Research

Scope and Content Note

The series consists of a collection of photographic prints and negatives used to illustrate an article titled "Small Conoidal Shells of Uncertain Affinities" written by the then State Paleontologist Dr. Donald W. Fisher. The article deals with the fossil creatures tentaculitids, among others, and appears in the "Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part W." That massive treatise was compiled in the late 1970s and remained the standard reference work in the field for the next 20 years. Dr. Fisher's article proposed a classification of these creatures. Although many of Dr. Fisher's conclusions have been superseded and the taxonomy revised, his article was seminal for its time.

The negatives and prints are examples of tentaculitids found throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Antarctica. Some are photographs of line drawings or bookplates from published collections. All are black-and-white, and most of the prints measure 3 1/2 x 5 inches.