William Stimpson's Letter to Joseph Henry (October 10, 1871)

Summary

Letter from William Stimpson, a scientist and director of the Chicago Academy of Science, to Joseph Henry, first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, October 10, 1871. In the letter, Stimpson informs Henry of the loss of the Smithsonian's collection of marine invertebrates due to the Great Chicago Fire in the Academy of Science building in Chicago, Illinois, in which the Smithsonian collection had been deposited. The loss includes most of the Smithsonian crustacean holdings from the U.S. Exploring Expedition, which had been sent to the Academy for comparison with other collections.

Subject

• Henry, Joseph 1797-1878
• Stimpson, William 1832-1872
• Chicago Academy of Sciences
• United States Exploring Expedition (USEE)

Category

Historic Images of the Smithsonian

Contained within

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 26, Box 41, Folder: 12 - Volume 119 pp 251-274

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

October 10, 1871

Restrictions & Rights

No restrictions

Topic

• Marine invertebrates
• Losses
• Secretaries
• Fire
• Invertebrates
• Accidents
• Fires

Place

Chicago (Ill.)

Form/Genre

• Document
• Paper

ID Number

SIA2012-3263 and SIA2012-3264 and SIA2012-3265

Physical description

Number of Images: 3 ; Color: Color ; Size: 7 3/4w x 9 3/4h ; Type of Image: Document ; Medium: Paper

Full Record

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