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Catalog Data

Artist:
Ivanoff, Stephan  Search this
Unknown  Search this
Collector:
United States. Bureau of Education  Search this
Extent:
124 Drawings (visual works) (graphite, ink, crayon, and watercolor)
Culture:
Alaskan Eskimo  Search this
Inupiaq (Alaskan Inupiat Eskimo)  Search this
Yup'ik (Yupik Eskimo)  Search this
Saami (Lapp)  Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings (visual works)
Works of art
Drawings
Place:
Alaska
North America
Arctic regions
Date:
circa 1890-1900
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of 124 drawings made by Native Alaskan artists. A few of the drawings are signed by the artist, Stephan Ivanoff; the majority of the drawings are unsigned and the artists have not been identified. The drawings depict scenes of Native Alaskan life, including hunting and fishing, reindeer herding, trade, sledding, games, and ceremonies. The drawings were collected by the United States Bureau of Education for exhibition purposes. Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement:
The drawings are arranged in order by inventory number. The inventory numbers roughly following the thematic organization in Alaskan Eskimo Life in the 1890s as Sketched by Native Artists. Some drawings have been rehoused in conservation mounts and are stored out of sequence.
Biographical Note:
Stephan Ivanoff was born in Unalakleet, Alaska to a Yu'pik mother and Russian father. He filled various roles as a translator, deacon of the Swedish Covenant Church, and teaching assistant at the Swedish Evangelical Mission School at Unalakleet around the turn of the twentieth century.
Historical Note:
The Bureau of Education, also known as the Office of Education or Department of Education, was a unit within the United States Department of the Interior from 1867 to 1972.
Local Numbers:
USNM Accession 51115 NAA MS 260447
Variant Title:
Collection previously titled "Scenes of native life including hunting, sledding, games, animal husbandry and ceremonies."
Publication Note:
Almost all drawings were published in: George Phebus, Jr., Alaskan Eskimo Life in the 1890s as Sketched by Native Artists, Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1972.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Hunting  Search this
Sleds  Search this
Rites and ceremonies  Search this
Games  Search this
Genre/Form:
Works of art
Drawings
Citation:
Native Alaskan drawings collected by the United States Bureau of Education (MS 260447), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NAA.MS260447
See more items in:
Native Alaskan drawings collected by the United States Bureau of Education
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw38d90318d-5271-4e31-818c-5ce34ae642b2
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-naa-ms260447