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Catalog Data

Photographer:
Herskovits, Melville J. (Melville Jean), 1895-1963  Search this
Names:
Herskovits, Jean  Search this
Extent:
736 Negatives (photographic) (+contact prints (5 v.), black & white, 3 x 4 in.)
736 Photographic prints ((6 v.), black & white, 3 x 4 in.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Photographic prints
Place:
Surinam
Benin
Haiti
Africa
Brazil
Date:
1928-1934
Summary:
Photographs taken by Melville J. Herskovits during his trips with his wife, Frances Shapiro Herskovits, to Surinam (1928-29); Dahomey, now Republic of Benin (1931); Haiti (1934); and Brazil (1941-42). From 1928 to 1943 Melville Herskovits and his wife, Frances Herskovits (nee Shapiro) traveled together throughout West Africa and the Americas to collect evidence of the legacy of African culture. The contributions of Frances Herskovits to her husband's research were fully recognized in an exhibition held by the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University, from April 2-August 9, 1998. Entitled, "Living Tradition in Africa & the America: The Legacy of Melville J. and Frances S. Herskovits," the brochure noted, "On each trip, Frances was a full partner in the research...Until Melville's death in 1963, they worked together on the analysis of their data and the writing of books and articles; and after he died, she edited a collection of his papers."
Arrangement note:
Images indexed by negative number.
Biographical/Historical note:
Melville J. Herskovits, 1895-1963, anthropologist. After receiving a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1923, Dr. Herskovits began teaching at Northwestern University in 1927, where he was founder and first chair of the Department of Anthropology (1938) and founder and first director of the Program of African Studies (1948).
Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Rights:
For study purposes only. Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Topic:
Dahomey (Kingdom)  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographic prints
Identifier:
EEPA.1986-029
See more items in:
Melville Herskovits photographs
Archival Repository:
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo782876e0f-9acc-420d-8c92-75df970493bf
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-eepa-1986-029