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Barbara Blackmun Collection

National Museum of African Art

Object Details

Photographer
Blackmun, Barbara Winston, 1928-2018
Names
Erediauwa, King of Benin, 1923-2016
Place
Nigeria
Ife (Nigeria)
Africa
Benin
Topic
Altars
Art, African
Rites and ceremonies -- Africa
Egúngún (Cult)
Yoruba (African people)
Provenance
Donated by Monica Blackmun Visona, 2016.
Photographer
Blackmun, Barbara Winston, 1928-2018
Culture
Edo (African people)
See more items in
Barbara Blackmun Collection
Summary
The collection includes 1,469 color slides (35mm) which were taken in Nigeria from circa 1964-1994, and focus on ancestral altars; artists; art objects in museums, including bronze plaques and carved ivory tusks; ceremonies and festivals, including the Igue and Ewere Festivals, and the Emobo, Otue, Olokun, title-taking, and Blackmun's initation ceremonies; and people, including Oba Erediauwa and chiefs Eribo, Ero, Esogban, Ezomo, Ohanmu and Osaigeide; and street and landscape scenes in Benin City, Ife, Lagos, Ishiago, and Mbarri, Owerri, Owo, among other locations in Nigeria.
Biographical / Historical
African art historian Barbara Winston Blackmun (1928-2018) was a specialist in Nigerian antiquities, particularly Nok terracottas, the bronzes of Ile Ife, and the bronzes and ivories of the Kingdom of Benin in Nigeria. She earned her BFA at UCLA (1949), MA at Arizona State University (1971), and Doctor of Philosophy in Art History at UCLA (1984). Over her career, Blackmun's research has included fieldwork in Malawi (1964-1969) and research of Ife antiquities with Frank Willett (1978-79) and various collections on Benin antiquities in the U.K., U.S., Europe, and Africa (1980-present). Recipient of a Fulbright (1981-1982) and a National Endowment for the Humanities grant (1994), she conducted field work at the Oba's court in Benin City, Nigeria. Additionally, she has published numerous exhibition catalogs and articles in journals such as African Arts. Blackmun taught art history at the Malawi Polytechnic College, Blantyre, (1965—1969), San Diego Mesa College (at which she is Professor Emeritus) (1971—2010), University of California, San Diego (1987, 2008, 2004), and UCLA (1987, 2000), among other places. She also curated and acted as a curatorial consultant of African art collections at numerous institutions, including Mesa College, the San Diego Museum of Art (2010), Chicago Field Museum (1990—1993), Chicago Art Institute (1994, 2006—2008), Detroit Institute of Art (2002—2010), Museum fuer Voelkerkunde, Vienna (2003—2008), and the Ethnologisches Museum, Berlin (2003—2008). Her committee work includes serving as National Program Director for the African American Institute, Malawi (1968—1969), a member of the Education Council, Contemporary Arts Committee, San Diego Museum of Art (1975—1978), a board member of the San Diego Mesa College Foundation (1983-) and the African and African-American Studies Research Center, University of California, San Diego, and Chair of the African Arts Council, San Diego Museum of Art.
Extent
1,440 Color slides
Date
circa 1969-1994
Archival Repository
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
Identifier
EEPA.2016-012
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Color slides
Citation
Barbara Blackmun Collection, EEPA 2016-012, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Arrangement
Arranged into 4 series: Series 1: Museum Objects (747 slides), 1979-1994 Series 2: Ceremonies (227 slides), circa 1969-1994 Series 3: People (354 slides), circa 1969-1994 Series 4: Landscape and Street Scenes (141 slides), circa 1969-1994
Processing Information
Digitized in 2017. Finding aid by Eden Orelove, 2018.
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
Color slides
Scope and Contents
The collection includes 1,469 color slides (35mm) which were taken in circa 1969 to 1994, and focus on African art objects, prominent people, especially chiefs, festivals and ceremonies, and landscape and street scenes in Nigeria, including Benin City, Ife, Ishiago, Jeronimos, Lagos, Mbari, Oshagbe, Owerri, Owo, Oyo, and Udu. Many of the images are of art objects in museums, particularly in the Jos Museum, the Owo Museum, the Benin Museum, the Lagos Museum, the Ife Palace Museum, and the University of Ife Museum. The objects include altar stands, armlets, bells, bowls, boxes, bracelets, figures, Oko (flutes), ivory gongs, Ikengobos, masks, motif drawings, pendants, plaques, regalia, salt cellars, staffs, stools, and carved ivory tusks. People depicted include the Oba Erediauwa, and the chiefs Eribo, Ero, Esogban, Ezomo, Ohanmu and Osaigeide. The collection also documents ceremonies and festivals, including the Igue and Ewere Festivals, and the Emobo, Otue, and Olokun ceremonies as well as Ineh Isienmwenro's title-taking, and Blackmun's initation.
Restrictions
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details. Items 1234-1256 restricted. Available to view onsite only.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1540228827713-1540228827724-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7f41661a7-24f4-48b4-bf6c-86f882c772cb

In the Collection

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  • Church, Owerri, Nigeria

  • Ineh Isienmwenro, Ineh Isienmwenro's Title-Taking Ceremony

  • Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Chief Ineh Ohanmu's Ukhurhe

  • Osa Omoregie in Group of People

  • Nok Terracotta Figure

  • Olokun Priestess, Olokun Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Shrine

  • Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Ozolua

  • Sacrifices, Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Chief Esogban

  • Carved Ivory Tusk, Tervuren Museum, Belgium

  • Chief Ero

  • Pendant, Jos Museum, Jos, Nigeria

  • Oba and Monkey Staff

  • Map of West Africa

  • Doll

  • Procession to Palace, Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Chief Ezomo

  • Akaeromwon, Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Charles

  • Ihama Ihogbe, Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Chief Osaigeide

  • Chief Ineh Ohanmu's Portrait

  • Chief Ezomo with Son

  • Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Igbo-Ukwu Altar Stands, Nigeria

  • Carved Ivory Tusk

  • Ife Terracotta Grotesque Head

  • Ogiamien's Regalia

  • Crowd, Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Benin City, Nigeria

  • Chief Eribo

  • Jebba Archer, Detail of Medallion with Bat

  • Nok Terracotta Figure

  • Ineh Isienmwenro's Wives, Ineh Isienmwenro's Title-Taking Ceremony

  • Ivory Tusk

  • Ife Head

  • Igbo-Ukwu Altar Stands, Nigeria

  • Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Igbo Ukwu Bronze, Snake

  • Ifieto, Otue Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Chief Esama, Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Ife, Nigeria

  • Leaping Leopard Motif Drawing

  • Carved Ivory Tusks

  • Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Brass hip? Mask

  • Chief Dancing, Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Ivory Gong, Schwartz Collection, Amsterdam

  • Shrine

  • Church, Owerri, Nigeria

  • Jebba Archer, Detail of Medallion with Bat

  • Horsemen

  • Chief Ezomo's Ikengobo

  • Osuma's Procession, Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Carved Bone, Benin Museum Store

  • Nok Terracotta Figure

  • Chief Osuma's Regalia

  • Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Emobo Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Ife Terracotta Head with Cap

  • Igbo-Ukwu Altar Stands, Nigeria

  • Benin-style Ife Terracotta Head

  • Palace, Emobo Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Wedding, Benin City, Nigeria

  • Igbo Ukwu Bronzes

  • Azaigueni

  • Chief Ero

  • Nok Terracotta Figure

  • Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Ogiamien's Shrine - Ore o Yan Owa (Awa?), Shows that Ogiamien is Owner of the Compound

  • Palace, prepared for Otue Ceremony, Otue Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Plaque

  • Chiefs Returning from Greeting the Oba, Otue Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Chief Ero

  • Oba, Emobo Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Ife Brass Stool, Ijebu, University of Ife, Ife, Nigeria

  • Ivory Gong, Lagos Museum, Nigeria

  • Bronze Ram Pectoral

  • Yoruba Carvings, Lagos Museum

  • Chief Ineh Ohanmu's Staff

  • Pottery, Owo Museum, Owo, Nigeria

  • Chief Esogban

  • Ife Head

  • Funeral, Benin City, Nigeria

  • Bronze Armlet, Owo Museum, Owo, Nigeria

  • Ogiamien's Hat

  • Chief Onaighise

  • Ife Terracotta Grotesque Head

  • Princess Eweka's Olokun Shrine, Olokun Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Chief Esogban

  • Carved Ivory Tusk

  • Wooden Staffs on Ogiamiens's Altar - Aro Edion

  • Ivory Gong, Schwartz Collection, Amsterdam

  • Moat, Benin City, Nigeria

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Igbo-Ukwu Altar Stands, Nigeria
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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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