Curatorial Records
This accession consists of curatorial records created and maintained by Philip L. Ravenhill, Chief Curator, 1987-1997. Exhibitions documented include: "Kalabari Ancestral Screens: Levels of Meaning;" "The African Deset, 1975-1977: Photographs by Bernard Plossu;" and "Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought." Materials include correspondence, memoranda, background materials, lender information, brochures, and …
Exhibition Records
This accession documents closed, denied, and unfinished exhibitions at the National Museum of African Art (NMAfA). These records contain correspondence, research, notes, checklists, label texts, brochures, floor plans and designs, clippings, loan information, photographs, slides, transparencies, and negatives. Some materials are in electronic format. Exhibitions documented in this accession include …
Henry John Drewal and Margaret Thompson Drewal Collection
Drewal, Margaret Thompson
10,617 Copy slides
Both Henry John Drewal and Margaret Drewal traveled to Nigeria, Ghana and Togo (West Africa) for extended periods from 1967-1986. During their trips to Nigeria they conducted research into the ritual performance, masking traditions, and traditional sacred rites of the Yoruba people as well as Mami Wata devotes of Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria. They are the co-authors of Gelede: Art and Female Power among the Yoruba (1993).Both Henry John Drewal and Margaret Drewal traveled to Nigeria, Ghana and Togo (West Africa) for extended periods from 1967-1986. During their trips to Nigeria they conducted research into the ritual performance, masking traditions, and traditional sacred rites of the Yoruba people as well as Mami Wata devotes of Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria. They are the co-authors of Gelede: Art and Female Power among the Yoruba (1993). Photographs taken by Henry John and Margaret Thompson Drewal during the 1970s and 1980s of Yoruba and Ewe art and culture.
Publicity Records
This accession consists of records documenting the publicity of exhibitions and special events at the National Museum of African Art. Also included are materials relating to the opening of the museum in its mall location, the building's 10th anniversary celebration, and biographical information for Roslyn A. Walker (Director, 1997-2002) and Philip L …
Eliot Elisofon Field collection
30000 Slides (photographs) (color)
80,000 Photographic prints (b&w, 25 x 20 cm. or smaller.)
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.
African Postcard Collection
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.
Timothy Asch papers
Timothy Asch was an anthropologist and ethnographic film maker who devoted his professional life to using film as a recording and teaching medium. His papers cover the period from 1966 until his premature death in 1994 and reflect his active career in the field. A large portion of the files relates to his work among the Yanomami people of Venezuela and to his concern with bias in film making.
Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1
Consists of photographs collected by the United States National Museum (USNM) Division of Ethnology and later by the Smithsonian Office of Anthropology (SOA). Coverage is worldwide outside North America. Most of the items are photographic prints, some in albums. There are also negatives, photomechanical prints, artwork, and newsclippings. For the …
