Overlooking Central Park, the AMNH has a collection of almost 300 films that have been catalogued and transferred to a viewable analog video or digital format. A significant proportion of these were shot in the 1920s and 1930s when the AMNH itself sponsored hundreds of expeditions across the globe. Though the majority of these concerned natural history more generally, they may also include sequences of ethnographic interest. The collection also contains a rather eclectic group of other early ethnographic films made by third parties. Films have to be viewed on site at the Museum, following the submission of a formal Request for Access.
https://www.amnh.org/our-research/research-library/special-collections/collections/moving-image-collection
A Resource for the Study of Early Ethnographic Film
