Gedón, Sergeant, and Convicts
ID: SIA2009-4271 or Wetmore Negative Number 6091
Creator: Wetmore, Alexander 1886-
Form/Genre: Photographic print
Date: January 24, 1956
Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Alexander Wetmore Papers, Record Unit 7006, Box: 183, Folder Album: Panama and Coiba, 1956
Usage Conditions Apply
The Smithsonian Institution Archives welcomes personal and educational use of its collections unless otherwise noted. For commercial uses, please contact photos@si.edu.Summary
Gedón (Armagedón Hartmann), Sergeant, and convicts at María, Coiba Island on January 24, 1956. Gedón was a member of Wetmore's scientific expedition in the region. Some convicts assisted with the expedition. There are two firearms on the wooden bench, along with bird specimens at the right edge of the bench. There is a man seated on the bench with his back to the camera and five men gathered to the right of the bench. The man closest to the camera is smoking. There is a dog at the feet of the five men and a dog at the right edge of the image. In the background, there are buildings with metal and grass roofs.
Subject
Hartmann, Armagedón
Category
Historic Images of the Smithsonian
Notes
- The image was taken by Smithsonian Secretary and ornithologist Alexander Wetmore while on a scientific expedition in Panama and Coiba Island. Wetmore Negative Number 6091. For more images of Gedón, see negative numbers SIA2009-4260, SIA2009-4261, SIA2009-4268, SIA2009-4272, and SIA2009-4285.
- From 1919 to 1991, Coiba Island was a penal colony. Fear of the prison and its inmates deterred visitors from the island. As such, about 80% of the natural areas on the island remain undisturbed. The island is also host to many endemic species. Both of these factors made the island ideal for Wetmore's scientific expedition. The officers and convicts pictured in Wetmore's images from the expedition were part of the penal colony. Some even worked as laborers for the expedition. Today, the island is no longer a penal colony. Instead, it is one of 38 islands composing Coiba National Park, a World Heritage Site.
Contained within
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Alexander Wetmore Papers, Record Unit 7006, Box: 183, Folder Album: Panama and Coiba, 1956
Contact information
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
Date
January 24, 1956
Restrictions & Rights
No restrictions
Topic
- Scientific expeditions
- Architecture
- Birds
- Field work
- Firearms
- Animals
- Collectors and collecting
- Dogs
- Specimens
- School field trips
- Islands
- Penal colonies
- Smoking
- Buildings--Panama
- Ornithology--Field work
- Field trips
- Panamanians
Place
- Panama
- Coiba Island (Panama)
Form/Genre
- Photographic print
- Group, candid
- Exterior
ID Number
SIA2009-4271 or Wetmore Negative Number 6091
Physical description
Number of Images: 1; Color: Black and white; Size: 4.75w x 4.5h; Type of Image: Group, Candid, Exterior; Medium: Photographic print