Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Vera Viditiz-Ward photographs, EEPA 1992-021, circa 1990

Summary

Collection ID:
EEPA.1992-021
Creators:
Viditz-Ward, Vera
Dates:
circa 1990
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
48 Photographic prints
black and white
11 x 14 inches.
Repository:
The collection contains 48 matted black and white photographs, measuring 11 x 14 inches, taken by photographer and art professor Vera Viditz-Ward. These prints comprised the exhibition Paramount Chiefs of Sierra Leone, which was on display at the National Museum of African Art from November 1990 through September 1991. The images consist of portraits of paramount chiefs in Sierra Leone and include ceremonial clothes and headcovers, jewelry, handheld objects, drums, staffs and ivory trumpets. Culture groups depicted include the Yalunka, Limba, Koranko, Kono, Kissi, Mende, Krim, Vai, Lokko and Temne peoples.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Vera Viditz-Ward is a photographer and professor in the Art and Art History Department at Bloomsburg College. She received her BFA from the Hartford Art School of the University of Hartford, CT and her MFA in Photography from Indiana University, Bloomington. Her photographic work explores the lives and experiences of West Africans both in their own countries and their experiences as immigrants in the United States. Her photographs have been published and exhibited in numerous solo shows both nationally and internationally. Professor Viditz-Ward has also conducted research in the history of photography. She has published several articles, written a chapter in a book and frequently presents lectures on the history of Black African photography. She is the recipient of several honors and awards including two Fulbright-Hayes Research Grants and a National Education Association Research Grant. Her photographs are in numerous collections, including the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of African Art; the United States Department of State Art in Embassies permanent collection; and the National Museum of Sierra Leone.

Administration

Author
cgehrer
Custodial History note
Donated by Vera Viditz-Ward, 1992.
Separated Materials note
The Warren Robbins Library at the National Museum of African Art holds a copy of Paramount Chiefs of Sierra Leone, an catalog from Viditz-Ward's exhibition of the same name, which ran at the National Museum of African Art from November 1990 to September 1991.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access note
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Conditions Governing Use note
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Preferred Citation note
Vera Viditz-Ward Photographs, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Archival Materials note
The Warren Robbins Library at the National Museum of African Art holds a copy of Paramount Chiefs of Sierra Leone, an catalog from Viditz-Ward's exhibition of the same name, which ran at the National Museum of African Art from November 1990 to September 1991.

More Information

General note

General note
Title provided by EEPA staff.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Vai (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Africa Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Black-and-white photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drums Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Trumpets Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Staffs (Sticks, canes, etc.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hairdressing Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clothing and dress Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
headgear Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Costume Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sierra Leone Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mende (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Limba (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kissi (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kono (Sierra Leonean people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Temne (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jewelry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kuranko (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographic prints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Yalunka (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
elisofonarchives@si.edu