Summary Information
William Osgood Field Papers 1927-1992
- Field, William O. (William Osgood),
1904-1994
AGSL Manuscript Collection 10
- 4.0 cubic ft. (9 boxes)
- 1 oversize folder
- 47 film reels
UW-Milwaukee Libraries, American Geographical Society Library (Map)
Papers, mostly dating from the late 1920s and early
1930s, of geographer and glaciologist William Osgood Field. Most of the collection
deals with his travels to the remote Transcaucasia region of the Soviet Union,
containing films, photographs, and notes. English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-agsl-agslmss0010 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
William Bradhurst Osgood Field, Jr. was born in New York City on January 30, 1904. He
received a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from Harvard in 1926. In 1929, he
married Alice Withrow. After graduation, Field began a long career in glaciology,
making numerous expeditions to places like Alaska, and was widely recognized as the
"Father of Glaciology". Field began working as a research associate for the American
Geographical Society (AGS) in 1940. He later became the head of the Department of
Exploration and Field Research for the AGS in 1946 and continued in this capacity
until 1969. Field initiated the Juneau Icefield Research Project in 1948, which the
AGS continued to sponsor for the next ten years. For the International Geophysical
Year (1957-1958), Field founded and directed World Data Center-A for glaciology at
the AGS. Field also wrote numerous books and articles on the subject of glaciology
and was honored with several awards, including the Charles P. Daly medal by the AGS
in 1969. He became a council member of the AGS and served in that capacity for many
years. Field died in 1994.
In the summer of 1929, Field first traveled to Russia, specifically Georgia in the
Caucasus. He passed through areas such as Swanetia, on the southern slope of the
Central Caucasus, where he took still pictures and "about 1200 feet" of 35mm film of
the Swan people and the landscape during the twelve days he was there. His trip was
prompted by a travel organization called Open Road, that "arranged trips to unusual
and interesting places." Field was so enamored by the people that he arranged
through the "head of the local political hierarchy" to return and finish taking
pictures and film. Upon his return, Field tried to get his film produced
commercially to no avail and instead used his footage and still pictures during
lectures he gave about the region for several years after. Field also traveled to
Russia, specifically Moscow, in the early to mid-1930s. He filmed the daily life of
Muscovites, from street scenes to sporting events. He also took footage of historic
Moscow architecture, such as St. Basil's Cathedral, the Novodevichy Convent, and
other landmarks in the Red Square. From these trips, he produced educational and
travel motion pictures from the 1920s through the 1950s, focusing on geographical
studies.
Scope and Content Note
The collection includes correspondence, notes, postcards, travel journals,
photographs, and motion pictures of Field's journeys throughout the Soviet Union,
especially Georgia and its upper Svanetia regions, from 1928 until the 1970s.
Field's partially indexed photographs and films contain images of Moscow and the
Caucasus, mostly from 1929 to 1934, documenting local architecture, geography, and
people. The collection also includes a series of 1931 letters from Upton Sinclair
and others requesting financial assistance for Sergei Eisenstein's uncompleted film
about Mexico, Que Viva Mexico.
Arrangement of the Materials
The collection is arranged into two series:
- Personal Papers, 1927-1992
- Films, 1929-1974, undated
The personal papers are arranged alphabetically by folder title and then
chronologically. The glass slides (boxes 8-9) are included as part of this
series.
Preferred Citation
Citation Guide for Primary Sources
Alternate Format
Selections from this collection are included in the UWM Libraries' digital collection
Images of Russia and Caucasus Region, 1929-1933.
The films from this collection have been digitized and added to the UWM Libraries'
digital collection William Osgood Field Motion Picture Films.
Separated Material in the UWM Libraries
Monographs and maps were removed from the collection for individual cataloging in the
American Geographical Society Library.
Administrative/Restriction Information
The films are extremely fragile and not available for viewing; researchers must
use the digital access copies. Handling the lantern slides requires the
assistance of a staff member. Access to the nitrate negatives is restricted;
researchers must use the access copies. There are no other access restrictions
on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in
accordance with state law.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel,
privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection
(Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).
Field donated the bulk of the collection to the American Geographical Society
Library in 1993.
Leslie Heinrichs processed the collection at the Archives in 1996 and 1997. Mark
Vargas completed the finding aid in 1998. Christel Maass, in the UWM Libraries'
Archives Dept., added some additional materials to the collection in October
2009. In January 2014, Bob Jaeger reprocessed the collection, separating the
photographs and negatives, and updating the contents list.
The films were digitized in 2014. Preservation master files were created as avi
files; access copies as mp4 files.
Contents List
|
Series: 1. Personal Papers, 1927-1992, undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
1
|
Alpine Journal, bibliographies,
undated
|
|
Box
4
Folder
1
|
Alpine Journal, notes,
undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
2
|
Arctic, notes and bibliographies, 1937,
undated
|
|
|
Caucasus
|
|
Box
4
Folder
2
|
"A New Era in the Caucasus",
1934
|
|
Box
1
Folder
3
|
bibliographies, undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
4
|
"Caucasian Isthmus", 1934
|
|
Box
4
Folder
3
|
"Caucasus", 1934
|
|
Box
1
Folder
5
|
"Central Caucasus and Svanetia",
1931
|
|
Box
7
Folder
2
|
"Dongusorum Pass", photograph,
1929
|
|
Box
Folder
6-7
|
"Glaciers of the Caucasus",
1929-1956
|
|
Box
1
Folder
8-12
|
"International Struggle for the Caucasus",
undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
13
|
"International Struggle for Transcaucasia",
undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
14
|
"Lost Valleys of the Caucasus",
undated
|
|
Box
5
Folder
1
|
maps, photographs, undated : See film reel 26.
|
|
Box
1
Folder
15
|
notebooks, 1929, undated
|
|
Box
7
Folder
1
|
notebooks, copies, 1929
|
|
Box
4
Folder
4
|
notes, 1929, undated
|
|
Box
5
Folder
2-3
|
photographs, 1933
|
|
Box
1
Folder
16
|
postcards, 1929-1933,
undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
17
|
"Reopening of the Caucasus",
1930
|
|
Box
7
Folder
2
|
"Siege Towers of Upper Swanetia", photograph,
1929
|
|
Box
5
Folder
4
|
slides, 1929, undated 56 slides (35mm)
|
|
Box
6
|
Svanetia in Western Georgia,
1929 2 photograph albums
|
|
Box
1
Folder
18
|
"Travel and Mountaineering in the Caucasus",
1929-1930
|
|
Box
7
Folder
2
|
"Village of Ushgul in Upper Swanetia", photograph,
1929
|
|
Box
1
Folder
19
|
Correspondence, 1929-1933
|
|
Box
4
Folder
5
|
Correspondence, 1960-1964,
undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
20
|
Daily Worker, excerpts,
1940
|
|
Box
1
Folder
21
|
Diary, "Russian Trip" by James R. Withrow, Jr.,
1933
|
|
Box
1
Folder
22
|
Film Proposal, undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
23
|
"Geography of the Caucasus" by Virginia M. Edwards,
1960
|
|
Box
1
Folder
24
|
Georgia, notes, undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
25
|
"Invasion of Transcaucasia" by L. Trotsky, notes,
undated
|
|
Box
4
Folder
6
|
Importance de la Géorgie en Tant Que
Voie de Transit, undatedFrench
|
|
Box
1
Folder
26
|
Itinerary and Film Subjects,
1933
|
|
Box
1
Folder
27
|
Itinerary and Travel Notes, 1929
|
|
Box
1
Folder
28
|
Journal of Modern History, notes,
1930
|
|
|
Khevsuretia
|
|
Box
1
Folder
29
|
Khevsuratia by A.I. Kamarauli,
notes, 1935
|
|
Box
1
Folder
30
|
Khevsuratia by V.A.
Gurko-Kraijin, notes, undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
31
|
diary, 1933
|
|
Box
4
Folder
5
|
notes, undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
32-33
|
"Kola Peninsula", drafts,
undated
|
|
Box
4
Folder
8
|
"Kola Peninsula", proof, 1938
|
|
Box
1
Folder
34
|
"Kulak Island", undated
|
|
|
Lecture Materials
|
|
Box
1
Folder
35
|
picture cards, undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
36
|
publicity, 1929-1931,
undated
|
|
Box
4
Folder
9
|
titles, film sequences, and commentary, 1929-1931,
undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
37
|
"Lena River", notes, 1936
|
|
Box
1
Folder
38
|
Library of Congress, correspondence,
1942-1992
|
|
Box
1
Folder
39
|
Library of Congress, film transfer list,
1988
|
|
Box
1
Folder
40
|
Memorabilia, 1929-1934, undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
41
|
Modern Russia, book review by
Cicely Hamilton, undated
|
|
|
Motion Picture Indexes
|
|
Box
1
Folder
42
|
Africa, 1928
|
|
Box
1
Folder
43
|
Caucasus and Svanetia, 1929
|
|
Box
4
Folder
10
|
Caucasus, Daghestan, Khevsuretia, and Georgia,
1933
|
|
Box
1
Folder
44
|
commentary and dope sheets,
undated
|
|
Box
1
Folder
45
|
lists of scenes and titles,
undated
|
|
Box
4
Folder
11
|
Svanetia, undated
|
|
Box
2
Folder
1
|
Mountains of Georgia, by V.
Shklovsky, notes, undated
|
|
Oversize Folder
1
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Negatives and Prints, unidentified,
undated 2 nitrate negatives 7¾" x 28" : Access to the nitrate negatives is restricted; researchers must use the
access copies.
|
|
Box
2
Folder
2
|
North Ossetia, diary, 1933,
undated
|
|
Box
2
Folder
3-4
|
Notebooks and Diaries, 1933,
undated
|
|
|
Notes
|
|
Box
2
Folder
5
|
copied from notebooks, 1929,
undated
|
|
Box
4
Folder
12
|
miscellaneous, undated
|
|
Box
2
Folder
6
|
names, undated
|
|
Box
2
Folder
7
|
Prospectus, undated
|
|
Box
2
Folder
8
|
Publications, 1927-1937, undated
|
|
Box
2
Folder
9
|
Savane by V. Goltsev, notes,
1929
|
|
Box
2
Folder
10
|
Sinclair, Upton, 1931
|
|
Box
2
Folder
11
|
Sketch of Svanetia by V.
Dingelstedt, notes, undated
|
|
Box
2
Folder
12
|
Strana Snegof Y Bashin by B.
Kovalevski, notes, 1930
|
|
|
Svanetia (Georgia)
|
|
Box
4
Folder
13
|
bibliographies and notes,
undated
|
|
Box
2
Folder
13
|
"Dadeshkiliani Family",
undated
|
|
Box
2
Folder
14
|
"Education in Svanetia",
undated
|
|
Box
8-9
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glass slides, 1929 112 lantern slides : Request the assistance of an archivist to view the lantern
slides.
|
|
Box
2
Folder
15
|
notebook of letter excerpts and film lists,
1929
|
|
Box
2
Folder
16
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notes, general, 1929-1933
|
|
Box
2
Folder
17-18
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notes, volumes 1-2, undated
|
|
Box
3
Folder
1-5
|
notes, volumes 3-7, undated
|
|
Box
3
Folder
6
|
Transcaucasia, notes, undated
|
|
Box
4
Folder
14
|
"Trans-Mongolian Railway Project" and Map,
undated
|
|
Box
3
Folder
7
|
Travel Guides and Maps, undated
|
|
|
U.S.S.R.
|
|
Box
4
Folder
15
|
bibliographies and notes,
undated
|
|
Box
3
Folder
8
|
exploration clippings,
1930-1935
|
|
Box
7
Folder
3
|
Moscow, photograph,
1929-1933
|
|
Box
3
Folder
9
|
"Mountaineering Expeditions in the Soviet Union during 1933",
undated
|
|
Box
3
Folder
10
|
notes, volume 1, undated
|
|
Box
5
Folder
5-12
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photographs, 1929-1931,
undated
|
|
Box
4
Folder
16
|
photographs, index 1931
|
|
Box
3
Folder
11-12
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postcards, undated
|
|
Box
4
Folder
17
|
"Soviet Long Distance Flights", notes and drafts,
undated
|
|
Box
4
Folder
18
|
"Soviet Navy", notes and drafts,
undated
|
|
|
Series: 2. Films, 1929-1974, undated : Film reels are restricted; researchers must use the digital access
copies.
|
|
Film
4
|
Caucasus, 1929 Film reel (35mm)
|
|
Film
29-35
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Caucasus, 1933 Film reel (16mm)
|
|
Film
36
|
Caucasus, 1964 Film reel (16mm)
|
|
Film
37
|
Caucasus, 1974 Film reel (16mm)
|
|
Film
25-27
|
Caucasus, undated Film reel (35mm)
|
|
Film
38-43, 45-47
|
Caucasus, undated Film reel (16mm)
|
|
Film
44
|
Caucasus (Clear Pond), 1959 Film reel (16mm)
|
|
Film
9-11
|
Caucasus, Svanetia (Georgia), 1929 Film reel (16mm)
|
|
Film
7
|
Daghestan, 1929 Film reel (16mm)
|
|
Film
24
|
Georgia, 1933 Film reel (16mm)
|
|
Film
5, 8
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Khevsuretia, 1929 Film reel (16mm)
|
|
Film
1-3
|
Moscow, 1929 Film reel (35mm)
|
|
Film
12-23, 28
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Moscow, 1933-1934 Film reel (35mm)
|
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Film
6
|
Svanetia (Georgia), 1929 Film reel (16mm)
|
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