Thomas Ofcansky collection
name: label: Collector
content: Ofcansky, Thomas P., 1947-
place: label: Place
content: Africa -- Maps
label: Place
content: Africa -- Colonization
label: Place
content: Africa -- Discovery and exploration
label: Place
content: Ethiopia
label: Place
content: Tanzania
label: Place
content: Sudan
creator: label: Collector
content: Ofcansky, Thomas P., 1947-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Thomas Ofcansky collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: The collection dates from 1678 to circa 2005 and consists of 58 maps, engravings, posters, original documents and photographs related to East, Central and South Africa. There is a special focus on Ethiopia (Abyssinia), Tanzania and the Sudan, and the collection's subjects include East African geography, history, political affairs and African leaders, as well as European (German, Italian, British) and American colonization, exploration and warfare in Africa.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Thomas P. Ofcansky (1947-) is a former African affairs analyst with the State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and a retired professor of political science from the University of West Virginia. In the 1990s, he developed a detailed database that tracked the suppliers and shipments of small arms to Africa (PBS/Frontline interview, February, 2002). Ofcansky is the author of numerous publications including Uganda: Tarnished Pearl of Africa (1999), Paradise Lost: A History of Game Preservation in East Africa (2002), and has co-authored numerous volumes in the Historical Dictionary of Africa series and Ethiopia: A Country Study (1993–2014).
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Booklet (sheet music)
label: Extent
content: 30 Engravings
label: Extent
content: 6 Photographic prints
label: Extent
content: 6 Posters
label: Extent
content: 1 Drawing
label: Extent
content: 2 Documents
label: Extent
content: 12 Maps
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1678-circa 2005
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Collected by Thomas Ofcansky.  Purchased by the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, in February 2015.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: EEPA.2015-012
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Booklets
label: Type
content: Engravings
label: Type
content: Photographic prints
label: Type
content: Posters
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Documents
label: Type
content: Maps
label: Type
content: Letters
label: Type
content: Pamphlets
label: Type
content: Sheet music
label: Type
content: Certificates
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Arranged in one series by medium.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Eden Orelove, May 2018.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Engravings
label: Genre/Form
content: Letters
label: Genre/Form
content: Posters
label: Genre/Form
content: Pamphlets
label: Genre/Form
content: Sheet music
label: Genre/Form
content: Certificates
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographic prints
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The collection consists of 58 maps, engravings, particularly satirical comics, posters, original documents and photographs related to East, Central and South Africa. There is a special focus on Ethiopia (Abyssinia), Tanzania and the Sudan, and the collection's subjects include East African geography, history, political affairs and African leaders, as well as European (German, Italian, British) and American colonization, exploration and warfare in Africa.  A number of engravings feature Benito Mussolini, Menelik, and the first Italian-Ethiopian War of 1895-1896.  Additionally, there is a photograph of Haile Selassie. Many of the chromolithographs appeared in popular publications in England, France and the U.S., including Punch, or The London Chariviari, The London Illustrated News, The Graphic, and Le Petit Journal during the late 19th – early 20th century.     

There are a few ephemeral items related to travel and transportation in Africa, including African Steamship travel tickets, menus and a Uganda railway poster. Other items are related to exploration, hunting and safaris, including original sketches and engravings of motor safari camps in East Africa.