Thomas Indian School glass plate negatives
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This collection was donated by the grandchildren of Victor and Ethel Bissell Seneca.
This collection is intellectually arranged in 3 series.
Located on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in New York State, the Thomas Asylum for Orphaned and Destitute Indian Children was established as a private institution in 1855 and named after benefactor Philip E. Thomas. Orphaned and poor American Indian children from the Seneca [Cattaraugus], Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora communities were sent to the asylum for boarding and care. In 1875 the institution was transferred to the State of New York and run under the New York State Board of Charities. It was charged with the education and vocational training of American Indian children in their care, which is reported to have included acculturation and assimilation of Native students by means of prohibiting use of Native languages and traditional cultural practices. In 1905 the institution was renamed the Thomas Indian School. By this time, eight grades were offered at the school, which had a half-day system with students attending classes for part of the day and working the other half. By 1930, the School was classified as a junior high school, but it was eventually closed in 1957 by the State.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Thomas Indian School glass plate negatives, Box and Folder Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Processed by Emily Moazami, Assistant Head Archivist in 2017.
The New York State Archives in Albany, NY holds the Thomas Indian School Agency History Records and a collection of photographs.
This collection contains 85 glass plate negatives depicting Iroquois students and student life at the Thomas Indian School circa 1900-1945. The images depict student and class portraits; school activities such as school plays or performances, basketball, football, and Girl Scouts; classes such as woodworking, cooking, and agriculture; and campus buildings and grounds. The photographer is unknown, but was probably affiliated with the school. Iroquois children from Seneca [Cattaraugus], Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora communities attended the school.
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiarchives@si.edu.
This series contains 25 glass plate negatives mostly depicting Thomas Indians School class portraits from circa 1900-1945. Many of the negatives depict graduating students and the bulk of the images were shot outdoors on the school campus.
N49022
A glass plate negative depicting an outdoor Thomas Indian School class portrait on campus on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York. The students are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49024
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School class portrait outside a campus building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York. The girls are wearing dresses and the boys are in suits. They are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49026
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School class portrait outside a campus building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York. The students are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49043
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School class portrait outside campus building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York. The girls are wearing dresses and they are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49047
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School class portrait. A group of boys and girls are posing on a stage with their diplomas.
N49049
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School class portrait outdoors on campus grounds on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York. The girls are wearing dresses, the boys are in suits and ties, and they are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49050
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School class portrait outside a campus building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York. The girls are wearing dresses, the boys are in suits, and they are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49051
A glass plate negative depicting a group girls and one boy posing in front of a 1914 banner for their Thomas Indian School class portrait.
N49052
A glass plate negative depicting a group of students posing on a stage for their Thomas Indian School 1914 class portrait.
N49053
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School 1912 class portrait.
N49054
A glass plate negative depicting a large group portrait outside a Thomas Indian School campus building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York. The students depicted in the image range in age from very young to teenagers.
N49055
A glass plate negative depicting elementary-age Thomas Indian School students standing on an outdoor stage in cap and gowns.
N49065
A glass plate negative depicting a group of Thomas Indian School boys posing outside with their diplomas.
N49069
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School group portrait outside a campus building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York. The students are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49077
A glass plate negative depicting an unidentified Thomas Indian School student posing with his diploma in the campus yard.
N49080
A glass plate negative depicting Thomas Indian School students posing for an outdoor group portrait.
N49081
A glass plate negative depicting an outdoor Thomas Indian School class portrait. The students are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49082
A glass plate negative depicting an outdoor Thomas Indian School group portrait. The students are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49083
A glass plate negative depicting an outdoor Thomas Indian School class portrait. The students are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49085
A glass plate negative depicting an outdoor Thomas Indian School class portrait. The students are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49087
A glass plate negative depicting a large group of Thomas Indian School students posing outside a campus building.
N49092
A glass plate negative depicting an outdoor portrait of Thomas Indian School students and possibly teachers standing outside a school building.
N49101
A glass plate negative depicting an outdoor Thomas Indian School class portrait. The students are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49102
A glass plate negative depicting an outdoor Thomas Indian School class portrait. The students are holding diplomas in their hands.
N49103
A glass plate negative depicting an outdoor Thomas Indian School class portrait. Some students are holding diplomas in their hands.
This series contains 46 glass plate negatives depicting the school activities and classes at the Thomas Indian School from circa 1900-1945. The negatives document activities and classes such as agriculture including farming and animal husbandry; school plays or performances, Christmas celebrations, and markets or fairs; sports including basketball and football; groups such as Girl Scouts and possibly Boy Scouts; classes such as woodworking and cooking; health care such as doctor visits in the infirmary; and construction, ground maintenance, and labor on the Thomas Indian School campus.
N49023
A glass plate negative depicting a group of young Thomas Indian School students dressed in costumes and standing on a stage in front of rows of empty chairs. This photograph was possibly shot at a play rehearsal.
N49027
A glass plate negative depicting a group of young Thomas Indian School students dressed in costumes and standing on a stage in front of rows of empty chairs. This photo was possibly shot at a play rehearsal.
N49028
A glass plate negative depicting a group of young Thomas Indian School students dressed in costumes and standing on a stage in front of rows of empty chairs. This photo was possibly shot at a play rehearsal.
N49044
A glass plate negative depicting a group of Thomas Indian School students dressed in costumes and standing on a stage in front of rows of empty chairs. This photo may have been shot at a play dress rehearsal.
N49045
A glass plate negative depicting a group of Thomas Indian School students dressed in costumes and standing on a stage in front of rows of empty chairs. This photo may have been shot at a play dress rehearsal.
N49046
A glass plate negative depicting a group of Thomas Indian School students dressed in costumes and standing on a stage in front of rows of empty chairs. This photo may have been shot at a play dress rehearsal.
N49048
A glass plate negative depicting a group of Thomas Indian School students dressed in costumes and standing on a stage in front of rows of empty chairs. This photo may have been shot at a play dress rehearsal.
N49099
A glass plate negative depicting a group of Thomas Indian School students dressed in costumes and standing on a stage in front of rows of empty chairs. This photo was possibly taken at a play dress rehearsal.
N49074
A glass plate negative depicting a group of Thomas Indian School students dressed in costumes and standing on a stage in front of rows of empty chairs. This photo was possibly shot at a play dress rehearsal.
N49075
A glass plate negative depicting a group of Thomas Indian School students dressed in costumes and standing on a stage in front of rows of empty chairs. This photo was possibly taken at a play dress rehearsal.
N49029
A glass plate negative depicting a teacher and students working in what appears to be the wood shop at the Thomas Indian School.
N49093
A glass plate negative depicting Thomas Indian School students in a cooking class. The girls are dressed in aprons and they are standing at individual stoves.
N49104
A glass plate negative depicting Thomas Indian School students in a cooking class. The girls are dressed in aprons and they are standing at individual stoves.
N49035
A glass plate negative depicting men (possibly students) working outside on a snowy Thomas Indian School campus grounds.
N49038
A glass plate negative depicting men, possibly Thomas Indian School students, digging a trench.
N49100
A glass plate negative depicting Thomas Indian School students building a structure in a snowy field.
N49089
A glass plate negative depicting a group of Thomas Indian School students digging a trench in an open field.
N49090
A glass plate negative depicting a group of Thomas Indian School students standing with shovels in front of a trench.
N49091
A glass plate negative depicting a person on horseback with an American flag leading a line of Thomas Indian School students on a road next to a pond. The students are possibly Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in uniform.
N49073
A glass plate negative depicting Thomas Indian School students, and possibly teachers, posing with a horse-pulled hay wagon outside a barn.
N49097
A glass plate negative depicting Thomas Indian School students loading hay into a wagon in front of various farm buildings.
N49105
A glass plate negative depicting Thomas Indian School students, and possibly teachers, posing with a horse-pulled hay wagon outside a barn.
N49041
A glass plate negative depicting a cow on a rope standing outside a Thomas Indian School building.
N49042
A glass plate negative depicting a cow on a rope standing outside a Thomas Indian School building.
N49072
A glass plate negative depicting a cow eating grass in an open field on the Thomas Indian School grounds.
N49098
A glass plate negative depicting a man, possibly a Thomas Indian School student, leading a cow on a rope.
N49056
A glass plate negative depicting Thomas Indian School students standing in front a barn with three teams of horses.
N49068
A glass plate negative depicting a horse walking in an open field at the Thomas Indian School.
N49060
A glass plate negative depicting the Thomas Indian School men's basketball team posing on the steps of a campus building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49061
A glass plate negative depicting the Thomas Indian School men's basketball team posing on the steps of a campus building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49063
A glass plate negative depicting the Thomas Indian School football team posing on the steps of a campus building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49070
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School football team in uniforms posing outside a campus building.
N49094
A glass plate negative depicting the Thomas Indian School football team posing in a line-up position outside a school building.
N49059
A glass plate negative depicting Thomas Indian School Girl Scouts in uniforms posing in front of a school building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49062
A glass plate negative depicting Thomas Indian School Girl Scouts in uniform posing in front of a campus building with their drum and bugle instruments.
N49064
A glass plate negative depicting the Thomas Indian School Girl Scouts in uniform posing in front of a campus building with their drum and bugle instruments.
N49066
A glass plate negative depicting Thomas Indian School Girl Scouts in uniform posing outside a school building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49086
A glass plate negative depicting a person on horseback leading a line of Thomas Indian School students on a road next to a pond. The students are possibly Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in uniform.
N49071
A glass plate negative depicting a display of dolls and a doll house possibly at an Thomas Indian School fair or market.
N49076
A glass plate negative depicting a display table probably at the Thomas Indian School. The tables are lined with food, flowers, plates, and utensils. There are also uniforms hanging above the tables.
N49096
A glass plate negative depicting an outdoor courtyard with crafts and other objects on display including, blankets, lamps, stuffed animals, and baskets. This image was probably shot at the Thomas Indian School.
N49079
A glass plate negative depicting Thomas Indian School students posing with Christmas decorations. The boys are wearing Santa Claus costumes and girls are in dresses.
N49084
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School student's profile.
N49088
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School student's profile.
N49067
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School hospital room or infirmary.
A glass plate negative depicting a Thomas Indian School student receiving a shot from a doctor. A nurse and another woman assist.
This photograph is restricted for privacy.
This series contains 14 glass plate negatives that depict Thomas Indian School buildings and school grounds circa 1900-1945. Among the facilities depicted are administration, dormitory, and hospital buildings.
N49025
A glass plate negative depictin an exterior view of the Thomas Indian School hospital building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49030
A glass plate negative depicting an open field with horses and carts on the Thomas Indian School grounds on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49031
A glass plate negative depicting a snowy road and landscape on the Thomas Indian School campus grounds on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49032
A glass plate negative depicting a snowy landscape on the Thomas Indian School campus grounds on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49033
A glass plate negative depicting a snowy field on the Thomas Indian School campus grounds on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49034
A glass plate negative depicting a snowy field on the Thomas Indian School campus grounds Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49036
A glass plate negative depicting a snowy field on the Thomas Indian School campus grounds on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49037
A glass plate negative depicting a snowy field on the Thomas Indian School campus grounds on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49039
A glass plate negative depicting a snowy wooded area on the Thomas Indian School campus grounds on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49040
A glass plate negative depicting a snowy wooded area on theThomas Indian School campus grounds on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49057
A glass plate negative depicting an exterior view of a Thomas Indian School brick building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49058
A glass plate negative depicting an exterior view of a Thomas Indian School brick building on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York.
N49078
A glass plate negative depicting an exterior view of a group of Thomas Indian School buildings linked by a walkway.
N49106
Glass plate negative depicting an exterior view of a Thomas Indian School building with äutomobiles parked in front.