CARLI Digital Collections Featured Image: The Castillo

Ralph Fletcher Seymour (1876-1966), a Chicago-based artist noted for his work in the American Southwest and his portrayal of Native American cultures, painted this image of “El Castillo,” one of eight watercolors created ca. 1909 of the ancient Mayan site of Chichen Itza in Mexico. The temple to the god Kukulkan can be seen at the top of the step pyramid.

The Ayer Art Digital Collection contains more than 500 images, hinting at the rich visual material on American Indian history and culture found within the Newberry Library's renowned Edward E. Ayer Collection. Notable among the visual representations of the North American Indian material within the Ayer collection are 1200 red-chalk drawings of western and southwestern Indians by Elbridge A. Burbank; the pencil sketch books of George Catlin; Karl Bodmer's sketches of the Indians of the Northern Plains; ledger books; the Haupt manuscript and sketches of the Chippewas; and a collection of over 3000 photographs of individual Indians.

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