The Historic Maps of Africa collection includes 78 maps and dates from circa 1631 to 1973. Geographic content of individual maps varies from topographical information, boundaries of colonial territories, and ethnic groups, among other topics. While several depict the continent of Africa in its entirety, many focus on specific countries and geographic regions. There are a particularly large number of maps depicting the West African Coast.
Scope and Contents:
The Historic Maps of Africa collection consists of 78 maps, dating from circa 1631 to 1973, with the bulk created in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The maps vary in size, ranging from the smallest at 7 x 7 (7/8) inches to the largest at 40 x 30 (5/8) inches.
Geographic content of individual maps varies from topographical information, boundaries of colonial territories, and ethnic groups, among other topics. While several depict the continent of Africa in its entirety, many focus on specific countries and geographic regions. There are a particularly large number of maps depicting the West African Coast.
The majority of the maps in the collection feature color illustrations. Titles and descriptions of the maps are in several languages (Dutch, English, French, German, and others), representing the different colonial powers in control at the time. Particular maps of interest include an 1830 colored map in English titled "Africa from the Best Authorities," which illustrates the entire African continent, various ethnic groups, and the inroads made by European colonial powers; and a 1656 topographic map in French depicting the west-central coast of Africa, specifically the mountains and rivers of the region.
Digital copies of the maps are available.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in chronological order.
Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Citation:
Historic maps of Africa collection, EEPA 1991-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
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:
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:
Arranged in one series by medium.
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).
Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Genre/Form:
Engravings
Letters
Posters
Pamphlets
Sheet music
Certificates
Photographic prints
Citation:
Thomas Ofcansky Collection, EEPA 2015-012, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
Out of our minds : reason and madness in the exploration of Central Africa : the Ad. E. Jensen lectures at the Frobenius Institut, University of Frankfurt / Johannes Fabian
Native and Spanish new worlds : sixteenth-century entradas in the American southwest and southeast / edited by Clay Mathers, Jeffrey M. Mitchem, and Charles M. Haecker
The Historic Engravings collection is comprised of 154 pages of engravings, dating from 1747 to circa 1905. The engravings depict subject matter related to Africa and Africans.
Scope and Contents:
The Historic Engravings collection consists of 154 pages of engravings, dating from 1747 to circa 1905, with the bulk created in the second half of the nineteenth century. Many of the engravings were completed for publication in leading nineteenth-century newspapers, including the Illustrated London News and Harper's Weekly.
Numerous engravings depict scenes from expeditions, including the Dr. Livingstone (Central and South Africa), Baker (Central Africa), and Stanley expeditions. Topics illustrated include agriculture, ceremonies, city and town views, ships, animals, battles, domestic scenes, diamond mines, and fashions. Represented peoples include the Khoikoi, Abyssinian, Ashanti, Griquas, Khoikoi, Ndebele, and Zulu. Finally, the engravings depict such wide-ranging locations as Abyssinia, Annesley Bay, Chupanga, Dahomey, Gondokoro, Hadoda Pass, Hamhamo Spring, Keiskamma Gorge, Mount Kilimanjaro, Kongone River, Lake Tanganyika, Limpopo River, Matabili [now Zimbabwe], Morocco, Nigeria, the Red Sea, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Tekonda Pass, Ujiji, Umizimkulu Waterfall, Zambesi Delta, and Zanzibar, among others.
Arrangement:
Series one and two are arranged by publisher name and filed chronologically thereafter. Series 3 is arranged alphabetically by expedition leader name, and series 4 is organized by accession number.
Series 1: Illustrated London News, 1851-1901 (51 items; Map Case Drawer M1, 9 folders)
Series 2: Harper's Weekly, 1867-1905 (19 items; Map Case Drawer M1, 4 folders)
Series 3: Expedition Leaders, Bankes to Smith, circa 1800s-circa 1904 (51 items; Map Case Drawer M1, 11 folders)
Series 4: Other/Unidentified, 1747-circa 1905 (33 items; Map Case Drawer M1, 5 folders)
Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
The rediscovery of Africa 1400-1900 : antique maps & rare images : a narrative history and catalogue for an exhibition of antique African maps and rare books, including the Oscar I. Norwich Collection, at the Stanford University Libraries commencing April, 2004 / William R. Jacobson
