Collections 

The Aylette Jenness Collection at Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution  

This collection includes over 2,300 photographs taken in northern Nigeria  between 1967 and 1969. In their description of Jenness’s work, EEPA states: “Aylette Jenness  communicates two themes that have guided her photography: her unique female  perspective and a drive to educate others about diversity. With these ideas in mind,  Jenness has produced a photographic legacy of intimate depictions of peoples from such  varied places as Alaska and Africa.” 

Through the Smithsonian, all of these photographs are now available to educational  institutions, cultural organizations, or individuals who want to share them with a larger  public, through publications, exhibitions, and other media.

The Aylette Jenness Collection at the Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives

Pioneering Women Photographers of Africa:  

Jenness highlighted in the Smithsonian Collections Blog of September 20, 2019, where  they said: “Beyond her talent in photographing the productive, interwoven lives of these  peoples, she [Jenness] has a particular interest in documenting women. Through  depicting craftwork, caring for children, agricultural work, and other aspects of women’s  daily life, Jenness illustrates women’s agency, independence, and unique societal  contributions. Within the photographs, women are strong and the undeniable focus; they  are not meek or irrelevant.”

Smithsonian Collections Blog: Pioneering Women  Photographers of Africa: Aylette Jenness September 20, 2019

 

Books:  

  • Gussuk Boy by Aylette Jenness, Follett Publishing Company, 1967  

  • Dwellers of the Tundra: Life in an Alaskan Eskimo Village by Aylette Jenness, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1970  

  • Along the Niger River: An African Way of Life by Aylette Jenness, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1974  

  • A Life of Their Own: An Indian Family in Latin America by Aylette Jenness and Lisa W. Kroeber, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1975  

  • The Bakery Factory: Who Puts the Bread on the Table by Aylette Jenness, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1978  

  • In Two Worlds: A Yup’ik Eskimo Family by Aylette Jenness and Alice Rivers, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989  

  • Families: A Celebration of Diversity, Commitment, and Love by Aylette Jenness, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990  

  • Who Am I? by Aylette Jenness, Modern Curriculum Press, 1992  

  • Opening the Museum: History and Strategies Toward a More Inclusive Institution by Patricia A. Steuert with Aylette Jenness and Joanne Jones-Rizzi , The Children’s Museum, Boston, 1993  

  • Come Home with Me: A Multicultural Treasure Hunt by Aylette Jenness, The New Press, 1993  

  • All About You: An Adventure of Self-Discovery by Aylette Jenness,  The New Press, 1994  

  • Sometime A Clear Light: A Photographer’s Journey through Alaska, Nigeria, and Life by Aylette Jenness, Aylette Publications, 2021 

 

Exhibition:  

“NIGERIA, FIFTY YEARS: CELEBRATING WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE RURAL  NORTH”  

2019, Wellfleet, Massachusetts. In his review of the exhibit for the The Provincetown Banner,  Howard Karren wrote:  

“… Jenness’ images of northwestern Nigeria in the late ‘60s tell a story of contrasts in  black and white and the human splendor found in the grays in-between…. the quality of  the photographs themselves bespeaks Jenness’ modesty and generosity. The framing is  clear and not over stylized. The point of view is that of an outsider, but not judgmental.  The people photographed are proud and unselfconscious. And yet from the closeups of  decorative skin scarring to the shots of women making grain, making pots, and weaving  fabric, the complexity and industry of their lives is made plain. The beauty of the images  can’t be analyzed separately from the day to day existence of the people in them. They  are inextricably entwined, just as beauty is in real life. Fifty years later, at a time when  we seem to have learned little about the horrors of tribal hatred and violence, even in the  West, Jenness’ photographs of women and girls in rural Nigeria are a profound  revelation, and a lovely expression of hope.”