Claire James Steinberg collection

View Finding Aid

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .

sova.nmai.ac.064

Summary: This collection includes travel logs as well as color and black and white 8x10 photographs made by Claire James Steinberg in 1976 among the Warao in Venezuela.

Biographical / Historical: Claire James Steinberg (1942-) is a photographer in Los Angeles, California. She received her B.A. in Art from UCLA in 1966 before moving to New York to become the Picture Editor of Popular Photography Magazines and Annuals. In addition, she worked as a freelance photographer for People Magazine and as a travel writer. Steinberg taught photography classes for many years and her fine-art photographs are included in multiple museum collections including the Corcoran Gallery, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Paris Museum of Modern Art.

Extent: 714 Negatives (photographic); 152 Photographic prints; 323 Slides (photographs) (Color); .21 Linear feet; 7 Sound discs (CD); 3 Sound cassettes

Type: Collection descriptions; Archival materials; Negatives (photographic); Photographic prints; Slides (photographs); Sound discs (cd); Sound cassettes; Color slides; Black-and-white negatives; Photographs; Ephemera

Citation: Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Claire James Steinberg collection, image #, NMAI.AC.064; National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.

Arrangement: This collection is arranged in three series: Series 1: Travel Preparation. This series includes travel guides, maps, directions, and research on Warao indigenous communities. Series 2: Venezuela Travel. This series includes journal entries, photographs, audio material, and other ephemera from Steinberg's trip. Series 2.1 Travel Documents Series 2.2 Destinations, arranged alphabetically. Series 3: Post Travel. This series includes the article Steinberg wrote about her trip to Venezuela and a piece written about her.

Processing Information: Collection processed by Mattie Lewis, Archives Technician in 2024.

Rights: Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.

Genre/Form: Color slides -- 20th century; Black-and-white negatives; Photographs -- 20th century; Ephemera

Scope and Contents: Claire Steinberg spent about a month (December 15, 1976- January 10) in Venezuela on a travel assignment for Westways magazine. She traveled with her husband John, visiting different towns and going on dugout boat trip up the Orinoco River to visit Warao villages. Kathy Hayes, a Peace Corps volunteer, This collection contains 48 black and white 8x10 prints and 104 color 8x10 prints. The 323 slides are in color and the corresponding prints are labeled on the back with the slide number. The 18 contact sheets and 714 negatives are in black and white. The corresponding prints are labeled on the back with the contact sheet and frame numbers. Please note, some photographs are restricted for nudity. The locations listed were identified by Steinberg when she donated the collection.

Restrictions: Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).

Separated Materials: During her trip to Venezuela, Claire James Steinberg bought baskets, carved animals, and other objects from Warao villages which were donated to the museum along with the archive material. Object numbers are 26/7507-26/7569 and 26/8639. A selection of items has been linked below. Burden/pack basket 26/7512 Anteater figure 26/7561 Manioc squeezer 26/7566 Palm fiber hammock 26/7567

NMAI.AC.064

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv47b2a92fd-e9e5-4ae2-865f-82a8e06c80cd

NMAI.AC.064

NMAIA