Whitney South Sea Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History (1920-1941)
The Whitney South Sea Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History was an ornithological expedition originated by Dr. Leonard C. Sanford and funded by Harry Payne Whitney. Their mission was to systematically explore the many islands of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia for previously undiscovered or little-known bird specimens. At the time it was the most expansive ornithological expedition ever conceived, and active field research would last over two decades, from 1920 to 1941. During that span, five men acted as leader, assisted by scores of participants. In addition to bird specimens, botanical and anthropological specimens were also gathered. Participants additionally photographed their regions of exploration, drew maps and kept detailed diaries and notes on their voyages.
The expedition was the brainchild of AMNH trustee Dr. Leonard C. Sanford. He was a surgeon and professor at the Yale University Medical School who was also an avid bird collector and patron of ornithological study (1, p. 90). Sanford envisioned a series of voyages to explore the islands of the South Pacific to collect the area’s little or unknown indigenous ornithological specimens (1, p. 90). As designed, such a methodical and prolonged undertaking would prove to be costly. Sanford recruited his friend, the financier Harry Payne Whitney to act as the expedition’s sponsor. It is unknown what ultimately motivated Whitney to agree; in one report he claims he was ‘hogtied’ by the persuasive Sanford (1, p. 90). Whitney initially contributed $20,000 a year to finance the South Sea expedition for five years, and then continued to support the expedition for another decade (2, p. 2).
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2018-08-14 11:08:53 pm |
Rebecca Morgan |
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2018-08-14 11:08:33 pm |
Rebecca Morgan |
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2018-08-02 10:08:30 pm |
Rebecca Morgan |
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2018-07-10 01:07:52 pm |
Rebecca Morgan |
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2018-07-10 12:07:58 pm |
Jerry Simmons |
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2018-07-09 02:07:25 pm |
Lesley Parilla |
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2018-07-09 02:07:24 pm |
Lesley Parilla |
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