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Scope and Contents |
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The collection consists of more than 31,500 signed modern prints of 2,723 images,
and
roughly 2,600 vintage and book production prints of 1,577 images taken by
photographer Elliott Erwitt (American, born 1928 in Italy) between 1946 and 2010.
Also included are some 14,500 5x7-inch proof prints. Found within the collection
are
examples of Erwitt’s work for magazine and advertising clients, much of it done
while a member of the prestigious photographic cooperative Magnum Photos
Incorporated, as well as photographs inspired by his personal interests and travel.
While many of the photographs capture famous events and people -- from the historic
Khrushchev-Nixon "Kitchen Debates" to American film
star Marilyn Monroe -- Erwitt’s other works reveal everyday people and places,
and
the photographer’s love of dogs. Given the size and scope of the collection, an
viewing set consisting of one copy of each of the 4,033 images (and multiples
of
some Vintage prints) was set aside and a database was created to grant access
to the
collection. The database can be found at http://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/erwittdc/. |
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The database records Erwitt's captions, which consist only of a place name, country,
and date. Item-level descriptions for each image have been added to the database,
allowing searching by keyword and browsing by country and/or decade. |
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Please use the database to request materials that you wish to view in person in the
Reading and Viewing Room. |
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The remainder of the collection, which includes contact sheets and negatives, remains
with the photographer until his death and are unavailable. |
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Prints that were spotted for the Ransom Center’s exhibition Elliott Erwitt: Home Around the World (August 15, 2016–January 1, 2017)
have been restricted from public access, but other copies of those images are
available. Spotting is a means of correcting minor flaws in a photograph by
retouching the print using a special ink. |
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The collection is divided into three series, reflecting the original arrangement of
the prints as they arrived at the Ransom Center: I. Non-vintage prints, 1944-2010;
II. Vintage prints, 1948-2009; and III. Proof Prints, 1950-2010. To facilitate
retrieval, each series has been divided by decade which is reflected in the
subseries titles. Within each subseries, prints are arranged first by year and
then
by Erwitt’s and/or Magnum’s unique negative numbering system. |
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The first series consists of more than 31,500 signed modern prints. These prints were
stock from Erwitt's commercial studio and were meant to be sold. Aside from those
used in the Ransom Center’s exhibition Elliott Erwitt: Home
Around the World, they are unspotted, as Erwitt's studio only performed
this task immediately prior to a print's sale. |
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The second series consists of approximately 2,600 vintage prints. They are a mix of
prints sent out for distribution by Magnum Photos Inc.; prints Erwitt used when
creating books; and prints created when, or shortly after, the images were made.
Many of the vintage prints lack any identifying information. |
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The third series consists of approximately 14,500 5x7 proof prints, including both
fiber and RC prints. |
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Series Descriptions |
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Series I. Non-Vintage Prints, 1944-2010 |
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Subseries A. 1940s |
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The subseries consists of approximately 55 images taken between 1944 and 1949 at the
start of Erwitt’s career. Many of the images were taken in New York City and include
a variety of streetscapes and scenes of daily life. Also present are some of his
earliest portraits, made while working for AAK, such as that of Jack Kerouac.
Other
images were made in Italy and France in 1949 during Erwitt’s first trip back to
Europe after immigrating to the United States ten years earlier. These include
informal yet confrontational group portraits of children, still-lifes, nudes,
and
scenes of daily life. The subseries also includes a few of Erwitt’s first
photographs taken while still a high school student in Los Angeles and during
a trip
to visit his father in New Orleans. |
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Subseries B. 1950s |
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Themes of daily life, local people (especially children), and dogs dominate Erwitt’s
work throughout his career, and make up much of the approximately 700 images in
this
subseries. Many images were taken in and around New York City, including events
such
as a Shriners parade and crowds at the Belmont Park Race Track, as well as cultural
figures such as artist Robert Frank, journalist Edward R. Murrow, and playwright
Arthur Miller. Erwitt took photographs on the sets of the films On The Waterfront and The Desperate
Hours, as well as images of film star Marilyn Monroe during the filming
of The Seven Year Itch. Erwitt photographed his own
family throughout his career, and several images of his first wife and their
children can be found in this and other subseries. |
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When not working in New York City, Erwitt traveled across the country for assignments
from magazines such as Holiday and Life. Subjects of these images include Ivy League and Big
Ten schools, the American south, and "People in
Love." |
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Erwitt also traveled to Europe on several occasions, including to France and Germany
during his Army service, as well as Italy and Spain. Other images from Erwitt’s
travels are of ancient sites in Egypt, Soviet military exercises, and Nikita
Khrushchev and Richard Nixon during the 1959 "Kitchen
Debate" at the American National Exhibition in Moscow, USSR. |
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Subseries C. 1960s |
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The subseries consists of approximately 550 images, 99 of which were taken in New
York. Throughout the 1960s, Erwitt continued to travel across the United States,
covering subjects ranging from movie sets to political events. In Reno, Nevada,
he
photographed the stars of the film The Misfits, the
last movie in which Clark Gable appeared. He documented the 1960 Democratic National
Convention in Los Angeles, California; Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John
F.
Kennedy at the White House; Jacqueline Kennedy at the funeral of her husband in
1963; and the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida. |
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In his global travels, Erwitt documented a wide variety of locations and themes,
including the marriage of Badouin I, King of Belgium; Fidel Castro and Che Guevara
in Cuba; nudists in England and Germany; modern architecture in Brazil; Charles
de
Gaulle on a visit to Moscow, USSR; and daily and religious life in Poland and
Hungary. Many of Erwitt’s domestic and foreign images were taken for various
magazine or advertising assignments. |
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Subseries D. 1970s |
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Approximately 420 images make up this subseries. Erwitt’s photographs from this
decade depict numerous European destinations, including the beaches of Saint Tropez,
France; Vatican City in Rome during the Papal inauguration of Pope John Paul II;
and
the cities and coastal towns of England. Other subjects include beaches in Mexico;
temples in Japan; and street scenes in Afghanistan. |
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Domestically, Erwitt photographed scenes of daily life from Florida to California,
but the majority of his work remained focused in and around New York City, depicting
dog show contestants and their owners, beach scenes from Coney Island and East
Hampton, and several images of his wife and daughter. |
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Subseries E. 1980s |
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This subseries consists of roughly 200 images taken in a variety of domestic and
global locations. Views of French streets, dogs, and fashion can be found in this
subseries, as are images of China’s Museum of Terracotta Warriors. In New York,
Erwitt continued with themes of everyday life and family as well as major events,
such as the 1980 Democratic National Convention and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day
Parade. Notable personalities depicted include, but are not limited to, artists
Andy
Warhol and Willem de Kooning, as well as photographer and curator John
Szarkowski. |
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Erwitt created a number of films during this period, and images document the filming
of The Great Pleasure Hunt (1982)in Japan, The Great Pleasure Hunt II (1983) in Amsterdam, and Good Nudes! (1984) in California, among others. |
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Subseries F. 1990s |
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This subseries is comprised of approximately 380 images. That include beach scenes
from Brazil, a dog show in Birmingham, England, historical sites in Venice, Italy,
and the art installation Wrapped Reichstag by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in Berlin.
In New Orleans, Louisiana, Erwitt photographed Mardi Gras parade-goers and floats;
in Washington, D.C., President Bill Clinton is shown at his desk in the White
House;
and in New York, Erwitt photographed children playing with toys and chemistry
sets. |
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Subseries G. 2000s |
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A large number of the roughly 400 images in this subseries were taken in Italy, and
include images of statuary and architecture, religious ceremonies and parades,
and
personalities such as Silvio Berlusconi and Pope Benedict XVI. Other locations
featured include Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, France, and Brazil. |
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In New York, Erwitt took a number of snapshots and studio portraits of dogs, as well
as a series of family portraits, among his other perennial themes. |
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Subseries H. Date Unknown |
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This subseries includes only two images: an image of people at a beach, and one of
a
boy wearing a hat made of a false apple and arrow. Date and location are unknown
for
both images. |
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Series II. Vintage Prints, 1948-2009 |
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Subseries A. 1940s |
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The subseries consists of fifteen images that are representative of Erwitt’s earliest
commercial work as well as his interests in street photography and human drama.
Included are portraits of authors Frederick Buechner and Conrad Richter, as well
as
artist John Clemmer, and candid group portraits of children in Venice, Italy. |
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Subseries B. 1950s |
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The approximately 600 images in this subseries were taken in multiple locations and
of a wide variety themes. A number of images depict scenes from Erwitt’s Army
training at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, which was followed by service in France
and
Italy. Other images document massage therapy training at the Japan Finger Pressure
Institute, the Iowa State Fair, and speakers at the White Citizens Council Congress
in Fort Worth, Texas. Many of the other places and themes are also included in
the
non-vintage subseries of the same date range. |
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Subseries C. 1960s |
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A large number of the approximately 1,125 images that make up this subseries were
taken in Eastern Europe. Erwitt visited Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland, and
his
photographs from these trips depict factory workers, students, monuments and
architecture, churches and religious ceremonies, as well as everyday street scenes
and festivals. Additionally, he photographed beaches in France, the Cologne Carnival
in Germany, parade-goers in Brazil, and schoolchildren in Italy. Also included
are a
number of images of architecture from across the United States. |
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Subseries D. 1970s |
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Roughly 240 images comprise this subseries, many of which were taken in and around
New York City, including images from a Broadway play and a boxing match between
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Other locations include Mexico, Morocco, Japan,
and
France. Also included are studio images of Erwitt’s wife, Susan, during her
pregnancy and after with their baby. |
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Subseries E. 1980s |
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Nine images make up this subseries. Included are a stylized portrait of American
curator and photography historian John Szarkowski, beach scenes in Florida and
Hawaii, and a worm’s-eye view of a jumping dog and his owner’s feet. |
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Subseries F. 1990s |
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The twelve images in this subseries include portraits of dogs, a bride and groom
standing on rocks overlooking the sea, and several images that may have been
commercial assignments. |
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Subseries G. 2000s |
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Three images make up this subseries, two are of tombstones and the other is of a
dog. |
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Subseries H. Date Unknown |
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The subseries consists of roughly twenty-five images of which the dates are unknown
for all and the locations unknown for most. Identified locations include Los
Angeles, California, Paris, France, and Brazil. Images consist primarily of candid
shots and portraits of children and adults, streets and towns, and a stuffed gorilla
in a glass case. |
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Series III. Proof Prints, 1950-2010 |
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Approximately 14,500 5x7-inch proof prints comprise this series which is divided into
two subseries, A. Fiber Prints and B. RC Prints, which reflects how the prints
arrived at the Center. Center staff then arranged each subseries first
chronologically and then by EE number if the date was unknown. While a number
of
these images are duplicates of images found in Series I and II, there are many
images found only in this series. |
