Henry Field
Encyclopedia
Henry Field was an American anthropologist.
Henry Field was born in Chicago
. He was a great nephew of the merchant Marshall Field
and a great nephew of Barbour Lathrop
. Field grew up at Baggrave Hall, Hungarton, Leicestershire, England and he was educated at Sunningdale
, Eton
, and Oxford
(B.A., 1925; M.A., 1930; D.Sc., 1937).
After being awarded his B.A., Field moved back to Chicago in 1925 to begin working for the Field Museum of Natural History
in Chicago as assistant curator of physical anthropology. Field's first participation in an expedition was in the University of Oxford/Field Museum excavation of Kish
. His work included 5000 photographs of the excavations and portraits of the modern villagers. Beginning in the late 1920's the Field Museum began planning for the upcoming Chicago World's Fair. Field supervised the creation of two permanent exhibitions. The "Hall of Prehistoric Man" had nine full-size dioramas of early life augmented by artifacts collected by Field. The "Hall of the Races of Mankind" had over 100 full sized sculptures of different races by the renowned sculptor Malvina Hoffman
. The exhibitions were ready on time for the opening of the fair, the Century of Progress
, on 30 May 1933. In 1934 Field was promoted to Head Curator of physical anthropology. One important acquisition Field made for the Museum was "Magdalenian Girl
" which is still today on display and remains the most complete Upper Paleolithic skeleton available for study in North America. Field went back to Iraq in 1934 and made anthropometic
surveys of Marsh Arabs
, Shammar bedouins
, and Kurds.
In 1941, just before America's entry into the Second World War, Field was asked to be the "Anthropologist to the President" by president Roosevelt and to be a member of the Special Intelligence Unit of the White House to direct a top-secret “M” ("M" for migration) project. The President believed that refugee migration and re-settlement in areas where they would be given asylum and be able to thrive would be one of the biggest issues of the post-war era. He wanted Field to look at under-populated areas in North Africa and the Middle East as possible sites for their resettlement. Over 600 studies were produced. Complete sets are held in several libraries including the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
at Hyde Park, NY and the University of Miami.
Field was a Research Fellow at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
at Harvard University from 1950 to 1969. He later moved to Coconut Grove, Florida and taught at the University of Miami
beginning in 1966. The Special Collections department of the University of Miami library holds 35 boxes of the papers of Henry Field relating to the "M" project and several archaeology expeditions. In 2004-2005 The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University put on an exhibition titled Field Photography, 1934, The Marsh Arabs
of Iraq. This consisted of photographs taken during the Field Museum's Near East Expedition led by Henry Field in 1934. The world's attention was focused on the Marsh Arabs when Saddam Hussein began a genocide against these people in 1991 but after the end of the Iraq War they have begun coming back.
Henry Field was born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He was a great nephew of the merchant Marshall Field
Marshall Field
Marshall Field was founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores.-Life and career:...
and a great nephew of Barbour Lathrop
Barbour Lathrop
Thomas Barbour Lathrop was an American philanthropist and world traveler. He was born in Alexandria, Virginia.Lathrop was a grandson of Governor James Barbour of Virginia. He studied at the University of Bonn and Harvard University...
. Field grew up at Baggrave Hall, Hungarton, Leicestershire, England and he was educated at Sunningdale
Sunningdale School
Sunningdale School is a family-run boys' preparatory independent school of around 100 pupils, situated in Sunningdale in Berkshire, close to London, England.-Introduction:...
, Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, and Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
(B.A., 1925; M.A., 1930; D.Sc., 1937).
After being awarded his B.A., Field moved back to Chicago in 1925 to begin working for the Field Museum of Natural History
Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It sits on Lake Shore Drive next to Lake Michigan, part of a scenic complex known as the Museum Campus Chicago...
in Chicago as assistant curator of physical anthropology. Field's first participation in an expedition was in the University of Oxford/Field Museum excavation of Kish
Kish (Sumer)
Kish is modern Tell al-Uhaymir , and was an ancient city of Sumer. Kish is located some 12 km east of Babylon, and 80 km south of Baghdad ....
. His work included 5000 photographs of the excavations and portraits of the modern villagers. Beginning in the late 1920's the Field Museum began planning for the upcoming Chicago World's Fair. Field supervised the creation of two permanent exhibitions. The "Hall of Prehistoric Man" had nine full-size dioramas of early life augmented by artifacts collected by Field. The "Hall of the Races of Mankind" had over 100 full sized sculptures of different races by the renowned sculptor Malvina Hoffman
Malvina Hoffman
Malvina Hoffman , was an American sculptor and author, well known for her life-size bronze sculptures of people...
. The exhibitions were ready on time for the opening of the fair, the Century of Progress
Century of Progress
A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation...
, on 30 May 1933. In 1934 Field was promoted to Head Curator of physical anthropology. One important acquisition Field made for the Museum was "Magdalenian Girl
Magdalenian Girl
Magdalenian Girl is the common name for a skeleton of an early modern human dating from 13,000 to 11,000 BCE, in the Magdalenian period. The remains were discovered in 1911 in southwestern France in the Cap Blanc rock shelter, and since 1926 have been in the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. It...
" which is still today on display and remains the most complete Upper Paleolithic skeleton available for study in North America. Field went back to Iraq in 1934 and made anthropometic
Anthropometry
Anthropometry refers to the measurement of the human individual...
surveys of Marsh Arabs
Marsh Arabs
The Marsh Arabs , also known as the Maʻdān , are inhabitants of the Tigris-Euphrates marshlands in the south and east of Iraq and along the Iranian border....
, Shammar bedouins
Shammar
The tribe of Shammar is one of the largest tribes of Nejd-Saudi Arabia, with an estimated 1 million in Iraq, over 2.5 million in Saudi Arabia , a Kuwaiti population of around 100,000, a Syrian population is thought to exceed 1 million and with an unknown number in Jordan...
, and Kurds.
In 1941, just before America's entry into the Second World War, Field was asked to be the "Anthropologist to the President" by president Roosevelt and to be a member of the Special Intelligence Unit of the White House to direct a top-secret “M” ("M" for migration) project. The President believed that refugee migration and re-settlement in areas where they would be given asylum and be able to thrive would be one of the biggest issues of the post-war era. He wanted Field to look at under-populated areas in North Africa and the Middle East as possible sites for their resettlement. Over 600 studies were produced. Complete sets are held in several libraries including the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, New York is the first presidential library built in the United States. It was conceived and built under the direction of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt from 1939 to 1940.- History :...
at Hyde Park, NY and the University of Miami.
Field was a Research Fellow at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is a museum affiliated with Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.Founded in 1866, the Peabody Museum is one of the oldest and largest museums focusing on anthropological material, and is particularly strong in New World ethnography and...
at Harvard University from 1950 to 1969. He later moved to Coconut Grove, Florida and taught at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
beginning in 1966. The Special Collections department of the University of Miami library holds 35 boxes of the papers of Henry Field relating to the "M" project and several archaeology expeditions. In 2004-2005 The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University put on an exhibition titled Field Photography, 1934, The Marsh Arabs
Marsh Arabs
The Marsh Arabs , also known as the Maʻdān , are inhabitants of the Tigris-Euphrates marshlands in the south and east of Iraq and along the Iranian border....
of Iraq. This consisted of photographs taken during the Field Museum's Near East Expedition led by Henry Field in 1934. The world's attention was focused on the Marsh Arabs when Saddam Hussein began a genocide against these people in 1991 but after the end of the Iraq War they have begun coming back.
Publications (partial)
- 1935. Arabs of Central Iraq, Their History, Ethnology and Physical Characteristics. Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History.
- 1939. Contributions to the Anthropology of Iran. Chicago: Field Museum Press. 2 vols. Available as an e-book on the Internet Archive.
- 1948. Contributions to the Anthropology of the Soviet Union. Washington, DC.: Smithsonian Institution.
- 1949. The anthropology of Iraq. Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History.
- 1952. The Track of Man. New York: Doubleday. Reissued as a mass market paperback, revised and abridged by the author in 1967 by Dell, New York.
- 1952. Contributions to the anthropology of the Faiyum, Sinai, Sudan [and] Kenya. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
- 1956. Ancient and Modern Man in Southwestern Asia. Coral Gables: University of Miami Press.
- 1959. An Anthropological Reconnaissance in West Pakistan, 1955. Cambridge, MA: Peabody Museum.