Search Results

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

18,000 Items (ca. 18,000 items)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Negatives

Prints

Works of art

Printed material

Date:

1840s-1960s

Scope and Contents:

The collections consists mostly of original and copy prints. There are also some negatives, artwork, photographs of artwork, and printed materials. Included is a large miscellany of ethnological, historical, and some archaeological subjects collected by the Bureau of American Ethnology from a wide variety of sources. To these have been added some photographs and other illustrative material acquired and sometimes accessioned by the Department of Anthropology of the United States National Museum/National Museum of Natural History. There are also prints of photographs from the archives' collection of glass negatives of Indians and the subject and geographic file. Although most of the material relates to North America, some images relating to historical events and to areas outside North America are included.

The relationship beween this collection and the National Anthropological Archives series of numbered manuscripts is close, for many of the accessions to the photographic collection were originally described in the catalog to the numbered manuscripts and are, hence, identified by a manuscript number. Today, the archives treat the two collections as separate entities, however, because there has been so much interfiling of uncatalog images among those with the manuscript numbers.

Arrangement:

The arrangement is complicated: (1) America north of Mexico, divided by geographic region and tribe based on George P. Murdock and Timothy J. O'Leary's scheme in Ethnographic Bilbiography of North America, 1975. The material is further subdivided by the organization that acted in the past as repository (Bureau of American Ethnology, United States National Museum [Department of Anthropology], National Museum of Natural History [Department of Anthropology], Smithsonian Office of Anthropology, and National Anthropological Archives). Thereunder it is divided into catalog unit or comparable categories generally based on provenance; (2) miscellany, historical and unidentified; (3) archaeology, arranged by geographic area; (4) Latin America; (5) material which did not lend itself to classification in categories given above and is identified by National Anthropological Archives catalog numbers.

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Negatives

Prints

Works of art

Printed material

Citation:

Photo lot 24, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.PhotoLot.24

See more items in:

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3e08670ad-b881-4c35-9eb8-e196b039e553

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-photolot-24

Extent:

circa 8000 Glass negatives (Gelatin and Collodion)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Glass negatives

Date:

Circa 1858-1925

Identifier:

NAA.PhotoLot.176

See more items in:

Bureau of American Ethnology negatives

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3b4d0e93d-6cd7-4bca-9fca-ee2bba74afaa

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-photolot-176

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

245 Linear feet ((376 boxes and 10 map drawers))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1878-1965

Summary:

The records in this collection embody the administrative functions of the Bureau of American Ethnology from 1879 to 1965. The collection consists of correspondence, card files, registers, official notices, annual and monthly work reports, research statements, research proposals, grant applications, personnel action requests, notices of personnel action, meeting minutes, purchase orders and requisitions, property records, biographical sketches, resolutions, newspaper clippings, reviews of publications, drafts of publications, circulars, programs, pamphlets, announcements, illustrations, cartographic materials, photographic prints, photographic negatives, bibliographies, and reprinted publications.

Scope and Contents:

The records in this collection embody the administrative functions of the Bureau of American Ethnology from 1879 to 1965. The collection consists of correspondence, card files, registers, official notices, annual and monthly work reports, research statements, research proposals, grant applications, personnel action requests, notices of personnel action, meeting minutes, purchase orders and requisitions, property records, biographical sketches, resolutions, newspaper clippings, reviews of publications, drafts of publications, circulars, programs, pamphlets, announcements, illustrations, cartographic materials, photographic prints, photographic negatives, bibliographies, and reprinted publications.

Correspondence comprises the bulk of this collection. A significant portion of this correspondence originates from the Bureau's duty to field inquiries regarding North American aboriginal cultures and respond to requests relating to the duplication of BAE library and archival materials. Inquiries and requests, received from all parts of the world, were submitted by colleagues, museum curators and directors, students, professors, amateur archaeologists, government agents, military officials, Smithsonian Institution officials, artists, and members of the general public. Other correspondence reflects the Bureau's day-to-day operations and internal affairs. Subjects discussed in this correspondence include research projects, field expeditions, annual budgets, personnel matters, the acquisition of manuscripts, the disbursement of specimens, and production of BAE publications. Correspondence is occasionally accompanied by announcements, circulars, programs, pamphlets, photographs, drawings, diagrams, bibliographies, lists, newspaper clippings, and maps. Also among these records are the card files and registers of incoming and outgoing correspondence maintained by early BAE administrative staff. For a list of correspondents, see the appendix to this finding aid, available in the NAA reading room.

The majority of illustrations, artwork, and photographs that appear in this collection are associated with BAE publications, including BAE Annual Reports, BAE Bulletins, Contributions to North American Ethnology and Smithsonian Institution, Miscellaneous Collection. Maps located among the collection originate, by and large, from BAE field expeditions and research projects. BAE staff also amassed great quantities of newspaper clippings that concerned BAE research or points of interest. Of particular note are three scrapbooks comprised of clippings that relate to "mound builders" and the work of the BAE's Division of Mound Explorations.

Also worthy of note are the various records relating to the 1903 investigation of the BAE. Records related to the investigation highlight the Smithsonian Institution's longstanding dissatisfaction with the internal management of the BAE, its concerns over the BAE's loose relationship with the parent organization, and displeasure with the manner in which BAE scientific research was developing. Other materials of special interest are the various administrative records covering the period 1929 to 1946 and 1949 to 1965. The majority cover personnel matters; however, others justify the work of the BAE and bear witness to growing concerns that the BAE would eventually be absorbed by the Department of Anthropology within the United States National Museum.

Arrangement:

The collection has been arranged into the following 12 series: (1) Correspondence, 1897-1965; (2) Cooperative Ethnological Investigations, 1928-1935; (3) Miscellaneous Administrative Files, 1929-1946; (4) Miscellaneous Administrative Files, 1949-1965; (5) Records Concerning the Photographic Print Collection, 1899-1919; (6) Records Concerning Employees; (7) Fiscal Records, 1901-1902 and 1945-1968; (8) Records Relating to the 1903 Investigation of the BAE; (9) Property Records and Requisitions; (10) Clippings; (11) Publications; (12) BAE Library Materials, Pamphlets and Reprints

Administrative History:

The Bureau of Ethnology was established by an act of the United States Congress on March 3, 1879, but it was largely the personal creation of the geologist and explorer Major John Wesley Powell. His earlier explorations of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon formed the basis of the Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region. While exploring the area, Powell became alarmed at what he perceived to be the decline of the aboriginal way of life due to rapid depopulation. In a letter to the Secretary of the Interior, he warned that "in a few years, it will be impossible to study…Indians in their primitive condition, except from recorded history" (Hinsley). He urged swift government action; the result of which was the appropriation of $20,000 (20 Stat. 397) to transfer all documents relating to North American Indians from the Department of Interior to the Smithsonian Institution and its Secretary's appointment of Powell as director of the newly established Bureau of Ethnology, a position he held until his death in 1902. In 1897, its name was changed to the Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) to underscore the limits of its geographical reaches.

Under Powell, the BAE organized the nation's earliest anthropological field expeditions, in which the characteristics and customs of native North Americans were observed firsthand and documented in official reports. Images of Indian life were captured on photographic glass plate negatives, and their songs on wax cylinder recordings. Histories, vocabularies and myths were gathered, along with material objects excavated from archaeological sites, and brought back to Washington for inclusion in the BAE manuscript library or the United States National Museum.

The fruits of these investigations were disseminated via a series of highly regarded and widely distributed publications, most notably BAE Annual Reports, BAE Bulletins, and Contributions to North American Ethnology. BAE research staff also responded routinely to inquiries posed by colleagues, government agencies, and the general public on matters ranging from artwork to warfare. Moreover, the BAE prepared exhibits on the various cultural groups it studied not only for the Smithsonian Institution, but also for large expositions held nationwide.

In 1882 Powell, under instruction of Congress, established the Division of Mound Explorations for the purpose of discovering the true origin of earthen mounds found predominately throughout the eastern United States. It was the first of three temporary, yet significant, subunits supported by the Bureau. Cyrus Thomas, head of the Division, published his conclusions in the Bureau's Annual Report of 1894, which is considered to be the last word in the controversy over the mounds' origins. With the publication of Thomas' findings, the Division's work came to a close.

The course of BAE operations remained largely the same under Powell's successors: W.J. McGee (acting director) 1902; William Henry Holmes, 1902-1910; Frederick W. Hodge, 1910-1918; J. Walter Fewkes, 1918-1928; Matthew W. Stirling, 1928-1957; Frank H.H. Roberts, Jr., 1957-1964; and Henry B. Collins (acting director), 1964-1965. However, following a 1903 internal investigation of the Bureau's administrative activities, Smithsonian officials called for a broader scope of ethnological inquiry and greater application of anthropological research methodologies. The BAE responded in 1904 by expanding agency activities to include investigations in Hawaii, the Philippines, and the Caribbean.

The BAE extended its geographical reaches once again, in the 1940s, to include Central and South America. In 1943, the Institute of Social Anthropology (ISA) was established as an independent subunit of the Bureau for the purpose of developing and promoting ethnological research throughout the American Republics. The findings of ISA-sponsored investigations were published in the six volume series, Handbook of South American Indians (BAE Bulletin 143). Julian H. Steward, editor of the Handbook, was appointed director of ISA operations and held the position until 1946 when George M. Foster assumed responsibility. The ISA was absorbed by the Institute of Inter-American Affairs in 1952, thus terminating its relationship with the BAE.

In 1946 the BAE assumed partial administrative control of the recently established River Basin Surveys (RBS), its third and final autonomous subunit. The purpose of the RBS was to salvage and preserve archaeological evidence threatened by post-World War II public works programs, more specifically the rapid construction of dams and reservoirs occurring throughout the country. Excavations conducted under the RBS yielded considerable data on early North American Indian settlements, and subsequent deliberations on this data were published as reports in various BAE Bulletins.

In 1965, the BAE merged administratively with the Smithsonian Institution's Department of Anthropology to form the Office of Anthropology within the United States National Museum (now the Department of Anthropology within the National Museum of Natural History). The BAE manuscript library, also absorbed by the Department of Anthropology, became the foundation of what is today the National Anthropological Archives (NAA).

In its 86 year existence, the BAE played a significant role in the advancement of American anthropology. Its staff included some of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries' most distinguished anthropologists, including Jeremiah Curtain, Frank Hamilton Cushing, J.O. Dorsey, Jesse Walter Fewkes, Alice Cunningham Fletcher, Albert H. Gatschet, John Peabody Harrington, John N.B. Hewitt, William Henry Holmes, Ales Hrdlicka, Neil Judd, Francis LaFlesche, Victor and Cosmo Mindeleff, James Mooney, James Pilling, Matilda Coxe Stevenson, Matthew Williams Stirling, William Duncan Strong, and William Sturtevant. The BAE also collaborated with and supported the work of many non-Smithsonian researchers, most notably Franz Boas, Frances Densmore, Gerard Fowke, Garrick Mallery, Washington Matthews, Paul Radin, John Swanton, Cyrus Thomas, and T.T. Waterman, as well as America's earliest field photographers such as Charles Bell, John K. Hillers, Timothy O'Sullivan, and William Dinwiddie. Several of its staff founded the Anthropological Society of Washington in 1880, which later became the American Anthropological Association in 1899. What is more, its seminal research continues to be drawn upon by contemporary anthropologists and government agents through the use of BAE manuscripts now housed in the NAA.

Sources Consulted:

Hinsley, Curtis. Savages and Scientists: The Smithsonian Institution and the Development of American Anthropology, 1846-1910. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1981.

McGee, WJ. "Bureau of American Ethnology." The Smithsonian Institution, 1846-1896, The History of its First Half-Century, pp. 367-396. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1897.

Sturtevant, William. "Why a Bureau of American Ethnology?" Box 286, Functions of the BAE, Series IV: Miscellaneous Administrative Files, 1948-1965, Records of the Bureau of American Ethnology, National Anthropological Archives.

Related Materials:

Additional material relating to BAE administrative affairs and research projects can be found among the National Anthropological Archives' vast collection of numbered manuscripts. Too numerous to list in this space, these include official correspondence, monthly and annual work reports, fiscal records, field notes, personal diaries, expedition logs, catalogues of specimens, vocabularies, historical sketches, maps, diagrams, drawings, bibliographies, working papers and published writings, among various other material. Most of these documents are dispersed throughout the numbered manuscript collection as single items; however, some have been culled and unified into larger units (e.g., MS 2400 is comprised of documents relating to the Division of Mound Explorations). Artwork and illustrations produced for BAE publications are also located among the NAA's numbered manuscript collection as well as its photograph collection (e.g., Photo Lot 78-51 and Photo Lot 80-6).

Photographs concerning BAE research interests can be found among the following NAA photographic lots: Photo Lot 14, Bureau of American Ethnology Subject and Geographic File ca. 1870s-1930s; Photo Lot 24, BAE Photographs of American Indians 1840s to 1960s (also known as the Source Print Collection); Photo Lot 60, BAE Reference Albums 1858-1905; and Photo Lot 85, BAE Miscellaneous Photographs 1895 to 1930. Other photographic lots include portraits of BAE staff and collaborators, namely Photo Lot 33, Portraits of Anthropologists and others 1860s-1960s; Photo Lot 68, Portraits of John Wesley Powell ca. 1890 and 1898; and Photo Lot 70, Department of Anthropology Portrait File ca. 1864-1921.

Additional materials in the NAA relating to the work of the BAE can be found among the professional papers of its staff, collaborators and USNM anthropologists. These include the papers of Ales Hrdlicka, John Peabody Harrington, Otis Mason, J.C. Pilling, Matthew Williams Stirling, and William Duncan Strong. Documents relating to the work of the BAE can be found among the records of the River Basin Surveys (1928-1969) and the Institute of Social Anthropology (1941-1952).

Records related to this collection can also be found in the Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA). SIA accession 05-124 includes information regarding the 1942 transfer of six audio recordings related to the Chumash Indian language from the Bureau of American Ethnology to the National Archives, nine pages of Chumash translations, and "The Story of Candalaria, the Old Indian Basket-Maker." The Fiscal and Payroll Records of the Office of the Secretary, 1847 to 1942 (Record Unit 93), includes voucher logs, disbursement journals and daybooks of money paid out to the BAE from 1890 to 1910. BAE correspondence can also be found among the Records of the Office of the Secretary (Record Unit 776, accession 05-162). The Papers of William Henry Holmes, second director of the BAE, are also located among the SIA (Record Unit 7084).

Accession records concerning artifacts and specimens collected by the BAE are located in the registrar's office of the National Museum of Natural History.

Related collections can also be found at the National Archives and Records Administration. RG 57.3.1, the Administrative Records of the United States Geological Survey, includes register of applications for BAE ethnological expositions conducted between 1879-1882. RG 75.29, Still Pictures among the Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, includes 22 photographs of Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Comanche, Navajo, and Apache Indians taken by William S. Soule for the BAE during 1868-1875. RG 106, Records of the Smithsonian Institution, includes cartographic records (106.2) relating to Indian land cessions in Indiana created for the First Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, 1881 (1 item); a distribution of American Indian linguistic stock in North America and Greenland, by John Wesley Powell, for the Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, ca. 1887 (1 item); a distribution of Indian tribal and linguistic groups in South America, 1950 (1 item); the Indian tribes in North America, for Bulletin 145, Bureau of American Ethnology, 1952 (4 items). Sound Recordings (106.4) include songs and linguistic material relating to the Aleut, Mission, Chumash, and Creek, gather by the BAE in 1912, 1914, 1930-41. Some include translations (122 items).

Provenance:

The Records of the Bureau of American Ethnology were transferred to the Smithsonian Office of Anthropology Archives with the merger of the BAE and the Department of Anthropology of the National Museum of Natural History in 1965. The Smithsonian Office of Anthropology Archives was renamed the National Anthropological Archives in 1968.

Restrictions:

The Records of the Bureau of American Ethnology are open for research.

Access to the Records of the Bureau of American Ethnology requires an appointment.

Rights:

Contact repository for terms of use.

Citation:

Records of the Bureau of American Ethnology, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.XXXX.0155

See more items in:

Records of the Bureau of American Ethnology

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw391046c25-21e2-4334-a01f-9a6f734ae9cd

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-xxxx-0155

Creator:

Harrington, John Peabody, 1884-1961  Search this

Names:

Geronimo, 1829-1909  Search this

Extent:

683 Linear feet

Culture:

Indians of Central America  Search this

Indians of North America  Search this

Indians of South America  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound recordings

Maps

Stats (copies)

Newspaper clippings

Printed material

Photographs

Botanical specimens

Field notes

Correspondence

Financial records

Personal records

Poetry

Writings

Date:

1907-1959 (some earlier)

Summary:

Harrington was a Bureau of American Ethnology ethnologist involved in the study of over one hundred American tribes. His speciality was linguistics. Most of the material concerns California, southwestern, northwestern tribes and includes ethnological, archeological, historical notes; writings, correspondence, photographs, sound recordings, biological specimens, and other types of documents. Also of concern are general linguistics, sign language, writing systems, writing machines, and sound recordings machines. There is also some material on New World Spanish, Old World languages. In addition, there are many manuscripts of writings that Harrington sketched, partially completed, or even completed but never published. The latter group includes not only writings about anthropological subjects but also histories, ranging from a biography of Geronimo to material on the history of the typewriter. The collection incorporates material of Richard Lynch Garner, Matilda Coxe Stevenson, and others. In his field work, Harrington seems sometimes to have worked within fairly firm formats, this especially being true when he was "rehearing" material, that is in using an informant to verify and correct the work of other researchers. Often, however, the interviews with informants (and this seems to have been the case even with some "rehearings") seem to have been rather free form, for there is a considerable intertwining of subjects. Nevertheless, certain themes frequently appear in his work, including annotated vocabularies concerning flora and fauna and their use, topography, history and biography, kinship, cosmology (including tribal astronomy), religion and philosophy, names and observations concerning neighboring tribes, sex and age division, material culture, legends, and songs. The fullness of such materials seems to have been limited only by the time Harrington had to spend with a goup and the knowledge of his informants.

Arrangement:

(Some of the titles are tentative). Papers relating to Alaska/Northwest Coast, including (1) Aleut; (2) Tlingit/Eyak; (3) Northern Athapascan (Beaver, Carrier, Chipewyan, Sarsi, Sekani, Cree); (4) Nicola/Thompson; (5) Lummi/Nespelem; (6) Duwamish; (7) Chimakum/Clallam; (8) Makah/Quileute; (9) Quinault/Chehalis/Cowlit; (10) Chinook/Chinook Jargon; (11) "Kwalhioqua-Tlatskanai"; (12) Tillamook, (13) Alsea/Siuslaw/Coos; (14) Southwest Oregon Athapascan (Chasta Costa, Chetco, Upper Coquille, "Gold Beach", Smith River, Tolowa, Tutini, Upper Umpqua), (14) Galice/Applegate; (15) Takelma, general and miscellaneous; (16) Klamath; (17) Wiyot/Yurok/Mattole; (18) Coast Yuki/Northern and Central Pomo/Kato; (19) Coast Miwok; (20) Lake and Coast Miwok/Southeastern Pomo/Wappo; (21) Nisenan/Northern Sierra Miwok; (22) Southern Pomo/Central Sierra Miwok; (23) Karok/Shasta/Konomihu; (24) Chimariko/Hupo; (25) Achomawi/Atsugewi/Wintu/Yana; (26) Chamariko/Achomawi/Atsugewi/Wintu/Yana; (27) Costanoan (Chocheno, Mutsun, Tumsen); (28) Salinan (Antoinano, Migueleno); (29) Yokuts (Chunut, Tachi, Wikchamni, Yawdanchi, Yawelmani, Koyeti); (30) general and miscellaneous; papers relating to southern California and the Basin area,

including (31) Chumash (Barbareno, Cruzeno, Ineseno, Obispeno, Purisimeno, Ventureno); (32) Chauilla; (33) Chemehuevi; (34) Gabrielino; (35) Juaneno; (36) Kitanemuk; (37) Luiseno; (38) Serrano; (39) Tubatulabal; (40) Diegueno; (41) Mohave/Yuma; (42) general and miscellaneous; papers relating to the Southwest, including (43) Apache; (44) Hopi; (45) Jemez; (46) Acoma/Laguna; (47) Cochiti; (48) Navaho; (49) Pima/Papago; (50) Illeta; (51) Taos; (52) Picuris; (53) Tewa; (54) Zuni; (55) general and miscellaneous; papers relating to the Plains, including (56) Comanche; (57) Caddo/Pawnee/Wichita; (58) Dakota/Lakota; (59) Hidatso/Mandan/Crow;

(92) general and miscellaneous; notes and writings on special linguistic studies, including (93) correspondence; (94) financial records; (95) personal records; (96) poetry; (97) newspaper clippings; (98) printed material/reprints/photostats/microfilm; (99) maps; (100) photographs (101) sound recordings; (102) botanical specimens

Joseph S. Danner, Edward S. Davis, Ella C. Deloria, Frances Densmore, Paul Desiardins, Lydia Dornherr, Harry W. Dorsey, Frederick Huntington Douglas, David C. Dozi, Edward P. Dozi, Robert Drak Aitken), Rose S. Gaffney, David E. Gales, S. H. Gapp, Clark M. Garber, Lucrlson Fenton, Jesse Walter Fewkes, Reginald G. Fisher, Barbara Freire-Marreco (see also Barbara Aitken), Rose S. Gaffney, David E. Gales, S. H. Gapp, Clark M. Garber, Lucretia Garcia, Maria Garcia, Paul Garcia, Walter C. Garwick, William Gates, Ja Gapp, Clark M. Garber, Lucretia Garcia, Maria Garcia, Paul Garcia, Walter C. Garwick, William Gates, James A Geary, Otto William Geist,

Richard H. Geoghegan, Harold S. Gladwin, Pliny Earle Goddard, T. R. Goodwin, Howard W. Gorman, Blanche C. Grant, George Grasty, Louis H. Gray, Alexander Grigolia, Alexandra Gromoff, F. A. Gross, Ruther Gruber, Erwin G. Gudde, Grace Guest, Ralph Gustafson, Berard Haile, Alfred Irving Hallowell, Howard M. Hamblin, Lucile Hamner, Adelaide Harrington, Arthur Harrington, Awona Harrington, Edmund Ross Harrington, Elliot Harrington, Mark Raymond Harrington, Robert Fleming Heizer, Marta Herrera (Orozoco), Melville Jean Herskovits, Edgar Lee Hewett, George Gustave Heye,

Thomas Willing Hicks, Willard Williams Hill, William B. Hill, Philip K. Hitti, Hulda R. Hobbs (Heidel), Frederick Webb Hodge, Robert Hofsinde, W. C. Holden, Nils Homer, R. B. Horsefield, James Hovey, Grace Hudson, John W. Hudson, William Hughes, Edward P. Hunt, George Hunt, Wayne Henry (Wolf Robe) Hunt, Arnold J. Jacobins, Jean Allard Jge, George M. Lamsa, William T. Linkins, Ralph Linton, Alan Lomax, Theodore R. Lonewolf, uis Kroeber, Benjamin T. Kurtz, Walter and Hilda Kurze, Oliver LaFarge, George M. Lamsa, William T. Linkins, Ralph Linton, Alan Lomax, Theodore R. Lonewolf,

Boas Long, Ivan Alexis Lopatin, Robert Harry Lowie, Charles F. Lummis, Phoebe Maddux, Frank Marashulo, Frank Marr, John Marr, Edna P. Marsh, Gordon H. Marsh, William B. Marye, Elizabeth Mason, John Alden Mason, Anna P. Mattinger, Wayne L. Mauzy, William Ralph Maxon, Parker McKenzie, F. Romero Mendez, Clinton Hart Merriam, E. Vigo Mestres, Truman Michelson, Harry E. Miller, Ralph L. Milliken, William S. Mills, Willie Miranda, Albert Mohr, Dionisia Mondragon, Manuel Mondragon, Lucy Montgomery, Harriet Moore, Mildred C. Moore, R. E. Moore, Rosalind Moore, Carlos Morales, Marion Moreno, Sylvanus Griswold Morley, Philip A. Munz, O. J. Murie,

Roy Nash, Mrs. W. J. Nichols, Eugene A. Nida, Frans M. Olbrechts, Cornelius Osgood, Asbjorn P. Ousdal, Charles F. Outland, Henry E. Parmenter, Elsie Clews Parsons, A. W. Payne, Ellen Peace, Elizabeth Wells Pearce, Arthur B. Perkins, Mrs. Rodolphe Petter, Kenneth L. Pike, Arnold R. Pilling, Nellie B. Pipes, I. J. Pitman, J. O. Prescott, Erik Kellerman Reed, Nathaniel Julius Reich, Jane Richardson, Arthur Stanley Riggs, Frank Harold Hanna Roberts, Jr., Helen H. Roberts, Clarence M. Ruth, Everett Sanders, Edward Sapir, Charles F. Saunders, F. H. Saville, Paul Schumacher, Donald Scott, Blanche Seeley, Ettie Seeley, Elizabeth Shepley Sergeant,

A. W. Setychell, Jessie Shaw, Anna O. Shepard, Frank T. Siebert, Rita Siedenberg, Albion M. Sitton, Nich Sivonen, H. D. Skinner, Mrs. N. P. Sloan, Clement Smith, Stella Smith, Jack Snow, Maria Soto, Frank Gouldsmith Speck, Robert F. Spencer, Marjorie Spinks, Waldo C. Spraque, Winifred Stamm, Moses Steinberg Marian Stirling, Matthew Williams Stirling, William Duncan Strong, Edgar Howard Sturtevant, Georgianna Barbara Such, John R. Swanton, Turkey Tayac, Douglass Taylor, Lincoln Thompson, Morjorie L. Tichy, Janet Tietjins, Bennie Tilden, J. R. R. Tolkien, W. Cameron Townsend, George L. Trager, Lovell B. Triggs, Edwin H. Tuttle,

Ruth Underhill, Richard Fowler Van Valkenburgh, Rosendo Vargas, Charles Frederick Voegelin, Paul Vogenitz, James W. Waldo, Paul A. F. Walter, Althea Warren, Fred Washington, Thomas Talbot Waterman, Edith White, Joseph J. White, Leslie A. White, Grace T. Whiting, Robert B. Whitsett, Benjamin Lee Whorf, H. E. Williams, William L. Wonderly, Arthur Woodward, Robert W. Young, and Father Zephyrin of the Santa Barbara Mission.

Restrictions:

The John Peabody Harrington papers are open for research.

Access to the John Peabody Harrington papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Topic:

Linguistics  Search this

Indians of North America -- Languages  Search this

Ethnomusicology  Search this

Ethnobotany  Search this

Toponymy  Search this

Language and languages -- Documentation  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Maps

Stats (copies)

Newspaper clippings

Printed material

Photographs

Botanical specimens

Field notes

Correspondence -- 1930-1950

Financial records

Personal records

Poetry

Writings

Citation:

John Peabody Harrington papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

The preferred citation for the Harrington Papers will reference the actual location within the collection, i.e. Box 172, Alaska/Northwest Coast, Papers of John Peabody Harrington, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

However, as the NAA understands the need to cite phrases or vocabulary on specific pages, a citation referencing the microfilmed papers is acceptable. Please note that the page numbering of the PDF version of the Harrington microfilm does not directly correlate to the analog microfilm frame numbers. If it is necessary to cite the microfilmed papers, please refer to the specific page number of the PDF version, as in: Papers of John Peabody Harrington, Microfilm: MF 7, R34 page 42.

Identifier:

NAA.1976-95

See more items in:

John Peabody Harrington papers

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw31fe9575b-f7aa-4286-9787-0cfc495ab461

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-1976-95

Photographer:

Fly, C. S. (Camillus Sidney), 1849-1901  Search this

Hook, W. E. (William Edward), 1833-1908  Search this

Jackson, William Henry, 1843-1942  Search this

Parker, Joseph C.  Search this

Taber, I. W. (Isaiah West), 1830-1912  Search this

Tibbitts, H. C.  Search this

Artist:

Moran, Thomas, 1837-1926  Search this

Rogers, W. A. (William Allen), 1854-1931  Search this

Extent:

5 Prints (halftone)

3 Engravings

37 Prints (albumen)

Culture:

Isleta Pueblo  Search this

Indians of North America -- Southwest, New  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Prints

Engravings

Place:

Colorado

Yellowstone National Park

Arizona

Snake River (Idaho)

Shoshone Falls (Idaho)

California

Date:

circa 1850-1900

Scope and Contents note:

Scenic views of California, Colorado, Idaho, and Arizona. California images include Mount Shasta, San Francisco, Tehachapi Mountains, Coronado, San Isabell, San Jacinto, Toquich Canyon, and a government school in Agua Caliente. Additional photographs depict Yellowstone National Park and Yellowstone River; Shoshone Falls and Snake River, Idaho; Dragoon Mountains, Arizona; Garden of the Gods, Colorado; and an Isleta wine press.

Photographers include Camillus S. Fly, W. E. Hook, William Henry Jackson, Francis Parker, Rheas Brothers (San Diego View Company), Rifenburg and Murphy, I. W. Taber, and H. C. Tibbets. Additionally, there are photographs of Thomas Moran paintings, a William A. Rogers engraving of a Pueblo wind press, an engraving of Portsmouth Square in San Francisco in 1850, and a few other illustrations from publications.

Local Call Number(s):

NAA Photo Lot 29

Location of Other Archival Materials:

Additional Jackson photographs can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo Lot 24, Photo Lot 37, Photo Lot 40, Photo Lot 60, Photo Lot 93, Photo Lot 143, Photo Lot 87-2P, Photo Lot 90-1, Photo Lot 92-3, the records of the Department of Anthropology, and the BAE historical negatives.

Additional Parker, Hook, and Taber photographs held in National Anthropological Archives Photo Lot 24 and Photo Lot 90-1.

The National Museum of the American Indian Archives holds Camillus S. Fly photographs and negatives from 1886.

See others in:

Photograph collection related to California and views of the west, circa 1850-1900

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Access to the collection requires an appointment.

Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Citation:

Photo Lot 29, Photograph collection relating to California and views of the west, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.PhotoLot.29

See more items in:

Photograph collection relating to California and views of the west

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3bc809fcd-5c67-4a88-bb22-46cc289d7435

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-photolot-29

Creator:

Curtis, Edward S., 1868-1952  Search this

Extent:

16 Linear feet (23 document boxes, 5 oversize flat boxes)

1,950 Photographic prints (Gelatin Silver Chloride and Platinum)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Date:

1899-1927

Summary:

The collection comprises series 2 of Photo Lot 59, the Library of Congress Copyright Office photographs of Native Americans and contains the photographs of Edward S. Curtis, primarily from his major publication, The North American Indian.

Scope and Contents:

The Library of Congress Copyright Office photos, Series 2 comprise almost 2000 prints submitted by Edward S. Curtis to the copyright office. Most of the photographs relate to his major 20-volume publication, The North American Indian. Included are photographs from all of the volumes with the exception of Volume 20, which focuses on Alaska and the North American arctic, which is not represented.

The photographs include portraits of individuals, village and landscape views, dances and ceremonies, day to day activities, and events.

Please see Photo Lot 59, the Library of Congress Copyright Office photographs of Native Americans for other photographs in Photo Lot 59.

Arrangement:

The Collection forms series 2 of Photo Lot 59, the Library of Congress Copyright Office Photographs. It is arranged in 19 subseries based on the volumes of Curtis's publication, The North American Indian (NAI). There is one subseries, "Other photographs" that contain photos not related to NAI.

Biographical note:

Edward Sherriff Curtis (1868-1952) was an American photographer famous for his photographs of the indigenous peoples of North America. His work was highly influential in shaping a sympathetic yet romantic view of cultures that he and many others believed to be "vanishing." Over the course of 30 years, Curtis visited more than 80 Native American communities and published his photographs and ethnographies in the twenty-volume North American Indian (NAI) (1907-1930).

Curtis was born in Whitewater, Wisconsin, to Ellen and Johnson Curtis in 1868. In about 1874, his family moved to a farm in Cordova, Minnesota. At a young age, Curtis built a camera, and it is possible that he may have worked in a Minneapolis photography studio for a time. In 1887, Curtis and his father moved West and settled on a plot near what is now Port Orchard, Washington, with the rest of the family joining them the following year. When Johnson Curtis died within a month of the family's arrival, 20-year-old Curtis became the head of the family.

In 1891, Curtis moved to Seattle and bought into a photo studio with Rasmus Rothi. Less than a year later, he and Thomas Guptill formed "Curtis and Guptill, Photographers and Photoengravers." The endeavor became a premier portrait studio for Seattle society and found success in photoengraving for many local publications. In 1892, Curtis married Clara Phillips (1874-1932) and in 1893 their son Harold was born (1893-1988), followed by Elizabeth (Beth) (1896-1973), Florence (1899-1987) and Katherine (Billy) (1909-?). Around 1895, Curtis made his first photographs of local Native people, including the daughter of Duwamish chief Seattle: Kickisomlo or "Princess Angeline." Curtis submitted a series of his Native American photographs to the National Photographic Convention, and received an award in the category of "genre studies" for Homeward (later published in volume 9 of the NAI). In 1896, the entire Curtis family moved to Seattle, which included Curtis's mother, his siblings Eva and Asahel, Clara's sisters Susie and Nellie Phillips, and their cousin William Phillips. Most of the household worked in Curtis's studio along with other employees. Curtis became sole proprietor of the studio in 1897, which remained a popular portrait studio but also sold his scenic landscapes and views of the Seattle Area. Curtis also sent his brother Asahel to Alaska and the Yukon to photograph the Klondike Gold Rush, and sold those views as well. Asahel went on to become a well-known photographer in his own right, primarily working in the American Northwest.

Curtis was an avid outdoorsman and joined the Mazamas Club after his first of many climbs of Mount Rainier. On a climb in 1898, Curtis evidently met a group of scientists, including C. Hart Merriam, George Bird Grinnell, and Gifford Pinchot, who had lost their way on the mountain, and led them to safety. This encounter led to an invitation from Merriam for Curtis to accompany a group of over 30 well-known scientists, naturalists, and artists as the official photographer on a maritime expedition to the Alaskan coast. Funded by railroad magnate Edward Harriman, the Harriman Alaska Expedition left Seattle in May of 1899, and returned at the end of July. Curtis made around 5000 photographs during the trip, including photographs of the indigenous peoples they met as well as views of mountains, glaciers, and other natural features. Many of the photographs appeared in the expedition's 14 published volumes of their findings.

In 1900, Curtis accompanied Grinnell to Montana for a Blackfoot Sundance. Here, Curtis made numerous photographs and became interested in the idea of a larger project to document the Native peoples of North America. Almost immediately upon returning from the Sundance, Curtis set off for the Southwest to photograph Puebloan communities. By 1904, Curtis had already held at least one exhibit of his "Indian pictures" and his project to "form a comprehensive and permanent record of all the important tribes of the United States and Alaska that still retain to a considerable degree their primitive customs and traditions" (General Introduction, the NAI) had taken shape and already received some press coverage. With his fieldwork now increasing his absences from home, Curtis hired Adolph Muhr, former assistant to Omaha photographer Frank Rinehart, to help manage the Seattle studio.

In 1904, Curtis was a winner in the Ladies Home Journal "Prettiest Children In America" portrait contest. His photograph of Marie Fischer was selected as one of 112 that would be published and Fischer was one of 12 children selected from the photographs who would have their portrait painted by Walter Russell. Russell and Curtis made an acquaintance while Russell was in Seattle to paint Fischer's portrait, and not long afterwards, Russell contacted Curtis to make photographic studies of Theodore Roosevelt's children for portraits he would paint. Curtis subsequently photographed the entire Roosevelt family, and developed a social connection with the President. Several important outcomes came of this new friendship, including Roosevelt eventually writing the foreword to the NAI, as well as making introductions to influential people.

Key among these introductions was one to wealthy financier John Pierpont Morgan, in 1906. After a brief meeting with Curtis during which he viewed several of Curtis's photographs of Native Americans, Morgan agreed to finance the fieldwork for the NAI project for five years, at $15,000.00 per year. It was up to Curtis to cover publishing and promotion costs, with the publication being sold as a subscription. In return, Morgan would receive 25 sets of the 20-volume publication. The ambitious publication plan outlined 20 volumes of ethnological text, each to be illustrated with 75 photogravure prints made from acid-etched copper plates. Each volume would be accompanied by a companion portfolio of 35 large photogravures. With high-quality papers and fine binding, a set would cost $3000.00. 500 sets were planned. Under Morgan, the North American Indian, Inc. formed as body to administer the monies. Also around this time, Frederick Webb Hodge, Director of the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology, agreed to edit the publications.

Curtis then began more systematic fieldwork, accompanied by a team of research assistants and Native interpreters. In 1906, Curtis hired William E. Myers, a former journalist, as a field assistant and stenographer. Over the years, Myers became the lead researcher on the project, making enormous contributions in collecting data and possibly doing the bulk of the writing for the first 18 volumes. Upon meeting a new community, Curtis and his team would work on gathering data dealing with all aspects of the community's life, including language, social and political organization, religion, food ways, measures and values, and many other topics. (See box 2 folder 1 in this collection for Curtis's list of topics.) Curtis and his assistants, especially Myers, brought books and papers to the field relating to the tribes they were currently concerned with, and often wrote from the field to anthropologists at the Bureau of American Ethnology and other institutions for information or publications. In addition to fieldnotes and photographs, the team also employed sound recording equipment, making thousands of recordings on wax cylinders. Curtis also often brought a motion picture camera, although few of his films have survived.

The first volume of the NAI was published towards the end of 1907. Already, Curtis was encountering difficulty in finding subscribers to the publication despite great praise in the press and among those who could afford the volumes. Curtis spent progressively more of his time outside the field season promoting the project through lectures and in 1911, presenting his "Picture Musicale"—a lecture illustrated with lantern slides and accompanied by an original musical score—in major cities. After the initial five funded years, only eight of the twenty volumes had been completed. However, Morgan agreed to continue support for the fieldwork and publication continued.

Starting in 1910, Curtis and his team worked among the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation on Vancouver Island, and in 1913 began to develop a documentary film project featuring the community in Alert Bay. In 1914, Curtis produced the feature-length film, In the Land of the Headhunters. The film showcased an all-indigenous cast and included an original musical score. Screened in New York and Seattle, it received high praise. However after this initial success, it did not receive the attention Curtis had hoped for, and resulted in financial loss.

Meanwhile, Curtis's prolonged absences from home had taken a toll on his marriage and in 1919 Clara and Edward divorced. The Seattle studio was awarded to Clara, and Curtis moved to Los Angeles, opening a photography studio with his daughter Beth and her husband Manford "Mag" Magnuson. Daughters Florence and Katherine came to Los Angeles sometime later. Curtis continued with fieldwork and promotion of the project, and in 1922 volume 12 of the NAI was published. Also in 1922, Curtis was accompanied during the field season in California by his daughter Florence Curtis Graybill, the first time a family member had gone to the field with him since the Curtis children were very small.

Curtis continued to push the project and publications along, yet never without financial struggle and he picked up work in Hollywood as both a still and motion picture photographer. John Pierpont Morgan, Jr., continued to provide funding for the fieldwork in memory of his father, but with the various financial upsets of the 1910s and 1920s, Curtis had a difficult time getting subscribers on board. In 1926, Myers, feeling the strain, regretfully resigned after the completion of volume 18. Anthropologist Frank Speck recommended Stewart Eastwood, a recent graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, to replace Myers as ethnologist for the final two volumes.

In 1927, Curtis and his team, along with his daughter Beth Curtis Magnuson, headed north from Seattle to Alaska and Canada on a final field season. Harsh weather and a hip injury made the trip difficult for Curtis, but he was very satisfied with the season's work. The party returned to Seattle, and upon arrival Curtis was arrested for unpaid alimony. He returned exhausted to Los Angeles, and in 1930 the final two volumes of NAI were published without fanfare. Curtis spent the next two years recovering from physical and mental exhaustion. Beth and Mag continued to run the Curtis studio in LA, but for the most part, Curtis had set down his camera for good. With the NAI behind him and his health recovered, Curtis pursued various interests and employment, eventually, settling down on a farm outside Los Angeles. he later moved in with Beth and Mag. Curtis died at home in 1952.

Sources Cited Davis, Barbara. Edward S. Curtis: the life and times of a shadowcatcher. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1984. Gidley, Mick. The North American Indian, Incorporated. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Related Materials:

The National Anthropological Archives holds additional Curtis material in Photo Lot 59, the Library of Congress Copyright Offie photographs, MS 2000-18, Curtis's research into Battle of Little Bighorn 2010-28, the Edward Curtis papers and photographs, 2022-12, Christopher Cardozo collection of Edward S. Curtis photographs and ephemera, and 2022-04, Edward S. Curtis photogravure printing plates.

The Archives of Traditional Music at Indiana University holds Curtis's wax cylinder audio recordings from 1907-1913.

The Braun Research Library at the Autry Museum of the American West holds the Frederick Webb Hodge papers (1888-1931), which contain substantial correspondence from Curtis. The Braun also holds a small amount of Curtis papers and photographs, including some of Curtis's cyanotypes.

The Getty Research Institute holds the Edward S. Curtis papers (1900-1978), which include the original manuscript scores for the Curtis Picture Musicale and film In the Land of the Headhunters.

The Palace of the Governors at the New Mexico History Museum holds original Curtis negatives pertaining to the southwest.

The Pierpont Morgan Library holds the Edward S. Curtis papers (1906-1947), which contain the records of the North American Indian, Inc., as well as Curtis's correspondence to librarian, and later library director, Belle Da Costa Greene. The library also holds a large collection of Curtis's lantern slides, used in his Picture Musicale.

The Seattle Public Library holds correspondence of Curtis to Librarian Harriet Leitch (1948-1951), pertaining to his career.

The Seaver Center for Western History Research at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History holds collection GC 1143, which contains Curtis's field notes as well as manuscript drafts for the North American Indian.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian holds NMAI.AC.080, the Edward S. Curtis photogravure plates and proofs, as well as NMAI.AC.053, the Mary Harriman Rumsey collection of Harriman Alaska Expedition photographs.

The University of Washington Libraries Special Collections holds the Edward S. Curtis papers (1893-1983). Additionally, the Burke Museum holds papers and photographs of Edmund Schwinke, which relate to Curtis's work with the Kwakwaka'wakw community.

Provenance:

This set of Edward S. Curtis photographs form part of the Library of Congress Copyright Office photographs collection. The collection was formed from submissions made to the Library of Congress as part of the copyright registration process. Two copies of each item were required. Eventually the copyright submission photographs were sent to the Prints and Photographs division at the Library of Congress. In the late 1950s, arrangements were made to transfer the duplicate set of photographs relating to Native Americans to the Smithsonian Institution.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research. On-site access to the collection requires an appointment.

Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Citation:

Photo Lot 59, Library of Congress Copyright Office photographs, Series 2: Edward S. Curtis, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NAA.PhotoLot.59.Series2

See more items in:

Library of Congress Copyright Office photographs of Native Americans, Series 2: Edward S. Curtis

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3331cd47e-5933-44e6-a961-6511262d3f21

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-photolot-59-series2

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

14,500 Items

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Drawings

Clippings

Date:

ca. 1860s-1960s

Scope and Contents:

Consists of photographs collected by the United States National Museum (USNM) Division of Ethnology and later by the Smithsonian Office of Anthropology (SOA). Coverage is worldwide outside North America. Most of the items are photographic prints, some in albums. There are also negatives, photomechanical prints, artwork, and newsclippings. For the most part, the material is historical or ethnological, including images of specimens, portraits, and scenes of daily activity. Some landscape views are also included.

Arrangement:

Arranged by geographic area, generally following George P. Murdockʹs Outline of World Cultures.

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Drawings

Clippings

Citation:

Photo lot 97, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.PhotoLot.97

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3361718ad-0211-4be3-805f-10163a0c4dc2

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-photolot-97

Extent:

6,000 Photographic prints (99 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Date:

circa 1860s-1930s

Scope and Contents:

The photographs comprise documentation of Indigenous North American peoples and cultures, from over 100 communities. Most of the photographs are portraits of individuals and groups, often in a studio setting, but there are also photographs of people engaged in various activities, views of camps, villages, dances and ceremonies, and scenery. Included are photos of people portraying Hiawatha, Minnehaha, and other fictional roles as part of the Hiawatha play.

The copyright claimants include well-known photographers such as Frank Rinehart, Joseph Dixon, and Edward S. Curtis, as well as many lesser-known photographers. In some cases, the copyright claimant is not the photographer at all but perhaps the sponsor of the photographic endeavor. There are also photographs for which the copyright claimant is not known (Series 3).

Series 1: Copyright claimant A-Z comprises all the photographs by known copyright claimant and is organized alphabetically by copyright claimant.

Series 2: Edward S. Curtis comprises a third of the collection with almost 2000 prints and is organized by the volumes of Curtis's 20 volume publication, The North American Indian. Please see separate finding aid for this series;

Series 3: Copyright claimant unidentified comprises photographs for which copyright claimant is unknown. This series is organized by geographic region in the United States and elsewhere.

It should be noted that all dates given in this finding aid are copyright dates, and not (necessarily) when the photographs were made.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 3 series. Series 1: Copyright claimant A-Z; Series 2: Edward S. Curtis; and Series 3: Copyright claimant unidentified.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Access to the collection requires an appointment.

Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Citation:

Photo Lot 59, Library of Congress Copyright Office photographs of Native Americans, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.PhotoLot.59

See more items in:

Library of Congress Copyright Office photographs of Native Americans

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3693a52d3-17ab-4bdb-9d48-920ae83685d2

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-photolot-59

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (005 in x 007 in)

Container:

Box XV:30, Folder 4-7

Box XV:31, Folder 1-4

Culture:

Diné (Navajo)  Search this

Indians of North America -- Southwest, New  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1901

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.02298800

OPPS NEG SI.54627

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

Arizona -- Keams Canyon?

Topic:

Navaho  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 24 SPC Sw Navaho No # People 02298800, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects / Series 1: America north of Mexico / Southwest / Navaho

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw312245b02-2467-470e-9230-3620b64a8d40

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-24-ref20216

Creator:

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Smithsonian Institution. Department of Anthropology  Search this

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

330.25 Linear feet (519 boxes)

Note:

Some materials are held off-site; this will be indicated at the series or sub-series level. Advanced notice must be given to view these portions of the collection.

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1840-circa 2015

Summary:

The Department of Anthropology records contain administrative and research materials produced by the department and its members from the time of the Smithsonian Institution's foundation until today.

Scope and Contents:

The Department of Anthropology records contain correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, memoranda, invoices, meeting minutes, fiscal records, annual reports, grant applications, personnel records, receipts, and forms. The topics covered in the materials include collections, exhibits, staff, conservation, acquisitions, loans, storage and office space, administration, operations, research, budgets, security, office procedures, and funding. The materials were created by members of the Section of Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution, the Division of Anthropology of the United States National Museum, the Office of Anthropology of the National Museum of Natural History, and the Department of Anthropology of the National Museum of Natural History and range in date from before the founding of the Smithsonian Institution to today. The Department of Anthropology records also contain some materials related to the Bureau of American Ethnology, such as documents from the River Basin Surveys.

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:

This collection is arranged in 28 series: (1) Correspondence, 1902-1908, 1961-1992; (2) Alpha-Subject File, 1828-1963; (3) Alpha-Subject File, 1961-1975; (4) Smithsonian Office of Anthropology Subject Files, 1967-1968; (5) River Basin Survey Files, 1965-1969; (6) Research Statements, Proposals, and Awards, 1961-1977 (bulk 1966-1973); (7) Publication File, 1960-1975; (8) Memoranda and Lists Concerning Condemnations, 1910-1965; (9) Notebook on Special Exhibits, 1951-1952 (10) Section on Animal Industry; (11) Administrative Records, 1891-1974; (12) Administrative Records, 1965-1994 (bulk 1975-1988); (13) Fiscal Records, 1904-1986; (14) Annual Reports, 1920-1983; (15) Chairman's Office Files, 1987-1993; (16) Division of Archaeology, 1828-1965; (17) Division of Ethnology, 1840s, 1860-1972, 1997; (18) Division of Physical Anthropology; (19) Division of Cultural Anthropology, 1920-1968; (20) Records of the Anthropological Laboratory/Anthropology Conservation and Restoration Laboratory, 1939-1973; (21) Collections Management, 1965-1985; (22) Photographs of Specimens and Other Subjects (Processing Laboratory Photographs), 1880s-1950s; (23) Exhibit Labels, Specimen Labels, Catalog Cards, and Miscellaneous Documents, circa 1870-1950; (24) Antiquities Act Permits, 1904-1986; (25) Ancient Technology Program, circa 1966-1981; (26) Urgent Anthropology; (27) Records of the Handbook of North American Indians; (28) Personnel; (29) Repatriation Office, 1991-1994

Administrative History.:

The Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846. Although there was no department of anthropology until the creation of the Section of Ethnology in 1879, anthropological materials were part of the Smithsonian's collection from its foundation. The Section of Ethnology was created to care for the rapidly growing collection. In 1881, the United States National Museum was established. Soon thereafter, in 1883, it was broken up into divisions, including the Division of Anthropology. In 1904, Physical Anthropology was added to the Division.

The Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) was created in 1879 as a research unit of the Smithsonian, separating research from collections care. However, during the 1950s, research became a higher priority for the Department of Anthropology and, in 1965, the BAE was merged with the Department of Anthropology to create the Office of Anthropology, and the BAE's archives became the National Anthropological Archives (NAA).

In 1967, the United States National Museum was broken up into three separate museums: the Musuem of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History), the National Museum of American Art, and the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). The Office of Anthropology was included in NMNH and was renamed the Department of Anthropology in 1968.

New divisions were added to the Department, including the Human Studies Film Archives (HSFA) in 1981, the Research Institute on Immigration and Ethnic Studies (RIIES) in 1982, and the Repatriation Office in 1993. In 1983, the Smithsonian opened the Museum Support Center (MSC) in Suitland, Maryland, as offsite housing for collections with specialized storage facilities and conservation labs.

The Department of Anthropology is currently the largest department within NMNH. It has three curatorial divisions (Ethnology, Archaeology, and Biological Anthropology) and its staff includes curators, research assistants, program staff, collections specialists, archivists, repatriation tribal liaisons, and administrative specialists. It has a number of outreach and research arms, including the Repatriation Office, Recovering Voices, Human Origins, and the Arctic Studies Center.

The Museum is home to one of the world's largest anthropology collections, with over three million specimens in archaeology, ethnology, and human skeletal biology. The NAA is the Smithsonian's oldest archival repository, with materials that reflect over 150 years of anthropological collecting and fieldwork. The HSFA is the only North American archive devoted exclusively to the collection and preservation of anthropological film and video.

Sources Consulted

National Museum of Natural History. "Department of Anthropology: About" Accessed April 13, 2020. https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/anthropology/about

National Museum of Natural History. "History of Anthropology at the Smithsonian." Accessed April 13, 2020. https://naturalhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/media/file/history-anthropology-si.pdf

National Museum of Natural History. "History of the Smithsonian Combined Catalog." Accessed April 13, 2020 https://sirismm.si.edu/siris/sihistory.htm

Chronology

1846 -- The Smithsonian Institution is founded

1879 -- George Catlin bequeaths his collection to the Smithsonian The Section of Ethnology is established to oversee ethnological and archaeological collections The Bureau of Ethnology is established by Congress as a research unit of the Smithsonian

1881 -- The U.S. National Museum (USNM) is established as a separate entity within the Smithsonian Institution

1883 -- The staff and collections of the USNM are reorganized into divisions, including a Division of Anthropology

1897 -- The United States National Museum is reorganized into three departments: Anthropology headed by W. H. Holmes; Biology with F. W. True as head; and Geology with G. P. Merrill in charge The Bureau of Ethnology is renamed the Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) to emphasize the geographic limit of its interests

1903 -- The Division of Physical Anthropology established

1904 -- The Division of Physical Anthropology is incorporated into the Division of Anthropology

1910 -- The USNM moves into the new Natural History Building

1965 -- The Smithsonian Office of Anthropology is created on February 1 The BAE is eliminated and merged with the Office of Anthropology

1968 -- The Smithsonian Office of Anthropology (SOA) of the National Museum of Natural History is retitled the Department of Anthropology on October 29

1973 -- The Research Institute on Immigration and Ethnic Studies (RIIES) is established at the National Museum of Natural History's (NMNH) Center for the Study of Man (CSM) to study the waves of immigration to the United States and its overseas outposts that began in the 1960's

1975 -- The National Anthropological Film Center is established

1981 -- The National Anthropological Film Center is incorporated into the Department of Anthropology

1982 -- The RIIES, part of the CSM at the NMNH, is transferred to the Department of Anthropology

1991 -- NMNH establishes a Repatriation Office

1993 -- The Repatriation Office is incorporated into the Department of Anthropology

Head Curators and Department Chairs

1897-1902 -- William Henry Holmes

1902-1903 -- Otis T. Mason (acting)

1904-1908 -- Otis T. Mason

1908-1909 -- Walter Hough (acting)

1910-1920 -- William Henry Holmes

1920-1923 -- Walter Hough (acting)

1923-1935 -- Walter Hough

1935-1960 -- Frank M. Setzler

1960-1962 -- T. Dale Stewart

1963-1965 -- Waldo R. Wedel

1965-1967 -- Richard Woodbury

1967-1970 -- Saul H. Riesenberg

1970-1975 -- Clifford Evans

1975-1980 -- William W. Fitzhugh

1980-1985 -- Douglas H. Ubelaker

1985-1988 -- Adrienne L. Kaeppler

1988-1992 -- Donald J. Ortner

1992-1999 -- Dennis Stanford

1999-2002 -- Carolyn L. Rose

2002-2005 -- William W. Fitzhugh

2005-2010 -- J. Daniel Rogers

2010-2014 -- Mary Jo Arnoldi

2014-2018 -- Torbin Rick

2018-2022 -- Igor Krupnik

2022-2023 -- Laurie Burgess

2022- -- Richard Potts

Related Materials:

The NAA holds collections of former head curators and department chairs, including the papers of Otis Tufton Mason, Walter Hough, T. Dale Stewart, Waldo Rudolph and Mildred Mott Wedel, Saul H. Riesenberg, Clifford Evans, and Donald J. Ortner; the photographs of Frank Maryl Setzler; and the Richard B. Woodbury collection of drawings of human and animal figures.

Other related collections at the NAA include the papers of Gordon D. Gibson, Eugene I. Knez, and Betty J. Meggers and Clifford Evans; and the records of the Bureau of American Ethnology, the Center for the Study of Man, and the River Basin Surveys.

Provenance:

This collection was transferred to the National Anthropological Archives (NAA) by the National Museum of Natural History's Department of Anthropology in multiple accessions.

Restrictions:

Some materials are restricted.

Access to the Department of Anthropology records requires an appointment.

Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Topic:

Anthropology  Search this

Ethnology  Search this

Archaeology  Search this

Citation:

Department of Anthropology Records, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.XXXX.0311

See more items in:

Department of Anthropology records

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3da0f5297-c324-47c1-96dd-171f6edd11b6

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-xxxx-0311

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (004 in x 005 in)

Container:

Box XIII:1, Folder 7

Culture:

Catawba Indians  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1908

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.01756800

OPPS NEG.81-13624

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

South Carolina ? -- Catawba Reservation

Topic:

Indians of North America -- Southern states  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 24 SPC Se Catawba NM 48736 01756800, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects / Series 1: America north of Mexico / Southeast / Catawba

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3b91e7db5-40ec-47b9-94e5-4ebeac2fc9d1

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-24-ref16446

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (005 in x 004 in)

Container:

Box XIII:1, Folder 7

Culture:

Catawba Indians  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1908

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.01756900

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

South Carolina ? -- Catawba Reservation

Topic:

Indians of North America -- Southern states  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 24 SPC Se Catawba NM 48736 01756900, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects / Series 1: America north of Mexico / Southeast / Catawba

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw372668a4c-ae37-4062-8e94-1d9a60dedace

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-24-ref16447

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (005 in x 004 in)

Container:

Box XIII:1, Folder 7

Culture:

Catawba Indians  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1908

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.01757000

OPPS NEG.81-13,628

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

South Carolina ? -- Catawba Reservation

Topic:

Indians of North America -- Southern states  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 24 SPC Se Catawba NM 48736 01757000, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects / Series 1: America north of Mexico / Southeast / Catawba

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw36453aba5-55f0-4e26-bdea-652fda57be91

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-24-ref16448

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (005 in x 004 in)

Container:

Box XIII:1, Folder 7

Culture:

Catawba Indians  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1908

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.01757100

OPPS NEG.81-13631

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

South Carolina ? -- Catawba Reservation

Topic:

Indians of North America -- Southern states  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 24 SPC Se Catawba NM 48736 01757100, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects / Series 1: America north of Mexico / Southeast / Catawba

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw394a6823b-0ac9-4abe-b7b7-f950b6dbd64b

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-24-ref16449

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (005 in x 004 in)

Container:

Box XIII:1, Folder 7

Culture:

Catawba Indians  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1908

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.01757200

OPPS NEG.81-13627

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

South Carolina ? -- Catawba Reservation

Topic:

Indians of North America -- Southern states  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 24 SPC Se Catawba NM 48736 01757200, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects / Series 1: America north of Mexico / Southeast / Catawba

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3a4924877-a031-43bc-9834-324a0552394a

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-24-ref16450

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (005 in x 004 in)

Container:

Box XIII:1, Folder 7

Culture:

Catawba Indians  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1908

Local Numbers:

OPPS NEG 81-13,630

NAA INV.01757300

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

South Carolina ? -- Catawba Reservation

Topic:

Indians of North America -- Southern states  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 24 SPC Se Catawba NM 48736 01757300, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects / Series 1: America north of Mexico / Southeast / Catawba

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3b178045b-fa15-4452-a13f-fbc14b989fb8

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-24-ref16451

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (005 in x 004 in)

Container:

Box XIII:1, Folder 7

Culture:

Catawba Indians  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1908

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.01757400

OPPS NEG.81-13623

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

South Carolina ? -- Catawba Reservation

Topic:

Indians of North America -- Southern states  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 24 SPC Se Catawba NM 48736 01757400, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects / Series 1: America north of Mexico / Southeast / Catawba

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3665f163a-3d0f-4d7e-8430-f6c493c4980b

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-24-ref16452

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (005 in x 004 in)

Container:

Box XIII:1, Folder 7

Culture:

Catawba Indians  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1908

Local Numbers:

OPPS NEG 81-13633

NAA INV.01757500

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

South Carolina -- Catawba Reservation

Topic:

Indians of North America -- Southern states  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 24 SPC Se Catawba NM 48736 01757500, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects / Series 1: America north of Mexico / Southeast / Catawba

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw302dc5abc-3891-4b84-b80b-a4bcb0893a06

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-24-ref16453

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (004 in x 005 in)

Container:

Box XIII:1, Folder 7

Culture:

Catawba Indians  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1908

Local Numbers:

OPPS NEG 81-13,629

NAA INV.01757600

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

South Carolina -- Catawba Reservation

Topic:

Indians of North America -- Southern states  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 24 SPC Se Catawba NM 48736 01757600, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects / Series 1: America north of Mexico / Southeast / Catawba

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3c1990fca-67e1-4ee5-8c48-1c02422ddf1d

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-24-ref16454

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology  Search this

National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (005 in x 004 in)

Container:

Box XIII:1, Folder 7

Culture:

Catawba Indians  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1908

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.01757700

OPPS NEG.81-13626

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

South Carolina -- Catawba Reservation/Catawba River

Topic:

Indians of North America -- Southern states  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 24 SPC Se Catawba NM 48736 01757700, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects

Photographs of Native Americans and Other Subjects / Series 1: America north of Mexico / Southeast / Catawba

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw332b3e448-3502-4685-b7f4-5d7a02b15ba4

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-24-ref16455