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Diana Davies photographs

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

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Diana Davies photographs
Identifier
CFCH.DAVIE
Photographer
Davies, Diana, 1938-
Biographical/Historical note
Diana Davies is a well-known photographer of folk performers and festivals. Davies photographed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in its earlier years. Born in 1938, Davies grew up in Maine, the Catskills, New York City, and Boston. Her grandparents were local union organizers and Debs socialists; one grandfather was a gandy dancer with the railroad, and her grandmother was a textile worker in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. Davies finds that her family background was later expressed in her own activist efforts. Davies left high school at 16, and worked sweeping out coffeehouses, which gave her the opportunity to listen to music while she worked. She became interested in theater and music. In Greenwich Village, she began doing some sound technician work, and then got interested in photography. She taught herself how to develop and print photographs in a darkroom, and began photographing in theaters, shooting from behind the scenes. Her theater photos are at Smith College in Northampton, where she presently lives. In the early 1960s, she began working with the editors of Broadside Magazine, Sis Cunningham and Gordon Friesen. She developed an interest in human rights work, which grew from her contact with Sis and Gordon, and also her own family background. She also worked as a photographer in a wide range of settings, including night clubs, weddings, and doing portrait photography. This led her to work for major national and international media including the New York Times, covering such events as the war in Biafra, and traveling to Mexico, Cuba, and Portugal on assignment. Davies' folk photographs represent about one-quarter of her body of work; her other major photographic work includes the Civil Rights Movement, the Peace Movement, and theater. Davies began photographing at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964, which she covered for a number of years. She knew Ralph Rinzler, and found him a vibrant, alive person excited by all aspects of culture. He introduced her to Bessie Jones from the Georgia Sea Islands, and in 1966 she made a photographic journey to the islands. Her work from this trip is included in the collection. Davies has also been a musician. She became involved with the punk rock movement of the 1970s, and felt that there was a connection between the hard-hitting songs from the punk world and the songs being published in Broadside Magazine. In 1975, she became part of a folk/punk women's band in Boston, and later moved to Western Massachusetts. In addition to being a photographer and musician, Davies is also a writer. She wrote a play entitled "The Witch Papers" in 1980, which was produced in Boston and other locations. The play was a vehicle for her human rights activism, comparing the technology of inquisition with labor sweatshops. In 1998, her play "The War Machine" was produced in Amherst, Mass. She lives in Northampton, and enjoys and participates in street performance, which she describes as the "most essentially communicative stuff you can come up with."
Processing Information note
The records were processed in 2004-2005 by Stephanie Smith, Joyce Capper, Jillian Foley, and Meaghan McCarthy. Encoded by Brittany Dunton, December 2011.
Date
1963-2009
Provenance
The Smithsonian Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections acquired portions of the Diana Davies Photograph Collection in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Ms. Davies photographed for the Festival of American Folklife. More materials came to the Archives circa 1989 or 1990. Archivist Stephanie Smith visited her in 1998 and 2004, and brought back additional materials which Ms. Davies wanted to donate to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. These two more recent donations of additional photographs (contact sheets, prints, and slides) consisted of documentation of the Newport Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Poor People's March on Washington, the Civil Rights Movement, the Georgia Sea Islands, and miscellaneous personalities of the American folk revival. In a letter dated 12 March 2002, Ms. Davies gave full discretion to the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage to grant permission for both internal and external use of her photographs, with the provison that her work be credited in any use.
Extent
3.83 Cubic feet (8 binders containing contact sheets, slides, and prints; 7 boxes (8.5"x10.75"x2.5") of 35 mm negatives; 2 binders of 35 mm and 120 format negatives; and 1 box of 11 oversize prints.)
Summary
The Diana Davies photographs consist of images taken by Diana Davies at various stages of her career. Locations include the Festival of American Folklife, the Newport Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Poor People's Campaign, various peace and protest marches and outdoor performances, New York City, and the Georgia Sea Islands. The collection includes contact sheets, negatives, photographic prints, and slides. Original photographs, negatives, and color slides taken by Diana Davies. Materials date from 1963-2009. Bulk dates: Newport Folk Festival, 1963-1969, 1987, 1992; Philadelphia Folk Festival, 1967-1968, 1987.
General note
All contact sheets from the collection are digitized and accessible through this finding aid. Series-level slideshows accessible through this finding aid represent a small sampling from the collection.
Restrictions
Access by appointment only. Contact the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at 202-633-7322 or [email protected] for additional information. Permission for the duplication or publication of items in the Diana Davies Photograph Collection must be obtained from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections.
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Contact sheets
Slides (photographs)
Black-and-white negatives
Photographic prints
Arrangement note
Each item in the Diana Davies Photographs has been assigned an accession number, and like materials have been put together such as the Newport Folk Festival photographs, in a chronological sequence as much as possible. Materials in the three more recent donation batches (1998, 2004, and 2006) were numbered and integrated into the collection. In some series, the accession numbers are in numerical order, and in others, the numbers are random because like items with different number sequences were pulled together in a series for subject coherence. The best way to find occurrences of a particular subject is to use the ctrl+F function. Please consult the archivists if you have any questions about the collection contents. Contact sheets, slides, and prints arranged in 8 binders; negatives and oversize prints are stored separately. Arranged in 14 series: Missing Title Series 1: Newport Folk Festival Series 2: Philadelphia Folk Festival Series 3: Broadside Magazine Series 4: -- Sing Out! -- Magazine Concerts Series 5: Miscellaneous Concerts and People Series 6: Festival of American Folklife Series 7: Recording Sessions Series 8: Instruction Book Shots Series 9: Jazz, Blues, and Salsa Musicians Series 10: Georgia Sea Islands Series 11: Social Justice Series 12: New York City Scenes Series 13: Miscellaneous Papers and Correspondence Series 14: Oversize Materials
Scope and Contents
The Diana Davies photographs, 1963-2009, consist of black and white negatives, contact sheets and prints, as well as color slides and negatives. The bulk of materials depict major festivals and protest movements (including the Poor People's March of 1968) documented by Diana Davies (located in Series 1: Newport Folk Festival, Series 2: Philadelphia Folk Festival, Series 6: Festival of American Folklife, and Series 11: Social Justice). Also well-represented are non-festival performances (in locations such as clubs, concert halls, and homes), recording sessions, and other music-related images, mainly of notable figures in the American folk music revival (located in Series 3: Broadside Magazine, Series 4: Sing Out! Magazine Concerts, Series 5: Miscellaneous Concerts and People, Series 7: Recording Sessions, Series 8: Instruction Book Shots, and Series 9: Jazz, Blues, and Salsa Musicians). Series 10: Georgia Sea Islands consists of photographs depicting the culture, environment, and daily life of these coastal islands in 1966. Series 12: New York City Scenes contains photographs taken on the street depicting everyday life in NYC in the 1960s and 1970s. The collection also contains related papers in Series 13: Miscellaneous Papers and Correspondence.
Genre/Form
Contact sheets
Slides (photographs)
Black-and-white negatives
Photographic prints
Rights
Copyright restrictions apply. Please contact the archives staff for further information.
Photographer
Davies, Diana, 1938-
Performer
Bread and Puppet Theater
Everly Brothers
New Lost City Ramblers
Names
Newport Folk Festival
Performer
Pentangle (Musical group)
Names
Philadelphia Folk Festival
Performer
The Pennywhistlers (Musical group)
The Young Tradition (Musical group)
Andersen, Eric
Names
Asch, Moses
Performer
Bikel, Theodore
Musician
Bosco, John
Performer
Brand, Oscar
Cameron, John A.
Chandler, Len
Names
Chandler, Nancy
Performer
Collier, Jimmy
Collins, Judy, 1939-
Names
Dunson, Josh, 1941-
Performer
Fuller, Jesse
Photographer
Gahr, David
Performer
Gerrard, Alice, 1934-
Guthrie, Arlo
Hartford, John
Hjorth, Ole
Joplin, Janis
Kennedy, Norman, 1934-
Kershaw, Doug
Killen, Louis
Names
King, Coretta Scott, 1927-2006
Performer
Kirkpatrick, Frederick Douglass
Koerner, John
McGhee, Brownie, 1915-1996
Mitchell, Joni
Monroe, Bill, 1911-1996
Ochs, Phil
Perkins, Carl
Proffitt, Frank, Jr., 1946-2005
Rachell, Yank
Raim, Ethel
Ramsey, Frederic, 1915-1995
Reagon, Bernice Johnson, 1942-
Rinzler, Ralph
Sainte-Marie, Buffy
Seeger, Mike, 1933-2009
Names
Silber, Irwin, 1925-2010
Performer
Stabi, Björn
Sykes, Roosevelt, 1906-1983
Taylor, James
Traum, Artie
Traum, Happy
Waters, Muddy, 1915-1983
Watson, Doc
Watson, Merle
White, Elaine, (Vocalist)
Wiseman, Mac
Names
Young, Izzy, 1928-
Topic
Peace movements
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington, D.C., 1963
Civil rights -- United States
Place
New York (N.Y.)
Saint Simons Island (Ga. : Island)
Citation
Diana J. Davies photographs, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution. or Photo by Diana J. Davies. Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and COllections, Smithsonian Institution.
Archival Repository
Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1503513332931-1503513332960-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk59fa9fef6-8287-4b3c-8f47-119c519dd318

In the Collection

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  • Newport Folk Festival: Mark Roth, Mimi and Richard Fariña

  • Newport Folk Festival: Jimmy Driftwood

  • Newport Folk Festival: Peter, Paul and Mary

  • Newport Folk Festival: Liam Clancy, Joe Heaney, and Jimmie Driftwood

  • For Broadside Magazine: Elaine White, folksinger

  • WBAI-FM, New York City: Judy Pasternak, producer, Suni Paz, with Martha Siegel on cello

  • St. Simon's Island, Georgia: Minister and guitar

  • Newport Folk Festival: Arlo Guthrie, Sippie Wallace, and audience shots

  • Newport Folk Festival: Doc Watson, Jean Richie, Louis Killen, Manny Greenhill, Artie and Happy Traum, Rick Sullo, Irwin Silber, and David Gahr

  • New York City, Alan Lomax's Apt.: Brownie McGhee, Mabel Hillery, and Barbara Dane

  • Photos for Artie Traum Guitar Book

  • Poor People's March on Washington, Memphis, TN: dedication of plaque at Lorraine Motel -- photographing from roof

  • Newport Folk Festival: Bob Dylan

  • Newport Folk Festival: Billie and De De Pierce with Preservation Hall Jazz Band (rehearsal), Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island children

  • Newport Folk Festival: Mable Hillery, Barbara Dane, and others

  • Newport Folk Festival: Izzy Young, Ralph Rinzler, Kweskin Jug Band, and contra dancing outside

  • Newport Folk Festival: David Gahr; Alison Krauss and Union Station; George Wein and Joyce Wein

  • Washington Square Park: Folk music in Washington Square Park

  • Manitas de Plata and Lucien Clergue

  • Photos for Harvey Vinson's Guitar Book

  • Poor People's March on Washington -- Washington, D.C.: SCLC headquarters, and Rev. Ralph Abernathy

  • Newport Folk Festival: Bob Dylan

  • Newport Folk Festival: Bob Gibson, Jimmie Driftwood, and Richie Havens

  • Newport Folk Festival: Joan Baez and Buffy Sainte-Marie

  • Newport Folk Festival: Southern White Gospel

  • Newport Folk Festival: miscellaneous

  • Newport Folk Festival: Len Chandler, Buffy Sainte-Marie

  • Newport Folk Festival: Izzy Young, dancing, Old Timers String Band, dancing, and Jesse Fuller

  • For Broadside Magazine: Elaine White

  • Patty Larkin at Amherst

  • St. Simon's Island, Georgia: Minister and guitar

  • Newport Folk Festival: James Taylor and Happy Traum

  • Broadside Concert: Buffy Sainte-Marie, Tom Paxton, Barbara Dane, and Phil Ochs

  • Sweet Honey in the Rock: K. Alix.

  • New York City: N.Y. CORE marches to support James Meredith March

  • Poor People's March on Washington, Memphis, TN: Memphis caravan, and mule train

  • Newport Folk Festival: Reverend Gary Davis

  • Eric Andersen, Peter La Farge, and Pat Sky

  • National Women's Music Festival, University of Illinois: Bessie Jones in a workshop

  • Poor People's March on Washington

  • Newport Folk Festival: Bob Dylan

  • Newport Folk Festival: Buffy Sainte-Marie, Howlin' Wolf, Penny whistlers, Phil Ochs, Clara Ward Singers

  • Philadelphia Folk Festival: Buddy Guy, Dave van Ronk, Joe Jackson, and Marty (woman)

  • Newport Folk Festival: Joni Mitchell, Doug Kershaw, B.C. Harmonizers ?

  • For Broadside Magazine: Elaine White

  • Sing Out! Concert: Michael Cooney group ?

  • Gil Evans, jazz musician

  • SNCC Fifth Anniversary Performance at Town Hall, New York City: Ossie Davis, E. Clarence Williams III, Diana Sands, James Foreman , Freedom Singers, Ruby Dee

  • Newport Folk Festival: Odetta, Jim Kweskin, and Maria Muldaur

  • Newport Folk Festival: Buffy Sainte-Marie

  • Newport Folk Festival: Richie Havens, Liam Clancy, and Jim and Jean

  • SNCC Fifth Anniversary Performance at Town Hall, New York City: Ossie Davis, E. Clarence Williams III, Diana Sands, James Foreman , Freedom Singers, Ruby Dee

  • Newport Folk Festival: Bob Dylan

  • Broadside Concert: Phil Ochs

  • Photos for Artie Traum Guitar Book

  • Newport Folk Festival: Bob Davenport, Hedy West, George Wein, Mike Seeger, and gospel singers

  • Gerde's Folk City: Barbara Dane

  • Irwin and Nina Silber at home, Mark Ross

  • Festival of American Folklife: Maybelle Carter, and other performers

  • Poor People's March on Washington: Marks, Mississippi Rally Mississippi Rally, and Eudora African Methodist Church

  • Newport Folk Festival: Bob Dylan, Peter Yarrow, Mary Travers, Pat Sky, and Donovan

  • Newport Folk Festival: Bukka White, Billie Pierce (Preservation Hall Jazz Band), Georgia Sea Island Group with Bessie Jones

  • Newport Folk Festival: The Pennywhistlers and Bernice Reagon

  • Newport Folk Festival: Doc and Merle Watson, Bernice Reagon, Ralph Rinzler, Fred Kirkpatrick

  • Philadelphia Folk Festival: New Lost City Ramblers

  • New York Folk Festival at Carnegie Hall: Patrick Sky

  • Pat Sky

  • Matthew Jones

  • Social Justice: Peace Movement, Civil Rights Movement, Poor People's March, United Farm Workers, Women's Rights

  • Peace March and Rally, New York City

  • Poor People's March, Washington, D.C.: Georgia Sea Island Singers

  • New York City: N.Y. CORE marches to support James Meredith March

  • Poor People's March on Washington, Memphis, TN: Lorraine Motel, Coretta S. King, and mule train

  • Sing Out! Concert: John Cohen, and Michael Cooney puts a pie in Izzy Young's face

  • Instruction Book Shots

  • Poor People's March on Washington, Memphis, TN: SCLC rally at Mason Temple

  • Poor People's March on Washington-- Washington, D.C.: Resurrection City, and Native Americans

  • Newport Folk Festival: Paul Butterfield, Michael Bloomfield, Bob Dylan

  • Mississippi John Hurt

  • Gerde's Folk City Reunion: Anita Shear, John Hammond, Jr.

  • Spoon River Anthology: Diane Tarleton

  • Festival of American Folklife

  • Newport Folk Festival: Hedy West, others not identified

  • Newport Folk Festival: John Cohen, Eck Robertson, Horton Barker, Maybelle Carter, Mike Seeger, and Cousin Emmy

  • Newport Folk Festival: Fannie Lou Hamer, Georgia Sea Island children in rehearsal for a Sunday program

  • Newport Folk Festival: Izzy Young, Ralph Rinzler, Kweskin Jug Band, and contra dancing outside

  • Newport Folk Festival: Bread and Puppet Theater, the Young Tradition

  • Broadside: Len Chandler, Pete Seeger

  • Broadside Hootenanny: Peter La Farge, David "Blue" Cohen, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, and Pat Sky

  • Norman Thomas Benefit, NY Town Hall: Alan Arkin, Harold Leventhal, Will Holt, and Barbara Dane

  • Newport Folk Festival: Odetta

  • Newport Folk Festival: John Koerner, Ralph Rinzler, Kate Rinzler, Toshi Seeger, and Ethel Raim

  • Newport Folk Festival: John Hartford

  • New York City: Stefan Grossman

  • Judy Roderick, Johnny Hammond, Jr.

  • Manitas de Plata and Lucien Clergue

  • Peace March and Rally, New York City

  • Newport Folk Festival: George Wein and Joyce Wein; John Hammond Jr.; The New Grass Revival; Maria Muldaur

  • Newport Folk Festival: Eric Von Schmidt and daughter

  • Norman Thomas Benefit, NY Town Hall: Will Holt, Alan Arkin and Judy Collins

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Newport Folk Festival
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