Manuscript and printed textual material, photographic prints and negatives, slides, audio tapes, film, original and reproduction artwork, maps, scrapbooks, and historical and natural artifacts related to the history of African exploration and natural history, dating primarily from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Includes correspondence, drafts of publications, diaries, account books, ephemera, posters, newsclippings, biographies, memoirs, portraits, and the former personal property of selected explorers, big game hunters, missionaries, pioneers, and naturalists in Africa.
Scope and Contents note:
Manuscript and printed textual material, photographic prints and negatives, slides, audio tapes, film, original and reproduction artwork, maps, scrapbooks, and historical and natural artifacts related to the history of African exploration and natural history, dating primarily from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Includes correspondence, drafts of publications, diaries, account books, ephemera, posters, newsclippings, biographies, memoirs, portraits, and the former personal property of selected explorers, big game hunters, missionaries, pioneers, and naturalists in Africa. The Train Collection is particularly strong in archival materials on the following topics: the search for the source of the Nile and the progress of other exploring expeditions in Africa; the collecting of specimens of African animals, plants, and ethnological materials for zoos and museums (including a significant body of correspondence and photographs from the Smithsonian African Expedition in 1909-1910, led by President Theodore Roosevelt); and the growth of the African wildlife conservation movement. Besides Roosevelt, the major persons represented in the Collection include the journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley and members of his Emin Pasha Relief Expedition (Thomas Heazle Parke, Robert H. Nelson, James S. Jameson, John Rose Troup, William Bonny, William G. Stairs, Edmund Barttelot, and Arthur J. M. Jephson); the medical missionary Dr. David Livingstone and his father-in-law Robert Moffat; taxidermist Carl Akeley; zoologist Edmund Heller; hunter Frederick Courtenay Selous; artist and adventure writer A. Radclyffe Dugmore; explorers Samuel White Baker, Thomas Baines, Richard Francis Burton and E.J. Glave; anthropologist Paul Belloni du Chaillu; and royal traveler Edward VIII (later Duke of Windsor). Consult the finding aid for more specific information on materials relating to these persons and other people and organizations represented in the Collection.
Arrangement note:
Organized into ten series, primarily based on format or creator: I. Artifacts, 1663-1999; II. Works of Art, 1663-1999; III. Books, 1900-1986; IV. Edmund Heller personal papers, 1875-1939; V. Manuscripts, 1663-1992; VI. Maps, 1878; VII. Newspapers, 1888-1987; VIII. Robert Henry Nelson personal papers, 1795-1912; VIII. Photographs, 1874-1963; IX. Posters and broadsides, 1814-1955; X. Russell E. Train personal papers, 1956-2004.
Separated Materials note:
In addition to these archival and non-book materials, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries acquired more than 1500 printed books as part of the Russell E. Train Collection; these books are listed individually in the SIRIS (Smithsonian Institution Research Information System) online catalog.
Provenance:
Originally assembled by the Honorable Russell E. Train, a former judge, top administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and a past president of the World Wildlife Fund, this collection was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution Libraries in 2004.
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.
Topic:
Zoological specimens -- Collection and preservation -- Africa Search this
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Correspondence, 4.5 x 7 in.)
Container:
Item M132
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1893
Scope and Contents note:
Selous declines to contribute to a wedding gift for the Duke of York and Princess Mary of Teck.
General note:
Correspondent tentatively identified as E. P. Mathers, author of Zambesia. M132 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
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.
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Correspondence, 4 x 6 in.)
Container:
Item M133
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1894 December 25
Scope and Contents note:
Concerns a possible candidate for his next collecting trip to Matabeleland. Selous also reports that he had been unable to see Rhodes or Jameson.
General note:
M133 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History. Correspondent "Thomas" has not been identified.
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.
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Correspondence, 4.5 x 7 in.)
Container:
Item M134
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1897
Scope and Contents note:
Selous says he will send photos to be placed alongside those of his old friends Phil [tentatively identified as G.A. "Elephant" Phillips] and Collison. "You can't think how I miss all my old friends of early days in Matabeleland --old Phil perhaps more than anyone else. It seems very strange that although I am not yet 47, I should have outlived almost every one who was either trading or hunting north of the Limpopo five and twenty years ago." Says he is including photos which he thinks make him look younger.
General note:
Correspondent tentatively identified as Sir Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer. M134 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
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.
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Correspondence, 4.5 x 7 in.)
Container:
Item M135
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1898
Scope and Contents note:
Mostly concerns what Selous saw as the machinations of the British Government to bring about war with the Boers. "... I could prove to you that Rhodes said in Matabeleland that he Chamberlain was in it up to his neck." Refers to Jameson's Raid.
General note:
M135 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
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.
Selous, Frederick Courteney, 1851-1917. Autograph letter signed to his publishers, Richard Bentley and Son, on Royal Geographical Society letterhead but amended to "28 Gloucester Road, Regents Park"
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Correspondence, 4.25 x 7 in.)
Container:
Item M136
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1898 January 14
Scope and Contents note:
Selous requests that an annual account for sales of A hunter's wanderings be sent to him. He feels they have been slack in rendering him accounts and paying his dues in the past and would like an account for "even if only one copy should be sold something would be due to me." A member of Bentley's staff has added a pencilled note: "He was abroad with no address."
General note:
M136 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
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.
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Correspondence, 4.25 x 7 in.)
Container:
Item M137
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1899 September 3
Scope and Contents note:
Accepts Longmans' offer and says that he will "hence forth put all my literary work in your hands." Adds a long PS about working on his North American trip which will be ready to include in Sport and travel.
General note:
M137 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
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.
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Correspondence, 4.25 x 7 in.)
Container:
Item M138
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1901 August 22
Scope and Contents note:
Selous thanks Colles for making corrections in his book Sport and travel, to be published by Longmans, Green, and Co. Mentions that many of the stories had been published in magazine format previously. Expresses wonder at the bill he had received for making the corrections. Had never been similarly charged by Rowland Ward or Bentley. Asks for payment for an article.
General note:
M138 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
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.
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Correspondence, 4.5 x 7 in.)
Container:
Item M139
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1901 December 27
Scope and Contents note:
Selous says he does not have copies of articles originally published in "The field" and later incorporated in Sport and travel. He will look for them. He will also compare the articles on America originally published in the Badminton magazine with the same matter as it appeared in Sport and travel. He refers to an article he is writing on caribou.
General note:
M139 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
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.
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Correspondence, 4.5 x 7 in.)
Container:
Item M140
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1903 March 22
General note:
M140 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
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.
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Correspondence, 4.5 x 6.75 in.)
Container:
Item M141
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1903 October 11
Scope and Contents note:
Selous asks not to alter the preface of Mr. Findlay's book to add his name. "The little work I did was a labour of love..." Evidently, Selous had written or worked on the preface of Big game shooting and travel in south-east Africa authored by Frederick Roderick Noble Findlay.
General note:
M141 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
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.
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Correspondence, 4.5 x 7 in.)
Container:
Item M142
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1901 June 29
Scope and Contents note:
Concerns publishing his article "Sport in the North Kalahari;" and saying he will call on Mr. Colles regarding Mr. Findlay's book.
General note:
M142 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History. Correspondent tentatively identified as William Charles Metcalfe.
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.
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Correspondence, 4.5 x 6 in.)
Container:
Item M143
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1913 May 13
Scope and Contents note:
Selous invites Dugmore and his wife to visit him, congratulates him on securing Sir Harry Johnston to chair his lecture, and mentions his impending departure for Iceland.
General note:
Correspondent tentatively identified as Arthur Radclyffe Dugmore. M143 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
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.
Selous, Frederick Courteney, 1851-1917. Autograph title page for African nature notes and reminiscences, bearing Selous' signature, together with a typescript of the Preface
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
5 Pages (Correspondence, 7 x 9 in. - 8.5 x 11 in.)
Container:
Item M144
Type:
Archival materials
Pages
Date:
1907 July 27
Scope and Contents note:
The corrections to the Preface all appear in the published version of the book with the exception of the lengthy paragraph concerning President Roosevelt on page 3.
General note:
Containing many penciled corrections in the author's hand, plus a further page of pencil notes for Chapter IX "Notes on the Tsetse fly". M144 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
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.
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Clippings (information artifacts), 7 x 9 in.)
Container:
Item M145c
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1900
General note:
M145c is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
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.
