Photo Lot 90-1, George V. Allen collection of photographs of Native Americans and the American frontier, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
American Indian -- Pueblo -- Pictographs Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Stereographs
Scope and Contents:
The item is number V23214 of an unidentified series. The number 70 is stamped on the front of the photograph.
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.09918500
Other Title:
"Indian pictographs. Undeciphered writing of antiquity, near Adamana, Arizona."
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Pictographs -- American Indian -- Pueblo Search this
Language and languages -- Documentation Search this
Collection Citation:
Photo Lot 90-1, George V. Allen collection of photographs of Native Americans and the American frontier, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Photo Lot 90-1, George V. Allen collection of photographs of Native Americans and the American frontier, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
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.
Garrick Mallery (1831-1894) was an ethnologist with the Bureau of American Ethnology who focused primarily on Native American sign language and pictography. This collection reflects Mallery's research interests and methods. Much of the collection is comprised of correspondence and notes relating to sign language and pictography and is organized chiefly by either the cultural or geographic region to which the material belongs. Bound volumes of several of his publications are included, along with annotated draft copies from collaborators. In the case of Mallery's work on pictography, the collection includes several oversize items including original works and reproductions.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains Garrick Mallery's research and writings as a BAE ethnologist and is largely comprised of correspondence and preparatory materials for publications on Native American sign language and pictography. The geographic scope of the material is chiefly the present-day United States and Canada, though other areas of the world are represented less comprehensively. Correspondence and research notes include verbal descriptions of signs, sometimes with illustrations included. Bound volumes of Mallery's publications are included, along with annotations from collaborators. In addition, this collection includes notecards, drawings, illustrations, photographs, articles, and art objects. Art objects (mostly oversize) deal chiefly with Dakota winter counts and other artifacts.
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:
This collection is arranged into 3 series: 1) Research Notes, undated; 2) Materials on Sign Language, 1843-1849, 1873-1894; 3) Materials on Pictographs and Petroglyphs, 1849-1902, undated
Biographical Note:
Garrick Mallery (1831-1894) was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and practiced law in Philadelphia from 1853 until the outbreak of the American Civil War. While serving in the army, he became interested in Native American sign language and pictography, perhaps while performing his duties in frontier areas. After retiring from the military in 1879, Mallery was appointed to the newly created Bureau of American Ethnology as one of its first ethnologists. In his work with the Bureau, Mallery pioneered the study of sign language and pictographs, examining them as a universal human phenomenon with a direct link to spoken language.
In his work, Mallery collected and examined sign language vocabulary from Native American groups throughout the U.S. and Canada and regularly solicited contributions from collaborators. He also related his findings to examples from the wider world, comparing the formation of Native American signs to those in other areas by hearing individuals and by the deaf. Mallery completed several publications on the topic throughout the 1880s, notably Introduction to the Study of Sign language Among the North American Indians (1880), A Collection of Gesture- Signs and Signals of the North American Indians (1880), and "Sign-language among North American Indians Compared with that Among other People and Deaf-mutes," which appeared in the BAE 1st Annual Report (1881).
While most widely known for his work with sign language, Mallery also undertook extensive research into Native American pictography. Like his work with sign language, he both conducted original research and solicited assistance from collaborators. He was especially interested in the representational images in Dakota winter counts and petroglyphs in the United States and throughout the world.
Sources Consulted
Fletcher, Robert. "Garrick Mallery, President of the Philosophical Society of Washington, in 1888." In Brief Memoirs of Colonel Garrick Mallery, U.S.A., Who Died October 24, 1894, 3-8. Washington: Judd & Detweiler, 1895.
1831 -- Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on April 25
1850 -- Graduates Yale College
1853 -- Earns LL. B. from the University of Pennsylvania Admitted to the Pennsylvania bar
1853-1861 -- Practices law in Philadelphia
1861 -- Enters the volunteer army of the United States
1862 -- Severely wounded in the battle of Peach Orchard, Virginia Captured and held prisoner at Libby prison in Richmond, Virginia
1866 -- Completes service with volunteer army of the United States Accepts commission in regular army of the United States
1870 -- Marries Helen W. Wyckoff
1879 -- Retires from the United States army due to disability Appointed to the Bureau of American Ethnology
1880 -- Publishes Introduction to the Study of Sign-Language Among the North American Indians as Illustrating the Gesture-Speech of Mankind and A Collection of Gesture-Signs and Signals of the North American Indians With Some Comparisons
1881 -- Publishes "Sign Language Among North American Indians, Compared with that Among Other Peoples and Deaf-Mutes"
1894 -- Dies after a short illness in Washington, D.C., on October 24
Related Materials:
See MS 2322 A collection of gesture-signs and signals of the North American Indians for more of Garrick Mallery's work on sign language.
Provenance:
MS 2372 was transferred from the Bureau of Ethnology Archives to the Smithsonian Office of Anthropology Archives with the merger of the BAE and the Department of Anthropology of the National Museum of Natural History in 1965. The Smithsonian Office of Anthropology Archives was renamed the National Anthropological Archives in 1968.
Restrictions:
Manuscript 2372 is open for research.
Access to Manuscript 2372 requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Language and languages -- Documentation Search this
32.06 Linear feet (14 boxes, 23 oversize folders, 3 mounted drawings, and 3 rolled items)
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1849-1902
undated
Scope and Contents:
This series contains correspondence, drawings, pencil rubbings, and photographs relating to pictographs and petroglyphs, most filed by location or culture. When correspondence pertains to more than one location or culture, it is filed under "miscellaneous".
Arrangement:
This series is arranged in 4 sub-series: (3.1) Correspondence, drawings, and photographs filed by U.S. state and county (or other locality), 1849-1902, undated; (3.2) Correspondence, drawings, and photographs filed by world region or country, 1860, 1877-1894, undated; (3.3) Correspondence, drawings, and photographs filed by Native American tribe or subject, 1873-1894, undated; (3.4) Correspondence, drawings, and photographs filed by artifact or Winter Count, 1870-1891, undated
Collection Restrictions:
Manuscript 2372 is open for research.
Access to Manuscript 2372 requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 2372, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Cloud Shield's Dakota Winter Count for Years 1777-1879, INV 08746901-08746922; American Horse's Dakota Winter Count for Years 1775-1879, INV 08746923-08746933.
Bound drawing book containing 33 drawings on recto and verso of 17 leaves. The first 22 pages of drawings are by Cloud Shield and represent a count of the years from 1777 to 1878; the next 11 pages of drawings are by American Horse and represent a count of the years from 1775 to 1878-79. Six leaves (probably blank) removed at back of volume. INV 08746901-08746933.
Collection Restrictions:
Manuscript 2372 is open for research.
Access to Manuscript 2372 requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 2372, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Facsimile of Bloody Knife drawing of battle scene, with one warrior striking enemy with butt of gun, and another warrior with buffalo headdress and shield lancing enemy
