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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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
Footage shot while Travis was on sabbatical leave from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Film documents his travels along the "Cape-to-Cairo" route begun by Cecil Rhodes. Footage includes: street scenes in Cape Town and indigenous dwellings along the South African train route; street scenes in Mombassa, Kenya; Mt. Kilamanjaro in Tanganyika (Tanzania); Hindu stone masons in Nairobi, Kenya; scenes in the Kikuyu Native Reserve; a Lumbwa harvest dance and Christmas service; Tutsi war dance at Billingyama, Ruanda; Africans (probably Banyoro) poling canoes on Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda; colonial labor parties on roadwork in the Belgian Congo (Zaire); Manbetu chief in feathered headdress at Ekibondi Village; Pygmy dance sequences; Congo elephant farm at Dungu, Belgian Congo; and street scenes and bazaars in Cairo, Egypt.
Legacy Keywords: Dancing ceremonies Kenya Congo ; Drumming Matabele Bira Mangbetu Rhodesia Belgian Congo ; Meals cooking South Africa ; Houses African house types ; Markets marketwomen Kenya Egypt ; Housebuilding African European ; Boats dugouts Lake Bunyoni ; Masonry Hindi masons Nairobi ; Garb ethnic Massai Kikuyu Mangbetu ; Adornment ear ornamentation Kikuyu ; Hair treatment of Massai Mangbetu ; Tea harvesting of plantations Kenya ; Cattle animal husbandry Nilotic ; Feathers use of in headdress Lumbwa Kenya ; Weapons spears Massai Lumbwa ; Musical instruments drums horns Lumbwa ; Smoking pipes Ruanda ; Roads construction of by natives Belgium Congo ; Mutilation lip discs Ubangi ; Elephants training of Congo Elephant Farm ; Streets bazzar Cairo ; Architecture Cairo ; Ceremony Mangbetu Bira Belgian Congo ; Language and culture; Cape Town (South Africa) ; Nairobi (Kenya) ; Dungi, Belgium Congo ; Lake Bunyoni, Ruanda ; Mt. Kilamanjaro, Kenya ; Lake Chihaffi, Ruanda ; Mufumbiro Mountains ; Billingyana, Belgian Congo ; Ekibondi (village), Belgian Congo ; Cairo (Egypt) ; Africa ; Hindi Nairobi ; Masai (African people) ; Lumbwa ; Wattusi ; Ubangi
Local Number:
HSFA 1989.17.1
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Paul Travis films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (18 minutes, black-and-white silent; 382 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
circa 1927
Scope and Contents:
Footage shot while traveling in Greece and Italy. Scenes of Greece include harbor activities, Greek ruins including the Parthenon and Acropolis, Athen streets, and a military parade. Scenes in Florence, Italy include workers along the Arno River, street activities, and the Palazzo Vecchio. Scenes in Venice, Italy include canals and bridges, gondolas, and Piazza di San Marco. Footage also includes views of traveling through the countryside and the Seine River in Paris.
Local Number:
HSFA 1989.17.2
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Paul Travis films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Footage shot on the Raymond-Whitcomb Round Africa Cruise beginning in French West Africa (Benin, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal) and ending in Egypt. Locations visited include Dakar, Senegal; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Durban, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Khartoum, Sudan; and Cairo, Egypt. Film includes a wide range of subjects shot while traveling by automobile, train, and riverboat. Documentation features acrobatic dancers, snake handlers, and kassonké masked dance performances in Dakar; Zulu "war dance" performed outside Durban; rickshaw boys performing for tourists and Indian markets and stalls in Durban; Nilotic people (probably Shilluk) along the White Nile; Masai; Kikuyu ceremony near Nairobi; market with Arabs and East Indians; Bedouins with camels; monumental architecture and sculpture in Egypt; Cairo bazaars; and the Valley of the Kings.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1989.16.1
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (4 minutes, black-and-white silent; 96 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1929
Scope and Contents:
Edited film, distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films, was shot in Rome, Italy. Film shows views of the following Roman sites: Trajan Forum, Navone square, the Pincio, Vestals Temple, the Pantheon, Giovanni in Laterno, Arch of Constantine, Port Maggiore, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Temple of Castor and Pollux, House of Vestals, Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, and Basilica of Maxentius.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.10.6
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (8 minutes, black-and-white silent; 195 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1929
Scope and Contents:
Edited film, distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films, was shot in Jerusalem, Palestine (Israel). Film shows views of the walls around Jerusalem, Mosque of Omar, Wailing Wall, Well of David, and sepulchres of David, Absalom, and Rachel. Footage also includes street scenes of modern Jerusalem.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.10.7
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (4 minutes, black-and-white silent; 97 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1929
Scope and Contents:
Edited film, distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films, was shot in Bethlehem, Jordan, and Gethsemane, Palestine (Israel). Film shows views of Church of St. Mary, Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, "Via Dolorosa," Golgotha, Holy Sepulchre, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and Valley of Kidron.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.10.8
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (8 minutes, black-and-white silent; 197 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1929
Scope and Contents:
Edited film distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films (courtesy of American Export Lines), was shot in Egypt. Film shows tourists travelling by camel to the pyramids and climbing the Great Pyramid.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.10.9
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (4 minutes, black-and-white silent; 97 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1929
Scope and Contents:
Edited film, distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films, shows views of the Citadel and Alabaster mosques, Muski bazaar, and the National Museum in Cairo, Egypt.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.10.10
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (4 minutes, black-and-white silent; 96 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1929
Scope and Contents:
Edited film, distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films (courtesy of American Export Lines), was shot in Jordan. Film shows travelling through the desert, tourist floating in the Dead Sea, traditional site of the Baptism, and the old walls of Jericho.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.10.11
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (4 minutes, black-and-white silent; 99 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1929
Scope and Contents:
Edited film, distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films, was shot in Israel. Film shows views of travelling by train from Haifa to Nazareth and from there through the desert to Tiberias and fisherman at the Sea of Galilee.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.10.12
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (4 minutes, black-and-white silent; 97 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1929
Scope and Contents:
Edited film, distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films, courtesy of American Export Lines, was shot in Gibraltar. Film shows views of the Rock of Gibraltar, street scenes in Gibraltar, and vistas from the fort.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.10.13
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (4 minutes, black-and-white silent; 97 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1929
Scope and Contents:
Edited film, distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films (courtesy of American Export Lines), was shot in and around Marrakesh, Morocco. Film shows street scenes; bazaar activities such as leather working, making dyes for silk, and a scribe writing; and harvesting of olives.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.10.14
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (14 minutes, black-and-white silent; 495 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
circa 1920-1930
Scope and Contents:
Edited film shot for the Cunard Steam Ship Company and distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films. Captured are brief vignettes of Haiti, Jamaica, Nassau, the Panama Canal Zone, Havana, Algiers (Algeria), and Madiera (Portugal). Included are market scenes in Port-au-Prince; the Myrtle Bank Hotel (Jamaica); operation of the locks on the Panama Canal; Moro Castle in Havana; and the French and Arab Quarters with market scenes in Algiers. Cooper, Merian C. filmmaker (1893-).
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.3.3
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (4 minutes, black-and-white silent; 98 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1929
Scope and Contents:
Edited film distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films (courtesy of American Export Lines), was shot in Beirut and Baalbek, Lebanon. Film shows views of the American University of Beirut, Roman Bridge at Dog River, and ruins of Baalbek.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.10.16
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (4 minutes, black-and-white silent; 98 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1929
Scope and Contents:
Edited film, distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films (courtesy of American Export Lines), was shot in Damascus, Syria. Film shows views of Street Called Straight, weaver and blacksmith at work in a bazaar, and Ommayyade Mosque.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.10.17
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Film reel (3 minutes, black-and-white silent; 86 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1929
Scope and Contents:
Edited film, distributed by Kodak Cinegraph Films, was shot in Granada, Spain. Film shows cathedral in which Ferdinand and Isabella are buried, the Alhambra, "Gypsy" man and woman dancing, climbing in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and scenes of the countryside.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.10.18
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Outtakes from footage shot on the Raymond-Whitcomb Round Africa Cruise beginning in French West Africa (Benin, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal) and ending in Egypt. See also [E.C. Higbee African Travel Footage, 1929].
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1989.16.2
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Film reels (30 minutes, black-and-white silent; 235 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1926
Scope and Contents:
Footage taken during travel to Bermuda includes departure from a New York City pier and arrival in Bermuda, harbor and coastal scenes, horse racing at a race track, golf course, scenes of countryside and village, church ruins, sailing, and departure from Bermuda.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.3.2
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Film reels (20 minutes, black-and-white silent; 388 feet, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1925
Scope and Contents:
Abridged edited version of the theatrical release for home sale. Film documents the yearly migration of the Bakhtiari tribe of southern Iran through the mountains to summer pastures for their herds. Kellerman, Maurice filmmaker.
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 1990.3.4
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Edward Higbee films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
