Many facets of Richard Lynch Garner's life and work as an early animal behaviorist observing primates in Africa are represented in these papers. Other than a few notebooks of poems and manuscripts of books Garner had published before he began his study of apes and monkeys, there is little material that reflects his personal life or his work before about 1890. These papers, covering the period of 1891 to 1941, contain a diary, correspondence, articles written for magazines, manuscripts, poetry, notes, data collected on chimpanzees, financial records, legal records, maps, biographical material, artwork, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
Many facets of Richard Lynch Garner's life and work as an early animal behaviorist observing primates in Africa are represented in these papers. Other than a few notebooks of poems and manuscripts of books Garner had published before he began his study of apes and monkeys, there is little material that reflects his personal life or his work before about 1890. These papers, covering the period of 1891 to 1941, contain a diary, correspondence, articles written for magazines, manuscripts, poetry, notes, data collected on chimpanzees, financial records, legal records, maps, biographical material, artwork, and photographs.
Many of Garner's observations and writings on the study of the languages of apes are included in this collection. Also included in these papers are comments, notes and essays written by Garner on the French administration of the Congo, on missionaries living in Africa and on the natives themselves. Many, but not all of Garner's writings have been published. Abstracts of many of his articles can be found in the folder "Synopses." Garner also created indices to his works, which may be helpful in navigating his writings. Psychoscope, a book of poems by Garner, was published in 1891 and can be found in this collection along with his other poems. His manuscripts and poems are arranged alphabetically.
Of special interest in this collection is the diary Garner kept while in the French Congo. The diary covers the period of January, 1905 to February, 1906. Also in the collection are data that he collected on chimpanzees, records of his financial transactions with the natives (including the purchase of animals), and rough sketch maps of American Point and Cameroun. The folder "Artwork" contains oil, pen, and pencil drawings of animals, likely intended to illustrate Garner's writings. Among the photographs in the collection are images of Garner, African people, and some of the animals Garner worked with, in particular Susie, his chimpanzee.
Harrington's completed biography on Garner as well as his research notes, reference materials, and drafts can also be found in this collection. In addition, the collection contains obituaries for Garner, presumably collected by his son, Henry. Two letters from Henry Garner to Harrington can be found under "Incoming Correspondence." Most of the outgoing correspondence are addressed to Garner's son.
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:
There is no discernible arrangement to the collection.
Biographical Note:
Garner, an authority on primitive language, took up the study and investigation of the language, life and habits of anthropoid apes after he realized the usefulness of the phonograph for recording primate communication. According to Harrington, Mr. Garner was the discoverer and initiator of the study of the language of apes, and his work was posthumously proven valid by Robert Mearns Yerkes in approximately 1925.
Chronology
February 19, 1848 -- Born in Abingdon, Virginia
1862 -- Joined the Third Tennessee Mounted infantry Educated at the Jefferson Institute, Tennessee
October 15, 1872 -- Married Margaret E. Gross
1876-1890 -- Worked as a school teacher
1884 -- Began recording monkey language with a phonograph Visited the Cincinnati Zoological Garden, his first ever visit to a zoo.
1892 -- Published The Speech of Monkeys Made first of several trips to the French Congo. Sailed from New York to the French Congo to live in a cage among primates at Lake Fernan Vaz
1900 -- Published Apes and Monkeys
1905 -- Had a house built on an island in Lake Fernan Vaz, French Congo
1916 - 1919 -- Under the Smithsonian Institution, made last expedition to the French Congo
January 22, 1920 -- Died in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Selected Bibliography
1892 -- Garner, Richard Lynch. The Speech of Monkeys. New York: C. L. Webster and Company, 1892.
1896 -- Garner, Richard Lynch. Gorillas & Chimpanzees. London: Osgood, McIlvaine & Co, 1896.
c1900 -- Garner, Richard Lynch. Apes and Monkeys; Their Life and Language. Boston and London: Ginn & Company, c1900. [Includes parts of Gorillas and Chimpanzees]
c1930 -- Garner, Richard Lynch. Autobiography of a Boy; from the Letters of Richard Lynch Garner. An Introduction by Aleš Hrdlička. Washington: Huff Duplicating Co., 1930.
Related Materials:
Other materials at the National Anthropological Archives that relate to Garner can be found in the correspondence of John P. Harrington and Aleš Hrdlička and in the USNM Division of Ethnology Manuscript and Pamphlet File. Garner's lantern slides can be found in Photo Lot 81-58A and Photo Lot 92-46.
Provenance:
The papers of Richard Lynch Garner, early animal behaviorist and expedition leader on occasion for the Smithsonian Institution, were given to Dr. John P. Harrington by Garner's son, Henry. Harrington completed a biography of Garner in 1941. Garner's papers originally entered the National Anthropological Archives as a part of the papers of Harrington, and have since been separated to form their own collection.
Restrictions:
The Richard Lynch Garner papers are open for research.
Rights:
Contact repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Language and languages -- Documentation Search this
