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Language:French
Date:1859-1882
Contributor:Charnay, Désiré, 1828-1915 | Abbot, Griffith Evans, 1850-1927
Subject:Archaeology | Antiquities | Race | Anthropometry | Chichen Itza Site (Mexico) | Comalcalco Site (Mexico) | Kabah Site (Mexico) | Mitla Site (Mexico) | Oaxaca (Mexico : State)--History | Palenque (Chiapas, Mexico) | Teotihuacán Site (San Juan Teotihuacán, Mexico) | Tula Site (Tula de Allende, Mexico) | Uxmal Site (Mexico) | Yucatán (Mexico : State)--History | Mexico--History | Ethnography
Type:Still Image | Text
Genre:Photographs
Extent:2.0 linear feet, 123 photographs
Description: A traveler, archaeologist, and photographer, Désiré Charnay (1828-1915) was one of the most important early expeditionary photographers. During his tours of Yucatan, Oaxaca, and Chiapas in 1858-1860 and 1880-1886, Charnay became one of the first to use photography in documenting the great Meso-American archaeological sites and to make ethnographic photographs of indigenous Mexicans. This collection of photographs is representative of the range of images he took of Meso-American archaeological sites during three tours of Mexico in 1858-1860 and 1880-1886. Although some of the images have suffered an unfortunate degree of fading, they convey the power and fascination that these sites held for Charnay and his contemporaries, and include some of the best early examples of the use of photography in the documentation of Mexican archaeology. The collection includes images of the sites at Tula, Teotihuacan, Iztaccihuatl, Chichen Itza, Comalcalco, and Palenque; of archaeological specimens held at the Museum of Mexico; of landscape and villages in Yucatan, Chiapas, and Oaxaca; and of a series of Lacandon, Mayan, Mixtec, and Yucatec "racial types." The collection was apparently assembled by the scientist Griffith Evans Abbot (1850-1927), who presented them to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The 15 cartes de visite included in the collection, mostly portraits taken in Peru, Chile, and Madeira, bear an uncertain relationship to the Charnay images, and are probably present simply because they were also once owned by Abbot. All images have been digitized and are available through the APS Digital Library.
Collection:Abbot-Charnay Photograph Collection (Mss.913.72.Ab23)
Culture:
Language:English
Date:1834; 1837
Contributor:Pitcher, Zina, 1797-1872 | Warren, John Collins, 1778-1856
Subject:Grave robbing | Human remains | Skulls | Phrenology | Antiquities | Funeral rites and ceremonies | Anthropometry
Type:Text
Genre:Correspondence
Extent:2 items
Description: Letters from Zina Pitcher and John Collins Warren discussing grave robbing of Indigenous ancestors' remains. Pitcher mentions difficulties in getting information about the deceased from Algonquians, who won't speak of the dead. Mentions Osages, Quapaws, Missouri, Kansas, Otos, Omahas; Chitimachas or Comanches; and the five tribes of the Creek nation. Warren lists American skulls in his collection: mostly eastern, except for Ancient Niagara and Chinook, not flattened, plus Ohio cavern and Ohio rock and Mound at Lexington; Algonquian from eastern Massachusetts. He talks of the Guanche cast from the Canaries and some unidentified skulls he has seen.
Collection:Samuel George Morton Papers (Mss.B.M843)
Culture:
Language:English
Date:1829-1839
Contributor:Hildreth, Samuel P. (Samuel Prescott), 1783-1863 | Troost, Gerard, 1776-1850 | Drake, Daniel, 1785-1852 | Silliman, Benjamin, 1779-1864 | Sullivant, Joseph, 1809-1882 | Tappan, Benjamin, 1773-1857 | Clemens, James W. | Wood, William | Powell, W. Byrd (William Byrd), 1799-1866 | Peirson, A. L. (Abel Lawrence), 1794-1853
Subject:Grave robbing | Human remains | Phrenology | Skulls | Anthropometry | Funeral rites and ceremonies | Antiquities | Mounds | Archaeology
Type:Text
Genre:Correspondence | Lectures
Extent:21 items
Description: Letters mostly discussing grave robbing of Indigenous ancestors' remains and Morton's phrenological work. Topics include human and animal crania and skeletons that correspondents have and/or have sent to Morton; phrenological anaylsis of Indigenous ancestors' remains, attributing traits to various peoples based on skull formation; Native American burial sites and mortuary customs; excavation of Native mounds and descriptions of the objects and human remains found inside; discovery of mastadon skeletons; and speculation about Native American origins. Several letters relate to Ohio, Illinois, and the Upper Mississippi Valley. Peru and Mexico also mentioned.
Collection:Samuel George Morton Papers (Mss.B.M843)
Culture:
Language:English
Date:1830-1841
Contributor:Burroughs, Marmaduke | Edmonds, Frederic | Maclure, William, 1763-1840 | Macartney, John P.
Subject:Grave robbing | Human remains | Phrenology | Skulls | Mexico--History | Antiquities | Anthropometry
Type:Text
Genre:Correspondence
Extent:5 items
Description: Letters discussing grave robbing of Indigenous ancestors' remains. Maclure and Burroughs write of the difficulty of obtaining "pure" Mexican skulls; problem of shipping out skulls (though Maclure sends several); innate capabilities of the Indians; educating the Indians. Edmonds sends "heads" collected from the Pyramid of the Sun and Moon near San Juan de Teotihuacan. Mexican curiosities. Macartney sends 6 skulls collected by Jose Gomes de la Cortina, a Mexican gentleman. Claims that skulls are easily obtained from Mexicans. Skulls from Santiago de Flotiloho are unreliable, since epidemic of cholera resulted in throwing bodies into ancient burials.
Collection:Samuel George Morton Papers (Mss.B.M843)
Culture:
Aymara includes: Aimara
Language:English
Date:1824-1842; 1911
Contributor:Audubon, John James, 1785-1851 | Combe, George, 1788-1858 | Evans, Edmund C. | Prichard, James Cowles, 1786-1848 | Warren, John Collins, 1778-1856 | Morton, Samuel George, 1799-1851 | Dorfeuille, Jeanette | Buchanan, Joseph R. (Joseph Rodes), 1814-1899 | Jackson, James, 1777-1867 | Doornik, Jacob Elisa, 1777-1837 | Hodgkins, Thomas | Du Ponceau, Peter Stephen, 1760-1844 | Hrdlička, Aleš, 1869-1943
Subject:Grave robbing | Human remains | Phrenology | Skulls | Antiquities | Funeral rites and ceremonies | Anthropometry | Funeral rites and ceremonies | Education | Missions
Type:Text
Genre:Correspondence | Sketches
Extent:25 items
Description: Letters discussing grave robbing of Indigenous ancestors' remains and Morton's phrenological work. Topics include human and animal crania and skeletons that correspondents have and/or have sent to Morton; the histories, biographies, and provenance of some of these remains; Native American burial sites in Kentucky, Peru, and elsewhere; publicity, and reception of Morton's Crania Americana (1839); hostility to phrenology in Britain; the publication of other phrenological works; Thomas Hodgkins' efforts to educate "young Indians" through his Society of Friends mission; General Lafayette wants a skull for his own studies; and Aleš Hrdlička's 1911 evaluation of Morton's work as being not very good but an important foundation of American anthropology. Other individuals mentioned include Edward Harris, Joseph Dorfeuille, Dr. Flowers (Flourand), Benjamin H. Coates, John Dunn Hunter, Captain Norton.
Collection:Samuel George Morton Papers (Mss.B.M843)
Language:English
Date:1792-1805
Contributor:Barton, Benjamin Smith, 1766-1815
Subject:Birds | Birds | Zoology | Animals--Folklore | Anthropometry | Health | Breastfeeding | Politics and government | Linguistics | Antiquities
Type:Text
Genre:Correspondence
Extent:10 items
Description: Correspondence relating to miscellaneous indigenous peoples and cultures. Seven letters are to John G. E. Heckewelder and three are to Thomas Pennant. Smith's letters to Heckewelder largely consist of questions about Native peoples, cultures, and languages, including a query about Indian names for a particular bird; the Indians' feelings and beliefs about the opossum; Heckewelder's opinion on the strength of body and age of Indians in comparison to whites; what Indian nations in Heckewelder's knowledge compress the heads of children and how it is done; and information on health, nursing, menstruation, etc. Smith also expounds at times, expressing his belief that some Indian nations formerly had a hieroglyphic writing system and asking Heckewelder's opinion, wondering whether Indian chiefs have more or less power now than formerly, and pursuing his inquiry into the relations of North American and Asiatic languages. He is also interested in accuracy of George Henry Loskiel's "History of the Mission of the United Brethren among the Indians in North America," which mentions the Moshkos Indians, of whom Barton had never heard before. Also mentions study of the Nanticoke. Smith's letters to Pennant revolve around the prospects for his work on antiquities and Indians and his hopes for a London edition to satisfy European market, and the possible Welsh origins of American Indians. Barton general disapproves it, but agrees that there is a case for the Welsh origin of the American Indians from physical appearance, while others had seen this as evidence for Jewish origin. He finds striking vocabulary evidence for Jews, Greeks, Scottish Highland, as well as Welsh. [Most of the letters to Heckewelder are from originals in the Gilbert Collection, College of Physicians, Philadelphia.]
Collection:Violetta Delafield-Benjamin Smith Barton Collection (Mss.B.B284d)