Charles Doolittle Walcott (1850-1927), Sidney Stevens Walcott (1892-1977), and Helen Breese Walcott (1894-1965) c. 1913

Summary

In 1909, while in the Canadian Rockies near Field, British Columbia, Charles Doolittle Walcott (1850-1927) discovered what has come to be known as the Burgess Shale. Named after Burgess Pass near the location of his discovery, the shale Walcott collected contained carbonized organisms of such abundance and age that they subsequently provided the foundation for study of the Cambrian Period in Western North America. Walcott, fourth Secretary of the Smithsonian, often took his entire family on collecting trips. This image shows Walcott, his son Sidney Stevens Walcott (1892-1977), and his daughter Helen Breese Walcott (1894-1965) working in the Burgess Shale Fossil Quarry, c. 1913.

Subject

• Walcott, Sidney Stevens 1892-1977
• Walcott, Helen Breese 1894-1965
• Walcott, Charles D (Charles Doolittle) 1850-1927
• Smithsonian Institution Office of the Secretary

Notes

Also known as: [SPI_5811]

Cite as

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7004, Image No. SIA2008-1906

Repository Loc.

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Capital Gallery, Suite 3000, MRC 507; 600 Maryland Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20024-2520

Date

• 1913
• c 1913

Restrictions & Rights

• No access restrictions Many of SIA's holdings are located off-site, and advance notice is recommended to consult a collection. Please email the SIA Reference Team at osiaref@si.edu
• No Known Copyright Restrictions

Topic

• Geology
• Paleontology

Place

• Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.)
• Burgess Shale (B.C.)

Form/Genre

Black-and-white photographs

Local number

SIA RU007004 [SIA2008-1906]

Full Record

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