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Legal Documents Concerning Slavery Collection

Author:
Maynard, Thomas  Search this
Donor:
Clark, Julie  Search this
Extent:
1 Cubic foot (2 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Bills of sale
Deeds
Land titles
Slave bills of sale
Manuscripts
Manumission, deeds of
Place:
Maryland
Date:
undated
1710-1865
Summary:
A collection of a variety of legal documents that relate to slavery and African-Americans.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists mainly of a wide vareity of court and legal documents such as, bills of sale, warrants, a manumission document, a certificate of free birth, and documents concerning debt, property, and legal obligations. The documents originated in four states: Alabama, the Carolina colony, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas. They span the greatest portion of the era of slavery within what is now the United States. Most of the documents are from Lawrence County, Alabama and may have at one time been created or used as evidence in either an orphans court or civil court case. The documents are arranged in one series in chronological order.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into 1 series:

Series 1: Legal Documents Concerning Slavery, 1710-1865, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Up until the Emancipation Proclamation and the subsequent victory of the Union forces in the Civil War, slaves were considered chattel, property that could be bought and sold. Slaves were a commodity that could be attached for non-payment of debt, used as collateral, given as bequests in a will, and were considered assets of a deceased's estate. As such, they engendered legal battles and the need for a variety of legal documents asserting one's freedom or manumission.
Provenance:
Bill of Sale of "one Negro girl named Nancy, about three years old, from Thomas Maynard to John Stephen Hale, for the sum of 30 pounds, Frederick County, Maryland, June 13, 1796." 2002 acquisition: "Receipt for a slave named Wilson", January 19, 1863, and two carte-de-visite portraits: W.B. Mitchell, July 1880, and Pleasant A. Mitchell, undated. Gifts of Julie Clark, 2008 addendum.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Branding (Punishment)  Search this
Fugitive slaves  Search this
Slaves -- Emancipation  Search this
Slave trade -- Maryland  Search this
Slaveholders -- Maryland  Search this
Slavery -- United States -- Maryland  Search this
Genre/Form:
Bills of sale
Deeds
Land titles
Slave bills of sale
Manuscripts -- 18th century
Manumission, deeds of
Citation:
Legal Documents Concerning Slavery Collection, 1710-1865, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0786
See more items in:
Legal Documents Concerning Slavery Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep87426a4aa-cb23-4756-8f7c-9b86dc7fd96a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0786
Online Media:

Western Union Telegraph Company Records

Creator:
United Telegraph Workers.  Search this
Western Union Telegraph Company  Search this
Extent:
452 Cubic feet (871 boxes and 23 map folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Administrative records
Articles
Books
Clippings
Contracts
Drawings
Photographs
Patents
Newsletters
Photograph albums
Scrapbooks
Specifications
Technical documents
Date:
circa 1820-1995
Summary:
The collection documents in photographs, scrapbooks, notebooks, correspondence, stock ledgers, annual reports, and financial records, the evolution of the telegraph, the development of the Western Union Telegraph Company, and the beginning of the communications revolution. The collection materials describe both the history of the company and of the telegraph industry in general, particularly its importance to the development of the technology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection is useful for researchers interested in the development of technology, economic history, and the impact of technology on American social and cultural life.
Scope and Contents:
The collection is divided into twenty-six (26) series and consists of approximately 400 cubic feet. The collection documents in photographs, scrapbooks, notebooks, correspondence, stock ledgers, annual reports, and financial records, the evolution of the telegraph, the development of the Western Union Telegraph Company, and the beginning of the communications revolution. The collection materials describe both the history of the company and of the telegraph industry in general, particularly its importance to the development of the technology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection is useful for researchers interested in the development of technology, economic history, and the impact of technology on American social and cultural life.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into twenty-seven series.

Series 1: Historical and Background Information, 1851-1994

Series 2: Subsidiaries of Western Union, 1844-1986

Series 3: Executive Records, 1848-1987

Series 4: Presidential Letterbooks and Writings, 1865-1911

Series 5: Correspondence, 1837-1985

Series 6: Cyrus W. Field Papers, 1840-1892

Series 7: Secretary's Files, 1844-1987

Series 8: Financial Records, 1859-1995

Series 9: Legal Records, 1867-1968

Series 10: Railroad Records, 1854-1945

Series 11: Law Department Records, 1868-1979

Series 12: Patent Materials, 1840-1970

Series 13: Operating Records, 1868-1970s

Series 14: Westar VI-S, 1974, 1983-1986

Series 15: Engineering Department Records, 1874-1970

Series 16: Plant Department Records, 1867-1937, 1963

Series 17: Superintendent of Supplies Records, 1888-1948

Series 18: Employee/Personnel Records 1852-1985

Series 19: Public Relations Department Records, 1858-1980

Series 20: Western Union Museum, 1913-1971

Series 21: Maps, 1820-1964

Series 22: Telegrams, 1852-1960s

Series 23: Photographs, circa 1870-1980

Series 24: Scrapbooks, 1835-1956

Series 25: Notebooks, 1880-1942

Series 26: Audio Visual Materials, 1925-1994

Series 27: Addenda
Biographical / Historical:
In 1832 Samuel F. B. Morse, assisted by Alfred Vail, conceived of the idea for an electromechanical telegraph, which he called the "Recording Telegraph." This commercial application of electricity was made tangible by their construction of a crude working model in 1835-36. This instrument probably was never used outside of Professor Morse's rooms where it was, however, operated in a number of demonstrations. This original telegraph instrument was in the hands of the Western Union Telegraph Company and had been kept carefully over the years in a glass case. It was moved several times in New York as the Western Union headquarters building changed location over the years. The company presented it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1950.

The telegraph was further refined by Morse, Vail, and a colleague, Leonard Gale, into working mechanical form in 1837. In this year Morse filed a caveat for it at the U.S. Patent Office. Electricity, provided by Joseph Henry's 1836 "intensity batteries", was sent over a wire. The flow of electricity through the wire was interrupted for shorter or longer periods by holding down the key of the device. The resulting dots or dashes were recorded on a printer or could be interpreted orally. In 1838 Morse perfected his sending and receiving code and organized a corporation, making Vail and Gale his partners.

In 1843 Morse received funds from Congress to set-up a demonstration line between Washington and Baltimore. Unfortunately, Morse was not an astute businessman and had no practical plan for constructing a line. After an unsuccessful attempt at laying underground cables with Ezra Cornell, the inventor of a trench digger, Morse switched to the erection of telegraph poles and was more successful. On May 24, 1844, Morse, in the U.S. Supreme Court Chambers in Washington, sent by telegraph the oft-quoted message to his colleague Vail in Baltimore, "What hath God wrought!"

In 1845 Morse hired Andrew Jackson's former postmaster general, Amos Kendall, as his agent in locating potential buyers of the telegraph. Kendall realized the value of the device, and had little trouble convincing others of its potential for profit. By the spring he had attracted a small group of investors. They subscribed $15,000 and formed the Magnetic Telegraph Company. Many new telegraph companies were formed as Morse sold licenses wherever he could.

The first commercial telegraph line was completed between Washington, D.C., and New York City in the spring of 1846 by the Magnetic Telegraph Company. Shortly thereafter, F. O. J. Smith, one of the patent owners, built a line between New York City and Boston. Most of these early companies were licensed by owners of Samuel Morse patents. The Morse messages were sent and received in a code of dots and dashes.

At this time other telegraph systems based on rival technologies were being built. Some companies used the printing telegraph, a device invented by a Vermonter, Royal E. House, whose messages were printed on paper or tape in Roman letters. In 1848 a Scotch scientist, Alexander Bain, received his patents on a telegraph. These were but two of many competing and incompatible technologies that had developed. The result was confusion, inefficiency, and a rash of suits and counter suits.

By 1851 there were over fifty separate telegraph companies operating in the United States. This corporate cornucopia developed because the owners of the telegraph patents had been unsuccessful in convincing the United States and other governments of the invention's potential usefulness. In the private sector, the owners had difficulty convincing capitalists of the commercial value of the invention. This led to the owners' willingness to sell licenses to many purchasers who organized separate companies and then built independent telegraph lines in various sections of the country.

Hiram Sibley moved to Rochester, New York, in 1838 to pursue banking and real estate. Later he was elected sheriff of Monroe County. In Rochester he was introduced to Judge Samuel L. Selden who held the House Telegraph patent rights. In 1849 Selden and Sibley organized the New York State Printing Telegraph Company, but they found it hard to compete with the existing New York, Albany, and Buffalo Telegraph Company.

After this experience Selden suggested that instead of creating a new line, the two should try to acquire all the companies west of Buffalo and unite them into a single unified system. Selden secured an agency for the extension throughout the United States of the House system. In an effort to expand this line west, Judge Selden called on friends and the people in Rochester. This led, in April 1851, to the organization of a company and the filing in Albany of the Articles of Association for the "New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company" (NYMVPTC), a company which later evolved into the Western Union Telegraph Company.

In 1854 there were two rival systems of the NYMVPTC in the West. These two systems consisted of thirteen separate companies. All the companies were using Morse patents in the five states north of the Ohio River. This created a struggle between three separate entities, leading to an unreliable and inefficient telegraph service. The owners of these rival companies eventually decided to invest their money elsewhere and arrangements were made for the NYMVPTC to purchase their interests.

Hiram Sibley recapitalized the company in 1854 under the same name and began a program of construction and acquisition. The most important takeover was carried out by Sibley when he negotiated the purchase of the Morse patent rights for the Midwest for $50,000 from Jeptha H. Wade and John J. Speed, without the knowledge of Ezra Cornell, their partner in the Erie and Michigan Telegraph Company (EMTC). With this acquisition Sibley proceeded to switch to the superior Morse system. He also hired Wade, a very capable manager, who became his protege and later his successor. After a bitter struggle Morse and Wade obtained the EMTC from Cornell in 1855, thus assuring dominance by the NYMVPTC in the Midwest. In 1856 the company name was changed to the "Western Union Telegraph Company," indicating the union of the Western lines into one compact system. In December, 1857, the Company paid stockholders their first dividend.

Between 1857 and 1861 similar consolidations of telegraph companies took place in other areas of the country so that most of the telegraph interests of the United States had merged into six systems. These were the American Telegraph Company (covering the Atlantic and some Gulf states), The Western Union Telegraph Company (covering states North of the Ohio River and parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Minnesota), the New York Albany and Buffalo Electro-Magnetic Telegraph Company (covering New York State), the Atlantic and Ohio Telegraph Company (covering Pennsylvania), the Illinois & Mississippi Telegraph Company (covering sections of Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois), and the New Orleans & Ohio Telegraph Company (covering the southern Mississippi Valley and the Southwest). All these companies worked together in a mutually friendly alliance, and other small companies cooperated with the six systems, particularly some on the West Coast.

By the time of the Civil War, there was a strong commercial incentive to construct a telegraph line across the western plains to link the two coasts of America. Many companies, however, believed the line would be impossible to build and maintain.

In 1860 Congress passed, and President James Buchanan signed, the Pacific Telegraph Act, which authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to seek bids for a project to construct a transcontinental line. When two bidders dropped out, Hiram Sibley, representing Western Union, was the only bidder left. By default Sibley won the contract. The Pacific Telegraph Company was organized for the purpose of building the eastern section of the line. Sibley sent Wade to California, where he consolidated the small local companies into the California State Telegraph Company. This entity then organized the Overland Telegraph Company, which handled construction eastward from Carson City, Nevada, joining the existing California lines, to Salt Lake City, Utah. Sibley's Pacific Telegraph Company built westward from Omaha, Nebraska. Sibley put most of his resources into the venture. The line was completed in October, 1861. Both companies were soon merged into Western Union. This accomplishment made Hiram Sibley leader of the telegraph industry.

Further consolidations took place over the next several years. Many companies merged into the American Telegraph Company. With the expiration of the Morse patents, several organizations were combined in 1864 under the name of "The U.S. Telegraph Company." In 1866 the final consolidation took place, with Western Union exchanging stock for the stock of the other two organizations. The general office of Western Union moved at this time from Rochester to 145 Broadway, New York City. In 1875 the main office moved to 195 Broadway, where it remained until 1930 when it relocated to 60 Hudson Street.

In 1873 Western Union purchased a majority of shares in the International Ocean Telegraph Company. This was an important move because it marked Western Union's entry into the foreign telegraph market. Having previously worked with foreign companies, Western Union now began competing for overseas business.

In the late 1870s Western Union, led by William H. Vanderbilt, attempted to wrest control of the major telephone patents, and the new telephone industry, away from the Bell Telephone Company. But due to new Bell leadership and a subsequent hostile takeover attempt of Western Union by Jay Gould, Western Union discontinued its fight and Bell Telephone prevailed.

Despite these corporate calisthenics, Western Union remained in the public eye. The sight of a uniformed Western Union messenger boy was familiar in small towns and big cities all over the country for many years. Some of Western Union's top officials in fact began their careers as messenger boys.

Throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century the telegraph became one of the most important factors in the development of social and commercial life of America. In spite of improvements to the telegraph, however, two new inventions--the telephone (nineteenth century) and the radio (twentieth century)--eventually replaced the telegraph as the leaders of the communication revolution for most Americans.

At the turn of the century, Bell abandoned its struggles to maintain a monopoly through patent suits, and entered into direct competition with the many independent telephone companies. Around this time, the company adopted its new name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T).

In 1908 AT&T gained control of Western Union. This proved beneficial to Western Union, because the companies were able to share lines when needed, and it became possible to order telegrams by telephone. However, it was only possible to order Western Union telegrams, and this hurt the business of Western Union's main competitor, the Postal Telegraph Company. In 1913, however, as part of a move to prevent the government from invoking antitrust laws, AT&T completely separated itself from Western Union.

Western Union continued to prosper and it received commendations from the U.S. armed forces for service during both world wars. In 1945 Western Union finally merged with its longtime rival, the Postal Telegraph Company. As part of that merger, Western Union agreed to separate domestic and foreign business. In 1963 Western Union International Incorporated, a private company completely separate from the Western Union Telegraph Company, was formed and an agreement with the Postal Telegraph Company was completed. In 1994, Western Union Financial Services, Inc. was acquired by First Financial Management Corporation. In 1995, First Financial Management Corporation merged with First Data Corporation making Western Union a First Data subsidiary.

Many technological advancements followed the telegraph's development. The following are among the more important:

The first advancement of the telegraph occurred around 1850 when operators realized that the clicks of the recording instrument portrayed a sound pattern, understandable by the operators as dots and dashes. This allowed the operator to hear the message by ear and simultaneously write it down. This ability transformed the telegraph into a versatile and speedy system.

Duplex Telegraphy, 1871-72, was invented by the president of the Franklin Telegraph Company. Unable to sell his invention to his own company, he found a willing buyer in Western Union. Utilizing this invention, two messages were sent over the wire simultaneously, one in each direction.

As business blossomed and demand surged, new devices appeared. Thomas Edison's Quadruplex allowed four messages to be sent over the same wire simultaneously, two in one direction and two in the other.

An English automatic signaling arrangement, Wheatstone's Automatic Telegraph, 1883, allowed larger numbers of words to be transmitted over a wire at once. It could only be used advantageously, however, on circuits where there was a heavy volume of business.

Buckingham's Machine Telegraph was an improvement on the House system. It printed received messages in plain Roman letters quickly and legibly on a message blank, ready for delivery.

Vibroplex, c. 1890, a semi-automatic key sometimes called a "bug key," made the dots automatically. This relieved the operator of much physical strain.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center

Additional moving image about Western Union Telegraph Company can be found in the Industry on Parade Collection (AC0507). This includes Cable to Cuba! by Bell Laboratory, AT & T, featuring the cable ship, the C.S. Lord Kelvin, and Communications Centennial! by the Western Union Company.

Materials at Other Organizations

Hagley Museum and Library, Wilmington, Delaware.

Western Union records (Western Union Right of Way and Other Agreements, 1848-1990, bulk: 1910-1989 and the Western Union Locality Files, 1892-1995, bulk: 1910-1989) form part of the MCI Communications Corporation Records, 1849-1999. See accession 2225.

First Data Corporation, Greenwood Village, Colorado.

Records of First Data Corporation and its predecessors, including Western Union, First Financial Management Corporation (Atlanta) and First Data Resources (Omaha). Western Union collection supports research of telegraphy and related technologies, and includes company records, annual reports, photographs, print and broadcast advertising, telegraph equipment, and messenger uniforms.

Smithsonian Institution Archives

Western Union Telegraph Expedition, 1865-1867

This collection includes correspondence, mostly to Spencer F. Baird, from members of the Scientific Corps of the Western Union Telegraph Expedition, including Kennicott, Dall, Bannister, and Elliott; copies of reports submitted to divisional chiefs from expedition staff members; newspaper clippings concerning the expedition; copies of notes on natural history taken by Robert Kennicott; and a journal containing meteorological data recorded by Henry M. Bannister from March to August, 1866.
Separated Materials:
Artifacts (apparatus and equipment) were donated to the Division of Information Technology and Society, now known as the Division of Work & Industry, National Museum of American History.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Western Union in September of 1971.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but Series 11 and films are stored off-site. Special arrangements must be made to view some of the audiovisual materials. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Communications equipment  Search this
Communication -- International cooperation  Search this
Electric engineering  Search this
Electric engineers  Search this
Electrical equipment  Search this
Electrical science and technology  Search this
Telegraphers  Search this
Telegraph  Search this
Genre/Form:
Administrative records
Articles
Books
Clippings
Contracts
Drawings
Photographs -- 19th century
Patents
Photographs -- 20th century
Newsletters
Photograph albums
Scrapbooks -- 19th century
Scrapbooks -- 20th century
Specifications
Technical documents
Citation:
Western Union Telegraph Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0205
See more items in:
Western Union Telegraph Company Records
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b72e8493-288c-4bd0-84d5-011155da30a7
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0205
Online Media:

Operating Records

Collection Creator:
United Telegraph Workers.  Search this
Western Union Telegraph Company  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1868-1970s
Scope and Contents:
The Operating Records consist of materials that were produced for and used by Western Union employees for daily operations. These records cover an array of operational activities such as equipment operating instructions and cable code books for cable operators and manuals for specific departments.

The Money Transfer Service/Money Order Books, 1905-1939, instruct operators in the "proper way to send money" and include the names of offices authorized to receive and pay telegraphic money orders. The Operator code books were assigned to operators and each had a specific operating number.

Tariff and Cable information contains the Tariff Check Ledger of July 1874 to May 1877, includes tariff information for Highlands, New Jersey, other areas of New Jersey and parts of New York. The Tariff Bureau book of 1871-1872, contains statements arranged according to states, the amount of business conducted between the states and territories and also the business rates between important offices. There is also additional information about individual states in "remarks."
Arrangement:
This series is divided into eight subseries:

1. Telephone directories, 1929; 1950-1959

2. How to operate booklets, 1918

3. Money transfer service/money order books, 1905-1939

4. Operator code books/cipher books, 1880-1917

5. Rate and wire mileage information, 1863-1957

6. Tariff and cable information, 1871-1975

7. Rules and regulations, 1866-1937

8. Equipment catalogs, manuals and specifications, circa 1894- 1956
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but Series 11 and films are stored off-site. Special arrangements must be made to view some of the audiovisual materials. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Western Union Telegraph Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0205, Series 13
See more items in:
Western Union Telegraph Company Records
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8bb83173b-301a-4492-80d1-d083e28502d4
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0205-ref8060

Burt Chernow papers

Creator:
Chernow, Burt  Search this
Names:
Housatonic Community College (Bridgeport, Conn.)  Search this
Housatonic Museum of Art  Search this
Westport Schools Permanent Art Collection  Search this
Westport-Weston Arts Council (Westport, Conn.)  Search this
Arman, 1928-2005  Search this
Avery, Milton, 1885-1965  Search this
Christo, 1935-  Search this
Hendricks, Barkley L., 1945-  Search this
Jeanne-Claude, 1935-2009  Search this
Johnson, Lester, 1919-2010  Search this
Peterdi, Gabor  Search this
Woodham, Jean, 1925-  Search this
Zúñiga, Francisco, 1912-1998  Search this
Extent:
21.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Transcriptions
Video recordings
Sound recordings
Photographs
Date:
1930-2002
Summary:
The papers of Burt Chernow measure 21.8 linear feet and consist mainly of research materials gathered and produced in the course of writing Christo and Jeanne-Claude: A Biography over an extensive period of close contact with the subjects, from the early 1980s until Chernow's death in 1997. Research materials for the biography include photocopies of personal documents of the Christos, hundreds of recorded interviews with Christo, Jeanne-Claude, their family members, and their associates, transcripts of interviews and research on interview subjects, other collected research material compiled chronologically, drafts of the biography written by Chernow, drafts of the biography and its epilogue produced after Chernow's death, and business records related to the book's production, which include significant correspondence with the Christos. Also found are the published German and U.S. editions of the biography, printed materials and photographs related to the book's subject matter, and fabric samples from five of the Christos' projects undertaken during Chernow's association with them. Chernow's career as an art critic, writer, educator, and arts advocate, primarily in Southern Connecticut, is documented in Chernow's other writings, organizational records, printed materials, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Burt Chernow measure 21.8 linear feet and consist mainly of research materials gathered and produced in the course of writing Christo and Jeanne-Claude: A Biography over an extensive period of close contact with the subjects, from the early 1980s until Chernow's death in 1997. Research materials for the biography include photocopies of personal documents of the Christos, hundreds of recorded interviews with Christo, Jeanne-Claude, their family members, and their associates, transcripts of interviews and research on interview subjects, other collected research material compiled chronologically, drafts of the biography written by Chernow, drafts of the biography and its epilogue produced after Chernow's death, and business records related to the book's production, which include significant correspondence with the Christos. Also found are the published German and U.S. editions of the biography, printed materials and photographs related to the book's subject matter, and fabric samples from five of the Christos' projects undertaken during Chernow's association with them.

Chernow's career as an art critic, writer, educator, and arts advocate, primarily in Southern Connecticut, is documented in Chernow's other writings, organizational records, printed materials, and photographs. Other writings include drafts of articles, lectures, exhibition reviews, and catalog essays, some of which include research material gathered on the subjects. Artists written about by Chernow include Arman, Milton Avery, Barkley Hendricks, Francisco Zuñiga, Lester Johnson, Gabor Peterdi, and Jean Woodham, among many others, and including many Connecticut artists. A recorded interview with Arman, as well as transcripts of multiple interviews with Zuñiga, are filed with these writings. Also found are many writings and lectures related to the value of visual art in public life and in elementary and higher education. Numerous lectures by Chernow about several of the Christos' large-scale projects are also found, one of which, on the Wrapped Reichstag, is recorded on video.

Organizational records document Chernow's involvement in various art education organizations, his years of teaching at Housatonic Community College, his development of the Housatonic Museum of Art collection, and his work with several local arts organizations in Westport, Conn., including the Westport Arts Advisory Council, the Westport Arts Center, the Westport Schools Permanent Art Collection Committee, and the Westport Weston Arts Council. Types of documents found include correspondence, clippings, photographs, flyers, and notes.

Printed material includes many of the books written by Chernow, and monographs and magazines which included essays on specific artists by Chernow. A file of clippings about Chernow spanning his career is also found. Photographs include prints, negatives, and contact sheets, and consist mainly of photographs of artists, many of which were taken by Chernow, and many of which are signed by the artists with a personal note to the Chernows. A handful of personal photographs of the Chernows are also found.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged as 5 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Research Material for -- Christo and Jeanne-Claude: A Biography -- , 1930-2002 (17.1 linear feet; Boxes 1-17, 23, OV 24)

Series 2: Other Writing, 1962-1999 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 17-19)

Series 3: Organizational Records, 1963-2000 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 19-20, 23, OV 24)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1960-2002 (1.3 linear feet; Boxes 20-21, 23)

Series 5: Photographs, 1950-1997 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 21-23, OV 24)
Biographical / Historical:
Burt Chernow was an art historian, writer, educator, collector, and dealer who founded the Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and who, upon his retirement from Housatonic Community College, became the authorized biographer of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, which he researched through close contact with the Christos from 1984 until his death in 1997. Although he had not completed the biography when he died, his wife Ann Chernow saw the manuscript through to publication, and the biography, Christo and Jeanne-Claude: A Biography, was first published in Germany in 2000, and then in the United States in 2002.

Born in New York City in 1933, Chernow earned a master's degree in art education at New York University in 1960, and began his career as an art teacher in the Westport, Connecticut public schools, later joining the faculty of the Art Department at the Housatonic Community College, where he eventually became the department's director. He also taught at the Museum of Modern Art, organizing the Children's Art Carnival in Harlem through the museum, and at Silvermine School of the Arts, the A.B.C.D. Arts Center in Bridgeport, Conn., and the Stamford Museum. While on the faculty at Housatonic Community College, he began collecting original artworks, mainly through donations directly from the artists, for what eventually became the Housatonic Museum of Art. Over the course of nearly 30 years he amassed over 4000 works for the collection, the largest of its kind for a community college, and remained the museum's Emeritus Director until his death. He remained active in civic arts organizations in Westport as well, where he was a founding member of the Westport Arts Center, served on the Westport Arts Advisory Council, and helped to establish the annual Westport Arts Awards.

Upon his retirement from the Housatonic faculty in 1984, Chernow approached Christo and Jeanne-Claude about becoming their authorized biographer. He had participated in their project Surrounded Islands in Miami in 1983, and had played a role in exhibitions and artist talks by Christo at the Aldrich Museum (1981) and the Wadsworth Atheneum (1978) as well. He and his wife Ann Chernow attended and helped to document the Wrapped Pont Neuf (1985) in Paris, and then visited Christo's family in Bulgaria in 1986. It was after their Bulgarian trip that Christo and Jeanne-Claude agreed to authorize him to write their biography, and Chernow's research began in earnest. He conducted hundreds of interviews with them, their family, and associates, participated in the major large-scale projects that took place between 1985 and 1995, and completed a draft of the biography up to the year 1982 before he died suddenly in 1997. After his death, his wife Ann Chernow saw the biography through to publication. It was published with an epilogue by Wolfgang Volz, the Christos' official photographer, bringing the Christos' story up to date from where Chernow had left off, first in Germany, and later in the United States and Italy.

Chernow wrote many books, catalogs, and articles about other artists as well, including Milton Avery, Francisco Zuniga, Gabor Peterdi, Will Barnet, Jean Woodham, and Lester Johnson, among others, and published and lectured widely on the subjects of art education and public art.
Provenance:
Donated 2002 by Ann Chernow, the widow of Burt Chernow.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art historians -- Connecticut  Search this
Art critics -- Connecticut  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Authors -- Connecticut  Search this
Educators -- Connecticut  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Transcriptions
Video recordings
Sound recordings
Photographs
Citation:
Burt Chernow papers, 1930-2002. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.cherburt
See more items in:
Burt Chernow papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b0f96b06-f802-418f-9058-619da6096571
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-cherburt
Online Media:

Extreme measures

Artist:
Burden, Chris 1946-2015  Search this
Editor:
Phillips, Lisa 1954-  Search this
Curator:
Gioni, Massimiliano  Search this
Moore, Jenny 1973-  Search this
Author:
Burton, Johanna  Search this
Host institution:
New Museum (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Subject:
Burden, Chris 1946-2015  Search this
Burden, Chris 1946-2015 Criticism and interpretation  Search this
Physical description:
247 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 30 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Place:
United States
Date:
2013
20th century
21st century
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Performance art  Search this
Conceptual art  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1017616

Textile and text

Author:
Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Physical description:
4 volumes : illustrations ; 23 cm
Type:
Bibliography
Periodicals
Date:
1989
1992
©1989-©1992
Topic:
Textile crafts  Search this
Costume design  Search this
Fashion design  Search this
Call number:
TT507 .T49
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1099120

Blackface

Author:
Muñoz Molina, Antonio  Search this
Photographer:
Levinthal, David  Search this
Author:
Levinthal, David Blackface Selections  Search this
Smithsonian Libraries Artists' Books DSI  Search this
Printer:
Greenberg Editions  Search this
Taller Vallirana  Search this
Publisher:
Raíña Lupa (Firm),)  Search this
Physical description:
1 case (13 folded sheets, 6 digital photographic prints) chiefly color illustrations 44 cm
Type:
Photographs
Artists' books
Artists' books (books).)
Digital prints
Photographic prints
Place:
United States
United States -- 21st century
Date:
2007
21st century
Topic:
African Americans--Collectibles  Search this
Photography, Artistic  Search this
Racism  Search this
Stereotypes (Social psychology)  Search this
Race relations  Search this
Color  Search this
Call number:
TR647.L5573 M37 2007
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1104193

Jasper Johns recent paintings and works on paper

Artist:
Johns, Jasper 1930-  Search this
Author of added text:
Worth, Alexi  Search this
Host institution:
Matthew Marks Gallery  Search this
Physical description:
98 pages chiefly illustrations (some color) 29 x 24 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Criticism, interpretation, etc
Exhibition catalogs
Place:
United States
Date:
2019
21st century
Topic:
Painters  Search this
Artists  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1112190

Be your wonderful self

Author:
Delaney, Beauford 1901-1979  Search this
Host institution:
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery  Search this
Ogden Museum  Search this
Physical description:
180 pages illustrations, portraits 31 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Expositions
Exhibition catalogs
Date:
2021
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
African American painters  Search this
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Modernism (Art)  Search this
Artistes noirs américains  Search this
Peintres noirs américains  Search this
Expressionnisme abstrait  Search this
Modernisme (Art)  Search this
Call number:
N40.1.D343 M53p 2021
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1157656

One Hundred Twenty-Fifth Street

Title:
Photography in Harlem
Editor:
Pelizzari, Maria Antonella  Search this
Sherman, Arden  Search this
Writer of foreword:
Brooks, LeRonn P  Search this
Author:
Hunter College Art Galleries  Search this
Hunter East Harlem Gallery  Search this
Physical description:
171 pages illustrations (some color) 26 cm
Type:
Pictorial works
Ouvrages illustrés
Photography, Artistic
Place:
New York (State)
New York
New York (État)
Harlem (New York, N.Y.)
Harlem
Date:
2022
Topic:
African American neighborhoods  Search this
African Americans--Social life and customs  Search this
African Americans--Social conditions  Search this
Streets  Search this
Street photography  Search this
Photography, Artistic  Search this
Rues  Search this
Photographie artistique  Search this
Quartiers noirs américains  Search this
Noirs américains--Mœurs et coutumes  Search this
Noirs américains--Conditions sociales  Search this
Photographie de rue  Search this
art photography  Search this
HISTORY / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies)  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1158949

Brings good horses

Artist:
Red Star, Wendy 1981-  Search this
Author:
Johnson, Annika K  Search this
Host institution:
Sargent's Daughters (Gallery)  Search this
Subject:
Red Star, Wendy 1981-  Search this
Physical description:
147 pages chiefly color illustrations 19 x 24 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Expositions
Exhibition catalogs
Place:
United States
North America
Etats-Unis
Amerique du Nord
Date:
2021
21st century
21e siecle
Topic:
Horses in art  Search this
Crow art  Search this
Indian prints  Search this
Indigenous art  Search this
Chevaux dans l'art  Search this
Art crow  Search this
Estampe indienne d'Amerique  Search this
Art autochtone  Search this
Call number:
N6537.R3294 A4 2021
N6537.R323 A4 2021
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1159243

Courage, fortitude and uranium in New Mexico

Book designer:
Armitage, Merle 1893-1975  Search this
Writer of foreword:
Chavez, Dennis 1888-1962  Search this
Author:
Larry Dingman Western Fiction Collection (Library of Congress) DLC  Search this
Publisher:
Duell, Sloan & Pearce  Search this
Physical description:
viii, 160 pages, 20 unnumbered pages of plates illustrations, portraits 23 cm
Type:
Books
Dust jackets (Binding)
Place:
New Mexico
Nouveau-Mexique
New York (State)
New York
Date:
1959
20th century
Topic:
Uranium mines and mining  Search this
Uranium--Mines et extraction  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1164275

Himalayan art in one hundred eight objects

Editor:
Debreczeny, Karl  Search this
Pakhoutova, Elena  Search this
Author:
Rubin Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Physical description:
503 pages illustrations (some color), color maps 31 x 24 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
Himalaya Mountains Region
Himālaya
Date:
2023
Topic:
Art  Search this
Material culture  Search this
Culture matérielle  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1164492

Life and legends of the Sioux

Author:
Eastman, Mary H (Mary Henderson) 1818-1887  Search this
Coen, Rena Neumann  Search this
Eastman, Seth 1808-1875  Search this
Physical description:
xxxi, 197 p. : col. ill. ; 26 cm
Type:
Folklore
Date:
1995
C1995
Call number:
E99.D1 E19 1995Y
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_479010

Lorrie Goulet

Artist:
Goulet, Lorrie 1925-  Search this
Publisher:
Clay Club Gallery  Search this
Author:
Smithsonian Institution Art and Artist Files Collection  Search this
Physical description:
1 folded sheet ([8] unnumbered pages) illustrations 19 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Exhibition catalogs
Artist files
Date:
1948
20th century
Topic:
Sculpture, American  Search this
Call number:
NB237.G67 A4 1948
AAF--Goulet, Lorrie
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_704080

Selection, 1914-1955

Author:
Zorach, William 1889-1966  Search this
Author:
Downtown Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Smithsonian Libraries Art and Artist Files Collection  Search this
Physical description:
1 folded sheet ([6] pages) 2 illustrations 22 cm
Type:
Books
Exhibitions
Artist files
Date:
1955
Call number:
AAF--Zorach, William
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_710865

Yosemite

Author:
Zorach, William 1889-1966  Search this
Issuing body:
Zabriskie Gallery  Search this
Author:
Smithsonian Libraries Art and Artist Files Collection  Search this
Subject:
Zorach, William 1889-1966  Search this
Physical description:
folder (4 pages) 2 illustrations 18 x 25 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Artist files
Place:
United States
California
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley (Calif.)
Date:
1979
20th century
Topic:
Watercolor painting  Search this
Drawing  Search this
Landscape painting  Search this
In art  Search this
Call number:
AAF--Zorach, William
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_710868

New work by Win Knowlton

Artist:
Knowlton, Win 1953-  Search this
Writer of added commentary:
Gizzi, Michael  Search this
Host institution:
Paul Rodgers/9W (Gallery)  Search this
Author:
Smithsonian Libraries Art and Artist Files Collection  Search this
Physical description:
15 unnumbered pages illustrations 22 cm
Type:
Books
Exhibitions
Artist files
Date:
2002
Call number:
AAF--Knowlton, Win
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_712867

Bruno Lucchesi

Artist:
Lucchesi, Bruno 1926-  Search this
Issuing body:
Forum Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Author:
Smithsonian Libraries Art and Artist Files Collection  Search this
Physical description:
16 unnumbered pages chiefly illustrations, 1 portrait 20 cm
Type:
Books
Exhibitions
Exhibition catalogs
Artist files
Date:
1968
Call number:
NB237.L8 A4 1968
AAF--Lucchesi, Bruno
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_724707

Carl-Henning Pedersen

Artist:
Pedersen, Carl-Henning 1913-2007  Search this
Writer of essay:
Goddard, Donald Letcher  Search this
Issuing body:
Lefebre Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Author:
Smithsonian Libraries Art and Artist Files Collection  Search this
Physical description:
1 volume ([18] unnumbered pages) illustrations 19 x 19 cm
Type:
Books
Exhibitions
Artist files
Date:
1979
Call number:
ND723.P4 A4 1979
AAF--Pedersen, Carl-Henning
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_733998

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