George Ellis Burcaw Papers

George Ellis Burcaw Papers, 1948-1986

Overview of the Collection

Creator: George Ellis Burcaw, 1921-
Title: George Ellis Burcaw Papers
Dates: 1948-1986 (inclusive)
19481986
Quantity: 1 cubic foot
Collection Number: MG340 (collection)
Summary: Student papers, reprints, and correspondence relating to museology and the writings of G. Ellis Burcaw.
Repository: University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
University of Idaho Library
875 Perimeter Drive
MS 2350
Moscow, ID
83844-2350
Telephone: 2088850845
libspec@uidaho.edu
Languages: English
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

George Ellis Burcaw was born July 13, 1921 in Houston, Texas, to George Henry and Mary Elizabeth (Ellis) Burcaw. He received his BA from Maryville College, Tennessee, in 1943 and his MA from the University of Idaho in 1973. From 1946 to 1956 he did post graduate work at the University of Chicago, 1946-1948; the University of Arizona, 1949-1950; the University of Paris, 1951-1952; the University of Wisconsin, 1956, and the University of Pennsylvania, 1960.

He was museum director of the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin from 1952-1958, chief curator of the Commercial Museum, Philadelphia, 1958-1962, and curator of state museums in Colorado, 1962-1966. In 1966 he came to the University of Idaho where he was director of the museum and professor of museology and anthropology until his retirement in 1988 to Tucson, Arizona. His publications include Introduction to Museology, 1972; Introduction to Museum Work, 1975; Museum Training Courses in the United States and Canada, 1971; and The Saxon House: a Cultural Index in European Ethnography, 1973, 1979.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The papers of G. Ellis Burcaw span the years 1948 to 1986, with the bulk of the material covering the years 1977 to 1981. Included are student papers, reprints of articles on the various components of museology, and a collection of post cards of both European and American architectural sites. The student papers were removed from three ring binders, but many of the articles were left in paper binders. Because of the limited amount of material in this collection no series designations were made.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

The papers of George Ellis Burcaw were donated the University of Idaho library in August 1988.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1/1	Museology student papers, index 1 item	1978
1/2	Volume I 4 items	1977-1978
1/3-4	Volume II 10 items	1977-1978
1/5	Museology 402 student papers, index to volume I: Conservation 1 item	1979
1/6	Textiles, Ceramics 4 items	1977-1979
1/7	Animals/Animal products, Paper, Paintings 6 items	1977-1979
1/8	Wood, Iron 5 items	1977-1979
1/9	Photographs/Photography, Miscellaneous 5 items	1977-1979
1/10	Museology 402 student papers, index to volume II 1 item	1981
1/11	Cataloging/Registration, Collections, Fraud 6 items	1977-1981
1/12	Security 3 items	1977-1981
1/13	Burcaw, G. Ellis. "The designing of a building to house a museum" 1 item	1948
1/14-15	Reprints and photocopies of articles on museology 48 items	1968-1974
1/16	Articles on preservation materials 4 items	ca. 1972
1/17	Articles on the preservation of basketry, leather, metals, pottery, wood, textiles 19 items	1951-1981
1/18	Articles on general conservation, examination, and supplies 26 items	1967-1974
1/19	Articles on photography 21 items	1967-1981
1/20	Articles on the restoration and preservation of leather 1 item	1969
1/21	Articles on exhibits 1 item	1964-1973
1/22	Museum News: Technical supplements 1 item	1964-1969
1/23	Correspondence 20 items	1962-1986
1/24	The J. Paul Getty Museum 1 item	1974-1978
1/25	Northwest coast Indian masks 1 item	1974
1/26	Post cards 22 items	undated
1/27	Other material 25 items	1965-1981

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