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More Smithsonian Searches     Who else has...     Davies, Diana,     Rinzler, Ralph,     Koerner, Spider John,     Bosco, John,     Chandler, Len,     Reagon, Bernice Johnson,     Kershaw, Doug,     Cameron, John A.,     Proffitt, Jr., Frank,     Traum, Happy,     Raim, Ethel,     Kennedy, Norman,     Traum, Artie,     Mitchell, Joni,     Watson, Doc,     Watson, Merle     Kirkpatrick, Frederick Douglass,     Sykes, Roosevelt,     Rachell, Yank,     Sainte-Marie, Buffy,     Waters, Muddy,     Stabi, Bjorn,     Hjorth, Ole,     Bikel, Theodore,     Killen, Louis,     Guthrie, Arlo Davy,     Wiseman, Mac,     Perkins, Carl     Collier, Jimmy,     Seeger, Mike,     Dunson, Josh.     Young, Izzy.     Fuller, Jesse,     White, Elaine D.,     Gahr, David,     McGhee, Brownie,     Brand, Oscar,     Taylor, James,     Monroe, Bill.     Collins, Judy,     Joplin, Janis,     Ramsey, Frederic,     Silber, Irwin,     Gerrard, Alice,     Hartford, John,     Chandler, Nancy.     Bread and Puppet Theater.     The Young Tradition (Musical group),     Pentangle (Musical group),     New Lost City Ramblers (Musical group),     Everly Brothers,     The Pennywhistlers (Musical group),     Newport Folk Festival.     Photographic prints     Contact sheets     Slides (photographs)     Black-and-white negatives

Diana Davies photographs, 1963-2004.   Creator:  Davies, Diana, 1938- photographer. Title:  Diana Davies photographs, 1963-2004. Phy. Description:  Contact sheets. Slides. Photographic prints. Negatives. 3.83 cubic feet. Click to view image set:  Digital Reference:  Bio / His Notes:  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.” 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 marches and outdoor performances, New York City, and the Georgia Sea Islands. The collection includes contact sheets, negatives, photographic prints, and slides. Organization:  Arranged in 12 series: (1) Newport Folk Festival; (2) Philadelphia Folk Festival; (3) Broadside Magazine; (4) Sing Out! Magazine Concerts; (5) Miscellaneous Concerts and People; (6) Festival of American Folklife; (7) Recording Sessions; (8) Instruction Book Shots; (9) Jazz, Blues, and Salsa Musicians; (10) Georgia Sea Islands; (11) Social Justice: Peace Movement, Civil Rights Movement, Poor People's March, United Farm Workers, Women's Rights; (12) New York City Scenes. Contact sheets, slides, and prints arranged in 8 binders; negatives and oversize prints are stored separately. Provenance:  The Smithsonian Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections acquired portions of the Diana Davies photographs 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. 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 proviso that her work be credited “photo by Diana Davies.” Finding aids:  Finding aid is available. Cite as:  Diana Davies photographs, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution. General Note:  The online images represent only a selection of this collection. Restrictions:  Access by appointment only. Contact the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at 202-633-7322 for additional information. Copyright restrictions apply. Please contact the archives staff for further information. Subject-Name:  Rinzler, Ralph, 1934-1994 performer. Koerner, Spider John, 1931- performer. Bosco, John, musician. Chandler, Len, 1935- performer. Reagon, Bernice Johnson, 1942- performer. Kershaw, Doug, performer. Cameron, John A., performer. Proffitt, Jr., Frank, performer. Traum, Happy, 1939- performer. Raim, Ethel, performer. Kennedy, Norman, performer. Traum, Artie, performer. Mitchell, Joni, performer. Watson, Doc, 1923- performer. Watson, Merle performer. Kirkpatrick, Frederick Douglass, 1933-1987 performer. Sykes, Roosevelt, 1906-1983 performer. Rachell, Yank, 1910-1997 performer. Sainte-Marie, Buffy, 1941- performer. Waters, Muddy, 1915-1983 performer. Stabi, Bjorn, performer. Hjorth, Ole, performer. Bikel, Theodore, 1924- performer. Killen, Louis, 1934- performer. Guthrie, Arlo Davy, 1947- performer. Wiseman, Mac, 1925- performer. Perkins, Carl performer. Collier, Jimmy, 1945- performer. Seeger, Mike, 1933- performer. Dunson, Josh. 1941- Young, Izzy. Fuller, Jesse, 1896-1976 performer. White, Elaine D., 1946- performer. Gahr, David, photographer. McGhee, Brownie, 1915-1996 performer. Brand, Oscar, 1920- performer. Taylor, James, performer. Monroe, Bill. 1911-1996 performer. Collins, Judy, 1939- performer. Joplin, Janis, performer. Ramsey, Frederic, 1915- performer. Silber, Irwin, 1925- journalist. Gerrard, Alice, 1934- performer. Hartford, John, 1937-2001 performer. Chandler, Nancy. Bread and Puppet Theater. performers. The Young Tradition (Musical group), performers. Pentangle (Musical group), performers. New Lost City Ramblers (Musical group), performers. Everly Brothers, performers. The Pennywhistlers (Musical group), performers. Newport Folk Festival. Form / Genre:  Photographic prints Contact sheets Slides (photographs) Black-and-white negatives Repository Loc:  Smithsonian Institution, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, 600 Maryland Ave., S.W., Suite 2001, Washington, D.C. 20024. Call 202-633-7322 for appointment. Fax: 202-633-7019. Email: rinzlerarchives@si.edu. 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