Title: Carl Eugen Guthe Papers Creator: Guthe, Carl E. (Carl Eugen), 1893-1974 Dates: 1905-1974 (Majority of material found within 1920-1929) Extent: 7 linear feet Abstract:
The Carl E. Guthe collection contains the papers and photographs of a noted professor of anthropology and director of the Museum of Anthropology and University Museum of the University of Michigan, primarily concerning expedition to the Philippines, 1923-1925.
Call number: 851379 Aa 2 Language: The materials are in English. Repository: Bentley Historical Library
1150 Beal Ave. Ann Arbor, MI
48109-2113 Phone:
734-764-3482 Fax:
734-936-1333 e-mail:
bentley.ref@umich.edu Home Page: http://www.bentley.umich.edu/
Finding aid prepared by: Bentley Historical Library Staff, J. K. Purdom Lindblad, January 2010
Access and Use
Acquisition Information:
The papers were acquired in two accessions. The first was transferred by Carl E. Guthe (donor no. 1500) in 1944. The second was transferred by the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology (donor no. 9273) in 2003.
Access Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Materials contained in the Journals, 1912-1944 series (Box 4) and in the Correspondence, 1921-1974 series (Box 5) have been severely damaged in a fire. In December 2022, they were removed for conservation. Researchers should consult series-level Scope and Contents Notes and folder-level lists for more detailed information regarding access and use of materials in Boxes 4 and 5.
To protect fragile audiovisual recordings (such as audio cassettes, film reels, and VHS
tapes), the Bentley Historical Library has a policy of converting them to digital
formats by a professional vendor whenever a researcher requests access. For more
information, please see: http://bentley.umich.edu/research/duplication/.
Copyright:
Copyright status is unclear for the Philippine Expedition materials, topical files, and photographs. Copyright for the correspondence series has been transferred to the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan but the collection may contain third-party materials for which copyright was not transferred. Patrons are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials.
Preferred Citation:
item, folder title, box no., Carl Eugen Guthe Papers, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
Biography
Carl Eugen Guthe was born in Kearney, Nebraska, on June 1, 1893. When his father, Karl, accepted a faculty position in the Department of Physics at the University of Michigan later that year, Guthe's family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he grew up. Guthe received his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1914. He received two degrees in anthropology from Harvard University, an M.A. in 1915 and a Ph.D. in 1917.
As a graduate student and after receiving his degrees Guthe participated in archaeological fieldwork in Pecos and Guatemala. In 1922 he was hired by the University of Michigan to lead an expedition to the Philippines to locate Chinese porcelains and bring them back for the university's collections. Guthe accepted the position with the condition that the university establish a Museum of Anthropology within the University Museums to house the collections. His condition was met, and Guthe was named the associate director of the museum that same year. He was named director of the Museum of Anthropology in 1929, and given the additional title of director of the University Museums in 1936.
Guthe was instrumental in the development of both museum and academic programs in anthropology at the university. As a museum administrator, he oversaw the development and expansion of the Museum of Anthropology in its formative years, including the establishment of the Ceramic Repository for the Eastern United States and the Ethnobotanical Laboratory. As a faculty member, he founded the Department of Anthropology with Julian Steward in 1929, and taught some of the first formal courses in anthropology and archaeology at the university. He also developed and organized the first courses in museum science in 1938.
Guthe was an influential force outside the University of Michigan as well. He was the principal founder of the Society for American Archaeology, and wrote the original constitution and bylaws. He also served as the organization's first secretary-treasurer, from 1935 to 1940, and as its president from 1945 to 1946. He was chairman of the Division of Psychology and Anthropology of the National Research Council from 1938 to 1941. He held leadership positions in a number of professional organizations, including terms as president of the Central States Branch of the American Anthropological Association from 1928 to 1929, and as president of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters from 1939 to 1940.
Guthe left the University of Michigan in 1944 to become director of the New York State Museum and State Science Service. He held that position until his retirement in 1953. After his retirement, he served as a research associate for the American Association of Museums, for whom he conducted a national survey of museums.
Guthe and his wife, Grace, had three sons, Karl, Alfred (also an anthropologist), and James. Guthe died in Knoxville, Tennessee on July 24, 1974.
(For additional biographical information on Carl E. Guthe, see "Carl Eugen Guthe: 1893-1974" by James B. Griffin and Volney H. Jones, published in American Antiquity in 1976.)
Collection Scope and Content Note
The collection, which was received in two accessions, contains papers and photographs documenting Guthe's work at the University of Michigan, including the 1922 expedition to the Philippines and other expeditions and materials relating to his teaching and administrative activities. The collection is organized into eight series: Philippine Expedition Papers, University Files, Philippine Expediting Photographs, Journals, Writings, Clippings, Other, and Correspondence. The 1944 accession includes the series Philippine Expedition Papers, University Files, Philippine Expedition Photographs, and Correspondence. The 2006 addition includes the series Journals, Correspondence, Writings, Clippings, Other, and Photographs. .
Subject Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the finding aid database and catalog of The Bentley Historical Library/University of Michigan. Researchers desiring additional information about related topics should search the catalog using these headings.
Archaeology.
Anthropology.
Philippines -- History -- 1898-1946.
Archaeology.
Expeditions and surveys.
Kentucky.
Ohio.
Philippines -- History -- 1898-1946.
Ships.
Photographs.
Journals.
University of Michigan -- Anniversaries, etc.
University of Michigan -- Archaeological expeditions.
University of Michigan. Centennial Celebration Committee on University Exhibits.
University of Michigan. Committee on Educational Policies.
University of Michigan. Dept. of Anthropology.
University of Michigan -- Faculty.
University of Michigan. Institute for Human Adjustment.
University of Michigan. Institute of Archaeological Research.
University of Michigan. Linguistic Institute.
University of Michigan. Museum of Anthropology.
University of Michigan. Museums.
Kelsey, Francis W. (Francis Willey), 1858-
Ruthven, Alexander Grant, 1882-1971.
Worcester, Dean C. (Dean Conant), 1866-1924.
University of Michigan Philippine Expedition (1922-1925)
University of Michigan -- Scientific expeditions.
Guthe, Carl E. (Carl Eugen), 1893-1974.
Contents List
Request materials for use in the Bentley Library
Container / Location
Title
Philippine Expedition Papers [series]
The Philippine Expedition series, 1922-1926 (1.5 linear feet), includes correspondence with Dean C. Worcester, Alexander G. Ruthven, and Francis W. Kelsey, general correspondence, field reports, expense records, and Guthe and Worcester's research notes taken during the expedition.
Box 1
Correspondence with Dean C. Worcester 1923-1924
Correspondence with Alexander G. Ruthven
Box 1
1922-1923
Box 1
1924-1925
Box 1
Correspondence with Francis W. Kelsey 1922-1925
General correspondence
Box 1
1922
Box 1
January-March 1923
Box 1
April-June 1923
Box 1
July-December 1923
Box 1
January-March 1924
Box 1
April-June 1924
Box 1
July-August 1924
Box 1
September-December 1924
Box 1
January-March 1925
Box 1
April-December 1925
Box 1
First Annual Field Report 1922-1923
Box 1
Second Annual Field Report 1923-1924
Box 1
Third Annual Field Report 1924-1925
Philippine Refining Corporation
Accounts
Box 1
October 1922-January 1923
Box 1
February-July 1923
Box 1
August-December 1923
Box 1
January-April 1924
Box 1
May-August 1924
Box 1
September-December 1924
Box 1
January-May 1925
Expense records
Box 1
1922-March 1923
Box 1
April 1923-December 1926
Accounts aboard the "Anne Day"
Box 1
November 1922-February 1923
Box 1
March-June 1923
Box 1
July-September 1923
Box 1
October-December 1923
Box 1
January-May 1924
Box 1
June-December 1924
Box 1
1925
Box 1
History of the "Anne Day"
Box 1
Notes on expedition taken by Worcester and Guthe 1919-1923
(2 folders)
The University Files series, 1923-1942 (0.5 linear feet), includes papers relating to Guthe's activities at the university, particularly the Institute of Archaeological Research, the Committee on Human Adjustment, the Centennial Celebration Committee on University Exhibits, the Linguistic Institute, and the Committee on Educational Policies.
Box 2
Centennial Celebration Committee on University Exhibits 1936-1937
(2 folders)
Box 2
Committee on American Culture 1939-1940
Box 2
Committee on Educational Policies 1938-1942
Box 2
Committee on Human Adjustment 1936-1937
(2 folders)
Box 2
Committee on the Division of Health Sciences 1936-1938
Box 2
Delta Tau Delta 1923-1925
Box 2
Institute of Archaeological Research 1936-1941
Institute of Public and Social Administration (formerly Health and Social Sciences)
Box 2
General 1935-1936
Box 2
Minutes and Reports 1935-1936
Box 2
Library Committee 1941-1942
Box 2
Linguistic Institute 1936-1939
Philippine Expediton Photographs [series]
The Photographs series, 1922-1927 (0.5 linear feet), includes visual documentation of the landscape, people, customs and artifacts researched during the Philippine expedition. In 1978, prints were made of the photographs before the deteriorating nitrate negatives were destroyed. The photographs are listed by subject in a supplement to the contents list.
The series also contains photographs of two archaeological excavations in Kentucky and Ohio in 1927.
Philippine expedition 1922-1925
Box 3
"Anne W. Day" and launch
Box 3
Caves
Box 3
Cebu-Opou
Box 3
Graves
Box 3
Landscapes
Box 3
Natural History
Box 3
Moro Houses
Box 3
Moro People and Dress
Box 3
Moro Towns
Box 3
Moro Utensils
Box 3
Pagan Houses
Box 3
Pagan People and Dress
Box 3
Pagan Towns
Box 3
Pagan Utensils
Box 3
Pottery
Box 3
Sacul Island
Box 3
Seashore and Seacliffs
Box 3
Specimens
(2 folders)
Box 3
Visaya People and Dress
Box 3
Visaya Towns
Box 3
Visaya Utensils
Box 3
Visaya Villages
Album 1
Box 3
Yellow and green jar, Siay River, Sebugay Gulf ([1-1])
Box 3
Carved bow of vinta, Siav River, Sepugay Gulf ([1-2])
Box 3
Mt. Apo - very faint, Davao Gulf ([1-3])
Box 3
Barrio on Lower Libuganun R.-Davao ([1-4])
Box 3
Shrine to spirits-Esperanza -Davao ([1-5])
Box 3
House steps pushed out-Manikú-Davao ([1-6])
Box 3
Barracks-Camp Victa, Mabantao-Davao ([1-7])
Box 3
Tall Trees at Camp Victa-Davao ([1-8])
Box 3
Crossing creek just out of Mabantao-Davao ([1-9])
Box 3
Street scene-Barrio Sagayan-Davao ([1-10])
Box 3
Cargadores at Sagayan-Davao ([1-11])
Box 3
Mushroom near Buan-Davao ([1-12])
Box 3
Mushroom at Buan-Davao ([1-13])
Box 3
Buan houses with latrines-Davao ([1-14])
Box 3
On the trail, Buan to Camansa-Davao ([1-15])
Box 3
Giant Abacá; Buan to Camansa-Davao ([1-16])
Box 3
The Sang River Buan to Camansa-Davao ([1-17])
Box 3
(unprintable) The barrio of Camansa-Davao ([1-18])
(unprintable) The wall of Batungaan Valley Masbat1 ([6-82])
Box 3
(unprintable) Batungaan Rock - Masbati ([6-83])
Box 3
Large cave in Batungaan Rock - Masbati ([6-84])
Box 3
Skull cave in Batungaan Rock - Masbati ([6-85])
Box 3
Coffin in Skull cave - Masbati ([6-86])
Box 3
Another cave - Batungaan Rock - Masbati ([6-87])
Box 3
The Mataba jar - Masbati ([6-88])
Box 3
Cave 48 - Masbati ([6-89])
Box 3
Cave 47 - Masbati ([6-90])
Box 3
Monkey trap - Masbati ([6-91])
Box 3
Digging in B-29 - Masbati ([6-92])
Box 3
The jar of B-29 - Masbati ([6-93])
Box 3
Lighthouse on Tanginque ([6-94])
Box 3
Tanginque island and AWD ([6-95])
Box 3
On Calachuchi R. Masbati - with Tailing ([6-96])
Box 3
The swollen river near Heath's ranch ([6-97])
Box 3
The old Lead mine on Heath's ranch ([6-98])
Box 3
The old Lead mine (shaft) on Heath's ranch ([6-99])
Box 3
Charles Tarling on horseback (2) ([6-100])
Correspondence 1939-1943 [series]
The Correspondence series, 1939-1943 (0.5 linear feet), contains Guthe's incoming and outgoing professional correspondence from his final years at the University of Michigan. It has been arranged in general alphabetical folders by correspondent, with individual folders for a few of Guthe's regular correspondents, such as James B. Griffin and Eli Lilly. Most of the correspondence relates to Guthe's work as director of the Museum of Anthropology and University Museums.
Box 3
A-F
(7 folders)
Box 3
Gilmore, Melvin R.
(includes correspondence with family members re: disposition of Gilmore's library and papers)
Box 3
Greenman, Emerson F.
Box 3
Griffin, James B.
Box 3
G-J
(5 folders)
Box 3
Kinietz, Vernon
Box 3
K
Box 3
Lilly, Eli
Box 3
L
Box 3
MacLean, Arthur
Box 3
Matson, Fred
Box 3
M
(2 folders)
Box 3
Neumann, Georg
Box 3
N-Z
(13 folders)
Journals 1912-1944 [series]
Journals, 1912-1944, (2 linear feet) comprises the journals kept by Guthe and his wife during several of his expeditions. All of the journals were damaged in a house fire in the 1950s. Notes from Guthe that were with the journals indicate that a typed transcript of the journals was created in 1970, but the fate of those transcripts is unknown. An ardent writer, Guthe's journals richly detail the day-to-day experiences, frustrations, and successes of expeditions. Journals from the 1920s are particularly strong. Later journals detail daily life, but not as extensively as the expedition journals.
Box 4
Journal 1911
Box 4
Carl Guthe 1912-1916
Carl Guthe, Central America / Paten Trip 1920
Box 4
Pages 1-272 [Due to its fragile nature, access to the original item is restricted]
("original copy")
Box 4
Pages 1-272
(carbon copies)
Box 4
Pages 1-152 [Due to its fragile nature, access to the original item is restricted]
(first two notebooks)
Box 4
Second notebook through page 152 [Due to its fragile nature, access to the original item is restricted]
(carbon copies; extremely damaged/fragile)
Box 4
Journal pg. 153-252 1920[Due to its fragile nature, access to the original item is restricted]
Box 4
Journal pg 253-272 1920[Due to its fragile nature, access to the original item is restricted]
Box 4
Journal 1921[Due to its fragile nature, access to the original item is restricted]
Box 4
Journal 1922-1926[Due to its fragile nature, access to the original item is restricted]
Box 4
Journal 1930[Due to its fragile nature, access to the original item is restricted]
Box 4
Journal June-December 1931
Box 4
Journal 1933[Due to its fragile nature, access to the original item is restricted]
Box 4
Journal 1935
Box 4
Journal 1936
Box 4
Journal 1944
Box 5
Grace Guthe, New Mexico-Colorado Trips 1917[Due to its fragile nature, access to the original item is restricted]
Box 5
Miscellaneous Loose Pages and Notes 1922-1931[Due to its fragile nature, access to the original item is restricted]
Box 5
Trip 1 Western Samar with Mr. Worcester November 6-12, 1922
Box 5
Trip 2 November 26-December 14, 1922 Western Samar; Trip 3, February 9-March 7, 1923 South West Samar, Suluan (First Contact) 1922-1923
Box 5
Trip 4 April 4-15, 1923 North West Mindanao; Trip 5, April 28-May 17, 1923 Dipitau, Mindanao, and Siquijor 1923
Box 5
Trip 6 June 19-July 17, 1923 to Albay and Lamarines Sur in Luzon; Trip 7, July 24-August 11, 1923 Masbate and Gold Wine 1923
Box 5
Trip 8 August 28-September 9, 1923 Iloilo and Masbate; Trip 9, September 25-October 4, 1923 Si Quiso-Walking Trip with Brown 1923
Box 5
Trip 10 Bohol, Suriago, Suluan, and the Typhoon October 23-November 19, 1923
Box 5
Trip 11 December 4-21, 1923 to Manilla; Trip 12, January 19-26, 1924 Siquijor; Trip 13, February 2-22, 1924 Bohol, lived "Native" in Barrio near Loay 1923-1924
Box 5
Trip 14 to Calmianes group and Palawan with Mr. Worchester and son Fred March 3-29, 1924
Box 5
Trip 15 Suluan Cave, Completed April 4-19, 1924
Box 5
Trip 16 May 8-July 7, 1924 All the way around Mindanao; the Davad Hike, June 10-21, 1924 1924
Box 5
Trip 17 Bohol August 17-25, 1924
Box 5
Trip 18 Masbate, Roniblon, Tablas, and Mindoro October 1-17, 1924
Box 5
Trip 19 to Zamboanga by "Common Carrier" January 19-February 3, 1925
Correspondence 1921-1974 [series]
Correspondence, 1921-1974, (0.5 linear feet) comprises two types of files. The first group appears to be a partial alphabetical file of Guthe's correspondence from 1925 to 1938, comprising only the letters A through C. Files of the second type do not bear any apparent relationship to the alphabetical files or any existing correspondence series, and their provenance is unknown. Additional correspondence can be found in the 1944 accession correspondence series.
Box 5
General, A-C 1925-1940
(5 folders)
Box 5
James B. Griffin 1944-1952
Box 5
A. T. Hill 1938
A. V. Kidder
Box 5
1932-1934
Box 5
1955-1963
Box 5
Frederick R. Matson 1951-1974
Box 5
Miscellaneous un-filed 1927-1943
Box 5
S. G. Morley 1921-1922
Box 5
National Park Service 1962
Box 5
Philippines 1922-1925
Box 5
Vacation correspondence with office 1935
Writings 1905-1971 [series]
Writings, 1905-1971, (1.0 linear foot) includes manuscripts, notes and publications written by Guthe. The earliest piece details 12 year-old Guthe's experience at President Roosevelt's 1905 inauguration. Early poems are included in the series. Some of the poems are about Guthe's wife, Grace. Professional speeches and publications highlight Guthe's detailed descriptions of his expedition experiences.
Box 6
"The Inauguration Parade and Fireworks," 1905
Box 6
Poems by Carl E. Guthe 1909-1912
Box 6
Travel Lecture 1920
Box 6
"Afloat and Afoot in Davao," Original manuscript with additional notes from Journal 1924, 1966
Box 6
Unfinished Manuscripts written in Philippines
Box 6
"'Evolution' of Man," 1926
Box 6
"The Gold Encrusted Teeth of Samar," 1926
Box 6
"Report on Philipse Castle and Sunnyside," 1952
Box 6
Museums Study, Notes and Research Materials
(4 folders)
Box 6
Notes for talk in Columbia, S.C. 1971
Box 6
"Anthropologists do not want to be coordinated," notes undated
Box 6
"The City of the Last Stone," undated
Box 6
"Hunting Ruined Cities in Guatemala," undated
Box 6
Miscellaneous Notes and Documents
Box 6
American Association of Museum Reports of the Research Associate 1953-1959
Box 6
Museum News, selected issues 1938-1954
Box 6
Manuscripts 1955-1963
Box 6
Publications reprints 1931-1967
(4 folders)
Clippings 1916-1965 [series]
Clippings, 1916-1965, (.25 linear feet) comprises three folders of newspaper clippings about Guthe and his family, and are particularly strong in documenting Guthe's travels throughout the U.S. and Canada surveying museums after his retirement.
Box 7
Grace Guthe
Box 7
Guthe Sons
Box 7
Early Career (pre-1943)
Box 7
Later Career (post-1943)
Box 7
U. S. Museums Tour and Study
Box 7
Canadian Museums Tour and Study
Other 1916-1960 [series]
Other, 1916-1960, (.25 linear feet) includes a small number of documents that do not fit into any of the other categories. They include memorabilia from Guthe's time at Harvard (1916-1917), a roster of the Ann Arbor High School Class of 1910 with notes on whereabouts as of 1960, and forms filled out during anthropometrical examinations of Dr. and Mrs. Guthe at Harvard.
Box 7
Harvard Memorabilia 1916-1917
Box 7
Notes from a Course Taught by Guthe 1935
Box 7
Exam forms from Harvard Anthropometry 1937
Box 7
Ann Arbor High School Class of 1910 Roster with Notes 1960
Box 7
Guthe Family Genealogy
Photographs 1911-1971 [series]
Photographs, 1911-1971, (.75 linear feet) comprises several hundred small (mostly 2-1/2"x3" and 3"x5" size) prints, mostly from Guthe's field work in the U.S. Southwest, Central America and the Philippines. These images show Guthe and his colleagues engaged in archaeological excavations, and document the excavation sites and artifacts. This series also includes a small number of photographs of the Guthe Family, including an oversize photograph from 1911. Additional photographs can be found in the 1944 accession photographs series.
U. S. Southwest Expeditions 1916-1917, 1921
Box 7
Pecos and Rowe
Box 7
New Mexico
Box 7
"Duplicates or Near Duplicates"
Box 7
"Unorganized"
Central America Expedition 1920-1922
Box 7
1920-1922
(3 folders)
Box 7
"Key Prints of Films Sent to Jessups"
Box 7
"Final Discards in the Making up of Final Album of Combined Trips. Many Good Prints in this Set"
Box 7
"General Discards and Duplicates"
Box 7
"Duplicates and Album Rejects. Many Good Prints in this Bunch."
Box 7
"Key Prints of Films on Hand of Which no Good Prints Have Been Made."
(2 folders)
Philippines Expedition 1922-1925
Box 7
Excavations, pottery, etc.
(2 folders)
Box 7
Personal Guthe Family Photographs
Box 7
Negatives Numbers 700-796
Personal
Box 7
Guthe Family (oversize) 1911
Box 7
Photographs of Guthe
Box 7
Philippines, Starkey (?) B.H., Van Rippen (South Africa), Detroit
Box 7
"Duplicates and Enlargements"
Box 7
Miscellaneous and Post Cards
Box 7
Miscellaneous 8 x 10 photographs 1944-1971
Box 3
Archaeological excavations in Kentucky and Ohio 1927