Irving Goldman (1911-2002) was an anthropologist who conducted research among the Modoc Indians in California, the Ulkatcho Carrier of British Columbia, and the Cubeo Indians in the Vaupes region of the Northwest Amazon. The focus of the collection is Goldman's field research on the Cubeo. The collection also includes some materials relating to his work on the Modoc, the Ulkatcho Carrier, Polynesians, and Tzotzil of Chamula Indians of Chiapas, Mexico. Other materials in the collection include his professional and personal correspondence and his writings. Another important part of this collection is from his personal materials. Goldman was a Communist from 1936-1942, and in 1953 was brought before the Jenner Committee. The file Goldman kept of this investigation includes a transcript of his appearance in front of the Committee, as well as many newspaper clippings.
Scope and Contents:
The focus of the collection is Irving Goldman's field research on the Cubeo Indians of Vaupes, Colombia. In addition to documentation from multiple trips to Cubeo, the collection also includes some materials relating to his work on the Modoc, the Ulkatcho Carrier, Polynesians, and Tzotzil of Chamula Indians of Chiapas, Mexico. The Cubeo materials include field notes, research notes, questionnaires and photographs that Goldman used in his publications, which include The Cubeo: Indians of the Northwest Amazon and Hehenewa of the Cuduiari: An Introduction to Cubean Religious Thought, which was published posthumously as Cubeo Hehenewa Religious Thought: Metaphysics of a Northwestern Amazonian People. Additional materials from his Cubeo research are 26 field recordings of music, interviews, and dances. Also in the collection is a sound recording relating to the Kwakiutl Indians. The work on Polynesia for his publication "Ancient Polynesian Society" consist of his reading notes. His Ulkatcho Carrier notes contain language material from his field research among the Ulkatcho, Nazko, and Quesnel, three Carrier bands in the Blackwater dialect group. His notes from his research in Chiapas contain ethnographic and linguistic notes on what appears to be Tzotzil. The Modoc materials also contain ethnographic and linguistic notes.
The correspondence in the collection is a mix of professional and personal. This includes correspondence from former students and recommendations he wrote for them. In the writing series are notes and edits of chapters and manuscripts for his books, as well as articles that Goldman wrote and a couple of speeches he gave. The collection includes many photographs, most of which do not have descriptions of locations. The identified photographs include images from Vaupes and Chiapas, Mexico. There is one folder that includes some photographs of the Modoc and another that contains pictures from the British Columbia Ulkatcho.
Another important part of this collection is a file on the Jenner Committee's investigation of Goldman and a transcript of his testimony in front of the committee, as well as many newspaper clippings.
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 collection is arranged in 7 series: (1) Professional Correspondence, 1951-1999; (2) Field Research, 1935-40, 1955-90, undated [Bulk 1970-1985, undated]; (3) Writings, 1941-45, 1958-94 [Bulk 1968-85]; (4) Conferences, 1975-1976; (5) Personal Material, 1928-1977 [Bulk 1943-1958]; (6) Photographs, Undated, 1934, 1948-40, 1948, 1955, 1962-79 [Bulk 1978-1979]; (7) Microfilm, undated; (8) Sound recordings, 1968-70, 1986, undated.
Biographical Note:
Irving Goldman was born September 2, 1911 in Brooklyn, New York to Louis and Golda Goldman, immigrants from Russia. Goldman graduated from Brooklyn College in 1933, and continued from there to Columbia University for graduate work, where he studied under Franz Boas. In 1936, he joined the American Communist Party, but left the party in 1942.
As a graduate student, Goldman conducted research among the Modoc Indians in California (1934) and the Cubeo in the Vaupes region of the Northwest Amazon (1939). For his graduate work at Columbia, he focused on the Ulkatcho Carrier of British Columbia, which he researched from 1935-36. His thesis, "The Alkatcho Carrier of British Columbia" was published in Acculturation in Seven American Indian Tribes (1940). Goldman received his Ph.D. in 1941.
Goldman began World War II as a Research Analyst for the Coordinator of InterAmerican Affairs (1942-43). He was reassigned to the Office of Strategic Services, where he was a 2nd Lieutenant (1943-1945). In 1945 he was transferred to the U.S. Department of State, where he was the Chief of Branch for the Office of Research and Analysis, until he was released in 1947 as a security risk due to his earlier involvement with communism.
Goldman taught at Sarah Lawrence from 1947 until 1981, where he also served on many faculty committees, as well as their Board of Trustees. During this time, Goldman also continued his anthropological research. He spent 1955 in Chiapas, Mexico, studying Tzotzil of Chamula Indians. He also did library research on Polynesia, which led to his book Ancient Polynesian Society (1970), a key work in anthropological thought. During his time at Sarah Lawrence College, Goldman also published two other significant books: The Cubeo: Indians of the Northwest Amazon (1963) and The Mouth of Heaven: An Introduction to Kwakiutl Religious Thought (1975). In 1968, he returned to the Cubeo, continuing his research there into the early 1980s. His wife, Hannah, who died in 1986, traveled occasionally with him. From 1980 to 1987, Goldman taught at the New School for Social Research in New York City.
During the McCarthy era, in 1953, Goldman was forced to testify before the Jenner Senate Committee, which investigated connections between academics and communism. While Goldman admitted to having been a part of the party, he took his First Amendment right to avoid naming others who he knew had been members. This was a risky and rare tactic; however it had a positive outcome for him, as Sarah Lawrence College, where Goldman was teaching at the time, decided not to fire him since he had spoken his conscious and no more.
Goldman died April 7, 2002. Goldman's peers considered him to have "insightful analyses that were often ahead of his time" (Rubel 2003) and to have had "the courage to tackle big problems in the realm of comparative research." (Rubel 2003) His final manuscript was published posthumously as Cubeo Henewa Religious Thought: Metaphysics of a Northwestern Amazonian People (2004).
Sources Consulted
Rubel, Paul and Abraham Rosman. 2003. Irving Goldman (1911-2002). American Anthropologist 105:4.
Shenn, Jody. 2002. Remembering Irving Goldman. News and Events at Sarah Lawrence.
Schildkrout, Enid, and Irving Goldman. 1989. A Conversation with Irving Goldman. American Ethnologist 16:3.
1911 -- Born April 18 in New York, New York.
1933 -- Earns B.S. from Brooklyn College.
1934 -- Fieldwork on Modoc Indians, California.
1935-1936 -- Fieldwork on Ulkatcho Carrier Indians, British Columbia.
1939-1940 -- First fieldwork on Cubeo Indians, Vaupes, Colombia.
1941 -- Earns Ph.D. from Columbia University.
1942 -- Research Analyst on Latin America for the Coordinator of InterAmerican Affairs.
1943-1945 -- 2nd Lieutenant for the Office of Strategic Services.
1945-1947 -- Chief of Branch for the Office of Research and Analysis for the United States State Department.
1947 -- Left State Department; began to teach at Sarah Lawrence College.
1953 -- Investigated by the Jenner Committee for his communist connections.
1955 -- Fieldwork on Tzotzil of Chamula Indians, Chiapas, Mexico.
1968-1980 -- Goldman continuously returned to Vaupes, Colombia to study the Cubeo.
1980 -- Began to teach at the New School for Social Research.
1981 -- Retired from Sarah Lawrence College.
1987 -- Retired from the New School for Social Research.
2002 -- Died April 7, 2002 in Brooklyn, New York.
Related Materials:
Materials at the NAA relating to Irving Goldman's involvement with the Handbook of South American Indians can be found in Manuscript 4846 and the Handbook of South American Indians records, 1934-47.
Provenance:
These papers were donated to the National Anthropological Archives by Sonya Shenn of the Department of Anthropology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2002. An unidentified 8mm film in the collection was transferred to the Human Studies Film Archives in 2007 (HSFA 2008.04)
Restrictions:
Access to the Irving Goldman papers requires an appointment.
Photographs and slides of Gorelick's artwork form the bulk of this series. Also found are photographs of Gorelick including portraits, studio photos, and photos of Gorelick with others at exhibition openings, other events, and a painting class. The series also includes installation images and Gorelick's study photos and slides of her subjects, both people and landscapes, used for her paintings.
Photos and slides of Gorelick's models Libby and Boris Ourlicht, Tess Forrest and Joseph Barnett, Lee and Gunny Benson, and others can also be found in this series. The Bensons were some of Gorelick's oldest friends, and Libby Ourlicht was Gorelick's subject and muse in nude figure paintings, portraits, and paintings in which Ourlicht is pictured with her husband and two adolescent children.
Other individuals depicted in the photos are Leonard Gorelick (including photos by Maurice C. Blum), Ilise Greenstein, and others. One folder of various unlabeled slides includes shots of unidentified people, landscapes, skyscapes, and a few images of Gorelick and others.
In addition to black and white and color slides and photographic prints, photographic media include laser prints, negatives, and contact sheets.
Arrangement:
The bulk of Gorelick's photos and slides came to AAA numbered individually and organized in numbered binder volumes. This arrangement has been retained for that material. Note that while items were numbered sequentially there are gaps in the numbering. Photographs are housed first in the series, followed by slides.
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Shirley Gorelick papers, 1939-2008, 2016. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by The Shirley Gorelick Foundation
Art Thieme was a noted folk singer who recorded many traditional ballads and folk songs from midwestern states. This collection is a series of 459 color slides documenting folk musicians and folk music, in both concert settings and informal portraiture, all taken by the donor.
Scope and Contents:
459 35mm color slides documenting folk musicians and folk music, in both concert settings and informal portraiture, all taken by the donor, Art Thieme, a noted folksinger. Subjects include such well-known performers as Stephen Wade, the New Lost City Ramblers, Mike Seeger, Pete Seeger, Peggy Seeger, Jack Elliott, Ike Everly, B.B. King, Dave Edmonson, Ray Harris, Kenny Baker, Tom Paxton, John Hammond, Bill Monroe, Justin Bishop, Steve Goodman, Cathy Fink, Wes Asbury, Ron F. Kirkpatrick, Doc Watson, Jim Kweskin, and Lightnin' Hopkins, and other notables such as oral historian Studs Terkel. The collection also contains a CD with Thieme's recordings and a folder of newspaper clippings, a program, and a map of local folk singers across the country. The slides are unarranged, but most slides have names, places, and dates.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Art Thieme was born on July 9, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois. He becamea noted folk singer. He launched his career at a Hyde Park, Chicago club, the Limelight, in 1959 and went on to perform for many years at a coffeehouse called No Exit, also in Chicago. Touring all over the country, he photographed and recorded many folk singers and concerts, documented in this collection. At the end of his career, he performed on the steamboats Julia Belle Swain, Twilight on the Mississippi, and Illinois Rivers. He has recorded traditional folk songs rendered by himself for Folk Legacy Records. Thieme died on May 26, 2015.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Art Thieme in 2012.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Unrestricted research use on site. Unprotected photographs must be handled with white cotton gloves provided by Archives Center staff.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection is open for research but a portion of the collection is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
A small number of letters and photographs are restricted until the year 2031. Identification list in box.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
1 Item (Color-dye gelatin on film., 2-1/4" x 2-1/4".)
Container:
Box 165, Sheet 11
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Portraits
Place:
Europe -- 1970-1980 -- Photographs
Date:
1975
Local Numbers:
AC0145-0000038.tif (AC scan no.)
VDF 50170
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but a portion of the collection is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
A small number of letters and photographs are restricted until the year 2031. Identification list in box.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Unrestricted research use on site. Unprotected photographs must be handled with white cotton gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Unrestricted research use on site. Unprotected photographs must be handled with white cotton gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Unrestricted research use on site. Unprotected photographs must be handled with white cotton gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
1 Item (Color-dye gelatin on film, 2-1/4" x 2-1/4")
Container:
Box 169, Sheet 49
Type:
Archival materials
Portraits
Photographs
Color slides
Chromogenic processes
Date:
[ca. 1953-1964.]
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use on site. Unprotected photographs must be handled with white cotton gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
7 Items (Color-dye gelatin on film, 2-1/4" x 2-1/4".)
Container:
Box 169, Sheet 47
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Color slides
Chromogenic processes
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but a portion of the collection is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
A small number of letters and photographs are restricted until the year 2031. Identification list in box.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
4 Items (Color-dye gelatin on film, 2-1/4" x 2-1/4")
Container:
Box 162, Sheet 4-5, Frame Videodisc 48512-48515
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Chromogenic processes
Color slides
Place:
Madeira Islands
Date:
1971
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but a portion of the collection is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
A small number of letters and photographs are restricted until the year 2031. Identification list in box.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Aged women -- 1970-1980 -- Madeira -- Photographs Search this
Girls -- 1970-1980 -- Madeira -- Photographs Search this
In sheet 43, box 164. Cf. frame 50152, box 165, sheet 9-10, boy in red pants from the back, reproduced in "Colors,"Smithsonian 1995 Engagement Calendar.
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use on site. Unprotected photographs must be handled with white cotton gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Unrestricted research use on site. Unprotected photographs must be handled with white cotton gloves provided by Archives Center staff.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
1 Item (Color-dye gelatin on film, 2-1/4" x 2-1/4")
Container:
Box 161, Sheet 39
Type:
Archival materials
Portraits
Photographs
Chromogenic processes
Place:
Madeira Islands
Date:
undated
Local Numbers:
AC0145-0000035.tif (AC scan no.)
VDF 48334
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but a portion of the collection is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
A small number of letters and photographs are restricted until the year 2031. Identification list in box.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
1 Item (Color-dye gelatin on film., 2-1/4" x 2-1/4")
Container:
Box 165, Sheet 31
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Portraits
Date:
undated
Local Numbers:
AC0145-0000037.tif (AC scan no.)
VDF 50396
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but a portion of the collection is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
A small number of letters and photographs are restricted until the year 2031. Identification list in box.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
32 Items (Color-dye gelatin on film, 2-1/4" x 2-1/4")
Container:
Box 169, Sheet 37-39
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Portraits
Place:
Asia, Southeastern -- 1970-1980 -- Photographs
Date:
1979
Local Numbers:
AC0145-0000002.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000003.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000004.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000005.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000006.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000007.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000009.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000008.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000010.tif (AC Scan no.)
AC0145-0000011.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000013.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000012.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000015.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000014.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000017.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000016.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000019.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000021.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000022.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000024.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000025.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000026.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000027.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000028.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000029.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000020.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000023.tif (AC scan no.)
Videodisc 52590-52611.
AC0145-0000033.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000030.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000031.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000032.tif (AC scan no.)
AC0145-0000018.tif (AC scan no.)
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but a portion of the collection is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
A small number of letters and photographs are restricted until the year 2031. Identification list in box.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Women -- 1970-1980 -- Asia, Southeastern -- Photographs Search this
Men -- 1970-1980 -- Asia, Southeastern -- Photographs Search this
Children -- 1970-1980 -- Asia, Southeastern -- Photographs Search this
1 Item (Color-dye gelatin on film., 2-1/4" x 2-1/4".)
Container:
Box 126, Sheet 23
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Florida -- 1960-1980 -- Photographs
Date:
Circa 1960s
Local Numbers:
AC0145-0000051.tif (AC scan no.)
40818 (Videodisc frame)
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but a portion of the collection is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
A small number of letters and photographs are restricted until the year 2031. Identification list in box.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Chromogenic phototransparency depicting the front of a 3-story grey house, with 6-column facade.
Arrangement:
In Series 5, Box 169, Sheets 18.
Local Numbers:
AC0145-0000034.tif (AC scan no.)
52383 Videodisc frame
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use on site. Unprotected photographs must be handled with white cotton gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
1 Item (Color-dye gelatin on film., 2-1/4" x 2-1/4".)
Container:
Box 1 (Series 5), Sheet 49
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Tahoe, Lake Calif. -- 1950-1970 -- Photographs
Date:
Circa 1960s
Scope and Contents:
Coin-operated amusement ride.
Local Numbers:
AC0145-0000053.tif (AC scan no.)
General:
Videodisc frame 399.
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with white cotton gloves provided by Archives Center staff.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
