National Anthropological Archives

Guide to MS 1983-28 John Bernadou collection of Korean maps and drawings

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.MS1983-28
Creators:
Bernadou, John B. (John Baptiste), 1858-1908
Dates:
undated
Languages:
Collection is in
Korean
and
English
.
Physical Description:
10 Maps
4 Drawings (visual works)
watercolor
1 Manuscripts (document genre)
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection consists of materials gathered by Bernadou in Korea in 1884-1885, including ten (10) maps and related notes and (4) watercolor drawings.
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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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.

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
John Baptiste Bernadou (1858–1908) was an officer in the United States Navy. In 1884, Smithsonian Secretary Spencer Baird appointed Bernadou a "Smithsonian Attaché" to the American Legation in Korea on an assignment to investigate the country's economic and strategic potential. Over the next year, Bernadou learned the Korean language and local customs, traveled extensively, and assembled a collection of material culture that was deposited at the Smithsonian Institution. He later served in the Spanish-American War and developed a formula for smokeless gunpowder.

Administration

Custodial History
The collection was assembled by Bernadou in Seoul, Korea in 1885.
The drawings were aquired by the USNM in 1886 (USNM Accession 16970) along with a larger collection of artifacts. Originally, there were five watercolor drawings in the set; the fifth drawing (described as "Story of Lomoo, a Chinese officer banished by the Emperor") has been lost. The drawings were transferred from the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives in 1984.
The maps were acquired by the USNM as a deposit in 1893 (USNM Accession 27260), and were transferred to the National Anthropological Archives in 1983.
Processing Information
The items in this collection were originally cataloged by NAA as two separate collections, MS 7165 (drawings) and MS 1983-28 (maps and notes). In 2023, the collection was reproccessed and all items were incorporated into a single collection under MS 1983-28.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.

Related Materials
The Department of Anthropology object collections holds artifacts collected by Bernadou in Korea in Accessions 16970, 32730, and 61681.

More Information

Publication Note

Publication Note
The collection is described in:
Hough, Walter. "The Bernadou, Allen, and Jouy collections in the U.S. National Museum." Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian 1891.
Houchins Chang-su Cho. An Ethnography of the Hermit Kingdom: The J. B. Bernadou Korean Collection 1884-1885. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, Asian Cultural History Program, 2004.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Works of art Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Watercolors Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Maps Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuscripts Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Korea Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
East Asia Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

National Anthropological Archives
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