The photographs document African businesses, cities, industry, landscapes, peoples and resources. The collection documents various locations within Kenya, Tanzania, Congo (Democratic Republic of), Zimbabwe, Uganda and South Africa. Peoples represented include Kikuyu, Maasai, Bangi, Chagga, Ndombe, Poto, Bangala, Zulu, and Kongo peoples. There are many images of agriculture, hunting, making pottery, mining diamonds and gold, church services at a Catholic mission, a gathering of chiefs at a court, a lion-killing ceremony, and war dances. Businesses and industries shown include coffee plantations; the DeBeers Diamond Mine; a diamond mine compound and crushing mill; fishing boats; a hemp plantation; ivory trade; a market; and the stock market.
Scope and Contents:
The photographs document African businesses, cities, industry, landscapes, peoples and resources. Place documented include Moshi Province, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru, the Serengeti Plain (Kenya), and Zanzibar in German East Africa (now Tanzania); Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe); Cape Town, Devil's Peak, Johannesburg, Kimberly, Natal Province, and Port Elizabeth in South Africa; the waterfront of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Soko, Boma, Leopoldville (now Kinshasa), and Stanley Falls (now Boyoma Falls). There are also photographs of the Nile during a flood.
People portrayed include a Kikuyu man paying brideprice for a wife; Kikuyu women carrying water vessels and planting beans; Maasai women building houses; Swahili people dancing; Swahili women using a power figure to ward off evil; and Zulu men training for war. Other peoples portrayed include Bangala, Bangi, Chagga, Kongo, Ndombe and Poto.
Activities documented include buying ivory, carrying rubber, clearing the ground for a coffee plantation, fishing, gambling, grinding corn, hunting zebra, making pottery, mining diamonds and gold, peeling bark for bark cloth, picking coffee, preparing food, smoking meat, threshing beans, and tying house poles. There are also images of church services at a Catholic mission, a gathering of chiefs at a court, a lion-killing ceremony, and war dances.
Businesses and industries shown include coffee plantations in Rhodesia; the DeBeers Diamond Mine in South Africa; a diamond mine compound and crushing mill; fishing boats off Cape Town; a hemp plantation in Uganda; ivory trade in Mombasa, Kenya; a market; and the stock market in Johannesburg.
Biographical / Historical:
In 1882 the Underwood and Underwood Company began operations in Kansas. Founded by brothers Bert Elias (1862-1943) and Elmer (1860-1947) Underwood, the company pioneered the technique of selling stereographs door-to-door. By 1884, Underwood and Underwood's operations had expanded to the West Coast, and the company soon opened offices throughout the world. In the 1890s, the firm began selling images to publications such as Illustrated London News and Harper's Weekly. At its peak in the early 19th century, the company produced 25,000 images per day.
In the late 1910s, Underwood and Underwood was purchased by a competing stereograph company, the Keystone View Company.
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 collection depicts the everyday life and architecture of Basotho, Hausa, Makonde, Matabele, Pedi, Swazi, and Xhosa peoples in Nigeria, Southern Africa, and Tanzania.
Content Description:
The collection depicts Basotho, Hausa, Makonde, Matabele, Pedi, Swazi, and Xhosa peoples in Lesotho, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, and Tanzania. Images show agricultural work, architecture, carving, cooking, landscapes, mountains, and portraits, among other subjects. Highlights of the collection include Makonde carvers at work in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Hausa peoples tie dying at indigo dye pits in Kano, Nigeria, and house decorations in South Africa and Lesotho including Bataung houses decorated with stone mosaics.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into series according to geographic location:
Series 1: Nigeria, 1974
Series 2: South Africa, 1970-1975
Series 3: Tanzania, 1974
Biographical / Historical:
Dr. George F. Rohrmann is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Microbiology at Oregon State University. His field of specialization is Virology.
Provenance:
Donated by George Rohrmann in December 2017 and March 2018.
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.
-Robert L. Cooper et al., Language survey of Ethiopia, Part II Language use in Ethiopia, drafts of chapters 6-9, 23
-Kenneth Little, "Methodology in the study of African women's urban roles," draft of paper
-__________, "The women of Africa," The Nation, 1973 February 26
-Jean Morrison, Report of visit to the University Colleges of the University of East Africa at Nairobi, Kenya; Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; and Kampala, Uganda (Makerere) by the executive Officer of Social Sciences and Humanities Division, Canada Council, 1968 August 1-5
-George Park, "Commerce and coercion in East African prehistory," papers for American Ethnological Society meeting, Toronto, 1985
-Review by Robert L. Cooper of Choosing a lingua franca in an African capital by Carol Myers Scotton (with electrostatic copies of selected pages from the book)
Collection Restrictions:
The Ruth Landes papers are open for research. The nitrate negatives in this collection have been separated from the collection and stored offsite. Access to nitrate negatives is restricted due to preservation concerns.
Access to the Ruth Landes papers requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Ruth Landes papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The revision of this finding aid and digitization of portions of the collection were made possible through the financial support of the Ruth Landes Memorial Research Fund.
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.
Collection Citation:
M. Marvin Breckinridge Patterson collection, EEPA 1985-009, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
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.
Collection Citation:
M. Marvin Breckinridge Patterson collection, EEPA 1985-009, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
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.
Collection Citation:
M. Marvin Breckinridge Patterson collection, EEPA 1985-009, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Negatives (photographic) (black and white, 35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Place:
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
Tanzania
Date:
1974
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.
Collection Citation:
George Rohrmann Collection, EEPA 2018-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.