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14 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Ethnology: Annual Report 1889 – 1890
Today, professional development—like attending conferences or skill-sharing with colleagues at other institutions—is an important part of the museum profession. The same can be said for the Smithsonian’s Department of Ethnology in 1889! The department curator traveled to Europe and detailed the methods and practices he saw at British museums in his annual report. Read his observations and help transcribe them for a new generation of museum professionals!
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91 Total pages
19 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Ethnology: Annual Report 1890 – 1891
In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison established the National Board of Geographical names—a part of the US Geological Survey, which established a uniform set among the hundreds of different geographic names and descriptors used by scientists and federal agencies. Who did the National Board of Geographical Names look to for guidance on this ambitious project? The Smithsonian’s Department of Ethnology! Learn more about this project, among others taken on by the department, in the 1890-91 annual curator report and help transcribe this piece of Smithsonian history.
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73 Total pages
15 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Ethnology: Annual Report 1891 – 1892
In 1893, the Chicago World’s Fair, also known as the Chicago Columbian Expedition, kicked off—celebrating 400 years since Christopher Columbus came to the New World. Over 27 million people attended the exposition, which featured buildings representing 46 countries. A few years before the World’s Fair began, preparations were well underway, including at the Smithsonian! The Department of Ethnology outlines their involvement in the World’s Fair in this annual curator’s report. Learn more about the Chicago World’s Fair and help transcribe a piece of Smithsonian history.
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33 Total pages
14 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Ethnology: Annual Report 1892 – 1893
Ichthyologist George Brown Goode had many different responsibilities during his time at the Smithsonian: assistant to Secretary Spencer Baird, exhibit designer, and head of the Smithsonian’s fish research initiatives. He was also an integral part of the planning for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair (and found time to do some collecting for the museum, in the process!). Get a glimpse into the many contributions of George Brown Goode in this set of annual curator’s reports from the Smithsonian’s Department of Ethnology. Join other volunteers in transcribing this report!
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39 Total pages
13 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Ethnology: Annual Report 1893 – 1894
The Smithsonian’s Department of Ethnology Curator in 1894 defined his role as determining “comprehensively and comparatively the American arts.” What did that work entail exactly? Find out in the 1893-94 annual curator’s report! Get the details about the department and the curator’s functions, and join other volunteers in transcribing this report!
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32 Total pages
13 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Ethnology: Annual Report 1894 –1895
It’s an issue any modern day museum professional is probably all too familiar with—how do we store and catalogue an ever-expanding collection? It was also a question on the mind of the Smithsonian’s Department of Ethnology Curator in 1894-95! Learn more about the department’s extensive cataloguing project—and collection storage issues—in this annual curator’s report. Then, help transcribe this document for the use of future museum professionals!
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22 Total pages
9 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Ethnology: Annual Report 1895 – 1896
Since its very beginnings, the Smithsonian has been a center for scientific and cultural research. What types of research was the Department of Ethnology staff working on in 1895-96? Get a glimpse into the extensive work done by Smithsonian staff—researching everything from Aboriginal pipes and indigenous lamp designs—and help transcribe the department’s annual curator’s report!
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24 Total pages
5 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Ethnology: Annual Report 1896 – 1897
In an extensive collection like the Smithsonian Department of Ethnology’s, what kinds of new discoveries can be found? In 1896-97, a number of new ideas emerged from the ethnology department specimens! Learn more about the discoveries that the Department of Ethnology made in this annual curator’s report—then transcribe this report and help a new set of discoveries emerge!
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93 Total pages
26 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Living Animals: Annual and Monthly Reports, 1887-88
"From the date of the plan of organization of the National Museum it has been the intention of its founders that it should eventually include a Department of Vivaria." So begins the first report of the Smithsonian's Department of Living Animals, which is now the National Zoo! Get the story behind the formation of the National Zoo with this set of annual and monthly curator's reports, 1887-88. These reports were written by the Zoo's first director, William Temple Hornaday, founder of the American conservation movement.
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18 Total pages
12 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Living Animals: Annual and Monthly Reports, 1888-89
Today, the Smithsonian's National Zoo is home to more than 1,500 animals--and it all started with just a few bison, outside of the Smithsonian Castle in the 1880s, as part of the Department of Living Animals. The live animals, used as models for the Smithsonian's taxidermists, were a hit with the public, and by 1889 Congress had formally established the National Zoo. Take a look at what other animals were part of the department in this set of curator's notes from 1888-89. Get a look into the earliest days of the National Zoo--and help transcribe!
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22 Total pages
6 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Oriental Antiquities: Annual Report, 1888-89
Have you ever heard of Biblical archaeology? The Smithsonian’s Department of Oriental Antiquities defined it as the “history, archaeology, languages, arts, and religions of the peoples of Western Asia and Egypt” in 1888. Read more about this collecting practice, and the establishment of the department, in this annual curator’s report from 1888-89. Then join other digital volunteers in transcribing this piece of Smithsonian history!
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7 Total pages
5 Contributing members
USNM CURATORS ANNUAL REPORTS -- Department of Oriental Antiquities: Annual Report, 1889-90
The Smithsonian has collaborated with the science and cultural heritage communities since its founding—what did that look like on a local level in 1889? Read more about the Smithsonian’s connections to everything from Congress to local university classes in this set of annual curator’s notes from the Department of Oriental Antiquities.
