The collection consists of tracings, drawings, and clippings depicting native North American pictographs, petroglyphs, and writing systems. Most of the items have been glued to sheets of paper and labeled. The items come from various sources including Henry Rowe Schoolcraft's Information Respecting the History, Conditions, & Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States (1851-1857), the Pacific Railroad Survey Reports (1855-1861), Harper's New Monthly Magazine, and others. The compiler of the collection is unknown, but may have been a United States National Museum or Bureau of American Ethnology employee or associate.
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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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.
Provenance:
The collection was found in USNM collections; no catalog numbers were associated with the material. It was transferred from the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives in 1969.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection of sketches, tracings, and clippings relating to pictographs and writing systems (MS 87826), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
