Surprises at the Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.

[smcarberry]

A vast collection of artifacts and cultural heritage items is housed in the multiple buildings that are part of the Smithsonian Museum. I used the Smithsonian website's search engine to see what might apply to Clare or Clare immigrants. A large number of images are online, nicely sorted by country and local region. Getting to a particular item requires using the right "tag" by which the items is catalogued, whether that is "Clare, Ireland" or ""Lough Derg" (three photographs) or "Shannon."

Below are three samples from that online catalogue.

Food for thought. I wonder if any Forum member in California would be interested in finding more such films lying in a vault somewhere, perhaps still owned by a movie-industry company. Likewise, other major museums might have similar donated materials, neatly archived but never viewed by descendants of the people featured in the media. It's nice to know that more than the elusive Dorothea Lange film exists.

Sharon Carberry
Georgia USA


Photograph:
Pilgrims with bared heads and feet at St. Patrick's Cross, Saint's Island, Lough Derg. 459 interpositive 1904
and two other photos of Lough Derg
http://collections.si.edu/search/result ... Lough+Derg


Film:
"Irish Pastoral ca. 1936"
Creator: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Physical description:
reference 1 film reel (338 feet) sound b&w 16mm
archival original 1 film reel (338 feet) sound b&w 16mm
Date: ca 1936
Local number: HSFA 93.1.90
Notes: title supplied by Archives staff (unpublished work)---archival collection
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation was a merger of Fox Film Corporation (incorporated in 1915) and Twentieth Century Pictures (founded 1933). The company continued to produce feature films and theatrical newsreels and shorts (under various Movietonews series)
Summary:
Edited film is a theatrical travelogue produced for Along the Road to Romance on the Magic Carpet of Movietone. Film documents scenes of Emerald Isle, Dublin, Limerick, River Shannon, St. Johns Castle, and the Treaty Stone. Film focuses on rural Irish life, including scenes of pastures, farmhouses, and families gathering peat used for fuel. Also shown is a woman singing in rural farm setting to onlookers. The narrator is Ed Thogersen and the producer is Truman Talley
Cite as: Santa Clara University Archives
Data Source: Human Studies Film Archives


Video:
"Ireland's Whistling Ambassador: Micho Russell of Doolin, County Clare"
Creator: Ochs, Bill
Physical description: 3 hours 30 minutes sound color archival original
Date: 1992
Local number: HSFA 94.7.2
Summary:
Full video record documents one of the most unique musicians of Irish music, Micho Russell, a tin whistle player and singer from Doolin, County Clare, Ireland. Video includes Russell's June 1992 concert at the Washington Square Church, New York City, interviews with Irish folklorist Mick Moloney and Bill Ochs, tin whistle playing demonstrations, and impromptu playing of Irish tunes
Data Source: Human Studies Film Archives
http://collections.si.edu/search/result ... re+ireland

[Paddy Casey]

Great stuff, Sharon !

http://collections.si.edu/search/results.jsp?q=Kilrush gets you photos entitled "The Fair, the great pig market day--N.E. toward railway station, Kilrush, County Clare. 478 Interpositive 1905"

Paddy