Objects, 1929-2001

The Objects series contains documentation on the loan, sale, purchase, and exchange of objects; accession records (1959–62); gifts to the department; object inventories; a list of missing objects; and a file on one specific piece: a Pancho Fiero watercolor.

Correspondence files regarding inquiries about objects; objects offered for sale or purchased; and letters from dealers and collectors, contain considerable information regarding activities in the field and scholarly research, along with information regarding specific objects. (See also General Correspondence files in the Departmental Administration series.) This portion of the series documents the work and relationships of a circle of collectors, curators, anthropologists, and archaeologists who have identified, appraised, and researched the provenance of objects. These files also provide important insight and information on Spinden's collecting practices and his many research interests. The inquiries files are a particularly rich resource for information on the collections and the educational role of the department. Of special interest are files responding to Maya inquiries, which record Spinden's considerable knowledge of Mayan culture and history and demonstrate his preoccupation with Mayan chronologies.

A file on the Jarvis Collection––sold to the Museum by the New York Historical Society in 1950––contains correspondence regarding the sale of the collection, biographical information on Nathan Jarvis, and inventories of the objects.

Loan files contain correspondence, loan records (including object lists and condition reports), and, if applicable, records of returned loans. The records of several large loans to institutions have been separated from the general loan files due to their bulk and are labeled according to institution.