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National Anthropological Archives
Lantern slides of Ferdinand Pettrich sculptures related to Native Americans, 1927
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NAA.PhotoLot.20
- Dates:
-
1927
- Languages:
-
Undetermined.
- Physical Description:
-
28 Lantern slides28lantern slides
- Repository:
Scope and Contents note
Scope and Contents note
Photographs of statues, busts, and reliefs in the Vatican's Museo Missionario Etnologico. Included are portraits of Creek, Dakota, Fox, Sauk, Shawnee, and Winnebago people, as well as scenes of scalping, hunting, and a council between Native Americans and United States government officials.
Biographical/Historical note
Biographical/Historical note
Ferdinand Pettrich (1798-1872) was born in Dresden, Germany, and first learned sculpting practices from his father, a court sculptor for the King of Saxony. After moving to Rome at age 21, he studied under the Danish sculptor and teacher Albert B. Thorvaldsen. Following this education, Pettrich traveled to America with his wife in 1835, and opened a studio in Washington, D.C. There, he sculpted busts for politicians and visiting Native American delegates and may have made sketches depicting facets of the life and history of various tribes. Some of those sketches were later used to compose his statues. In 1942, Pettrich was stabbed, and moved to recuperate in Brazil, where he worked as court sculptor for Emperor Dom Pedro II. He later returned to Rome, where he presented his sculptures of Native American subjects to the Museum of St. John Lateran in the Vatican.
Administration
Author
NAA Staff
Existence and Location of Copies note
Digital surrogates exist for all lantern slides.
Custodial History note
Donated by the Department of Anthropology of the Catholic University of America in 1956 as part of USNM ACC 211312. They were originally cataloged by Father John Montgomery Cooper, who may have received them from Zelia Marie Magdelena Nuttall. In 1927, Nuttall was planning to write a biography of Pettrich and persuaded the president of The Catholic University of America to obtain photographs of his work.
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 20, Lantern slides of Ferdinand Pettrich sculptures related to Native Americans, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Location of Other Archival Materials
Location of Other Archival Materials
Lithographs of Pettrich sketches are held in National Anthropological Archives MS 4886.
Location of Other Archival Materials
Additional artifacts donated by the Department of Anthropology, Catholic University of America in USNM ACC 211312 held in the Department of Anthropology collections and in National Anthropological Archives Photo lot 32.
Location of Other Archival Materials
Copies of correspondence from Pettrich held in the Archives of American Art in the Joel Roberts Poinsett letters from artists and Ferdinand F. A. Pettrich letters to Henry Wise.
More Information
Local Call Number(s)
Local Call Number(s)
NAA Photo Lot 20
Addl. KW Subj
Addl. KW Subj
Sauk & Fox
Sioux
Creek (Muskogee)
Meskwaki; Sauk & Fox
Keywords
National Anthropological Archives
Museum Support Center
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Fax Number: Fax: 301.238.2883
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