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National Anthropological Archives
MS 7299 Fraudulent Mexican hieroglyphic manuscript
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NAA.MS7299
- Creators:
-
Browne, Herbert J.
- Dates:
-
undated
- Languages:
-
Undetermined.
- Physical Description:
-
11 Leavespainting on parchment (possibly goatskin)4.5 x 6 inches
- Repository:
- Container:
- 7299
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of a fradulent "Mayan" manuscript. It is similar to other fradulent Mayan manuscripts and codices produced starting in the 1890s.
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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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
Herbert Janvrin Browne (1861-1936) was a U.S. government inspector and meteorologist who traveled widely in Latin America.
Administration
Custodial History
The manuscript was purchased by the United States National Museum from Herbert J. Brown in 1917. The accession papers state that it is a "work of recent times." The Department of Anthropology accession records and catalog card also indicate that the document included twelve "pages" (i.e., leaves). However, only eleven leaves are in the current collection.
In 1976, the manuscript was verified to be a falsified document by Clifford Evans (Curator of Latin American Archaeology, Museum of Natural History), Howard Cline (Director, Hispanic Foundation, Library of Congress), and John B. Glass (Consultant for the Library of Congress on Mexican pictorial documents).
The manuscript was transferred from the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives in 1978.
Digital Content
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.
Preferred Citation
MS 7299 Fraudulent Mexican hieroglyphic manuscript, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
More Information
Local Numbers
Local Numbers
NAA MS 7299
USNM Accession Number 61457
USNM Catalog Number 300298
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Works of art | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| North America | Geographic | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Mexico | Geographic | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Maya | Cultural Context | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| forgeries | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
National Anthropological Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, Maryland 20746
Business Number: Phone: 301.238.1300
Fax Number: Fax: 301.238.2883
naa@si.edu
