A Century of Circulation

The Return of the Smithsonian Institution's Duplicate Anthropological Specimens

Bibliographic Data

ID2289359
AuthorsCatherine A Nichols (0009-0000-3142-1535, Loyola University Chicago)
Year2014
Volume37
Issue2
Pages144-159
Publication date2014-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMuseum Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0892-8339 • E-ISSN: 1548-1379
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/muan.12059
OpenAlexW1982925042
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited15

For nearly a century, the Smithsonian Institution permanently distributed "duplicate specimens" from its museum collections to public educational institutions. In 1903 and 1905, shipments of anthropological material were sent to the Jackson Free Library in Jackson, Tennessee, to be used as educational tools. Using a biographical methodology, I trace the movement of objects from the Smithsonian Institution to this small library, their uses in Jackson, and their eventual return to the National Museum of Natural History in 2007. Through this case study, I argue that, while preservation is a key function of the museum, the determination of which objects museums keep is contingent on the discursive formations and value systems of museums, anthropologists, and curators. [deaccessioning, Smithsonian Institution, collections management, history of anthropology

Anthropological Studies and Insights · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Museums and Cultural Heritage

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