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Photograph Album of the Cruise of the Revenue Cutter "Corwin" in Alaska: Finding
Aid
photCL 97
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Title: Photograph Album of the Cruise of the Revenue Cutter "Corwin" in Alaska
Dates (inclusive): approximately 1881-1883
Collection Number: photCL 97
Extent:
36 photographs in 1 album; album 18 x 27 cm (7 x 11 in) + 1 preservation microfilm copy reel.
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Photo Archives
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This photograph album illustrates the sights and peoples experienced during a voyage of the United States Revenue Cutter
Thomas Corwin to Alaska and the Arctic Ocean during the early 1880s.
There are many views of native (Inuit) villages and inhabitants in Alaska and coastal Siberia,
along with scenery and seascapes. All photographs are accompanied by detailed manuscript captions by an unknown individual.
Photographs depict Alaskan nature scenes and harbors; Inuit people, dwellings and villages;
and documentation of the fur trade in the 19th century.
Language: English.
Note:
Finding aid last updated on April 28, 2014.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Photograph Album of the Cruise of the Revenue Cutter "Corwin" in Alaska. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Purchased from Shorey Book Store (Seattle, Washington) in 1956.
The USRC
Thomas Corwin was a United States Revenue Cutter that patrolled the Arctic Ocean and Bearing Sea, beginning in the late 1870s. In 1882,
Michael A. Healy (1839-1904) became commander
of the
Corwin, and he rose to the position of captain in March of 1883. While in command of the
Corwin, Healy patrolled the Arctic to the prevent illegal sale of guns and
alcohol to the Alaskan natives and to control illegal fur seal hunting. The captain was also concerned for the well-being
of the Alaskan natives, and ferried Siberian caribou to help reestablish the natives' food supply,
since many seals and walruses were killed by white traders.
This album contains photographs that were taken during a voyage of the USRC
Thomas Corwin to Alaska and the Arctic Ocean during the early 1880s. With images of the Inuit inhabitants
including portraits; views of homes and villages; and the killing and skinning of seals. There are also views of non-Indian
hunters and traders. The Inuit villages and dwellings
illustrated are in Sitka, St. Michael, King's Island, and locations in Siberia. There is one view of an "Eskimo" [i.e. Inuit]
grave at an unidentified location.
The photograph album has the title "Scenes in Alaska and the Arctic Ocean. 1883" embossed on the front cover. An ink manuscript
title page reads: "Cruise of the Revenue Cutter 'Corwin' 1881."
All photographs are accompanied by detailed manuscript captions in ink by an unknown individual.
Alternative Form of Materials Available
Visit the
Huntington Digital Library: Photographs
to view digitized images from this album.
Related materials in the Huntington Library
- Photograph Collection of the Revenue Cutters "Bear" and "Corwin" in Alaska, 1880s (photCL 131) contains related photographs concerning the "Corwin."
- Papers of Michael A. Healy, 1881-1900 (mssHM 47577-47618).
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Body piercing -- Photographs.
Corwin (Ship) -- Photographs.
Fur trade -- Alaska -- Photographs.
Graves -- Alaska -- Photographs.
Indians of North America -- Alaska -- Photographs.
Inuit -- Photographs.
Orthodox churches -- Photographs.
Russian Orthodox -- Photographs.
Sailing ships -- Photographs.
Whaling -- Photographs.
Healy, Michael A., 1839-1904.
Alaska -- Photographs.
Arctic Ocean -- Photographs.
Bering Sea -- Photographs.
Siberia (Russia)-- Photographs.
Photograph albums.
Photographs.
Marine photographs.