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North America Fieldwork. , 1929 December 13-1930 January 10 and undated.

 Item — Box: 1, Folder: 4
Identifier: Mss .J37

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection includes eight volumes of field diaries and sketchbooks by Francis Lee Jaques done on scientific expeditions for the American Museum of Natural History from 1925-1935. Each notebook contains drawings, particularly birds. The drawings include comments on wild life and "coded" and are generally chronological, although some the notebooks may begin at the front or back or both. Barro Colorado Expedition (Panama). (One sketchbook.) This book, covering 1925-1926, contains mainly sketches. The scenes of Bahamas and the Caribbean exemplify his "coded" sketches -- conveying color, light, time of day, camera exposure. He notes some expenses, lumber, and measurements. In the trip to Panama and Barro Colorado Island, Jaques collected materials and created artwork to support the Barro Colorado Bird Group diorama for the Birds of the World exhibition hall. Stoll-McCracken Siberian-Arctic Expedition. (Two diaries.) Written between April and October 1928, these journals contain dense reports about the voyage and are nearly full. Toward the end of the second diary, Jaques writes on travel at an early age in Kansas and Nebraska. Various names and addresses comprise its final pages. For almost half a year, the travelers explored Alaska and the Arctic region, including the Aleutian Islands and Bering Strait Islands, onboard the Morrissey, for dioramas in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. The diaries contain some specific notes on material for bird groups. North America Fieldwork. (Two diaries.) These field books cover December 1929-February 1930. The first starts at the front and the back. Both are about half full. Jaques reported on birds by the Illinois River and in Louisiana, South Carolina (especially Charleston), and North Carolina. Templeton Crocker Pacific Expedition. (Two diaries, one small sketchbook.) Jaques named this book the Junior Log of the Zaca. Topics he reported on include birds observed, skinning of birds, and his artwork (folder 6). Some sections of the second diary, titled Yacht Zaca, October 9, 1934-March 22, 1935, directly relate to the Whitney Memorial Hall of Pacific Bird Life. It contains notes by James Paul Chapin and Jaques on habitat groups, with sections on: Nuku Hiva Group (Marquesas Islands), Tuamotu Bird Group (Hao Island), Chincha Island Bird Group, and Galapagos Bird Group (Conway Bay, Indefatigable Island). Jaques wrote about the hibiscus, guava tree, grass and referred to drawings, oil sketches, photographs, and shipments of materials (folder 7). The small sketchbook, circa September 1934-February 3, 1935, contains drawings of birds in flight (in the Pacific, near Rapu Rapu Island, Pitcairn Island, etc.), with notes on flight pattern, coloring, etc. This book is about a quarter full (folder 8).

Dates

  • 1929 December 13-1930 January 10 and undated.

Access

Please contact Special Collections; materials are sometimes restricted.

Extent

From the Collection: 0.5 Linear Foot (1 box)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Container Summary

Front: drawings of birds (some are large and detailed), sketch of North America with numerical notes. Back: landscapes—including McIlhenny pond and Folly Beach.

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the Museum Archives at the Gottesman Research Library Repository

Contact:
American Museum of Natural History
200 Central Park West
New York NY 10024 USA
(212) 769-5420