For Whites Only

Ernest Levi Tsosloane Cole, South African, 1940 - 1990

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circa 1960

Gelatin silver print

Image: 6 5/8 × 9 15/16 in. (16.8 × 25.2 cm)

Sheet: 7 13/16 × 10 3/16 in. (19.8 × 25.9 cm)

Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Contemporary Art Fund, the Elizabeth and David C. Lowenstein '67 Fund, the Virginia and Preston T. Kelsey 1958 Fund, and the Fund for Contemporary Photography.

2020.19.7

Geography

Place Made: South Africa, Africa

Period

20th century

Object Name

Photograph

Research Area

Photograph

Not on view

Inscriptions

Signed, on reverse, center, in black ink: c[circled] ERNEST COLE.; inscribed, on reverse, top edge, center, in black ink: FOR WHITES ONLY 8.; inscribed, on reverse, upper right edge, in graphite: SYDAFRIKA; inscribed, on reverse, lower right, in red pencil: UNIK KOPIA; inscribed, on reverse, lower right, in graphite: OBS! / UNIK KOPIA; Stamped, on reverse, center, beneath signature, in blue ink: THE / JOHN HILLELSON / AGENCY LTD. / 145, FLEET STREET, / LONDON, E.C.4.; Stamped, on reverse, center, in red ink: [in rectangle] Returneras till / TIOFOTO bildbyra / Kunsegatan 55 / Stockholm C / tel. 245410 (245414 after kont.tld); [2 additional TIOFOTO stamps, and 8 additional stamps of 6-8 digit numbers]

Label

Ernest Cole was a South African documentary photographer who set out to depict the lives of Black South Africans under apartheid. These three images of people holding on to traditional cultural practices, exclusionary public spaces, and transnational, transracial religions are representative of Cole’s insider view. A self-taught photographer, Cole made numerous sacrifices to bring his photographs to the world. His work was considered so disruptive to the apartheid system that Cole and his photobook titled House of Bondage were both banned from the country. His work reflects the intimate perspective photographers can offer when documenting a situation that directly impacts them.

From the 2024 exhibition An Instant Out of Time: Shaping a Collection, curated by Alisa Swindell, Associate Curator of Photography

Course History

History 67.01/African and African American Studies 46.01, History of Modern South Africa, Robert Zeinstra III, Winter 2024

Art History 48.02, Histories of Photography, Katie Hornstein, Spring 2024

African and African American Studies 63.01, Sociology 71.01, Race Matters: Race Made to Matter, Trica Keaton, Spring 2024

Music 18.03, African and African American Studies 39.07, Verzuz: A History of Black Popular Music, Allie Martin, Spring 2024

Exhibition History

An Instant Out of Time: Shaping a Collection, Ivan Albright Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, April 20-July 21, 2024.

Provenance

Goodman Gallery UK Limited, London; sold to present collection, 2020.

This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.

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Subjects