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

  • Mbuti bow-hunters, near Beni, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Two Congolese women, with baby on their back, carrying pineapples in large enamelled tinware, Lubumbashi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Game Park staff, Garamba National Park, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

  • Asante shrine house, open-work screen wall, near Besease, Ghana

  • Variety of soap products for sale at Grand Marché, the city central market, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

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

  • The royal boat-shaped pits at the pyramid of Unas, located south of Djoser's step pyramid complex, Ṣaqqārah, Egypt

  • Clothing section at the market, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Masked performer wearing male horizontal Chi wara headdress, referred to as n'gonzon koun, Bamako (national district), Mali

  • Woman with elaborate hairstyle, on the Congo River, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

  • The Slave House, Gorée (island), Senegal

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

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

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

  • Rain altar, Sanga region, Mali

  • "Papa" Joseph Diagienda, spiritual leader of the Kimbanguists, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Linguist staff held by Blaise Ake Djoble, Anna village, Ivory Coast

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

  • Goats by Niger River canal, near Tombouctou, Mali

  • Ntore dancers, Goma, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Ntore dancers, Goma, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Tshibashi River in southeastern Kasai, near Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Irigwe dancers of Miango village. Jos Plateau, Nigeria

  • Mangbetu women's clothing, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Women cleaning pots and dishes, Mazgouhna, Egypt

  • Paramount Chief ornate bracelet, gold finger-ring, ceremonial fly whisk and kente cloth robe, Kumasi, Ghana

  • Mangbetu musicians, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • At the market, Goundam, Mali

  • Cross-dressing by men during public festival, Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Yoruba women removing beans from cocoa pods, Adamo village, Nigeria

  • Woman with elaborate hairstyle carrying child on her back, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

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

  • Stone-edged fields, Ogol du Haut village, Mali

  • Masked dancers during a Gelede performance. Meko, Nigeria

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

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

  • Metalkat plant, Kolwezi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Wanyugo masks dancer, near Korhogo, Ivory Coast

  • Fish-trap construction in the cataracts, near Kisangani, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Workers sifting beans to remove dirt, at Union Trading Co. cocoa buying depot, Agege, Nigeria

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

  • Men carrying out public works (salongo) along the air strip, Beni, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Village on the Congo riverbanks, between Kisangani an Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Ben Enwonwu in his art studio in Ikoyi, suburb of Lagos, Nigeria

  • Mosque of Sultan Hasan and Mosque of Rifāʹi, Cairo, Egypt

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

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

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

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

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

  • Carved ivory tusks on wood stand, displayed for sale, on the streets of Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Mangbetu wood carver, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Drummer and dancers performing for John Adetoyese Laoye I, Timi of Ede. Ede, Nigeria

  • Eastern Regional High Court, Enugu, Nigeria

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

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

  • Son of former Minister of Culture Paul Mushiete, with his horse at a riding club, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Lulua woman tending plot, near Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Tuareg men with traditional swords, near Tombouctou, Mali

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

  • Mangbetu chief Teingu wearing dance costume, Mongomasi village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Wall decorations in small sanctuary for Anubis at the temple of Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahri site, Necropolis of Thebes, Egypt

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

  • Pende man wearing headdress made of animal fur, near Gungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Cane sugar plantation owned by the Compagnie Sucrière, Kwilu-Ngongo, near Mbanza-Ngungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Mangbetu musicians, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • The very rare strange-horned chameleon, Ruwenzori Mountains, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Mangbetu chief Teingu wearing dance costume, Mongomasi village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • 100-ton truck, Kamoto open pit copper mine, Kolwezi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Men drawing water, El Aiesha, Egypt

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

  • Market on the banks of the Lualaba River, Kindu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

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

  • Dance of the women warriors, Abomey, Benin

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

  • Oba Olateru Olagbegi II, the Olowo of Owo, seated beneath carved ivory tusks, Owo, Nigeria

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

  • Aerial view of downtown Johannesburg, South Africa

  • Marketplace on the Niger riverbanks, north of Niamey, Niger

  • Mangbetu women's clothing, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Snake charmer in front of U.S. Consulate, Lagos, Nigeria

  • Sneferu Bent pyramid, close to the cultivation, Dahshur, 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
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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