The collection consists of 63 drawings and 5 photographs of drawings created by Edwin Moody for Steinberger's expedition to Samoa in 1873. The drawings document the voyages to and from Samoa, including stops in the Hawaiian islands. Many of the drawings were made from shipboard and depict the coastlines of the various islands and harbors. There are also drawings of Samoan and Hawaiian people and villages.
The drawings and photographs appear to have been prepared for publication as numbers appear in pencil on each mount. It is unknown if the drawings were ever published.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement:
The drawings are arranged in number order. The significance of the numbers is unknown; the numbers do not represent a chronological arrangement. Many numbers in the sequence are missing and some numbers are repeated.
Historical Note:
Edwin Moody accompanied Albert Barnes Steinberger to Samoa via Hawaii in 1873. Steinberger was sent as a special commissioner on behalf of the U.S. State Department to appraise the political situation in Samoa for President Grant. In his Report upon Samoa or, the Navigator's Islands, Made to the Secretary of State (1874), Steinberger described Moody as a "practical artist who also acted as secretary."
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 130,592
USNM Accession 31,636
Variant Title:
Scenes and natives of Samoa and Hawaii, signed "Moody"
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Works of art
Citation:
Edwin Moody drawings of Samoa and Hawaii (MS 130592), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
