Search Results

Creator:

National Museum of African Art  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2019-04-05T16:30:20.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, African  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianAfricanAr

Data Source:

National Museum of African Art

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianAfricanAr

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_Hd4k6lb3O4E

Site Name:

Burkina Faso  Search this

Place:

Burkina Faso, Africa

USNM Number:

67032

See more items in:

Mineral Sciences

Meteorites

Polished Thin Section Collection

Digital Collection: Micrographs

Data Source:

NMNH - Mineral Sciences Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3cd71a244-d5cc-44d5-8986-7b16571a7e5f

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhmineralsciences_1041978

Biogeographical Region:

22 - West Tropical Africa  Search this

Collector:

J. E. Lawesson  Search this

Min. Elevation:

200  Search this

Place:

Burkina Faso. Foret de Nioma and Toeesin, west of Yako City, Burkina, Africa

Collection Date:

1 Dec 1989

Taxonomy:

Plantae Dicotyledonae Asterales Asteraceae Asteroideae

Published Name:

Eclipta prostrata (L.) L.

Barcode:

01759082

USNM Number:

3623128

See more items in:

Botany

Flowering plants and ferns

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3ba522708-9f33-4575-860b-899cea844289

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_12801206

Editor:

Cooksey, Susan  Search this

Host institution:

Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art  Search this

Ackland Art Museum  Search this

Figge Art Museum  Search this

Physical description:

xv, 272 pages color illustrations 31 cm

Type:

Exhibitions

Expositions

Exhibition catalogs

Catalogues d'exposition

Place:

Africa, Sub-Saharan

Afrique subsaharienne

Sub-Saharan Africa

Date:

2020

Topic:

Art metal-work  Search this

Arts du métal  Search this

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1146894

Donor Name:

Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden  Search this

Length - Object:

80 cm

Width - Object:

11 cm

Height - Object:

10 cm

Culture:

Lobi (?)  Search this

Object Type:

Sculpture

Place:

Not Given, Burkina Faso, Africa

Accession Date:

28 Aug 1992

Collection Date:

1986

Topic:

Ethnology  Search this

Accession Number:

370312

USNM Number:

E428228-0

See more items in:

Anthropology

Data Source:

NMNH - Anthropology Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/31440af16-2d98-4956-86ab-f575eaec13ad

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhanthropology_8502569

Container:

Box 1 of 8

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Rights:

Restricted for 15 years. until Jan-01-2030; Transferring office; 4/23/2001 memorandum, Johnstone to Seefeldt; Contact reference staff for details.

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 14-242, Smithsonian Institution, Office of International Relations, Country Files

See more items in:

Country Files

Country Files / Box 1

Archival Repository:

Smithsonian Institution Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-sia-fa14-242-refidd1e531

Container:

Box 1 of 6

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Rights:

Restricted for 15 years, until Jan-01-2025; Transferring office; 10/22/2003 memorandum, Johnstone to Laffoon; Contact reference staff for details.

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 10-096, National Museum of African Art, Office of the Director, Correspondence

See more items in:

Correspondence

Correspondence / Box 1

Archival Repository:

Smithsonian Institution Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-sia-fa10-096-refidd1e236

Collector:

Dr. Arthur G. Humes  Search this

Preparation:

Alcohol (Ethanol)

Place:

Muddy Hole At Kaya, Burkina Faso

Collection Date:

18 Feb 1955

Published Name:

Tropodiaptomus senegambiae Gauthier, 1951

USNM Number:

1156615

See more items in:

Invertebrate Zoology

Arthropoda

Data Source:

NMNH - Invertebrate Zoology Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3a29aba03-e881-43f1-ad31-77166635b206

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhinvertebratezoology_10069330

Collector:

National Museum of African Art (U.S.)  Search this

Extent:

61 Volumes

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Volumes

Postcards

Place:

Algeria

Angola

Benin

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Cape Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Congo (Democratic Republic)

Côte d'Ivoire

Mozambique

Morocco

Mali

Namibia

Rwanda

Niger

Nigeria

Somalia

South Africa

Sierra Leone

Sudan

Tanzania

Togo

Tunisia

Zimbabwe

Zambia

Uganda

Senegal

Kenya

Liberia

Ghana

Guinea

Mauritania

Madagascar

Malawi

Djibouti

Ethiopia

Gabon

Egypt

Eritrea

Africa

Date:

1898-[ongoing]

Summary:

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.

Arrangement note:

Arranged by country and topic

Provenance:

NMAfA: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, 950 Independence Ave. S.W. 20560-0708;, Transfer;, 1985-ongoing;, 1985-0014

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:

Postcards

Citation:

African Postcard collection, EEPA 1985-014, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

EEPA.1985-014

See more items in:

African Postcard Collection

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7db935b22-d87f-4afd-95bb-b2f1180fcf9d

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-eepa-1985-014

Creator:

Reining, Priscilla  Search this

Extent:

2 Boxes

60.25 Linear feet (145 boxes)

23 Computer storage devices (floppy discs, zip discs, data tapes, and magnetic tape)

6 Sound recordings

2 Map drawers

Culture:

Anishinaabe (Chippewa/Ojibwa)  Search this

Kikuyu (African people)  Search this

Minnesota Chippewa [Red Lake, Minnesota]  Search this

Haya (African people)  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Computer storage devices

Sound recordings

Map drawers

Correspondence

Photographs

Electronic records (digital records)

Place:

Tanganyika

Tanzania

Kenya

Uganda

Niger

Burkina Faso

Bukoba District (Tanzania)

Date:

1916-2007

bulk 1934-2007

Summary:

The Priscilla Reining papers, 1916-2007, primarily document the professional life of Reining, a social anthropologist and Africanist who worked for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) from 1974 to 1989. Her area of specialty was sub-Saharan Africa, specializing in desertification, land tenure, land use, kinship, population, fertility, and HIV/AIDS. During the 1970s, she pioneered the use of satellite imagery in conjunction with ethnographic data. She is also known for her ground-breaking research in the late 1980s that showed that uncircumcised men were more susceptible to contracting HIV/AIDS than circumcised men.

The collection contains correspondence, field research, research files, writings, day planners, teaching files, student files, photographs, maps, sound recordings, and electronic records. Reining's research files, particularly on the Red Lake Ojibwa, the Haya, HIV/AIDS, and satellite imagery, form a significant portion of the collection.

Scope and Contents:

These papers primarily document the professional life of Priscilla Reining. The collection contains correspondence, field research, research files, writings, day planners, teaching files, student files, photographs, maps, sound recordings, and electronic records.

Reining's research files, particularly on the Red Lake Ojibwa, the Haya, HIV/AIDS, and satellite imagery, form a significant portion of the collection. Her consultancy work is also well-represented, as well as her involvement in a large number of professional organizations. The collection also contains a great deal of material relating to her work on different programs and projects at AAAS, including the Committee on Arid Lands, Ethnography of Reproduction Project, and Cultural Factors in Population Programs. Also present in the collection are materials from her time as Urgent Anthropology Program Coordinator at the Smithsonian Institution, her files as an instructor and professor, and her files as a student at University of Chicago. Materials from her personal life can also be found in the collection, such as correspondence and childhood mementos.

Arrangement:

The Priscilla Reining papers are organized in 13 series: 1. Correspondence, 1944-2007; 2. Research, 1955-1970; 3. AAAS, 1971-1990; 4. Professional Activities, 5. 1957-2007; Daily Planners and Notebooks, 1960-2002; 6. Writings, 1952-1996; 7. Smithsonian Institution, 1964-1971; 8. University, 1958-1994; 9. Student, 1937-1975; 10. Biographical and Personal Files, 1934-2004; 11. Maps, 1916-1989, undated; 12. Photographs, circa 1950-1987, undated; 13. Electronic records.

Biographical / Historical:

Priscilla Copeland Reining was a social anthropologist and Africanist who worked for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) from 1974 to 1989. Her area of specialty was sub-Saharan Africa, specializing in desertification, land tenure, land use, kinship, population, fertility, and HIV/AIDS. During the 1970s, she pioneered the use of satellite imagery in conjunction with ethnographic data. She is also known for her ground-breaking research in the late 1980s that showed that uncircumcised men were more susceptible to contracting HIV/AIDS than circumcised men.

Reining was born on March 11, 1923 in Chicago, Illinois. She studied anthropology at University of Chicago, where she earned both her A.B. (1945) and Ph.D. (1967) in anthropology. During her graduate studies, she studied peer group relations among the Ojibwa of the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota (1947, 1950-51). Her husband, Conrad Reining, accompanied her to the field, an experience that inspired him to also become an anthropologist.

In 1951-53 and 1954-55, Reining conducted fieldwork among the Haya of Bukoba District, Tanganyika (now known as Tanzania) as a Fellow of the East African Institute of Social Research. While research for her dissertation focused on the agrarian system of the Haya, Reining also conducted fertility surveys for the East African Medical Survey, studying the relationship between STDs and fertility in Buhaya and Buganda. During the 1980s, Reining became interested in AIDS when she observed that the Haya were dying from the disease at a much higher rate than neighboring groups. When she learned of a possible link between circumcision and the spread of HIV, she drew a map of circumcision practice among the ethnic groups of Africa and found that uncircumcised men were 86% more likely to contract HIV than circumcised men. These results were published in "The Relationship Between Male Circumcision and HIV Infection in African Populations" (1989), which she coauthored with John Bongaarts, Peter Way, and Francis Conant.

Beginning in the 1970s, Reining began exploring the use of satellite imagery in ethnographic research. In 1973, she used Landsat data to identify individual Mali villages, the first use of satellite data in anthropology (Morán 1990). That same year, as a consultant for USAID, she also used ERTS-1 imagery to estimate carrying capacity in Niger and Upper Volta (now known as Burkino Faso). She continued to apply satellite data in her research throughout her career, including in 1993, when she returned to Tanzania to study the environmental consequence of population growth and HIV/AIDS among the Haya.

In 1974, Reining joined the Office of International Science of AAAS as a research associate. She stayed on to become Project Director for the Cultural Factors in Population Programs and to direct a number of projects under the Committee on Arid Lands. She also served as Project Director of the Ethnography of Reproduction project, for which she conducted fieldwork in Kenya in 1976. In 1990, she left AAAS for an appointment as Courtesy Professor of African Studies at University of Florida.

Prior to working for AAAS, Reining worked at the Smithsonian Institution (1966, 1968-70), during which she was the coordinator for the Urgent Anthropology Program in the now defunct Center for the Study of Man. She also taught at University of Minnesota (1956-59), American University (1959-60), and Howard University (1960-64). In addition, she worked as a consultant for various organizations, including Department of Justice, Peace Corps, International Bank for Reconstruction & Development (IBRD), Food and Agriculture Organization, and Carrying Capacity Network.

Reining was also actively involved in various organizations. She served as Secretary of the AAAS Section H (Anthropology) and was a founding member of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) Task Force on AIDS. She was also a fellow of the African Studies Association, AAA, AAAS, East African Academy, Society for Applied Anthropology, and Washington Academy of Science. In 1990, she was honored with a Distinguished Service Award from AAA.

Reining died of lung cancer at the age of 84 on July 19, 2007.

Sources Consulted

PR Vita. Series 10. Biographical and Personal Files. Priscilla Reining Papers. National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Morán, Emilio F. 2000. The Ecosystem Approach in Anthropology: From Concept to Practice. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan. Page 359

Schudel, Matt. 2007. Anthropologist Broke Ground on AIDS, Satellite Mapping. Washington Post, July 29. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/28/AR2007072801190.html (accessed December 8, 2011).

1923 -- Born March 11 in Chicago, Illinois

1944 -- Marries Conrad C. Reining

1945 -- Earns A.B. from University of Chicago

1947, 1950-51 -- Conducts field research on the Ojibwa of Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota.

1949 -- Earns A.M. from University of Chicago

1951-1953, 1954-1955 -- Field research on Haya of Tanzania

1967 -- Earns Ph.D. from University of Chicago

1972 -- Returns to Tanzania for IBRD consultancy work

1974 -- Begins working at AAAS as a research associate in the Office of International Science

1975 -- Project Director, AAAS

1976 -- Field research on Kikuyu of Kenya for Ethnography of Reproduction

1986-89 -- Program Director, AAAS

1990 -- Courtesy Professor of African Studies at University of Florida Receives Distinguished Service Award from AAA

1993 -- Field research in Tanzania studying environmental consequences of population growth and HIV/AIDS among the Haya

2007 -- Dies of lung cancer at the age of 84 on July 19

Related Materials:

Additional materials at the NAA relating to Priscilla Reining can be found in the papers of Gordon Gibson and John Murra, as well as in the records of the Center for the Study of Man and the records of the Department of Anthropology. Photo Lot 97 contains two Haya photos taken by Reining that are not duplicated in this collection. The papers of her husband, Conrad Reining, are also at the NAA.

The archives of the American Association for the Advancement of Science also holds Reining's papers relating to her work for the organization.

Provenance:

These papers were donated to the National Anthropological Archives by Priscilla Reining's sons, Robert Reining and Conrad Reining, in 2009.

Restrictions:

The Priscilla Reining papers are open for research.

Some materials from the East African Medical Survey and Ethnography of Reproduction project contain personal medical history and are thus restricted. Grant applications sent to Reining to review are also restricted as well as her students' grades, and recommendation letters Reining wrote for her students. Electronic records are also restricted.

A small portion of the materials relating to Reining's Haya research, Ethnography of Reproduction project, and IBRD ujamaa research suffered severe mold damage. These materials have been cleaned and may be accessed. The legibility of some of the documents, however, is limited due to water and mold stains. Mold odor is also still present.

Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Topic:

Indians of North America -- Northeast  Search this

AIDS (Disease)  Search this

Human ecology  Search this

Fertility, Human  Search this

Kinship  Search this

population  Search this

Landsat satellites  Search this

Remote sensing  Search this

Desertification  Search this

Genre/Form:

Correspondence

Sound recordings

Photographs

Electronic records (digital records)

Citation:

Priscilla Reining Papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.2009-25

See more items in:

Priscilla Reining papers

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw34d98c2cd-c075-443f-b007-9dd7cea86fe2

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-2009-25

Collection Creator:

Acebes, Hector  Search this

Container:

Box 5

Type:

Archival materials

Photographs

Date:

1949

Scope and Contents:

photographs primarily of people but also the built environment. Locations are annotated on verso of sheets and include the Mali villages of Sangha, Kidal, Douentza, Timbuktu, Gao, Goundam, Mopti, Djenne, and Korienza as well as locales in Chad, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon.

Collection Restrictions:

The Hector Acebes papers and photographs are open for research. Access to the collection requires an appointment.

Collection Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

See more items in:

Hector Acebes papers and photographs

Hector Acebes papers and photographs / Series 2: Photographs / Africa photographs

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3ea461254-da1b-43b3-b3bd-bb24cb3f585e

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-2023-01-ref27

Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Extent:

14000 Negatives (photographic) (b&w, 35mm)

30000 Slides (photographs) (color)

80,000 Photographic prints (b&w, 25 x 20 cm. or smaller.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Negatives (photographic)

Slides (photographs)

Photographic prints

Negatives

Color slides

Black-and-white negatives

Black-and-white photographs

Place:

Africa

Congo (Democratic Republic)

Mali

Ghana

Côte d'Ivoire

Benin

Burkina Faso

Egypt

Kenya

Liberia

Niger

Nigeria

Rwanda

Senegal

South Africa

Sudan

Tanzania

Togo

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Central African Republic

Date:

circa 1935-1978

Summary:

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.

Scope and Contents:

This collection is comprised of circa 14,000 negatives, 30, 0000 slides, 8,000 photographic prints, and 14 boxes of manuscript materials that date from circa 1945-1978.

The photographs document Eliot Elisofon's travels and work in Africa. 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.

The manuscript materials include correspondence, essays, clippings, puobligations, notes, research, and itineraries.

Biographical/Historical note:

A photographer best known for his work in Life magazine. Elisofon worked as a free-lance magazine photographer from 1933 to 1937, as a staff photographer for Life from 1933 to 1937 and on photographic assignments for various magazines, including the Smithsonian magazine, from 1942 to 1945. Elisofon traveled extensively in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America documenting the peoples of these lands as well as their arts and environments. A founding member and curatorial associate of the private Museum of African Art, which in 1981 became the National Museum of African Art (NMAfA), Elisofon bequeathed his collection of African photographs to the museum when he died in 1973. To honor Elisofon's contribution to the understanding of African art and culture, NMAfA named its archives after him.

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.

Topic:

Body arts  Search this

Genre/Form:

Negatives

Photographic prints

Color slides

Black-and-white negatives

Black-and-white photographs

Citation:

Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

EEPA.1973-001

See more items in:

Eliot Elisofon Field collection

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo763575c19-5f10-470a-af8b-75ebd1c82664

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-eepa-1973-001

Names:

Andrade-Watkins, Claire  Search this

Bambara, Toni Cade  Search this

Dash, Julie  Search this

Gerima, Haile  Search this

Greaves, William, 1953-2005  Search this

Gunn, Bill, 1934-1989  Search this

Jafa, Arthur  Search this

Jones, Robert Earl, 1904-2006  Search this

Massiah, Louis  Search this

Micheaux, Oscar, 1884-1951  Search this

Moses, Ethel  Search this

Robeson, Paul, 1898-1976  Search this

Sanchez, Sonia, 1934- (poet, reader)  Search this

Snead, James A., 1953-1989  Search this

Spence, Louise, 1945-  Search this

Tucker, Lorenzo  Search this

Donor:

Bowser, Pearl, 1931-  Search this

Extent:

approximately 100 Motion picture films

213 Sound cassettes (7 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Motion picture films

Sound cassettes

Sound cassette

Oral histories (document genres)

16mm motion picture film

Vhs (videotape format)

Place:

England

Harlem (New York, N.Y.)

Roanoke (Va.)

Memphis (Tenn.)

Date:

bulk 1920-2001

Arrangement:

The collection is currently arranged in three (3) archival series as follows:

Series 1: Motion Picture Films Series 2: Video Tapes Series 3: Audio Tapes

Series 1 and 2 are arranged sequentially by museum-assigned object numbers. Digital copies in Series 3 arranged into seven subseries by NMAAHC staff. There is an additional subseries for "unidentified" audiovisual materials.

Biographical / Historical:

Pearl Bowser is a filmmaker, producer, author, lecturer, and highly acclaimed scholar of African American film who is recognized as an authority on the works of Oscar Micheaux, a noted writer, director, and producer of race films from 1919 to 1948.

Born Pearl Johnson on June 25, 1931, in Sugar Hill, Harlem, New York, she was named after her mother (also Pearl Johnson), a domestic worker who had been raised in a Catholic nunnery. On occasional Saturdays, the younger Pearl would accompany her mother to work in apartments in lower Manhattan, where she would assist her by folding handkerchiefs for a small allowance. After moving to a lower part of Harlem when she was about four years old, she met Harlem entrepreneur "Bumpy" Johnson, for whom she and other children in the neighborhood did odd jobs such as counting coins or attending to his ice-cream stand. Johnson, who would sometimes give the children joy rides in his Cadillac, occasionally allowed Pearl and the other children to borrow books from his extensive library, provided that they read them and submitted to a quiz.

As a child, Bowser had several racist encounters. For example, one of her white kindergarten teachers at her elementary school wore gloves in the classroom as to not touch Black pupils. She was also occasionally teased for having a gap between her teeth but felt insulated from sustained bullying because she had several older brothers who sometimes protected her. On a separate occasion, when she was about nine years old, her mother sent her on a trip from New York to the South to visit relatives. Although her mother had purchased tickets for her to be in a Pullman car, when she changed trains in Washington, DC., she was forced to ride in the car behind the engine, which left her covered in soot.

An avid reader, Pearl excelled in elementary and high school and received a scholarship to attend Brooklyn College, where she majored in biology. She supplemented her income by recording the numbers in one of Bumpy Johnson's shops. Disappointed with the quality of the education she was receiving, Bowser withdrew from Brooklyn College, eventually landing a job at CBS where she worked on a team that analyzed Nielsen ratings.

In 1955, Pearl married fellow New Yorker LeRoy Bowser. By the mid-1960s, although Pearl and LeRoy Bowser had separate interests, they both were working simultaneously in the civil rights movement. While LeRoy was active in Brooklyn CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) and went to the South in the summer to teach for what was the beginning of HeadStart, Pearl, along with other production activists, took to the streets documenting African American culture and issues—working to bring these films to schools. Additionally, Bowser wanted to write a cookbook to earn funds for Brooklyn's CORE organization. She was approached by David Davis, the editor of Tuesday Magazine. Tuesday had distribution in the Herald Tribune across the country as a Sunday supplement. As the urban-world magazine exploded in Black communities, "Joan" Bowser's two-page pictorials on Southern cooking with a set of recipes became very popular in the five years she wrote them. Bowser retained copyrights to the articles, and easily completed her cookbook a short time later.

Bowser's colleague at ABC, Charles Hobson, found a used book written by Peter Noble about Black films and Oscar Micheaux. The volume was slim and contained what little information contained in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) files. Hobson and his colleagues wanted to write a book about the topic, and they assigned Bowser to begin the research. As part of the project, Bowser went to California to interview actors who may have been in early Black films or may have worked with Micheaux. What she learned began her intensive scholarship into Micheaux and his fellow filmmakers.

In 1971, she organized her first film festival, the Black Film History Series. In 1979, she organized the nation's first American women's film festival in New York City. She also presented a major retrospective, Independent Black American Cinema 1920-1980, which toured the country during 1981 and 1982. She also directed the Journey Across Three Continents film and lecture series, which toured the country from 1983-1985. Bowser also served as president of the prestigious Flaherty Film Seminar in 1987. In 1989, she, alongside Grant Munro, programmed the 35th Flaherty Film Seminar, which featured films such as Finzan, Zajota and the Boogie Spirit, Daughters of the Dust, and many more. She has also been a judge at the world-renown Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESCPACO) in Burkina Faso (formerly known as Upper Volta).

In the 1980s Bowser was awarded an independent artists grant by the Ford Foundation to travel west and collect oral histories from individuals in Oscar Micheaux's orbit, loosely following the route he would have travelled decades earlier. Stopping in cities such as Roanoke, Virginia; Memphis, Tennessee; and Jackson, Mississippi, she collected dozens of oral histories from actors, actresses etc. that knew Oscar Micheaux. Through this research she became an eminent figure in the Black independent film industry. Working as a programmer, she travelled around the United States and the world showing films by domestic and Black filmmakers within the Diaspora.

Despite her wealth of experience working as a programmer, it wasn't until the 1990s that Bowser made her directorial debut with the documentary film Midnight Ramble. Funded by American Experience, the film looks at African Americans and Hollywood movies from 1910 through the 1950s. In 2000, she, along with Louise Spence, co-authored Writing Himself into History: Oscar Micheaux, His Silent Films and His Audiences, a book about the pioneering filmmaker. Additionally, she is founder and director of Chamba Educational Film Services, a film distribution company that specialized in distributing films by African American filmmakers. In the early 1980s, she renamed her company/collection as African Diaspora Images, a collection of historical and contemporary films documenting Black film history. She subsequently joined Third World Newsreel, where she was director of their theater department.

In 2012, Pearl Bowser donated her extensive collection of books, sound cassettes, films, film memorabilia, and papers to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Sources:

1940 United States Federal Census; New York, New York, New York, population schedule, p. 61B, house number 1486, family 195, Pearl Bowser; Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012 accessed: 10 Sept 2022); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm: m-t0627-02665

Bowser, Pearl. Pearl Bowser Oral History. Interview by Tuliza Fleming and Jennifer Lyon, July 21, 2011.

Provenance:

Acquired as a donation from Pearl Bowser in 2012.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access to collection materials requires an appointment.

Rights:

The NMAAHC Media Preservation team can provide reproductions of some materials for research and educational use. Copyright and right to publicity restrictions apply and limit reproduction for other purposes.

Occupation:

Filmmakers  Search this

Actors -- Interviews  Search this

Topic:

Documentary films  Search this

Film festivals  Search this

African American actors  Search this

African American actresses  Search this

African diaspora  Search this

Race films  Search this

African American motion picture producers and directors  Search this

African American women authors  Search this

Meetings  Search this

Conferences  Search this

Lectures and lecturing  Search this

Amateur films  Search this

Motion picture soundtracks  Search this

Oral history  Search this

Radio broadcasts  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound cassette

Oral histories (document genres)

16mm motion picture film

VHS (videotape format)

Citation:

Pearl Bowser Collection, National Museum of African American History and Culture

Identifier:

NMAAHC.A2012.79.AV

See more items in:

Pearl Bowser Audiovisual Collection

Archival Repository:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/io3209e9c6d-3045-4a0a-941e-6519385b18d5

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmaahc-a2012-79-av

Photographer:

Pringle, Robert, 1936-  Search this

Names:

Roy, Christopher D.  Search this

Extent:

2136 Slides (photographs) (color , 35mm.)

829 Negatives (photographic) (color , 35mm.)

Culture:

Maasai (African people)  Search this

Fula (African people)  Search this

Lobi (African people)  Search this

Bobo (African people)  Search this

Dogon (African people)  Search this

Mossi (African people)  Search this

Tuaregs  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Negatives (photographic)

Negatives

Portraits

Color slides

Place:

Africa

Burkina Faso

Kenya

Mali

Date:

circa 1980-1989

Summary:

The collection contains 2136 color 35mm slides and 829 color 35mm negatives taken by Robert Pringle, former Ambassador to Mali, between 1980-1989. The images were taken in Mali, Burkina Faso and Kenya, and depict masquerades, vernacular architecture (including Dogon doors and granaries), mosques, marketplace scenes, pottery, masks (including plank and leaf masks), weaving, art in situ, animals and landscapes. Culture groups represented in the collection include the Tuareg, Lobi, Maasai, Mossi, Dogon, Fula and Bobo (Bwa) peoples. Ambassador Pringle traveled with photographer Christopher Roy and some of Pringle's images depict Roy at work with his own camera.

Arrangement note:

Arranged geographically by country and chronologically therein. Arrangement reflects the original order established by the photographer.

Biographical/Historical note:

Robert Pringle is a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer and historian specializing in interethnic relations, economic development, and the role of culture. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Mali from 1987 to 1990. His other official postings included Indonesia, the Philippines, Burkina Faso, Papua New Guinea, and South Africa. He has written three books on Southeast Asian history and politics, of which the most recent is A Short History of Bali: Indonesia's Hindu Realm (2004).

General note:

Title provided by EEPA staff.

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.

Topic:

Pottery  Search this

Fairs  Search this

Masks  Search this

Masks, African  Search this

Markets  Search this

Art in situ -- Photographs  Search this

Animals  Search this

Masquerades  Search this

Mosques  Search this

Natural landscapes  Search this

Vernacular architecture  Search this

Weaving  Search this

Cultural landscapes  Search this

Genre/Form:

Negatives

Portraits

Color slides

Citation:

Robert and Barbara Pringle photographs, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

EEPA.2006-006

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo74eb0656d-6ccb-4359-b980-87543747ac55

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-eepa-2006-006

Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Collection Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Extent:

1 Slide (col.)

Culture:

Bozo (African people)  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Slides

Color slides

Place:

Africa

Burkina Faso

Date:

1970

Scope and Contents:

The photograph depicts a Bozo woman carrying a child while seating in a dugout canoe. During his trip to Mali, Elisofon visited the Mopti region which constitutes most of the Niger River inland delta; inhabited by the Dogon, Fulani, Bambara, Bwa & Bozo peoples. The town of Mopti is situated at the junction of the Bani & Niger rivers, and comprises three islands. [The J. P. Getty Fund: Art and Architecture Thesaurus]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon travelled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17, 1970.

Local Numbers:

A 1 BZO 1.1 EE 70

General:

Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.

Local Note:

Frame value is 33.

Slide No. A 1 BZO 1.1 EE 70

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Topic:

Portraits  Search this

Women  Search this

Children  Search this

Transportation  Search this

Genre/Form:

Color slides

Collection Citation:

Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EECL 18

See more items in:

Eliot Elisofon Field collection

Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Mali

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo73f71b69b-89cf-4728-9d24-ce6ef773ef5a

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-eepa-1973-001-ref10474

Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Collection Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Extent:

1 Negatives (photographic) (b&w, 35mm.)

Culture:

Dogon (African people)  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Negatives (photographic)

Black-and-white negatives

Negatives

Place:

Africa

Mali

Date:

1972

Scope and Contents:

Islam expansion throughout West African societies since the 19th century was known to be highly adaptive to the problem associated with culture contact and change. Attesting to its impact all along the savanna belt are the adobe mosques found in great number in cities and larger villages. These mosques, in turn, reflect the influence of local building traditions, as in the case of the Dogon and Bobo rural mosques of Mali and Burkina Faso. During his trip to Mali, Elisofon visited the Dogon people in Sanga (Sangha), a group of thirteen villages lying east of Bandiagara at the top of an escarpment. The most important villages are Ogol-du-Haut and Ogol-du-Bas. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for National Geographic and traveled to Africa from January 19, 1972 to mid April 1972.

Local Numbers:

EENG-XIII-15, 5.

General:

Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Topic:

Natural landscapes  Search this

Traditional architecture  Search this

Religious buildings  Search this

Genre/Form:

Black-and-white negatives

Negatives

Collection Citation:

Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EENG 10167

See more items in:

Eliot Elisofon Field collection

Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Mali

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo71abcb489-1775-4b13-b265-688440f06be6

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-eepa-1973-001-ref37244

Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Collection Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Extent:

1 Negatives (photographic) (b&w, 35mm.)

Culture:

Dogon (African people)  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Negatives (photographic)

Black-and-white negatives

Negatives

Place:

Africa

Mali

Date:

1972

Scope and Contents:

Islam expansion throughout West African societies since the 19th century was known to be highly adaptive to the problem associated with culture contact and change. Attesting to its impact all along the savanna belt are the adobe mosques found in great number in cities and larger villages. These mosques, in turn, reflect the influence of local building traditions, as in the case of the Dogon and Bobo rural mosques of Mali and Burkina Faso. During his trip to Mali, Elisofon visited the Dogon people in Sanga (Sangha), a group of thirteen villages lying east of Bandiagara at the top of an escarpment. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for National Geographic and traveled to Africa from January 19, 1972 to mid April 1972.

Local Numbers:

EENG-XIII-15, 7.

General:

Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Topic:

Natural landscapes  Search this

Vernacular architecture  Search this

Religious buildings  Search this

Genre/Form:

Black-and-white negatives

Negatives

Collection Citation:

Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EENG 10169

See more items in:

Eliot Elisofon Field collection

Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Mali

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7763bb79f-e597-4edf-81b1-cd929f50fa6a

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-eepa-1973-001-ref37246

Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Collection Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Extent:

1 Negatives (photographic) (b&w, 35mm.)

Culture:

Dogon (African people)  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Negatives (photographic)

Black-and-white negatives

Negatives

Place:

Africa

Mali

Date:

1972

Scope and Contents:

Islam expansion throughout West African societies since the 19th century was known to be highly adaptive to the problem associated with culture contact and change. Attesting to its impact all along the savanna belt are the adobe mosques found in great number in cities and larger villages. These mosques, in turn, reflect the influence of local building traditions, as in the case of the Dogon and Bobo rural mosques of Mali and Burkina Faso. During his trip to Mali, Elisofon visited the Dogon people in Sanga (Sangha), a group of thirteen villages lying east of Bandiagara at the top of an escarpment. The most important villages are Ogol-du-Haut and Ogol-du-Bas. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for National Geographic and traveled to Africa from January 19, 1972 to mid April 1972.

Local Numbers:

EENG-XIII-16, 36A.

General:

Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Topic:

Natural landscapes  Search this

Vernacular architecture  Search this

Religious buildings  Search this

Genre/Form:

Black-and-white negatives

Negatives

Collection Citation:

Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EENG 10218

See more items in:

Eliot Elisofon Field collection

Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Mali

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo72e07516e-1566-43a4-85cf-0489e2b07c24

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-eepa-1973-001-ref37295

Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Collection Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Extent:

1 Negatives (photographic) (b&w, 35mm.)

Culture:

Dogon (African people)  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Negatives (photographic)

Black-and-white negatives

Negatives

Place:

Africa

Mali

Date:

1972

Scope and Contents:

Islam expansion throughout West African societies since the 19th century was known to be highly adaptive to the problem associated with culture contact and change. Attesting to its impact all along the savanna belt are the adobe mosques found in great number in cities and larger villages. These mosques, in turn, reflect the influence of local building traditions, as in the case of the Dogon and Bobo rural mosques of Mali and Burkina Faso. During his trip to Mali, Elisofon visited Songo village, at the western end of the biandagara plateau. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for National Geographic and traveled to Africa from January 19, 1972 to mid April 1972.

Local Numbers:

EENG-XIII-16b, 2.

General:

Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Topic:

Cultural landscapes  Search this

Religious buildings  Search this

Vernacular architecture  Search this

Genre/Form:

Black-and-white negatives

Negatives

Collection Citation:

Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EENG 10219

See more items in:

Eliot Elisofon Field collection

Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Mali

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo779e7a532-be0f-4ef2-a24d-a685716a14f1

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-eepa-1973-001-ref37296

Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Collection Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Extent:

1 Negatives (photographic) (b&w, 35mm.)

Culture:

Dogon (African people)  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Negatives (photographic)

Black-and-white negatives

Negatives

Place:

Africa

Mali

Date:

1972

Scope and Contents:

Islam expansion throughout West African societies since the 19th century was known to be highly adaptive to the problem associated with culture contact and change. Attesting to its impact all along the savanna belt are the adobe mosques found in great number in cities and larger villages. These mosques, in turn, reflect the influence of local building traditions, as in the case of the Dogon and Bobo rural mosques of Mali and Burkina Faso. During his trip to Mali, Elisofon visited Songo village, at the western end of the biandagara plateau. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for National Geographic and traveled to Africa from January 19, 1972 to mid April 1972.

Local Numbers:

EENG-XIII-16b, 3.

General:

Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Topic:

Cultural landscapes  Search this

Religious buildings  Search this

Vernacular architecture  Search this

Genre/Form:

Black-and-white negatives

Negatives

Collection Citation:

Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EENG 10220

See more items in:

Eliot Elisofon Field collection

Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Mali

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7bdc456b6-a891-4daa-9937-d95a52c06d1c

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-eepa-1973-001-ref37297