Talk:Peabody Essex Museum

help request
Someone at IP 200.63.254.80 is modifying this content of this article which appears to me, at least, to be more editorial rather than factual. What is the recourse if any to block edits from this IP? Thank you.Moshekaye (talk) 18:20, 15 August 2013 (UTC)


 * I have warned the user in question - let me know if it continues. Thanks, Mdann52 (talk) 19:02, 15 August 2013 (UTC)


 * It looks like stronger measures may be needed as the person just readded the section another time. I "undid" it. Thank you.Moshekaye (talk) 20:01, 15 August 2013 (UTC)

Editors in the area
Hello. Are there any editors in the area of the Peabody Essex Museum who would like to help me get a picture a portrait of Henry Pitman from the Peabody Essex Museum and possibly help me find any information on the portrait itself like date of creation and artist? I am not sure 100% sure if his portrait is even there but I am hypothesizing this base on the fact his mother Kinooleoliliha's portrait is there. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.--KAVEBEAR (talk) 04:07, 25 June 2014 (UTC)


 * Hey KAVEBEAR, I work at PEM. I can pass on your request and see if there's anything in the collection. Where'd you find the image you posted? Erodley (talk) 20:59, 25 June 2014 (UTC)


 * I am not positive it is there. It is only a hunch or guess base on the fact his mother's portrait is in the museum and the similiar style it was executed with. I found the image of Pitman in this site hawaiisonsofthecivilwar, which talks about the Native Hawaiians who served in the Civil War and a documentary a group is creating about them. Henry is also called Timothy Henry Hoʻolulu Pitman on his family's grave marker in the Mount Auburn Cemetery here, so searching for a Timothy or Henry Pitman might help. He was half-white half-Hawaiian and served in the Massachusetts color regiment in the war and died at Libby Prison. His father was Benjamin Pitman, his brother was also a Benjamin Pitman, they were businessmen in the Massachusetts and Boston area during the 19th century, who lived briefly in Hawaii, and his sister was a Mary Pitman, although she moved back to Hawaii in later life. And searching Pittman might also help since I have seen the family's surname spell like that before too. I know how strict museums usually are about copyrights of the images they own; wikimedia usually bases it on the artist's copyright instead. If the musuem does have it, I just need to find out 1. who painted the image, 2. if the Musuem has it on display or if they have it on record/storage, and 3. what is the title of the piece and any descriptions that may come from records or a display plaque. If the Museum doesn't possess it, does the museum have any information about other members of the Pitman/Pittman family? Thank you very much!--KAVEBEAR (talk) 21:14, 26 June 2014 (UTC)


 * I think my guess is right! This article in the Honolulu Advertiser says "Portraits of Pitman Spieler's great uncle and his parents are part of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. Mass." — Preceding unsigned comment added by KAVEBEAR (talk • contribs) 23:45, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

I'll see what I can find for you. Hang in there. Erodley (talk) 02:39, 27 June 2014 (UTC)


 * Thanks! Keep me updated.--KAVEBEAR (talk) 05:12, 27 June 2014 (UTC)


 * How has the search been Erodley? --KAVEBEAR (talk) 06:46, 7 July 2014 (UTC)

Hey Finally had some luck. According the records, there is a portrait of Mary Ann and Henry Ho'olulu, children of Benjamin Pitman by an unknown artist, accession #M12774. There are also portraits of Benjamin Pitman, no #s yet. I'll see if I can locate images. Erodley (talk) 16:04, 13 October 2014 (UTC)


 * and any user within the area, can you please locate and upload a better version of the portrait of Henry Hoolulu Pitman for his article?--KAVEBEAR (talk) 04:19, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

New Material for the "Collections" Section
Text provided by Gilaziel (talk) 04:53, 24 July 2015

African Art
The Peabody Essex Museum's collection of African art includes approximately 3,600 objects as of 2014. The acquisition of these works began in the early 19th century, as members of the East India Marine Society collected objects from West and sub-Saharan Africa. These objects include ceremonial masks, pottery, woven baskets, and a significant collection of Ethiopian art—particularly Christian icons and metalwork, many of which are based in the traditions of Byzantine art. In 1812, Salem became the headquarters of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, which went on to establish missions throughout the continent. These missions facilitated trade, particularly with the Zulu in South Africa, and contributed significantly to the growth of the collection.

American Art
PEM's extensive collection of American art includes over 1,000 portraits, among them works by John Singer Sargent, Fitz Henry Lane, and James Bard. Furniture, folk art, and needlework are also prominent features of the collection. The museum's New England heritage has brought it an especially large array of decorative arts from the Northeastern United States. Many of these objects were initially collected by the Essex Institute, which was dedicated to preserving the cultural and physical history of Essex County.

Chinese Art
The museum's collection of Chinese art, which includes over 6,000 objects, features contemporary and ancient works as well as works by minority nationalities within China. . Ceramics, textiles, and calligraphy comprise the bulk of the collection, which began in the 18th century with exports acquired by New England traders. Even before the founding of the East India Marine Society, missionaries such as Reverend William Bentley were collecting sculptures, fans, and other pieces that would form the foundation of the museum's collection. The largest piece in the collection is the Yin Yu Tang House, a late 18th century home from the Anhui province of China. This house, constructed during the Qing Dynasty, was acquired by Nancy Berliner, at the time PEM's curator of Chinese art and culture, before being taken apart and reassembled in Salem.

Indian Art
The Peabody Essex Museum's collection of Indian art includes over 5,000 objects. It also possess numerous works of Tibetan and Nepalese origins, along with perhaps the most important collection of contemporary Indian art outside of India. PEM's Herwitz Gallery, opened in 2003 and named to honor art collectors Chester and Davida Herwitz, is the first American museum gallery dedicated to modern Indian art. PEM's collection spans a wide array of eras and mediums, forming a detailed record of India's artistic transformations during colonial rule and its aftermath. As PEM's ex-curator of South Asia and Korean Art Susan S. Bean observes, "the global development of industrial production brought machine woven textiles, printed images, and photography into competition with handlooms, sculpture, and painting," all of which are art forms well represented throughout PEM's collection.

Japanese Art
Featuring approximately 18,300 objects, PEM's collection of Japanese art began with the museum's inception in 1799. Its collections of work from the Edo Period and Meiji Period are particularly robust, featuring armor, sculpture, painted scrolls, furniture, and more. Much of the collection has its origins in the travels of Edward S. Morse, the third director of the museum, who acquired many pieces over the course of three trips to Japan. Morse also helped raise interest in Japanese art in Massachusetts and New England: as Midori Oka states, Morse was "instrumental in influencing the area intellectuals and connoisseurs to turn their interests to Japanese art."

Korean Art
The Peabody Essex Museum has approximately 1,800 pieces of Korean art in its collection, including ceramics, textiles, and painted screens. The collection began in 1883, as the result of collaboration between museum director Edward Sylvester Morse and Korean scholar Yu Kil-chun, who was a member of the first official Korean delegation to the United States. Much of the collection is comprised of art of the Joseon Dynasty, which occupied the transitional period between the traditional Korean empire and modernity. Many of the pieces in the collection, particularly those from the Joseon period, display the centrality of art in the habits, rituals, and ceremonies of everyday Korean life. As ex-PEM curator Susan S. Bean observes, art objects were "essential to the conduct of social life because they conveyed values, fulfilled wishes, provided access to deities and ancestors, taught lessons and conferred prestige."

Maritime Art
By the end of the 18th century, coinciding with the museum's 1799 founding, Salem was one of the nation's most prosperous seaports, and extensive trading of furs, spices, dyes, and other goods brought much wealth to the region. This long legacy of trade contributed greatly to the foundation and growth of PEM's maritime art collection, which is among the finest of its kind in the country. The collection includes over 50,000 objects, including paintings, model ships, scrimshaw, and more. Many diverse styles and periods of maritime art are on display in the collection, from navigational tools such as sextants to modern marine art, which addresses "nostalgic themes" and represents "the seafaring life of previous times." One significant feature of the currently installed collection is a recreation of a room in Cleopatra's Barge, an opulent yacht which was built by Salem's Crowninshield family and eventually became the royal yacht of King Kamehameha II.

Native American Art
PEM's collection of Native American art includes over 20,000 objects, spanning a wide variety of tribal affiliations and time periods. The collection includes masks, textiles, jewelry, clothing, sculpture, and more, along with many pieces by contemporary Native American artists such as Frank Day and Kay WalkingStick. The origins of PEM's collection can be traced to even before the museum's 1799 founding: the maritime fur trade, as well as the trading of iron to local tribes, made the exchange of art objects a frequent occurrence. As Richard Conn writes, "in some cases, objects of considerable importance were given by their native owners as gifts to their European trading partners. The intent here was probably to enhance the trading relationship and to insure that the Yankee or British ship would return next year with more iron."

Oceanic Art
Featuring objects from over 36 different groups of islands in Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia, the Peabody Essex Museum's collection of Oceanic art contains over 15,000 objects in total. These objects, consisting of sculptures, weapons, clothing, and more, include pieces made from traditional Oceanic materials such as porpoise teeth, abalone, and human hair. Also worth noting is the museum's particularly substantial collection of Hawaiian art, which includes over 5,000 objects. While Salem had little direct trade with Hawaii during the 18th and 19th centuries, regional trade and donations from prominent sea captains led to the acquisition of many significant pieces, including some associated with Kamehameha I and James Cook.

Photography
PEM's collection of photography is its largest single collection by number of objects, featuring over 850,000 images. The collection began in 1840, just one year after the invention of photography. It includes work by pioneering photographers such as William Henry Fox Talbot and Antoine Claudet. It also features a collection of rare Civil War photographs by Matthew Brady, one of the first American photographers. The collection has a vast variety of subjects and styles, from records of native life in the Philippines to photographs by Walker Evans which document the Great Depression.

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Updates to 200s-2010s section
Hi all,

I added announcements and citations for the retirement of the previous director, hiring of the current director, and date of the opening of the new building. I think that should address the concern of the section needing updated information. Erodley (talk) 13:58, 8 August 2019 (UTC)