Ogol du Haut village, Mali

  • Parliament, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Natural landscapes in the eastern highlands region, Ituri Forest, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Lega woman cooking in the open air, Mulanga village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Kindi initiate and women of kanyamwa rank taking part in a dance performance (kamondo) which preceded the initiation ceremonies of a male candidate to yananio grade, near Kalima, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Granaries, part of Dogon family compounds, Sanga region, Mali

  • Stilt masquerader during the Dama ceremony, Sanga, Mali

  • Main entrance at the riverport facilities, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Women at the market, Bukavu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

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

  • Man with dogs to be sold at local market, near Kaduna, Nigeria

  • A children's fair, Damanhur, Egypt

  • Irigwe women watching male dancers, Jos Plateau, Nigeria

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

  • The village Mosque, San village, Mali

  • A group of yananio initiates taking part in a dance performance (kamondo) which preceded the initiation ceremonies of a male candidate to yananio grade, near Kalima, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

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

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

  • Music orchestra performing during women dance, near Gungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Stilt masquerader during the Dama ceremony, Sanga, Mali

  • The Great Sphinx before the pyramid of Khafre, Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

  • Nupe people displaying traditional glass beads, Bida, Nigeria

  • Zamālik, Jazīrat az Island, Cairo, Egypt

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

  • Diamond processing plant and dragline on the Katsha River, Société Minière de Bakwanga (MIBA), Mbuji Mayi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

  • Riverport facilities, 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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