National Museum of the American Indian

Charles B. Cory collection of copy prints and copy negatives, 1959

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAI.AC.043
Creators:
Cory, Charles B. (Charles Barney), 1857-1921
Dates:
1959
Languages:
No linguistic content; Not applicable
.
Physical Description:
10 Acetate negatives
black and white
5 x7 inches.
119 Photographic prints
gelatin silver.
Repository:
This collection contains 119 gelatin silver prints and 10 black-and-white negatives taken by Charles Barney Cory between 1877-1896. The images depict scenes of everyday life among the Seminole Indians of Florida.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection contains 119 gelatin silver copy prints and 10 copy negatives made in 1959 from Cory's original prints. (The original prints likely date from 1877 to 1896, and some of these appear as illustrations in Cory's 1896 book Hunting and Fishing in Florida.) The photographs primarily consist of informal, outdoor portraits of individual and groups of Seminole men, women, and children. In addition, some photographs depict villages and dwellings and people playing games, boating, and tending domestic animals.

Arrangement note

Arrangement note
Prints: organized in folders; arranged by image number.
Negatives: organized in individual sleeves; arranged by image number.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
A wealthy Bostonian, Charles B. Cory (1857-1921) began collecting ornithological specimens as a young man. Eventually he amassed a superior collection of birds of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, which he donated to Chicago's Field Museum. In 1883, he was one of forty-eight ornithologists invited to establish the American Ornithologists' Union.

Administration

Author
Heather Shannon
Processing Information note
Processed by Heather Shannon, Photo Archivist, 2012.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
In 1959, Cory's heirs apparently permitted the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation to print and retain photographs from Cory's original negatives. The present location of the original negatives is unknown.
Historically, the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation managed all photographic materials separately. This collection description represents current management practices of organizing and contextualizing related archival materials.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use note
Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the archivist for further information.
Preferred Citation note
Charles B. Cory collection of copy prints and copy negatives, 1959, National Museum of the American Indian Archives, Smithsonian Institution (print or negative number).
Conditions Governing Access
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Indians of North America -- Florida Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Seminole Indians -- Florida -- Photographs Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gelatin silver prints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Black-and-white negatives Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Seminole Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

National Museum of the American Indian
4220 Silver Hill Rd
Suitland, Maryland 20746-2863
nmaiarchives@si.edu