KUSER ASIATIC (PHEASANT) EXPEDITION PHOTOS
Between 1909 and 1911, Bronx Zoo Ornithology Curator William Beebe led the Kuser Asiatic Expedition. Its purpose was to collect written and visual data on the ecology of the Phasianidae, a family of birds that includes pheasants, junglefowl, and peafowl. Among that visual data were 895 glass slides held today in the WCS Archives. Their primary focus is on the local flora and the wide range of environs that pheasants occupy. Although the majority of the negatives are landscapes, they also include some images of birds, Beebe, his first wife Mary Blair, and local people. The negatives are credited to Beebe; however, it is likely that Blair took some of them, particularly the ones that feature Beebe.
249 glass plate negatives have been digitized and are accessible here. They are also accessible through the collection's finding aid.
These negatives were scanned by Carli Neustadt for a 2025 Pratt Institute Master of Library and Information Science Program internship. The additional negatives will be digitized as opportunities permit.