Zuni Canteen

Period Description reads, “Exchange”. Collected from the Stevenson ethnographic exhibition, then decommissioned from the Smithsonian Institute.

10.5 x 12.1 inches

$12,000

Date: 1870-1880

About the Stevenson Exibition:

James Stevenson commenced his service with the federal government as a geologist, beginning his career with the United States Geological Survey in 1866. He traveled extensively throughout the Western regions of the country, including the area that would later become Yellowstone National Park. . In 1879, the United States government established the Bureau of American Ethnology (1) under the direction of its founder, John Wesley Powell. Stevenson was appointed as an ethnographic specialist assigned to the Southwestern territories. Alongside his wife, Matilda Cox Stevenson, he undertook several research expeditions among the Native American Pueblos situated along the Rio Grande River.

During their fieldwork in 1879, 1880, and 1881, Stevenson assembled a substantial collection of pottery and ethnographic materials, which were subsequently dispatched to Washington, D.C. The 1881 report of the Bureau of American Ethnology reports that the Stevensons collected over 4,900 individual objects from Pueblo communities in New Mexico and Arizona.

The brothers, Victor and Cosmos Mindeleff, both trained architects and accomplished photographers, were employed by the Bureau in 1881 to survey and document the ancient ruins of the Southwest. They spent considerable time among the Pueblos, acquiring representative examples of pottery to the bureau. These were later incorporated into collections sent to the Smithsonian Institution. In 1882, the brothers accompanied James Stevenson on an expedition to Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto.

Stevenson maintained meticulous records of his acquisitions, often producing detailed sketches. These objects were typically inscribed with his name, the location of collection, and the abbreviation “Bur. Ethnol.” Upon arrival at the museum, each item was assigned an accession number. Historically, it was not unusual for small museums, historical societies, and libraries to petition the Smithsonian Institution for objects from its vast holdings in order to enhance their exhibit. Many such items have since entered the public domain and now reside in prominent collections around the globe.