Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Thomas Ofcansky collection, EEPA 2015-012

Summary

Collection ID:
EEPA.2015-012
Creators:
Ofcansky, Thomas P., 1947-
Dates:
1678-circa 2005
Languages:
Multiple languages
.
Physical Description:
1 Booklet
sheet music
30 Engravings
6 Photographic prints
6 Posters
1 Drawing
2 Documents
12 Maps
Repository:
The collection dates from 1678 to circa 2005 and consists of 58 maps, engravings, posters, original documents and photographs related to East, Central and South Africa. There is a special focus on Ethiopia (Abyssinia), Tanzania and the Sudan, and the collection's subjects include East African geography, history, political affairs and African leaders, as well as European (German, Italian, British) and American colonization, exploration and warfare in Africa.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection consists of 58 maps, engravings, particularly satirical comics, posters, original documents and photographs related to East, Central and South Africa. There is a special focus on Ethiopia (Abyssinia), Tanzania and the Sudan, and the collection's subjects include East African geography, history, political affairs and African leaders, as well as European (German, Italian, British) and American colonization, exploration and warfare in Africa. A number of engravings feature Benito Mussolini, Menelik, and the first Italian-Ethiopian War of 1895-1896. Additionally, there is a photograph of Haile Selassie. Many of the chromolithographs appeared in popular publications in England, France and the U.S., including Punch, or The London Chariviari, The London Illustrated News, The Graphic, and Le Petit Journal during the late 19th – early 20th century.
There are a few ephemeral items related to travel and transportation in Africa, including African Steamship travel tickets, menus and a Uganda railway poster. Other items are related to exploration, hunting and safaris, including original sketches and engravings of motor safari camps in East Africa.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Arranged in one series by medium.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Thomas P. Ofcansky (1947-) is a former African affairs analyst with the State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and a retired professor of political science from the University of West Virginia. In the 1990s, he developed a detailed database that tracked the suppliers and shipments of small arms to Africa (PBS/Frontline interview, February, 2002). Ofcansky is the author of numerous publications including Uganda: Tarnished Pearl of Africa (1999), Paradise Lost: A History of Game Preservation in East Africa (2002), and has co-authored numerous volumes in the Historical Dictionary of Africa series and Ethiopia: A Country Study (1993–2014).

Administration

Author
Eden Orelove
Processing Information
Processed by Eden Orelove, May 2018.
Custodial History
Collected by Thomas Ofcansky. Purchased by the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, in February 2015.

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
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Preferred Citation
Thomas Ofcansky Collection, EEPA 2015-012, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Africa -- Maps Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Engravings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Letters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Posters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pamphlets Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sheet music Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Certificates Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographic prints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Africa -- Colonization Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Africa -- Discovery and exploration Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ethiopia Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tanzania Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sudan 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