This collection contains photographic prints taken by Ales Hrdlicka in Arizona and Mexico between 1898 and 1902. It is likely that many of the photographs were taken in 1902 as a part of the Hyde exploring expeditions on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History. Some of these photographs were taken by Carl Lumholtz and not Hrdlicka. Native communities that Hrdlicka photographed during his research include--Purepecha (Tarasco), Yoeme (Yaqui), Hualapai (Walapai), Havasupai (Coconino), Piipaash (Maricopa), Mojave (Mahave), Tohono O'odham (Papapgo), Quechan (Yuma/Cuchan), Tepecano, Akimel O'odham (Pima), Opata, Cora, Seri, Wixarika (Huichol), Nahua, Otomi, and Yoreme (Mayo). Locations photographed in Mexico include--Michoacán, Sonora, Mesa del Encanto and the Ruins of Totoate in Jalisco, Ruins of La Quamada and Ruins of Teul in Zacatecas, Nayarit State, and the central altiplano. Locations photographed in Arizona include--Casa Grande in Pinal County, Fort Yuma Reservation, Supai in Coconino County and the Mission San Xavier del Bac.
The photographs include a large amount of posed portraits of men and women, none of them identified in our collection. Hrdlicka often posed his subjects both facing forward and in profile so that he could better examine their physical attributes.There are some group portraits as well as scenic shots of houses, churches and village views. Hrdlicka also photographed archaeological ruins inlcuding Casa Grande, Mesa del Encanto, Totoate, La Quamada and Teul.
The copy negatives that were made from the prints in the late 1960s by the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation.
The majority of the photographs have been left in the order that they were originally cataloged. Photographs from the various tribal communities in Arizona and Mexico are in Series 1-16, each community with its own series. The final series, Series 17, contains photographs from various archaeological ruins in Arizona and Mexico.
Ales Hrdlicka (1869-1943) was born in Bohemia in and came to America when he was thirteen. As a young man, he was trained in medicine at New York's Eclectic Medical College and the New York Homeopathic Medical College, receiving degrees from each. His first professional work was as a private practitioner, but he gave that up in 1894 when he joined the staff of the New York State Hospital for the Insane at Middletown. There, in addition to other duties, he began studies of the physical characteristics of inmates. In 1896, in preparation for a research appointment with the Department of Anthropology in the Pathological Institute of the New York State hospitals, Hrdlicka went to Paris and studied with Leon Manouvrier. After his return to America, he worked for a short period with the Pathological Institute and came into contact with G.S. Huntington, of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. Hrdlicka arranged and studied Huntington's large collection of skeletal material, thus gaining knowledge of a well-documented collection representing largely normal persons of European ancestry. He furthermore came to the attention of Frederic Ward Putnam, of the American Museum of Natural History, who arranged for his first anthropological field studies.
Hrdlicka became a member of the Hyde Expeditions to the American Southwest and northern Mexico. In 1898, he traveled to Mexico with Carl Lumholtz to study the Tarahumaras, Huichols, and neighboring tribes. In subsequent years, he returned to Mexico and the Southwest alone and studied physical characteristics and medical conditions of several American Indian tribes. Following this experience and examinations of the Trenton and Lansing skeletal material for Putnam, Hrdlicka was appointed head of the newly formed Division of Physical Anthropology in the United States National Museum in 1903.
In 1905, Hrdlicka returned to the Southwest for studies of Pima and Apache children and, in the following year, traveled to Florida to examine allegedly ancient remains of man. In 1908, he worked among a number of Native American tribes, including the Menominee, Oglala Dakota, Quinailt, Hupa, and Mohave, in a study of tuberculosis among them. In 1909, he traveled to Egypt with an expedition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in order to study living Egyptians and to examine remains of Egypt's past population. The following year took him to Argentina, Peru, and Mexico. In the first of these, he again examined allegedly ancient remains of man. In Peru, he made a large collection of skeletal material near Trujillo, at Pachamac, and in the Chicama Valley.
Between 1912-1914, Hrdlicka undertook a physical anthropological exhibit for the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego and, for this, traveled to eastern Siberia, Mongolia, Peru, and Florida. He also examined fossil remains of man in Europe and directed field work of other anthropologists in South and East Africa, St. Lawrence Island in Alaska, the Philippines, eastern Siberia, and the Ukraine. In 1915, for the Department of Justice, he assessed the racial makeup of Chippewas on the Leech Lake and White Earth reservations in Minnesota and also studied Dakota Indians. In 1917, his field work was directed toward white American families with longtime residence in the United States. In 1918, he carried out a survey of ancient sites in eastern Florida for the Bureau of American Ethnology. In 1920, he traveled to Hawaii, Japan, Korea, and Manchuria in connection with an appointment to lecture at the Peking Union Medical College. As director of the American School for Prehistoric Studies in France, he again studied fossil remains of man in Europe in 1922 and 1923. In 1925, he carried out work in India, Ceylon, Java, Australia, South Africa, and Europe. In 1927, he was again in Europe to deliver the Huxley Memorial Lecture before the Royal Anthropological Society in Great Britain. Between 1929 and 1938, he traveled frequently to Alaska to carry on an anthropological survey. In 1939, he traveled to Russia and Siberia.
Beginning with much of the skeletal collection of the Army Medical Museum, which had been transferred to the Smithsonian in 1898 before he was appointed there, Hrdlicka amassed a bone collection that included, among many other specimens, the Huntington collection, casts of fossil remains of man, and a large and diverse North American collection. He also gathered a large collection of human brains. Over three hundred publications resulted from his study of this material, his field work, and his study of specimens in other museums. In addition, he was involved in many other activities. For United States government agencies, he provided services ranging from examinations of human remains for law enforcement officials to providing information and opinions concerning national origins and traits that were needed to interpret laws and form foreign policy. During World War II, he also advised government officials on policies to be pursued with certain national groups following the war.
In 1918, Hrdlicka founded the American Journal of Physical Anthropology and remained its editor until 1942. In 1928, he was the major force behind the organization of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists and served as its president in 1928-1932. He was also president of the Anthropological Society of Washington in 1907, the American Anthroplogical Association in 1925-1927, and the Washington Academy of Sciences in 1928-1929. He was chairman of Section H of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1918 and secretary of the Committee on Anthropology of the National Research Council in 1917. In addition, Hrdlicka was a member of the American Philosophical Society and the National Academy of Sciences. He represented the Smithsonian at several international gatherings of scholars, including meetings of the International Congress of Americanists.
Biographical note courtesy of the National Anthropological Archives, National Museum of Natural History. See
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There are several restricted photographs in Series 2: Yoeme (Yaqui). This have been restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
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 nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Aleš Hrdlička photographs from Mexico and Arizona, Folder Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Processed by Rachel Menyuk, Processing Archivist in 2017.
Although it is unclear when George Pepper received the photographs from Ales Hrdlicka, Pepper donated the majority of the collection of photographs to the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation (MAI) in 1923. The rest of the photographs were cataloged by the MAI some time in the 1920s but the provenance history is unknown.
The majority of Ales Hrdlicka's papers and photographs are located at the National Athropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution. In addition to the
P04722-P04740, N35333-N35334
This series includes 19 photographic prints taken in the Purepecha (Tarasca) community around Tarécuato in the Michoacán State, Mexico. Hrdlicka visited the Purepecha (Tarasca) in 1902 as part of the Hyde Exploring Expedition, funded by the American Museum of Natural History. The Purepechans, also known as the Tarascans, are a group of indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of the Mexican state of Michoacán, principally in the area of the cities of Cherán and Pátzcuaro. The majority of the photographs are full length frontal and profile portraits taken of men and women standing outdoors on the patio at the house of one of the Tarécuato village officials and in front of a building along a cobblestone street. There are a couple of images of houses and bull carts in town. There is one photograph of a seated group of boys.
P04741-P04782, N35335
Photographs of a hanging in this series have been restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
This series includes 42 photographic prints taken in the Yoeme (Yaqui) community in the Sonora State, Mexico. Some of the photographs were taken in Hermosillo, the capital and largest city in Sonora State, and in Torim, a smaller town. Hrdlicka visited the the Yoeme (Yaqui) in 1902 as part of the Hyde Exploring Expedition, funded by the American Museum of Natural History. The Yoeme, also known as the Yaqui, are a group of indigenous people who inhabit the valley of the Rio Yaqui in the Mexican state of Sonora. There are also communities in the Southwestern United States in Arizona, Nevada, California and Texas. Hrdlicka shot many of the photographs just following a Yaqui revolt against Mexican encroachment. The majority of the photographs are seated frontal and profile portraits taken of men and women in a nondescript location. There are several photographs of women standing as well as posed group shots taken outdoors in the village. Hrdlicka also photographed a hanging in the village. The photographs of the hanging have been restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
P00887-P00922, P04783-P04785, N34609-N34630, N35336, N37629
This series includes 38 photographic prints taken in the Hualapai (Walapai) community in Arizona. Hrdlicka visited the Hualapai in 1902 as part of the Hyde Exploring Expedition, the original negatvies in this series can be found at the American Museum of Natural History. The Hualapai (Walapai) are a federally recognized tribe in Arizona which span three counties in Northern Arizona. The Hualapai are closely related to the Havasupai. The majority of the photographs in this series are seated portraits taken of men, women, boys and girls taken outdoors. There are photographs of buildings that appear to be a school and many of the children photographed appear to be school aged, possibly wearing school unifoms. There are also several photographs of Hualapai (Walapi) homes. Many of these photographs were initially cataloged as Hopi Pueblo (Walpi) but further research suggests that they are in fact Hualapai.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Boys
Group portrait of six Hualapai (Walapai) boys standing outdoors in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Woman
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapi) woman sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Woman
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapi) woman sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Woman
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapi) woman sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Men
Portrait of two Hualapai (Walapi) men sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Man
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapi) man sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Men
Portrait of two Hualapai (Walapi) men sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Men
Portrait of two Hualapai (Walapi) men sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Girls
Portrait of three Hualapai (Walapi) girls sitting outdoors in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Girls
Portrait of three Hualapai (Walapi) girls sitting outdoors in Arizona.
Hualapai (Walapai) School Buildings
View of school buildings and flagpole within the Hualapai (Walapi) community in Arizona.
Hualapai (Walapai) School Building
View of school building within the Hualapai (Walapi) community in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Boys
Portrait of three Hualapai (Walapi) boys sitting outdoors in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Boys
Portrait of three Hualapai (Walapi) boys sitting outdoors in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Boys
Portrait of three Hualapai (Walapi) boys sitting outdoors in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Woman
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapi) woman sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Girls
Portrait of three Hualapai (Walapi) girls sitting outdoors in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Girls
Portrait of three Hualapai (Walapi) girls sitting outdoors in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Girls
Portrait of two Hualapai (Walapi) girls sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Girls
Portrait of three Hualapai (Walapi) girls sitting outdoors in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Men
Portrait of two Hualapai (Walapi) men sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Men
Portrait of two Hualapai (Walapi) men sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Boys
Portrait of three Hualapai (Walapi) boys sitting outdoors in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Boys
Portrait of three Hualapai (Walapi) boys sitting outdoors in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Men
Portrait of two Hualapai (Walapi) men sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Men
Portrait of two Hualapai (Walapi) men sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Man
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapi) man sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Man
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapi) man sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Men
Portrait of two Hualapai (Walapi) men sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Man
Profile portrait of Hualapai (Walapi) man sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Man
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapi) man sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Man
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapi) man sitting in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Woman
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapi) woman with face decorations sitting in Arizona.
Group Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Men
Group portrait of Hualapai (Walapi) men standing outdoors along a building in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Boys
Portrait of three Hualapai (Walapi) boys sitting outdoors in Arizona.
Portrait of Hualapai (Walapai) Boys
Portrait of three Hualapai (Walapi) boys sitting outdoors in Arizona.
P04786-P04808, N35337-N35349
This series includes 23 photographic prints taken in the Havasupai (Coconino) community taken in Arizona. Hrdlicka visited the Havasupai in 1902 as part of the Hyde Exploring Expedition, the original negatvies in this series can be found at the American Museum of Natural History.The Havasupai (Coconino) are a Native American Tribe located primarily in and around the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The Havasupai are closely related to the Hualapai. The majority of the photographs in this series are seated portraits taken of men and women outdoors. There are several standing portraits as well as several images of Havasupai homes.
P04809-P04815, N35350-N35353
This series includes 7 photographic prints taken in the Piipaash (Maricopa) community between 1898 and 1902 in Arizona. The Piipaash (Maricopa) are a Native American tribe that live alongside the Akimel O'odham (Pima) on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian reservation. The photographs in this series have a different appearance from the rest of the photographs in the collection—the portraits are staged in front of a backdrop and given individual numbers. The images include men holding bows and arrows and seated women. It is very likely that these photographs were not taken by Hrdlicka although the photographer is unknown.
P04816-P04837, N35478-N35479
This series includes 22 photographic prints taken in the Mojave (Mohave) community on and near the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation in Arizona. Hrdlicka visited the Mojave (Mohave) in 1902 as part of the Hyde Exploring Expedition. The Mojave (Mohave) are a Native American Tribe located on the Colorado River in the Mojave Desert in Arizona, California and Nevada. The majority of the photographs in this series are landscape views on the Fort Mojave Indian reservation. This includes images of buildings, houses and the Colorado River. There also photographs of a woman making pottery in front of a building.
P04838-P04865, N35480
This series includes 28 photographic prints taken in the Tohono O'odham (Papago) community between in and around Mission San Xavier del Bac near Tucson, Arizona in 1902. The Tohono O'odham (Papago) are a Native American tribe from the Sonoran Desert located in the Sonora State, Mexico and in southern Arizona. The Tohono O'odham are closely related to the Akimel O'odham (Pima). The majority of the photographs in this series are landscape images of the village around Mission San Xavier del Bac which include views of houses, the church and a cemetery. There are also a handful of photographs of Tohono O'odham women making and holding pottery.
P04870-P04881, N35481-N35484
This series includes 12 photographic prints taken in the Quechan (Yuma/Cuchan) coommunity on the Fort Yuma Reservation in Arizona. Hrdlicka visited the Quechan (Yuma/Chuchan) in 1902 as part of the Hyde Exploring Expedition. The Quechan (Yuma/Cuchan) are a Native American tribe whose reservations borders Arizona, California and Baja California, Mexico. The photographs in the series include un-posed images of men eating outdoors and men playing a game outdoors. There are additional images of men posed and landscape views.
P04892-P04946, N35485-N35515
This series includes 55 photographic prints taken in the Tepecano community between 1898 and 1902 in the Jalisco State, Mexico. Hrdlicka visted the Tepecanos at least three times in 1898 and the in 1902 as part of the Hyde Exploring Expedition. Some of the photographs may have been taken in Azqueltan (Askeltan), a small village near the Rio de Bolanos. The Tepecano are an indigenous tribe related to the Tepehuán people located in the Jalisco State in Mexico. The majority of the photographs in this series are seated portraits taken of men and women outdoors. There are also small and large group portraits taken outdoors, and several standing portraits.
P04947-P04960, N35516-N35520
This series includes 14 photographic prints taken in the Akimel O'odham (Pima) community in Arizona. Hrdlicka visited the Akimel O'odham (Pima) in 1902 as part of the Hyde Exploring Expedition. The Akimel O'odham (Pima) are a Native American tribe located in central and southern Arizona with the majority of the population living on the Gila River reservation and Salt River Pima-Maricopa reservation. The Akimel O'odham (Pima) are closely related to the Tohono O'odham. The photographs in this series includes village views of houses, women mixing cornmeal and several restricted images of a shrine.
P04964-P04990, N35521-N35528
This series includes 27 photographic prints taken in the Opata community in and around the village of Tuape in the Sonora State, Mexico. Hrdlicka visited the Opata in 1902 as part of the Hyde Exploring Expedition. The Opata are an indigenous people located in northern Mexico along the border with Arizona. The majority of the photographs in this series are seated portraits taken of men and women outdoors. There are also several standing portraits as well as photographs of a church.
P04996-P05004, N35529-N35531
This series includes 9 photographic prints taken in the Cora community in and around Jesús María the municipal seat of El Nayer in the Nayarit State, Mexico. Hrdlicka visited the Cora as part of the Hyde Exploring Expedition in 1902. The Cora are an indigenous people located in the El Nayar municipality on Western Central Mexico. The photographs in this series include landscape views of Mesa del Nayar and group portraits outdoors.
P05014-P05018
This series includes 5 photographic prints taken in the Seri community between 1898 and 1902 in the Sonora State, Mexico. The Seri are an indigenous people primarily located in the towns of Punta Chueca and El Desemboque as well as on San Esteban Island and Tiburon Island in the Sonora State. All five photographs in this series are seated portraits of the same Seri man.
P00281-P00283, P00879-P00886, P05019-P05035, N34277-N34279, N34603-N34608, N35533-N35536
This series includes 28 photographic prints taken in the Wixarika (Huichol) community near the Rio Chapalagana in San Andres and Santa Catarina, Jalisco State, Mexico. Hrdlicka visited the Wixarika (Huichol) several times between 1898 and 1902. The Wixarika (Huichol) are an indigenous people located in the Sierra Madre Occidental range in Mexico. The majority of the photographs in this series are landscape views which sometimes include Wixarika (Huichol) homes. There are also several group portraits taken outdoors some which include families and children.
P05036-P05078, N35537-N35546
This series includes 43 photographic prints taken of Nahua people near the Volcan de Colima and the city of Tuxpan. Hrdlicka visited the Nahuas in the region in 1902 as part of the Hyde Exploring Expedition. The Nahuas are an indigenous groups located across all of Mexico and parts of El Salvador. The Nahuas are also sometimes referred to as Aztecs. Photographs in this series include posed portraits of all kinds—seated and standing individuals; seated and standing small and large groups; and frontal and profile shots.
P00923-P01003, P05079-P05120, N34631-N34648, N35547-N35558, N37630-N37654 (not N37646)
This series includes 42 photographic prints taken of Otomí (Otomi) people between 1898 and 1902 in the Hidalgo State in central Mexico. Many of the photographs were taken in the city of Ixmilquipan and the town of Tula de Allende. The Otomí (Otomi) are an indigenous group located in the central altiplano in Mexico. The photographs in this series include landscape and city views in and near Ixmilquipan, including Iglesia del Carmen, vendors in Ixmilquipan, seated posed portraits, mainly in Tula Allende, as well as images of Otomi men and women going about their daily lives.
P05121-P05181. N35559-N35570, N35595
This series includes 61 photographic prints in the Yoreme (Mayo) community between in the Sonora State, Mexico. Hrdlicka visited the Yoreme (Mayo) as part of the Hyde Exploring Expedition in 1902. The Yoreme (Mayo) are an indigenous group primarily located in Southern Sonora, Northern Sinaloa and Durango. Photographs in this series include posed portraits of all kinds—seated and standing individuals; seated and standing small and large groups; and frontal and profile shots.
This series includes 31 photographic prints of archaeological ruins in Arizona and New Mexico taken between 1898 and 1902. These include the Casa Grande Ruins in Arizona, Mesa del Encanta ruins in the Jalisco State, Mexico, ruins of La Qamada in Zacatecas State, Mexico, ruins of Totoate in Jalisco State, Mexico, and ruins of Teul in the Zacatecas State, Mexico.
P04866-P04869
P04882-P04891
P04961-P04963
P04991-P04995
P05005-P05013, N35532