Personal Papers
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7370, David Griffiths Collection
David Griffiths (1867-1935), a botanist, received his Ph.D. degree from Columbia University in 1900. He joined the Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1901 as an assistant agrostologist and was promoted to agriculturist in 1907, and horticulturist in 1918. He remained with the USDA for his entire career. Griffiths was an authority on cacti, especially the genus Opuntia. His collection of cacti was donated to the United States National Museum in 1935.
This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.
This collection consists of glass plate negatives of cacti, primarily of the genus opuntia, taken in their natural habitat. Also included are a few negatives of foreign publications on cacti. A 41-page index to the negatives is available in the Archives.
This collection has been rehoused into 4 categories by size and negative number: boxes 1 through 32, 8 x 10" negatives; Boxes 33 through 53, 5 x 7" negatives; Boxes 54 through 95, broken 8 x 10" and 5 x 7" negatives; box 96, nitrate negatives. A list found in the control file containing brief descriptions linking negative number and photograph subject has been included with this box list.
A few prints are interfiled with the negatives for negative numbers: 946, 947, 988, 989, 1089, 1184, 1460, 1478, 1494, 1520, 1528, 1541, 1542, 1543, 1544, 1709, 2061, 2068, 2070, 2250, 2251, 2260, 2261, 2264, 2265, 2267, 2269, 2304, 2319, 2320, 2980, 3052, 3164, 3165, 3190, 3191, 3192, 3850, 3851, 3852, 3854, 3948, 3949, 4104.
Some negatives are broken.
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Opuntia superbospina (negative no. 2139) - Cactus. 10374 DG. F. row 6, August 17, 1915. [Image no. SIA2009-0426]
Opuntia (negative no. 2150) - Cactus. 10456 DG. F. row 10. Slightly less than 1/2 size, August 17, 1915. [Image no. SIA2009-0423]
Opuntia caesia - Cactus. 10555 DG, August 18, 1915. [Image no. SIA2009-0424]
Opuntia (negative no. 8169) - Cactus. Opuntia magnarensis. 10560 D.G. Near owens P.O., Arizona, May 3, 1912. [Image no. SIA2009-0425]
Opuntia eocarpa (negative no. 9782) - 10452 DG. Row 9 . An autochrome plate made of this. September 3, 1915. [Image no. SIA2009-0428]
Opuntia intricata (negative no. 9807) - Cactus. 10372 DG. Row 9, September 1915. [Image no. SIA2009-0427]