3.83 Cubic feet (8 binders containing contact sheets, slides, and prints; 7 boxes (8.5"x10.75"x2.5") of 35 mm negatives; 2 binders of 35 mm and 120 format negatives; and 1 box of 11 oversize prints.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Contact sheets
Slides (photographs)
Black-and-white negatives
Photographic prints
Place:
New York (N.Y.)
Saint Simons Island (Ga. : Island)
Date:
1963-2009
Summary:
The Diana Davies photographs consist of images taken by Diana Davies at various stages of her career. Locations include the Festival of American Folklife, the Newport Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Poor People's Campaign, various peace and protest marches and outdoor performances, New York City, and the Georgia Sea Islands. The collection includes contact sheets, negatives, photographic prints, and slides.
Original photographs, negatives, and color slides taken by Diana Davies. Materials date from 1963-2009. Bulk dates: Newport Folk Festival, 1963-1969, 1987, 1992; Philadelphia Folk Festival, 1967-1968, 1987.
Scope and Contents:
The Diana Davies photographs, 1963-2009, consist of black and white negatives, contact sheets and prints, as well as color slides and negatives. The bulk of materials depict major festivals and protest movements (including the Poor People's March of 1968) documented by Diana Davies (located in Series 1: Newport Folk Festival, Series 2: Philadelphia Folk Festival, Series 6: Festival of American Folklife, and Series 11: Social Justice). Also well-represented are non-festival performances (in locations such as clubs, concert halls, and homes), recording sessions, and other music-related images, mainly of notable figures in the American folk music revival (located in Series 3: Broadside Magazine, Series 4: Sing Out! Magazine Concerts, Series 5: Miscellaneous Concerts and People, Series 7: Recording Sessions, Series 8: Instruction Book Shots, and Series 9: Jazz, Blues, and Salsa Musicians). Series 10: Georgia Sea Islands consists of photographs depicting the culture, environment, and daily life of these coastal islands in 1966. Series 12: New York City Scenes contains photographs taken on the street depicting everyday life in NYC in the 1960s and 1970s. The collection also contains related papers in Series 13: Miscellaneous Papers and Correspondence.
Arrangement note:
Each item in the Diana Davies Photographs has been assigned an accession number, and like materials have been put together such as the Newport Folk Festival photographs, in a chronological sequence as much as possible. Materials in the three more recent donation batches (1998, 2004, and 2006) were numbered and integrated into the collection. In some series, the accession numbers are in numerical order, and in others, the numbers are random because like items with different number sequences were pulled together in a series for subject coherence. The best way to find occurrences of a particular subject is to use the ctrl+F function. Please consult the archivists if you have any questions about the collection contents.
Contact sheets, slides, and prints arranged in 8 binders; negatives and oversize prints are stored separately.
Arranged in 14 series:
Series 1: Newport Folk Festival
Series 2: Philadelphia Folk Festival
Series 3: Broadside Magazine
Series 4: -- Sing Out! -- Magazine Concerts
Series 5: Miscellaneous Concerts and People
Series 6: Festival of American Folklife
Series 7: Recording Sessions
Series 8: Instruction Book Shots
Series 9: Jazz, Blues, and Salsa Musicians
Series 10: Georgia Sea Islands
Series 11: Social Justice
Series 12: New York City Scenes
Series 13: Miscellaneous Papers and Correspondence
Series 14: Oversize Materials
Biographical/Historical note:
Diana Davies is a well-known photographer of folk performers and festivals. Davies photographed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in its earlier years. Born in 1938, Davies grew up in Maine, the Catskills, New York City, and Boston. Her grandparents were local union organizers and Debs socialists; one grandfather was a gandy dancer with the railroad, and her grandmother was a textile worker in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. Davies finds that her family background was later expressed in her own activist efforts.
Davies left high school at 16, and worked sweeping out coffeehouses, which gave her the opportunity to listen to music while she worked. She became interested in theater and music. In Greenwich Village, she began doing some sound technician work, and then got interested in photography. She taught herself how to develop and print photographs in a darkroom, and began photographing in theaters, shooting from behind the scenes. Her theater photos are at Smith College in Northampton, where she presently lives. In the early 1960s, she began working with the editors of Broadside Magazine, Sis Cunningham and Gordon Friesen. She developed an interest in human rights work, which grew from her contact with Sis and Gordon, and also her own family background. She also worked as a photographer in a wide range of settings, including night clubs, weddings, and doing portrait photography. This led her to work for major national and international media including the New York Times, covering such events as the war in Biafra, and traveling to Mexico, Cuba, and Portugal on assignment.
Davies' folk photographs represent about one-quarter of her body of work; her other major photographic work includes the Civil Rights Movement, the Peace Movement, and theater. Davies began photographing at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964, which she covered for a number of years. She knew Ralph Rinzler, and found him a vibrant, alive person excited by all aspects of culture. He introduced her to Bessie Jones from the Georgia Sea Islands, and in 1966 she made a photographic journey to the islands. Her work from this trip is included in the collection. Davies has also been a musician. She became involved with the punk rock movement of the 1970s, and felt that there was a connection between the hard-hitting songs from the punk world and the songs being published in Broadside Magazine. In 1975, she became part of a folk/punk women's band in Boston, and later moved to Western Massachusetts. In addition to being a photographer and musician, Davies is also a writer. She wrote a play entitled "The Witch Papers" in 1980, which was produced in Boston and other locations. The play was a vehicle for her human rights activism, comparing the technology of inquisition with labor sweatshops. In 1998, her play "The War Machine" was produced in Amherst, Mass. She lives in Northampton, and enjoys and participates in street performance, which she describes as the "most essentially communicative stuff you can come up with."
General note:
All contact sheets from the collection are digitized and accessible through this finding aid. Series-level slideshows accessible through this finding aid represent a small sampling from the collection.
Shared Stewardship of Collections:
The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.
Provenance:
The Smithsonian Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections acquired portions of the Diana Davies Photograph Collection in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Ms. Davies photographed for the Festival of American Folklife. More materials came to the Archives circa 1989 or 1990. Archivist Stephanie Smith visited her in 1998 and 2004, and brought back additional materials which Ms. Davies wanted to donate to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. These two more recent donations of additional photographs (contact sheets, prints, and slides) consisted of documentation of the Newport Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Poor People's March on Washington, the Civil Rights Movement, the Georgia Sea Islands, and miscellaneous personalities of the American folk revival. In a letter dated 12 March 2002, Ms. Davies gave full discretion to the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage to grant permission for both internal and external use of her photographs, with the provison that her work be credited in any use.
Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Swedish and Swedish-Americans Program - 1st song: "Skane Valsen", a typical country waltz from the Skane County of Sweden. The song is played by The Scandia Quartet (from Seattle) with the Träsko fiol fran Skane (instrument made out of a used wooden shoe, in Skane). - 2nd song: "Polska fran Orsa", by Eric Moraeus, Pelle Jackobsson, Bo Isaksson and Björn Stabi. The Song comes from the District of Orsa, in Dalarna, and the dance is the national dance of Sweden. - 3rd song: "Polska fran Bingsjö" - 4th song: Pelle Jackobsson (artist from Orsa) demonstrates how to play the Lur and then the "Näverlur" (Birch Bark Horn), two of the most ancient instruments found in Northern Europe and made out of animal horn. - 5th song: "Hornlat" (Horn Sound), by Pelle Jackobsson. - 6th song: "A dance tune from Orsa on the Spilapipa (Shepherd's Whistle)" by Pelle Jackobsson. Norwegian American Pogram - 7th song: Tune played by fiddler William Sherburne, pianist Hazel Omodt and banjo player Edward Erickson. There are five more songs on the recording
General note:
DPA number 77.403.05
Local Numbers:
FP-1976-7RR-1171
General:
77.403.05
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, June 23, 1976.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Norwegian and Norwegian-Americans Program - 1st song: "Oleana", sung by Else and Michael Sevig. Oleana is one of the communities of a colony in Pennsylvania, founded by the Norwegian violinist, Ole Bull. The song describes Oleana as a heaven on hearth. Swedish and Swedish-Americans Program - 2nd song: announcement music for the beginning of the program. - 3rd song: "Vallat" (Pastoral Tune) played Pelle Jackobsson (from Orsa, in Dalarna) with a kohorn (instrument made out of the horn of a cow, called cow horn), to illustrate the ancient musical modes of Swedish music. - 4th song: "Polska from Orsa" played by Pelle Jackobsson on the Spilapipa (Shepherd's flute). - 5th song: "Typical Tune from Uppland", played by the brothers Ceylon and Henry Wallin on the traditional instrument, the nyckelharpa (key fiddle), from the province of Uppland. The song is accompanied by a Polska dance. - 6th song: Waltz by Ceylon and Henry Wallin from Uppland. - 7th song: "Oktav lat fran Wester Dalarna" (Tune from western Dalarna with an octave effect), played by Björn Stabi and Bo Isaksson with the fiddle, the typical folk instrument of Sweden. - 8th song: Edwin Johnson, Bruce Johnson, his son, and Paul Dahlin, his grandson, play a ganglat (walking tune) from Edwin's friend. - 9th song: "Varvindar friska" (spring breezes) in the fiddling dialect from the province of Leksand, where the musician (of this song), Kungs Levi Nilsson, comes from. - 10th song: "Polska" in the fiddling dialect of Orsa, with dances by Viveka SundströmStabi and John Larsson. - 11th song: "Sextondelspolska" (Polska based on sixteenth notes) in the fiddling dialect of Bingsjö, with a reminiscence of polonaise music. - 12th song: "Polska" in the fiddling dialect of Ore, in Dalarna.
General note:
DPA number 77.403.07
Local Numbers:
FP-1976-7RR-1173
General:
77.403.07
CDR copy
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, June 23, 1976.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, June 24, 1976.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Extent:
1 Sound recording
sound-tape reel (analog, 7 in.)
Type:
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Place:
United States
Washington (D.C.)
Scandinavia
Sweden
Date:
1974 July 5
Contents:
- 1ST song: A different form of "Polska" played with the Nyckelharpa instrument, distinctive to the swedish region of Uppland. - 2nd song: Old Waltz from the county of Orsa, in the province of Dalarna. The dances, performed by Johan Larsson and Anna Viveka SundströmStabi, illustrate a dialect in the swedish folk music because in each province the fiddlers have their own characteristic style of playing. - 3rd song: "Barkbrödslat" (Bark Bread Song). Tune played by fiddlers when visiting wealthy farms to get money or food for the less fortunate. - 4th song: A "Vallat" by Walter Ramsby (artist from Hälsingland) playing with a pastoral instrument from Sweden, the Ram's Horn (made out of an animal horn). - 5th song: "Slängpolska"(Semiquaver), a 16th-note polska - 6th song: "bttondelspolska" (Quaver), an 8th-note polska from the county of Orsa, in the province of Dalarna. The dance is characterized by "tapping the foot" on the first and third beats of each measure. - 7th song: "Vallat", reflective tune on the pastoral life, by Walter Ramsby (a versatile musician) using a pastoral instrument called spelpipa or spilapipa (Shepherd's flute) meaning a playing pipe. - 8th song: A dance "Polska" by Walter Ramsby using the Shepherd's flute. - 9th song: Schottische Tune from Dalarna with and old time dance (Gammaldans) performed by Johan Larsson and Anna Viveka SundströmStabi.
General note:
DPA number 74.402.11
Local Numbers:
FP-1974-7RR-0172
General:
74.402.11
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, July 5, 1974.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Side A. Låtar från Orsa. Polska efter Jämt Olle -- Polska efter Bleckå, "Systerpolska" -- Polska efter Gössa Anders d.ä. Och Bleckå -- Polska efter Bränd Jon -- Orsa brudmarsch, efter Bleckå -- Polska efter Gössa Anders d.ä., "Vallåtspolskan" -- Polska efter Bleckå -- Orsa storpolska, efter Bleckå -- Polska efter Bleckå -- Polska efter Jämt Olle ; Side B. Låtar från Bingsjö. Gånglåt efter Hjort Anders -- Bröllopspolska efter Pekkos Per -- Skänklåt efter Pekkos Per -- Pekkos Pers storpolska -- Brudmarsch efter Hjort Anders -- Polska efter Pekkos Per -- Pekkos Pers brudmarsch.
Local Numbers:
RA-RAMS-LP-0131
Sonet.16
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Sweden Sonet 1967
Participant or Performer Note:
Björn Ståbi and Ole Hjorth, fiddles (side A) ; Nils Agenmark and Pl̊-Olle, fiddles (side B).
General:
Program notes by Matts Arnberg in Swedish and English on container.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
