Guide to the Wells Moses Sawyer paintings of masks and tablets excavated at Key Marco, Florida, 1896

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of twenty-one (21) watercolor paintings of wooden masks and other objects excavated at Key Marco and Tarpon Springs, Florida. The paintings are signed with the monogram W. M. S. Two of the paintings have pencil drawings of abstract and geometric designs on the reverse.

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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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.

Arrangement

The paintings are arranged by the original USNM Catalog number.

Biographical Note

Wells Moses Sawyer (1863-1960) was an American painter, illustrator, and photographer. Sawyer received a law degree in 1882, but pursued a career in art after studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. He was an illustrator for the Chicago Daily News and the Chicago Tribune before becoming a draftsman for the U.S. Geological Survey in Washington D.C. He served as the artist for the Pepper-Hearst Expedition to Key Marco, Florida, 1895-1897. The expedition, led by Frank Hamilton Cushing (1857-1900), uncovered over 1000 wooden artifacts created by Southwest Florida's early Calusa people or their Muspa ancestors. As artist, Sawyer documented these findings in drawings, paintings, photographs, and maps. He resigned from his position with the USGS in 1898 to oversee the design and inspection of furnishings for government buildings. Sawyer's artistic works were well exhibited during his lifetime, first showing in the early 1890s.

Related Materials

The National Anthropological Archives holds additional material created by Sawyer for the Pepper-Hearst/Key Marco expedition in MS 1844-b List of manuscript material left by Frank Hamilton Cushing; MS 1849-b Maps of F. H. Cushingʹs excavation at Florida sites; MS 3381 Drawings of crania from Cushingʹs Florida Collection; Frank Hamilton Cushing photograph collection relating to excavations on the west coast of Florida, 1895-1896 (Photo Lot 2).

The Archives of American Art holds the Wells Sawyer papers.

The University of Florida holds the Wells M. Sawyer Collection.