The Archaeology Historic Image Collection is comprised of over 12,000 photographic prints, 9,000 negatives, 8,200 slides, 50 glass plate images, and 100 16mm film reels.
The collection documents the history of archaeological work in Indiana and the Midwest since at least the 1920s, including over 75 years of the Angel Mounds excavations. Images also depict early figures in the field such as Eli Lilly, Glenn A. Black, Warren K. Morehead and others.
A significant portion of the Archaeology Historic Image Collection chronicles the history of excavations at Angel Mounds Site. The images start with Works Progress Administration (WPA) work that began in 1938. The project was administered by the Indiana Historical Society and headed by Glenn A. Black until 1942 when the United States entered World War II. Black was very aware that archaeology is largely destructive and hundreds of pictures were taken as documentary evidence.
Images S1515, N2888, S6460 from 1939 and 1940 at Angel Mounds.
Excavations continued at Angel Mounds for over 70 years. Indiana University hosted a field school at Angel Mounds for decades and taught many students from across the country.
Images N2772, N1696, N5009.
Hear an overview of all the visual documentation found in the IUMAA Archaeology collections in this Coffee & Curators talk presented fall 2022:
IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
416 N. Indiana Avenue