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Terry Brykczynski and Andrea Miller Collection Relating to Parrots

An inventory of their collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: DTF
Date: 17 Jun 2024

Biographical History

Parrots, scientifically known as Psittaciformes, have been domesticated for thousands of years, first documented in Brazil 5,000 years ago. Their primary places of origin are South America, Central America, Australasia, and India, but they were transported to Europe as early as 327 B.C. when Alexander the Great conquered India. Parrots are prized for their intelligence, vocal recall, and colorful feathers. They are currently at risk of extinction due to the pet trade, hunting, and loss of habitat.

Terry Brykczynski and Andrea Miller are wildlife conservationists dedicated to preventing the extinction of vulnerable animals. Their work with animals led to a fascination with parrots. According to Brykczynski via email, parrots "are unique among animals in that their genetic adaptations have made them prone to form extraordinarily deep emotional bonds with people and are responsible for a long and incredibly rich history…but the parrot’s time frame may be ending, unfortunately, as their numbers steadily decrease.” Because of this concern, Brykczynski and Miller collected a large variety of materials documenting the relationship between parrots and humans.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Terry Brykczynski and Andrea Miller Collection Relating to Parrots consists of ephemera, photographs, postcards, printed materials, subject files, and miscellaneous materials. All materials depict parrots in or on them.

Donor files contains price listings of parrot images sold in online auctions and a thumb drive with an inventory of the collection.

Ephemera contains cigar labels, collectable cards (primarily cigarette cards), matchbooks, matchbox labels, postage stamps, and poster stamps. While some cigarette cards feature only illustrations of parrots, many also provide factual information about them.

Photographs consists of photographs of parrots, in many cases accompanied by or interacting with humans. Formats include autochrome, daguerreotypes, negatives, glass plates, prints, stereoscopic photos, and tintypes. A description with one of the daguerreotypes describes it as being one of the first photographs of a parrot.

Postcards contain illustrative and photographic postcards. They are a mix of black and white and color images. Included those from many countries, primarily those in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australasia.

Printed materials contains articles and chapters, books, branded images, catalogs and bulletins, comic books, die cuts, illustrations, magazines, newspaper clippings, pages from books and magazines, recipe cards, and sheet music. The books are primarily guides on caring for parrots or children's books featuring parrots. The articles, chapters, and magazines contain imagery depicting parrots. The newspaper clippings relate to Paula and Polly, a performance act in which Polly the parrot sings like a human.

Subject files contains files on Arnott’s Biscuits Limited, a company that has a parrot in their logo, and Yvette Dare, a burlesque dancer who included a parrot in her act.

Miscellaneous includes an assortment of everyday items that have images of parrots. Some items include bridge score cards, greeting cards, and playing cards.

Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is arranged alphabetically within each series by type or format.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus. Access to recordings requires advance notice to produce a use copy.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

Brykczynski, Terry.
Miller, Andrea.

Subjects

Parrots -- Pictorial works.
Parrots in art.

Genres and Forms

Advertisements.
Cigarette cards.
Clippings (information artifacts).
Comic books.
Daguerreotypes (photographs).
Greeting cards.
Mail order catalogs.
Matchbooks.
Photographic plates.
Photographs.
Postcards.
Stereoscopic photographs.
Tintypes (photographs).
USB flash drives.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Terry Brykczynski and Andrea Miller Collection Relating to Parrots,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Terry Brykczynski and Andrea Miller, 2024.

Table of Contents

Donor records

Ephemera

Photographs

Postcards

Printed Materials

Subject files

Miscellaneous

Inventory