This series includes six notebooks comprising a slipnote catalogue of United States National Museum basketry specimens numbered from 455 to 209,512; one notebook of printed labels for basketry specimens; a large number of reprints and clipped published articles, all pertaining to American Indian basketry and /or the United States National Museum basketry collection, together with notes, annotations, and correspondence from the authors; additional correspondence from dealers, private collectors, and anthropologists; numerous typed and handwritten notes by Mason and others regarding baskets and basket-making techniques; and one folder full of photographs and drawings of baskets, including some from Mary Wright Gill, Captain D. D. Gaillard, Livingston Farrand (Salish Basketry design article), A. C. Vroman, and L. W. Jenkins (Peabody Academy of Science basketry exhibit). Extensive material on the J. W. Hudson collection, including a "Catalog of the Hudson Collection of Indian Products, 1899" with 368 entries, and the Fred Harvey collection, plus material on at least four other other Untied States National Museum basketry accessions. Anthropologists and other individuals among the correspondents include: C. P. Wilcomb of San Francisco's Memorial Museum (plant material, Santa Ynez Mission), Miss. Picher, H. E. Williams (Hat Creek), A. M. Lang (Oregon and Washington Tribes), Frank Russell (Pima), Mrs. Harriet and E. T. McArthur (Sasta, Rogue (?), Clapooya, and Modoc), Rust (Rust Collection, USNM acc. #37098, cat. #207, 576-207, 685), Chas. L. Owen of Field Columbian Museum (Apache), Mrs. E. B. Power (Digger), S. L. (Washoe), C. F. Lummis, Washington Matthews (Navajo), C. Hart Merriam (California), G. C. Simms of Field Columbian Museum, Mrs. I. Froham (Alaskan tribes), Mrs. A. Cohn (Washoe), A. L. Kroeber (concerning the Fred Harvey baskets and 37 other baskets), (Klickitat, Umatillas, USNM acc. #41579, cat. #221, 483-221, 499), Frank M. Covert, H. C. Brown, Mrs. Herrick, Mrs. Shakleford, F. V. Coville (botanical notes and list), Rev. M. Eels (Salishm USNM cat. #120, 435 and others), Lt. G. T. Emmons, and Franz Boaz (Alaskan basketry article by Emmons, Haida).
Arrangement:
Arranged by type of material.
Collection Restrictions:
The Otis Tufton Mason papers are open for research.
Access to the Otis Tufton Mason papers requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Otis Tufton Mason papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
