W J McGee collection of Bailey Willis photographs and lithograph relating to Macas peoples, circa 1903-1904

Scope and Contents note

Photographs and a lithograph probably collected by W J McGee during the first decade of the 20th century. The photographs were probably made by Bailey Willis during his 1903 expedition to China and were collected by W. J. McGee for his US Department of Agriculture bulletin on Soil Erosion (1911). Photos document terraced rice fields in China. The lithograph, made by Kell Brothers Lithographers and published by the Royal Anthropological Institute, may have also been collected by McGee, depicts a shrunken head made by Macas or Shuar peoples.

Biographical/Historical note

W J McGee (1853-1912) was a self-educated geologist, anthropologist, and hydrologist best known for his work with the United States Geological Survey and the Bureau of American Ethnology. In 1883, McGee was hired as a geologist for the USGS by its director, John Wesley Powell. McGee stayed with the USGS until 1893, when he resigned to join the Bureau of American Ethnology, again under Powell. During his time with the BAE, McGee made three expeditions to southern Arizona and northern Sonora in 1894, November 1895-January 1896, and 1900. McGee resigned from the BAE in 1903 to head the anthropological and historical exhibits at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, held the following year in St. Louis, Missouri. He later served on the Inland Waterways Commission and studied water resources of the United States for the US Department of Agriculture.

Bailey Willis (1857-1949) was an artist, traveler, geologist, and writer. After studying mechanical (1878) and civil (1879) engineering at Columbia University, he traveled and did geological work in the northwestern United States. Willis joined the United States Geological Survey in 1884 and became known for his research on the southern Appalachian mountains and eastern United States (1885-1892). In 1903-1904, Willis led the Carnegie Institute of Washington's expedition to northern China. He later became a consulting geologist to the Minister of Public Works of Argentina, professor of geology at Stanford Univeristy, and research associate of the Carnegie Institution.

Location of Other Archival Materials

The National Anthropological Archives also holds W J McGee papers, photographs, and publications, 1883-1914, 1971 (MS 2003-31). The Library of Congress holds the W J McGee papers, 1880-1916.

Location of Other Archival Materials

Additional Bailey Willis photographs and papers are held by the Huntington Library, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, and Smithsonian Institution Archives.