Photographs made by George C. Coudert among the Tenharim and Parintintín (Parintintin) communities in Brazil during a 1924 expedition.
Scope and Contents:
This collection includes 14 negatives shot by George Coudert among the Tenharim and Parintintín (Parintintin) communities along the Rio dos Marmelos in the Amazonas State in Brazil. These were made during an expedition to collect rare bird specimens on behalf of the Zoological Gardens of Philadelphia. According to his original negative sleeves, the expedition stayed six days in the Madeira region to study the indigenous people in the area. Images include portraits of Tenharim and Parintintín (Parintintin) men, women, and children, often posed in groups outside of dwellings and along the river. The photographs were made in 1924 and were likely shot on nitrate. The negatives were transferred to safety film (acetate) in the 1960s when the Museum of the American Indian, Heye foundation conducted a large scale photograph conservation project. Contact prints were also made at this time.
Catalog numbers: N09121-N09134
Arrangement:
Arranged by catalog number.
Biographical / Historical:
George C. Coudert (1884-1955) was a photographer and cinematographer. Born in France, Coudert moved to the United States as a young child and attended school in Newark, New Jersey. Thought he started his career as a photographer, he moved into film and worked as cinematographer for most of his career. In the 1920's, Coudert went on several expeditions to South America serving as the photographer. In 1924 he travelled to Brazil on a rare bird catching expedition for the Zoological Gardens of Philadelphia, along with Joseph McGoldrick, Rudolphe Meyer De Schauensee, Henry Norris and Alec Eesso. Eventually, Coudert moved to California where he lived out the rest of his life.
Provenance:
It is still unclear how this collection came to the Museum of the American Indian, though it was likely a donation around 1924-1925 based on the catalog numbers.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Thursday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu). Some images restricted for cultural sensitivity.
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited users to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not changed, 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.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); George C. Coudert photographs from Brazil, Item Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
