The Newberry, Ayer American Indian History Collection

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Portrait of Abdih-Hiddisch, a Minatarre Chief, by
Karl Bodmer (1809-1893).
Image courtesy of the Newberry.

The Newberry, Edward E. Ayer American Indian History Collection

60 West Walton Street

Chicago, IL

Website:  The Newberry

The Treasure:  Comprising many thousands of rare books, manuscripts, maps, artifacts, paintings, and photographs, the Edward E. Ayer American Indian History Collection at the Newberry is one of the largest and best collections on Native American history in the world.

Accessibility:  A full list of research guides is digitally available for help in navigating the Newberry Library’s collections online. Many objects in the Ayer Collection have been digitized and their images can be found in three online digital collections: the Ayer Art Digital Collection, the Great Lakes Digital Collection, and the North American Indian Photographs Collections. Before visiting Chicago, check the Newberry website for upcoming  exhibitions, programs, and events.

Background:  Edward E. Ayer (1841-1927) donated his major collection of American Indian material to the Newberry Library in 1911. While the Newberry had been in existence for 24 years at that time, it was Ayer’s generous donation that really put the Newberry on the map as one of the country’s leading research institutions. Consisting of more than 17,000 items at the time of the donation, the Ayer Collection offered scholars a bonanza of information pertaining to early contacts between Native Americans and Europeans, as well as important photographic records of the Indians of his time and valuable archaeological information on pre-Columbian Indian cultures.

Equally to his credit, Ayer had the foresight to give the Newberry a significant endowment that has enabled the institution to vastly increase the size of this collection. Slightly over a century later, the collection now contains more than 130,000 volumes, 1 million manuscript pages, 2,000 maps, 500 atlases, 11,000 photographs, and 3,500 drawings and paintings. The Newberry’s D’Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies develops programs and activities to promote use of the collection by scholars, teachers, tribal historians, and others.

With his keen interest in history, Ayer quickly realized the tremendous importance of primary documents. Whenever possible, he acquired the manuscript field notes and drawings of the scientists and explorers who did the pioneering work in recording indigenous cultures. Original manuscripts and drawings by John Howard Payne, Bernardino de Sahagún, Jean-Frederic Waldeck, W.H. Holmes, and E.H. Thompson are among the many treasures in the Ayer Collection.

Artwork from the collection brings the material to life. As one example, the Black Horse Ledger (c. 1874-1878) is a wonderful document of the artistry of the Plains Indians who maintained a tradition of creating visual records of their lives. Originally, they practiced their art on buffalo hides but later adopted the use of paper, such as ledger books obtained from U.S. soldiers, traders, missionaries, and reservation employees.

"Soldiers charging at Powder River" from the Black Horse Ledger
in the Ayer American Indian History Collection at the Newberry.
Image courtesy of the Newberry.

The Black Horse Ledger depicts the lives of Cheyenne warriors, including their interactions with white soldiers and settlers. Drawn by an anonymous Cheyenne warrior (or warriors), the picture above is captioned “Soldiers charging at Powder River,” an 1876 battle. Adding to the complexity of interpretation, the caption may have been added later by one of the ledger’s white owners.

"War party coming home" from the Black Horse Ledger
in the Ayer American Indian History Collection at the Newberry.
Image courtesy of the Newberry.

Also from the Black Horse Ledger, the drawing above depicts Cheyenne warriors on horseback. The artistry of the Plains Indians comes through in their stylized treatment of the horses, colorfully rendered in hues of gold, blue, and green. All 86 pages of the Black Horse Ledger can be viewed at the Plains Indian Ledger Art Project.

Portrait of Pahl-Lee, a young Hopi woman, by
Elbridge Ayer Burbank.
Image courtesy of the Newberry.

It seems appropriate that one of the major art collections within the Ayer Collection showcases the work of Ayer’s nephew, Elbridge Ayer Burbank. Ayer encouraged—and even commissioned—his talented nephew to go west to draw and paint realistic portraits of the Indians. In addition to the painting of a young Hopi woman above, the Newberry holds 1,200 red chalk drawings by Burbank of western and southwestern Indians.

And we haven’t even touched on the photographs, maps, atlases, and material relating to Philippine and Hawaiian history in the Ayer Collection! The collection is truly vast and a remarkable American treasure.

Notes from the Editor:  In 2000, the Newberry received one of the first grants from the Save America’s Treasuresprogram. The funding enabled the Newberry to provide conservation treatment—including media consolidation, paper and parchment stabilization, binding repair, and rehousing—for many fragile items in the Ayer Collection.

Sometimes these opportunities for intensive work result in advancements in the field of conservation. When addressing the needs of seven parchment treaties between the Oneida Nation and the State of New York, the Newberry Conservation Department decided to investigate the range of potential treatments for the deteriorating wax seals on the documents. Through their research and experimentation, they identified the strengths and weaknesses of various consolidants.

While their findings were technical in nature, this type of work is vitally important in determining the best treatment strategies available to conservators engaged in preserving historic documents. The findings of the Newberry Conservation Department were presented and published at the 30th Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, held in 2001.

Other Recommended Sites:  The American Indian Center of Chicago is the principal cultural resource for the many Indians who live in the Chicago metropolitan area. For more than 50 years, they have held a popular annual pow wow. Recently, the American Indian Center of Chicago opened a Trickster Gallery of Native American art in Schaumberg, Illinois.

Without leaving your computer, you can explore a world of information at Native American Cultural Resources on the Internet, a site compiled by web designer Karen Strom building upon the earlier work of Paula Giese.

Entrance to the Newberry.  Photo by Antonio Vernon.
Source:  Wikimedia Commons

Tour America's History Itinerary

Monday’s destination:  Adlai E. Stevenson Historic Home

© 2012 Lee Price