George Thornton Emmons

Who was George Thornton Emmons?

George Thornton Emmons was an ethnographic photographer and a U.S. Navy Lieutenant.

He was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His father was George Foster Emmons.

He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1874. In 1881, he attained the Master rank, Lieutenant J.G. and Lieutenant.

In 1882, Emmons was stationed on the Pinta in Alaska, remaining there through the 1880s and 1890s. The Navy was largely responsible for stability in the region in those times.

Emmons married Kittie Baker in 1886.

Through his duties, Emmons got in contact with, and interested in, the Alaska Native cultures of the region: particularly the Tlingit and Tahltan. He began to record information and collect artifacts as he visited them on his leaves. He was dedicated to learning about native traditions, such Chilkat weaving, bear hunting, feuds, and the potlatch. With his understanding of beliefs and values, and his ethnographer's devotion, he also recorded Tlingit vocabulary. He was assigned to the World's Columbian Exposition to accompany the Alaskan exhibit from 1891–1893.

Emmons retired in 1899 and took on special projects for the federal government.