Photographs made by George H. Stathes in northern Nigeria, Ghana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda during the mid 1960s. Stathes' photographs depict people, agriculture, markets, fishing and fisheries, roads, a cemetery, ceremonies and dances, art, and Rwenzori Mountains.
Biographical/Historical note:
George H. Stathes (1925-1996) worked for the Ford Foundation and Texaco Oil, mostly in Nigeria.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot 99-10
Location of Other Archival Materials:
Abuja pottery collected by Stathes held in the Department of Anthropology collections in accession 2010265.
Photographs made and collected by Alexis B. McMullen documenting peoples and culture in West Africa. The images created by McMullen and Captain D. B. McCloskey depict ceremonies at Kibib honoring Ofori Atta, a chief in the Central Province of the Gold Coast; a dance to the god of the sea at Teshi; and fishing boats and equipment. Additionally, the collection contains photographic postcards collected by McMullen and made by Casimir Zagourski, Leopoldville, and Methodist Book Depots, Cape Coast. These show African "types," a Bwake female circumcision ceremony (please note contains graphic images of circumcision), scarification (cicatrization), African animals (including giraffes, elephants, and a hippopotamus), agriculture, dances, and musical instruments. Depicted West African peoples include the Ashanti, Bangala, Banziri, Hausa, Kuba, Kumu, Mangbetu, Mputu and Tutsi.
Biographical/Historical note:
Colonel Alexis B. McMullen participated in American aviation activities for about 50 years. During World War II, he was the commanding officer of a United States Air Corps Air Transport Command (ATC) base in Accra, Ghana (then the Gold Coast).
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot 90-14
Location of Other Archival Materials:
The National Air and Space Museum Archives Division holds the Colonel Alexis B. McMullen Collection, 1915-1983, documenting McMullen's aviation career and interests.
Additional Zagourski photographs can be found in the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives in EEPA 1987-0024 and the EEPA Postcard Collection.
Photo Lot 90-14, Colonel Alexis B. McMullen photograph and postcard collection relating to West Africa, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Photographs made on Hector Acebes's expeditions in Africa and South America, mostly during the 1950s. Many of the images document people and markets in Africa (1949 and 1953), including Kikuyu, Masai, Mangbetu, Fulani, and Bassari peoples. There are also photographs made in the French Sudan, Guinea, Togo, Dahomey, Cameroon, the Congo Republic, Ruanda, Kenya, and Tanganyika. These prints were made for an exhibit.
Other sets include images of Jivaro, January, 1950; the Vaupés River and nearby tribes, September, 1950; a journey up the Orinoco to the Guaica, February, 1951; Arhuaco peoples, 1958; and Yuco peoples, 1960. Many photographs depict scenery and dwellings or are portraits (some show body and face paint). There are also images of fishing and hunting (Guaica); musical pipes (Guaica), a bridge, weaving, and bows and arrows (Arhuaco). Some photographs depict expedition members, including Acebes. The collection also includes photographs of the cover of Acebes' Orinoco Adventure, 1954, and coverage of his expeditions in Look, April 8, 1952, and Time (Latin American edition), December 24, 1951.
Biographical/Historical note:
Hector Acebes was born in 1921 in New York City and raised in Madrid and Bogota. While in college at the Massachusetts Insitute of Technology, he operated his own photo studio. After graduating from MIT in 1947 with a degree in mechanical engineering, he moved back to Bogota. Throughout the late 1940s and the 1950s, Acebes undertook expeditions in Africa and South America and started to work as a professional filmmaker and lecturer. Acebes wrote, filmed, directed, and edited each of the forty-three films his production company, Acebes Productions, released.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot 94-28
Location of Other Archival Materials:
Uaica photographs collected by Acebes held in the National Anthropological Archives in MS 4389.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
Photo lot 94-28, Hector Acebes photographs of African and South American peoples, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Footage shot by artist Paul Travis during a trip through Africa and Southern Europe during 1927 and 1928.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or Anthropology Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art holds the Paul B. Travis papers, 1925-1989.
Provenance:
Received from the Archives of American Art in 1989.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Please contact the archives for information on availability of access copies of audiovisual recordings. Original audiovisual material in the Human Studies Film Archives may not be played.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
silent films
Citation:
Paul Travis films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Mangbetu coffee (robusta type) plantation, near Medje village, S.W. of Isiro, Zaire (now DRC). The date on the slide is APR 70.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 1 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
14
Frame value is 8.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 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.
Mangbetu coffee (robusta type) plantation, near Medje village, S.W. of Isiro, Zaire (now DRC). The date on the slide is APR 70.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 2 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
14
Frame value is 9.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 2 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.
"In the 1980s, coffee was Zaire's largest agricultural export. Two major varieties are grown in Zaire: the hearthy robusta that is grown in the Ubangi, Uele, Kivu, Kasai, and Bas-Zaire areas; and the lighter Arabica, which constitutes one-fifth of the total crop, that grows in the higher altitudes of eastern Kivu and Ituri." [F. Scott Bobb, 1999: Historical Dictionary of Democratic Republic of Congo, The Scarecrow Press, Inc.]. During his trip to Congo (now Democratic Republic of Congo), Elisofon visited the Mangbetu people living in Medje village, southwest of Isiro. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17,1970.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 3 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
14
Frame value is 10.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 3 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.
"In the 1980s, coffee was Zaire's largest agricultural export. Two major varieties are grown in Zaire: the hearthy robusta that is grown in the Ubangi, Uele, Kivu, Kasai, and Bas-Zaire areas; and the lighter Arabica, which constitutes one-fifth of the total crop, that grows in the higher altitudes of eastern Kivu and Ituri." [F. Scott Bobb, 1999: Historical Dictionary of Democratic Republic of Congo, The Scarecrow Press, Inc.]. During his trip to Congo (now Democratic Republic of Congo), Elisofon visited the Mangbetu people living in Medje village, southwest of Isiro. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17,1970.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 4 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
14
Frame value is 6.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 4 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.
Mangbetu coffee (robusta type) plantation, near Medje village, S.W. of Isiro, Zaire (now DRC). The date on the slide is APR 70.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 5 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
14
Frame value is 7.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 5 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.
Mangbetu coffee (robusta type) plantation, near Medje village, S.W. of Isiro, Zaire (now DRC). The date on the slide is APR 70.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 6 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
14
Frame value is 5.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 6 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.
Forest in the Mangbetu region between Medje and Isiro, Zaire (now DRC). The date on the slide is APR 70.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 7 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
19
Frame value is 9.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 7 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.
Forest in the Mangbetu region between Medje and Isiro, Zaire (now DRC). The date on the slide is APR 70.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 8 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
19
Frame value is 8.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 8 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.
This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17,1970.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 9 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
19
Frame value is 11.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 9 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.
Forest in the Mangbetu region between Medje and Isiro, Zaire (now DRC). The date on the slide is APR 70.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 10 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
19
Frame value is 12.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 10 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.
Forest in the Mangbetu region between Medje and Isiro, Zaire (now DRC). The date on the slide is APR 70.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 11 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
19
Frame value is 15.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 11 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.
This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17,1970.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 11.1 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
19
Frame value is 14.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 11.1 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.
Mangbetu village in forest clearing between Medje and Isiro, Zaire (now DRC). The date on the slide is APR 70.
Local Numbers:
U 3 MNG 12 EE 70
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
19
Frame value is 16.
Slide No. U 3 MNG 12 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.
