26 audiotapes (Reference copies). 52 digital .mp3 files (Reference copies).
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Transcripts
Audiotapes
Date:
1978
Introduction:
The Smithsonian Institution Archives began its Oral History Program in 1973. The purpose of the program is to supplement the written documentation of the Archives'
record and manuscript collections with an Oral History Collection, focusing on the history of the Institution, research by its scholars, and contributions of its staff. Program
staff conduct interviews with current and retired Smithsonian staff and others who have made significant contributions to the Institution. There are also interviews conducted
by researchers or students on topics related to the history of the Smithsonian or the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
Perrygo was interviewed for the Oral History Collection because of his long association with the USNM, spanning some forty years, and his extensive knowledge of the history
of the Institution
Descriptive Entry:
Perrygo was interviewed on August 8 and 16; September 8 and 25; October 30; November 13 and 16; and December 4 and 11, 1978 by Pamela M. Henson. The interviews cover his youth and education; early associations and impressions of the museum; career at the USNM, notably his work as a taxidermist and exhibits specialist, as well as his collecting expeditions; reminiscences of colleagues and friends, such as Alexander Wetmore and A. Remington Kellogg; taxidermy technique; his work in historic preservation; and his tenure as Director of Exhibits for the Botanical Garden Museum.
Related collections in the Archives include Record Unit 7306, The Watson M. Perrygo Papers; Record Unit 7006, The Alexander Wetmore Papers, which contains photograph albums from their Panama trips; and Record Units 7215 and 7217, Collected Notes, Lists, Drawings and Catalogs on Birds and Mammals, respectively, which contain Perrygo's field notebooks.
Historical Note:
Watson Mondell Perrygo (1906-1984) was a naturalist who worked for the United States National Museum (USNM) from 1925-1965 as a taxidermist, field collector, and exhibits
specialist. He was born in Washington, D.C., on 18 October 1906 and grew up in Prince Georges County, Maryland. In his youth, he developed an interest in natural history,
spending much of his time at the USNM. While in high school, he began going on ornithological field trips with USNM Director, Alexander Wetmore; thus began a professional
friendship which lasted throughout their careers.
Perrygo's entire career was spent at the USNM as a scientific aide and then taxidermist. His extensive field work included systematic surveys of the southeast United States
and of Panama. He was first employed part-time by the USNM in 1925 to prepare specimens for the Philadelphia sesquicentennial. In 1927 he became a permanent employee, working
part-time in the Taxidermy Studio. In 1928-1929 he was sent on his first field trip to Haiti, with Arthur J. Poole. The following year, he returned to Haiti as the Smithsonian
Representative on the Parish-Smithsonian Expedition. During the 1930s he conducted a systematic program of field collecting in the southeast United States, traveling to West
Virginia in 1936; Tennessee in 1937; Kentucky in 1938; North Carolina in 1939; and South Carolina in 1940. On his North Carolina trip he met a schoolteacher, Velva Howard,
whom he married.
Perrygo accompanied A. Remington Kellogg to Rampart Cave, Arizona, in 1942 to excavate remains of extinct sloth. From 1946 to 1953, Perrygo and Wetmore collected in a different
section of Panama each year in preparation for Wetmore's multi-volume The Birds of Panama. In 1946 they traveled through Darien; in 1947 up the Jaque River in Darien;
in 1948 through Herrera province; in 1949 through the Province of Panama; in 1950 to Chiman and up the Maje River; in 1951 to Cerro Campana; in 1952 up the Rio Indio; and
in 1953 through Sona.
As a taxidermist, Perrygo worked on many of the famous zoological specimens in the National Museum, such as "Martha," the last passenger pigeon, and the Fenykovi elephant.
During the USNM Exhibits Modernization Program of the 1950s, Perrygo was very active in renovating the zoological exhibit halls. In 1960 he was placed in charge of the Taxidermy
Studio until his retirement in 1965.
Perrygo restored a Charles County, Maryland, colonial estate in the fifties consisting "Ellerslie," the main house, adjacent barn (c. 1667) and outbuildings. After retirement,
he served on the Board of Maryland Historic Trust and as President of the Charles County Historical Society. Perrygo directed the restoration of numerous structures, such
as the Friendship House, Mudd House, and Cat-Slide House, reflecting his long-standing interests in history and historic preservation. He also was Director of Exhibits for
the Botanical Garden Museum in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1977 to the 1980s.
Discusses the 1950 field trip to Chiman in Panama; exhibits modernization of the bird and mammal halls; taxidermy technique; co-workers in the Taxidermy Studio and USNM; and preparation of the Fenykovi elephant; c. 1950-1962.
The materials in this accession document Weiss' work in the Office of Correspondence and Documents, the Department of Geology, and as Registrar for the USNM. Among
those represented in the collection are Ray S. Bassler, Alexander Wetmore, Herbert S. Bryant, and Leonard Carmichael. Of interest are two diaries of Bassler which cover the
time period from 1942-1947 and passport photographs of administrators, scientists, curators, and other individuals within the Smithsonian.
The collection is organized into the following subseries: 1) Helena Weiss; 2) Ray S. Bassler; 3) Smithsonian Institution. Materials include correspondence, memoranda, a
scrapbook, notebooks, record books, diaries, black-and-white photographs, postcards, certificates, awards, and ephemera.
Historical Note:
Raised in Shipman, Illinois, Helena M. Weiss attended the Butler Business College in Butler, Pennsylvania as well as graduated from the Wheeler Business College in
Birmingham, Alabama before she began her career as a museum registrar and administrator. Her work began as a stenographer for the Veterans Administration in 1930. A year later
she was appointed Junior Clerk-Stenographer in the Office of Correspondence and Documents (renamed the Office of Correspondence and Records in 1947) of the United States National
Museum (USNM) and in 1935 Weiss transferred to the Department of Geology. By 1948 Weiss returned to the Office of Correspondence and Records as an Administrative Assistant
and later that year would advance to Chief after the retirement of Herbert S. Bryant. In 1956 her title was changed to Registrar and she remained in that position until her
retirement in 1971.
As one of the first women managers at the Smithsonian Institution, Weiss was responsible for the central filing system of the USNM, public inquiry mail, mail service, accession
reports, loans and exchanges, shipping, foreign travel, customs regulations, insurance, and workman's compensation. During her tenure, Weiss was involved in the acquisition
of such museum specimens as the Wright Brothers' plane, "Kitty Hawk," the Hope Diamond, and the Fenykovi elephant.
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
5 Items
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1900 - 1986
Scope and Contents note:
The series contains several materials from events relating to the installation of the Fénykövi Elephant in the National Museum of Natural History. Also includes a scrapbook compiled by Stuart Hall Hill who was an assistant to Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919).
Collection Rights:
The collection is housed in the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, which is open to researchers Monday through Friday in the afternoons, from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m.; morning visits are by appointment only. Please call (202) 633-1184 or email AskaLibrarian@si.edu for an appointment.
National Museum of Natural History. Office of Exhibits Search this
Extent:
3.43 cu. ft. (3 record storage boxes) (1 12x17 box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Books
Brochures
Clippings
Manuscripts
Newspapers
Newsletters
Picture postcards
Drawings
Sketches
Black-and-white photographs
Color photographs
Date:
circa 1970-1999
Descriptive Entry:
These records primarily document the work of Frank M. Greenwell, Smithsonian Taxidermist 1957-1999. Greenwell retired in 1999 and had achieved the title of Chief, Taxidermy/Conservation,
National Museum of Natural History, Office of Exhibits. Greenwell was also a member of the National Taxidermists Association. Materials include information on the mounting
of the "Fenykovi" Elephant (displayed in the rotunda of the National Museum of Natural History); the "Hasinger" Bengal Tiger (displayed in the National Museum of Natural History);
and the mounting of "Mungo" a baby elephant, by William Temple Hornaday, nineteenth century Smithsonian Taxidermist. There are additional information files regarding Smithsonian
Taxidermists William Temple Hornaday and Carl Ethan Akeley. Other featured collectors and collections include Smithsonian's joint African safari with Theodore Roosevelt (1909-1910).
This safari substantially increased Smithsonian's African collections. There is one box of reference photographs that mostly depict live animals in various attitudes, and
natural habitats. These were used as models for the Taxidermists in creating life-like mounts and dioramas of natural scenes. In addition to the animal and landscape photos,
there are also photos of people, including two of Osa and Martin Johnson. Materials include articles, brochures, correspondence, drawings, formulas, informational files, memoranda,
newsletters, newspaper clippings, notes, photographs, and sketches.
National Museum of Natural History. Division of Mammals Search this
Extent:
8.5 cu. ft. (17 document boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Clippings
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
1860-1973 and undated
Descriptive Entry:
This collection contains a variety of materials documenting the lives and careers of scientists from a wide range of fields, including mammalogy, ornithology, ichthyology,
herpetology, botany, entomology, paleontology and geology. Also included are files on conservationists, taxidermists, historical figures, explorers, frontiersmen, and hunters.
The files include biographies, news clippings, press releases, correspondence, and photographs. The amount of documentation varies with the individual.
Of particular note is extensive material on United States National Museum taxidermist William L. Brown. Included are reminiscences of his fifty-one year career at the Museum;
photographs taken on the Beach Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Expedition, 1937; and correspondence concerning the Fenykovi elephant.
Folder 40 Brown, William L. (cont'd). Miscellaneous correspondence mostly relating to USNM appointments and job offers, 1908-1971. Of special interest is a letter from J. J. Fenykovi (28 August 1967) concerning the Fenykovi elephant.
Collection Creator::
National Museum of Natural History. Division of Mammals Search this
Container:
Box 2 of 17
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7320, National Museum of Natural History. Division of Mammals, Biographical File
Folder 2 Brown, William L. (cont'd). Photographs, c. 1908-1950s. Subjects included USNM exhibits; the (William) Beach Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Expedition, 1928; the (William) Beach-(Watson) Webb Alaskan Expedition, 1937; and mammals. Also included are phot...
Collection Creator::
National Museum of Natural History. Division of Mammals Search this
Container:
Box 3 of 17
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7320, National Museum of Natural History. Division of Mammals, Biographical File
Weiss, Helena M., 1909-2004, interviewee Search this
Extent:
8 audiotapes (Reference copies).
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Audiotapes
Oral history
Date:
1987
Introduction:
The Smithsonian Institution Archives began its Oral History Program in 1973. The purpose of the program is to supplement the written documentation of the Archives'
record and manuscript collections with an Oral History Collection, focusing on the history of the Institution, research by its scholars, and contributions of its staff. Program
staff conduct interviews with current and retired Smithsonian staff and others who have made significant contributions to the Institution. There are also interviews conducted
by researchers or student on topics related to the history of the Smithsonian or the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
Weiss was interviewed for the Oral History Collection because of her long and distinguished career as the Smithsonian museum registrar and an administrator, and because
of her many memories of life and colleagues in the United States National Museum.
Descriptive Entry:
The Weiss interviews were conducted by Pamela M. Henson, Historian for Smithsonian Institution Archives, and discuss her work at the Veterans Administration and career
at the Smithsonian, including her work as a stenographer for the Office of Correspondence and Documents and secretary for the Department of Geology, tenure as Registrar for
the USNM, and role as one of the first women managers at the Smithsonian. Also included are reminiscences of many colleagues, notably Ray S. Bassler, Herbert S. Bryant, Louise
M. Pearson, and Alexander Wetmore, and stories about her responsibilities for important artifacts and specimens.
This collection is comprised of eight interview sessions, totaling approximately 8.0 hours of recordings and 291 pages of transcript. There are three generations of audio
for each session: original 7" reel to reel tapes, preservation .wav files, and reference .mp3 files. In total, this collection is comprised of 16 original 7" reels, 16 preservation
digital audio .wav files, and 16 reference digital audio .mp3 files.
Historical Note:
Helena M. Weiss (1909-2004), was born on February 6, 1909, in Shipman, Illinois. She earned her clerical degree from Wheeler Business College in Birmingham, Alabama,
before moving to Washington, D.C., in 1930, where she began her career as a stenographer for the Veterans Administration. In 1931, she was appointed Junior Clerk-Stenographer
in the Office of Correspondence and Documents (renamed the Office of Correspondence and Records in 1947) of the United States National Museum (USNM) and in 1935 transferred
to the Department of Geology. She returned to the Office of Correspondence and Records in 1948 as an Administrative Assistant and later that year advanced to Chief, after
the retirement of Herbert S. Bryant. In 1956, her title was changed to Registrar and she remained in that position until her retirement in 1971.
As one of the first women managers at the Smithsonian, Weiss was responsible for the central filing system of the USNM, public inquiry mail, mail service, accession reports,
loans and exchanges, shipping, foreign travel, customs regulations, insurance, and workman's compensation. She was involved in the acquisition of such famous museum artifacts
and specimens as the Wright Brothers' plane, Kitty Hawk, the Hope Diamond, and the Fenykovi elephant. She was also a recipient of the Secretary's Exceptional Gold Service
Award.
SUBJECT FILE, 1940-1968 AND UNDATED. ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY.
Collection Creator::
United States National Museum. Office of the Director Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Note:
This series consists of files kept by A. Remington Kellogg in his capacity as an administrative officer of the United States National Museum (USNM) and the Smithsonian
Institution, as well as records concerning his professional affairs. Included are files concerning USNM administration, collections, exhibits, and research; professional and
social organizations; speeches and addresses; scientific manuscripts; and research interests. Of special interest are files documenting Kellogg's candidacy for the Distinguished
Civilian Service Award, 1959-1960; records concerning his activities as a member of the National Academy of Sciences' Daniel Girand Elliot Medal Committee; and photographs
of the mounting of the Fenykovi elephant.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 88, United States National Museum. Office of the Director, Records
![view "Fenykovi" Elephant (7 folders) digital asset: Preparing Fenykovi Elephant for Exhibition (in folder 2) [SIA2010-0608]](https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?max=170&id=https://sirismm.si.edu/siris/electronicresource.gif "Preparing Fenykovi Elephant for Exhibition (in folder 2) [SIA2010-0608]")
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