"Photographs of North American Indians" Albums, circa 1840-1879

Creator
Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories (U.S.) [Browse]
Format
Manuscript
Language
English
Description
  • 10 boxes
  • 13.0 linear feet

Details

Subject(s)
Getty AAT genre
Compiled/​Created
circa 1840-1879
Restrictions note
While the majority of this collection is open for research, digital images of human remains are restricted. These items have been identified as such throughout the finding aid.
Summary note
  • Consists of two disbound photograph albums containing 1,025 mounted albumen photographs of various Indigenous peoples of North America, including portraits of delegates to Washington, D.C.; expedition photographs; and early Western studio portraits by American photographers. Most of the photographs in the albums are described in the Numerical Index of William Henry Jackson's Descriptive Catalogue of the Photographs of North American Indians (1877), which is pasted to the albums.
  • Consists of two disbound albums containing 1,025 mounted albumen photographs of various Indigenous peoples of North America, including portraits of delegates to Washington, D.C.; expedition photographs; and early Western studio portraits. Also included are photographs of ruins in the American Southwest and Mexico, of Southwestern Indian pottery and implements, and of models of Southwestern ruins. Most of the photographs in the albums are described in the Numerical Index of William Henry Jackson's Descriptive Catalogue of the Photographs of North American Indians (1877), which is pasted on leaves at the beginning of each volume. Item-level descriptions that end with the initials PRF were dated or otherwise reviewed by Paula R. Fleming, author of The Shindler Catalogue (Smithsonian 2003) and a photograph specialist familiar with the original negatives. Complete list of known photographers: C. M. (Charles Milton) Bell, Mathew B. Brady, Charles William Carter, Savage & Ottinger, W. G. (William Gunnison) Chamberlain, Désiré Charnay, Thomas M. (Thomas Martin) Easterly, Edric L. Eaton, John H. Fitzgibbon, T. M. Galey, Alexander Gardner, John K. Hillers, J. D. Hutton, J. Gurney & Son, Jackson Brothers (Omaha, Neb.), William Henry Jackson, James E. McClees Studio, N. Brown & Son, Savage & Ottinger, A. Zeno (Antonio Zeno) Shindler, C. S. Stobie, Ulke Brothers, Orloff R. Westmann, Joel E. (Joel Emmons) Whitney.
  • Racist, colonialist, and sexist language were used to describe many of the items in this collection. In most cases, descriptions were creator-supplied. In other cases, in which photographs lacked identifying information, descriptions were created by an archivist. However, the collection is a candidate for ongoing reparative description work. We hope that researchers will engage in a dialogue with staff about issues in the collection and changes that could help.
Publications about
  • Descriptive and historical notes of the Bureau of American Ethnology Collection of Glass Negatives at the National Anthropological Archives, accessed online at http://www.nmnh.si.edu/naa/guide/_b3.htm in 2010 and 2012.
  • Descriptive and historical notes of Manuscript 4420 in the Bureau of American Ethnology-United States National Museum Collection of Indian Photographs, accessed online at http://www.nmnh.si.edu/naa/guide/appx_g.htm in 2010 and 2012.
  • Fleming, Paula R. Native American Photography at the Smithsonian: The Shindler Catalogue. Washington, D.C: Smithsonian Books, 2003.
  • Jackson, William H., and F. V. Hayden. Descriptive Catalogue of the Photographs of the United States Geological Survey of the Territories for the Years 1869 to 1875, Inclusive, Miscellaneous Publications, Number 5. Washington: G.P.O., 1875.
  • Jackson, William H. Descriptive Catalogue of the Photographs of North American Indians, United States Geological Survey of the Territories, Miscellaneous Publications, Number 9. Washington: G.P.O., 1877.
Statement on responsible collection description
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