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 slides
28
lantern 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

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Indians of North America -- Northeast Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shawnee Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Indians of North America -- Southern states Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sauk Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Muskogee (Creek) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fox Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sioux Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Black Hawk, approximately 1832-approximately 1890 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Keokuk, Sauk chief, 1780?-1848 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cooper, John M. (John Montgomery), 1881-1949 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nuttall, Zelia, 1858-1933 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Museo missionario etnologico (Vatican City) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief, 1768-1813 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pettrich, Ferdinand, 1798-1872 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

National Anthropological Archives
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