National Anthropological Archives

United States Army Medical Museum photographs of measuring and photographing skulls, circa 1885-1900

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.PhotoLot.78-42
Creators:
Army Medical Museum (U.S.)
Dates:
circa 1885-1900
Languages:
Undetermined
.
Physical Description:
13 Albumen prints
mounted
Repository:

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
Photographs documenting physical anthropology techniques for measuring and photographing skulls for comparison, as practiced by scientists of the Army Medical Museum. Photographs are mounted on unbound pages from an album and have been annotated to describe the technique depicted.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
The United States Army Medical Museum (AMM, renamed the National Museum of Health and Medicine in 1989) was established by US Army Surgeon General William A. Hammond in 1862. Its initial focus was on collecting specimens of unusual pathology, mostly taken from victims of the American Civil War. By 1867, the museum had expanded to include medical, microsopical, anatomical, comparative anatomics, and other sections. The anatomical collection grew in part as a result of Circular No. 2 of 1867, which authorized military medical officers to collect cranial specimens from deceased American Indians. Additionally, the AMM made an arrangement with the Smithsonian Institution, by which the Smithsonian transferred their collection of human remains in exchange for ethnological artifacts. AMM photographed and measured many of the specimens in its collection as part of the museum's anthropological research.

Administration

Author
Sarah Ganderup
Existence and Location of Copies note
Digital surrogate for one image is available.
Custodial History note
Obtained from the Army Medical Museum by Thomas Dale Stewart in the Division of Physical Anthropology, Department of Anthropology. Donated to the National Anthropological Archives, 1978.

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 78-42, United States Army Medical Museum photographs of measuring and photographing skulls, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Location of Other Archival Materials

Location of Other Archival Materials
Copy prints of additional mounted photographs from this series can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo Lot 33.
Location of Other Archival Materials
Additional photographs of skulls by the Army Medical Museum can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo Lot 6A, Photo Lot 6B, Photo Lot 73-26C, Photo Lot 83-41, and Photo Lot 97.
Location of Other Archival Materials
The National Anthropological Archives holds microfilm of the papers of Washington Matthews, circa 1864-1905.
Location of Other Archival Materials
The National Anthropological Archives holds records concerning skeletal material transferred to the Smithsonian Institution from the Army Medical Museum.

More Information

Local Call Number(s)

Local Call Number(s)
NAA Photo Lot 78-42


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
anthropometry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Physical anthropology -- methodology Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Matthews, Washington, 1843-1905 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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