George Gustav Heye
Encyclopedia
George Gustav Heye was a collector of Native American
artifacts
. His collection became the core of the National Museum of the American Indian
.
. Carl was a German immigrant who earned his wealth in the petroleum industry.
George Gustav graduated from Columbia College (now Columbia University
) in 1896 with a degree in electrical engineering. While superintending railroad construction in Kingman, Arizona
in 1897, he acquired a Navajo
deerskin shirt, as his first artifact. He acquired individual items until 1903, then he began collecting material in larger numbers. In 1901, he started a career in investment banking that lasted until 1909. In 1915 Heye worked with Frederick W. Hodge and George H. Pepper
on the Nacoochee Mound
in White County
Georgia
. The work was done through the Heye Foundation, the Museum of the American Indian, and the Bureau of American Ethnology
, and was some of the most complete work of the time including numerous photographs. In 1918 Heye and his colleagues publish a report entitled The Nacoochee Mound In Georgia. He accumulated the largest private collection of Native American objects in the world. The collection was initially stored in Heye’s Madison Avenue apartment in New York City
, and later, in a rented room. By 1908, he was referring to the collection as "The Heye Museum", and he was soon lending materials for exhibit at what later became the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
in Philadelphia. In 1916, he purchased from J. E. Standley of Ye Olde Curiosity Shop
the collection of Alaskan Native artifacts that had won the gold medal for ethnological collections at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
. Eventually, the Heye collection was moved to the Heye Foundation’s Museum of the American Indian at 155th Street and Broadway
, which broke ground in May 1916. In 1919, he established the journal Indian Notes and Monographs. The museum opened to the public in 1922, and closed in 1994, when the Smithsonian Institution
opened the Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian in the former Custom House
in lower Manhattan. Heye died on January 20, 1957.
and was its director until 1956. His collection of Native American materials was collected over a period of 45 years. This collection became the basis of the National Museum of the American Indian
and is the largest in the world. It contains over one million objects from Native Americans
. The Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, collection that was not repatriated was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1989.
Artifacts of the George Gustave Heye Museum were also located in the Bronx along the I-95 Expressway corridor, until the land and building that housed a large collection of Native artifacts was sold, then cleared to make way for private housing. The property was sold to a private developer in 2002.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
. His collection became the core of the National Museum of the American Indian
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum operated under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution that is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the native Americans of the Western Hemisphere...
.
Biography
Heye was the son of Carl Friederich Gustav Heye; and Marie Antoinette Lawrence of Hudson, New YorkHudson, New York
Hudson is a city located along the west border of Columbia County, New York, United States. The city is named after the adjacent Hudson River and ultimately after the explorer Henry Hudson.Hudson is the county seat of Columbia County...
. Carl was a German immigrant who earned his wealth in the petroleum industry.
George Gustav graduated from Columbia College (now Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
) in 1896 with a degree in electrical engineering. While superintending railroad construction in Kingman, Arizona
Kingman, Arizona
Kingman is located in a desert climate on the edge of the Mojave Desert, but its higher elevation and location between the Colorado Plateau and the Lower Colorado River Valley tempers summer high temperatures and contributes to winter cold and rare snowfall. Summer daytime highs reach above 90 °F ...
in 1897, he acquired a Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
deerskin shirt, as his first artifact. He acquired individual items until 1903, then he began collecting material in larger numbers. In 1901, he started a career in investment banking that lasted until 1909. In 1915 Heye worked with Frederick W. Hodge and George H. Pepper
George H. Pepper
George Hubbard Pepper was an ethnologist and archaeologist, was born in Tottenville, Staten Island, New York.Pepper conducted field workstarting in 1893, including archaeological digs at Burial Ridge, the largest pre-European burial ground in New York City...
on the Nacoochee Mound
Nacoochee Mound
The Nacoochee Mound is a prehistoric earthen mound on the banks of the Chattahoochee River in White County, in the northeast part of the U.S. state of Georgia, at the junction of Georgia Highways 17 and 75...
in White County
White County, Georgia
White County is a county located in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 22, 1857, from part of Habersham County. The county was named for Newton County Representative David T. White, who helped a Habersham representative successfully attain passage of an...
Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. The work was done through the Heye Foundation, the Museum of the American Indian, and the Bureau of American Ethnology
Bureau of American Ethnology
The Bureau of American Ethnology was established in 1879 by an act of Congress for the purpose of transferring archives, records and materials relating to the Indians of North America from the Interior Department to the Smithsonian Institution...
, and was some of the most complete work of the time including numerous photographs. In 1918 Heye and his colleagues publish a report entitled The Nacoochee Mound In Georgia. He accumulated the largest private collection of Native American objects in the world. The collection was initially stored in Heye’s Madison Avenue apartment in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and later, in a rented room. By 1908, he was referring to the collection as "The Heye Museum", and he was soon lending materials for exhibit at what later became the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, commonly called The Penn Museum, is an archaeology and anthropology museum that is part of the University of Pennsylvania in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:An internationally renowned...
in Philadelphia. In 1916, he purchased from J. E. Standley of Ye Olde Curiosity Shop
Ye Olde Curiosity Shop
Ye Olde Curiosity Shop is a store on the Central Waterfront of Seattle, Washington, United States, founded in 1899. It has moved several times, mainly within the waterfront area, and is now located on Pier 54. Best known today as a souvenir shop, it also has aspects of a dime museum, and was for...
the collection of Alaskan Native artifacts that had won the gold medal for ethnological collections at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
The Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition was a world's fair held in Seattle in 1909, publicizing the development of the Pacific Northwest.It was originally planned for 1907, to mark the 10th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush, but the organizers found out about the Jamestown Exposition being held...
. Eventually, the Heye collection was moved to the Heye Foundation’s Museum of the American Indian at 155th Street and Broadway
Audubon Terrace
Audubon Terrace, also known as Audubon Terrace Historic District, is a landmark complex of approximately eight early 20th century Beaux Arts buildings in New York City...
, which broke ground in May 1916. In 1919, he established the journal Indian Notes and Monographs. The museum opened to the public in 1922, and closed in 1994, when the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
opened the Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian in the former Custom House
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House is a building in New York City, built 1902–1907 by the federal government to house the duty collection operations for the port of New York. It is located near the southern tip of Manhattan, next to Battery Park, at 1 Bowling Green...
in lower Manhattan. Heye died on January 20, 1957.
Museum of the American Indian
Heye created the Museum of the American Indian in 1916 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and was its director until 1956. His collection of Native American materials was collected over a period of 45 years. This collection became the basis of the National Museum of the American Indian
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum operated under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution that is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the native Americans of the Western Hemisphere...
and is the largest in the world. It contains over one million objects from Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
. The Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, collection that was not repatriated was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1989.
Artifacts of the George Gustave Heye Museum were also located in the Bronx along the I-95 Expressway corridor, until the land and building that housed a large collection of Native artifacts was sold, then cleared to make way for private housing. The property was sold to a private developer in 2002.
Membership
- American Anthropological AssociationAmerican Anthropological AssociationThe American Anthropological Association is a professional organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 11,000 members, the Arlington, Virginia based association includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, biological anthropologists, linguistic...
- American Museum of Natural HistoryAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryThe American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
- American Geographical SocietyAmerican Geographical SocietyThe American Geographical Society is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the world...
- American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
Publications
- George G. Heye, Frederick W. Hodge, and George H. Pepper, The Nacoochee Mound in Georgia. New York: Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 1918.
External links
- Biography on the site of the Smithsonian