National Anthropological Archives

Department of Anthropology photographs of busts in the Biological Anthropology collection, undated

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.PhotoLot.88-25
Creators:
National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology
Dates:
undated
Languages:
Undetermined
.
Physical Description:
350 Negatives (photographic)
circa
nitrate
350 Prints
circa
silver gelatin and contact prints
Repository:

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
Photographs of busts and, in the case of infants, head and body casts made by A. Joseph Andrews. Generally, images consist of front, rear, and two side views. The busts show American white infants, females, males; NAtive American males and females; African American males and females; and a pygmy male. The persons are identified by name and age and included with the collection are lists by William H. Egbert, preparator of the Anthropology Laboratory, with additional details.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
The Biological Anthropology collection holds thousands of face molds and busts, which represent ethnic groups from around the world. Molds were often made by William H. Egbert and busts were sculpted by A. Joseph Andrews. Many of the busts were commissioned by Ales Hrdlicka, a curator in the Department of Anthropology, and the living masks include well-known Native Americans who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Administration

Author
Sarah Ganderup
Custodial History note
Possibly donated by Dwight Schmidt as Ales Hrdlicka material, 1988.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access note
Nitrate negatives are in cold storage and require advanced notice for viewing.
Conditions Governing Use note
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Preferred Citation note
Photo Lot 88-25, Department of Anthropology photographs of busts in the Biological Anthropology collection, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Location of Other Archival Materials

Location of Other Archival Materials
Photographs used to make busts in the collection can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in the Ales Hrdlicka Papers and Photo Lot 9.
Location of Other Archival Materials
Photographs of finished busts can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo Lot 8.
Location of Other Archival Materials
The Department of Anthropology holds 3,000 face molds and busts, including many of those pictured.

More Information

Local Call Number(s)

Local Call Number(s)
NAA Photo Lot 88-25

Former Title

Former Title
Referred to as Photo Lot 95-38 in Guide to the National Anthropological Archives (1996)

Local Notes

Local Notes
Prints were made from the negatives; in some cases there are duplicate prints.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Museum techniques Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
anthropometry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Physical anthropology Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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