People: Gordon, G. B. (George Byron), 1870-1927 - Philadelphia Area Archives Search Results

Extent:: 3.85 linear feet
Abstract:: Sir Leonard Woolley directed the excavations at Ur in southern Iraq from 1922 to 1934 for the Joint Expedition of the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania Museum. As part of this involvement, the University of Pennsylvania Museum sent Leon Legrain, Curator of the Babylonian Section, during the 1924–1925 and 1925–1926 seasons. Most of the records of the Ur expedition are located at the British Museum. The Museum Archives hold only a few records. The records consist of general correspondence, indexes and catalogs, publications, and Legrain research. Where possible, a chronological order was imposed on the Near East records.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives [Contact Us]

Extent:: 1.4 linear feet
Abstract:: Robert Burkitt lived and worked in Guatemala for most of his life. A graduate of Harvard University, he first traveled to Central America in 1894 with George Gordon as Gordon's assistant on the Fourth Coban Expedition. Burkitt became enamored with the culture and language of the Maya and never returned to North America. He traveled the countryside, corresponding with Gordon, and collecting items for the Museum under a loosely binding agreement with Gordon and later Horace Jayne. Burkitt's letters and catalogues are rich documents depicting the cultural, linguistic, topological, and historical features of the Guatemala Highlands. Burkitt wrote and worked from the areas of Chama, Chipal, Coban, Senahu, Chiantla, Chocola, and other areas of the Alta Verapaz region. He produced a detailed catalogue of his discoveries accompanied by photgraphs and drawings. Among Burkitt's discoveries is the Ratinixul Vase unearthed in 1923. His work was published in the Museum Journal in 1924 and 1930....(see more)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives [Contact Us]

Extent:: 5.0 linear feet
Abstract:: During her employment as museum artist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology from 1908-1936, M. (Mary) Louise Baker established an international reputation as the preeminent archaeological artist of her time with unmatched technical skill in scientific illustration. Her work at the University Museum included paintings of Maya pottery for limited edition folio volumes; paintings and reconstructions of Ur of the Chaldees’ royal tombs findings for Sir C. Leonard Woolley and of the Palace of Merenptah at Memphis, and a reconstructed drawing of the Piedras Negras Lintel 3. She spent much of her career dividing her time between the positions of museum artist and as art teacher at the George School in Bucks County, PA. A life-long Quaker, M. Louise Baker was born in Alliance, Ohio, on August 4, 1872. At the age of 19, she came to Pennsylvania to complete her education. By 1900, she had decided to concentrate on art and enrolled at the Pennsylvania Museum...(see more)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives [Contact Us]

Extent:: 0.05 linear foot
Abstract:: The Mary Owen Guatemalan Folktale collection consists of two folders of folktales gathered by Mary Owen at the request of her friend George Byron Gordon, Director of the Free Museum of Science and Art, later the Penn Museum. Mary Owens transcribed seventeen folktales with notes and explanations from her valuable years of experience living in the Alta Verapaz region. Mary Owen's folktales were published in 1938 as a children's book co-authored by Marie Hendrick Jessup and Leslie Bird Simpson. Her work is also recognized in the book, "Maya Folktales from the Alta Verapaz", edited by Elin C. Danien.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives [Contact Us]

Extent:: 0.2 linear foot
Abstract:: The expedition to Teano, Italy was proposed to the Penn Museum by C. Leonard Woolley in 1908. Woolley was sure that he could obtain the necessary permits from the Italian government. Woolley remained in Italy until 1909 uncovering a fine statue of Cupid and a lesser statue of Venus and a mask. Although the museum was to receive the best pieces found there, the Italian government reserved the Cupid for its museum and would only issue export papers for the lesser finds. On the trip, Woolley purchased the Pozzuoli marble from Lamont Young of Naples, a piece found during the construction of a house in Pozzuoli. Apparently, this purchase resulted in concerns about the use of the moneys provided by patron Mrs. Drexel for the expedition.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives [Contact Us]

Extent:: 0.5 linear feet
Abstract:: George Byron Gordon (1870-1927) served on the staff of the University of Pennsylvania Museum from 1903 to 1927, first as a curator, and later as director. Under his leadership, three wings were added to the Museum, and the collections were expanded extensively, most notably the Chinese Collection. Gordon also led two expeditions for the Museum to Alaska and initiated the regular offering of anthropology courses at the University of Pennsylvania. The George Byron Gordon Papers Collection consists of 12 folders in one archival box, consisting of correspondence, certificates, and personal materials.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives [Contact Us]

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