Scope and Contents: The collection consists of digital photograph images taken by Trevor A. Elliott from 2005 to 2008. The images document Elliott’s experiences while deployed in Iraq with the United States Army as part of the 101st Airborne Division. The collection chronicles his daily activities as well as those of his fellow soldiers at various army bases, the daily life of Iraqi civilians and the Iraq landscape. Oftentimes, the images were taken with special care to focus upon composition for artistic purposes. The images are not violent in nature, as Elliott was never in combat, but rather highlights the things he saw and experienced while on the base or interacting with Iraqi civilians.
The collection has two clear distinctions between “Edited” and “Original” material. The edited images have been edited for purposes of clarity and use in exhibits. Each also was given a title by the artist. The Original material is divided between OIFIV and OIFV. The OIFIV (Operations Iraqi Freedom, Phase IV: National Resolution) images also have titles given by Elliott. Researchers should note that the majority of the images are found in OIFV (Operations Iraqi Freedom, Phase V: Iraqi Sovereignty), as the artist was using his camera to a much greater extent while on the second deployment.
One hundred and eighty one of the digital photograph images were printed by the Regional History Center’s staff. These printed photographs are a small sample of the images from the Elliott collection and were selected based upon their content and their relevance to possible research topics.