The Anthropology Collection

image of world culture gallery displays

Get exclusive access and benefits for the entire year with a membership.

Help support our mission in bringing engaging opportunities for all.

Bring your talents and time to our team through volunteering.

THE ACADEMY

The Putnam Museum and Science Center was originally established on December 14, 1867, as the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences.  The private collections of Barler, Tiffany, Eads, Sheldon, Riepe and Pratt formed the basis of the newly-minted Academy’s collection. In addition, Mrs. Alfred Sanders contributed her recently-deceased husband’s cabinet of minerals, fossils and recent shells to the endeavor, and others soon followed her lead.

While an academy of “natural sciences” in name, the Academy almost immediately began collecting historical artifacts as well. Civil War-era and other weapons; confederate and foreign currency; indenture agreements, books, and even a set of burglary tools, found their way into the early museum’s holdings.

Black and white historic exhibits, with rows of glass cases from the original Putnam Museum location.

In 1869, Joseph Duncan Putnam and his mother, Mary Louisa Duncan Putnam (Mrs. Charles E. Putnam), were elected to membership in the Academy. Mrs. Putnam was the first woman elected to regular membership.

Between 1872 and 1874, the Academy moved a number of times, finally taking up residence in a room in the Odd Fellows Building. A year later they rented an additional room there which they quickly filled as well. Through the tireless efforts of Mrs. Putnam, the Academy acquired property at the corner of 7th and Brady streets and raised sufficient funds to build a museum. The new Academy building opened its doors in February, 1878. Mrs. Putnam was later instrumental in the Academy’s acquiring the Presbyterian Church next door to the new museum, doubling its space. 

THE DAVENPORT TABLETS

One of the more controversial anthropological pieces in the collection came into public knowledge around this time. Rev. Jacob Gass, a member of the Academy, had unearthed two engraved slate tablets from an ancient burial mound site southwest of Davenport, Iowa. One tablet depicts a funeral pyre atop a mound with rows of “text” while the other incorporates crude images of animals, including something that looks like an elephant. The discovery fed the debate over the origins of the Mound Builders. Many at that time did not believe that Native Americans could possibly be the descendants of the people responsible for creating the gigantic earthworks found scattered throughout the eastern United States. The tablets were used as evidence to support that belief since there were no known native written languages in the United States.

The nation squared off with some believing the tablets authentic and others believing them frauds. Articles and rebuttals appeared in all the major popular science and archaeological journals of the day. In the end, the Mound Builders were determined to be Native Americans, rather than some lost foreign population, and the tablets a fraud. There is some evidence to suggest that the tablets were created to embarrass Rev. Gass and that the “joke” simply got out of hand.

Whatever their origins, the tablets helped spur a change in archaeological excavating practices. The days of haphazardly opening mounds gave way to a more scientific approach with detailed documentation of both the physical aspects of sites and the objects found during excavations.

Ancient black tablet with white markings, from the Putnam collection

THE COLLECTION EXPANDS

By the end of the 19th century, archeological objects were often being donated by citizens interested in preserving the history of the region and its people. The collections expanded in other directions as well, with gifts received from local world travelers such as C. A. Ficke and members of the Putnam family. Ficke, a Davenport attorney, traveled throughout Mexico and Peru gathering pre-Columbian artifacts. His collection of Nazca pottery was acquired in 1911 when there were only three museums in the world with similar holdings. Ficke also collected widely in Egypt, Italy, Greece, Japan and China, bringing back many artifacts from these civilizations to support the educational opportunities of the museum. 

Red stoneware bowl featuring three bowls connected with an animal head decoration, from the Putnam collection.

In 1914, noted anthropologist Truman Michelson assisted in the acquisition of a collection of Mesquakie (Fox) objects gathered at the Tama Settlement. That same year, Charles J. Beenck donated a large collection of local archaeological material (mostly projectile points). Other Native American collections were donated by Miss Elizabeth Duncan Putnam and William Clement Putnam, including his valuable collection of Native American baskets. Our curatorial team is currently working on returning these objects to generational owners with the help of NAGPRA guidelines.

MISSISSIPPI STEAMBOATS

In 1920, Capt. Walter P. Blair donated his steamboat photograph collection and archives as well as a large wooden eagle carved in 1845 that purportedly adorned the steamship Grey Eagle, commanded by Captain Daniel Smith Harris. The eagle recently underwent extensive conservation and repair at the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC) in Minneapolis. The Museum also acquired the records from the Frances Black General Store, in business from 1830-1890, containing 24 linear-feet of original manuscripts that document the early settlement and steamboating era of the Upper Mississippi.

THE PUBLIC MUSEUM

The Academy changed its name in 1927 to the Davenport Public Museum in recognition of the institution’s development as a “public museum of science, history and art.” Since that time, the Museum has focused its collecting on objects, artifacts and specimens from eastern Iowa and western Illinois. This emphasis on the collections and interests of local citizens has enabled the museum to remain relevant to changing generations while documenting the cultural heritage and environmental history of our unique region. 

JAPANESE FRIENDSHIP DOLLS

In 1927 a series of Friendship Dolls (tôrei-ningyô) were sent to the United States in response to the gift of over 12,000 dolls sent by American children to the children of Japan for the annual March Doll Festival (Hina Matsuri). After traveling the country the friendship dolls were placed with each of the then 48 states. Miss Bernice Ludien, General Secretary of the Young Women’s Christian Association of Davenport, was asked to find a museum to adopt the Iowa doll. In 1929, Miss Hokkaido arrived at the Davenport Public Museum to begin her tenure as Japanese Doll Ambassador to Iowa. A truly international treasure, Miss Hokkaido returned to Japan in 1988 for some much-needed conservation and was reunited in a tour of Japan with 20 of her sister Friendship Dolls.

Collection of Asian artifacts featuring four shiny black boxes with multiple drawers and gold textures and trim.

THE LECLAIRE FAMILY

Furniture, personal items and documents belonging to Davenport pioneer Antoine LeClaire were obtained by the museum in the late 1940s, and additional items and documents associated with Antoine and his wife Marguerite have subsequently been added over time. As recently as 2010, the museum acquired a business agreement between Antoine LeClaire, George L. Davenport and Mr. Norva, dated January 1, 1853, about a brassworks.

THE PALMER FAMILY

In 1961, the museum set the cornerstone for a new building at 12th and Division streets in Davenport. A year after opening, a gift from the B. J. and Mabel H. Palmer Memorial Trust added over 2,000 artifacts and objects to the collection, and a new wing was added to the museum building to house and display the collection. Representing the broad and varied interests of B. J. Palmer, the President of the Palmer School of Chiropractic and internationally recognized as the developer of chiropractic, the donation strengthened established areas of the museum’s collections and provided important documentation on the life and travels of one of the region’s most prominent families. The Palmer bequest included a mummy and the sarcophagus of Isis Neferit (an Egyptian temple chantress), as well as art objects, archaeological, ethnological and natural history material from more than 20 countries. 

Colorful red, blue and gold beaded Egyptian necklace from the Putnam collection.

THE COLLECTION CONTINUES

From the 1960s to the early 1990s, Gene McGreevy presented the museum with a major collection of political memorabilia. From posters to buttons, event tickets to paperweights, the collection encompasses memorabilia from before the Civil War to the mid-1980s. In 1974, a major gift of pre-Columbian gold jewelry and other materials was donated through a bequest from Alice Dodge Schaeffer.

In the early 1990s, Mrs. Dorothy Lundahl donated the personal “toy” collection of Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Lundahl—Mr. Lundahl was the original “Buddy-L.” The collection of over 100 Buddy-L toys includes early designs made at the Moline Pressed Steel Co., as well as some later models from the 1950s and 1960s. The collection was augmented in 1999 and 2000 with the acquisition of a large archive of photographs and documents relating to the toy company from Albert W. McCollough. Finally, in 2010, the museum received a small collection of Buddy-L toys from Mr. and Mrs. Tom Smith that included the last toy produced at the Moline, Illinois, plant, as well as the last toy to be produced by Buddy-L at Neosho, Missouri.

Black and white of 6 young boys from the 1930's with a collection of toy cars, of varying sizes from the Buddy-L toy company.

The Free Photography Studio Collection, acquired in 1998, documents the lives of local residents and significant rites of passage in the Quad Cities during the 1900s in photographs. The museum subsequently was able to acquire one of the studio cameras used at the Free Studio as well. 

THE PUTNAM TODAY

As long-lived companies and institutions succumbed to the realities of late 20th century and early 21st century economics, documenting local businesses became even more important. To this end, the museum has acquired archives and artifacts from local businesses and organizations such as Eagle Foods, the Eagle Signal Corporation and the Telephone Pioneers. 

Other recent efforts have included an emphasis on documenting the cultural diversity of the Quad Cities area. The museum has sought out both historical and modern materials from groups and communities that are/have not been well-represented in the museum’s collections. We are currently collecting oral histories and creating a digital archive of images in an effort to provide a more complete picture of the history of the region, its people and their stories. 

Explore...

Latest News

Upcoming Events

FunBundle Friday
February 7, 2025
All Day
Oceans: Our Blue Planet
February 7, 2025
11:00 am - 11:45 am
Drop-In Fab Lab
February 7, 2025
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Please Note: The Museum & Science Center will be closed for maintenance, cleaning, and updates January 8 -12.

We will resume normal hours on Saturday (1/13). Thank you for your patience, understanding and continued support!

Skip to content