National Anthropological Archives

Eduardo Masferre photographs of the Luzon Cordillera, circa 1934-1956

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.PhotoLot.91-30
Creators:
Masferré, E. (Eduardo), 1909-1995
Dates:
circa 1934-1956
Languages:
Undetermined
.
Physical Description:
152 Prints
silver gelatin
Repository:

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
Photographs made by Eduardo Masfere documenting the lives and culture of the Igorot (mountain) people, mainly Bontok and Kalinga. There are also a few photographs that relate to the Gaddang, Ifugao, and Kankanai peoples. Many of the photographs are portraits, though others show pipes and tobacco use, basketry and weaving, ceremonies, and agriculture.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Eduardo Masferre (1909-1995) was born in the Gran Cordillera Central region of Luzon to a Spanish father and native Filipino mother from the Kankanai tribe. Between 1914 and 1921, the Masferre family lived in Spain, where Eduardo began his education. After completing his schooling in the Philippines, Masferre followed in his father's footsteps and became a missionary teacher and then a missionary administrator in Sagada. He began photographing the mountain tribes in 1934, documenting traditions that he feared would be lost. After World War II, he opened a photographic studio in Bontok, selling studio portraits as well as photographs of nearby villages. In 1988, a book of his photographs, E. Masferre: People of the Philippine Cordillera, was produced.

Administration

Author
Sarah Ganderup
Existence and Location of Copies note
Collection also includes copy negatives, made from the prints.
Custodial History note
103 prints donated by Eduardo Masferre to the Department of Anthropology, with additional funds from Mobil Oil Company, 1991; Masferre donated 49 additional prints at the same time.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access note
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Conditions Governing Use note
These photographs cannot be published without permission from Eduardo Masferre's heirs. Contact the repository for terms of use.
Preferred Citation note
Photo lot 91-30, Eduardo Masferre photographs of the Luzon Cordillera, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Location of Other Archival Materials

Location of Other Archival Materials
A photograph of Masferre held in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo Lot R92-43.

More Information

Local Call Number(s)

Local Call Number(s)
NAA Photo Lot 91-30

Bibliography

Bibliography
Photographs published in Jill Gale de Villa, Maria Teresa Garcia-Farr, and Gladys Montgomery, E. Masferre: People of the Philippine Cordillera, Photographs, 1934-1956, Manila: Devcon I.P. Inc., 1988; and Paul Michael Taylor, "Eduardo Masferre, Photographer of Highland Luzon," Discovery: The Magainze of the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History 25, no. 2, 1995.

Other Finding Aids note

Other Finding Aids note
List with references to photos published in Jill Gale de Villa's book on the Masferre photographs, available in repository.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Basket making Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tobacco Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tattooing Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cordillera Administrative Region (Philippines) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Philippines Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Igorot (Philippine people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kalinga (Philippine people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bontoks (Philippine people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ifugao (Philippine people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gaddang (Philippine people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kankanay (Philippine people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pottery craft Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Textile fabrics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weaving Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rites and ceremonies Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dance Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Agriculture Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cooking Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dwellings Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Musical instruments Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

National Anthropological Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, Maryland 20746
naa@si.edu