Erwin H. Barbour, Papers, Museum Photograph Series

Restrictions: None

Copyright: To inquire about usage, please contact Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries. For more information see the Use Guidelines

Preferred Citation: Erwin H. Barbour, Museum Photographs Series (RG 32-01-01). Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries.

Formats: Photographic prints, film negatives, and glass plate negatives 

Erwin H. Barbour was born in Springfield, Indiana, on April 5, 1856. He received both his A.B. in 1882 and Ph.D. in 1887 from Yale University. He worked for the United States Paleontological Survey from 1882 to 1888 before becoming professor of natural history and geology at Iowa College in Grinnell, Iowa. In July 1891, he accepted the position of professor of geology and zoology at the University of Nebraska and became director of the State Museum. He remained a vital member of the university, community, and state for more than fifty years.

In 1891, Barbour made his first expedition to western Nebraska where he collected fossil and geological specimens and studied geological formations. This was the first of yearly expeditions to build the museum collection and to increase his knowledge of the state's natural resources. The author of more than 350 publications, Barbour wrote about such topics as paleontology, geology, and economic geology of Nebraska. He organized and served as the director of the Nebraska Geological Survey beginning in 1891 until 1921 when it became the Conservation and Survey Division of the University.

Barbour was responsible for preparing University of Nebraska exhibits for the 1896 Trans-Mississippi Exposition and award-winning exhibits related to education and natural resources in Nebraska for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. He received numerous additional honors, including a medal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the best designed homemade windmill in 1904 and the Lincoln Kiwanis Club medal for distinguished service as a teacher, scientist, and citizen in 1935.

Active in his fields of research and in his community, Barbour was a member of several scholarly and civic organizations. He belonged to the Geological Society of America, the Association of American Museums, the Paleontological Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Nebraska Ornithologists Union, the Seismological Society, and the Nebraska Academy of Science. Barbour served on the school board, city park board, cemetery board, and city planning commission for Lincoln, Nebraska, and was chairman of the court of honor for the city's Boy Scouts. An artist who illustrated his own publications, Barbour designed mosaics for the Nebraska state capitol building and was a director of the Nebraska Art Association.

He was married to Margaret Roxanna Lamson in 1887 and they had one daughter, Eleanor Barbour. He died in 1947.

Scope and Content: 

The materials in the photograph series relate to Barbour's research in paleontology and geology, his work as director of the State Museum, his civic involvement in Lincoln, Nebraska, and his personal life.

The images of vertebrate and invertebrate fossils are primarily from Nebraska. They include scenes of excavations, fossil preparation, and museum displays in addition to photographs illustrating fossils from various angles against plain backgrounds. There are also negatives showing fossil leaves and Barbour's sketches of fossils and animals. Images of fieldwork show aspects of daily life for paleontologists in the field.

The photographs show landscapes, landforms, bodies of water, and towns throughout Nebraska, particularly in the sandhills and badlands regions. Photographs of natural disasters such as tornadoes, floods, and ice jams are included. Many of the photographs relate to the economic geology of Nebraska and show industries in various communities, including photographs illustrating the construction and operations of the Nebraska Portland Cement Company in Superior, Nebraska. Also of note are photographic prints taken by geologist Nelson Horatio Darton that show lands in South Dakota and Nebraska.

Images from the University of Nebraska show activities and buildings on campus. Particularly interesting are photographs documenting the construction of Morrill Hall, from the plot of land before construction to the mounting of exhibits inside. The interiors and displays from earlier museums and group portraits of staff in the geology department are also included.

Photographs related to Barbour's personal life and family include scenes from his Yale University class reunion and group and individual family pictures. Among those related to his civic activities are images of Wyuka Cemetery, parks, a school garden project in Lincoln, Nebraska, and a Boy Scout camp. Street scenes and buildings in Lincoln, Nebraska, are also included.

Photographs taken on travels include images of college campuses, buildings, parks, cemeteries, and geological features. Displays and buildings from the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition and Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition are shown as well. Images related to Charles Henry Morrill include interiors of his home in Stromsburg, Nebraska.

Subjects: 

Darton, Nelson Horatio, 1865-1948

Morrill, Charles Henry, 1842-1922

Alkali industry and trade

Anthropology

Art

Badlands

Buildings

Camps

Cement

Cement industries

Cemeteries

Cities & towns

Class reunions (Yale University)

Clay industries

Cork industry - Algeria

Daemonelix

Dams

Economic geology

Educational facilities

Erosion

Farms

Floods

Fossils

Geology

Geology - fieldwork

Glacial landforms

Glaciers

Houses

Invertebrates, fossil

Lakes & ponds

Landforms

Landscapes

Leaves, Fossil

Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904, Saint Louis, Mo.)

Mills and mill-work

Minerals

Museums

Nebraska State Fair

Oil wells

Paleobotany

Paleontology

Paleontology - Drawings

Paleontology - Fieldwork

Parks

Potash industry and trade

Quarrying

Ranches

Rivers

Rocks

Sandhills (Neb.)

Springs

Stone buildings

Streets

Taxidermy

Tornadoes

Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition (1898: Omaha, Neb.)

Universities & colleges

Vertebrates, fossil

Waterfalls

Wells

Windmills

Zoological specimens

Bermuda Islands

Black Hills (S.D. and Wyo.)

California

Colorado

England

Florida

France

Glacier National Park (Mont.)

Kansas

Lincoln (Neb.)

Morrill Hall (University of Nebraska Lincoln)

Nebraska

New Orleans (La.)

Oregon

South Dakota

Southern States

Switzerland

University of Nebraska (Lincoln campus)

Utah

Vancouver (B.C.)

Washington (State)

Yellowstone National Park

Barbour family

Cook family (Agate, Neb.)

The photograph series consists of black and white photographic prints, glass plate negatives, and black and white negatives.

Subjects for the photographic prints and negatives are available on index cards. The collection number is located in the upper right corner of each index card, along with a "P" to indicate a print or an "N" to indicate a negative. The item number for an image is located at the left and consists of three or four sets of numbers separated by dashes. The last two digits of an item number indicate the year from which it dates. Often the item number also contains an alphabetical suffix. To the right of each item number is a description of the item. If a photographic print is mounted on a numbered card, the card number appears below the description and has a pound sign in front of it. Volumes and page numbers listed on the index cards refer to photo albums. Alternate formats of an image may be noted on the index card.

The items are arranged by format, and negatives of both types are grouped according to size. In each format items are arranged chronologically. Within each year, items with the same alphabetical suffix are grouped together.

The photographic prints are mounted on numbered cards. Each folder number corresponds to the number of the card inside it. TPrints may be located by determining the card on which it is mounted and select the folder of the same number and then choosing the print labeled with the correct item number.

Nos. 2-15-5-94 UGC to 5-14-5-97, including suffixes UGC and Cornell

Nos. 7-3-7-97 to 9-13-8-99 C, including suffixes Cornell and C

Nos. 10-13-8-99 Cornell to 4-5-2-01, including suffixes Cornell, C, M, and UGC

Nos. 10-5-2-01 Cornell to 4-5-2-01, including suffixes Cornell, M, A, H, and EHB

Nos. 10-18-10-04 to 2-3-4-06 Condra, including suffixes C and Condra

Nos. 9-3-06 Cornell to 3-10-5-06 Cornell, including suffixes Cornell and Condra

Nos. 18-5-06 Condra to 5-9-12-07, including suffixes Condra, Cornell, S, and D

Nos. 24-13-1-08 to 13-15-3-29 Cornell, including suffixes Cornell, FHS, Keller, and K

Nos. 30-6-91 to 5-11-7-92, including suffix B

Nos. 2-12-7-92 to 6-7-12-00, including suffixes Cornell and Barbour

Nos. 1-5-95 to 17-23-11-96, including items with suffix EHB

Nos. 18-23-11-96 to 9-18-8-98

Nos. 2-19-8-98 to 6-6-4-99

Nos. 7-6-4-99 to 2-8-8-99 F, including suffixes EHB, Cornell, C, and F

Nos. 3-8-8-99 F to 3-28-6-00 W, including suffixes F, EFS, UGC, and W

Nos. 4-28-6-00 W to 4-15-11-02, including suffix W

Nos. 5-15-11-02 to 2-29-10-16 JHB, including suffixes B, EHB, K, Keller, JBB, and JHB

Nos. 3-29-10-16 JHB to 6-8-10-00, including suffixes JHB, Whitford, and W

Nos. 2-9-10-00 to 5-12-03

Nos. 28-3-04 C to 2-20-1-13 G, including suffixes C, JBB, RAG, EFS, EHB, and G

Nos. 22-1-13 G to 1-14-1-14 FHS, including suffixes G, EFS, S, FHS, and Elmore

Nos. 2-14-1-14 FHS to 1-28-10-14, including suffix FHS

Nos. 2-28-10-14 Shoemaker to 25-1-4-15 FHS, including suffixes Shoemaker, FHS, and ACW

Nos. 25-1-4-15 FHS to 39-30-6-15 FHS, including suffix FHS

Nos. 37-30-6-15 to 2-18-9-16 FHS, including suffixes FHS, W, Keller, K, and EHB

Nos. 2a-18-9-16 FHS to 2-24-8-16, including suffixes FHS and Hans

Nos. 1-27-8-16 Hans to 15-7-18 FHS, including suffixes Hans and FHS

Nos. 15-7-18 FHS to 43-1-6-19 FHS, including suffix FHS

Nos. 44-1-6-19 FHS to 94-1-6-19 FHS, including suffix FHS

Nos. 95-1-6-19 FHS to 143-1-6-19 FHS, including suffix FHS

Nos. 144-1-6-19 FHS to 6-25-3-20 FHS, including suffixes FHS and UGC

Nos. 7-25-3-20 FHS to 4-1-2-23 FHS, including suffix FHS

Nos. 5-1-2-23 FHS to 3-1-9-23 FHS, including suffixes FHS, Cornell, UGC, and Shoemaker

Nos. 32-1-9-23 FHS to 2-15-8-25 FHS, including suffix FHS

Nos. 3-15-8-25 FHS to 45-15-8-25 FHS, including suffix FHS

Nos. 46-15-9-25 FHS to 15-19-8-26 FHS, including suffixes FHS and Shanafelt

Nos. 16-19-8-26 to 9-1-8-28, including suffixes FHS and EHB

Nos. 10-1-8-28 to 1983-85, including suffixes FHS and Shoemaker

Nos. 2-4-7-05 Cornell to 1-6-3-36 Hale, including suffixes Cornell, Welch, NP, SP, and Hale

Nos. 1-7-3-36 Hale to 1938 Hale, including suffix Hale

Nos. 22-6-93 to 1-12-7-11 EHB, including suffixes Burnett, Cornell, Condra, and EHB

Nos. 2-12-7-11 to 1-11-7-11 EFS, including suffixes EHB, JBB, D, G, and EFS

Nos. 1-24-8-11G to 12-8-12 Burnett, including suffixes G, EFS, EHB, JBB, and Burnett

Nos. 12-9-12 Burnett to 3-2-12-12, including suffixes Burnett, EFS, and EHB

Nos. 4-2-12-12 to 24-26-3-13 EFS, including suffixes EFS, EHB and G

Nos. 26-29-3-13 EFS to 6-6-1-13 ACW, including suffixes EFS, DGW, ACW

Nos. 1-8-1-13 ACW to A-79-18-3N, including suffixes ACW, W, Whitford, EHB, EFS, Schramm, FHS, and N

Nos. 2-29-7-15 CAB to 5-31-12-16 EHB, including suffixes CAB, EHB, JBB, and HJC

Nos. 1-8-1-16 JB to 11-11-17 EHB, including suffixes JBB, E, Ellis, Hager, Richmond, Smith, and EHB

Nos. 1-6-4-18 EHB to 15-21-8-19, including suffix EHB

Nos. 23-8-19 EHB to 1-29-7-20 EHB, including items with suffix EHB

Nos. 2-29-7-20 EHB to 3-29-26, including suffixes EHB, Whyman, and Cornell

Nos. 1981-1 to 15-5-29 Cornell, including suffixes Cornell and Colbert

Nos. 15-5-29C to 8-20-26 MS, including suffixes C, Cornell, and MS

Nos. 8-20-26 MS to 4-19-8-26 FHS, including suffixes MS, Cornell, and Welch

Nos. 5-19-8-26 Cornell to 88-1-12-36, un-numbered negatives of Barbour sketches, including suffix Cornell

Item 1. Nos. 2-8-04-01 to 9-4-1-13 EHB, including suffixes EHB and B