National Anthropological Archives

Guide to Comanche drawing of two Comanche men wearing breastplates, 1868

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.MS127601
Creators:
Palmer, Edward, 1829-1911
Unknown
Dates:
1868
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1 Drawings (visual works)
watercolor
9.5 x 9 inches
Repository:
Container:
127601

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection consists of one (1) drawing on one leaf of unruled paper. The drawing depicts two men wearing breastplates. One of the men is wearing face paint and holding a mirror board. The other man is wearing a set of hairplates. The drawing is inscribed "Drawings Made by a Comanche Indian" and "Presentd by Dr E Palmer".
The drawing was created in Indian Territory (Oklahoma). It was likely collected somewhere between Fort Cobb and the Wichita and Kiowa and Comanche agencies in Eureka Valley (Anadarko, Oklahoma). The date and place of creation were assigned based on information regarding Dr. Palmer's travels in Indian Territory (Oklahoma).
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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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.
Sources used:
Rogers McVaugh. Edward Palmer - Plant Explorer of the American West. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1956.

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
In 1868, Dr. Edward Palmer was hired to serve as the agency physician at the newly established Kiowa and Comanche Agency in Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Palmer and the rest of the agency personnel set out in January, arriving in the vicinity of Fort Cobb on 19 February. The agent, Colonel Leavenworth, dismissed Palmer on 4 May, complaining that he spent too much time collecting zoological and botanical specimens and not enough tending to the medical needs of the Kiowa and Comanche. Following his dismissal, Palmer took up residence at the adjacent Wichita Agency. In early June, Palmer received word that some of the Kiowa and Comanche were plotting to kill him. Consequently, he left the Wichita Agency and traveled to Cherokee Town. From Cherokee Town Palmer made several excursions to collect specimens. He left Indian Territory in September, arriving back in Leavenworth, Kansas on October 10, 1868. In addition to the zoological and botanical specimens Palmer collected during his stint in Indian Territory, he also acquired ethnological specimens from the Kiowa, Comanche, and Wichita.

Administration

Custodial History
Dr. Edward Palmer collected the drawing along the Washita River, somewhere between Fort Cobb and the Wichita and Kiowa and Comanche Agencies located in Eureka Valley in Indian Territory (Anadarko, Oklahoma). Dr. Palmer was present in this region between February and May of 1868. The drawing was presented to the USNM by Dr. Palmer. No accession number has been located, but a note on back of drawing indicates that it was originally catalogued in 1886. The drawing was transferred from the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives in 1969.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Comanche drawing of two Comanche men wearing breastplates (MS 127601), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.

More Information

Local Numbers

Local Numbers
NAA MS 127601
NAA INV 08500400
OPPS NEG 91-2261
OPPS SLIDE 91-2261


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Works of art Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Niuam (Comanche) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Indian Territory Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
North America Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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