This Philadelphian was the most famous anthropologist of her time. Who was she?

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This Philadelphian was the most famous anthropologist of her time. Who was she?

2014-12-12 12:35

Answer: Margaret Mead

Prior to her work in Samoa and later numerous museums including the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Maragaret Mead spent her formative years mostly in Bucks County. She was born in Philadelphia in 1901 to University of Pennsylvania Professor Edward S. Mead and Emily Fogg, a sociologist. In 1912, the family moved to a farm called "Longland," in Buckingham Township, Bucks County. Mead left for Samoa in 1925, and the family sold the property a year later.

Mead became known for her book titled Coming of Age in Samoa (1928) about her experiences in the country and with its peoples. She also authored several other works on race and primitive cultures. Despite the fact that Mead's work took her far away from Pennsylvania, she remained attached to her Bucks County homestead and often returned to the area to give lectures and visit friends.  Mead died in 1978.

HSP's Philadelphia Record photograph morgue (#V07) contains images of Mead with villagers of Samoa. Additionally, we possess microfilmed copies of some of her records from the Columbia University Research in Contemporary Cultures Projects held in full by the Library of Congress, and in our library is a book by Mead titled A Rap on Race (call number E185.61.M48).

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