Photographs taken by Klara Farkas in Ethiopia in 1971.

Photographs taken by David Davies during his residence in Nigeria from January of 1966 to December of 1967 and in Nairobi, Kenya, from June of 1968 to June of 1973.

The photographs document many aspects of African life and culture including agriculture, animals, archeology, architecture, art and artisans, children, cityscapes, dance and music, domestic scenes, education, flora, hunting and fishing, industry, landscapes, leaders, markets, medicine, recreation, rituals and celebrations, and transportation. Photographs taken by Eliot Elisofon to document his travels and work. The images portray many aspects of African life and culture including agriculture, wildlife, archaeology, architecture, art and artisans, children, cityscapes and landscapes, leaders, markets, medicine, recreation, ritual and celebration, and transportation. Artisans shown include an Asante weaver making kente cloth in Ghana; a Dogon carver in Mali making a kanaga mask; an Ebrie goldsmith in Cote d'Ivoire; Hausa dyers in Kano, Nigeria; and Nupe beadmakers in Nigeria; as well as artists at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Kinshasa, Congo. Portraits of leaders include the Asante court at Kumase in Ghana; Ebrie chiefs and notables in Cote d'Ivoire; the timi (king) of Ede, a Yourba town, Nigeria; the emir of Katsina, Nigeria; and the Kuba king and his court in the Congo. There are informal portraits showing children of the Kuba royal court dancing, Fulbe women with gold earrings in Mali, Mangbetu women in the Congo, and Maasai elders in Kenya. Masked dances documented include a Dogon dama festival celebration in Mali, an Igbo festival in Nigeria, and Kuba and Pende masked dancers in the Congo. There are also images of Yoruba gelede (men's association) masks in Nigeria. Non-masked dancers shown include Dan professional acrobatic dancers in Cote d'Ivoire, Irigwe dancers in Nigeria, Mangbetu dancers in the Congo, Mbuti dancers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Wodaabe men dancing in Nigeria. Events shown include Hausa riders in chain mail during the Independence Day celebration in Katsina, Nigeria. Images of art in situ include ancestral altars in the King of Benin's palace in Nigeria; Dogon rock paintings in Mali; and Yoruba Shango shrine sculptures in the palace courtyard of timi (king) of Ede in Nigeria. Landscapes include views of mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Animals shown include birds, buffalos, elephants and giraffes. Traditional architecture shown includes Asante shrine houses with raised wall decorations in Ghana, Dogon villages in Mali and mosques in Mopti.

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.

Documentation; including correspondence, prints, slides and brochures; produced and collected by the National Museum of African Art to support exhibits sponsored by the museum from 1979 to the present.

Vintage photographs, including albumen and silver gelatin photographic prints, collected by the staff of the National Museum of African Art from its inception in 1979.

Photographs taken by Eliot Elisofon.

Photographs taken by Kerwin B. Roche of wildlife in Kenya and Tanganyika and of African dancing in Nairobi, Kenya, over an eighteen month period, 1973-1974.

Photographs taken by Anni Siranne-Coplan in 1975 and 1976 of daily life in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo. Images depict architecture, open air markets and street scenes in cities, coastal towns and rural villages.

Photographs taken by Dean Philpott of the Kenyatta Conference Center in Nairobi, Kenya, and of wildlife and scenery in the countryside surrounding Nairobi, Kenya, circa 1970.