National Museum of the American Indian

Andrew Meyer photographs from Colombia

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAI.AC.259
Creators:
Meyer, Andrew
Dates:
1929
Languages:
Collection contains material in
English
and
Spanish
Physical Description:
49 Photographic prints
Repository:
This collection consists of 49 black and white photographic prints of images of village life as well as pre-Columbian stone carvings and statues photographed by Andrew Meyer in Colombia in 1929.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The Andrew Meyer photographs from Colombia collection consists of 49 black and white photographic prints. The photographs were taken by American mining engineer Andrew Meyer while working in Colombia in 1929. The photographs depict primarily pre-Columbian stone carvings and statues now known as the San Agustín Archaeological Park and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The collection includes images of villagers, landscapes, and daily life in Colombia. Communities represented include Emberá (Choikoi); Guambiano (Guambia); and Páez. Locations depicted include the Lower San Juan River in the Chocó Department; Inzá, Popayán, and Silvia in the Cauca Department; and San Agustín in the Huila Department.
Many of the photographs contain descriptive information hand-written on the back, preseumably by the photographer.

Arrangement

Arrangement
This collection is arranged into 3 series, organized geographically by Colombian department and then by city or village. This organization mirrors Andrew Meyer's travels through Colombia. Series 1: Chocó Department, Series 2: Cauca Department, Series 3: Huila Department

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Andrew Meyer was a mining engineer from Cleveland, Ohio. In 1929, while working in Chocó, Colombia, he became interested in stories of pre-Columbian stone carvings and statues. Documenting a large number of these carvings throughout the Republic of Colombia, he later authored a journal article about his experiences, as well as his suppositions about the people who made these carvings: "The Stone Gods of Colombia," published in Art and Archaeology 34, no. 3 (May-June 1933): 117-129. Many of the images now in the Andrew Meyer photographs from Colombia collection were included in Meyer's article.
Andrew Meyer married metallurgical engineer Edith Chartkoff, and the two went on to work together on a number of international engineering projects in Canada, Russia, and Spain, before settling down again in Cleveland, Ohio.

Administration

Author
Nathan Sowry
Processing Information
Processed by Nathan Sowry, Reference Archivist, in 2018.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated by Andrew Meyer in 1932.
Separated Materials
Approximately 66 material culture objects acquired by Meyer throughout his work in Colombia were also donated to the Museum of the American Indian (now the National Museum of the American Indian) in 1932. These objects were assigned object numbers: 18/2829 – 18/2871.

Using the Collection

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).
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; 1929; Andrew Meyer photographs from Colombia, NMAI.AC.259; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Emberá (Choikoi) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Páez Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Guambiano (Guambia) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Colombia Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
San Agustín Archaeological Park (Colombia) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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