National Anthropological Archives

Robert Thomas Hill photograph collection relating to the Indigenous peoples of Central America, circa 1895

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.PhotoLot.170
Creators:
Hill, Robert Thomas, 1858-1941
Dates:
circa 1895
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1 Letter
29 Albumen prints
mounted
Repository:

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
The bulk of the collection consists of photographs documenting Indigenous peoples of Central America, including Cheripo, Guatuso, Talamanca, and Guatemala people. Additional photographs document stone artifacts found at grave sites, Panamanian women, people in Bogata, and a museum in San Jose, Costa Rica. The photographs may have been collected by Robert Thomas Hill from H. N. Rudd, a postcard publisher in Costa Rica. A letter from Rudd to Hill is also in the collection.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Robert Thomas Hill (1858-1941) was a geologist best known for his work in Texas for the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Hill was orphaned during the Civil War and raised by his grandmother. While employed at his brother's newspaper in Comanche, Texas, he developed an interest in collecting rocks and fossils. In 1887, he earned a BS in geology from Cornell University. Hill worked for the USGS from 1885 to 1903 and is credited with discovering the Comanche Series of the Lower Cretaceous strata. Additionally, he conducted some preliminary studies in Central America and the West Indies between 1894 and 1902, collecting for the Bureau of American Ethnology and the United States National Museum. Hill resigned from the USGS in 1903 to pursue personal interests in geology and Texas history.

Administration

Author
Sarah Ganderup
Custodial History note
Donated to the Bureau of American Ethnology, probably by R. T. Hill, circa 1903.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access note
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Conditions Governing Use note
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Preferred Citation note
Photo Lot 170, Robert Thomas Hill photograph collection relating to the Indigenous peoples of Central America, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Location of Other Archival Materials

Location of Other Archival Materials
This collection has been relocated from Photo Lot 123.
Location of Other Archival Materials
Correspondence from Hill is held in the National Anthropological Archives in records of the Bureau of American Ethnology.
Location of Other Archival Materials
Artifacts collected by Hill are held in the Department of Anthropology collections in accessions 035646, 053949, 028088, and 034831.
Location of Other Archival Materials
The Smithsonian Institution Archives holds a field notebook from Hill (1895, 1924) in SIA ACC. 12-126. Southern Methodist University, DeGolyer Library, and Autry Center's Braun Research Library, hold collections of Hill's papers.

More Information

Local Call Number(s)

Local Call Number(s)
NAA Photo Lot 170

Other Finding Aids note

Other Finding Aids note
Folder list available in repository.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Indians of Central America Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Talamanca Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Guatuso Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Colombia Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Costa Rica Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Guatemala Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Panama Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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