William Duncan Strong: A New Virtual Finding Aid to Complement an Upcoming Exhibit

Photos: Field notebook, 1933, Series 3, William Duncan Strong papers.

When the National Museum of Natural History re-opens, it will feature an exhibit entitled Documenting Diversity: How Anthropologists Record Human Life. Curated by Dr. Diana Marsh and Dr. Joshua A. Bell [JAB1] this show draws on the collections of the National Anthropological Archives, Human Studies Film Archives, and the Smithsonian Libraries. William Duncan Strong (1899-1962), known as “Dunc” to his friends, will be one of the anthropologists featured. Strong was an archaeologist who conducted fieldwork throughout North, Central, and South America between 1922 and 1954, and is best known for his work in the Great Plains from 1938 to 1939. He was also a talented artist, who peppered his field journals with sketches of locations, archaeological discoveries, and local fauna. 

Photos: Field notebook, 1933, Series 3, William Duncan Strong papers. 

Prior to embarking on a career as an archaeologist, Strong studied zoology, an interest which he retained throughout his life. This interest is apparent in his papers, which feature many examples of his sketches of animals, particularly birds. These sketches are particularly abundant in Strong’s field journal from his expedition to Honduras and the Bay Islands, which will be on display in the exhibition. While the skill shown in these sketches is unique to Strong, they demonstrate the historic interplay of anthropology and natural history.

Photos: Field notebook, 1933, Series 3, William Duncan Strong papers.

Strong’s papers are open for research at the National Anthropological Archives and the finding aid for those papers has recently been published on SOVA through the funding of the FY2019 Collections Information (CIS) pool.

Katherine Christensen
Contract Archivist
National Anthropological Archives