ELIOT ELISOFON 93 FIG. 26: Chief Mogendo’s principal wife, Medje village, D.R.C. Photograph by Eliot Elisofon, 1970. Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, EEPA EECL 3031. National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. FIG. 27: Katharine Hepburn adjusting her costume on the set of The African Queen, Ruiki River, D.R.C. Photograph by Eliot Elisofon, 1951. Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images. weaving the hairstyle installed next to a framed photograph of the Mangbetu chief’s wife and her finished coiffure. Hairpins of ivory or bone complete the regal style. Rather than recycling the exoticized profile from earlier decades, Elisofon’s photograph presents us with a dignified portrait of a beautiful Mangbetu woman whose countenance is turned toward the camera in a pose that simultaneously engages the viewer and accentuates her traditional hairstyle (fig. 26). Elisofon in Hollywood Adjacent to the Mangbetu photographs is a cluster of ironic juxtapositions that reflect Elisofon’s circuitous career path—artistic photographs of Hollywood actresses Lana Turner and Katharine Hepburn and his role in feature film and television productions. During the post-war years, Elisofon established himself as a glamour photographer and became known for his unique set designs and creative use of color, lighting, and props. In 1951, LIFE sent Elisofon on assignment to the Belgian Congo to photograph the production of The African Queen with Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart (fig. 27).23 On the banks of the Ruiki River, Elisofon discussed his theories and philosophy of color photography with director John Huston. Huston was so impressed that he hired Elisofon as color consultant on his upcoming film Moulin Rouge.24 He described it as the first film to be “painted with light” and went on to be a color consultant and still photographer on a number of Hollywood film productions, including Bell, Book and Candle (Columbia Pictures, 1958), The Greatest Story Ever Told (United Artists, 1965), and Dr. Dolittle (20th Century Fox, 1966). In 1966, Elisofon directed the prologue to the film Khartoum (United Artists, 1966) and dressed as a Mahdi warrior on the set (fig. 28). Due to his interest in illustrating the artistic process through photography, Elisofon developed a passion for film and television productions, performing various roles as cinematographer, director, and producer. Africa Re- Viewed highlights Elisofon’s involvement and commitment to film and television programs on Africa. His 1974 film African Carving: A Dogon Kanaga Mask25 is displayed on a video monitor outside the gallery and is used to illustrate Elisofon’s continued passion for photographing and filming the process of creating African art (fig. 29). It documents the complete process of a Dogon carver and his son creating a kanaga mask. In 1972, Elisofon produced the educational film Akan Gold (National Geographic, 1972), featuring the Paul Tishman Collection (now part of the Walt Disney-Tishman Collection, on display at the museum).26 This same year, he wrote, directed, and produced a four-part television series titled Black African Heritage (Group W/Westinghouse/ GE, 1972). This production was one of the first television series to focus on the arts and cultures of Africa and it encapsulates Elisofon’s vision of a vibrant land, its arts, and myriad cultures.27 Geared toward African-American audiences, it was narrated by prominent actors and writers, including Maya Angelou, Julian Bond, Ossie Davis, and Gordon Parks. These early film and television series illustrate Elisofon’s commitment to presenting mass audiences with a dynamic, optimistic portrait of Africa for the twentieth century—one that helped to dispel the myths and stereotypes generated for decades by Western writers, photographers, and filmmakers. Elisofon’s Legacy The archives he donated … will long continue to inform the scholarship of African studies and may serve as the best monument to a dedicated photographer and an impassioned Africanist.28 Roy Sieber, former Associate Director, National Museum of African Art Eliot Elisofon was one of the first commercial photographers to truly appreciate the artistic diversity of Africa and represent the aesthetic qualities and creative process of art in his photography. Africa Re- Viewed is a fitting tribute to more than thirty years of photography and collecting art in Africa. On the one hand, it invites viewers to reconsider the impact of Elisofon’s representations of Africa and its peoples, by re-viewing images that are now more than a half-century old. On the other
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