The Ernest S. and Eloise Carter collection includes photographic prints, negatives and slides taken between 1950 and 1976 in the American Southwest, Mexico and Bolivia. The Carters were research associates for the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation between 1964 and 1975 and focused much of their research on petroglyphs and pictographs. In addition to photographic material there is also correspondence and documentation about the photographs in the collection.
Scope and Contents:
The Ernest S. and Eloise Carter collection includes photographic prints, negatives and slides taken between 1950 and 1976 in the American Southwest, Mexico and Bolivia as well as documentation and notes regarding their work. The bulk of the photographs and notes were made by the Carters from 1964 to 1976 while they were research associates for the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation. The Carters spent much of their time photographing and researching petroglyph and pictograph sites in Arizona, New Mexico, California and Nevada producing black and white and color negatives, color slides, and photographic prints that were sent back to the MAI along with maps, notes, and reports as they were completed.
Series 1: Photographs, 1950-1975, is organized into four separate subseries. Subseries 1.1 Mexico and Bolivia, Landscapes and People, 1950-1951, includes photographs taken in Bolivia, circa 1950-1951 and in Mexico in 1964. Although it is unclear whether or not Ernest Carter took the Bolivia photographs himself or acquired them while he was traveling there, the photographic prints include landscape views and portraits shot in around the city of Potosí, Bolivia. The photographs shot in Mexico include black and white negatives the Carters took at the Monte Alban and Mitla ruins in Oaxaca, Mexico in July, 1964. Subseries 1.2 US Southwest: Landscapes and Petroglyphs, 1964-1973, the largest group of materials in the collection, includes the bulk of the work done by the Carters for the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation. The subseries is arranged chronologically and then by location including sites in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada and Utah. Both Eloise and Ernest shot photographs, though Eloise generally shot in black and white and Ernest in color. This subseries includes negatives(5x7 and 35mm), slides (120 and 35mm), and photographic prints of various sizes, some mounted. Images include wide shots of petroglyph, pictograph, and acorn grinding sites, close-ups of petroglyphs as well as landscape views.
The Carters were also prolific collectors of kachinas and other ethnographic objects from the Southwest. Subseries 1.3 Object Photography: Kachinas, Pottery, Baskets and Other Objects, 1967-1975 includes photographs of the Carter kachinas, pottery and basket collections as well as several photographs of the Carters in their home alongside their collections. Subseries 1.4: Educational Materials and Other Selected Studies, 1970-1973 includes photographs the Carters put together for use by the educational department. Mostly mounted prints and slides, these photographs generally were sent with specific descriptions and were selected to highlight the variations between the petroglyph sites. This subseries also includes "Pueblo Life and Work" a series of photographs shot by the Carters at Taos Pueblo, Ildenfonso Pueblo, Laguna Pueblo and Hopi Pueblo in 1973.
Series 2: Correspondence and Photograph Documentation, 1964-1987, includes correspondence and documentation about the photographs in the Carter collection. The majority of the correspondence is between Ernest Carter and Frederick Dockstader, director of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation (MAI), regarding the donation of photographs and objects from the Carters to the museum between 1964 and 1976. The correspondence also includes detailed expense records which document where the Carters where traveling when as well as when shipments of photographs and objects were being made through the years. The documentation includes detailed reports from the Carters research on petroglyphs, maps of various petroglyph sites, photograph lists with descriptions as well as drawings and notes.
Arrangement note:
This collection is arranged into two series. Series 1: Photographs, 1950-1976, is organized in four subseries. Subseries 1.1: Mexico and Bolivia, Landscapes and People, 1950-1951, 1964; Subseries 1.2: US Southwest: Landscapes and Petroglyphs, 1964-1973; Subseries 1.3: Object Photography: Kachinas, Pottery, Baskets and Other Objects, 1967-1975; Subseries 1.4: Educational Materials and Other Selected Studies, 1970-1973. These subseries are then arranged chronologically. Series 2: Correspondence and Photograph Documentation is arranged alphabetically and then by document number.
Biographical/Historical note:
Ernest Carter was born Ernest (Eryst of Eruie) Sigmund Schickler in Vienna, Austria in 1922. Following World War II, he left Europe for South America where he spent four years in the Andes on climbing expeditions. He changed his name from Schickler to Carter when he moved to the United States in 1951 and officially became an American citizen in 1957. Eloise Carter was born in Nebraka in 1928 and eventually became a dental assistant in the Bay Area, California, where she met and married Ernest around 1960. In 1964 Ernest and Eloise were made research associates of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation which began a long term relationship with the MAI. During this time the Carters traveled throughout California, Nevada and other location in the Southwest and Mexico to photograph petroglyphs and pictographs which were subsequently shipped to the Museum. They also collected objects which were donated to the MAI including baskets, pottery and kachinas among other items. Their relationship with the MAI tapered off after Frederick Dockstader left the museum in 1975. The Carters continued to travel and work with communities in the southwest and eventually settled in Mountain View, California.
Provenance:
Donated by Ernest and Eloise Carter between 1964-1975 with additional photographs donated in 1986.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Thursday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited users to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not changed, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Ernest S. and Eloise Carter collection, Item Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
This Series includes photographic prints, negatives and slides taken by Ernest and Eloise between 1950 and 1976 in Bolivia, Mexico and the American Southwest. This series is organized into four subseries: Subseries 1.1: Mexico and Bolivia, Landscapes and People, 1950-1951, 1964; Sub Series 1.2: US Southwest: Landscapes and Petroglyphs, 1964-1973; Sub Series 1.3: Object Photography: Kachinas, Pottery, Baskets, 1967-1975; Sub Series 1.4: Educational materials and Other Selected Studies, 1970-1973. The bulk of the collection is from the work the Carters did between 1964 and 1975 photographing petroglyph and pictograph sites in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado (Subseries 1.2). There is also a signficant amount of object photography documenting the Carters large collection of Kachinas, pottery, baskets and other materials. The photographs in this series were sent to the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation over the course of ten years, often with corresponding documentation. It has been noted where to find accompanying documents (in Series 2) which often have additional descriptions and information about what is photographed.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Thursday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited users to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not changed, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Ernest S. and Eloise Carter collection, Item Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Photograph of Drawing of Ten Pictographs (Fig 1-10) Showing Figures, Animals, Birds, and Abstract Designs (Anasazi?); And One Pictograph (Fig 11) Showing Horse (Navaho?) on Sandstone Bluff Near La Plata and San Juan Rivers, Colorado Drawing/Photomechan...
Photograph of Drawing of Three Pictographs: (Fig 1, Top) Procession of Figures, Birds, and Animals Going Toward Right; (Figs 2 & 3, Bottom) Two Groupings of Figures, Birds, Animals And Tracks, and Abstract Designs Drawing/Photomechanical/Pictograph
This collection includes photographic prints and copy negatives made by Charles Morgan Wood between 1908 and 1925 of indigenous communities and archaeological sites within Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The communities photographed include the San Ildefonso Pueblo, Isleta Pueblo, Diné (Navajo), Tesuque Pueblo, Hopi-Tewa, Kewa (Santo Domingo Pueblo), Nambe Pueblo, K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo), Laguna Pueblo, A:shiwi (Zuni), Hopi Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, and Taos Pueblo.
Scope and Contents:
Series one includes photos taken in Arizona between 1908-1925. Photos include landscapes, buildings, and portraits of living communities posing or engaging in tasks, such as decorating pottery, blanket weaving, and grinding corn. The depicted communities include the Hopi-Tewa, Hopi Pueblo, and Diné (Navajo). Also included are photographs of archaeological sites within Arizona, including several pictographs at Betatakin. A few prints document the Diné (Navajo) mud-bathing for a head dance. Catalog numbers include N36036, N41315, P07121-P0145; P07152-P07168
Series two includes photos taken between 1920-1925 in New Mexico. Some photos depict archaeological sites and prehistoric ruins, including photos of the Bandelier National Monument, the Inscription Rock in El Morro, and cliff-dwellings in Rito de los Frijoles. This series also depicts houses, buildings, and portraits taken among living communities, including the San Ildefonso Pueblo, Diné (Navajo), Isleta Pueblo, Tesuque Pueblo, Kewa (Santo Domingo Pueblo), Taos Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, Hopi Pueblo, Hopi-Tewa, and K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo). Several photos also document women selling pottery and the A:shiwi (Zuni) rain dance. Catalog numbers include N36029-N36035; N36037-N36039; P07072-P07120; P07146-P0151; P07169-P07207.
Series three includes several photos of Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, taken between 1920 and 1925. Structures include a view of a Spruce-tee house, Cliff palace, the Balcony house, and "Navajo Canon." Catalog numbers include P07066-P07071.
Prints include P07066-P07207. Copy negatives include N36029-N36039, N41315.
Arrangement:
Arranged intro three series geographically. Arranged by catalog number within each series.
Biographical / Historical:
Charles Morgan Wood was born in 1879. He was a manufacturer and author from Dayton, Ohio. He retired to Tucson in 1923 where he pursued interests in writing, western history, and book collecting. At the time of his death in 1927, he was gathering material for a history of the Apache Indians.
Biography adapted from Arizona Historical Society.
Provenance:
Gift of Charles Morgan Wood, 1925.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
P07133 and P07139 are restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Charles Morgan Wood photograph collection, image #, NMAI.AC.167; National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
The Anne Forbes collection includes documents and photographs pertaining to her research on Indian arts in the Southwest, United States conducted during 1948-1948 and revisited in 1958. The work culminated in the dissemination of a survey titled "Survey of American Indian Arts and Crafts, Southwest and Northern Plains." Forbes focused mostly on Pueblo paintings having developed personal relationships with several Pueblo painters including Joe Herrera (Cochiti Pueblo), Velino Herrera (Zia Pueblo) and Jose Rey Toledo (Jemez Pueblo).
Scope and Contents:
The bulk of the Anne Forbes collection consists of documentation concerning her survey on American Indian arts and crafts in the Southwest and Northern Plains conducted in 1948-1949 and then revisited in 1958. This includes biographical notes on individual Native artists from New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, South Dakota and California as well as notes on museum collections and art dealers whose collections and purchases included Indian art from the Southwest. Forbes also visited Pueblo schools during the 1948-1948 trip in order to examine the status of arts education and collected drawings from students as well as took careful notes on each school. Also included in the Forbes papers are the draft and final reports of Forbes' survey as well as responses to the report from prominent institutions and individuals in the Indian art world such as friend and artist Joe H. Herrera. Supporting materials to Forbes' research includes a collection of Smoke Signals newsletters from 1951 to 1965, which was published by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, brochures and pamphlets from the Bureau of Indian Affairs concerning education and the arts, and exhibition documents and catalogs from museums featuring Native artists' works from the Southwest and Northern Plains.
The photo albums titled "Indian Paintings, Pottery, Pictographs, Prehistoric Murals, Dances, Artists" and "Pueblo Indian Paintings" hold photographs collected and taken by Forbes during her research. The bulk of the photographs are of works of art and are arranged by culture group and artist. There are also a small amount of photographs of the artists themselves and their families.
Arrangement:
The Anne Forbes collection is arranged into two series. Series 1: Indian Arts Research and Supporting Documentation is arranged alphabetically by folder. Series 2: Photo Albums contains two photo albums that have been left in their original orders.
Biographical Note:
Miss Anne Forbes originated from Cambridge Massachusetts. After majoring in art from Bennington College in Vermont, Forbes pursued a Master's degree in social anthropology from Harvard University's Radcliffe College. Taking an interest in Southwest Indian Art, Forbes applied for a fellowship through the Indian Arts Fund for the summer of 1948 to study painting and other techniques used in Pueblo art. Although the fellowship lasted only a summer, Forbes spent the following year visiting various pueblos meeting native artists and purchasing original art works from them. It was at this time that Forbes befriended artists Joe Herrera (Cochiti Pueblo), Velino Herrera (Zia Pueblo) and Jose Rey Toledo (Jemez Pueblo). Forbes also spent time visiting Pueblo schools examining the state of arts education for native children as well as acquiring paintings and drawings made by the Pueblo schoolchildren. In 1958, Forbes sent out a first draft of her "Survey of American Indian Arts and Crafts, Southwest and Northern Plains" which was the culmination of her research on the state of native art at the time with a particular focus on Pueblo artists. Following the release of her report, Forbes did not continue professionally in the world of art instead moving into human relations. Forbes held onto the bulk of her art collection, exhibiting pieces here and there, until donating a large portion of the collection to the National Museum of the American Indian in 2003. A longtime member of the Self-Realization Fellowship, Forbes also donated some of her pieces to that organization.
Separated Materials:
This collection was part of a donation made by Anne Forbes that included 143 paintings and other works of art on paper that are now a part of the NMAI Modern and Contemporary Arts Collection with object numbers 26/3091 to 26/3227 and 26/3854, 26/3855. Artists include Harrison Begay, Theodore Edaaki, Luis Gonzales (Wo Peen), Joe Herrera, Velino Herrera, James Humetewa, Michael Kabotie, Richard Martinez, Theodore Suina, Beatien Yazz and others. For more information on these paintings please contact NMAI Collections at NMAICollections@si.edu.
Provenance:
This collection was donated by Anne Forbes in November of 2003.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Rights:
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or broadcast materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiarchives@si.edu.
Topic:
Indians of North America -- Education -- Southwest, New Search this
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Anne Forbes Collection, Box and Folder Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Transmits archeological specimens together with sketches of petroglyphs collected during work for the United States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. Includes sketches of petroglyphs and notes on specimens.
