Heye Foundation Records, 1890-1989
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Museum of the American Indian/ Heye Foundation Records, 1890-1989 by Jennifer O'Neal and Rachel Menyuk 2012 This finding aid was generated automatically on August 12, 2014 National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center 4220 Silver Hill Rd Suitland , Maryland, 20746-2863 Phone: 301.238.1400 [email protected] http://nmai.si.edu/explore/collections/archive/ Table of Contents Collection Overview......................................................................................................... 1 Administrative Information .............................................................................................. 1 History of the Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation................................... 2 Scope and Content Note................................................................................................. 3 Arrangement..................................................................................................................... 3 Names and Subject Terms ............................................................................................. 3 Container Listing.............................................................................................................. 6 Series 1: Directors, 1908-1990................................................................................ 6 Series 2: Board of Trustees, 1916-1990................................................................ 63 Series 3: Administrative, 1916-1989...................................................................... 74 Series 4: Financial, 1916-1990............................................................................ 113 Series 5: Expeditions, 1896-1973........................................................................ 128 Series 6: Collectors, 1872-1981........................................................................... 137 Series 7: Registration, 1856-1993........................................................................ 193 Series 8: Collections Management, 1937-1988................................................... 218 Series 9: Curatorial, 1963-1990........................................................................... 221 Series 10: Exhibits, 1923-1991............................................................................ 249 Series 11: Public Programs, 1935-1990.............................................................. 281 Series 12: Publications, 1904-1994..................................................................... 286 Series 13: Public Affairs, 1938-1991.................................................................... 313 Series 14: Development, 1927-1991 (bulk 1975-1991)........................................ 321 Series 15: Other Departments, 1914-1990.......................................................... 365 Series 16: Huntington Free Library, 1926-1991................................................... 399 Series 17: Museum Relocation, 1969-1992......................................................... 402 Series 18: Media.................................................................................................. 426 Series 19: Photographs........................................................................................ 427 Series 20: Miscellaneous, 1837-1990.................................................................. 428 Series 21: Oversize, 1873-1982........................................................................... 432 Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation records Collection Overview Repository: National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center Creators: Heye, George G. (George Gustav), 1874-1957 Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation. Title: Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation records Dates: 1890-1998 Quantity: 400 linear feet Abstract: 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. Language: English Administrative Information 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. Related Material 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. Page 1 of 433 Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation records 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. Preferred 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. 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: [email protected]). Ownership & Literary 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 [email protected]. 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. Page 2 of 433 Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation records Scope and Content Note 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