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Thomas Bailey Marquis papers

National Museum of Natural History

Object Details

Creator
Marquis, Thomas Bailey, 1869-1935
Names
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (Agency : U.S.)
Topic
Battle of the Little Big Horn
Provenance
Received from Anna Rose Heil, Marquis' daughter, in 1976.
Creator
Marquis, Thomas Bailey, 1869-1935
Culture
Inunaina (Arapaho)
Tsitsistas/Suhtai (Cheyenne)
Apsáalooke (Crow/Absaroke)
See more items in
Thomas Bailey Marquis papers
Biographical Note
Thomas Bailey Marquis (1869-1935) was a printer, physician, writer, and amateur historian who spent most of his working life in Montana. During WWI, he served with the U.S. Army Medical Corps. When he returned, he worked as a government physician on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and, later, the Crow Reservation. His work with the Cheyenne fueled his personal interest in George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Marquis began collecting artifacts related to the battle and interviewing survivors, which led to the publication of numerous books and pamphlets. He displayed the artifacts, together with photographs and hand-drawn maps, in the Custer Battle Museum in Hardin, Montana, where he lived during the last years of his life. After his death, his museum's collection was donated to the National Parks Service and is now incorporated into displays at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. As the only individual who worked to record Cheyenne eyewitness accounts of that era, Marquis' writings are of great value to scholars interested in battles and life on the plains.
Extent
2 Linear feet (3 boxes, 1 map folder)
Date
1922-1971
bulk 1922-1935
Archival Repository
National Anthropological Archives
Identifier
NAA.1976-105
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Citation
Thomas Bailey Marquis papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Processing Information
Processed by Alex Brown, July 2023
Rights
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Scope and Contents
The Thomas Bailey Marquis papers comprise material related to the Custer Battle Museum and the Native people with whom Marquis interacted. Included are museum visitors' registers, inventories of museum artifacts, photographic displays, certificates of artifact authenticity, and newspaper clippings. There are also contracts delineating the disposition of museum artifacts by Marquis' heirs and a 1917 census of the Northern Cheyenne with extensive annotations. Photographs include snapshots of many of the Cheyenne people inteviewed by Marquis, as well as some landscapes and structures at Lame Deer. Finally, Marquis' papers contain numerous drawings made by Wooden Leg and Limpy (Cheyenne), along with a collection of maps made by Marquis based on his interviews. Materials relating to Marquis' medical practice were turned over to the United States Army Medical Library and are now housed at the National Library of Medicine. Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Restrictions
Access to the Thomas Bailey Marquis papers requires an appointment.
Related Materials
The National Library of Medicine holds the Thomas B. Marquis papers, 1906-1973, which includes documents related to his publications and his work as a physician, as well as his diary and correspondence.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1661193600889-1661193601511-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw39ebb29e2-0e5d-4e5f-afd2-a8b372ba81d4

In the Collection

  • Special edition of the Billings Gazette featuring George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

  • Copy negatives and associated prints taken from museum displays

  • Custer Battle Museum - Inventories

  • Notes and correspondence

  • Newspaper clippings

  • Drawings by Limpy (Cheyenne)

  • Copy negatives taken from Marquis' manuscripts

  • Custer Battle Museum - Contractual Agreements

  • Drawings by Wooden Leg (Cheyenne)

  • Photographic displays showing primarily Cheyenne individuals, likely from Custer Battle Museum

  • Custer Battle Museum - Photo print consignment documents

  • Copy negatives and associated prints from unknown originals

  • Census of the Northern Cheyenne of Tongue River Agency

  • Custer Battle Museum - Museum display photos and notes

  • Custer Battlefield Museum and National Monument pamphlets

  • Custer Battle Museum - Visitors' Registers

  • School papers and drawings from Crow Indian School

  • Maps

  • Custer Battle Museum - Custer rifle documents

Thomas Bailey Marquis papers
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International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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