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American Museum Congo Expedition (1909-1915)

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: 1909 - 1915

Summary

Abstract:

The American Museum Congo Expedition (1909-1915) was sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History and made possible through the support of the Belgian government. The expedition party consisted of just two men. Herbert Lang, a German-born taxidermist and mammalogist was Expedition leader and photographer; James Paul Chapin, a student and ornithologist who worked at the Museum was selected to be his Assistant. The main goal was to expand the Museum’s collection of African zoological specimens, but Lang was also tasked with acquiring ethnographic material. The Museum was particularly eager to obtain specimens of the recently discovered (1901) okapi and the square-lipped, or white, rhinoceros. Lang and Chapin successfully traveled throughout the Congo region in central Africa (Modern day Democratic Republic of the Congo) to ultimately collect a massive fifty-four tons of material and over 9000 photographs for the Museum. (1)

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Topics

Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:

Africa: Exploration and Expedition exhibition photographic slides, 1998

 Series
Identifier: PSC 613F
Scope and Contents

Views of the temporary exhibition, Africa: Exploration and Expedition, held at the American Museum of Natural History, 1998, Library Gallery. Includes rare books, artifacts, portraits, and maps as well as items from the Chapin Lang Congo Expedition 1909-1915. Curated by Roscoe Thompson, then Assistant Director of Library Services.

Dates: 1998
Found in: Museum Archives at the Gottesman Research Library / PSC 1-679, 35mm Photographic Slide collection

American Museum Congo Expedition correspondence, 1917-1920.

 Collection
Identifier: Mss .C661
Dates: 1917 - 1920
Found in: Museum Archives at the Gottesman Research Library / American Museum Congo Expedition correspondence, 1917-1920.

American Museum Congo expedition photographs

 Collection
Identifier: PPC .A47
Scope and Contents

Field photographs of Congo Expeditions from 1909-1915.

Dates: 1909-1915
Found in: Museum Archives at the Gottesman Research Library / American Museum Congo expedition photographs

American Museum of Natural History Congo Expedition field book on fish

 Item
Identifier: Mss .A465
Scope and Contents

Contains one field book titled "Fishes".

Dates: 1909-1915
Found in: Museum Archives at the Gottesman Research Library / American Museum of Natural History Congo Expedition field book on fish

Congo Expedition records, 1909-1925-1909-1914

 Series
Identifier: Archives Microfilm #43
Scope and Contents From the Collection:

Microfilm copies of archives and manuscripts from central archives and other Science departments.

Dates: 1909-1925-1909-1914
Found in: Museum Archives at the Gottesman Research Library / Archives Microfilm #1-227, Archives and Manuscripts microfilm

James P. Chapin collection

 Collection
Identifier: Archives Orn221
Scope and Contents James Chapin's personal and professional correspondence, expedition records including field notes and catalogs, photographs, negatives and personal diaries (1918-1964). Includes collected newsclippings, "Birds of the Belgian Congo" Ph.D. thesis and published works, reel to reel tape recordings with transcriptions, address books, date books, lists of Congo birds, original manuscripts, published reviews, articles, talks, papers, notes. Also includes Biographical information, photographs and...
Dates: 1908-1964
Found in: Department of Ornithology Archives / James P. Chapin collection
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History
Museum Archives at the Gottesman Research Library
200 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024-5192

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