Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Eliot Elisofon Art photographs, EEPA 1973-002

Summary

Collection ID:
EEPA.1973-002
Creators:
Elisofon, Eliot
Dates:
1942-1972
Languages:
Undetermined
.
Physical Description:
5,000 Photographic prints
(10 boxes)
b&w
14 x 11 in. or smaller
Repository:
Container:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Photographs taken by Eliot Elisofon in Africa and in European and American museums and collections during his extensive travels from 1942 through 1972. African kingdoms and peoples represented include Afo, Anyi, Asante, Atie, Baga, Bamana, Baule, Bembe, Benin, Bobo, Boki, Bozo, Chamba, Chokwe, Dan, Dinka, Dogon, Ebrie, Efik, Ejagham, Hausa, Ibibio, Idoma, Ife, Igbo-Ukwu, Ijo, Jenne, Jukun, Kamba, Kissi, Kom, Kongo, Kono, kota, Kpelle, Kuba, Kuyu, Kwele, Lega, Lobi, Loma, Lozi, Luba, Lulua, Lunda, Mambila, Mende, Mossi, Nalu, Ndebele, Ngbaka, Ngoni, Nok, Nupe, Nyamwezi, Pende, Suku, Susu, Tabwa, Teke, Temne, Tetela, Tiv, Tuareg, Urhobo, Vai, Woyo, Yaka, Yoruba, and Zande.

Arrangement note

Arrangement note
Images indexed by negative number.

Biographical/Historical note

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 privately owned 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.

Administration

Author
Paul Wood
Custodial History note
Donated by Eliot Elisofon, 1973.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Conditions Governing Access note
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.

More Information

General note

General note
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Mali Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Côte d'Ivoire Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nigeria Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ghana Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographic prints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Asante (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kuba (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kyaman (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Africa Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dogon (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Black-and-white photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Congo (Democratic Republic) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tanzania Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
National Museum of African Art
P.O. Box 37012
MRC 708
Washington, DC 20013-7012
elisofonarchives@si.edu