1.75 Linear feet (200 Prints: black & white; 2 contact sheets: black & white; 481 Negatives (photographic): black & white)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Negatives
Place:
Jordan
Syria
Algeria
Fès (Morocco)
Cairo (Egypt)
Morocco
Rabat-Salé (Morocco)
Marrakech (Morocco)
Meknès (Morocco)
Date:
1965-1979
Summary:
A collection of black and white prints and negatives of Islamic monuments taken by former ambassador Richard B. Parker. The collection includes 200 prints and 481 negatives. The images document Islamic architecture throughout Algeria, Cairo, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, and Spain.
Scope and Contents of the Collection:
The Amb. Richard B. Parker Photographs contains 200 black and white prints, 481 black and white negatives, and two black and white contact sheets of Islamic monuments in Algeria, Cairo, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, and Spain. The Morocco series in the largest in the collection covering four cities. Photographs from Cairo span the years 1965-1968. All other photographs span the years 1970-1979. Originally, the negatives and prints were housed together. Although the negatives are now housed separately from the prints, they are grouped in the original order. All prints are in original order. Most of the photographs have been annotated and/or dated by the creator.
Arrangement note:
The collection is arranged into six series: Series 1: Algeria,1972-1974; Series 2:Cairo, 1965-1968; Series 3:Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan,1977-1978; Series 4:Morocco, 1970-1979; Series 5:Spain, 1970-1972; and Series 6: Miscellaneous.
Biography of Ambassador Richard B. Parker:
Richard Bordeaux Parker was born on July 3, 1923, in the Philippines where his father was stationed in the United States Army. He earned a Bachelors of Science in General Science and a Masters of Science in Citizenship Education from Kansas State University. After serving as an infantry soldier during World War II, Parker joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1949. His first tour was spent in Sydney, Australia. He then focused his career on the Middle East, holding a number of posts in Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. In addition, Parker served as ambassador to Algeria (1974-1977), Lebanon (1977), and Morocco (1978-1979.)
Fluent in Arabic, he has written/edited seven books to date on subjects concerning the Middle East. He retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 1981 and became the editor of, The Middle East Journal, from 1981 through 1987. In addition to his diplomatic career, Parker taught at the University of Virginia, Johns Hopkins University, and Lawrence University. He served as the first president of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training from 1986-1989. He is also a member of several organizations including the Advisory Council on Near East Studies at Princeton University, the American Academy of Diplomacy, the Cosmos Club, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Middle East Institute. In June, 2004, he received the American Foreign Service Association's lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy award. Richard B. Parker is married with four children and lives in Washington, D.C.
Related Materials:
Other collections housed in the archives documenting Islamic monuments include: Antoin Sevruguin Photographs, the Seherr-Thoss Photographs, and the Lionel Bier Architectural Drawings.
Provenance:
Ambassador Richard B. Parker donated this entire collection in 2002.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
The archives is open by appointment only, Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Archives is closed on all federal holidays.
Amb. Richard B. Parker Photographs, 1965-1979. FSA.A2002.06. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Ambassador Richard B. Parker, 2002
