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.

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.

36 photographs in 1 album; album 18 x 27 cm (7 x 11 in) + 1 preservation microfilm copy reel.

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