Mbuti women with facial paint, Epulu, Ituri Forest, Congo (Democratic Republic)

Object Details

Local Numbers: EENG-XIII-9, 17.
General: Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.
Local Note: Typed index card reads, "D 3 Mbt. Mbuti. Zaire, near Epulu. Woman with facial paint in Ituri Forest. 3/1972. EE. neg.no. XIII-9, 17." The card was written in 1977-79 by Archives staff using source provided by photographer.

See more items in: Eliot Elisofon Field collection; Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Congo (Democratic Republic) / EENG / 1972

Archival Repository: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Type: Archival materials; Negatives (photographic); 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

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.

Scope and Contents: "According to Patrick and Anne Putman, Mbuti art, both on the body and on bark cloth, is of purely aesthetic nature, without magical significance. Certain facial scarifications may indicate the membership of a clan. Elsewhere the design owes more to the artist's imagination than to any agreed subject." [Meurant G., Farris thompson R., 1995: Mbuti Design, Thames and Hudson Inc.]. During his trip to Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), Elisofon visited the Mbuti people at Epulu, South East Ituri Forest region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for National Geographic Film and traveled to Africa from January 19, 1972 to mid April 1972.

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