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Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation records

Creator:
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Director:
Heye, George G. (George Gustav), 1874-1957  Search this
Dockstader, Frederick J.  Search this
Names:
Ford-Bartlett East Greenland Expedition 1930  Search this
Harriman Alaska Expedition (1899)  Search this
Hendricks-Hodge Expedition (1917-1923).  Search this
Huntington Free Library  Search this
Hyde Exploring Expedition (1902-1903)  Search this
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research  Search this
Collector:
Barrett, S. A. (Samuel Alfred), 1879-1965  Search this
Churchill, Clara G.  Search this
Churchill, Frank C. (Frank Carroll), 1850-1912  Search this
Davis, Edward H., b. 1862  Search this
Emmons, George Thornton  Search this
Gridley, Marion E. (Marion Eleanor), 1906-1974  Search this
Harrington, M. R. (Mark Raymond), 1882-1971  Search this
Harvey, Byron  Search this
Harvey, Fred  Search this
Hodge, Frederick Webb, 1864-1956  Search this
Johnson, Frederick, 1904-1994  Search this
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956  Search this
Lothrop, S. K. (Samuel Kirkland), 1892-1965  Search this
Pepper, George H. (George Hubbard), 1873-1924  Search this
Skinner, Alanson, 1886-1925  Search this
Speck, Frank G. (Frank Gouldsmith), 1881-1950  Search this
Stiles, William F., 1912-1980  Search this
Verrill, A. Hyatt (Alpheus Hyatt), 1871-1954  Search this
Waterman, T. T. (Thomas Talbot), 1885-1936  Search this
Wildschut, William  Search this
Former owner:
Burnett, Edwin K.  Search this
Force, Roland W.  Search this
Extent:
400 Linear feet
Culture:
Indians of North America  Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Administrative records
Photographs
Annual reports
Field notes
Correspondence
Ledgers (account books)
Minutes
Date:
1890-1998
Summary:
These records document the governance and programmatic activities of the Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation (MAI) from its inception in 1904 until its sublimation by the Smithsonian Institution in 1990. The types of materials present in this collection include personal and institutional correspondence, individual subject files, minutes and annual reports, financial ledgers, legal records, expedition field notes, research notes, catalog and object lists, publications, clippings, flyers, maps, photographs, negatives and audio-visual materials. These materials span a varied range of subjects relating to the activities of the museum which are more fully described on the series level.
Scope and Contents:
These records document the governance and programmatic activities of the Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation (MAI) from its inception in 1904 until its sublimation by the Smithsonian Institution in 1990. The types of materials present in this collection include personal and institutional correspondence, individual subject files, minutes and annual reports, financial ledgers, legal records, expedition field notes, research notes, catalog and object lists, publications, clippings, flyers, maps, photographs, negatives and audio-visual materials. These materials span a varied range of subjects relating to the activities of the museum which are more fully described on the series level.
Arrangement:
The MAI, Heye Foundation records have been arranged into 21 series and 50 subseries: Series 1: Directors, 1908-1990 (1.1: George Gustav Heye, 1863-1962, 1.2: Edwin K. Burnett, 1943-1960, 1.3: Frederick Dockstader, 1950-1976, 1.4: Alexander F. Draper, 1972-1977, 1.5:Roland W. Force, 1963-1990, 1.6: George Eager, Assistant Director, 1977-1990) Series 2: Board of Trustees, 1916-1990 (2.1: Board of Trustee Minutes, 1916-1990, 2.2: Individual Board Correspondence, 1943-1990, 2.3: Subject Files, 1917-1990) Series 3: Administrative, 1916-1989 (3.1: Subject Files, 1904-1991, 3.2: Personnel, 1956-1991, 3.3: Legal, 1900-1989, 3.4: Task Force, 1976-1986, 3.5: George Abrams, 1980-1991) Series 4: Financial, 1916-1990 (4.1: Ledgers, 1900-1962, 4.2: Correspondence, 1905-1985, 4.3: Subject Files, 1916-1990) Series 5: Expeditions, 1896-1973Series 6: Collectors, 1872-1981Series 7: Registration, 1856-1993Series 8: Collections Management, 1937-1988Series 9: Curatorial, 1963-1990 (9.1: Curatorial Council, 1973-1990, 9.2: Gary Galante, 1979-1991, 9.3: Mary Jane Lenz, 1974-1994, 9.4: James G. E. Smith, 1963-1990, 9.5: U. Vincent Wilcox, 1968-1984, 9.6: Anna C. Roosevelt, 1973-1988) Series 10: Exhibits, 1923-1991 (10.1: MAI Exhibits, 1923-1990, 10.2: Non-MAI Exhibits, 1937-1991) Series 11: Public Programs, 1935-1990Series 12: Publications, 1904-1994 (12.1: Annual Reports, 1917-1989, 12.2: Publications by MAI, 1904-1990, 12.3: Publications by Other Sources, 1881-1990, 12.4: Administration, 1920-1988, 12.5: Archival Set of Official Publications, 1907-1976) Series 13: Public Affairs, 1938-1991Series 14: Development, 1927-1991 (14.1: Administration, 1979-1990, 14.2: Donors, 1978-1990, 14.3: Fundraising, 1973-1990, 14.4: Grants, 1970-1990, 14.5: Subject Files, 1976-1990) Series 15: Other Departments, 1914-1990 (15.1: Archives, 1914-1990, 15.2: Conservation, 1972-1989, 15.3: Education, 1921-1990, 15.4: Indian Information Center, 1977-1989, 15.5: Museum Shop, 1947-1989, 15.6: Photography, 1918-1990, 15.7: Physical Anthropology, 1919-1956) Series 16: Huntington Free Library, 1926-1991Series 17: Museum Relocation, 1969-1992 (17.1: Subject Files, 1979-1990, 17.2: American Museum of Natural History, 1980-1987, 17.3: Dallas, Texas, 1984-1987, 17.4: Smithsonian Institution, 1979-1990, 17.5: U.S. Custom House, 1977-1990, 17.6: Other Locations, 1974-1987) Series 18: MediaSeries 19: PhotographsSeries 20: Miscellaneous, 1837-1990Series 21: Oversize, 1873-1972 (21.1: Maps, 1873-1975, 21.2: Miscellaneous, 1884-1982)
History of the Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation:
The Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation was established by wealthy collector George Gustav Heye in 1908. Heye began collecting American Indian artifacts as early as 1897 and his collection rapidly increased over the next several years. Based in New York, Heye bought collections and documentary photographs, sponsored expeditions, and traveled and collected items himself. In addition, once MAI was established he sponsored numerous expeditions across the Western Hemisphere, including North American, Canada, South America and Central America.

From 1908 to 1917 Heye housed his artifacts on temporary loan at the University of Pennsylvania's University Museum, Pennsylvania, in lofts on East 33rd Street in New York City, and at other depositories. In 1917, the collections moved from his apartment to their permanent museum location at Audubon Terrace, at 155th Street and Broadway in New York City. The museum, containing ethnographic and archaeological collections from North, Central and South America, opened to the public in 1922. Less than ten years later, Heye completed a storage facility in the Pelham Bay area of the Bronx, known as the Research Branch. Heye served as Chairman of the Board and Museum Director until his death in 1957. After growing concern about the financial and other management of the collections came to a head, the museum became part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1989 and in 1994 opened exhibit space in the U.S. Customs House at Bowling Green near New York City's Battery Park. The Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland later opened in 1999 and the main Washington, DC museum opened in 2004.

Please visit the following links for more information about the history of the museum; History of the Collection, Collections Overview, and Significance of the Collection. Moreover, for information about how the museum currently cares for and exhibits the collection, please see the Conservation department and recent entries regarding Exhibitions and Conservation on the NMAI Blog. In addition, see portions of the NMAI Archive Center's collections highlighted in the SIRIS Blog.
Related Materials:
In 2004, the Huntington Fee Library, once part of the MAI/Heye Foundation, was transferred to the Cornell University Library Rare Book and Manuscript Collection. While this collection mainly contained books, it also contained a significant amount of archival materials. The Huntington Free Library's Native American Collection contains outstanding materials documenting the history, culture, languages, and arts of the native tribes of both North and South America, as well as contemporary politics and human rights issues are also important components of the collection. Further information about the collection and links to finding aids can be found here: rmc.library.cornell.edu/collections/HFL_old.html.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Rights:
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or broadcast materials from the collection must be requested from the National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiarchives@si.edu.
Topic:
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Peru  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Tennessee  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- New York (State)  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Panama  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- New Jersey  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- New Mexico  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Missouri  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Nevada  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- California  Search this
Indians of South America  Search this
Indians of Central America  Search this
Pre-Columbian objects  Search this
Museum exhibits  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Texas  Search this
Museums -- Collection management  Search this
Archaeological expeditions  Search this
Ethnological expeditions  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology)  Search this
Museums -- Acquisitions  Search this
Museums -- Curatorship  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Cuba  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Ecuador  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Arkansas  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Canada  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Guatemala  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Haiti  Search this
Genre/Form:
Administrative records
Photographs
Annual reports
Field notes
Correspondence
Ledgers (account books)
Minutes
Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation Records, Box and Folder Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NMAI.AC.001
See more items in:
Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation records
Archival Repository:
National Museum of the American Indian
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv412df8cf1-44c0-41fd-9101-eefb477e5aef
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmai-ac-001
Online Media:

Non-MAI Expeditions to Wisconsin and the Southwest, United States

Collection Creator:
Lothrop, S. K. (Samuel Kirkland), 1892-1965  Search this
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Extent:
64 Negatives (photographic)
Culture:
Effigy Mound (archaeological culture)  Search this
Hopi Pueblo  Search this
A:shiwi (Zuni)  Search this
Acoma  Search this
K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo)  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Date:
1915 Summer
Scope and Contents:
This series includes photographic negatives from S.K. Lothrop's first field experience in archaeology the summer of 1915 under the direction of A.V. Kidder through the R.S. Peabody Foundation of Andover. This includes photographs in the Southwest at the San Cristobal Pueblo ruins, A:shiwi (Zuni) Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo) in New Mexico and at various locations at Hopi Pueblo, Arizona. There are also photographs of Bird Effigy Mound and Panther Effigy in Lake Mendota, Wisconsin, also made in 1915.
Catalog numbers:
Southwest: N19531-N19532, N19542-N19585, N19613-N19620 Effigy Mound, Wisconsin: N19530, N19533-N19541
Collection Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, 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. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.

There are photographs in this collection that are restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection, NMAI.AC.001.010. National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NMAI.AC.001.010, Series 1
See more items in:
Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection
Archival Repository:
National Museum of the American Indian
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv4f19d5825-c145-4d63-915a-659f2adb1184
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmai-ac-001-010-ref510

Non-MAI Expeditions to Central America and Puerto Rico

Collection Creator:
Lothrop, S. K. (Samuel Kirkland), 1892-1965  Search this
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Extent:
180 Negatives (photographic)
7 Lantern slides
Culture:
Central America  Search this
Island Caribbean  Search this
Taíno [Puerto Rico]  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Lantern slides
Date:
circa 1915-1918
Scope and Contents:
This series includes photographic negatives and lantern slides from Lothrop's time as Director of the Harvard Peabody Museum's Central American,1916-1917. Some of the photographs in this series are listed as 1918, though during that time Lothrop was working for the U.S. Army Military Intelligence. It's also possible that the photographs from Puerto Rico, which are cataloged as 1918 were taken during a 1915 trip to the island. The photographs in this series include views from Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico.
Catalog Numbers:
Costa Rica: L00623-L00629, N19372-N19386; N19418-N19459, N19475-N19478. Panama: N19399-N19411. Honduras: N19412-N19417. El Salvador: N19484-N19487. Nicaragua: N19479-N19483. Guatemala: N19488-N19529. Puerto Rico: N19387-N19398; N19460-N19474.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, 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. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.

There are photographs in this collection that are restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection, NMAI.AC.001.010. National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NMAI.AC.001.010, Series 2
See more items in:
Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection
Archival Repository:
National Museum of the American Indian
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv47b090492-5bd3-4973-bb60-ba1a2a670f0d
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmai-ac-001-010-ref511

MAI Central American Expedition in El Salvador

Collection Creator:
Lothrop, S. K. (Samuel Kirkland), 1892-1965  Search this
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Extent:
251 Negatives (photographic)
2 Photographic prints
Culture:
Lenca  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Photographic prints
Date:
1924 January-May
Scope and Contents:
This series includes photographs from the "S.K. Lothrop Central American Expedition" between January and May 1924. The majority of the photographs were made in El Salvador, though a small amount were taken in Guatemala. The photographs in EL Salvador include photographs of volcanos, archaeological sites, antiquities, landscape views, villages, and native peoples, such as the Lenca, engaged in pottery and rope making, food preparation, house building, and ceremonial activities.
Catalog Numbers:
N09139-N09389, P06179-P06180
Collection Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, 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. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.

There are photographs in this collection that are restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection, NMAI.AC.001.010. National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NMAI.AC.001.010, Series 3
See more items in:
Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection
Archival Repository:
National Museum of the American Indian
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv4531c2dcd-aef5-40d6-afdc-37174f7fedd3
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmai-ac-001-010-ref512

MAI Tierra del Fuego Expedition

Collection Creator:
Lothrop, S. K. (Samuel Kirkland), 1892-1965  Search this
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Extent:
349 Negatives (photographic)
3 Lantern slides
Culture:
Selk'nam (Ona)  Search this
Yámana (Yagán/Yahgan)  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Lantern slides
Date:
1924 October-1925 March
Scope and Contents:
See also: S.K. Lothrop's "The Indians of Tierra de Fuego" published in Contributions from the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, Volume X, 1928.
This series includes photographs from the "MAI Tierra del Fuego Expedition" between October 1924 and March, 1925. Lothrop, accompanied by J. Linzee Weld, spent three months on the Islands of Tierra del Fuego (Chile, Argentina) visiting Selk'nam (Ona) and Yámana (Yagán/Yahgan) settlements. The three Selk'nam (Ona) settlements included one at the Southeast corner of Lake Fagnano, one at the Northeast of Lake Fagnano and the third east of the Laguna de Pescados. Yámana (Yagán/Yahgan) settlements were encountered at Tierra Mayor, Cambaceres Bay, Gable island and Puerto Mejillones on Navarin Island. The photographs include depictions of the daily live and ceremonial activities of the Native peoples, as well as landscape views.

Also included in this series are photographic negatives made in Peru sometime in 1925 during Lothrop's trip in South America. These include images in Incahuasi and La Centinela, among other locations.
Catalog Numbers:
Tierra del Fuego: N09760-N09997, N10310-N10325, N10488-N10510. Peru: N10511-N10577, N10803, L00101-L00103.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, 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. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.

There are photographs in this collection that are restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection, NMAI.AC.001.010. National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NMAI.AC.001.010, Series 4
See more items in:
Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection
Archival Repository:
National Museum of the American Indian
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv4e20c6c42-88b9-46d4-a4e5-d0dd866fa167
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmai-ac-001-010-ref513

MAI La Plata Expedition (Paraná River Delta Argentina Expedition)

Collection Creator:
Lothrop, S. K. (Samuel Kirkland), 1892-1965  Search this
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Extent:
162 Negatives (photographic)
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Date:
1925 March-June
Scope and Contents:
See also: Samuel K. Lothrop's "Indians of the Paraná Delta, Argentina," Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 33:77-232, 1932
This series includes photographic negatives from the "Mrs. Thea Heye, La Plata Expedition" also known as the "Thea Heye - Lothrop Paraná River Delta Argentina Expedition" between March and June 1925. The expedition was conducted jointly between the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation and the Museo de la Plata in Argentina (Argentine Republic). Excavations were made in the Río Paraná Delta in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Many of the photographs show views of the river as well as views of the excavation site including mounds and trenches. There are a number of restricted photographs in this series due to cultural sensitivity.
Catalog Numbers:
N10326-N10487
Collection Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, 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. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.

There are photographs in this collection that are restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection, NMAI.AC.001.010. National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NMAI.AC.001.010, Series 5
See more items in:
Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection
Archival Repository:
National Museum of the American Indian
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv44b41a06e-dfa3-44b6-a111-f2d7923d83ba
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmai-ac-001-010-ref514

MAI Guatemala Expedition

Collection Creator:
Lothrop, S. K. (Samuel Kirkland), 1892-1965  Search this
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Extent:
182 Negatives (photographic)
Culture:
K'iche' Maya (Quiché)  Search this
Tz'utuhil Maya (Tzutuhil/Zutigil)  Search this
Maya  Search this
Kaqchikel Maya (Cakchiquel)  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Date:
1928 February-May
Scope and Contents:
This series includes photographic negatives from the "Mrs. Thea Heye Guatemala Expedition" between February and May 1928. Many of the photographs include depictions of Mayan ruins in different Guatemalan provinces. There are also photographs of Tz'utuhil Maya (Tzutuhil/Zutigil), K'iche' (Quiché) Maya, and Kaqchikel Maya (Cakchiquel) people engaged in weaving, rope making, canoeing, and ceremonial activities. There are a number of restricted photographs in this series due to cultural sensitivity.
Catalog Numbers:
N14031-N14212
Collection Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, 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. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.

There are photographs in this collection that are restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection, NMAI.AC.001.010. National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NMAI.AC.001.010, Series 6
See more items in:
Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection
Archival Repository:
National Museum of the American Indian
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv47a36d008-32ee-4491-aa12-09895248947d
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmai-ac-001-010-ref515

Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection

Creator:
Lothrop, S. K. (Samuel Kirkland), 1892-1965  Search this
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Names:
Peabody Museum, Harvard University  Search this
Extent:
1188 Negatives (photographic)
3 Photographic prints
18 Lantern slides
Culture:
Maya (archaeological culture)  Search this
Yámana (Yagán/Yahgan)  Search this
A:shiwi (Zuni)  Search this
Selk'nam (Ona)  Search this
Kaqchikel Maya (Cakchiquel)  Search this
Tz'utuhil Maya (Tzutuhil/Zutigil)  Search this
Quiché Maya (Quiche)  Search this
Central America  Search this
Island Caribbean  Search this
Hopi Pueblo  Search this
K'iche' Maya (Quiché)  Search this
K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo)  Search this
Inka (Inca) (archaeological)  Search this
Lenca  Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Photographic prints
Lantern slides
Photographs
Negatives
Place:
North America
Zuni (N.M.) -- Photographs
Tierra del Fuego (Argentina and Chile)
Date:
1915-1928
Summary:
The Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection primarily contains negatives, photographic prints, and lantern slides made by Lothrop while employed by the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation from 1924-1930. Lothrop was an archaeologist and photographer who extensively traveled and worked throughout Central America and South America and led expeditions on behalf of the MAI to Argentina, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Peru. There are also photographs from prior to Lothrop's time at MAI that were made in other locations in Central America, Puerto Rico, New Mexico, Arizona, and Wisconsin between 1915 and 1918.
Scope and Contents:
The Samuel K. Lothrop collection primarily contains negatives, photographic prints, and lantern slides made by Lothrop while employed by the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation from 1924-1930. There are also photographs from prior to Lothrop's time at MAI that were made in other locations in Central America, Puerto Rico, New Mexico, Arizona, and Wisconsin between 1915 and 1918.

Series 1: Non-MAI Expeditions to Wisconsin and the Southwest, United States, 1915, includes photographic negatives from S.K. Lothrop's first field experience in archaeology the summer of 1915 under the direction of A.V. Kidder through the R.S. Peabody Foundation of Andover. This includes photographs in the Southwest at the San Cristobal Pueblo ruins, A:shiwi (Zuni) Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo) in New Mexico and at various locations at Hopi Pueblo, Arizona. There are also photographs of Bird Effigy Mound and Panther Effigy in Lake Mendota, Wisconsin, also made in 1915.

Series 2: Non-MAI Expeditions to Central America and Puerto Rico, circa 1915-1918, includes photographic negatives and lantern slides from Lothrop's time as Director of the Harvard Peabody Museum's Central American,1916-1917. Some of the photographs in this series are listed as 1918, though during that time Lothrop was working for the U.S. Army Military Intelligence. It's also possible that the photographs from Puerto Rico, which are cataloged as 1918 were taken during a 1915 trip to the island. The photographs in this series include views from Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico.

Series 3: MAI Central American Expedition to El Salvador, 1924, includes photographs from the "S.K. Lothrop Central American Expedition" between January and May 1924. The majority of the photographs were made in El Salvador, though a small amount were taken in Guatemala. The photographs in EL Salvador include photographs of volcanos, archaeological sites, antiquities, landscape views, villages, and native peoples, such as the Lenca, engaged in pottery and rope making, food preparation, house building, and ceremonial activities.

Series 4: MAI Tierra del Fuego Expedition, 1924-1925, includes photographs from the "MAI Tierra del Fuego Expedition" between October 1924 and March, 1925. Lothrop, accompanied by J. Linzee Weld, spent three months on the Islands of Tierra del Fuego (Chile, Argentina) visiting Selk'nam (Ona) and Yámana (Yagán/Yahgan) settlements. The three Selk'nam (Ona) settlements included one at the Southeast corner of Lake Fagnano, one at the Northeast of Lake Fagnano and the third east of the Laguna de Pescados. Yámana (Yagán/Yahgan) settlements were encountered at Tierra Mayor, Cambaceres Bay, Gable island and Puerto Mejillones on Navarin Island. The photographs include depictions of the daily live and ceremonial activities of the Native peoples, as well as landscape views. Also included in this series are photographic negatives made in Peru sometime in 1925 during Lothrop's trip in South America. These include images in Incahuasi and La Centinela, among other locations.

Series 5: MAI La Plata Expedition (Paraná River Delta Argentina Expedition), 1925, includes photographic negatives from the "Mrs. Thea Heye, La Plata Expedition" also known as the "Thea Heye - Lothrop Paraná River Delta Argentina Expedition" between March and June 1925. The expedition was conducted jointly between the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation and the Museo de la Plata in Argentina (Argentine Republic). Excavations were made in the Río Paraná Delta in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Many of the photographs show views of the river as well as views of the excavation site including mounds and trenches. There are a number of restricted photographs in this series due to cultural sensitivity.

Series 6: MAI Guatemala Expedition, 1928, includes photographic negatives from the "Mrs. Thea Heye Guatemala Expedition" between February and May 1928. Many of the photographs include depictions of Mayan ruins in different Guatemalan provinces. There are also photographs of Tz'utuhil Maya (Tzutuhil/Zutigil), K'iche' (Quiché) Maya, and Kaqchikel Maya (Cakchiquel) people engaged in weaving, rope making, canoeing, and ceremonial activities. There are a number of restricted photographs in this series due to cultural sensitivity.
Arrangement note:
This collection has been arranged in six Series chronologically by expedition.

Series 1: Non-MAI Expeditions to Wisconsin and the Southwest, United States, 1915

Series 2: Non-MAI Expeditions to Central America and Puerto Rico, circa 1915-1918

Series 3: MAI Central American Expedition to El Salvador, 1924

Series 4: MAI Tierra del Fuego Expedition, 1924-1925

Series 5: MAI La Plata Expedition (Paraná River Delta Argentina Expedition), 1925

Series 6: MAI Guatemala Expedition, 1928

Physical Arrangement:

Lantern slides arranged by lantern slide numbers (L00101-L00103, L00577-L00579, L00584-L00585, L00589, L00597, L00622-L00629)

Negatives arranged by negative numbers (N09139-N09140, N09147-N09308, N09316-N09389, N09760-N09997, N10310-N10577, N10803, N14031-N14212, N19372-N19620)

Prints Arranged by print numbers (P10108-P10110)
Biographical/Historical note:
Samuel Kirkland Lothrop was born in Milton, Massachusetts on July 6, 1892, to William Sturgis Hooper Lothrop and Alice Putnam Lothrop. Lothrop spent his childhood in Massachusetts and Puerto Rico and entered Harvard college in 1911. He graduated in 1915 with a concentration in archaeology and anthropology having studied under Alfred Marston Tozzer. Lothrop had his first field experience in archaeology the summer of 1915 under the direction of A.V. Kidder through the R.S. Peabody Foundation of Andover, spending time in the Southwest as well as studying mounds in Wisconsin. Lothrop also traveled extensively in Central American and in Puerto Rico as an associate of the Peabody Museum of Harvard, visiting sites and making small excavations. During World War I, Lothrop's career was interrupted when he served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Military Intelligence between 1917-1918. Following the war, Lothrop returned to graduate work at Harvard and his thesis, submitted in 1921, was focused on the ceramics of Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Lothrop was then employed by the Carnegie Institution's Historical Division to make field investigations in Yucatan and Guatemala in 1923. His 1924 publication on the Yucatan ruin of Tulum was the first major monograph published on the subject. Starting in 1923, with the Hendricks-Hodge Hawikku (Hawikuh) expedition, Lothrop joined the research staff of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation (MAI) in New York City. Though George Gustav Heye originally hired Lothrop to research Native Guatemalan and El Salvadoran textiles and pottery, Lothrop also led several expeditions in South America in such places as Tierra del Fuego. During this period, Lothrop became a good friend of Argentine archaeologists at the time such as Fernando Marquez Miranda and published several monographs on his research. Following the dissolution of the MAI's research staff in 1930, Lothrop returned to Harvard's Peabody Museum as a research associate and curator of Andean archaeology until his retirement. Lothrop continued in an active emeritus status until his death in 1965.

Source: Willey, Gordon R. "Samuel Kirkland Lothrop," Biographical Memoirs: Volume 48, pp 253-272. National Academies Press, 1976.
Related Materials:
Samuel K. Lothrop papers (996-20), Peabody Museum Archives. https://hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu/repositories/6/resources/4764

Lothrop, S.K. Chile field notes and diary about the Indian of Chile, 1929-1930, #9055. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.
Separated Materials:
Photographs that were made by S.K. Lothrop during the Hendricks-Hodge Hawikku (Hawikuh) expedition are included in the Hendricks-Hodge Hawikku Expedition photograph collection, NMAI.AC.001.042.

Catalogs and expense records for Lothrop's expeditions can be found in the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation records, NMAI.AC.001, in Series 5: Expeditions.
Provenance:
The photographs produced during Museum of the American Indian expeditions were sent to the MAI by Samuel K. Lothrop, alongside field collections, between 1924 and 1930. The photographs that were made by Lothrop prior to his employment at MAI were donated by Lothrop in 1930.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, 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. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.

There are photographs in this collection that are restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
Topic:
Indians of Central America -- Guatemala -- Photographs  Search this
Indians of Central America -- El Salvador -- Photographs  Search this
Fuegians -- Social life and customs -- Photographs  Search this
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Argentina -- Photographs  Search this
Genre/Form:
Lantern slides
Photographs
Negatives
Photographic prints
Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection, NMAI.AC.001.010. National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NMAI.AC.001.010
See more items in:
Samuel K. Lothrop photograph collection
Archival Repository:
National Museum of the American Indian
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv44afe2ce2-971a-46ed-a9e8-af14d391f1eb
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmai-ac-001-010

Pottery of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, by Samuel Kirkland Lothrop ..

Author:
Lothrop, S. K (Samuel Kirkland) 1892-1965  Search this
Physical description:
2 v. illus., CCV pl. (part col., part fold.; incl. maps) 26 cm
Type:
Electronic resources
Place:
Central America
Costa Rica
Nicaragua
Date:
1926
Topic:
Indian pottery  Search this
Pottery  Search this
Call number:
F1434.2.P8 L88
F1434.2.P8 L88
E51.N42Z vol. 8
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_72086

Indians of the Paraná Delta, Argentina / by Samuel Kirkland Lothrop

Author:
Lothrop, S. K (Samuel Kirkland) 1892-1965  Search this
Physical description:
p. 77-232, [14] leaves of plates : ill. ; 23 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
Argentina
Paraná River Valley (Brazil-Argentina)
Date:
1980
1932
[1980]
Topic:
Indians of South America  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_914524

Inca treasure as depicted by Spanish historians, by S.K. Lothrop

Author:
Lothrop, S. K (Samuel Kirkland) 1892-1965  Search this
Physical description:
vii p., 1 l., 75 p. illus. (map, plans) v. pl. on 3 l. 26 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
Peru
Date:
1938
Conquest, 1522-1548
Topic:
Incas  Search this
Antiquities  Search this
History  Search this
Call number:
F3429 .L88
F3429.L88
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_46750

The Indians of Tierra del Fuego, by Samuel Kirkland Lothrop

Author:
Lothrop, S. K (Samuel Kirkland) 1892-1965  Search this
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Physical description:
244 p. illus., XIX pl. (1 col.: incl. map) 26 cm
Type:
Electronic resources
Date:
1928
Topic:
Fuegians  Search this
Ona language  Search this
Yahgan language  Search this
Call number:
F2986 .L88 1928
E51.N42Z vol. 10
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_472342

Early migration to Central and South America / by S.K. Lothrop

Author:
Lothrop, S. K (Samuel Kirkland) 1892-1965  Search this
Physical description:
97-123 p., [1] leaf of plates : ill., maps ; 25 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
Central America
South America
America
Date:
1961
1961]
Topic:
Origin  Search this
Antiquities  Search this
Call number:
E61.L76X 1961
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_444336

Polychrome guanaco cloaks of Patagonia / by S.K. Lothrop

Author:
Lothrop, S. K (Samuel Kirkland) 1892-1965  Search this
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Physical description:
30 p., [2] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm
Type:
Electronic resources
Place:
Patagonia (Argentina and Chile)
Date:
1929
Topic:
Indians of South America--Clothing  Search this
Clothing  Search this
Guanaco  Search this
Call number:
F2821.1.P29 L68 1929
E51.N42Z vol. 7 no. 6
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_451440

Pre-Columbian designs from Panama : 591 illustrations of Coclé pottery / Samuel Kirkland Lothrop

Author:
Lothrop, S. K (Samuel Kirkland) 1892-1965  Search this
Lothrop, S. K (Samuel Kirkland) 1892-1965 Coclé, an archaeological study of central Panama  Search this
Physical description:
108 p. : all ill. ; 29 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
Panama
Coclé (Province)
Date:
1976
Topic:
Indian pottery--Pictorial works  Search this
Indian art--Pictorial works  Search this
Call number:
F1565.1.C6L32 1976X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_412712

Louis C. G. Clarke Kechipauan Expedition photograph collection

Creator:
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Photographer:
Lothrop, S. K. (Samuel Kirkland), 1892-1965  Search this
Coffin, Edwin F. (Edwin Francis), b. 1883  Search this
Names:
University of Cambridge. University Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology  Search this
Extent:
152 Photographic prints
4 Negatives (photographic)
140 Copy negatives
Culture:
A:shiwi (Zuni)  Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Negatives (photographic)
Copy negatives
Date:
1923
Summary:
Field photography from the 1923 Louis C. G. Clarke Kechipauan Expedition at the Kechipauan ruins on the A:shiwi (Zuni) Reservation in New Mexico.
Scope and Contents:
The photographs in this collection include field photography from the Louis C. G. Clarke Kechipauan Expedition shot by Edwin C. Coffin and Samuel K. Lothrop in 1923. This includes images of rooms, trenches, kivas in addition to general views of the site. There are several photographs which include images of burial and human remains which are restricted due to cultural sensitivity. The majority of the photographs are photographic prints, which later had copy negatives made during a large photograph conservation project in the 1960s. There were 30 negatives that arrived with the prints in 1923 but it appears the majority of these were destroyed in 1959, possibly because they were nitrate. Some, but not all of these negatives, had copy prints made before they were destroyed.
N08561 - N08590, P05197 - P05348, N21049 - N21051, N35572 - N35597, N35600 - N35699, N35800 - N35813.
Arrangement:
Arranged by catalog number.
Biographical / Historical:
The Louis C. G. Clarke Kechipauan Expedition happened concurrently with the Hendricks-Hodge Hawikku (Hawikuh) archaeological expedition on the A:shiwi (Zuni) Reservation in New Mexico. Though there had been some preliminary archaeological work conducted by the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation (MAI) in 1919, in 1923 a more substantial joint expedition was conducted by the MAI and Louis C. G. Clarke, director of the Cambridge University Museum in England. The expedition was under the direct supervision of Samuel K. Lothrop. Kechipauan (Kechipawan) was a neighboring A:shiwi (Zuni) Pueblo to Hawikku in the Ojo Caliente Valley. For more information about the history of Kechipauan see "The Age of the Zuni Pueblo of Kechipauan" by Frederick Webb Hodge in Indian Notes, Volume III, No. 2.
Related Materials:
The archaeological materials for this collection are in the NMAI archaeology collection with catalog numbers 12/3829 – 12/3911; 12/4834.
Provenance:
Field photographs came to the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation along with the collections in 1923.
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). Photographs with burials, human remains or any other cultural sensitivity are restricted.
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.
Topic:
Excavations (Archaeology) -- New Mexico  Search this
Archeology -- Southwest  Search this
Photographs  Search this
New Mexico  Search this
Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Louis C. G. Clarke Kechipauan Expedition photograph collection. Item Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NMAI.AC.001.044
Archival Repository:
National Museum of the American Indian
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv4c3dd093b-25bc-4c55-bc5d-5f7451cb34d8
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmai-ac-001-044

The discovery of gold in the graves of Chiriqui, Panama / by S.K. Lothrop

Author:
Lothrop, S. K (Samuel Kirkland) 1892-1965  Search this
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation  Search this
Physical description:
p. 27-36, [3] leaves of plates : ill. ; 17 cm
Type:
Electronic resources
Place:
Chiriquí (Panama : Province)
Date:
1919
Topic:
Antiquities  Search this
Call number:
E51 .I392 vol. 6 no. 2
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_779007

Late Nazca burials at Chaviña, Peru; [an analysis of its textiles, pottery and other furnishings] by S.K. Lothrop and Joy Mahler

Author:
Lothrop, S. K (Samuel Kirkland) 1892-1965  Search this
Mahler, Joy  Search this
Physical description:
viii, 61 p. illus., 21 plates. 27 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
Peru
Chaviña
Chaviña, Peru
Date:
1957
Topic:
Mounds  Search this
Antiquities  Search this
Call number:
F3429.1.C48 L8
F3429.1.C48L8
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_82761

A Chancay-style grave at Zapallan, Peru; an analysis of its textiles, pottery, and other furnishings, by S.K. Lothrop and Joy Mahler

Author:
Lothrop, S. K (Samuel Kirkland) 1892-1965  Search this
Mahler, Joy  Search this
Physical description:
viii, 38 p. illus., 17 plates, map. 27 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
South America
Peru
Zapallan, Peru
Date:
1957
Topic:
Indian pottery  Search this
Indian textile fabrics  Search this
Antiquities  Search this
Call number:
F3429.1.Z3 L88
F3429.1.Z3L88
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_82762

Treasures of ancient America: the arts of the pre-Columbian civilizations from Mexico to Peru, text by S. K. Lothrop

Author:
Lothrop, S. K (Samuel Kirkland) 1892-1965  Search this
Physical description:
xiii, 229 p. illus. (part mounted, part col.) map. 34 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
Latin America
Date:
1964
1964]
Topic:
Indian art  Search this
Antiquities  Search this
Call number:
E65 .L88
E65.L88
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_17980

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