Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
      • Group Sales
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current
      • Upcoming
      • Past
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • - Art & Design
    • - History & Culture
    • - Science & Nature
    • - Innovation & Tech
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Snapshot
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Asian Art Museum Archives
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
  • Learn
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
      • Art & Design Resources
      • Science & Nature Resources
      • Social Studies & Civics Resources
      • STEAM Learning Resources
      • Professional Development
      • Events for Educators
      • Field Trips
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
  • Support Us
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Ambassador Program
      • Museum Information Desk
      • Docent Programs
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Participatory Science
  • About
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
        • Contact
      • Museums and Zoo
      • Research Centers
      • Cultural Centers
      • Education Centers
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Employee Benefits
        • How to Apply
        • Job Opportunities
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • Office of Equal Opportunity
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Small Business Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Contracting Opportunities
          • Additional Resources
        • Special Emphasis Programs
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Combating Trafficking in Persons
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

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

Pages

  • « first
  • ‹ previous
  • …
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • …
  • next ›
  • last »
  • Jeronimos, Nigeria

  • Bronze Head named "Our Head", Gift from Oba to Blackmun

  • Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Carved Ivory Tusk

  • Oba, Emobo Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Nok Terracotta Figure

  • Igbo Ukwu Bronze Object

  • Aigbe Eson

  • Gara Warrior

  • Ife Terracotta Head with Cap

  • Ekpokin, Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Armlet with Bat Figures, Copenhagen Museum, Denmark

  • Gara Warrior

  • Head with Striations and Lateral Cornrows

  • Chief Ezomo with Family

  • Chief Esogban

  • Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Priest Osa of Ora

  • Ife Leopard Topped Pot

  • Tusk Motif - Female with Charm Drawing

  • Benin City, Nigeria

  • Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Motif Drawing

  • David Omoregie Carving

  • Igbo-Ukwu Altar Stands, Nigeria

  • Otue Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Road Near Onitsha (?)

  • ife Terracotta Head with Striations and Tiered Hairstyle

  • Procession, Ineh Isienmwenro's Title-Taking Ceremony

  • Ogimien's Shrine, Aro Odighi (?)

  • Bronze Head named "Our Head", Gift from Oba to Blackmun

  • Iron Osun Staff, Owo Museum, Owo, Nigeria

  • Carved Ivory Tusk Depicting a Dancing Foreign Rider, Leiden

  • Processions of Charms, Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Jebba Archer

  • Ohanmu's Ivory Tusk

  • Ivory Owo Tapper Depicting Monkeys , detail

  • Chief Ezomo with Son

  • Esie Head

  • Otue Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Igbo-Ukwu Altar Stands, Nigeria

  • Yoruba Ancestral Altar Ram, Owo Museum, Owo, Nigeria

  • Plaque of Esigie

  • Ivory Gong

  • Bronze Armlet, Owo Museum, Owo, Nigeria

  • Ineh Isienmwenro's Title-Taking Ceremony

  • Ivory Tusk, Carved by David Omnegie, Benin Museum Store, Benin, Nigeria

  • Ivory Tusk

  • Ife Heads

  • Iguneronmwon Holding Sculpture

  • Pepper Fruit

  • Igbo Ukwu Bronze, Spiral Shell

  • Benin-style Ife Terracotta Head

  • Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Chief Osuma, Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Ife Without Flared Headdress

  • Ivory Figure, Benin Museum

  • Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Ogiamien's Own Olokun Altar, Women's Altars on Sides, Includes Large Doughnut of Cowries and Two Figures with Cowrie Eyes

  • Armlet with Bat Figures, Copenhagen Museum, Denmark

  • Carved Ivory Tusk

  • Osa Omoregie

  • Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Carved Ivory Tusk, Benin Museum Store, Benin, Nigeria

  • Ogiamien's Ancestral Shrine to his Head, Aro, Gift from Obas Past and Present

  • Udo, Nigeria

  • Ogimien's House, Sakpoba Road, Benin City, Nigeria

  • Akenzua II

  • Ozolua

  • Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Igbo Ukwu Bronzes

  • Carved Ivory Tusk, Benin Museum, Benin, Nigeria

  • Striped Wall

  • Portuguese Soldier Figure Holding Crossbow

  • Carved Ivory Tusk, Museum in Munich, Germany

  • Chief Ezomo's Ikengobo

  • Benin Brass "Enemy" Head with Facial Marks

  • Ozolua

  • Ivory Bracelet

  • Ihama, Ewere Festival, Nigeria

  • Oba and Monkey Staff

  • Chief Ero

  • Chief with Egbele, Otue Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Benin-style Ife Terracotta Head

  • Kathryn and Girl

  • Priestess Igharo

  • Plaque Depicting Official with Leopard Pouch

  • Ife Heads

  • Chief Ero

  • Moat, Benin City, Nigeria

  • Ivory Bracelets

  • Igbo-Ukwu Altar Stands, Nigeria

  • Ohanmu's Ivory Tusk

  • Chief Eribo

  • Ivory Tusk, Museum of Ethnology, Geneva, Switzerland

  • Akaeromwon, Otue Ceremony, Nigeria

  • Ife Terracotta Mouth and Cheek

  • Drawing of Ivory Bat with Human Head

  • Chief Esogban in Ehaenegbehia, Igue Festival, Nigeria

  • Ivory Oko (Flute), Benin Museum Store, Benin, Nigeria

Pages

  • « first
  • ‹ previous
  • …
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • …
  • next ›
  • last »
Igbo-Ukwu Altar Stands, Nigeria
View Slideshow
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.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer
View Finding aid

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Sign up for Smithsonian e-news

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Back to Top