Charlotte Wiser demonstrating childcare techniques at Allenganj, 1919
Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
Courtesy of Special Collections, Yale Divinity School Library
William and Charlotte Wiser’s transcription of “The Thakur & the Barber,” c. 1920
Courtesy of Special Collections, Yale Divinity School Library
During their sixty years in North India, William and Charlotte Wiser taught at local colleges and conducted surveys in rural communities to help improve village life. Originally sent to India as Presbyterian missionaries, the Wisers became well known for their anthropological work – including socioeconomic and religious studies of farmers, as well as a collection of transcribed folk songs and stories.