IDNO

LS.26750.WHI

Description

On catalogue card: "N.W. Amazon. 175.66 - 70.
Witoto children.
70 = unidentified, but prob. Witoto.
(5 slides)."

On Catalogue Card for duplicate print P.9269.ACH1: "Witoto girl, side view".

Half-length portrait of a Witoto girl from the Kotue River, standing side on to the camera in front of a background that has been masked out to be plain white. [TC 01/06/1999, updated JD 27/11/2019]

Place

S America; Colombia; North West Amazon; Kotue River

Cultural Affliation

South American Indian; Witotoan; Witoto [Huitoto; Uitoto; Ouitoto; Fitita; Guitoto; Hitote; Huitata; Huito; Huitato; Huitota; Komiuvedu; Komiovedu; Murui-Muinane]

Named Person

Photographer

Whiffen, Thomas William

Collector / Expedition

Date

1908 - 1909

Collection Name

Whiffen CollectionTeaching Slide Collection

Source

Whiffen, Nöel H.

Format

Lantern Slide Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Publication: Reproduced in Whiffen, T. W., 1915 as Pl. LI.3 with the caption "Witoto from the Kotue River". [TC 01/06/1999]

Related Image: Location taken from RAI print 36164 (print of same image), which is annotated in pencil on the reverse in Whiffen’s own handwriting. Photocopies of this note and of the notes on other Whiffen prints at the RAI are now in the UCMAA archive, reference number W19/1/3. See Whiffen Collection record for further details. [TC 01/06/1999]

Biographical Reference: Although Whiffen’s book is primarily ethnographic, he also uses the methods of physical anthropology. He mentions physical appearance when discussing the differences between tribes and language groups (Whiffen, T. W., 1915: 57-58). In Appendix 1, (ibid: 269-279) His discussion of "physical characteristics", is illustrated with photographs. Appendix II postulates the "Mongoloid origin" of Amazonian peoples (ibid: 280-281), while Appendix IV is a series of "colour analyses and measurements" charts of physical statistics (ibid: 283-290). [TC 01/06/1999]

Source: In MAA Correspondence Box 1934 is a letter from Noel Whiffen donating his "brother's collection of lantern slides" to the museum, on behalf of the Whiffen family. Louis Clarke replied. The gift is also noted in the annual report for that year in the list of accessions (UCMAA 1934: 3), which mentions that "the collection of lantern slides has also been increased by gifts from ... Mr N. H. Whiffen ... "
For full details see Whiffen Collection record. [TC 09/06/1999, updated, JD 02/10/2019]