Finding Aid to the Frans Blom papers, circa 1890-1942 (bulk 1919-1942)

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Finding Aid to the Frans Blom Papers, circa 1890-1942 (bulk 1919-1942)

Collection number: BANC MSS Z-R 8

The Bancroft Library



University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Contact Information:

Processed by:
Lara Michels
© 2013 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Collection Summary

Collection Title: Frans Blom Papers,
Date (inclusive): circa 1890-1942
Date (bulk): (bulk 1919-1942)
Collection Number: BANC MSS Z-R 8
Creator: Blom, Frans
Extent: Number of containers: 11 cartons, 12 oversize boxes, 6 negative boxes, 5 cardfile boxes, 5 oversize folders, 1 box, 1 volume (linear feet: 24)
Repository: The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Abstract: Personal and professional papers of Tulane University archaeologist Frans Blom, founder of the Middle American Research Institute and authority on Mayan archaeology.
Languages Represented: English, Danish, Spanish.

Information for Researchers

Access

Collection is open for research with the exception of the NITRATE NEGATIVES IN NEGATIVE BOXES 1-6 AND VOLUME 1, WHICH ARE CLOSED TO RESEARCH DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS.

Publication Rights

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html. 
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Frans Blom papers, BANC MSS Z-R 8, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Alternate Forms Available

There are no alternate forms of this collection.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Blom, Frans Ferdinand, 1893-1963--Archives
Blom, Frans Ferdinand, 1893-1963--Diaries
Blom, Frans Ferdinand, 1893-1963--Correspondence
Blom, Frans Ferdinand, 1893-1963--Portraits
Alférez, Enrique, 1901-1999--Drawings
Spratling, William, 1900-1967--Drawings
Ninas, Paul, 1903-1964--Drawings
Gonzalez, Xavier, 1898-1993--Drawings
Tulane University. Middle American Research Institute
John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition (1928)
John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition (1928)--Photographs
Indians of Central America--Research
Indians of Central America--Photographs
Indians of Central America--Study and teaching
Indians of Mexico--Research
Indians of Mexico--Photographs
Indians of Mexico--Study and teaching
Archaeology--Research ǂz Central America
Archaeology--Research ǂz Mexico
Archaeology--Central America--Photographs
Archaeology--Mexico--Photographs
Olmecs--Research--Central America
Olmecs--Research--Mexico
Mayas--Research--Central America
Mayas--Research--Mexico
Maya--Antiquities
Corridos--Mexico--Oaxaca (State)
Archaeologists--Denmark
Petroleum industry and trade--Mexico--Minatitlán (Veracruz-Llave)
Artists--Louisiana--New Orleans.
Navies--Denmark--Photographs.
Pueblo Bonito Site (N.M.)--Photographs
Veracruz-Llave (Mexico : State)--Photographs
Chiapas (Mexico)--Photographs
Palenque Site (Mexico)--Photographs
Uxmal Site (Mexico)--Photographs
Guatemala--Photographs
Honduras--Photographs
Field notes
Diaries
Clippings
Maps
Manuscripts for publication
Film negatives
Photographs

Administrative Information

Accruals

No additions are expected.

Processing Information

Processed by Lara Michels in November 2013.

Biographical Information

Frans Blom (1893-1963) was a Danish-born archaeologist and explorer and head of Tulane University's Middle American Research Institute (formerly the Department of Middle American Research) from 1926 to 1940. Having dropped out of the University of Copenhagen, Blom first arrived in Mexico in 1919 and, after some effort, managed to find work scouting abandoned oil wells in the Mexican oil industry (mostly in Minatitlán, Veracruz). During these years, Blom travelled extensively throughout remote areas of Veracruz, Chiapas, and Tabasco, documenting in his journals (in Danish) a developing passion for Mayan archaeology (a version of these journals was published in Danish in 1923). In 1922, Blom found work with the Dirección de Antropología in Mexico City. He spent the end of 1922 and 1923 exploring and documenting the state of the ruins in Palenque. These experiences led to admission to the Master's program in archaeology at Harvard University (which he completed in 1924). During his training, Blom worked in Uaxactun in the Petén area of Guatemala and participated in the excavations of Pueblo Bonito in New Mexico. Soon after completing his Master's, Blom took a position at the Department of Middle American Research at Tulane University. In 1926, Blom became director of the department. The department undertook expeditions throughout the last half of the 1920s and the 1930s, including the John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition to Chiapas, Mexico and Guatemala and the 1930 expedition to Uxmal in preparation for building a replica of the Uxmal Nunnery at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. While in New Orleans, Blom forged connections to local bohemians and artists such as Enrique Alférez and William P. Spratling. At the age of thirty nine, Blom married Mary S. Thomas, a woman he met in 1932 while hosting an excursion to Mexico. Mary Thomas was the daughter and heir to Lillian Sefton Thomas and Vincent B. Thomas, presidents of the Harriet Hubbard Ayer cosmetics corporation. This marriage ended in 1938. Blom struggled professionally and personally (with alcoholism) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. He left Tulane in 1941 and moved to Mexico around 1942. There he married Swiss photographer Gertrude “Trudi” Duby (1901-1993), who had also recently moved to Mexico and had a passion for the Lacandón Indians of Chiapas. In 1950, the couple purchased a house in San Cristobal, Chiapas, which they named Casa Na Bolom (House of the Jaguar). During the next thirteen years, Frans and Trudi worked to make their house into a center for scholars researching Chiapas and Guatemala. Trudi carried on with this venture in the years after Frans Blom's death in 1963. Today, Casa Na Bolom is a museum, hotel, and restaurant.

Scope and Content of Collection

The collection mostly documents Frans Blom's life and archaeological career from 1919, when he arrived in Mexico for the first time, to 1942, when he left Tulane University and made Mexico his permanent home. The collection is arranged into series: 1. Middle American Research Institute administrative documents and photographs; 2. Biographical and personal papers and photographs; 3. Correspondence; 4. Expeditions and travels; 5. Writings and research; 6. Writings by others; 7. Transcriptions; 8. Printed materials; 9. Notes and sketches; and 10. Appointment books and miscellany. See content notes for each series for further details.

 

Series 1:  Middle American Research Institute administrative documents and photographs. circa 1924-1940

Physical Description: Carton 1, folder 1-2; carton 8, folder 19-20; oversize box 7

Contents of Series

Correspondence with Tulane University administration, materials regarding collections and exhibitions, and building and institutional plans. Carton 8, folders 19-20 contain photographs and postcards from the Middle American Research Institute. Oversize box 7 holds two scrapbooks/photo albums of the Middle American Research Institute.
Carton 1, Folder 1-2

Administrative documents (including plans for the Institute), circa 1924-1940

Carton 8, Folder 19-20

Photographs and postcards, circa 1929-1940

Oversize-Box 7

Scrapbooks/photo albums (2), circa 1929-1940

 

Series 2:  Biographical and personal papers and photographs. circa 1890-1942

Physical Description: Carton 1, folder 3-8; carton 8, folder 1-17; oversize box 5, 6, 10, and 12; oversize folder 3; negative box 2, 6

Contents of Series

Personal documents, clippings and articles about Blom, scrapbooks, and personal and family photographs and photograph albums. Among the photographs are portraits of Blom, photograph albums of Blom's family in Denmark (dating to 1890); photograph albums of Blom's service in the Danish Navy during World War One; photographs of Blom's first wife, Mary Thomas; and photographs of Blom's apartment in New Orleans.
Carton 1, Folder 3-4

Personal documents and records, circa 1920-1942

Carton 1, Folder 5

Articles about Blom, circa 1920-1942

Carton 1, Folder 6-8, Oversize-Box 4, Oversize-Folder 3

Clippings about Blom, circa 1920-1942

Oversize-Folder 3

Annotated map of Denmark, circa 1930

Oversize-Box 10, Folder 1

Blom family photo album (Denmark), circa 1918-1923

Oversize-Box 10, Folder 2-4

Blom family photo album (Denmark), circa 1905-1914

Oversize-Box 6

Photo album and scrapbook, circa 1914-1929 (circa 1921-1929)

Scope and Content Note

Portraits of Blom; snapshots of Blom in the field; some portraits of expedition teams, including the John Geddings Gray Expedition in 1928 and the Uxmal expedition in 1930; photographs of Blom working with objects (possibly at the Middle American Research Institute); photographs of Blom with Rufus Dawes, chairman of the board of the Chicago World's Fair in 1933; photographs of Blom and with pilot Lewis Yancey (1932); a group portrait of Frans and Mary Blom dining with other passengers, including Sarah Delano Roosevelt, on the ocean liner Ils de France in 1934; a letter from Sarah Delano Roosevelt to Blom acknowledging a gift; drawing of Blom by Xavier Gonzalez; photographs of Blom with Edith Roosevelt in New Orleans (1937); photographs of Blom's trip to Copenhagen for the Second International Congress of Anthropology and Ethnology (1938); clippings about artist Enrique Alférez and images of his sculptures; a letter from Louisiana artist Juanita Gonzalez with an image of one of her sculptures: pencil drawings by Willy Wulff; two drawn portraits of Frans Blom by William P. Spratling; some family photographs; two portraits of actress Joan Lowell; a sketch by Gerhard Henning; a pencil drawing by New Orleans artist Caroline Durieux; drawings by Paul Ninas; a portrait of Blom's father and a letter from Blom to his father (1940); portraits of Blom's mother (1893-1915);
Oversize-Box 5

Pages from personal scrapbook, circa 1925-1940

Scope and Content Note

Includes clippings; drawings and watercolors by artists Enrique Alférez and Xavier Gonzalez, a William P. Spratling woodcut, a Paul Ninas drawing, and loose clippings. Also included is a letter from Diego Rivera to Blom congratulating Blom on his work and eight small snapshots of Rivera and Frieda Kahlo at their home in Mexico in the 1930s.
Carton 8, Folder 1

Portraits of Frans Blom, circa 1920-1935

Carton 8, Folder 2

Photographs of Blom's apartment in New Orleans, circa 1930

Carton 8, Folder 3

Photographs of Mary (Thomas) Blom, circa 1935

Carton 8, Folder 4, Negative-Box 6, Item 1-3

Photographic prints and negatives of Mill Neck Manor in Great Neck, New York (home of Mary's mother, Lillian Sefton Thomas), circa 1935

Access Information

THE NITRATE NEGATIVES IN NEGATIVE BOX 6 ARE CLOSED TO RESEARCH DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS.
Carton 8, Folder 5

Photograph of the corner of Diego Rivera's Cortez mural (Motolinia), circa 1935

Carton 8, Folder 6

Blom's Danish Scouting photo albums (2), circa 1912

Carton 8, Folder 7-11

Photographs and photo albums of Blom's Danish family, circa 1890-1925

Carton 8, Folder 12, Negative-Box 2

Photo album and photographic negatives of Blom in Danish Navy during World War I, circa 1914-1918

Access Information

THE NITRATE NEGATIVES IN NEGATIVE BOX 2 ARE CLOSED TO RESEARCH DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS. Note that the photographic prints of these images are, as far as can be discerned, in the photograph albums of Blom's years in the Navy.
Carton 8, Folder 14

Personal photo album: New Orleans and Louisiana, circa 1925-1935

Scope and Content Note

Photograph's of Blom's apartment; the Department of Middle American Research at Tulane; the 1933 Zulu Parade; the opening of the New Orleans Airport (1934); Mary Blom; artist Enrique Alférez; Fort McComb; the West Pearl River; Fort Livingston; and Melrose Plantation, Louisiana.
Negative-Box 6, Item 4-5

Photographic negatives of New Orleans, circa 1935

Access Information

THESE NITRATE NEGATIVES ARE CLOSED TO RESEARCH DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS.
Carton 8, Folder 15-17

Personal photo albums of various travels, circa 1930-1935

Negative-Box 6, Item 6-7

Photographic negatives of travel from New York to Paris and on the S.S. Normandie to Holland and Sweden, circa 1932-1935

Access Information

THESE NITRATE NEGATIVES ARE CLOSED TO RESEARCH DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS.
Oversize-Box 12, Folder 4

Photographs by P. Ingemann Sekal (of folk art in the 1930s), circa 1930-1937

Oversize-Box 12, Folder 4

Woodcut? depicting Temple of the Turtles, Uxmal (unknown creator), circa 1930

 

Series 3:  Correspondence. circa 1920-1942, undated

Physical Description: Carton 1, folder 9-24

Contents of Series

Incoming professional correspondence (which may include a small amount of outgoing correspondence interfiled and even a few pieces of family correspondence); and letters from Blom (in Mexico) to family (in Denmark). Includes a letter sent to his father in 1919 with a narrative description of his impressions of Mexico.
Carton 1, Folder 9-15

Incoming professional correspondence, circa 1920-1942, undated

Carton 1, Folder 16-24

Correspondence with family, 1919-1924,

 

Series 4:  Expeditions and travels. circa 1907-1941

Physical Description: Carton 1, folder 25-32; carton 2-3; carton 4, folder 1-4; carton 8, folder 21-25; carton 9, folder 1-28; carton 10, folder 1-14; carton 11, items 1, 3, and 5; oversize box 2, 3, 8, 9, 11, 12; oversize folder 1, 4, 5; negative box 1-2, 6

Scope and Content Note

Series includes diaries, notebooks, photographs and photo albums and other expedition and travel materials. These are arranged chronologically by date of expedition/trip. There are also some materials relating to Blom's early research. Included in this series (for contextual reasons) are also some expedition journals and diaries kept by members of each expedition team other than Blom.
 

Subseries 1.1:  Early years in Mexico. circa 1919-1924

Carton 1, Folder 26

Notebook, Las Chinampas, 1919

Carton 1, Folder 27

Notebook, 1920

Carton 1, Folder 28

Notebook, CMPA, Mexican Eagle Oil Company, Veracruz, 1919-1921

Carton 1, Folder 29-32, Oversize-Box 1

Diary in letters from Mexico (Breve fra Mexico), 1919-1921

Scope and Content Note

Typescript in Danish, with photographs. These are letters Blom kept in diary form for his family in Denmark. Folders 28 and 29 are loose typescript pages. Folder 30 appears to be an edited copy of item in folders 27-28. Item in folder 31 appears to be a final bound copy. Oversize box 1 contains two leather bound volumes of Blom's 1919-1921 journals. These include different photographs and a somewhat different set of letters home. For a complete picture of his journals for these years, all folders and volumes should be consulted.
Carton 2, Folder 1-2

Notebooks/diaries, Veracruz, Mexico, 1921

Oversize-Box 8

Pages from photo album, Mexico, 1919

Scope and Content Note

Photographs of places and people during Blom's first year in Mexico. Some of these photographs, including ones of Zapatistas, document the tail end of the Mexican Revolution.
Oversize-Box 11

Photo album, Mexico, 1919-1921

Scope and Content Note

Photographs of places and people during Blom's first years in Mexico, including many images of Blom's travels while scouting oil wells for the oil industry. Includes images of: Veracruz; federal troops and rebel soldiers (1920; mostly around Minititlan); a refinery fire in Minititlan; San Cristobal; people in Tehuantepec; and others.
Carton 8, Folder 23-25

Loose photographs from Blom's early years in Mexico, circa 1919-1923

Negative-Box 1-2

Photographic negatives of Blom's early years in Mexico, circa 1919-1923

Access Information

THESE NITRATE NEGATIVES ARE CLOSED TO RESEARCH DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS. Please note that most, if not all of these images, can be found in photographic prints in Blom's photo albums and diaries of his early years in Mexico.
Carton 8, Folder 23-25

Loose photographs from Blom's early years in Mexico, circa 1919-1923

Carton 2, Folder 5

Diary, Rio Nanchital, de la Venta, Pedragal Expedition, January-March 1922

Scope and Content Note

In Danish.
Carton 2, Folder 6

Diary fragment, with inventory of camp equipment, 1922

Carton 2, Folder 7-10

Travel diary, Tabasco, Chiapas, March-July 1922

Scope and Content Note

Typescript in Danish, with photographs. Folders 7-9 are loose typescript pages. Folder 10 appears to be a final bound copy.
Carton 2, Folder 11

Diary in letters from Mexico, Palenque May 1922-February 1923

Oversize-Box 3

Las Ruinas de Palenque by Frans Blom (for the Direccion de Antropologia; typescript with photographs), 1923

Carton 2, Folder 12

Travel diary, Palenque Ruins, Chiapas, December 1922-September 1923

Carton 2, Folder 13-14

Palenque notebooks, circa 1922-1923

Oversize-Box 9

Palenque photo album, circa 1922-1923

Carton 2, Folder 15

Diary in letters from Mexico, 1921-1923

Carton 2, Folder 16

Diary in letters from Mexico, 1923-1924

 

Subseries 1.2:  Carnegie Institution Expedition to Guatemala and National Geographic Pueblo Bonito Expedition. 1924

Carton 2, Folder 17-21

Notebooks, Carnegie Institution of Washington Middle American Archaeological Research, Guatemala, 1924

Carton 11, Item 2

Report on the Ruins of Uaxactun and other Ruins in the Department of Peten, Guatemala (to the Carnegie Institution of Washington; typescript with photographs), 1924

Oversize-Box 9

Photo album: National Geographic Society, 1924 Pueblo Bonito Expedition, 1924

Scope and Content Note

Includes images of the Expedition team, the camp, ruins, objects, and Hopi, Xuni, and Navajo Indians of the area.
Negative-Box 2

Photographic negatives of the National Geographic Society, 1924 Pueblo Bonito Expedition, 1924

Access Information

THESE NITRATE NEGATIVES ARE CLOSED TO RESEARCH DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS.
 

Subseries 1.3:  First Tulane Expedition to Middle America. 1925

Carton 2, Folder 22

Diary of Frans Blom on First Tulane Expedition to Middle America, 1925

Carton 2, Folder 23

First Tulane Expedition to Middle America, Report VI, 1925

Carton 2, Folder 24

Personal narrative on First Tulane Expedition to Middle America, 1925

 

Subseries 1.4:  Third Tulane Expedition. 1927

Carton 3, Folder 1

Diary of Oliver La Farge, Third Tulane Expedition, 1927

 

Subseries 1.5:  John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition. 1928

Carton 3, Folder 2

Scrapbook of the John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition, 1928

Carton 3, Folder 3-5

Diary of the John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition, 1928

Carton 3, Folder 6

John Bristow, Jr.'s field notes for the John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition, 1928

Carton 3, Folder 7

Webster McBryde diary of the John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition, 1928

Carton 3, Folder 8

Field letters for the John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition, 1928

Carton 3, Folder 9

Preliminary report of the John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition, 1928

Carton 3, Folder 10-12

Trails and No Tears: Through the Maya Country with the John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition (typed mss, with photographs), 1928

Carton 3, Folder 13

John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition, assorted, 1928

Carton 8, Folder 21

Photograph of expedition team of the John Geddings Gray Memorial Expedition, 1928

 

Subseries 1.6:  Uxmal Expedition and Chicago World's Fair. 1930-1933

Carton 3, Folder 14-18

Notebook: The Ruins of Uxmal in Yucatan (for the Chicago World's Fair), 1930

Carton 3, Folder 19

The Ruins of Uxmal in Yucatan, loose photographs, 1930

Carton 3, Folder 20

The Ruins of Uxmal in Yucatan, speech and loose documents, 1930

Carton 3, Folder 21

Field letters, Uxmal Expedition, 1930

Carton 3, Folder 22-23

Notes and other materials, Uxmal Expedition, 1930

Carton 3, Folder 24-26

A Trip to the Ruins of Kaba, Sayil and Labna...(Uxmal Expedition for Chicago World's Fair), 1930

Carton 4, Folder 1

Recent explorations in Uxmal, Yucatan (Americanist Congress, Hamburg), 1930

Carton 4, Folder 2

Articles on the Uxmal expedition, 1930-1932

Carton 4, Folder 3

Nunnery at Uxmal, Yucatan, circa 1930

Carton 4, Folder 4

1933 Chicago World's Fair materials (on replica of Nunnery at Uxmal), circa 1933

Carton 11, Item 1

Photo album: 1933 Chicago World's Fair, circa 1933

Negative-Box 6, Item 8

Photographic negatives of the Chicago World's Fair, circa 1933-1934

Access Information

THESE NITRATE NEGATIVES ARE CLOSED TO RESEARCH DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS.
Carton 8, Folder 22

Photograph of Curiaco Aguilar, field assistant to Blom on the Uxmal Expedition, circa 1933

Oversize-Box 2

Annotated copy of Eduard Seler's 1917 book Die Ruinen von Uxmal (used by the Uxmal Expedition of 1930), circa 1930

Oversize-Folder 1

Copy of Illustrated News of London with article on Uxmal expedition, 1930

 

Subseries 1.7:  Tulane Expedition to Honduras and Guatemala. 1935

Carton 4, Folder 5

Jens Yde's report: An Archaeological Reconnaisance of Northwestern Honduras, Tulane Expedition, circa 1935

Carton 4, Folder 6

Diary of 1935 Tulane Expedition by Matilda Geldings Gray, 1935

Carton 4, Folder 7

Diary of Frans Blom, Republic of Honduras, February 1935-March 1935

Carton 11, Item 3-5

Diaries and photo albums of Honduras and Guatemala Expeditions (3 volumes; typescripts with photographs), 1935

Carton 4, Folder 8

Fragment of diary, Honduras, 1935

Carton 9, Folder 1-19

Alphabetical file of photographs of Central America, circa 1935

Scope and Content Note

Headings: Agave, Air views, Altars, Antigua, archaeology, Asuncion, Atitlan, birds, Charcha, Chamacco, Chiantla, Chichicastenango, Chinautla, coffee, Colonia Ulrico, Encanto, erosion, Estur, Flores, Fort San Felipe, geology, Guatemala City, Hot Springs, Huehuetenango, Lake Isabel, Libertad, Livingstone, mask makers, Mexico, Momostenango, mountains, orchids, Palin, Pancache, people, Peten flight, Polochir Valley, Puerto Barios, Quetzaltenango, railroads, El Rancho, rivers, roads, Sacadulas, salt, San Antonio, San Benito, San Carlos, Sacatapec, San Clemente, San Cristobal, Totanicapai, San Felipe, San Francisco et Alto, San Gil, San Jose (port), San Pedro, Tocopilas, San Pedro Sacatapec, San Salvador, Santa Maria de Jesus, Santa Rosa, Savana, Colorado, soldiers, Taca air planes, Tactic, Tamahu, Tepoztlan, Tikal, tribes, Tucuru, Tulane Middle American Research, Uaxactun, Utatlan, Uxmal, volcanoes, Zacapa Plain, Zaculan, Zunil.
Carton 9, Folder 20

Small photo album with images of the area in and around the San Clemente ruins, circa 1935

Carton 9, Folder 21-28, Carton 10, Folder 1-9, Oversize-Box 12, Folder 3

Loose photographic prints of Guatemala/Honduras, circa 1935

Cardfile-Box 5

Five small albums of contact prints of images of Guatemala, 1937

 

Subseries 1.8:  Assorted other travel and research. 1913-1941

Carton 1, Folder 24

Notebook, Biblioteque Royale de Belgique, 1913

Carton 10, Folder 10

Photo album, Mexico, 1932-1934

Carton 10, Folder 11-14

Assorted photographs of Chiapas and Oaxaca (mostly from 1941), circa 1941

Oversize-Folder 4

Annotated map of Southern Mexico and Guatemala, undated

Oversize-Folder 4

Early map of the Yucatan (with notes and analysis by Frans Blom), undated

Oversize-Folder 5

Map of the Maya Area and adjacent regions, with hand-drawn route annotations from 1921-1928, 1924-1928

Oversize-Folder 5

Map of La Peninsula de Yucatan, with hand-drawn route annotations, circa 1907-1935

 

Series 5:  Writings and research. circa 1922-1940

Physical Description: Carton 4, folder 9-80; carton 5, folder 1-44; cardfile box 1-4; oversize folder 2

Contents of Series:

Blom's typescripts and manuscripts of short articles, stores and speeches as well as book-length works. Also includes a research card file index prepared by Blom.
Carton 4, Folder 9-80, Carton 5, Folder 1-32, Oversize-Folder 2

Assorted manuscripts, typescripts, and reprints of short articles, stories, and speeches, circa 1922-1940

Carton 5, Folder 33-36

In the Shadow of Volcanos! A Trip through the past and present of Guatemala (typescript), 1937

Carton 5, Folder 37-39

Conquest of the Yucatan (typescript), undated

Carton 5, Folder 40

Conquest of Maya (typescript), undated

Oversize-Box 12, Folder 1-2

An Album of Mayan Art and Civilization, compiled by Frans Blom; manuscript draft?) circa 1941

Carton 5, Folder 41-43

Assorted unindentified manuscripts and fragments, undated

Carton 5, Folder 44

Assorted Danish writings, undated

Cardfile-Box 1-4

Card file index (mostly arranged by subjects of Blom's research; includes one cardfile box (4) of unidentified cards), undated

 

Series 6:  Writings by others. circa 1922-1940

Physical Description: Carton 5, folder 45-49; carton 6, folder 1-6

Contents of Series

Writings by other archaeologists and ethnologists (collected by Blom). Expedition diaries and journals by others can be found in Series 4.
Carton 5, Folder 45

The Story of Architecture in the Mayan Era: A Dissertation (by Gerhardt Kramer), 1935

Carton 5, Folder 46-47

Gerhardt Kramer articles in the Walther League Messenger, 1930-1934

Carton 5, Folder 48

Ruins in the State of Chiapas (unknown author), undated

Carton 5, Folder 49

Report on the Flights over the Peninsula at Yucatan by Colonel Lindbergh on October sixth, seventh, and eight, 1929 (by O.G. Ricketson, Jr.), circa 1929

Carton 5, Folder 50

Report of Archaeology Reconnaissance Survey of the Indian Mounts and Relics in Spanish Honduras, Central American (by R.A. Steinmayer), undated

Carton 5, Folder 51

Protection against common tropical diseases (by Ernest Carrol Faust), undated

Carton 6, Folder 1

Fifty Years of Maya Research (by Dr. P. Schellhas), circa 1935

Carton 6, Folder 2

Amatitlan. The place where the Amatles stay: An Indian Story of to-day (by Frank h. Schmolck; translated by Francis Bennet), 1937

Carton 6, Folder 3

A Geographical List of American Indian Tribes and Bibliographic Notes on the Maya Indians (both by Levon Harris Arpee), 1936

Carton 6, Folder 4

Mapping Mayan Cities in Yucatan (by Robert Merrill), 1936

Carton 6, Folder 5

Land of Gog and Magog and A Lesson from the Mighty Choctaw(by Oliver La Farge), 1926, undated

Carton 6, Folder 6

Assorted writings by others, undated

 

Series 7:  Transcriptions. circa 1922-1940

Physical Description: Carton 6, folder 7-15

Contents of Series

Transcriptions of and notes on mainly Mayan documents dating from the 16th through the early 19th centuries.
Carton 6, Folder 7

Cronica de Calkini (transcription and notes by Ralph Roys), 1929

Carton 6, Folder 8

Yucatan letters (unidentified), 1804-1808, undated

Carton 6, Folder 8

Yucatan letters (unidentified), 1804-1808, undated

Carton 6, Folder 9

The Book of Chilam Balam of Tizimin, undated

Carton 6, Folder 10

The Book of Chilam Balam of Kava, undated

Carton 6, Folder 11

Titulos de Ebtun (transcribed and edited by Ralph L. Roys), 1931

Carton 6, Folder 12

Cronica de Nakuk Pech (1526), undated

Carton 6, Folder 13

Guerra de Castas, Chiapas, 1870, undated

Carton 6, Folder 14

Transcription and translation of 1561 Mayan manuscript (by Alfred Tozzer), 1920

Carton 6, Folder 15

Diego de Cardenas, Conquista de los Indios Lacandones, 1637, undated

 

Series 8:  Printed material. circa 1922-1942

Physical Description: Carton 6, folder 16-29; carton 7, folder 1-3; oversize folder 1

Contents of Series

Printed matter, including a group of corridos and woodcuts Blom collected from El Incendio Press in Oaxaca, Mexico; printed articles, catalogs and reports on archaeology; and some ephemera.
Carton 6, Folder 16-23, Oversize-Folder 1

Corridos and woodcuts from El Incendio Press, Oaxaca, Mexico, circa 1900-1940

Carton 6, Folder 24

Printed articles on American archaeology from National Geographic Magazine, circa 1913-1923

Carton 6, Folder 25-26

Danish printed material, circa 1920-1942

Carton 6, Folder 27

Catalogs, reports and other printed items for archaeology and related fields, circa 1920-1942

Carton 6, Folder 28

Carnegie Institution Reports with notes by Blom, circa 1932-1934

Carton 6, Folder 29, Oversize-Folder 1

Printed ephemera from the Chicago World's Fair, circa 1933

Carton 7, Folder 1

Designs adapted from the Indians of America by George Warrington Bass, undated

Carton 7, Folder 2

Mayan Masks and Figurines Calendar (creator unknown), 1934

Carton 7, Folder 3

Assorted printed material, undated

 

Series 9:  Notes and sketches. circa 1915-1942

Physical Description: Carton 7, folder 4-15
Carton 7, Folder 4-5

Assorted notes, circa 1915-1942

Carton 7, Folder 6-14, Oversize-Folder 3

Sketchbooks, sketches, and illustrations, undated

 

Series 10:  Appointment books, miscellany, and unidentified material. circa 1915-1942

Physical Description: Carton 7, folder 15-21; carton 8, folder 18; carton 10, folder 15-20; box 1; oversize folder 1; negative box 3-5 ; volume 1
Carton 7, Folder 15-21, Box 1, Folder 1

Appointment books, 1935-1940

Box 1, Folder 2-4, Oversize-Folder 1

Miscellany, circa 1920-1940

Carton 8, Folder 18

Miscellaneous personal photographs, undated

Carton 10, Folder 14-19

Unidentified personal photographs, circa 1920-1940

Negative-Box 3-5, Volume 1

Unidentified photographic negatives (mostly personal images), circa 1920-1940

Access Information

THESE NITRATE NEGATIVES ARE CLOSED TO RESEARCH DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS.
Carton 10, Folder 20

Unidentified archaeological shards/small objects, circa 1920-1940