Photographs taken by Marli Shamir in Mali, in 1971. The majority of the images show architecture in Djenne, Mali. Other images depict architecture of the Dogon in Timbuktu, Gao and San. Photographs from this collection were featured by Labelle Prussin's thesis entitled, "The Architecture of Djenne; African Synthesis and Transformation," (Yale University, 1974) and in her book entitled, "Hatumere: Islamic Design in West Africa," (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986). The images have also been displayed in an exhibition entitled, "Marli Shamir Photographs from the Sahel," held in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, in 1976.

Photographs taken by Albert N. and Estera F. Votaw in in Cote d'Ivoire while stationed there with the U.S. Department of State, 1967-1969.

Photographs of art objects collected by Maxwell C., 1904-1984, and Betty Stanley. The Stanley's had begun to collect African art objects during a business trip to West Africa in the 1960s, and they gradually acquired nearly 600 pieces. The objects are found today in the University of Iowa Museum. Events documented include official government ceremonies with staged indigenous dances; rituals in villages such as young members of the female sande society returning from the initiation camp; and visits by foreign heads of state such as Queen Elizabeth II and Josip Broz Tito of Yoguslavia. Art works include figures, masks, musical instruments, sculptures and staffs.

Photographs by Captain Alfred Friendly depicting rock paintings, people, cities, Kariba Dam, and scenery in Africa. Friendly made the photographs in Nairobi National Park, Nyeri, Kenya; Uganda; Lake Albert; Lake Kivu; Lake McIlwaine (now Lake Chivero); Nswatugi Cave and Silozwane Cave in Matopos National Park, Zimbabwe; Cape Town and Johannesburg, ...

Collection dates from 1966 to 1976 and includes 1,817 black and white negatives, 1,519 35mm color slides, several hundred prints, and manuscript materials. Locations include Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Israel, Mali, and Niger and depict agriculture, architecture, especially mosques, landscapes, marketplaces, masquerade and musical performances, sculptures, and textiles. Peoples depicted include the Bambara, Bella, Bozo, Dogon, Fulani, Gao, Mandingo, San, Songhai, and Tuarag peoples.

Photographs taken during a research trip to Mali in 1989 to study the art and architecture of the Dogon and Bamana peoples. Accompanying Dr. Ravenhill was Stanley Staniski from Media Resources. Their work resulted in the video production entitled, Togu na and Cheko: Change and Continuity in the Art of Mali, for the National Museum of African Art.

Photographs of people and architecture taken by Sujatha Pelletier in Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Morocco and Mali from June of 1992 through June of 1995.

This collection is comprised of photographic and manuscript materials, primarily created 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. The manuscript materials include correspondence, essays, clippings, puobligations, notes, research, and itineraries.

This collection includes postcards from 45 African countries. Subjects include agriculture; animals; artists; body arts; cityscapes; cultural landscapes; dance; education; expeditions; flora; industry; leaders; marketplaces; medicine; military; missionaries; music; portraits; recreation; rites and ceremonies; and transportation, among many other topics.

The Smithsonian Institution Festival of American Folklife, held annually since 1967 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1998. The materials collected here document the planning, production, and execution of the annual Festival, produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (1999-present) and its predecessor offices (1967-1999). An overview of the entire Festival records group is available here: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records.