Special Collections - The Edwin Tappan Adney Papers

Table of Contents

Scope and Content

This collection features the research material of Edwin Tappan Adney (1868-1950) on the history, use, and construction of the bark canoe. Adney is regarded as a principal authority on the origins, development, and demise of bark canoes of North America. It spans from circa 1897 through 1949 and includes Adney’s manuscripts, notes, correspondence, drawings, photographs, clippings, and templates.

The primary areas of focus of this collection include materials and tools used; construction and decoration techniques; forms and uses; and bark canoes’ functions within and significance to Native American culture. However, it also includes information on Native American migrations and languages as well as the origins and uses of small watercraft in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

Adney’s contributions to the fields of bark canoe research and Native American history are invaluable. His research is exhaustive and detail-oriented. His drawings and models are both artistic and accurate. For these reasons, Adney’s work remains highly regarded and is frequently referenced by scholars and authors.

Additional material by Adney is held by other institutions. His collection of more than 100 canoe models is at The Mariners’ Museum. His work on heraldry and Native American ethnography and linguistics is at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Additional heraldry art is at the Carleton County Historical Society in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada. His work based on his travels to the Klondike is at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

The Edwin Tappan Adney Papers were formally processed in 2003-2004. Three primary objectives were achieved. The first objective relates to preservation. The collection was rehoused in protective archival materials and stored in a temperature- and humidity controlled environment. These measures minimize deterioration and increase life expectancy. The second objective relates to organization. The collection, once dispersed and scrambled, was arranged into logical and standardized series and sub-series. The third objective relates to access. A detailed finding aid was created and added to the Library’s online catalog.

Preservation of and access to the Edwin Tappan Adney Papers were made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Provenance

This collection was created and maintained by Edwin Tappan Adney until his death on October 10, 1950. Glenn Adney contacted the Museum and requested that Mr. Frederick Hill come to his father’s house and separate the canoe material from the materials Adney had collected on Native American ethnography, linguistics, and heraldry. These materials were donated by Glenn Adney to the Peabody Essex Museum. Mr. Hill arrived in Woodstock on October 14th and proceeded to separate the materials with the aid of the assistant director of the Peabody. The materials were shipped to the Museum by the end of October 1950.

In 1952, The Mariners’ Museum Board of Trustees hired Howard Chapelle to organize and interpret the collection and write a book, which the Museum would publish. Chapelle arranged the material at the Museum within a few months. However, with the untimely death of the Museum’s president, Homer Ferguson, the project was shelved.

Chapelle later proposed reviving the project with the Smithsonian Institution Press serving as the publisher. The Mariners’ Museum agreed and the entire Adney Collection, along with the original manuscript, was shipped to the Smithsonian in the early 1960s. The material remained with the National Museum of American History, Division of Transportation, until 1988 when it was returned to The Mariners’ Museum. However, the original Chapelle manuscript was not returned.

Restrictions

Due to their fragile condition, original drawings and photographs are stored separately and are to be accessed only in extraordinary circumstances. Researchers are allowed to use only the copy prints of visual material—drawings and photographs—included with the collection. Access to the original drawings or photographs must be overseen by the archivist.

Note to Users

In certain instances, because of Adney’s research methods, particular documents or items include information about multiple tribal units or subjects. In these cases the “aboutness” was carefully weighed and said documents or items were assigned to the corresponding sub-series. Users should note this and conduct exhaustive research across relevant sub-series. The Mariners’ Museum also has Adney’s canoe models in its collection.

Biographical Sketch:

Edwin Tappan Adney was born in Athens, Ohio, to W.H.G. and Ruth Clementine Shaw Adney. His parents separated when Adney was a teenager and in 1883 his mother took him and his sister to New York City to develop his interest in art. He enrolled in the New York Art Students League and later studied independently. In the mid-1880's while living in New York, Adney met his wife-to-be, Minnie Bell Sharp of Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada.

In 1887 Adney visited Sharp's family in Woodstock. During this visit he met Peter Joseph, a Malecite canoe builder living in the area. This meeting would have a profound impact on Adney's life. He began drawing bark canoes and, under Jo's tutelage, built his first model. In 1890, based on his time with Jo, Adney published a description of canoe building in Harper's Young People Supplement.

Between 1897 and 1900 Adney traveled in Canada and Alaska as a correspondent covering the Klondike and Cape Nome gold rushes. His work appeared in a variety of publications-Harper's Weekly, The London Chronicle, and Collier's Weekly. He also published a book based on these experiences, The Klondike Stampede. During these travels he continued to develop his interest in native cultures.

From 1902 to 1916 Adney-then married to Minne Bell Sharp and having had a son, Francis Glenn-moved between New York City and Woodstock working at various jobs in a struggle to make ends meet. With the onset of World War I, Adney joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force where he served as a lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Engineers and became a Canadian citizen. During his service he designed and built models for training in trench warfare.

Following the war Adney moved to Montreal where he supported himself as a commercial artist, specializing in heraldry. There his interest in canoe history and design flourished. Adney dedicated himself to researching and writing on canoes and Native American culture. In the 1920's he began seeking a publisher for a book on bark canoes. Unsuccessful in his intention to publish, he continued his research, writing, and model-building. In 1928 Adney, amidst financial hardship, placed his model canoe collection at McGill University's Strathcona Ethnological Museum and arranged for a loan using the collection as collateral.

In 1933 Adney left Montreal for Woodstock to care for his wife who was in poor health. While there he remained focused on his work and continued to search for a publisher. In 1937 his wife passed away leaving Adney alone and destitute. Two years later the Strathcona Ethnological Museum took possession of his models because he had defaulted on his loan.

In 1940 The Mariners' Museum acquired Adney's model canoe collection from McGill University by paying off Adney's loan with accumulated interest. This exchange was facilitated by Fred Hill, an agent of The Mariners' Museum and an ardent admirer of Adney's work. Additionally The Mariners' Museum pledged to pay Adney a monthly stipend of $100 to complete his book. Adney died on October 10, 1950, never having completed his book.

For further information on the life of Edwin Tappan Adney, please visit www.siterrific.com/Adney maintained by James W. Wheaton who is writing a biography of Adney.

Sources Consulted:

Adney, [Edwin] Tappan, and Howard I. Chapelle. The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1983.

Adney, [Edwin] Tappan. How an Indian Birch-bark Canoe is Made. [19--?].

Adney, [Edwin] Tappan. The Klondike Stampede. New York: Harper & Bros., 1900.

Bellardo, Lewis, J., and Lynn Lady Bellardo. A Glossary for Archivists, Manuscript Curators, and Records Managers. Chicago: The Society of American Archivists, 1992.

Gidmark, David. The Adney Collection. Wooden Canoe 76 (1996): 6-7, 14.

Gidmark, David. The Adney Collection, Part II . Wooden Canoe 77 (1996): 12-13, 20.

Gidmark, David. The Algonquin Birchbark Canoe. Aylesbury, United Kingdom: Shire Publications, Ltd., 1988

Gidmark, David. Building a Birchbark Canoe. Wooden Boat 135 (1997): 50-58.

Grant, Bruce. Concise Encyclopedia of the American Indian. New York: Wing Books, 1960.

Jennings, John. Bark Canoes: The Art and Obsession of Tappan Adney. Buffalo, New York: Firefly Books, 2004.

McPhee, John A. The Survival of the Bark Canoe. New York : Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1975.

Waldman, Carl, and Molly Braun. Atlas of the North American Canoe. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1985.

Wheaton, James W. Tappan Adney's Wayward Canoe Model. Wooden Canoe 122 (2004): 7-11.

Collection Series Description:

The Edwin Tappan Adeny Papers are divided into three series: Tribal Units, Subject Headings, and Howard Chapelle Materials. These series reflect the depth, breadth, and overall nature of Adney's research; the structure of Chapelle's The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America; and the organic nature of the collection.

The Tribal Units and Subject Headings are divided into sub-series arranged by media. Media include manuscripts, notes, correspondence, drawings, photographs, clippings, and templates. The Howard Chapelle Materials series is relatively small and is not arranged by sub-series, but follows the order of The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America.

SERIES 1: TRIBAL UNITS

The Tribal Units series is divided into 26 sub-series; each of these sub-series is an individual tribal unit. The determination of tribal units defers to Adney's research which was reflected in the structure of the The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. This warrants noting, because not all of these tribal units are congruous with contemporary theory. Furthermore, the spelling of each tribal unit is based on Adney's research. Again, these are not always congruous with contemporary standardized spellings. (An index of standardized and recognized tribal names is featured elsewhere this finding aid.)

These sub-series are arranged alphabetically by name of tribal unit. Within each sub-series, material is arranged by media. Media include manuscripts, notes, correspondence, drawings, photographs, clippings, and templates. The tribal units in this series are as follows:

SERIES 2: SUBJECT HEADINGS

The Subject Headings series is divided into 22 sub-series. Some of these sub-series are based directly on chapters in The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America while others stem from Adney's research. This latter group includes information topics discussed briefly or not included in the book.

These sub-series are arranged alphabetically by name of subject heading. Within each sub-series, material is arranged by media. Media include manuscripts, notes, correspondence, drawings, photographs, clippings, and templates. The subject headings in this series are as follows:

* Indicates a chapter from The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America

SERIES 3: HOWARD CHAPELLE MATERIALS

This series features materials added by Howard Chapelle in the 1950's and 1960's while researching and writing The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. It includes chapter drafts, photographs from sources other than Adney, and drawings Chapelle created based on Adney's work.

Drawings List:

Photographs List:

Subject Headings (Library of Congress):

Tribal Index: