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Lawrence Gustave Desmond Papers Relating to Augustus and , 1978-2018, undated

Beth Ann Guynn and Linda Kleiger

2013.M.12 1 Descriptive Summary Title: Lawrence Gustave Desmond papers relating to Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon Date (inclusive): 1978-2009, undated Number: 2013.M.12 Creator/Collector: Desmond, Lawrence Gustave, 1935- Physical Description: 17.66 Linear Feet(29 boxes) Repository: The Getty Research Institute Special Collections 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100 90049-1688 [email protected] URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref (310) 440-7390 Abstract: The Lawrence Gustave Desmond papers represent over 30 years of exhaustive research and writing by Lawrence Desmond on the lives and work of Mesoamerican archaeologists Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, who lived and traveled throughout Yucatán, Mexico, and Central America from 1873 to 1886, and were the first to systematically excavate and photograph the Maya sites of Chichén Itzá and . Desmond's interest in the husband and wife team began during his graduate studies and they are the subject of his PhD dissertation and two books, A Dream of Maya: Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon in Nineteenth-century Yucatán with Phyllis Messenger (1988) and Yucatán through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer & Expeditionary Photographer (2009). Included in the collection are research materials and correspondence assembled by Desmond over the course of his study of the Le Plongeons along with the drafts and manuscripts for his resulting publications. Inventories of the major holdings of original Le Plongeon photographs in the , and of the Dixon family in England, as well as copy photographs of those holdings, are also included. Request Materials: Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record for this collection. Click here for the access policy . Language: Collection material is in English with some Spanish; Castilian. Biographical/Historical Note Archaeologist, author, and photographer, Lawrence Gustave Desmond, was born in in 1935. His interest in photography began as a pre-teen growing up in the nearby small town of San Carlos. After receiving a BA from the University of Santa Clara in 1957, Desmond saw active duty as a Coast Guard officer from 1957 to 1960 and served in the Coast Guard Reserve through the 1960s, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He completed an MBA at San Jose State University in 1964 and went on to a career in human resources and management development with Silicon Valley electronic manufacturing companies. During this period Desmond gradually developed an interest in Mesoamerican to the extent that he left his business career in order to study first at the Universidad de Las Americas in Cholula, Mexico, where he received an MA in cultural anthropology in 1979, and then at the University of Colorado, Boulder where he was awarded a PhD in anthropology and archeology in 1983. Desmond has carried out archaeological research in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras for more than forty years. He has taught at the University of Minnesota and San Francisco State University and has published numerous articles about his archaeological and heritage preservation projects including geophysical and photogrammetric surveys at the Yucatán sites of Uxmal and Chichén Itzá. He has exhaustively researched the lives and work of Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon, who lived and traveled throughout Yucatán for ten years in the late 19th century, and they are the subject of his PhD dissertation and two books, A Dream of Maya: Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon in Nineteenth-century Yucatán with Phyllis Messenger (1988) and Yucatán through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer & Expeditionary Photographer (2009). Desmond is currently a senior research fellow in archaeology with the Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project (MMARP) at Harvard University and a research associate with the Department of Anthropology at the California Academy of Science in San Francisco. His blog ArcheoPlanet covers topics in archaeology (http://archaeoplanet.wordpress.com). Most recently Desmond has published a series of books resulting from his life-long avocation of photography on the online platform Blurb, with titles ranging from Growing Up in California, 1947-1959: Toy Racers and Giant Salamanders to Mexico as It Was: Life in the 1970s (both 2014). Access Open for use by qualified researchers.

2013.M.12 2 Publication Rights Contact Library Reproductions and Permissions . Preferred Citation Lawrence Gustave Desmond papers relating to Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, 1856-2007, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2013.M.12. http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2013m12 Acquisition Information Gift of Lawrence G. Desmond. Acquired in 2012. Processing History The collection was processed by Linda Kleiger, Lilly Tsukahira and Beth Ann Guynn in 2014-2015, and Guynn wrote the finding aid. Related Archival Materials The Getty Research Institute holds the Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon Papers, Special Collections accession no. 2004.M.18, as well as two smaller collections of their photographs: Views of Maya Ruins in the Yucatán, Special Collections accession no. 96.R.137 and Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon photographs of Chichén Itza, Uxmal and Yucatán, Special Collections accession no. 2007.R.8. The original copies of the Le Plongeon photographs that Desmond made as part of his NEH grant are housed at the Wilson Library of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill as the Lawrence G. Desmond Colection of Augustus Le Plongeon and Alice Dicon Le Plongeon Photographs, collection id no. 5268. Desmond's own photographs are represented in the Lawrence G. Desmond Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project (MMARP) Photographs, Special Collections accession no. 2014.R.16. Scope and Content of Collection The collection represents over 30 years of exhaustive research and writing by Lawrence Desmond on the lives and work of Mesoamerican archaeologists Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, who lived and traveled throughout Yucatán, Mexico, and Central America from 1873 to 1886, and who were the first persons to systematically excavate and photograph the Maya sites of Chichén Itzá and Uxmal. Desmond's interest in the husband and wife team began during his graduate studies and they are the subject of his PhD dissertation and two books, A Dream of Maya: Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon in Nineteenth-century Yucatán with Phyllis Messenger (1988) and Yucatán through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer & Expeditionary Photographer (2009). Included in the collection are research materials and correspondence assembled by Desmond over the course of his study of the Le Plongeons along with the drafts and manuscripts for his resulting publications. Inventories of the major holdings of original Le Plongeon photographs in the United States and of the Dixon family in England, as well as copy photographs of those holdings, are also included. Series I contains drafts, manuscripts, photographs, and publication-related materials for book-length projects including his early, unpublished work on Augustus Le Plongeon, his 1983 PhD dissertation "Augustus Le Plongeon: Early Maya Archaeologist" and his book 1988 A Dream of Maya. There is a small amount of material for his later book Yucatán Through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer and Expeditionary Photographer (2009). By contrast, Series II comprises shorter manuscripts for Desmond's unpublished class papers and published articles and lectures as well as unpublished slide lecture materials including texts, images lists, slides, and ephemera. Included in Series III are the repository inventories; photocopies of photographic prints; and copy prints, negatives, and slides that resulted from inventory projects, beginning in the late 1980s, of Le Plongeon photographs that Desmond conducted at various institutions in the United States and in the private collection of the Dixon family in England. In 1987, Desmond received a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant to catalog three major collections of Le Plongeon photographs held in the United States at the American Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum, Harvard University, and the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), Los Angeles. The grant also covered copy photography of the original materials. In 1998, Desmond inventoried and photographed the Getty Research Library's "Views of Maya Ruins in the Yucatan" (Special Collections accession no. 96.R.137) and in the following year he documented the Donald Dixon Album (Dixon collection). Materials related to Desmond's 2005 catalog of Le Plongeon photgraphs are also included in this series. Series IV contains the bulk of Desmond's research on the Le Plongeons. Included are field notes, bibliographies, research correspondence, and notes related to institutional holdings. Copy photographs (restrikes) and photocopies of original Le Plongeon correspondence, manuscripts, published articles, and other materials are also present. The photographic materials (slides, negatives, and prints) in Series V are primarily copy and reproductive materials made by Desmond from original and copied materials, usually third generation images, that Desmond made to use for various unidentified projects. Arrangement

2013.M.12 3 Arranged in five series: Series I. Book-length manuscripts, 1978-2009, undated; Series II. Articles, papers and lectures, late 1970s-2001; Series III. Catalogs of Le Plongeon photographs, 1987-2005; Series IV. Research materials and related correspondence, 1977-2008, undated; Series V Photographs, 1980-1989, undated. Subjects - Names Le Plongeon, Augustus, 1826-1908 Le Plongeon, Alice D. (Alice Dixon), 1851-1910 Subjects - Topics Archaeology -- Mexico -- Yucatán (State) Subjects - Places Uxmal Site (Mexico) -- Antiquities Chichén Itzá Site (Mexico) -- Antiquities Genres and Forms of Material Anaglyphs -- United States -- 20th century Gelatin silver prints -- United States -- 20th century Gelatin silver negatives -- United States -- 20th century Floppy disks -- United States -- 20th century Copy prints -- United States -- 20th century Color slides -- United States -- 20th century Stereoscopic photographs -- United States -- 20th century Contributors Desmond, Lawrence Gustave, 1935-

Series I. Book-length manuscripts, 1978-2009, undated Physical Description: 7 Linear Feet(15 boxes) Scope and Content Note The series contains drafts, manuscripts, photographs, and publication-related materials for book-length projects including Desmond's early, unpublished work on Augustus Le Plongeon, his 1983 PhD dissertation "Augustus Le Plongeon: Early Maya Archaeologist" and his 1988 book A Dream of Maya . There is a small amount of material for his later book Yucatán Through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer and Expeditionary Photographer (2009). Arrangement Arranged in roughly chronological order by date of completion. box 1, folder 1 "The Ancient Maya Ruins of Yucatán, 1875: The Photographs of Augustus Le Plongeon, M.D.," 1981 Scope and Content Note The first manuscript written by Desmond for a book about Augustus Le Plongeon. Unpublished, 134 pages. box 1, 17 " and Queen Móo: The Earliest Excavations of the Ancient Maya Ruins," 1981 Scope and Content Note First draft manuscript of a book about Augustus Le Plongeon submitted to the University of New Mexico Press. box 1, folder 2 Bound manuscript

2013.M.12 4 Series I.Book-length manuscripts, 1978-2009, undated

box 17 Photographs Scope and Content Note Mostly 8 x 10 inch gelatin silver photographs taken by Desmond from the same angle and distance as the original Le Plongeon photographs were taken. Many with typewritten captions taped to their versos.

box 17, folder 1-3 Chichén Itzá box 17, folder 1 1 Scope and Content Note Twenty-four photographs.

box 17, folder 2 2 Scope and Content Note Thirteen photographs.

box 17, folder 3 3 Scope and Content Note Twenty-two photographs.

box 17, folder 4, 5 Uxmal box 17, folder 4 1 Scope and Content Note Sixteen photographs.

box 17, folder 5 2 Scope and Content Note Seventeen photographs.

box 1-2 "Augustus Le Plongeon: Early Maya Archaeologist," 1982-1983 Scope and Content Note Dissertation acccepted in fulfillment of the requirements for a PhD in Anthropology, University of Colorado, 1983. Drafts of the dissertation bear varying titles as noted below.

box 1, folder 3 "Augustus Le Plongeon: Important or Fringe Figure in the Development of Early Mayan Studies," 1982 Scope and Content Note Research proposal for Desmond's doctoral dissertation with comments from Professor James R. McGoodwin, dissertation advisor. Also includes notes about the comments of six members of the dissertation committee during discussions after the formal proposal. Unbound.

box 2, folder 1 "Augustus Le Plongeon: Demythologized," 1983 Scope and Content Note Draft of the doctoral dissertation with comments by Professor James R. McGoodwin. Bound volume.

box 2, folder 2-3 Final draft, 1983 Scope and Content Note Two bound typewritten copies. Includes copies of committee signatures.

2013.M.12 5 Series I.Book-length manuscripts, 1978-2009, undated

box 3-7, 18, 23-24 A Dream of Maya, 1980-1999, undated Scope and Content Note Lawrence Gustave Desmond, Phyllis Mauch Messenger; foreword by Jaime Litvak King, A Dream of Maya: Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon in Nineteenth-century Yucatan , Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1988. Draft titles differ from the title of the final publication.

Texts box 3, folder 1 "Augustus Le Plongeon: Early Maya Archaeologist," 1984 Scope and Content Note Manuscript of a second draft under this title, returned for revisions by the University of New Mexico Press. Bound volume.

box 3, folder 2 "Augustus Le Plongeon and Alice Dixon: Lives amongst the Ancient Maya Ruins," 1985 Scope and Content Note First draft of a manuscript under this title, edited by Phyllis Messenger. Bound computer printout.

A Dream of Maya box 3, folder 3 First draft, 1986 Scope and Content Note First draft submitted to the University of New Mexico Press. This manuscript was the result of the two years Messenger and Desmond spent editing Desmond's doctoral dissertation. It was written using Volkswriter software at the University of Colorado.

box 3, folder 4 First manuscript, 1986 box 4, folder 1 Final version, 1986 Scope and Content Note Final bound version submitted to the University of New Mexico Press. Includes the forward by Jaime Litvak King with a handwritten personal note by him. Also includes original drawings by Lewis "Skip" Messenger for use at the end of each chapter.

box 4, folder 2 Press edit version, 1987 box 4, folder 3 Photocopies not used in book, 1987 box 4-5 Galley proofs, 1987 Scope and Content Note One original and five copies, each annotated.

box 4, folder 4 Original, I box 5, folder 1 II, III box 5, folder 2 IV, V box 6, item D1-D5 Computer disks, 1986 Scope and Content Note 5 computer disks (floppy disks) of 5: 5 1/2 in (?). Includes test disk, book, drafts and final versions.

box 7, folder 1 Book contract, 1986 box 7, folder 2 Permissions correspondence, 1981 box 7, folder 3 Manuscript editing, correspondence, 1980-1990 box 7, folder 4 Book reviews, 1988-1999 box 7, folder 5 Advertising, 1988-1989 box 7, folder 6 Marketing, 1988

2013.M.12 6 Series I.Book-length manuscripts, 1978-2009, undated

box 7, folder 7 Sample book cover, late 1980s box 7, folder 8 Correspondence regarding remainder of copies, 1992 box 18 Photographs, undated box 18, folder 1-6 Captioned photographs Scope and Content Note 8 x 10 inch gelatin silver prints from various sources, most with typewritten captions taped to their versos.

box 18, folder 1 Portraits: Brinton, Salisbury, Haven Scope and Content Note Three photographs.

box 18, folder 2 Chichén Itzá and Progresso Scope and Content Note Three photographs.

box 18, folder 3 Yucatán ethnographic Scope and Content Note Six photographs.

box 18, folder 4 Scope and Content Note Three photographs.

box 18, folder 5 The Le Plongeons Scope and Content Note Thirteen photographs taken in the field and formal portraits.

box 18, folder 6 Figures 1-11 Scope and Content Note Ten photographs (figure 7 is lacking); figure numbers on labels adhered to rectos of prints; most versos with handwritten captions or annotations.

box 18, folder 7-9 Miscellaneous photographs, 1980s Scope and Content Note Circa 165 gelatin silver prints, 8 x 10 inches and smaller, some with typewritten captions taped on the versos. Includes copy photographs of original Le Plongeon plans and schematics as well as photographs taken by Desmond replicating the angle and distance of the original Le Plongeon photographs.

Desmond restrikes, 1978-1979 Scope and Content Note Copy prints made by Desmond from the original Le Plongeon negatives housed at the PRS used originally for early research and then for The Dream of Maya . Blind stamp on versos: Lawrence G. Desmond. Most numbered and with annotations written on versos; many with typed captions adhered to versos.

box 23, folder 1-2 Chichén Itzá flats Scope and Content Note Seventy-one prints, 6 x 8 1/2 inches and smaller.

box 23, folder 3-4 Chichén Itzá stereographic prints Scope and Content Note Ninety-three prints, 5 x 8 inches and smaller.

2013.M.12 7 Series I.Book-length manuscripts, 1978-2009, undated

box 24, folder 1 Lower Temple of the Jaguars, Chichén Itzá Scope and Content Note Thirty-seven prints 8 1/2 x 5 inches and smaller. Mostly stereographic.

box 24, folder 2 Scope and Content Note Seven stereographic prints, 5 x 8 inches and smaller.

box 24, folder 3 Panorama of Uxmal Scope and Content Note Six stereographic prints, 5 x 8 inches and smaller.

box 24, folder 4 Uxmal, various Scope and Content Note Sixty-seven two-dimensional and stereographic prints, 6 x 8 1/2 inches and smaller, and 13 4 x 5 inch test prints (made using TRIX 4 and TMAX 4 filters).

box 24, folder 5 Chenes Temple, Uxmal Scope and Content Note Eight stereographic prints, 6 x 8 1/2 inches and smaller.

box 24, folder 6 East facade, Governor's Palace, Uxmal Scope and Content Note Sixteen stereographic prints, 6 x 8 1/2 inches and smaller.

box 24, folder 7 Yucatán Scope and Content Note Eight two-dimensional and one stereographic print, 5 1/2 x 8 inches and smaller.

box 24, folder 8 Artifacts Scope and Content Note Three two-dimensional and 23 stereographic prints, 6 x 8 1/2 inches and smaller.

box 24, folder 9 Portraits of the Le Plongeons Scope and Content Note Twenty-two prints, 6 x 8 1/2 inches and smaller and six test prints (made using TRIX 4 and TMAX 4 filters).

box 16, 25 Yucatan through Her Eyes, 2009 Scope and Content Note Lawrence Gustave Desmond; foreword by Claire L. Lyons, Yucatán through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer and Expeditionary Photographer , Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2009.

box 25, folder 1 Text Scope and Content Note Two 32 gigabite flash drives titled Lep Files 1 and Lep Files 2, containing texts, illustrations other materials relating to the book.

2013.M.12 8 Series I.Book-length manuscripts, 1978-2009, undated

box 16, folder 11 Non-Getty Research Library illustrations Scope and Content Note Four 4 x 5 inch gelatin silver proof prints with typewritten captions and figure numbers taped to versos, of unknown provenance.

box 8, 20 Series II. Articles, papers and lectures, late 1970s-2018 Physical Description: 2.76 Linear Feet(4 boxes) Scope and Content Note Included here are unpublished class papers, published articles, and lectures and unpublished slide lecture materials including texts, images lists, slides, and ephemera. Arrangement Arranged chronologically.

box 7-8 Articles, late 1970s-2018 box 7, folder 9 Unpublished articles and class papers, late 1970s-1981 Scope and Content Note Contains the following writings by Desmond: "The Ancient Maya Ruins, 1875: The Photographs of Augustus Le Plongeon, M.D.," 1980;" "The Great Earthquake in Peru and Chile," August 13, 1868, and "A Theory of the Causes and Method of Prediction of Earthquakes by Augustus Le Plongeon, M.D.," 1981; "Introduction to 'The Pyramid of Xochicalco' by Augustus Le Plongeon," 1980 or 1981; and "Proposal for a Book on ALP," late 1970s. A photocopy of the music for "The Lover's Song" by Alice Le Plongeon is also included.

box 7, folder 10 "Excavation of the Platform of Venus, Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico," 1981-1984 Scope and Content Note Presented at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, April 1982, Minneapolis, Minnesota and at the "Coloquio en Homenaje a Ignacio Bernal," January 30-February 1, 1984, UNAM, Mexico, D.F. Also included are maps, photographs, and correspondence pertaining to the paper and conference. Later published in Tributo a Jaime Litvak King, Mexico: UNAM, 2008. Pages 155-166.

box 7, folder 11 "Of Facts and Hearsay: Bringing Augustus Le Plongeon into Focus," 1986-1989 Scope and Content Note Presented at the conference "Explaining Archaeology's Past," Southern Illinois University, May 1-2, 1987. Published in Andrew L. Christensen, ed., Tracing Archaeology's Past: The Historiography of Archaeology, , Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1989. Pages 139-150. Includes drafts and correspondence relating to the conference and the publication.

box 7, folder 12 "Introduction to 'The Pyramid of Xochicalco by Augustus Le Plongeon,'" 1986 Scope and Content Note Unpublished? Includes letter to Jaime Litvak.

box 7, folder 13 "Methodology in the Assessment of Augustus Le Plongeon," 1987 Scope and Content Note Unpublished? Presented to the Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project (MMARP), University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.

2013.M.12 9 Series II.Articles, papers and lectures, late 1970s-2018

box 8, folder 1-3 "From Center to Periphery: A Fall from Archaeological Grace," 1990-1999 Scope and Content Note Published as "Augustus Le Plongeon: A Fall from Archaeological Grace" in Alice B. Kehoe and Mary Beth Emmerichs, eds., Assembling the Past: Studies in the Professionalization of Archaeology , University of New Mexico Press: Albuquerque, 1999. Pages 81-90.

box 8, folder 1 1990-1991 Scope and Content Note Draft and correspondence relating to publication of the article, including in the projected publication "Mainstreams and Margins" with Alice Kehoe.

box 8, folder 2 1995 Scope and Content Note Includes correspondence with respect to possible publication.

box 8, folder 3 1997-1999 box 8, folder 4-5 "Rediscovery and Collecting," 1996-1998 box 8, folder 4 1993-1995 box 8, folder 5 1996-1998 Scope and Content Note Includes published page from the dictionary.

box 8, folder 6 "" and "Augustus Le Plongeon," 2000 Scope and Content Note Two encyclopedia entries. One published as: "Augustus Le Plongeon: Early , Archaeologist, and Photographer" in David Carrasco, ed., Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures, New York, Oxford University Press, 2001. Vol. 2, pages 117-118.

box 8, folder 7 Prologue to Aquí y allá en Yucatán , 1998-2001 Scope and Content Note Co-authored with Jaime Litvak King for the Spanish translation of Alice D. Le Plongeon's Here and There in Yucatan, New York: J. W. Bouton, 1886; Mexico: CONACULTA, 2001.

IX Congreso Internacional e Interdisciplinario "Alexander Von Humboldt y los viajeros por Yucatán," 2018 Scope and Content Note Hosted by El Centro Peninsular en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Cephcis-Unam), the conference was held November 19-24, 2018 in Merida, Yucatan.

"A Comparison of 1870s and 1980s Photographs of Architecture at Chichén Itzá and Uxmal, Yucatán, México," Physical Description: 0.3 GB2 files Scope and Content Note This slideshow compares the photographs made in the 1870s in Yucatán by Alice Dixon Le Plongeon and Augustus Le Plongeon of Maya architecture, bas reliefs, and hieroglyphics at Chichén Itzá, and Uxmal with those made by Lawrence G. Desmond in the 1980s of the same subjects. It was shown as part of the conference throughout the day of 20 November, 2018. One slideshow file is an Apple iWorks Keynote version 9 (.key) and the other is a Acrobat 1.3 - Portable Document Format (.pdf).

2013.M.12 10 Series II.Articles, papers and lectures, late 1970s-2018

"Photographing the Dream," Physical Description: 0.001 GB(2 files) Scope and Content Note Included are two files: a Microsoft Word Document 97-2003 (.doc); and an Acrobat 1.3 - Portable Document Format (.pdf). This paper, which was accepted for delivery at the conference, was not included in the final program when the author was unable to attend the conference in person. It has been accepted for publication at a future date.

box 8, 19-20 Lectures, 1980s-1990s box 8, 19 "Enchanted Ground: Early Views of the Ancient Maya Ruins in 3-D Stereo," 1990 Scope and Content Note Lecture given at Colgate University, Hamilton, New York.

box 8, folder 8 Lecture materials Scope and Content Note Includes lecture typescript and notes, flyers and ephemera and notes written by attendees.

box 19 Slides Scope and Content Note One hundred and sixty-two slides; original sleeves labeled: Le Plongeon 3D presentation.

box 8, folder 9 "Chichén Itzá and Uxmal 1875 and 1989," circa 1990 Scope and Content Note List of slides.

box 20 Le Plongeon lecture, 1980s-1990s Scope and Content Note One hundred and fifty-two slides; original sleeves labeled: Le Plongeon.

2013.M.12 11 Series III.Catalogs of Le Plongeon photographs, 1987-2005

box 8-9 Series III. Catalogs of Le Plongeon photographs, 1987-2005 Physical Description: 4 Linear Feet(6 boxes) Scope and Content Note Beginning in the late 1980s Desmond inventoried photographs made by the Le Plongeons held at various institutions in the United States and in the private collection of the Dixon family in England. In 1987, Desmond received a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant to catalog three major collections of Le Plongeon photographs held in the United States at the American Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum, Harvard University, and the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), Los Angeles. The grant also covered copy photography of the original materials. In 1998, Desmond inventoried and photographed the Getty Research Library's "Views of Maya Ruins in the Yucatan" (Special Collections accession no. 96.R.137) and in the following year he documented the Donald Dixon Album (Dixon collection). Initial interest expressed by the University of New Mexico Press wtih regard to publishing Desmond's catalog did not come to fruition. In 2005, Desmond compiled his inventories on a CD-ROM catalog titled The Nineteenth Century Photographs of Alice Dixon Le Plongeon and Augustus Le Plongeon . He self-published a revised, printed catalog in 2015 with Blurb Inc. Included in Series III are the repository inventories; photocopies of photographic prints; extra copy prints, negatives and slides that resulted from Desmond's inventory projects; and materials related to Desmond's 2005 catalog. The original copies of the Le Plongeon's photographs that Desmond made as part of his NEH grant are housed at the Wilson Library of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill as as the Lawrence G. Desmond Colection of Augustus Le Plongeon and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon Photographs. Arrangement Arranged alphabetically by institution with the final compilation catalog at the end of the series.

box 8, 21-22 American Museum of Natural History, 1987 box 8, folder 10 Inventory and photocopies of prints box 21-22 Photographs Scope and Content Note These materials were created as part of Desmond's NEH grant to copy Le Plongeon photographic materials held at the AMNH. There are some images from the collection not included among these materials. The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina holds a complete set of copy images from the AMNH.

box 21, folder 1 Reference prints for catalog, Scope and Content Note Seventy-two 4 x 5 inch copy prints, numbered 16-171 (with some numbers skipped).

box 22, folder 1 Copy negatives Scope and Content Note Circa one hundred and sixty-four 35mm black-and-white negatives contained in six negative saver sheets.

box 22, folder 2 Copy slides, 1987 Scope and Content Note Forty-one 35mm color slides with AMNH numbers indicated.

2013.M.12 12 Series III.Catalogs of Le Plongeon photographs, 1987-2005

box 8, folder 11 Peabody Museum, Harvard University, late 1980s Scope and Content Note Includes a one-page handwritten inventory of the Le Plongeon photographs held at the Peabody; photocopies of the prints made by the Peabody from the photographs of their large boards with Le Plongeon prints mounted on them; and photocopies of unmounted Le Plongeon prints held by the institution.

box 8, 22 Philosophical Research Society, 1987-1988 box 8, folder Duplication of prints and negatives, 1987-1988 12-13 box 22, folder 4 Douglas Munson at PRS, 1987 Scope and Content Note Nineteen 35mm color slides of Munson working on the NEH copy project.

box 27-29 Copy prints, 1989 Scope and Content Note Circa three hundred and thirty 5 x 8 inch gelatin silver copy prints made by Douglas Munson (Chicago Albumen Works) as part of Desmond's NEH grant to duplicate and catalog Le Plongeon photographs and tracings held at the PRS. Most replicate stereographic photographs although flat photographs are also included. Subjects included are: Ake; artifacts; Chichén Itzá; graphics; portraits; Uxmal; and Yucatán. Each category includes duplicates as Munson often made prints at different densities so that highlight and shadow detail would be visible, since the tonal range of collodion glass plate negatives is beyond the data capacity of copy films manufactured in the 1980s.

box 8-9 The Nineteenth Century Photographs of Alice Dixon Le Plongeon and Augustus Le Plongeon... , 1989-1990 box 8, folder 14 1989 box 9, folder 1 1990 box 9, folder 2 Correspondence regarding Le Plongeon catalog, 2005 box 9, folder 3 Catalog of the Le Plongeon Collection of Donald Dixon , 2004 box 9-16 Series IV. Research materials and related correspondence, 1977-2008, undated Physical Description: 2.9 Linear Feet(9 boxes) Scope and Content Note The series contains the bulk of Desmond's research on the Le Plongeons. Included are field notes, bibliographies, research correspondence, and notes related to institutional holdings. Copy photographs (restrikes) and photocopies of original Le Plongeon correspondence, manuscripts, published articles and other materials are also present. File dates refer to the date of request to the holding institution or correspondent. When known, the dates of the original materials are given in the notes. The Le Plongeon-related materials contained in the files are photocopies, unless otherwise noted. Arrangement Arranged alphabetically by institution, correspondent or subject and preceded by general notes, bibliographies and general research correspondence.

box 9, folder 4 Notes and chronology of Le Plongeon research, 1977-1980 box 9, folder 5 Le Plongeon project field notes, 1980-1987 Scope and Content Note Includes notes on the following topics: Excavation of Akab Dzib; Le Plongeon research in the San Francisco area; Ansel Adams; American Museum of Natural History, 1987; Philosophical Research Society copy photos, 1987.

2013.M.12 13 Series IV.Research materials and related correspondence, 1977-2008, undated

box 9, folder 6 Le Plongeon project notes, 1980-1982 Scope and Content Note Includes notes on the following topics: Museum visits; psychic consults; individuals consulted; American Museum of Natural History.

box 9, folder 7 Bibliographies, undated box 9, 10 Research correspondence, 1977-1995 Scope and Content Note The correspondence deals with topics such as book contracts, papers submitted for professional meetings, searches for materials, and so forth.

box 9, folder 8 1977-1979 box 9, folder 9 1980 A box 10, folder 1 1980 B box 10, folder 2 1981 A box 10, folder 3 1981 B box 10, folder 4 1982 box 10, folder 5 1983 box 10, folder 6 1984-1986 box 10, folder 7 1987-1995 box 11, folder 1 Albany Institute, 1981 Scope and Content Note Regarding a lecture given by Alice Le Plongeon, December 22, 1896.

box 11 American Society, circa 1990 box 11, folder 2-3 Miscellaneous materials, circa 1990 Scope and Content Note Correspondence between Augustus Le Plongeon and Stephen Salisbury spanning from 1873 to 1896.

box 11, folder 2 I box 11, folder 3 II box 11, folder 4 Notes on September 6-7, meeting, 1990 box 11, folder 5 American Institute of Archaeology, undated box 11 American Museum of Natural History, undated box 11, folder 6 I Scope and Content Note List of Le Plongeon moulds from Yucatán ruins. Photocopies of Le Plongeon correspondence with Marshall Saville, 1894.

box 11, folder 7 II Scope and Content Note Regarding casts from Uxmal, 1893-1911, and gifts to the museum from the estate of Alice Le Plongeon.

box 11, folder 8 Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 1989 Scope and Content Note Includes: list of letters from Phoebe A. Hearst to Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, 1895-1998; copies of letters from Alice Dixon Le Plongeon to Hearst regarding payment for donating the casts of moulds from Yucatán, 1895-1900; list of topics covered by lectures prepared for the Lowell Institute given by Augustus Le Plongeon, 1890.

box 11, folder 9 Bania, Melissa, 1990 Scope and Content Note Article on Alice Le Plongeon.

2013.M.12 14 Series IV.Research materials and related correspondence, 1977-2008, undated

box 16, folder 11 Betts, Brooks, The Fall of Maya, 1911 Scope and Content Note Two photocopies (one spiral bound) of a typescript play by Betts based on Alice Le Plongeon's Queen Móo and the Egyptian Sphinx. The original typescript is in the Liebler Colelction, NYPL. Also included are notes and correspondence from Desmond to Beth Ann Guynn detailing how he acquired the copies and providing biographical information on Betts.

box 11, folder 10 Museum, undated Scope and Content Note Letter requesting information about Le Plongeon's birth and early training, written in 1947.

box 11, folder 11 California Academy of Sciences, 1979 Scope and Content Note List of early officers of the California Academy of Sciences (CAS). Notes on the proceedings of the CAS between 1868 and 1872.

box 11, folder 12 Casares family, undated Scope and Content Note Letters, historic material and photograph from David Casares and family, 1885-1905.

box 11, folder 13 Carnegie Institution of Washington, undated Scope and Content Note Letter from Sylvanus Morely to J. C. Merriam, dated October 10, 1931, detailing the Le Plongeon materials left to Mrs. Henry Field Blackwell by Alice Le Plongeon.

box 11 Dixon, Donald, 2004-2007 box 11, folder 14 Catalog of Le Plongeon collection, 2004 box 11, folder 15 Dixon family geneology, 2007 Scope and Content Note Diagram of family tree with letter from Donald Dixon.

box 11, folder 16 Eades, Alison, 1990s Scope and Content Note Information regarding the Dixon family genealogy from a descendant of Alice Dixon Le Plongeon.

box 11, folder 17 Field, Stephen, 1991 box 11 Gardiner, David, 1980s-1990s box 11, folder 18 Dixon family genealogical search, 1990 box 11, folder 19 Le Plongeon genealogical information, 1992 box 12, folder 1 Search for Le Plongeon and Dixon families, 1980s-1990s box 12, folder 2 George Stuart Center, 2001-2002 Scope and Content Note Donation of Le Plongeon copy photographs.

box 12 Getty Grant Program, 1988-1998 box 12, folder 3 Postdoctoral Fellowship application, 1988-1989 box 12, folder 4 Request for support, 1998

2013.M.12 15 Series IV.Research materials and related correspondence, 1977-2008, undated

box 12 Getty Research Institute, 2004-2007 Scope and Content Note Copies of materials from the "Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon Papers," Special Collections accession no. 2004.M.18.

box 12, folder 5-6 Research materials, 2004-2007 box 12, folder 5 2004-2006 Scope and Content Note Obituaries, psychic experiences, lecture notices, etc.

box 12, folder 6 2005-2007 Scope and Content Note Alice Le Plongeon lecture notices.

box 12, folder 7 Preliminary archive materials, 2005 box 12, folder 8 Gottheim, Larry, 1996 Scope and Content Note Collection of Le Plongeon photographs. This collection was ultimately purchased by the Getty Research Institute and is cataloged as "Views of Maya Ruins in the Yucatán," accession no. 96.R.137.

box 12, folder 9 Keltz, Marsha, "A Mayan Trilogy," 1994 Scope and Content Note A Maya Trilogy: Three One-Act Plays: Plays about Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon , Phoenix: Studio Editions, 1999. Three plays focusing on the lives of Alice and Augustus Le Plongeon.

box 12-13 Le Plongeon, Alice, 2007-2008, undated box 12, folder 10 Article in Spanish about Alice, undated Scope and Content Note Published in 1978.

box 12, folder 11 Articles by Alice, undated Scope and Content Note Published between 1894 and 1910.

box 12, folder 12 Articles written by and about Alice, undated Scope and Content Note Published between 1879 and 1893.

box 13, folder 1 "The Conquest of the Mayas," undated Scope and Content Note Serialized in Magazine of American History from January through June 1888.

box 13, folder 2 A Dream of , undated Scope and Content Note Bound copy of serialization in The Word, from 1909 to 1911.

box 13, folder 3 Marriage and death certificates, 2007-2008 box 13, folder 4 Articles from newspapers, professional society meetings, etc., 1977-1985 Scope and Content Note Includes Desmond's summary of some of the articles. Handwritten note sets the date of this summary.

2013.M.12 16 Series IV.Research materials and related correspondence, 1977-2008, undated

box 13, folder 5 Letter to John R. Bartlett, undated Scope and Content Note Regarding the Maya-Spanish dictionary copied from the original in the John Carter Brown Library and published by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1984 as Calepino Maya de Motul.

box 13-14 Le Plongeon, Augustus, 1991, undated box 13, folder 6 Los Jesuitas e el Perú, o, El R. Fray Pedro Gual y sus doctrinas en trasparencia... , undated Scope and Content Note Bound copy. Boston: W. White & Co., 1869.

box 13, folder 7 The Pyramid of Xochicalco, undated Scope and Content Note Serialized in The Word, 1913-1914.

box 14, folder 1 La religion de Jésus, 1991 Scope and Content Note Bound copy. Boston: William White & Co., 1867. Last page shows stamp from the University of California Library, Berkeley.

box 14 Le Plongeon, Alice and Augustus, 1981-1988, undated box 14, folder 2 Book flyers, undated Scope and Content Note Desmond's notes on one flyer indicate "probably 1885-1886." Another flyer is dated 1896.

box 14, folder 3 Articles from The Photographic Times and The Photographic Times and American Photographer, 1988 box 14, folder 4-5 Articles referencing the Le Plongeons, 1981, undated box 14, folder 4 I, undated box 14, folder 5 II, 1981 box 14, folder 6 Lerdo de Tejada monument, undated Scope and Content Note Copy of a drawing signed by R. Martin.

box 14, folder 7 Library of Congress, 1983 box 14, folder 8 Maps and plans, undated box 14, folder 8 San Francisco, Marquina plans of Maya buildings box 14, folder 9 Sections of Maya buildings box 14, folder 10 The Akabdzib box 14, folder 11 Marysville City Library, 1988 Scope and Content Note Earl Ramey address, Le Plongeon advertisements, Le Plongeon "local hero" articles.

box 14, folder 12 Masonic Library of the Grand Lodge, 1995 box 15 MacNab, Lynn, 1999-2008 Scope and Content Note Dixon family genealogy.

box 15, folder 1 Exhibition notes from , 1999 box 15, folder 2 Correspondence, 2003-2008

2013.M.12 17 Series IV.Research materials and related correspondence, 1977-2008, undated

box 15, folder 3 Microscopical Society, undated Scope and Content Note Correspondence between James de T. Abajian and James Fidiam regarding the Le Plongeon's involvement in the society, 1969; copies of register from 1874.

box 15, folder 4 Milbrath, Susan, 1995-1996 Scope and Content Note Correspondence between Desmond and Susan Milbrath, associate curator of the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, exploring the possibility of a traveling exhibit featuring many of the prints of the Le Plongeon photographs owned by the Philosophical Research Society. Discusses the possibilty of it being permanently housed at the Graves Museum in Dania Beach, Florida.

box 15 National Endowment for the Humanities, 1985-1989 Scope and Content Note In 1987, Desmond received an NEH grant to photograph and catalog the three main collections of Le Plongeon photographs in the United States held at the American Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum, Harvard University, and the Philosophical Research Society, Los Angeles.

box 15, folder 5 Grant correspondence, 1985-1989 box 15, folder 6 Grant proposal, 1986 box 15, folder 7 Travel, 1989 box 15, folder 8 National Geographic correspondence, 1979-1980 box 15, folder 9 Newspaper articles, undated Scope and Content Note Article from The Sun December 5, 1897 on Egyptian excavations; "Electricity Sheds Light on Orthopedic Healing" in PLS Star, November 1980.

box 15, folder 12 Palmquist, Peter, correspondence, 1980-1989 Scope and Content Note Correspondence with Desmond regarding possible photographs of the Le Plongeons in California. Copies of advertisements for the services of Augustus Le Plongeon as a surveyor, engineer, and photographer with offices in San Francisco and Marysville.

box 15 Peabody Museum, Harvard University, 1980-1981 box 15, folder 10 Le Plongeon collections, 1980 Scope and Content Note Letter to the officers and members of the American Antiquarian Society, 1882; to Charles Bowditch from Augustus Le Plongeon 1896-1907; letter to Mrs. Henry Blackwell (Maude Blackwell) from the Peabody Museum, 1911. Also included are a list of the accession records for the Le Plongeon collections at the Peabody and a letter from Sally Bond to Desmond, 1980.

box 15, folder 11 Copy prints, east facade, Governor's Palace, Uxmal 1981 box 15, folder 13 Peru correspondence, 1988-1990 box 15 Philosophical Research Society, 1982-1997, undated box 15, folder 14 Le Plongeon correspondence and manuscripts, undated Scope and Content Note Includes a copy of the original manuscript of The Origin of the Egyptians , and correspondence from D. C. Brinton and Manly Hall, among others.

box 15, folder Mural, Upper Temple of the Jaguars, Chichén Itzá, undated 15-16

2013.M.12 18 Series IV.Research materials and related correspondence, 1977-2008, undated

box 15, folder 15 Drawings Scope and Content Note Photocopies of drawings of the entire mural made by ? Includes a typewritten note regarding Seler's view of the drawings.

box 15, folder 16 Tracings Scope and Content Note Reduced photocopies of the tracings made by the Le Plongeons of the scenes from the mural.

box 22, folder 3 Copy slides Scope and Content Note Fifty-five 35 mm color slides.

box 15, folder 17 Le Plongeon dictionary, undated box 15, folder 18 Manly P. Hall correspondence and papers, undated Scope and Content Note Manly P. Hall was the founder of the Philosophical Research Society.

box 15, folder 19 Death of Manly P. Hall, correspondence and papers, 1991 box 15, folder 20 Sale of Le Plongeon collection, 1995 Scope and Content Note Correspondence with the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

box 15, folder 21 Correspondence between Director Harris and L. G. Desmond, 1988-1997 Scope and Content Note Regarding the catalog of Le Plongeon works and permission to use images taken from photographs in the collection.

box 16, folder 1-4 Journals, 1982-1988 box 16, folder 1 Advertisement for A Dream of Maya , Summer 1988 box 16, folder 2 "Forgotten Heroes of American Archeology," Spring 1985 box 16, folder 3 "Notes on Augustus Le Plongeon," Fall 1988 box 16, folder 4 "The Little World of PRS," 1982 box 16, folder 5 Photocopies of Le Plongeon photographs, 1980s box 16, folder 6 Smithsonian Institution, undated Scope and Content Note Correspondence between Augustus Le Plongeon and the institution.

box 16, folder 7 Stephens, John, undated Scope and Content Note Drawings from Incidents of Travel in Yucatan,.

box 16, folder 8 Theosophical Society, 2005 box 16, folder 9 Tulane University, undated Scope and Content Note Letters from Frans Blom dated 1931. Blom was director of Middle American Research at Tulane University.

box 16, folder 10 Women travelers and explorers, undated Scope and Content Note Books and articles on 19th century travelers.

2013.M.12 19 Series V.Photographs, 1980-1989, undated

Series V. Photographs, 1980-1989, undated Physical Description: 1 Linear Feet(4 boxes) Scope and Content Note The photographic materials (slides, negatives, and prints) in this series are primarily copy and reproductive materials made by Desmond from original and copied materials, usually third generation images, that Desmond made to use for various unidentified projects. Arrangement In original order.

box 26 Slides of Le Plongeon 3D and flats, undated Scope and Content Note Two hundred and sixty-four black-and-white slides.

box 17, folder 6-7 Le Plongeon graphics, undated Scope and Content Note Copy photographs of architectural drawings, maps, plans, signatures, prints.

box 17, folder 6 1 Scope and Content Note Twenty-six 8 x 10 inch gelatin silver prints, one with tracing paper overlay, and one photocopy of Alice Le Plongeon's signature.

box 17, folder 7 2 Scope and Content Note Twenty-five 8 x 10 inch gelatin silver prints.

box 21-22 Chichén Itzá and Uxmal stereo replicas, 1989 box 22, folder 5 Negatives Scope and Content Note One hundred and twenty-nine 35 mm gelatin silver negatives.

box 21, folder 2 Prints Scope and Content Note Fifteen pairs of 4 x 5 inch gelatin silver prints from inter-negatives made by Desmond from slides.

box 21-22 Chichén Itzá and Uxmal photographs reproduced from slides, 1980s? box 22, folder 6 Negatives Scope and Content Note Forty-seven 4 x 5 inch inter-negatives made by Desmond from slides.

box 21, folder 3 Prints Scope and Content Note Fifty 4 x 5 inch gelatin silver prints from inter-negatives made by Desmond from slides.

box 21, folder 4 Anaglyphs, undated Scope and Content Note Five color prints.

box 22, folder 7 Le Plongeon replications, 1980 Scope and Content Note Fifty-one 35 mm gelatin silver negatives made from flat prints.

2013.M.12 20 Series V.Photographs, 1980-1989, undated

box 22, folder 8 Negatives, undated Scope and Content Note Seventeen 35 mm gelatin silver negatives in a print file sleeve marked "Misc."

box 29 Miscellaneous photographs, 1981, undated Scope and Content Note Includes a photograph of a Scovill camera similar to the one used by the Le Plongeons in the Yucatan, with a typewritten and annotated label on the verso, and a copy of a photograph of the facade of the Henry Dixon and Son photography studio on Albany Street, London (provided to Desmond by the Guilhall Library photo archive).

2013.M.12 21