Osborn, Henry Fairfield, 1857-1935
Dates
- Existence: 1857-08-08 - 1935-11-06
Abstract
Henry Fairfield Osborn was a paleontologist, museum curator and administrator at the American Museum of Natural History. His 45-year career at the museum established it as a leading institution of research and scholarship in the fields of paleontology and evolution. Osborn's interest in paleontology, atypically for his time, derived as much from biology as from geology; in his undergraduate and graduate studies, he concentrated on biology, anatomy, embryology and neurology. In 1891, Osborn began his tenure at the AMNH by organizing and heading the new department of mammalian paleontology, while simultaneously accepting a similar position in biology at Columbia University. The AMNH department, which was eventually renamed vertebrate paleontology, was definitive in the museum's research and mission: the study and teaching of evolution. Osborn began his administrative work in 1899, becoming president in 1908, a position he held for twenty-five years. His strength was in leadership and education rather than empirical science; under his guidance, the museum expanded greatly in physical space and endowment, scientific staff, research and public education. Like his predecessor Albert S. Bickmore, Osborn recognized the need to combine information with entertainment. He popularized paleontology by ensuring that the museum's exhibits did not merely display the researchers' work, but also explained it in an attractive and accessible manner. Osborn, like so many of his contemporaries, was a prolific writer. His attempt to research and publish a definitive record of all the fossil mammals of North America was wildly overambitious, but by the time of his death he had completed substantial works on Equidae, titanotheres, rhinoceroses and Proboscidea, as well as on sauropod dinosaurs; his total publications number 940 (books, monographs, articles and papers), about half devoted to vertebrate paleontology.
Citation:
From biographical note for Osborn's archive collection at the AMNH Library, Mss .O835, written by Ann Herendeen.Topics
Found in 52 Collections and/or Records:
Series 1: Field diaries, 1891-1998
Consist of diaries, lists of specimens found, locations of finds, records of day to day activities, and step by step findings. Individual lists can be found with both the Charles H. Falkenbach and Ted Galusha Papers. The diaries are arranged by date and filed as nearly as possible in chronological order. Notable names in the field diaries include H. F. Osborn, Walter Granger, Barnum Brown, and G. G. Simpson.
Series 2: Field correspondence, 1891-1969
The field correspondence were written by field workers relaying events during excavations and expeditions. The collection includes department field communications from 1891 to 1969. While Henry Fairfield Osborn was in the department, the letters were addressed primarily to him, but later letters were addressed to others. Notable names in the field correspondence include Walter Granger, Barnum Brown, Ted Galusha, Charles Falkenbach, and G. G. Simpson. The years 1962-1968 are missing.
Series 2: Professional Correspondence, 1896 - 1942
The professional correspondence includes letters between Brown and other paleontologists both within AMNH and elsewhere. It also contains correspondence regarding Brown's lecture tours and his application for copyright. There are also some letters from the public with paleontological enquiries.
Series 2: Published Papers & Unpublished Manuscripts, 1870 - 1945
Series 3: Memorabilia, 1905 - 1949
Series 3 (Boxes 22 to 24) contains memorabilia related to Osborn, including a photo album of students from Princeton, Columbia University, and the American Museum of Natural History, an illustrated text composed by Christina D. Matthew and Elisabeth M. Fulda, obituaries, biographies, and other materials. Most of the materials are in English, with some German- and Italian-language materials, as well. It is arranged chronologically.
Series 4: Bibliography , 1883 - 1935
Series 4 (Boxes 24 to 27) contain several of Osborn’s bibliographies, presented in various formats (bound, index cards, and card file). It is arranged alphabetically and by subject.
Series 5: Press Clippings, 1916 - 1935
Series 5 contains press clippings written by or about Osborn. They are collected mainly from newspapers, but also include clippings from other periodicals. It is arranged chronologically.
Series 6: Administrative, 1918 - 1932
Series 6 contains Osborn’s administrative materials. It is arranged chronologically.
Theodore Roosevelt correspondence
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial and Exhibitions collection
American Museum of Natural History
Museum Archives at the Gottesman Research Library
200 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024-5192