Arthur d'Arazien Industrial Photographs
The collection includes Arthur d'Arazien's professional work in industrial photography from the late 1940's through about 1981; personal creative photography and other types of professional work were retained by Mr. d'Arazien or placed elsewhere. Thus this collection is a very cohesive, unified body of work, which documents primarily American (and some …
Subject Files
These records document the administrative activities of the National Museum of American History (NMAH), Office of the Director, concerning NMAH departments, divisions, exhibitions, and special events, primarily during fiscal years 1993-1994, although some records date back to when the museum was named the National Museum of History and Technology. Directors represented …
Subject Files
These records document the tenure of Roger G. Kennedy, director, NMHT, 1979-1980, and director, NMAH, 1980-1992, as well as some of the work of Douglas E. Evelyn, deputy director. The records concern activities of the Office of the Director and the administration of NMAH. Of special note are records regarding the conclusion …
Gordon Davis Gibson papers
This collection is comprised of the professional papers of Gordon D. Gibson. The collection contains his correspondence, field notes, research files, museum records, writings, photographs, sound recordings, and maps.The bulk of the collection consists of Gibson's southwestern Africa research. This includes his field notes, film scripts, photographs, sound recordings, and grant proposals he wrote in support of his fieldwork in Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. In addition, the collection contains his research notes, maps, drafts, publications, and papers presented at conferences. While most of his research focused on the Herero and Himba, the collection also contains his research on the Ovambo and Okavango and other southwestern African groups. In the collection is a great deal of photocopies and microfilms of literature on southwestern African ethnic groups, many of which are in Portuguese and German and which he had translated for his files. He was also interested in African material culture, especially Central African headgear. His research on African caps is well-represented in the collection, and includes photos of caps at various museums, source materials, research notes, and textile samples of knots and loop work. Gibson's files as the curator of African ethnology at the National Museum of Natural History also make up a significant portion of the collection. Among these records are his files for the museum's Hall of African Cultures and other African exhibits; his files on the museum's African collections, early donors and collectors of the collections; his personnel files; documents relating to his committee work; department and museum memos; meeting minutes; and his records as head of the Old World Division and acting chair of the department. The collection also documents the efforts to establish the Smithsonian's National Anthropological Film Center, now the Human Studies Film Archives, as well as his work on the planning committee to establish the Museum of Man at the Smithsonian. Memos and minutes relating to the Smithsonian's Center for the Study of Man are also present in the collection. In addition to Gibson's field photos, the collection also contains African photos taken by others. Among these are Herbert Friedmann's photos of Kenya; Hausmann's Libya photos; photos by Ralph Kepler Lewis during the Morden Africa Expedition in Kenya; and photos by Lawrence Marshall, Volkmar Wentzel, Alfred Martin Duggan Cronin, and Father Carlos Estermann. There are also photos of the exhibit cases from the Hall of African Cultures; photos of Smithsonian and non-Smithsonian African artifacts; and copies of photographs he obtained from different archives, including the National Anthropological Archives. Other materials in the collection include his files as film reviews editor for the American Anthropologist during the 1960s and 70s and his activities in different organizations.
Subject Files
These records document the administrative activities of the National Museum of American History (NMAH). Materials include the outgoing and incoming correspondence and memoranda of Roger G. Kennedy, Director, 1980-1992, and Douglas E. Evelyn, Deputy Director, 1980-1991; records pertaining to budgetary and administrative affairs of NMAH departments and divisions; collections management; museum shops …
Frank G. Ashbrook Papers
These records include correspondence, statistics, journal articles, and newspaper clippings concerning the fur industry, fur farming, and fur resources; research investigations on domestically raised fur animals; laws and tariffs concerning textiles and fur trading; correspondence concerning the China dog-skin case, 1934-1942; correspondence regarding the history of the fur trade and the …
Melvin Kranzberg Papers
Personal papers of Dr. Kranzberg from his undergraduate years at Amherst College through his professional career. Collection documents his involvement with development of the new field of history of technology and his role as principal founder of the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT); work as consultant and advisor to domestic and international agencies, colleges, and universities; personal affiliations, lectureships, publications; and teaching and administrative activities for more than 40 years as a college professor.
Correspondence and Memoranda
This record unit consists of two of the special files maintained by the Department of Correspondence and Documents. In 1902 a new system for maintaining records was established. Descriptions of the records are included as part of the series descriptions.
Subject Files
These records document the tenures of Frank A. Taylor, John C. Ewers, and Robert P. Multhauf as Directors of the Museum of History and Technology (NMHT); of Daniel J. Boorstin, Brooke Hindle, and Roger G. Kennedy as Directors of the National Museum of History and Technology; and of Roger G …
Subject Files
This accession consists of records documenting the activities of the Office of the Director and the daily administration of the National Museum of American History (NMAH), as well as material concerning Smithsonian issues during the tenures of Roger G. Kennedy and Spencer R. Crew. The records primarily include correspondence, memoranda …