The Edward Sylvester Morse papers consist of personal and professional papers, including diaries, correspondence, research files, drawings, lecture notes, publications, scrapbooks, and manuscripts. They document the numerous and valuable contributions made by Morse to the areas of malacology, zoology, ethnology, archeology, and art history. The range and depth of his interests are reflected in the complexity of the papers. Included are diaries, scrapbooks, correspondence, research files, drawings, manuscripts, publications, and teaching materials. Morse utilized his artistic abilities to illustrate his research as well as daily observations and correspondence. The collection has been arranged into fifteen series. Materials are primarily in English, though there is a large quantity of Japanese materials, and a small amount of Chinese, German, and French material.

Series I. Correspondence consists of family, general, and professional correspondence dating from 1853 to 1925. The majority of correspondence located in scrapbooks and elsewhere in the collection has been photocopied and integrated in this series. Particularly fragile correspondence has not been photocopied and may be found in the Scrapbooks series (III).

Correspondence between Morse and John M. Gould offers a rich account of their long friendship. The letters form a continuous, detailed and intimate record which is interrupted only during the period of Gould's enlistment in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Morse was instrumental in introducing prominent collectors to Japanese art and culture as is revealed in correspondence between Morse and William Sturgis Bigelow, Ernest Francisco Fenollosa, and Charles Goddard Weld. Through his influence and encouragement, Morse contributed to the systematic preservation of Japanese material culture and oriental art history.

Series II. Diaries covers the years 1856-1913, and includes travel diaries from Japan and Europe. All the diaries are extensively illustrated.

The journal which he kept from 1856 to 1863 provides an excellent record of Morse's years as a student and assistant to Louis Agassiz. Of interest are humorous sketches of members of the "Agassiz Zoological Club," an informal organization formed by Morse and his fellow students. In his entry of January 1, 1860, Morse notes his academic improvements over the past year and dedicates the remainder of his life to the pursuit of scientific knowledge.

The displacement of Japan's feudal culture by western modernization is documented in the journal kept by Morse during his 1882 ethnological expedition to the Orient. His copious notes and abundant sketches were used to produce books on Japanese architecture and customs, the most notable being his 1917 publication Japan Day by Day.

Series III. Scrapbooks was compiled and organized by Margarette M. Brooks, Morse's secretarial assistant from 1878 until 1925. Items in books titled "Personal Notices" include photographs, sketches, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and memorabilia. Brooks continued to update the scrapbooks during Morse's absences with materials sent to her from Japan and Europe. Some reprints of publications not found in the Publications series (VIII) may be found in this series.

Series IV. Natural History includes notebooks of Morse's boyhood shell cabinet, school essays, lecture notes from Harvard College, illustrations produced for conchologist William G. Binney, extensive notes and sketches relating to mollusca, and research for a proposed textbook entitled Zoology of New England. Included are secondary research materials collected by Morse and filled with his notes. Of interest is a memorandum dated January 14, 1871, in which Morse states his disagreement with Agassiz on the classification of brachiopoda and Darwinian evolutionary theory.

Series V. Archeology Field Work documents Morse's work at the Omori Shell Mound. Included are an abundance of sketches and detailed drawings of pottery fragments, extensive notes on his findings, and secondary source research materials. There is also a folder of undated sketches of aboriginal tools from Goose Island, Maine.

Series VI. Ethnology is divided into three subseries. Subseries A. Japan offers documentation of the years Morse resided in Japan as Professor of Zoology at the Imperial University of Tokyo, and his 1882 ethnological expedition funded by the Trustees of the Peabody Museum of Salem. Documentation of his university tenure is sparse. Included are student papers and his teaching contract. Morse's sketches and notes reflect his eclectic curiosity. They include examples of shop signs, fireworks, hairpins, agricultural tools, and views of Noritane Ninegawa's studio. Morse's numerous interests are revealed in the materials he collected. He perceived the exigency of documenting life in Japan before it was transformed by western modernization. Included are tea ceremony records, genealogies, and architectural drawings. Much of the series is written in Japanese. Subseries B. China contains similar materials, focusing on arrow-pullers, Korea, and roof tiling observations. Much of this series is written in Chinese. Subseries C. Museums contains floor plans and notes on museums Morse visited while abroad, primarily in Europe.

Series VII. Japanese Pottery documents the acquisition of Morse's personal collection of prehistoric and modern Japanese pottery and his curatorial appointment at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Included in this series is correspondence pertaining to the publication of the Catalogue of the Morse Collection of Japanese Pottery, notes and sketches relating to the identification of pottery masks, and information pertaining to the hereditary families of potters. Kwan Ko Dzu Setsu (Illuminated Discourse on Ancient Objects) by Morse's mentor, Noritane Ninegawa, as well as other monographs relating to Japanese pottery, have been translated and transcribed by hand.

Series VIII. Publications demonstrates Morse's prolific and versatile research on a variety of subjects. In addition to some fifty scientific papers relating to mollusca and brachiopoda, he produced numerous monographs of Asian ethnology and art, zoology, archeology, astronomy, and religion. Related correspondence is filed with the article or monograph. "Traces of an Early Race in Japan" (1879), describes Morse's identification and excavation of the group of Neolithic shell mounds at Omori. The results of the systematic study of the Omori site were published in "Shell Mounds of Omori" (1879), the first publication of the Science Department of the Imperial University at Tokyo. Observations of Living Brachiopoda from the "Memoirs of the Boston Society of Natural History" can be found in the library's print collection.

Series IX. Lectures includes notes and materials arranged topically. Through the popular Lowell Institute of Boston lecture series in 1882, Morse was able to introduce his American audience to an appreciation of oriental society and culture. Earlier undated lectures may reflect his itinerant teaching and his efforts to introduce Darwinian evolutionary theory and other scientific topics to academic as well as popular audiences.

Series X. Inventions documents Morse's patented and unpatented inventions during the years 1860 to 1886. Included are sketches, research notes, and data relating to the application of solar heat for warming and ventilating living spaces. Series XI. Materials Collected by Morse includes secondary source materials collected by Morse throughout his life. Topics reflect his numerous interests and include vivisection, evolution, museum arrangement, and child prodigies. The series includes newspaper clippings, monographs, pamphlets, and Morse's notes and sketches.

Series XII. Financial includes a meticulous record of Morse's financial accounts. In the 1868 account book Morse kept a thorough register of where he delivered lectures and the remuneration received during the period 1861 to 1870. This series also provides information on purchases made by Morse in Japan for the Peabody Museum, as well as for his private collection of oriental pottery. Much of this series is recorded in Japanese. Series XIII. Noise Abatement reflects Morse's interest in urban reform, specifically in the area of the control of unnecessary noise. In addition to writing several articles on the topic, he was instrumental in the passage of a 1907 Massachusetts law restricting the use of steam whistles and sirens. Materials and notes collected by Morse for his research on noise abatement include publications of various civic organizations such as the Society for the Suppression of Unnecessary Noise.

Series XIV. Biographical and Personal includes genealogical material and published biographical information concerning Morse's professional activities. Correspondence and the diaries of his wife, Ellen Owen Morse, and some letters written by his children, Edith and John, may be found in this series. Correspondence relating to the disposition of his estate is located with the correspondence of his daughter, Edith Morse Robb. Also included are transcripts of Morse's journals, and the draft(s) of Dorothy G. Wayman's biography of Morse.

Series XV. Miscellaneous offers evidence of Morse's gregarious nature through his participation in numerous social and professional clubs. Of particular interest are the receipts and invitations pertaining to the Tavern Club, an exclusive Boston men's club. Also included in this series is correspondence relating to Morse, and works that Morse was cited in, both in English and Japanese.

Series XVI. Peabody Museum contains materials produced by and relating to the Peabody Museum, including items bought and shipped by the museum, news clippings about the museum, lists of items in the museum's library, and correspondence.

Series XVII. Photographs contains photographs of Morse throughout the years, his associates, family members, and places he worked. There are other photographs interspersed throughout the collection; however, the bulk of the photographs, removed from albums are located in this series.