Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation records

GUID

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv412df8cf1-44c0-41fd-9101-eefb477e5aef

Creator

Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation

Director

Heye, George G. (George Gustav), 1874-1957

Names

Ford-Bartlett East Greenland Expedition 1930

Harriman Alaska Expedition (1899)

Hendricks-Hodge Expedition (1917-1923).

Huntington Free Library

Hyde Exploring Expedition (1902-1903)

Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation

Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research

Collector

Barrett, S. A. (Samuel Alfred), 1879-1965

Former owner

Burnett, Edwin K.

Collector

Churchill, Clara G.

Churchill, Frank C. (Frank Carroll), 1850-1912

Davis, Edward H., b. 1862

Director

Dockstader, Frederick J.

Collector

Emmons, George Thornton

Former owner

Force, Roland W.

Collector

Gridley, Marion E. (Marion Eleanor), 1906-1974

Harrington, M. R. (Mark Raymond), 1882-1971

Harvey, Byron

Harvey, Fred

Hodge, Frederick Webb, 1864-1956

Johnson, Frederick, 1904-1994

Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956

Lothrop, S. K. (Samuel Kirkland), 1892-1965

Pepper, George H. (George Hubbard), 1873-1924

Skinner, Alanson, 1886-1925

Speck, Frank G. (Frank Gouldsmith), 1881-1950

Stiles, William F., 1912-1980

Verrill, A. Hyatt (Alpheus Hyatt), 1871-1954

Waterman, T. T. (Thomas Talbot), 1885-1936

Wildschut, William

Topic

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Peru

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Tennessee

Excavations (Archaeology) -- New York (State)

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Panama

Excavations (Archaeology) -- New Jersey

Excavations (Archaeology) -- New Mexico

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Missouri

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Nevada

Excavations (Archaeology) -- California

Indians of South America

Indians of Central America

Pre-Columbian objects

Museum exhibits

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Texas

Museums -- Collection management

Archaeological expeditions

Ethnological expeditions

Excavations (Archaeology)

Museums -- Acquisitions

Museums -- Curatorship

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Cuba

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Ecuador

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Arkansas

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Canada

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Guatemala

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Haiti

Creator

Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation

Director

Heye, George G. (George Gustav), 1874-1957

Culture

Indians of North America

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Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation records

Summary

These records document the governance and programmatic activities of the Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation (MAI) from its inception in 1904 until its sublimation by the Smithsonian Institution in 1990. The types of materials present in this collection include personal and institutional correspondence, individual subject files, minutes and annual reports, financial ledgers, legal records, expedition field notes, research notes, catalog and object lists, publications, clippings, flyers, maps, photographs, negatives and audio-visual materials. These materials span a varied range of subjects relating to the activities of the museum which are more fully described on the series level.

History of the Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation

The Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation was established by wealthy collector George Gustav Heye in 1908. Heye began collecting American Indian artifacts as early as 1897 and his collection rapidly increased over the next several years. Based in New York, Heye bought collections and documentary photographs, sponsored expeditions, and traveled and collected items himself. In addition, once MAI was established he sponsored numerous expeditions across the Western Hemisphere, including North American, Canada, South America and Central America. From 1908 to 1917 Heye housed his artifacts on temporary loan at the University of Pennsylvania's University Museum, Pennsylvania, in lofts on East 33rd Street in New York City, and at other depositories. In 1917, the collections moved from his apartment to their permanent museum location at Audubon Terrace, at 155th Street and Broadway in New York City. The museum, containing ethnographic and archaeological collections from North, Central and South America, opened to the public in 1922. Less than ten years later, Heye completed a storage facility in the Pelham Bay area of the Bronx, known as the Research Branch. Heye served as Chairman of the Board and Museum Director until his death in 1957. After growing concern about the financial and other management of the collections came to a head, the museum became part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1989 and in 1994 opened exhibit space in the U.S. Customs House at Bowling Green near New York City's Battery Park. The Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland later opened in 1999 and the main Washington, DC museum opened in 2004. Please visit the following links for more information about the history of the museum; History of the Collection, Collections Overview, and Significance of the Collection. Moreover, for information about how the museum currently cares for and exhibits the collection, please see the Conservation department and recent entries regarding Exhibitions and Conservation on the NMAI Blog. In addition, see portions of the NMAI Archive Center's collections highlighted in the SIRIS Blog.

Extent

400 Linear Feet

Date

1890-1998

Provenance and Acquisition

The collection was originally part of the MAI Archives at Audobon Terrace in New York City. Title and custody of the collections were formally transferred to NMAI in 1990. Upon completion of the NMAI Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, MD, the collection was physically transferred to the NMAI Archive Center in 1998.

Archival Repository

National Museum of the American Indian

Identifier

NMAI.AC.001

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Administrative records

Photographs

Annual reports

Field notes

Correspondence

Ledgers (account books)

Minutes

Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation Records, Box and Folder Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.

Arrangement

The MAI, Heye Foundation records have been arranged into 21 series and 50 subseries: Series 1: Directors, 1908-1990 (1.1: George Gustav Heye, 1863-1962, 1.2: Edwin K. Burnett, 1943-1960, 1.3: Frederick Dockstader, 1950-1976, 1.4: Alexander F. Draper, 1972-1977, 1.5:Roland W. Force, 1963-1990, 1.6: George Eager, Assistant Director, 1977-1990) Series 2: Board of Trustees, 1916-1990 (2.1: Board of Trustee Minutes, 1916-1990, 2.2: Individual Board Correspondence, 1943-1990, 2.3: Subject Files, 1917-1990) Series 3: Administrative, 1916-1989 (3.1: Subject Files, 1904-1991, 3.2: Personnel, 1956-1991, 3.3: Legal, 1900-1989, 3.4: Task Force, 1976-1986, 3.5: George Abrams, 1980-1991) Series 4: Financial, 1916-1990 (4.1: Ledgers, 1900-1962, 4.2: Correspondence, 1905-1985, 4.3: Subject Files, 1916-1990) Series 5: Expeditions, 1896-1973Series 6: Collectors, 1872-1981Series 7: Registration, 1856-1993Series 8: Collections Management, 1937-1988Series 9: Curatorial, 1963-1990 (9.1: Curatorial Council, 1973-1990, 9.2: Gary Galante, 1979-1991, 9.3: Mary Jane Lenz, 1974-1994, 9.4: James G. E. Smith, 1963-1990, 9.5: U. Vincent Wilcox, 1968-1984, 9.6: Anna C. Roosevelt, 1973-1988) Series 10: Exhibits, 1923-1991 (10.1: MAI Exhibits, 1923-1990, 10.2: Non-MAI Exhibits, 1937-1991) Series 11: Public Programs, 1935-1990Series 12: Publications, 1904-1994 (12.1: Annual Reports, 1917-1989, 12.2: Publications by MAI, 1904-1990, 12.3: Publications by Other Sources, 1881-1990, 12.4: Administration, 1920-1988, 12.5: Archival Set of Official Publications, 1907-1976) Series 13: Public Affairs, 1938-1991Series 14: Development, 1927-1991 (14.1: Administration, 1979-1990, 14.2: Donors, 1978-1990, 14.3: Fundraising, 1973-1990, 14.4: Grants, 1970-1990, 14.5: Subject Files, 1976-1990) Series 15: Other Departments, 1914-1990 (15.1: Archives, 1914-1990, 15.2: Conservation, 1972-1989, 15.3: Education, 1921-1990, 15.4: Indian Information Center, 1977-1989, 15.5: Museum Shop, 1947-1989, 15.6: Photography, 1918-1990, 15.7: Physical Anthropology, 1919-1956) Series 16: Huntington Free Library, 1926-1991Series 17: Museum Relocation, 1969-1992 (17.1: Subject Files, 1979-1990, 17.2: American Museum of Natural History, 1980-1987, 17.3: Dallas, Texas, 1984-1987, 17.4: Smithsonian Institution, 1979-1990, 17.5: U.S. Custom House, 1977-1990, 17.6: Other Locations, 1974-1987) Series 18: MediaSeries 19: PhotographsSeries 20: Miscellaneous, 1837-1990Series 21: Oversize, 1873-1972 (21.1: Maps, 1873-1975, 21.2: Miscellaneous, 1884-1982)

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Jennifer O'Neal, Rachel Menyuk, Rachel Telford, and Kristine Marconi McGee from 2004-2011. Finding aid written by Jennifer O'Neal and Rachel Menyuk in 2011.

Rights

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or broadcast materials from the collection must be requested from the National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiarchives@si.edu.

Genre/Form

Administrative records

Photographs

Annual reports

Field notes

Correspondence

Ledgers (account books)

Minutes

Scope and Contents

These records document the governance and programmatic activities of the Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation (MAI) from its inception in 1904 until its sublimation by the Smithsonian Institution in 1990. The types of materials present in this collection include personal and institutional correspondence, individual subject files, minutes and annual reports, financial ledgers, legal records, expedition field notes, research notes, catalog and object lists, publications, clippings, flyers, maps, photographs, negatives and audio-visual materials. These materials span a varied range of subjects relating to the activities of the museum which are more fully described on the series level.

Restrictions

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).

Related Materials

In 2004, the Huntington Fee Library, once part of the MAI/Heye Foundation, was transferred to the Cornell University Library Rare Book and Manuscript Collection. While this collection mainly contained books, it also contained a significant amount of archival materials. The Huntington Free Library's Native American Collection contains outstanding materials documenting the history, culture, languages, and arts of the native tribes of both North and South America, as well as contemporary politics and human rights issues are also important components of the collection. Further information about the collection and links to finding aids can be found here: rmc.library.cornell.edu/collections/HFL_old.html.

Record ID

ebl-1503511659851-1503511660185-0