Overview
This collection contains anthropometrical measurements probably compiled by William Tufts Brigham and William Hale Herrick, contemporaries of Dudley Allen Sargent. William Tufts Brigham (1841-1926), ethnologist, botanist, and geologist, was the first Bernice P. Bishop Museum director in Honolulu, Hawaii. William Hale Herrick (1860-1887) was the Director of the Gymnasium at Lehigh University from 1883 to 1886.
Dates
- Creation: 1880 - 1925
Researcher access
Open for research.
Extent
.22 cubic feet (1 document box)This collection contains anthropometrical measurements probably compiled by William Tufts Brigham and William Hale Herrick, contemporaries of Dudley Allen Sargent. The measurements, including length, height, weight, girth, and strength, assess the physical fitness of Harvard University and Yale University students and other individuals, some of whom are named.
Biographical note on William Tufts Brigham
William Tufts Brigham (1841-1926), ethnologist, botanist, and geologist, was the first Bernice P. Bishop Museum director in Honolulu, Hawaii. Brigham was an early proponent of anthropometry (the science of human measurement) and introduced physical educator Dudley Allen Sargent to dynamometers, devices designed to measure muscle force, strength, and endurance, which Sargent used to develop anthropometric measurement and strength tests for Harvard students. A graduate of Harvard University (AB 1862, MA 1865), Brigham began his career as a teacher at O'ahu College, Hawaii, surveyed the islands' botany in 1864-1865, and explored India and China. After returning to the United States in 1867, Brigham became a lawyer, taught botany at Harvard (1868-1869), and lectured and published books and articles on classical art, volcanology, geology, seismology, and botany. In 1888, Brigham returned to Hawaii, and in 1892, he was appointed the first curator of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, the largest museum in Hawaii. Brigham remained with the museum until his retirement in 1918.
Biographical note on William Hale Herrick
William Hale Herrick (1860-1887) was the Director of the Gymnasium at Lehigh University from 1883 to 1886. Herrick was born in Boxford, Massachusetts, and was the son of Harriet Peabody Herrick and William A. Herrick. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in 1882 and at the urging of Dudley Allen Sargent, Herrick joined the staff at Lehigh University. He died on November 9, 1887, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Biographical note on Dudley Allen Sargent
Dudley Allen Sargent (1849-1924), a physical educator, was the Director of the Hemenway Gymnasium (1879-1919) and Assistant Professor of Physical Training (1879-1889) at Harvard University. Sargent was an inventor of modern gymnasium equipment, a supporter of anthropometry, and a pioneer in advancing physical education in the United States. Sargent applied scientific research to fitness training when physical education was being promoted to improve health and welfare across the country. In his search for the ideal human form, Sargent collected thousands of anthropometric measurements from Harvard undergraduates. More than 10,000 assessments were gathered using Sargent's anthropometric data. Sargent examined hearts, lungs, sight, hearing, and over forty measurements of physical power and body size on students (some of whom were photographed nude). Sargent also developed several tests to measure a man's physical strength including, the Intercollegiate Strength Test (1886), the Universal Test for Strength, Speed, and Endurance (1902), and The Physical Test of Man (1921).
Acquisition Information
Received from the Harvard University Peabody Museum Library, 1980 June 18; Accession 8923.
Inventory update
This document last updated 2022 May 02.
Processing Information
This finding aid was created in August 2021 by Dominic P. Grandinetti.
Titles supplied by the archivist appear in brackets.
Alma ID
99155760156603941
- Title
- Anthropometric measurements, 1880-1925: an inventory
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua67021
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
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