Primates Gallery
The photographs of primates exhibited here were collected in the
Congo basin from 1909-1915 by the AMNH-sponsored American Museum
Congo Expedition.
While one of the main goals of the Lang-Chapin Expedition was
to gather physical specimens from the Congo for return to the Museum
for study and display, the collection of photographic images in
the field was also a major objective. The photographic technology
of the day required the use of large glass plate negatives with
slow film speeds. Thus, it was extremely difficult for expedition
members to photograph Congo species, especially fast-moving primates,
without capturing them first.
Photographs of this type provided permanent records of the appearance
and major characteristics of individual specimens that would have
been difficult to acquire by any other means. They were essential
for taxonomy studies of their relationships to one another and to
other primates.
Since 1915, many advances in technology (such as harmless darting,
tagging and remote tracking) have made it possible to use much less
invasive, less destructive methods to observe and study primates.
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