Trevor Elliot

Collection

Identifier: RHC-RC-328

Staff Only

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.

Dates

created: 2005-2008
Other: Majority of material found in 2005-2008
Other: Date acquired: 12/18/2012

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on access to the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights in the collection belong to the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public.

Biographical or Historical Information

Trevor A. Elliott, a life-long resident of DeKalb, Illinois, graduated from DeKalb High School in 2003. Just months later he enlisted in the United States Army and was a member of the 101st Airborne Division from 2003 to 2010. He was deployed to Iraq twice during his career. He spent September 2005 through September 2006 at the Forward Operation Base (FOB) Speicher located near Tikrit, Iraq, for OIFIV. During his second deployment for OIFV, Elliott was stationed at Victory Base Complex (VCB) Striker, located near Baghdad International Airport, from September 2007 to November 2008. He was medically retired in 2012. In both instances he worked in a support battalion, bringing food and supplies to surrounding bases. Elliott always had an interest in art, considering himself to be an amateur photographer, but has no formal training. His work has been displayed in galleries in Nashville and Watertown, Tennessee; Petersburg, Virginia; and DeKalb, Illinois. The images from this collection began as a personal project to aid in stress relief through art, but developed into a type of documentary that chronicled Elliott’s daily life and experiences. All images were shot using a Canon Xsi camera with various lenses. Some images have been edited; Photoshop and iPhoto were utilized for the process.

Note written by

Extent

0.50 Linear Feet

4,869 digital files (10.2 GB) other_unmapped

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement Note

While most of these images do not have descriptive titles, they are organized by month, day and in some cases, the location where the photographs were taken.

Technical Access Requirements

Digital images may be accessed on the computer in the Center’s reading room.

Source of Acquisition

Trevor Elliot

Method of Acquisition

Trevor Elliott of DeKalb, Illinois donated the digital photograph images he took during his two deployments to Iraq from 2005 to 2006 and 2007 to 2008 to the Northern Illinois Regional History Center on December 18, 2012.