Lawrence Gustave Desmond Papers Relating to Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, 1978-2018, undated 2013.M.12
Beth Ann Guynn and Linda Kleiger
Special Collections
2015
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
Business Number: (310) 440-7390
Fax Number: (310) 440-7780
reference@getty.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections
Title: Lawrence Gustave Desmond papers relating to Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon
Creator:
Desmond, Lawrence Gustave, 1935-
Identifier/Call Number: 2013.M.12
Physical Description:
17.66 Linear Feet
(29 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1978-2009, undated
Physical Location: Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the
catalog record for this collection. Click here for the
access policy .
Abstract: The Lawrence Gustave Desmond papers represent over 30 years of exhaustive research and writing by Lawrence Desmond on the
lives and work of Mesoamerican archaeologists Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, who lived and traveled throughout Yucatán,
Mexico, and Central America from 1873 to 1886, and were the first to systematically excavate and photograph the Maya sites
of Chichén Itzá and Uxmal. Desmond's interest in the husband and wife team began during his graduate studies and they are
the subject of his PhD dissertation and two books,
A Dream of Maya: Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon in Nineteenth-century Yucatán with Phyllis Messenger (1988) and
Yucatán through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer & Expeditionary Photographer (2009). Included in the collection are research materials and correspondence assembled by Desmond over the course of his
study of the Le Plongeons along with the drafts and manuscripts for his resulting publications. Inventories of the major holdings
of original Le Plongeon photographs in the United States, and of the Dixon family in England, as well as copy photographs
of those holdings, are also included.
Language of Material: Collection material is in English with some Spanish..
Preferred Citation
Lawrence Gustave Desmond papers relating to Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, 1856-2007, The Getty Research Institute,
Los Angeles, Accession no. 2013.M.12.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2013m12
Publication Rights
Access
Open for use by qualified researchers.
Biographical/Historical Note
Archaeologist, author, and photographer, Lawrence Gustave Desmond, was born in San Francisco in 1935. His interest in photography
began as a pre-teen growing up in the nearby small town of San Carlos. After receiving a BA from the University of Santa Clara
in 1957, Desmond saw active duty as a Coast Guard officer from 1957 to 1960 and served in the Coast Guard Reserve through
the 1960s, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He completed an MBA at San Jose State University in 1964 and went on
to a career in human resources and management development with Silicon Valley electronic manufacturing companies. During this
period Desmond gradually developed an interest in Mesoamerican archaeology to the extent that he left his business career
in order to study first at the Universidad de Las Americas in Cholula, Mexico, where he received an MA in cultural anthropology
in 1979, and then at the University of Colorado, Boulder where he was awarded a PhD in anthropology and archeology in 1983.
Desmond has carried out archaeological research in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras for more than forty years. He has taught
at the University of Minnesota and San Francisco State University and has published numerous articles about his archaeological
and heritage preservation projects including geophysical and photogrammetric surveys at the Yucatán sites of Uxmal and Chichén
Itzá. He has exhaustively researched the lives and work of Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon, who lived and traveled throughout
Yucatán for ten years in the late 19th century, and they are the subject of his PhD dissertation and two books,
A Dream of Maya: Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon in Nineteenth-century Yucatán with Phyllis Messenger (1988) and
Yucatán through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer & Expeditionary Photographer (2009).
Desmond is currently a senior research fellow in archaeology with the Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project (MMARP)
at Harvard University and a research associate with the Department of Anthropology at the California Academy of Science in
San Francisco. His blog
ArcheoPlanet covers topics in archaeology (http://archaeoplanet.wordpress.com). Most recently Desmond has published a series of books
resulting from his life-long avocation of photography on the online platform Blurb, with titles ranging from
Growing Up in California, 1947-1959: Toy Racers and Giant Salamanders to
Mexico as It Was: Life in the 1970s (both 2014).
Arrangement
Arranged in five series: Series I. Book-length manuscripts, 1978-2009, undated; Series II. Articles, papers and lectures,
late 1970s-2001; Series III. Catalogs of Le Plongeon photographs, 1987-2005; Series IV. Research materials and related correspondence,
1977-2008, undated; Series V Photographs, 1980-1989, undated.
Scope and Contents Note
The collection represents over 30 years of exhaustive research and writing by Lawrence Desmond on the lives and work of Mesoamerican
archaeologists Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, who lived and traveled throughout Yucatán, Mexico, and Central America
from 1873 to 1886, and who were the first persons to systematically excavate and photograph the Maya sites of Chichén Itzá
and Uxmal. Desmond's interest in the husband and wife team began during his graduate studies and they are the subject of his
PhD dissertation and two books,
A Dream of Maya: Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon in Nineteenth-century Yucatán with Phyllis Messenger (1988) and
Yucatán through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer & Expeditionary Photographer (2009). Included in the collection are research materials and correspondence assembled by Desmond over the course of his
study of the Le Plongeons along with the drafts and manuscripts for his resulting publications. Inventories of the major holdings
of original Le Plongeon photographs in the United States and of the Dixon family in England, as well as copy photographs of
those holdings, are also included.
Series I contains drafts, manuscripts, photographs, and publication-related materials for book-length projects including his
early, unpublished work on Augustus Le Plongeon, his 1983 PhD dissertation "Augustus Le Plongeon: Early Maya Archaeologist"
and his book 1988
A
Dream of Maya. There is a small amount of material for his later book
Yucatán Through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer and Expeditionary Photographer (2009). By contrast, Series II comprises shorter manuscripts for Desmond's unpublished class papers and published articles
and lectures as well as unpublished slide lecture materials including texts, images lists, slides, and ephemera.
Included in Series III are the repository inventories; photocopies of photographic prints; and copy prints, negatives, and
slides that resulted from inventory projects, beginning in the late 1980s, of Le Plongeon photographs that Desmond conducted
at various institutions in the United States and in the private collection of the Dixon family in England. In 1987, Desmond
received a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant to catalog three major collections of Le Plongeon photographs
held in the United States at the American Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum, Harvard University, and the Philosophical
Research Society (PRS), Los Angeles. The grant also covered copy photography of the original materials. In 1998, Desmond inventoried
and photographed the Getty Research Library's "Views of Maya Ruins in the Yucatan" (Special Collections accession no. 96.R.137)
and in the following year he documented the Donald Dixon Album (Dixon collection). Materials related to Desmond's 2005 catalog
of Le Plongeon photgraphs are also included in this series.
Series IV contains the bulk of Desmond's research on the Le Plongeons. Included are field notes, bibliographies, research
correspondence, and notes related to institutional holdings. Copy photographs (restrikes) and photocopies of original Le Plongeon
correspondence, manuscripts, published articles, and other materials are also present.
The photographic materials (slides, negatives, and prints) in Series V are primarily copy and reproductive materials made
by Desmond from original and copied materials, usually third generation images, that Desmond made to use for various unidentified
projects.
Processing History
The collection was processed by Linda Kleiger, Lilly Tsukahira and Beth Ann Guynn in 2014-2015, and Guynn wrote the finding
aid.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Lawrence G. Desmond. Acquired in 2012.
Related Archival Materials
The Getty Research Institute holds the Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon Papers, Special Collections accession no. 2004.M.18,
as well as two smaller collections of their photographs: Views of Maya Ruins in the Yucatán, Special Collections accession
no. 96.R.137 and Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon photographs of Chichén Itza, Uxmal and Yucatán, Special Collections
accession no. 2007.R.8. The original copies of the Le Plongeon photographs that Desmond made as part of his NEH grant are
housed at the Wilson Library of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill as the Lawrence G. Desmond Colection of Augustus
Le Plongeon and Alice Dicon Le Plongeon Photographs, collection id no. 5268. Desmond's own photographs are represented in
the Lawrence G. Desmond Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project (MMARP) Photographs, Special Collections accession
no. 2014.R.16.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Anaglyphs -- United States -- 20th century
Gelatin silver prints -- United States -- 20th century
Gelatin silver negatives -- United States -- 20th century
Floppy disks -- United States -- 20th century
Uxmal Site (Mexico) -- Antiquities
Chichén Itzá Site (Mexico) -- Antiquities
Copy prints -- United States -- 20th century
Color slides -- United States -- 20th century
Archaeology -- Mexico -- Yucatán (State)
Stereoscopic photographs -- United States -- 20th century
Le Plongeon, Augustus, 1826-1908
Le Plongeon, Alice D. (Alice Dixon), 1851-1910
Book-length manuscripts, Series I.
1978-2009, undated
Physical Description:
7 Linear Feet
(15 boxes)
Scope and Contents
The series contains drafts, manuscripts, photographs, and publication-related materials for book-length projects including
Desmond's early, unpublished work on Augustus Le Plongeon, his 1983 PhD dissertation "Augustus Le Plongeon: Early Maya Archaeologist"
and his 1988 book
A
Dream of Maya. There is a small amount of material for his later book
Yucatán Through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer and Expeditionary Photographer (2009).
Arrangement
Arranged in roughly chronological order by date of completion.
box 1, folder 1
"The Ancient Maya Ruins of Yucatán, 1875: The Photographs of Augustus Le Plongeon, M.D.,"
1981
Scope and Contents
The first manuscript written by Desmond for a book about Augustus Le Plongeon. Unpublished, 134 pages.
"Chacmools and Queen Móo: The Earliest Excavations of the Ancient Maya Ruins,"
1981
Scope and Contents
First draft manuscript of a book about Augustus Le Plongeon submitted to the University of New Mexico Press.
box 17
Photographs
Scope and Contents
Mostly 8 x 10 inch gelatin silver photographs taken by Desmond from the same angle and distance as the original Le Plongeon
photographs were taken. Many with typewritten captions taped to their versos.
box 17, folder 1
1
Scope and Contents
Twenty-four photographs.
box 17, folder 2
2
Scope and Contents
Thirteen photographs.
box 17, folder 3
3
Scope and Contents
Twenty-two photographs.
box 17, folder 4
1
Scope and Contents
Sixteen photographs.
box 17, folder 5
2
Scope and Contents
Seventeen photographs.
"Augustus Le Plongeon: Early Maya Archaeologist,"
1982-1983
Scope and Contents
Dissertation acccepted in fulfillment of the requirements for a PhD in Anthropology, University of Colorado, 1983. Drafts
of the dissertation bear varying titles as noted below.
box 1, folder 3
"Augustus Le Plongeon: Important or Fringe Figure in the Development of Early Mayan Studies,"
1982
Scope and Contents
Research proposal for Desmond's doctoral dissertation with comments from Professor James R. McGoodwin, dissertation advisor.
Also includes notes about the comments of six members of the dissertation committee during discussions after the formal proposal.
Unbound.
box 2, folder 1
"Augustus Le Plongeon: Demythologized,"
1983
Scope and Contents
Draft of the doctoral dissertation with comments by Professor James R. McGoodwin. Bound volume.
box 2, folder 2-3
Final draft,
1983
Scope and Contents
Two bound typewritten copies. Includes copies of committee signatures.
A Dream of Maya,
1980-1999, undated
Scope and Contents
Lawrence Gustave Desmond, Phyllis Mauch Messenger; foreword by Jaime Litvak King,
A Dream of Maya: Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon in Nineteenth-century Yucatan, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1988. Draft titles differ from the title of the final publication.
box 3, folder 1
"Augustus Le Plongeon: Early Maya Archaeologist,"
1984
Scope and Contents
Manuscript of a second draft under this title, returned for revisions by the University of New Mexico Press. Bound volume.
box 3, folder 2
"Augustus Le Plongeon and Alice Dixon: Lives amongst the Ancient Maya Ruins,"
1985
Scope and Contents
First draft of a manuscript under this title, edited by Phyllis Messenger. Bound computer printout.
box 3, folder 3
First draft,
1986
Scope and Contents
First draft submitted to the University of New Mexico Press. This manuscript was the result of the two years Messenger and
Desmond spent editing Desmond's doctoral dissertation. It was written using Volkswriter software at the University of Colorado.
box 4, folder 1
Final version,
1986
Scope and Contents
Final bound version submitted to the University of New Mexico Press. Includes the forward by Jaime Litvak King with a handwritten
personal note by him. Also includes original drawings by Lewis "Skip" Messenger for use at the end of each chapter.
box 4, folder 3
Photocopies not used in book,
1987
Galley proofs,
1987
Scope and Contents
One original and five copies, each annotated.
box 6, item D1-D5
Computer disks,
1986
Scope and Contents
5 computer disks (floppy disks) of 5: 5 1/2 in (?). Includes test disk, book, drafts and final versions.
box 7, folder 2
Permissions correspondence,
1981
box 7, folder 3
Manuscript editing, correspondence,
1980-1990
box 7, folder 7
Sample book cover,
late 1980s
box 7, folder 8
Correspondence regarding remainder of copies,
1992
box 18, folder 1-6
Captioned photographs
Scope and Contents
8 x 10 inch gelatin silver prints from various sources, most with typewritten captions taped to their versos.
box 18, folder 1
Portraits: Brinton, Salisbury, Haven
Scope and Contents
Three photographs.
box 18, folder 2
Chichén Itzá and Progresso
Scope and Contents
Three photographs.
box 18, folder 3
Yucatán ethnographic
Scope and Contents
Six photographs.
box 18, folder 4
Belize
Scope and Contents
Three photographs.
box 18, folder 5
The Le Plongeons
Scope and Contents
Thirteen photographs taken in the field and formal portraits.
box 18, folder 6
Figures 1-11
Scope and Contents
Ten photographs (figure 7 is lacking); figure numbers on labels adhered to rectos of prints; most versos with handwritten
captions or annotations.
box 18, folder 7-9
Miscellaneous photographs,
1980s
Scope and Contents
Circa 165 gelatin silver prints, 8 x 10 inches and smaller, some with typewritten captions taped on the versos. Includes copy
photographs of original Le Plongeon plans and schematics as well as photographs taken by Desmond replicating the angle and
distance of the original Le Plongeon photographs.
Desmond restrikes,
1978-1979
Scope and Contents
Copy prints made by Desmond from the original Le Plongeon negatives housed at the PRS used originally for early research and
then for
The Dream of Maya. Blind stamp on versos: Lawrence G. Desmond. Most numbered and with annotations written on versos; many with typed captions
adhered to versos.
box 23, folder 1-2
Chichén Itzá flats
Scope and Contents
Seventy-one prints, 6 x 8 1/2 inches and smaller.
box 23, folder 3-4
Chichén Itzá stereographic prints
Scope and Contents
Ninety-three prints, 5 x 8 inches and smaller.
box 24, folder 1
Lower Temple of the Jaguars, Chichén Itzá
Scope and Contents
Thirty-seven prints 8 1/2 x 5 inches and smaller. Mostly stereographic.
box 24, folder 2
Ake
Scope and Contents
Seven stereographic prints, 5 x 8 inches and smaller.
box 24, folder 3
Panorama of Uxmal
Scope and Contents
Six stereographic prints, 5 x 8 inches and smaller.
box 24, folder 4
Uxmal, various
Scope and Contents
Sixty-seven two-dimensional and stereographic prints, 6 x 8 1/2 inches and smaller, and 13 4 x 5 inch test prints (made using
TRIX 4 and TMAX 4 filters).
box 24, folder 5
Chenes Temple, Uxmal
Scope and Contents
Eight stereographic prints, 6 x 8 1/2 inches and smaller.
box 24, folder 6
East facade, Governor's Palace, Uxmal
Scope and Contents
Sixteen stereographic prints, 6 x 8 1/2 inches and smaller.
box 24, folder 7
Yucatán
Scope and Contents
Eight two-dimensional and one stereographic print, 5 1/2 x 8 inches and smaller.
box 24, folder 8
Artifacts
Scope and Contents
Three two-dimensional and 23 stereographic prints, 6 x 8 1/2 inches and smaller.
box 24, folder 9
Portraits of the Le Plongeons
Scope and Contents
Twenty-two prints, 6 x 8 1/2 inches and smaller and six test prints (made using TRIX 4 and TMAX 4 filters).
Yucatan through Her Eyes,
2009
Scope and Contents
Lawrence Gustave Desmond; foreword by Claire L. Lyons,
Yucatán through Her Eyes: Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Writer and Expeditionary Photographer, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2009.
box 25, folder 1
Text
Scope and Contents
Two 32 gigabite flash drives titled Lep Files 1 and Lep Files 2, containing texts, illustrations other materials relating
to the book.
box 16, folder 11
Non-Getty Research Library illustrations
Scope and Contents
Four 4 x 5 inch gelatin silver proof prints with typewritten captions and figure numbers taped to versos, of unknown provenance.
Articles, papers and lectures, Series II.
late 1970s-2018
Physical Description:
2.76 Linear Feet
(4 boxes)
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Contents
Included here are unpublished class papers, published articles, and lectures and unpublished slide lecture materials including
texts, images lists, slides, and ephemera.
Articles,
late 1970s-2018
box 7, folder 9
Unpublished articles and class papers,
late 1970s-1981
Scope and Contents
Contains the following writings by Desmond: "The Ancient Maya Ruins, 1875: The Photographs of Augustus Le Plongeon, M.D.,"
1980;" "The Great Earthquake in Peru and Chile," August 13, 1868, and "A Theory of the Causes and Method of Prediction of
Earthquakes by Augustus Le Plongeon, M.D.," 1981; "Introduction to 'The Pyramid of Xochicalco' by Augustus Le Plongeon," 1980
or 1981; and "Proposal for a Book on ALP," late 1970s. A photocopy of the music for "The Lover's Song" by Alice Le Plongeon
is also included.
box 7, folder 10
"Excavation of the Platform of Venus, Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico,"
1981-1984
Scope and Contents
Presented at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, April 1982, Minneapolis, Minnesota and at the "Coloquio
en Homenaje a Ignacio Bernal," January 30-February 1, 1984, UNAM, Mexico, D.F. Also included are maps, photographs, and correspondence
pertaining to the paper and conference. Later published in
Tributo a Jaime Litvak King, Mexico: UNAM, 2008. Pages 155-166.
box 7, folder 11
"Of Facts and Hearsay: Bringing Augustus Le Plongeon into Focus,"
1986-1989
Scope and Contents
Presented at the conference "Explaining Archaeology's Past," Southern Illinois University, May 1-2, 1987. Published in Andrew
L. Christensen, ed.,
Tracing Archaeology's Past: The Historiography of Archaeology,, Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1989. Pages 139-150. Includes drafts and correspondence relating to the
conference and the publication.
box 7, folder 12
"Introduction to 'The Pyramid of Xochicalco by Augustus Le Plongeon,'"
1986
Scope and Contents
Unpublished? Includes letter to Jaime Litvak.
box 7, folder 13
"Methodology in the Assessment of Augustus Le Plongeon,"
1987
Scope and Contents
Unpublished? Presented to the Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project (MMARP), University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.
box 8, folder 1-3
"From Center to Periphery: A Fall from Archaeological Grace,"
1990-1999
Scope and Contents
Published as "Augustus Le Plongeon: A Fall from Archaeological Grace" in Alice B. Kehoe and Mary Beth Emmerichs, eds.,
Assembling the Past: Studies in the Professionalization of Archaeology, University of New Mexico Press: Albuquerque, 1999. Pages 81-90.
box 8, folder 1
1990-1991
Scope and Contents
Draft and correspondence relating to publication of the article, including in the projected publication "Mainstreams and Margins"
with Alice Kehoe.
box 8, folder 2
1995
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence with respect to possible publication.
box 8, folder 4-5
"Rediscovery and Collecting,"
1996-1998
Related Materials
Published as "Rediscovery: Scholars, Early Travelers and Excavations in Mesoamerica
before the Twentieth Century" in
The Dictionary of Art, London: Macmillan Publishers, 1996. Pages 262-264.
box 8, folder 5
1996-1998
Scope and Contents
Includes published page from the dictionary.
box 8, folder 6
"Chacmool" and "Augustus Le Plongeon,"
2000
Scope and Contents
Two encyclopedia entries. One published as: "Augustus Le Plongeon: Early Mayanist, Archaeologist, and Photographer" in David
Carrasco, ed.,
Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures, New York, Oxford University Press, 2001. Vol. 2, pages 117-118.
box 8, folder 7
Prologue to
Aquí y allá en Yucatán,
1998-2001
Scope and Contents
Co-authored with Jaime Litvak King for the Spanish translation of Alice D. Le Plongeon's
Here and There in Yucatan, New York: J. W. Bouton, 1886; Mexico: CONACULTA, 2001.
IX Congreso Internacional e Interdisciplinario "Alexander Von Humboldt y los viajeros por Yucatán,"
2018
Scope and Contents
Hosted by El Centro Peninsular en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Cephcis-Unam),
the conference was held November 19-24, 2018 in Merida, Yucatan.
"A Comparison of 1870s and 1980s Photographs of Architecture at Chichén Itzá and Uxmal, Yucatán, México,"
Physical Description:
0.3 GB
2 files
Scope and Contents
This slideshow compares the photographs made in the 1870s in Yucatán by Alice Dixon Le Plongeon and Augustus Le Plongeon of
Maya architecture, bas reliefs, and hieroglyphics at Chichén Itzá, and Uxmal with those made by Lawrence G. Desmond in the
1980s of the same subjects. It was shown as part of the conference throughout the day of 20 November, 2018.
One slideshow file is an Apple iWorks Keynote version 9 (.key) and the other is a Acrobat 1.3 - Portable Document Format (.pdf).
"Photographing the Dream,"
Physical Description:
0.001 GB
(2 files)
Scope and Contents
Included are two files: a Microsoft Word Document 97-2003 (.doc); and an Acrobat 1.3 - Portable Document Format (.pdf). This
paper, which was accepted for delivery at the conference, was not included in the final program when the author was unable
to attend the conference in person. It has been accepted for publication at a future date.
"Enchanted Ground: Early Views of the Ancient Maya Ruins in 3-D Stereo,"
1990
Scope and Contents
Lecture given at Colgate University, Hamilton, New York.
box 8, folder 8
Lecture materials
Scope and Contents
Includes lecture typescript and notes, flyers and ephemera and notes written by attendees.
box 19
Slides
Scope and Contents
One hundred and sixty-two slides; original sleeves labeled: Le Plongeon 3D presentation.
box 8, folder 9
"Chichén Itzá and Uxmal 1875 and 1989,"
circa 1990
Scope and Contents
List of slides.
box 20
Le Plongeon lecture,
1980s-1990s
Scope and Contents
One hundred and fifty-two slides; original sleeves labeled: Le Plongeon.
Catalogs of Le Plongeon photographs, Series III.
1987-2005
Physical Description:
4 Linear Feet
(6 boxes)
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by institution with the final compilation catalog at the end of the series.
Scope and Contents
Beginning in the late 1980s Desmond inventoried photographs made by the Le Plongeons held at various institutions in the United
States and in the private collection of the Dixon family in England. In 1987, Desmond received a National Endowment for the
Humanities (NEH) grant to catalog three major collections of Le Plongeon photographs held in the United States at the American
Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum, Harvard University, and the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), Los Angeles.
The grant also covered copy photography of the original materials. In 1998, Desmond inventoried and photographed the Getty
Research Library's "Views of Maya Ruins in the Yucatan" (Special Collections accession no. 96.R.137) and in the following
year he documented the Donald Dixon Album (Dixon collection).
Initial interest expressed by the University of New Mexico Press wtih regard to publishing Desmond's catalog did not come
to fruition. In 2005, Desmond compiled his inventories on a CD-ROM catalog titled
The Nineteenth Century Photographs of Alice Dixon Le Plongeon and Augustus Le Plongeon. He self-published a revised, printed catalog in 2015 with Blurb Inc.
Included in Series III are the repository inventories; photocopies of photographic prints; extra copy prints, negatives and
slides that resulted from Desmond's inventory projects; and materials related to Desmond's 2005 catalog. The original copies
of the Le Plongeon's photographs that Desmond made as part of his NEH grant are housed at the Wilson Library of the University
of North Carolina, Chapel Hill as as the Lawrence G. Desmond Colection of Augustus Le Plongeon and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon
Photographs.
American Museum of Natural History,
1987
box 8, folder 10
Inventory and photocopies of prints
Photographs
Scope and Contents
These materials were created as part of Desmond's NEH grant to copy Le Plongeon photographic materials held at the AMNH. There
are some images from the collection not included among these materials. The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina holds
a complete set of copy images from the AMNH.
box 21, folder 1
Reference prints for catalog,
Scope and Contents
Seventy-two 4 x 5 inch copy prints, numbered 16-171 (with some numbers skipped).
box 22, folder 1
Copy negatives
Scope and Contents
Circa one hundred and sixty-four 35mm black-and-white negatives contained in six negative saver sheets.
box 22, folder 2
Copy slides,
1987
Scope and Contents
Forty-one 35mm color slides with AMNH numbers indicated.
box 8, folder 11
Peabody Museum, Harvard University,
late 1980s
Scope and Contents
Includes a one-page handwritten inventory of the Le Plongeon photographs held at the Peabody; photocopies of the prints made
by the Peabody from the photographs of their large boards with Le Plongeon prints mounted on them; and photocopies of unmounted
Le Plongeon prints held by the institution.
Philosophical Research Society,
1987-1988
box 8, folder 12-13
Duplication of prints and negatives,
1987-1988
box 22, folder 4
Douglas Munson at PRS,
1987
Scope and Contents
Nineteen 35mm color slides of Munson working on the NEH copy project.
box 27, box 28, box 29
Copy prints,
1989
Scope and Contents
Circa three hundred and thirty 5 x 8 inch gelatin silver copy prints made by Douglas Munson (Chicago Albumen Works) as part
of Desmond's NEH grant to duplicate and catalog Le Plongeon photographs and tracings held at the PRS. Most replicate stereographic
photographs although flat photographs are also included.
Subjects included are: Ake; artifacts; Chichén Itzá; graphics; portraits; Uxmal; and Yucatán. Each category includes duplicates
as Munson often made prints at different densities so that highlight and shadow detail would be visible, since the tonal range
of collodion glass plate negatives is beyond the data capacity of copy films manufactured in the 1980s.
The Nineteenth Century Photographs of Alice Dixon Le Plongeon and Augustus Le Plongeon...,
1989-1990
box 9, folder 2
Correspondence regarding Le Plongeon catalog,
2005
box 9, folder 3
Catalog of the Le Plongeon Collection of Donald Dixon,
2004
Research materials and related correspondence, Series IV.
1977-2008, undated
Physical Description:
2.9 Linear Feet
(9 boxes)
Scope and Contents
The series contains the bulk of Desmond's research on the Le Plongeons. Included are field notes, bibliographies, research
correspondence, and notes related to institutional holdings. Copy photographs (restrikes) and photocopies of original Le Plongeon
correspondence, manuscripts, published articles and other materials are also present.
File dates refer to the date of request to the holding institution or correspondent. When known, the dates of the original
materials are given in the notes. The Le Plongeon-related materials contained in the files are photocopies, unless otherwise
noted.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by institution, correspondent or subject and preceded by general notes, bibliographies and general
research correspondence.
box 9, folder 4
Notes and chronology of Le Plongeon research,
1977-1980
box 9, folder 5
Le Plongeon project field notes,
1980-1987
Scope and Contents
Includes notes on the following topics: Excavation of Akab Dzib; Le Plongeon research in the San Francisco area; Ansel Adams;
American Museum of Natural History, 1987; Philosophical Research Society copy photos, 1987.
box 9, folder 6
Le Plongeon project notes,
1980-1982
Scope and Contents
Includes notes on the following topics: Museum visits; psychic consults; individuals consulted; American Museum of Natural
History.
Research correspondence,
1977-1995
Scope and Contents
The correspondence deals with topics such as book contracts, papers submitted for professional meetings, searches for materials,
and so forth.
box 11, folder 1
Albany Institute,
1981
Scope and Contents
Regarding a lecture given by Alice Le Plongeon, December 22, 1896.
box 11
American Antiquarian Society,
circa 1990
box 11, folder 2-3
Miscellaneous materials,
circa 1990
Scope and Contents
Correspondence between Augustus Le Plongeon and Stephen Salisbury spanning from 1873 to 1896.
box 11, folder 4
Notes on September 6-7, meeting,
1990
box 11, folder 5
American Institute of Archaeology,
undated
Related Materials
Photocopies of correspondence with Charles Eliot Norton, president of the Archaeology Institute of American, 1882 and Professor
Professor Frederick Starr, 1905.
box 11
American Museum of Natural History,
undated
box 11, folder 6
I
Scope and Contents
List of Le Plongeon moulds from Yucatán ruins. Photocopies of Le Plongeon correspondence with Marshall Saville, 1894.
box 11, folder 7
II
Scope and Contents
Regarding casts from Uxmal, 1893-1911, and gifts to the museum from the estate of Alice Le Plongeon.
box 11, folder 8
Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley,
1989
Scope and Contents
Includes: list of letters from Phoebe A. Hearst to Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, 1895-1998; copies of letters from Alice Dixon
Le Plongeon to Hearst regarding payment for donating the casts of moulds from Yucatán, 1895-1900; list of topics covered by
lectures prepared for the Lowell Institute given by Augustus Le Plongeon, 1890.
box 11, folder 9
Bania, Melissa,
1990
Scope and Contents
Article on Alice Le Plongeon.
box 16, folder 11
Betts, Brooks, The Fall of Maya,
1911
Scope and Contents
Two photocopies (one spiral bound) of a typescript play by Betts based on Alice Le Plongeon's
Queen Móo and the Egyptian Sphinx. The original typescript is in the Liebler Colelction, NYPL. Also included are notes and correspondence from Desmond to Beth
Ann Guynn detailing how he acquired the copies and providing biographical information on Betts.
box 11, folder 10
Brooklyn Museum,
undated
Scope and Contents
Letter requesting information about Le Plongeon's birth and early training, written in 1947.
box 11, folder 11
California Academy of Sciences,
1979
Scope and Contents
List of early officers of the California Academy of Sciences (CAS). Notes on the proceedings of the CAS between 1868 and 1872.
box 11, folder 12
Casares family,
undated
Scope and Contents
Letters, historic material and photograph from David Casares and family, 1885-1905.
box 11, folder 13
Carnegie Institution of Washington,
undated
Scope and Contents
Letter from Sylvanus Morely to J. C. Merriam, dated October 10, 1931, detailing the Le Plongeon materials left to Mrs. Henry
Field Blackwell by Alice Le Plongeon.
box 11, folder 14
Catalog of Le Plongeon collection,
2004
Related Materials
Letters regarding Desmond's catalog and entries in the catalog.
box 11, folder 15
Dixon family geneology,
2007
Scope and Contents
Diagram of family tree with letter from Donald Dixon.
box 11, folder 16
Eades, Alison,
1990s
Scope and Contents
Information regarding the Dixon family genealogy from a descendant of Alice Dixon Le Plongeon.
box 11, folder 17
Field, Stephen,
1991
Related Materials
Includes literature search of this California supreme court justice and friend of Augustus Le Plongeon.
box 11
Gardiner, David,
1980s-1990s
box 11, folder 18
Dixon family genealogical search,
1990
box 11, folder 19
Le Plongeon genealogical information,
1992
box 12, folder 1
Search for Le Plongeon and Dixon families,
1980s-1990s
box 12, folder 2
George Stuart Center,
2001-2002
Scope and Contents
Donation of Le Plongeon copy photographs.
box 12
Getty Grant Program,
1988-1998
box 12, folder 3
Postdoctoral Fellowship application,
1988-1989
box 12, folder 4
Request for support,
1998
box 12
Getty Research Institute,
2004-2007
Scope and Contents
Copies of materials from the "Augustus and Alice Dixon Le Plongeon Papers," Special Collections accession no. 2004.M.18.
box 12, folder 5-6
Research materials,
2004-2007
box 12, folder 5
2004-2006
Scope and Contents
Obituaries, psychic experiences, lecture notices, etc.
box 12, folder 6
2005-2007
Scope and Contents
Alice Le Plongeon lecture notices.
box 12, folder 7
Preliminary archive materials,
2005
box 12, folder 8
Gottheim, Larry,
1996
Scope and Contents
Collection of Le Plongeon photographs. This collection was ultimately purchased by the Getty Research Institute and is cataloged
as "Views of Maya Ruins in the Yucatán," accession no. 96.R.137.
box 12, folder 9
Keltz, Marsha, "A Mayan Trilogy,"
1994
Scope and Contents
A Maya Trilogy: Three One-Act Plays: Plays about Augustus and Alice Le Plongeon, Phoenix: Studio Editions, 1999. Three plays focusing on the lives of Alice and Augustus Le Plongeon.
Le Plongeon, Alice,
2007-2008, undated
box 12, folder 10
Article in Spanish about Alice,
undated
Scope and Contents
Published in 1978.
box 12, folder 11
Articles by Alice,
undated
Scope and Contents
Published between 1894 and 1910.
box 12, folder 12
Articles written by and about Alice,
undated
Scope and Contents
Published between 1879 and 1893.
box 13, folder 1
"The Conquest of the Mayas,"
undated
Scope and Contents
Serialized in
Magazine of American History from January through June 1888.
box 13, folder 2
A Dream of Atlantis,
undated
Scope and Contents
Bound copy of serialization in
The Word, from 1909 to 1911.
box 13, folder 3
Marriage and death certificates,
2007-2008
box 13, folder 4
Articles from newspapers, professional society meetings, etc.,
1977-1985
Scope and Contents
Includes Desmond's summary of some of the articles. Handwritten note sets the date of this summary.
box 13, folder 5
Letter to John R. Bartlett,
undated
Scope and Contents
Regarding the Maya-Spanish dictionary copied from the original in the John Carter Brown Library and published by the Universidad
Nacional Autónoma de México, 1984 as
Calepino Maya de Motul.
Le Plongeon, Augustus,
1991, undated
box 13, folder 6
Los Jesuitas e el Perú, o, El R. Fray Pedro Gual y sus doctrinas en trasparencia...,
undated
Scope and Contents
Bound copy. Boston: W. White & Co., 1869.
box 13, folder 7
The Pyramid of Xochicalco,
undated
Scope and Contents
Serialized in
The Word, 1913-1914.
box 14, folder 1
La religion de Jésus,
1991
Scope and Contents
Bound copy. Boston: William White & Co., 1867. Last page shows stamp from the University of California Library, Berkeley.
box 14
Le Plongeon, Alice and Augustus,
1981-1988, undated
box 14, folder 2
Book flyers,
undated
Scope and Contents
Desmond's notes on one flyer indicate "probably 1885-1886." Another flyer is dated 1896.
box 14, folder 3
Articles from
The Photographic Times and
The Photographic Times and American Photographer,
1988
Related Materials
Articles span from 1873 to 1890.
box 14, folder 4-5
Articles referencing the Le Plongeons,
1981, undated
Related Materials
1877 to 1986.
box 14, folder 6
Lerdo de Tejada monument,
undated
Scope and Contents
Copy of a drawing signed by R. Martin.
box 14, folder 7
Library of Congress,
1983
Related Materials
List of Ephraim Squire holdings and two letters from Augustus Le Plongeon, 1865.
box 14, folder 8
San Francisco, Marquina plans of Maya buildings
box 14, folder 9
Sections of Maya buildings
box 14, folder 11
Marysville City Library,
1988
Scope and Contents
Earl Ramey address, Le Plongeon advertisements, Le Plongeon "local hero" articles.
box 14, folder 12
Masonic Library of the Grand Lodge,
1995
box 15
MacNab, Lynn,
1999-2008
Scope and Contents
Dixon family genealogy.
box 15, folder 1
Exhibition notes from London,
1999
box 15, folder 2
Correspondence,
2003-2008
box 15, folder 3
Microscopical Society,
undated
Scope and Contents
Correspondence between James de T. Abajian and James Fidiam regarding the Le Plongeon's involvement in the society, 1969;
copies of register from 1874.
box 15, folder 4
Milbrath, Susan,
1995-1996
Scope and Contents
Correspondence between Desmond and Susan Milbrath, associate curator of the Florida Museum of Natural History, University
of Florida, exploring the possibility of a traveling exhibit featuring many of the prints of the Le Plongeon photographs owned
by the Philosophical Research Society. Discusses the possibilty of it being permanently housed at the Graves Museum in Dania
Beach, Florida.
box 15
National Endowment for the Humanities,
1985-1989
Scope and Contents
In 1987, Desmond received an NEH grant to photograph and catalog the three main collections of Le Plongeon photographs in
the United States held at the American Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum, Harvard University, and the Philosophical
Research Society, Los Angeles.
box 15, folder 5
Grant correspondence,
1985-1989
box 15, folder 8
National Geographic correspondence,
1979-1980
box 15, folder 9
Newspaper articles,
undated
Scope and Contents
Article from
The Sun December 5, 1897 on Egyptian excavations; "Electricity Sheds Light on Orthopedic Healing" in
PLS Star, November 1980.
box 15, folder 12
Palmquist, Peter, correspondence,
1980-1989
Scope and Contents
Correspondence with Desmond regarding possible photographs of the Le Plongeons in California. Copies of advertisements for
the services of Augustus Le Plongeon as a surveyor, engineer, and photographer with offices in San Francisco and Marysville.
box 15
Peabody Museum, Harvard University,
1980-1981
box 15, folder 10
Le Plongeon collections,
1980
Scope and Contents
Letter to the officers and members of the American Antiquarian Society, 1882; to Charles Bowditch from Augustus Le Plongeon
1896-1907; letter to Mrs. Henry Blackwell (Maude Blackwell) from the Peabody Museum, 1911. Also included are a list of the
accession records for the Le Plongeon collections at the Peabody and a letter from Sally Bond to Desmond, 1980.
box 15, folder 11
Copy prints, east facade, Governor's Palace, Uxmal
1981
box 15, folder 13
Peru correspondence,
1988-1990
box 15
Philosophical Research Society,
1982-1997, undated
box 15, folder 14
Le Plongeon correspondence and manuscripts,
undated
Scope and Contents
Includes a copy of the original manuscript of
The Origin of the Egyptians, and correspondence from D. C. Brinton and Manly Hall, among others.
box 15, folder 15-16
Mural, Upper Temple of the Jaguars, Chichén Itzá,
undated
box 15, folder 15
Drawings
Scope and Contents
Photocopies of drawings of the entire mural made by ? Includes a typewritten note regarding Seler's view of the drawings.
box 15, folder 16
Tracings
Scope and Contents
Reduced photocopies of the tracings made by the Le Plongeons of the scenes from the mural.
box 22, folder 3
Copy slides
Scope and Contents
Fifty-five 35 mm color slides.
box 15, folder 17
Le Plongeon dictionary,
undated
box 15, folder 18
Manly P. Hall correspondence and papers,
undated
Scope and Contents
Manly P. Hall was the founder of the Philosophical Research Society.
box 15, folder 19
Death of Manly P. Hall, correspondence and papers,
1991
box 15, folder 20
Sale of Le Plongeon collection,
1995
Scope and Contents
Correspondence with the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, and the J. Paul Getty Museum.
box 15, folder 21
Correspondence between Director Harris and L. G. Desmond,
1988-1997
Scope and Contents
Regarding the catalog of Le Plongeon works and permission to use images taken from photographs in the collection.
box 16, folder 1
Advertisement for
A Dream of Maya,
Summer 1988
box 16, folder 2
"Forgotten Heroes of American Archeology,"
Spring 1985
box 16, folder 3
"Notes on Augustus Le Plongeon,"
Fall 1988
box 16, folder 4
"The Little World of PRS,"
1982
box 16, folder 5
Photocopies of Le Plongeon photographs,
1980s
box 16, folder 6
Smithsonian Institution,
undated
Scope and Contents
Correspondence between Augustus Le Plongeon and the institution.
box 16, folder 7
Stephens, John,
undated
Scope and Contents
Drawings from
Incidents of Travel in Yucatan,.
box 16, folder 8
Theosophical Society,
2005
box 16, folder 9
Tulane University,
undated
Scope and Contents
Letters from Frans Blom dated 1931. Blom was director of Middle American Research at Tulane University.
box 16, folder 10
Women travelers and explorers,
undated
Scope and Contents
Books and articles on 19th century travelers.
Photographs, Series V.
1980-1989, undated
Physical Description:
1 Linear Feet
(4 boxes)
Arrangement
In original order.
Scope and Contents
The photographic materials (slides, negatives, and prints) in this series are primarily copy and reproductive materials made
by Desmond from original and copied materials, usually third generation images, that Desmond made to use for various unidentified
projects.
box 26
Slides of Le Plongeon 3D and flats,
undated
Scope and Contents
Two hundred and sixty-four black-and-white slides.
box 17, folder 6-7
Le Plongeon graphics,
undated
Scope and Contents
Copy photographs of architectural drawings, maps, plans, signatures, prints.
box 17, folder 6
1
Scope and Contents
Twenty-six 8 x 10 inch gelatin silver prints, one with tracing paper overlay, and one photocopy of Alice Le Plongeon's signature.
box 17, folder 7
2
Scope and Contents
Twenty-five 8 x 10 inch gelatin silver prints.
Chichén Itzá and Uxmal stereo replicas,
1989
box 22, folder 5
Negatives
Scope and Contents
One hundred and twenty-nine 35 mm gelatin silver negatives.
box 21, folder 2
Prints
Scope and Contents
Fifteen pairs of 4 x 5 inch gelatin silver prints from inter-negatives made by Desmond from slides.
Chichén Itzá and Uxmal photographs reproduced from slides,
1980s?
box 22, folder 6
Negatives
Scope and Contents
Forty-seven 4 x 5 inch inter-negatives made by Desmond from slides.
box 21, folder 3
Prints
Scope and Contents
Fifty 4 x 5 inch gelatin silver prints from inter-negatives made by Desmond from slides.
box 21, folder 4
Anaglyphs,
undated
Scope and Contents
Five color prints.
box 22, folder 7
Le Plongeon replications,
1980
Scope and Contents
Fifty-one 35 mm gelatin silver negatives made from flat prints.
box 22, folder 8
Negatives,
undated
Scope and Contents
Seventeen 35 mm gelatin silver negatives in a print file sleeve marked "Misc."
box 29
Miscellaneous photographs,
1981, undated
Scope and Contents
Includes a photograph of a Scovill camera similar to the one used by the Le Plongeons in the Yucatan, with a typewritten and
annotated label on the verso, and a copy of a photograph of the facade of the Henry Dixon and Son photography studio on Albany
Street, London (provided to Desmond by the Guilhall Library photo archive).
