Smithsonian Institution Archives

Finding Aids to Personal Papers and
Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Record Unit 7120
Arthur Cleveland Bent Papers,
circa 1910-1954

Introduction

Historical Note

Descriptive Entry

Series Descriptions

  Series 1. GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE AND NOTES.

  Series 2. PHOTOGRAPHS.

  Series 3. MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHS.

  Series 4. NEGATIVE PLATES.


INTRODUCTION

This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.


HISTORICAL NOTE

Arthur Cleveland Bent (1866-1954) began his multi-volume Life Histories of North American Birds in 1910 and spent the remaining years of his life attempting to complete the project. A prominent businessman and citizen of Taunton, Massachusetts, Bent had been an amateur ornithologist since his childhood. In 1910 he offered to undertake, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution and at his own expense, the completion of the Life Histories of North American Birds begun in the 1890s by Charles Emil Bendire (1836-1897). Between 1910 and his death Bent completed 20 volumes, one of which was published posthumously, and had accumulated notes for three other volumes, which were published in 1968 under the editorship of Oliver L. Austin, Jr.

The "Life Histories" were published as a series of "Bulletins" of the United States National Museum as follows:

107. Life Histories of North American Diving Birds, August 1, 1919.

113. Life Histories of North American Gulls and Terns, August 27, 1921.

121. Life Histories of North American Petrels and Pelicans and Their Allies, October 19, 1922.

126. Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl (part), May 25, 1923.

130. Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl (part), June 27, 1925.

135. Life Histories of North American Marsh Birds, March 11, 1927.

142. Life Histories of North American Shore Birds (pt. 1), December 31, 1927.

146. Life Histories of North American Shore Birds (pt. 2), March 24, 1929.

162. Life Histories of North American Gallinaceous Birds, May 25, 1932.

167. Life Histories of North American Birds of Prey (pt. 1), May 3, 1937.

170. Life Histories of North American Birds of Prey (pt. 2), August 8, 1938.

174. Life Histories of North American Woodpeckers, May 23, 1939.

176. Life Histories of North American Cuckoos, Goatsuckers, Hummingbirds, and Their Allies, July 20, 1940.

179. Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies, May 8, 1942.

191. Life Histories of North American Jays, Crows, and Titmice, January 27, 1947.

195. Life Histories of North American Nuthatches, Wrens, Thrashers, and Their Allies, July 7, 1948.

196. Life Histories of North American Thrushes, Kinglets, and Their Allies, June 28, 1949.

197. Life Histories of North American Wagtails, Shrikes, Vireos, and Their Allies, June 21, 1950.

203. Life Histories of North American Wood Warblers, June 15, 1953.

211. Life Histories of North American Blackbirds, Orioles, Tanagers, and Allies, February 27, 1958.

237. Life Histories of North American Cardinals, Grosbeaks, Buntings, Towhees, Finches, Sparrows, and Allies (in 3 volumes), 1968.

Bent regarded the "Life Histories" as collaborative works, and he solicited information, data, notes, and photographs from hundreds of professional and amateur ornithologists throughout North America.


DESCRIPTIVE ENTRY

This collection includes notes, correspondence, information, and photographs accumulated by Bent while writing the "Life Histories." Bent corresponded with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of ornithologists while accumulating information for his life histories. Many of his correspondents sent information on many different species, therefore the correspondence or notes of any individual are likely to be spread throughout the collection, making name control cumbersome and impractical. However, Bent was scrupulous about crediting his contributors. The researcher is urged to consult the Introduction to each volume (in which major contributors are listed) as well as the index at the back of each volume. The index, however, contains only references to individuals quoted in the text, whereas the papers contain many contributions not quoted and therefore not indexed.


SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

SERIES 1.
GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE AND NOTES.

This material is arranged by "Bulletin" number in chronologic order of publication and by species, within each Bulletin. The material consists of correspondence, notes, and some photographs Bent accumulated while writing his Life Histories of North American Birds. Most of the correspondence is incoming, with almost no outgoing correspondence included. Bent often cut letters and/or notes received into segments, filing the various segments under the name of the species discussed. Also included are segments of field notes, presumably sent to Bent by individual collectors, as well as some pre-1910 material Bent pulled from the papers of Charles Emil Bendire. The photographs included in the series were left as placed by Bent. No effort has been made to interfile them into Series 2.

Box 1 of 17

Bulletin 107

Bulletin 113, see box 15.

Bulletin 121

Bulletin 126

Bulletin 130

Box 2 of 17

Bulletin 135

Bulletin 142

Bulletin 146

Bulletin 162

Box 3 of 17

Bulletin 167

Bulletin 170

Bulletin 174

Bulletin 176

Box 4 of 17

Bulletin 179

Bulletin 191

Bulletin 195

Bulletin 196

Box 5 of 17

Bulletin 197

End of Bulletin 197

Bulletin 113

SERIES 2.
PHOTOGRAPHS.

Photographs arranged by Bulletin number and species within each Bulletin. Boxes 7-13 are oversize boxes. They are listed prior to boxes 5-6 to keep the finding aid in bulletin number order.

Box 7 of 17

Bulletin 113

Bulletin 121

Box 8 of 17

Bulletin 126

Bulletin 130

Bulletin 135

Box 9 of 17

Bulletin 142

Bulletin 146

Box 10 of 17

Bulletin 162

Bulletin 167

Box 11 of 17

Bulletin 170

Box 12 of 17

Bulletin 174

Bulletin 176

Box 13 of 17

Bulletin 179

Box 5 of 17

Bulletin 203

SERIES 3.
MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHS.

These photographs were not filed by Bent into either series 1 or 2. They have simply been foldered in no particular order and placed in this series.

Box 6 of 17

SERIES 4.
NEGATIVE PLATES.

Arranged by species as they were received in the Archives, not in the same order as series 1 and 2. Boxes 25-28 were removed from the collection and exist elsewhere in SIA. Some of these negatives contain nitrate.

Box 14 of 17

Box 15 of 17

Box 16 of 17

Box 17 of 17


Return to Top of Page

Contact us at osiaref@si.edu

Finding Aids Main Menu || Personal Papers Finding Aids || Collections ||
Hours & Directions || Archives Division Home || SIA Home

  Return to Smithsonian Home Page

Revised: September 23, 2005