William J. Thomson photograph collection of Easter Island Rongorongo boards
odd: label: Local Call Number(s)
content: NAA Photo Lot 75-13
name: label: Creator
content: Thomson, William J. (William Judah), 1841-1909
label: Names
content: Mohican Expedition
place: label: Place
content: Easter Island
topic: label: Topic
content: Rongorongo boards -- Easter Island
label: Topic
content: Rongorongo script
creator: label: Creator
content: Thomson, William J. (William Judah), 1841-1909
bioghist: label: Biographical/Historical note
content: William J. Thomson (1841-1909) was the United States Navy paymaster on the USS Mohican expedition to Easter Island in 1886.  The expedition's purposes included archeological surveying and excavation, the creation of geographical charts, and ethnographic research. Two moai (Easter Island stone figures), Rongorongo boards, and a variety of other artifacts for the Smithsonian Institution were collected during the trip.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 7 Drawings
label: Extent
content: 15 Prints (albumen)
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1880-1890
custodhist: label: Custodial History note
content: These photographs were found in the anthropology processing lab and transferred to the NAA in 1975.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NAA.PhotoLot.75-13
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Prints
label: Type
content: Photographs
bibliography: label: Bibliography
content: Drawings and photographs published in "Te Pito Te Henua, or Easter Island," USNM Annual Report, 1888-'89, pg. 447-552.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents note
content: Photographs depicting Rongorongo "boards," wooden objects incised with glyphs that originated on Easter Island. The boards shown include the Oar, Keiti, Aruku Kerenga, Mamari, Echancree, Small Santiago, and Large Santiago. The material was probably collected by William J. Thomson for his report "Te Pito Te Henua, or Easter Island."
relatedmaterial: label: Location of Other Archival Materials
content: Photographs of Easter Island by Thomson can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo Lot 97.
label: Location of Other Archival Materials
content: Easter Island specimens donated by Thomson, including original Rongorongo boards and casts of others, can be found in the Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution, in accessions 020078 and 023098.
label: Location of Other Archival Materials
content: Additional photographs of the USS Mohican expedition can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo Lot 76-26.