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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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  • Residence built for the premier of the Northern region, Kaduna, Nigeria

  • Izere woman with facial scarifications, near Jos, Nigeria

  • Lega elderly woman carrying basket, Kabila village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Farmer plowing field, Step Pyramid of Djoser in background, Ṣaqqārah, Egypt

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

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

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

  • Hippopotamus on Kibirizi plains, Virunga National Park, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

  • Worker pours latex into a bucket at a rubber plantation, near Sapele, Nigeria

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

  • Footbridge across the river, Man region, Ivory Coast

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

  • Lecture by Dr. J.G. Diller, plastic surgeon from Toledo, Ohio, to medical group at Christian Medical Institute, Kananga, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Dolo, the blacksmith, Ogol du Haut village, Mali

  • Women making butter, Minshat Ramzi, Egypt

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

  • Hall with fluted columns leading to a small sanctuary for Anubis at the temple of Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahri site, Necropolis of Thebes, Egypt

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

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

  • Workers at shift end time, Kamoto open pit copper mine, Kolwezi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Detail of burial chamber's wall decoration, in the tomb of Rameses VI, Valley of the Kings, Necropolis of Thebes, Egypt

  • Dogon rock paintings on the great vault. Songo village, Mali

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

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

  • Yoruba farmer, Michael Ige, with cocoa pods, Adamo village, Nigeria

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

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

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

  • Multi palm capital of the Augustan kiosk on partly submerged island of Philae. Near Aswan, Egypt

  • Portraits of the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser plastered on wall building. Cairo, Egypt

  • Dromedary camels on caravan route, Tombouctou, Mali

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

  • Road and canal. Zernig, south of Isnā, Egypt

  • Seventh Day Adventists Secondary Modern School, Ife, Nigeria

  • Masked performers and musicians. Bin village, Mali

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

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

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

  • Raised granaries made of woven flax mats, Bin village, Mali

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

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

  • Asante men playing Wari, Besease, Ghana

  • The external gate of traditional earth building, Mopti, Mali

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

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

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

  • Maasai of ilpayiani (junior elders) and ilmurran (warriors) age-grades, Olengaitoli village, Kenya

  • Stool carved by Mangbetu wood sculptor, Medje village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Welder at work, at riverport facilities, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Dance celebration among the Mbuti people, Ituri Forest, near Beni, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

  • Dakpa woman and mural painting among the Dakpa people, Ubangi-Shari region, Central African Republic

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

  • The Emir of Katsina, Sir Alhaji Usman Nagogo, holding a morning greeting ceremony, Katsina, Nigeria

  • Seventh Day Adventists Secondary Modern School, Ife, Nigeria

  • Young woman, Bungamba village, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Ship repair and maintenance services at riverport facilities, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Osiride statues in the court of the temple of Ramses III, Karnak, Egypt

  • Goat and sheep skins drying on lies after being dipped and soaked, Kano, Nigeria

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

  • The Ruins of Elephantine Island seen from the Old Cataract Hotel, Aswan, Egypt

  • Nufori acrobat-mask performs the final rituals of a Senufo funeral, Promafolo village, near Korhogo, Ivory Coast

  • Kouakou Yao, a Baule sculptor, displaying fly-whisks with gold-leafed finials, Yagolikro village, Ivory Coast

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

  • Fishermen and their boat, Accra, Ghana

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

  • Irigwe dancers, Jos Plateau, Nigeria

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

  • Funeral rites among the Dogon people, Sanga, Mali

  • Press conference of President Mobutu, Mont Ngaliema, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

  • Young Senufo dancers, Boundiali village, Ivory Coast

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

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

  • Caravan of dromedary camels passing at dawn, Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

  • Cattle from Rwanda, near Kindu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

  • Twins Seven Seven with his jazz band, Oshogbo, Nigeria

  • Parade of the "Corps des Volontaires de la République," Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

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

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

  • Igbo masked dancers performing during the Onwa Asaa festival, Ugwuoba village, Nigeria

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

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

  • Children, members of Pioneers, Shabunda, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Ighogho masquerade, Benin City, Nigeria

  • Women displaying cloths for sale at the market, Kumasi, Ghana

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

  • Congolese woman selling vegetables at market, Katanga Province, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Six Maasai of ilmurran (warriors) age-grade, Great Rift Valley, Kenya

  • Nupe women carrying enamelled tinware with flexible woven cover, Wuya, west of Bida, Nigeria

  • Pende man with body painting and feather in hair, near Gungu, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Diamond processing plant, Société Minière de Bakwanga (MIBA), Mbuji Mayi, Congo (Democratic Republic)

  • Base decoration on colossal seated statue of Ramses II. Luxor, 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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