Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Harmon Percy Marble photograph collection, 1911-1924
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Marble, Harmon Percy, 1870-1945
- Title
- Harmon Percy Marble photograph collection
- Dates
- 1911-1924 (inclusive)19111924
- Quantity
- 0.25 linear feet, (1 archives box) : 11 items
- Collection Number
- P1720
- Summary
- Harmon Percy Marble (1870-1945) was a journalist and politician who worked for the United States Office of Indian Affairs (later Bureau of Indian Affairs) from 1911 to 1926. This collection contains 11 sepia-toned prints taken by Marble and depicting Navajo and Pueblo people and Ancestral Puebloan structures.
- Repository
-
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860
Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Harmon Percival "Percy" Marble, also known as H.P. Marble, was born on November 5, 1870 in Table Rock, Nebraska. When he was fourteen, Marble began working in newspapers, and in 1897 he founded the newspaper The Humboldt Leader in Humboldt, Nebraska. In 1900, he married Myrtle Lorena Woolsey; together, they had one child, Zora Fay Marble.
In 1910, Marble was appointed by Nebraska state senators to serve on a commission to evaluate the competency of the Omaha people for self governance. As a result of this experience, Marble sold the newspaper and began working for the United States government's Office of Indian Affairs (later Bureau of Indian Affairs). During the time that Marble worked for the Office of Indian Affairs, the United States' goal for Indigenous (or Native American) people was assimilation (Allotment and assimilation era, 1887-1943), which was pursued through intentional destruction of Indigenous cultures, languages, and communities through policies such as allotment; removal and reeducation of children; and policing.
Marble's first assignment was to the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, followed by the Menominee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin in 1913. Later, Marble worked with the Sioux people at Fort Thompson, South Dakota and the Southern Pueblos in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He retired from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1926. Throughout his work on various reservations, Marble was an avid photographer of Indigenous people, reservations, and surrounding areas.
After Marble retired from the Office of Indian Affairs, the Marbles lived briefly in Long Beach, California, operating a cigar store. In 1926, they moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to be nearer to their daughter and her husband, Archie Grant. In Las Vegas, Marble worked at Grant's Ford car dealership. In 1934, Marble was appointed to the Las Vegas Board of City Commissioners. In 1938, Marble succeeded Leonard Arnett as Mayor of Las Vegas after Arnett abandoned the position. Marble lost his reelection bid to John L. Russell in 1939. Harmon Percy Marble died in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 3, 1945. In 1947, Grant became chairman of Las Vegas' newly-created Housing Authority and was involved in building the city's first low-income housing development, which he named Marble Manor in honor of Harmon Percy Marble.
Sources: Taylor, F. (2014, August 6). One-time Las Vegas mayor documented Native Americans. Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Wikipedia contributors. (2024, February 12). Harmon Percy Marble. Wikipedia.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Harmon Percy Marble photograph collection consists of 1 archives box containing 11 photograph prints dating from 1911 to 1924. The prints are likely Sulphur-toned silver gelatin made on gelatin developing out paper. Ten of the prints are sized 5x7 and one is sized 8x10. Taken by Harmon Percy Marble during his time working as an Indian Agent for the United States government, the images primarily depict Indigenous people (Native Americans), likely Navajo and Pueblo people, and structures built by the Ancient Puebloans.
Some of the photographs have original captions written by pencil on the back. Additional identifications came from Russell Hartman, Senior Collection Manager, Department of Anthropology, California Academy of Science, San Francisco, on the Native American Images website.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Preferred Citation
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Arranged by subject.
Acquisition Information
Purchased from Ken Sanders Rare Books in 2011.
Processing Note
Processed by Special Collections staff.
Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 1 | Pueblo and Navajo
|
1911-1924 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Cliff-dwellings
- Indigenous peoples--North America
- Navajo Indians--Photographs
Personal Names
- Marble, Harmon Percy, 1870-1945
Corporate Names
- Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah
Form or Genre Terms
- gelatin silver prints
Finding aid written by Special Collections staff.
2024
