237. [Wilkie Brothers Foundation - Louis S.B. Leakey]. Important collection of correspondence, typed transcripts, photographs, project proposals and published articles from the 1950s through the 1980s by several of the most important primate field researchers, written to Leighton and/or Robert Wilkie of the Wilkie Brothers Foundation discussing primate research in Africa. Condition varies; overall, in fine condition.

Important Wilkie Brothers Foundation primatology archive containing letters, photographs and documents from top researchers such as Louis Leakey and Birute Galdikas, discussing gorilla, orangutan and chimpanzee field studies from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Highlights include:
Archive of documents concerning Louis Leakey and Birute Galdikas’ Orangutan research in Indonesia, including: Louis Leakey (3) typed letters signed, from Nairobi, Kenya, 19 November 1969 through 20 December 1971, written to Leighton Wilkie, on “National Museum Centre for Prehistory and Paleontology” letterhead; typed manuscript signed by Leakey, [1969], 3 pages, describing his proposal for Galdikas’ orangutan research project; Birute Galdikas (7) typed letters signed, to Robert and Leighton Wilkie, from Los Angeles, Burnaby, British Columbia, Indonesia, 3 December 1970 through 1 May 1984, twenty pages, several on onionskin, describing the progress of her research—including her discovery that orangutans are not exclusively arboreal—along with black & white and color photos of Galdikas at Camp Leakey, Camp Wilkie and among the orangutans she studied; George B. Schaller. April-May 1960. (2) typed letters signed from Schaller to L.A. Wilkie. Vernon Reynolds. 1962. The original proposal by Dr. A. Kortlandt to put Vernon Reynolds into the field for a proposed chimpanzee project. Proposal submitted to Wilkie and signed by Dr. Kortlandt. (3) typed letters signed with good content about Reynolds’ field studies. (1) large black-and-white photograph of a chimpanzee from his studies in its natural habitat, which is presented to Wilkie by Reynolds and signed on verso. Also (18) smaller habitat photos from Reynolds’ field studies, type-captioned on back by him. Also three published articles by Reynolds, two of which are signed presentation copies to Wilkie. M.W. Baumgartel. Travelers’ Rest. 1957-60. Camp Kisoro, Uganda. (7) long and informative letters from Walter Baumgartel, owner of Travelers’ Rest Safari Camp in Kisoro, Uganda. Letters encourage research opportunities at this area, the last stronghold of the mountain gorilla. Also included are copies provided to Wilkie of letters written to Raymond Dart and file copies of Wilkie’s answers to Baumgartel. There is a copy of an article in Uganda Wild Life and Sport entitled “Playing Host to Gorillas” as well as other associated items, most notable an envelope containing many pertinent photographs of gorillas and the local environs. Dr. Adriaan Kortlandt. 1959-65. (8) letters from Dr. Kortlandt, written to Leighton Wilkie, soliciting his help and describing proposed projects dealing with chimpanzees. All with great and detailed content. Also includes copies of his letters to Dart and Leakey, numerous study proposals, articles and reports-an extensive archive of his association with Leighton Wilkie. Letter dated 21 January 1964 includes a rare Pygmy knife as a gift to Wilkie.

Also included are certain letters or small groups of letters of note as follows:

Niels Bolwig. 1959. (2) TLSs from Bolwig, two article offprints (one is a presentation copy), office copy of Wilkie’s answer to him. Jill Donisthorpe. Gorilla Project, Birunga Volcanoes, 1957. (2) letters (one TLS, one ALS), to Wilkie from Donisthorpe. (2) letters (one TLS, one ALS) to Wilkie from Raymond Dart concerning same project. Dart has also provided Wilkie a long (54-page) report on gorilla studies by Donisthorpe that was typed and illustrations hand-copied by his secretaries. Included also is an original manuscript typed with hand corrections (13 pages) about Donisthorpe’s work by an unspecified author entitled “Aren’t These Brutes Dangerous.” Lastly a copy of an article by Donisthorpe published in the East African Annual 1957-58 entitled “Getting to Know the Gorillas.” Included with this article are (2) original photographs from her of gorillas in their natural habitat. Henry W. Nissen. Yerkes Laboratories of Primate Biology. 1957. (2) typed letters signed by Nissen. Also included are four reprints of journal articles by Nissen concerning chimpanzees. A letter to Wilkie from Sherry Washburn dated 6 May 1957 in which he suggests a chimpanzee research wherein chimps would be surgically altered to limit them to a bipedal posture for the purpose of subsequent study of free-handed tool use. (3) letters from Ursula Rahm of the Institute voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek in Central Africa. Letters discuss the filming of primates in their natural habitats for a film being sponsored and made by the Wilkie Brothers Foundation. She discusses the mountain gorilla film in her letter dated 21 March 1965. (3) very curious letters from Charles Cordier, dated June, August and September 1960. Cordier was a professional animal collector for zoos, and contacted Wilkie with stories of a supposed relict Australopithecus. His letters suggest that he might trap one for Wilkie in the jungles of the Congo. His letters relate various stories of sightings of what he calls Congopithecus, and Wilkie sent him $300.00 to catch one. Copy of a field diary kept by Wilkie during February-March 1960 as he traveled through primate habitat in Africa. Report entitled “Opportunities and Needs for Field Research on the Biology of Primates,” New York Zoological Society, December, 1959.

Also included are:
(2) Kodachrome photographs of gorillas in their natural habitat sent to Wilkie by George Schaller; a copy of M.W. Baumgartel’s 1956 report on Gorillas in their natural habitat; a typed copy of a field diary kept by Leighton Wilkie during a 1960 African expedition; a 16mm reel of film, “Mountain Gorilla,” produced by Wilkie; and a small hand-made knife identified as “a rare Pygmy knife,” gift from Adriaan Kortlandt.

(15) Black-and-white and color photographs of Galdikas and orangutans at Camp Leakey; photocopy of Galdikas’ 1978 dissertation; offprints of several scholarly articles, many inscribed to Wilkie by Galdikas. Nairobi; Los Angeles; Burnaby, British Columbia; Indonesia, 1969-1984. Variety of formats, mostly typing paper and legal paper. $20,000 - $30,000