Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Walker Evans photographs, EEPA 1985-010, 1935

Summary

Collection ID:
EEPA.1985-010
Creators:
Evans, Walker, 1903-1975
Dates:
1935
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
225 Photographic prints
silver gelatin (3 boxes)
black & white
8 x 10 in.
Repository:
Container:
1
2
3
Peoples and kingdoms whose art works are shown include the Asante, Baule, Benin, Boki, Dogon, Fang (Pahouin), Ijo, Kuba, Lumbu, Mama, Mende, Mpongwe, Punu and Yoruba. Objects depicted include garments, doors, fly whisks, gold weights, headrests, jewelry, masks, musical instrument such as bells and rhythym pounders, power figures, pipes, staff finials, stools and wood sculptures of men and women.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Walker Evans, 1903-1975, photographer and educator. Studied at Williams College in 1923 and the Sorbonne in Paris in 1926, worked as a photographer for the Farm Security administration from 1935 to 1937, worked as a contributing editor to Time magazine from 1943 to 1945, and served as an associate editor and staff photographer at Fortune magazine from 1946 to 1965. Mr. Evans also taught graphic arts at Yale University and served as artist-in-residence at Dartmouth College.

Administration

Author
Paul Wood
Custodial History note
Photographs assembled in a portfolio entitled, "African Negro Art: Photographs by Walker Evans," in conjunction with the exhibit entitled, "African Negro Art," held at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City in 1935. The images have been published in the following books: Paul Radin's African Folktakes & Sculpture (New York: Pantheon Books, 1952), James Johnson Sweeney's African Sculpture (Princeton University Press, 1970), James Johnson Sweeney's African Negro Art (New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1935), and Virginia-Lee Webb's Perfect Documents: Walker Evans and African Art, 1935 (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000). Donated by Dr. Samuel Stern, 1985.

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
Images indexed by negative number.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Mpongwe (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mende (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mama (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lumbu Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Black-and-white photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Yoruba (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Punu (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographic prints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kuba (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Africa Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Boki (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Asante (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nigeria Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art objects Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Côte d'Ivoire Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dogon (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Baule (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ijo (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fang (West African people) Cultural Context 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
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-4690
Fax Number: Fax: 202-357-4879
elisofonarchives@si.edu