National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry Search this
Extent:
44 Cubic feet (132 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Blueprints
Drawings
Lantern slides
Photographs
Date:
1758-1945, undated
Summary:
A collection of 19th and early 20th century lantern slides collected by the Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Scope and Contents:
A collection of 19th and early 20th century silver gelatin dry plate lantern slides acquired by the staff of the Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. These materials were collected for research purposes and relate to various engineering and mining subjects. The photographs document engineering activities, equipment, facilities, and projects. Activities include engineering inspection; moving an obelisk; rock drilling and riveting; tunneling; V drive ratio testing; and weighing. Photographs are also of objects including blueprints, boilers, bridges, canals, drawings, Egyptian temples, flywheel governors, and valves.
Images of corporate facilities documented include American Locomotive Company; Cooper-Bessemer Corporation; Fairbanks Morse and Company; Hamiliton; Ingersoll-Rand, Incorporated; and Nordberg Manufacturing Company. In addition, there are images of equipment such as diesels, marine diesel generator set, diesel models, and marine diesel engines. Images were created by photographers and photographic studios including L. C. Handy Photo, Washington, DC; W. H. Lawrence and B. S. Turpin; Underwood & Underwood; and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Civil Engineering Department. Locations include various parts of the United States, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, Brazil, and Africa.
Condition of the material varies widely with some fragile or broken negatives. Poor quality images also exist probably due to unstable storage environments or the processing of the slides. All slides have been digitized and moved to off-site storage to minimize handling and at the same time increase accessibility.
Collection is arranged in six series: series 1, engineering; series 2, extractive industries; series 3, chemical; series 4, equipment; series 5, railroads; series 6, locations; subseries 7, agriculture; and miscellaneous materials.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged in eight series.
Series 1: Engineering, undated
Subseries 1.1: Architecture and Structures, undated
Subseries 1.2: Bridges, Cantilever, undated
Subseries 1.3: Bridges, Concrete Arch and Beam, undated
Mechanical and Civil Engineering Glass Plate Negatives, NMAH.AC.1089
Mechanical and Civil Engineering Stereograph Cards, NMAH.AC.1090
Robinson & Steinman Collection, NMAH.AC.1562
Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Bridges Reference Collection, NMAH.AC.1577
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
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 open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
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:
Division of Work and Industry Lantern Slide Collection, 1886-1931, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
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:
Division of Work and Industry Lantern Slide Collection, 1886-1931, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
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:
Division of Work and Industry Lantern Slide Collection, 1886-1931, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
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:
Division of Work and Industry Lantern Slide Collection, 1886-1931, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of History of Technology Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry Search this
Extent:
2.3 Cubic feet (11 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Publications
Advertisements
Scrapbooks
Correspondence
Date:
1886-1941
Summary:
Manuscripts, correspondence, business records, newspaper clippings and scrapbooks documenting the career of Henry Grattan Tyrrell, an early-twentieth-century civil engineer and bridge builder who was also a prolific self-published author of hundreds of journal articles and several books. Subjects include aesthetic bridge design, history of bridges, design of movable bridges, and the economical design of factories, shops, and mill buildings.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains typed manuscripts, correspondence, drawings, and business records written by and relating to Henry Grattan Tyrrell, civil engineer, bridge builder and prolific self-published author on the subjects of bridge engineering, aesthetics and history of bridge design, and the economical design of factories, shops and mill buildings.
The bulk of the collection consists of drafts and submission copies of his numerous published journal articles as well as early manuscripts of several of his books. Also included are two scrapbooks compiled by Tyrrell, containing many of his published articles, pamphlets, and letters to editors of engineering-related publications, as well as advertising material for both his engineering businesses and his books. There are many newspaper clippings related to projects Tyrrell worked on or expressed interest in, documentation of claims he brought against various companies for infringement or failure to pay, lists of his works, compilations of critical praise and personal endorsements, and general material relating to his experiences in publishing.
The collection presents a specific view of the trends and innovations in engineering at the beginning of the twentieth century, particularly focusing on bridges of all types and materials, as well as an early example of self-employment and self-promotion. It may be of interest to researchers in the areas of bridge and factory design in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, historical engineering publications, and the history of bridge building in the United States and Canada.
Arrangement:
This collection is divided into seven (7) series:
Series 1: Personal, 1886; 1920s-1930s; undated
Series 2: Correspondence, 1895-1901; 1907; 1911-1917; 1928-1929; 1931-1941
Henry Grattan Tyrrell (1867-1948) was born in Weston, Ontario, Canada and was educated at the University of Toronto School of Practical Science as a civil engineer specializing in bridge architecture and design. He worked for several architectural companies, including the Boston Bridge Company (Massachusetts), the Brackett Bridge Company (Ohio), as well as his own businesses the American Estimating Company, and Grattan Tyrrell & Co. His brief career as an engineer was superceded by his prolific career as a writer of both journal articles and books on the aesthetics of bridge design and practical designs for factories and mill houses.
The son of an avid outdoorsman and explorer, his early writings are about the Canadian wilderness. By the turn of the century, his writing focused on architectural engineering, specifically the design of bridges. Tyrrell was well-traveled and wrote at length about the beauty of a well-designed bridge, like those he had seen all over the world. He suggested that America's cities (Chicago, Seattle, Milwaukee and Cleveland), build attractive bridges, which, he argued, could also be economical. His books History of Bridge Engineering (1911) and Artistic Bridge Design (1912) spoke to these issues. He expanded his love of aesthetics to buildings as well, advocating for the economical and practical design of factory buildings and floors, as well as mill houses and shops (Mill Buildings, 1911; Engineering of Shops and Factories, 1912). His last (possibly unpublished) book, Movable Bridges (1921), explored the design of drawbridges, vertical lift bridges and suspension bridges. His wife, Mary Maude Knox Tyrrell, co-authored and illustrated many of the books.
Tyrrell was an avid self-promoter, writing reviews of his own books, including contents and endorsements of his achievements, and selling them in pamphlet form. He was a frequent contributor to many engineering journals, such as Canadian Engineer, Builders' Magazine, Engineering News, and The Engineering Magazine. His prolific writings on the subjects of bridge engineering and aesthetics are a lasting legacy of early-twentieth century ingenuity.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Grattan Tyrrell. Exact date of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. 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.
Maintained by staff as a group of material on various subjects relating to engineering. It represents one of the many photographic collections documenting hard to collect objects due to size, space requirements, or availability. Subjects were created by the division and put in alphabetical order by Archives Center staff. Used for study purposes most of the materials have captions documenting the subject of the lantern slides but few are dated.
The series is arranged in seventeen subseries: Subseries 1.1: Architecture and Structures; Subseries 1.2: Bridges; Cantilever; Subseries 1.3: Bridges; Concrete Arch and Beam; Subseries 1.4: Bridges; Masonry Aqueducts; Subseries 1.5: Bridges; Metal Arc;
Subseries 1.6: Bridges; Metal Truss; Subseries 1.7: Bridges; Movable; Subseries 1.8: Bridges; Suspension; Subseries 1.9: Canals; Subseries 1.10: Hydraulic Engineering; Subseries 1.11: Machine Tools; Subseries 1.12: Materials Handling; Subseries 1.13: Power; Subseries 1.14: Railroad Mileage Maps; Subseries 15: Steam Boilers; Subseries 1.16: Steam Turbines; and Subseries 1.17: Tunneling Machine Tools.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
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:
Division of Work and Industry Lantern Slide Collection, 1886-1931, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
60.54 Cubic feet (consisting of 131 boxes, 13 folders, 17 oversize folders, 20 map case folders, 2 flat boxes (1 full, 1 partial), plus digital images of some collection material.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Business ephemera
Ephemera
Date:
1832-1977
Summary:
A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Railroads forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Subseries 1.1: Subject Categories. The Subject Categories subseries is divided into 470 subject categories based on those created by Mr. Warshaw. These subject categories include topical subjects, types or forms of material, people, organizations, historical events, and other categories. An overview to the entire Warshaw collection is available here: Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Scope and Contents:
Railroad materials comprise the largest subject category in the Warshaw Collection. These materials document a major industry and important transportation system that was instrumental in the western expansion of the United States. Railroads opened the way for the development of many other industries including mining, farming and manufacturing. The earliest materials document railroad lines operating on the east coast of the United States in the 1830s. The United States did not have the technical and manufacturing capabilities of some of the European nations. Cheaper land for railroad right of way and a government policy that guaranteed loans and provided grants to railroad companies based on the amount of track laid, however, encouraged rapid growth. Railroad companies in turn would sell land to settlers. Materials in this collection include the advertisements created to lure settlers west by promising this cheap and abundant land.
The railroads were instrumental in transporting goods from the farm belt to the east coast and to Europe thus making the country a major trading post. Railroads also expedited the movement of troops during the Civil War which was the first war to employ the rails. Later in the century the growth of the far west is facilitated by passenger trains linking east and west. As the rail network became more efficient and capable of transporting raw materials, the United States became a world leader in coal and pig iron production. Evidence of the transporting of goods is found among these materials.
The affluence of the late nineteenth century is reflected in the amount of materials in the collection that promoted luxury travel by rail. The rise of great railroad fortunes such as those of Vanderbilt, Harriman and Gould soon followed industry growth, as did scandal and corruption which in turn was followed by government regulation in the form of the Interstate Commerce Act and railroad legislation during Theodore Roosevelt's administration.
The twentieth century witnessed great efficiencies in locomotive car and track design and large increases in freight ton mileage as is reflected in the materials. There was, however, failure or downsizing of many railroad lines. Total passenger mileage declined over the years due to competition from other forms of transportation, the rise of the labor movement, increasing government control, a reduction in profits and the
The material consists primarily of correspondence, reports, patent records, pass books, resort guides, timetables, maps, periodicals, articles, printed advertisements, tickets, photographs, postcards and images from railroad companies. There is also a substantial amount of material from manufacturers and dealers of railroad equipment and supplies and from railroad organizations. Reference materials including articles and periodicals are also included among the materials. The materials are divided into six series.
Railroad Companies forms the largest amount of material in this category. This series is divided into two subseries. Subseries one is American railroad companies and subseries two is foreign companies.
American Companies document transportation service throughout the United States by the railroad lines including Albany and Susquehanna Railroad Company, Northern Railroad Corporation, Concord and Claremont, Contoocook River Railroad, Illinois Central Railroad, New York Central Railroad Company, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Sullivan, Central Vermont, Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road Company, Providence and Worcester Railroad Company, Pennsylvania Rail Road Company, Southern Pacific, Vermont Central Railroad Corporation and Union Pacific Railroad. There is a substantial amount of material from each company. The materials are arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the company or railroad line (s).
Foreign Companies includes companies servicing countries outside of the United States. Countries include Canada, England, France, India, Ireland, Scotland, Mexico and Switzerland. The materials are arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the company or railroad line (s).
Manufacturers and Distributors of Railroad Cars, Equipment and Supplies includes scattered correspondence on letterhead stationery, printed advertisements, patents, catalogues, bills and receipts. Many of the companies produced cars for the railroad companies but also supplied equipment and parts. The materials are arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the company.
Organizations, Associations and Clubs includes material from groups that represented the interests of railroad companies, employees and tradesmen. Organizations include American Association of General Passenger and Ticket Agents, American Association of Passenger Traffic Officers, American Association for Railroad and Locomotive History, American Electric Railway Association, American Electric Railway Manufacturers Association, American Electric Railway Transportation and Traffic Association, American Iron and Steel Association, American Railway Association, American Railway Bureau, American Railway Master Mechanics Association, American Street and Interurban Railway Accountants Association, Association of American Railroads, Association of General Freight Agents of New England, Association of Railway Executives, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen- Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Brotherhood Railroad Signalmen of America, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Convention of Railroad Commissioners, Eastern Railroad Association, International Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Master Car Builders' Association, National Association of General Passenger and Ticket Agents, National Council of Traveling Salesmen's Association of America, New England Association of Railroad Superintendents, New England Association of Superintendents of Steam Railways, New England General Ticket and Passenger Agents Association, New England Railroad Club, New England Railway Car Accounting Association, New England Summer Resort Association, North-Western, Railroadmen, Railroadians of America, Railway Business Association, Railway Car Accountants' Association, Railway Clearing House Association, Railway Club of Pittsburgh, Railway Educational Association, Railway Officials of America, Railway Storekeeping Association, Railway and Supplymen's Mutual Catalog Company, South-Western Passenger Association, South-Western Railway Association, Street Railway Association, Terminal Railroad Association of Saint Louis, Train Central Corporation of America, Transcontinental Association, United American Mechanics, United States Railroad Administration, Western Association of General Passenger and Ticket Agents, Western Land Association of Minnesota, Western Railroad Association, Western Railways' Committee on Public Relations, Western States Passenger Association and the Yard Master's Mutual Benefit Association.
Images includes unidentified photographs, postcards, lithographs and sketches of locomotive cars, bridges, tunnels, accidents, collisions, depot stations, equipment, freight and shipping alternatives, Hancock Junction, horse-drawn railroads, memorials featuring trains, menus, tracks, employees working with trains, trademarks, cartoons, caricatures, illustrations from children's books, West Point and the second locomotive built in the United States. The materials that can be identified to a railroad company or line are found in series one. Most of the material are undated and is arranged in alphabetical order by subject.
General Files includes audit reports, Windsor Vermont Convention, income and expense accounts, mortgage bonds, bond offerings, export and import documents, financial records and stock lists, Florence and Keyport Company charter, Interstate Commerce Commission, legal records from states such as Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, United States and Vermont patent records, Philadelphia Company balance sheets, Railroad Administration, Rand's Rating Agency, taxation documents, Thompson and Bachedler track and switch specifications, pass, time sheets, freight documents, maps, destination literature, tours, ticket sales, passenger rate sheets, checks, receipts and invoices, tickets, guides, maps, timetables, transportation of freight documents, pass books, passenger proportions, freight rates, free pass policy of numerous railroad companies, freight rates, freight transportation documents for Empire Line Great Western, Great Central, Bitner's Despatch Line, Merchant's Despatch line, National Despatch line, and various companies, time sheets, transportation of freight documents, maps and destination literature, maps and destination literature, map of Great Britain, Dinsmore, map of the United States and Canada Railways, fares and schedules, official documents, special trip offers, tariffs for passengers, freight and grain, tariffs for livestock and merchandise, passenger rate sheets, Walker's Railway tables, baggage checks, checks, receipts and invoices, ticket sales, Dover, ticket agents, tickets,
Publications includes articles, reports, clippings, histories, fiction, periodicals for the railroad trade and general periodicals. The series is divided into three subseries: Subseries 1, Articles, Reports, Clippings, Histories, and Fiction; Subseries 2, Periodicals for the Railroad Trade; Subseries 3, General Periodicals.
Materials in the Archives Center:
Archives Center Collection of Business Americana (AC0404)
Forms Part Of:
Forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana.
Missing Title
Series 1: Business Ephemera
Series 2: Other Collection Divisions
Series 3: Isadore Warshaw Personal Papers
Series 4: Photographic Reference Material
Provenance:
Railroads is a portion of the Business Ephemera Series of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Accession AC0060 purchased from Isadore Warshaw in 1967. Warshaw continued to accumulate similar material until his death, which was donated in 1971 by his widow, Augusta. For a period after acquisition, related materials from other sources (of mixed provenance) were added to the collection so there may be content produced or published after Warshaw's death in 1969. This practice has since ceased.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
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.
Genre/Form:
Business ephemera
Ephemera
Citation:
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Railroads, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
The Nancy Holt Estate records measure circa 65.4 linear feet and date from 1835, and circa 1900-2014, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960-2000. The records offer extensive documentation of Holt's career and include biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, writings, calendars and notebooks, Holt's project files including for unrealized projects, general business and professional files, subject files including source material, and printed material documenting Holt's professional activities from the 1960s to 2013. Also included are files Holt maintained related to her stewardship of Robert Smithson's estate and other records related to his life and work, and the John Weber Gallery records concerning Robert Smithson. These consist of the gallery's inventory and slide records of Robert Smithson's drawings and sculptures, including earthworks.
The collection total also includes 30 linear feet of unprocessed records including 18 linear feet of Holt's photographic material; 1 linear feet of Holt's preliminary project plans and sketches; 2 linear feet of financial records; and 9 linear feet of Holt's annotated library.
Scope and Contents:
The Nancy Holt Estate records measure circa 65.4 linear feet and date from 1835, and circa 1900-2014, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960-2000. The records offer extensive documentation of Holt's career and include biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, writings, calendars and notebooks, Holt's project files including for unrealized projects, general business and professional files, subject files including source material, and printed material documenting Holt's professional activities from the 1960s to 2013. Also included are files Holt maintained related to her stewardship of Robert Smithson's estate and other records related to his life and work, and the John Weber Gallery records concerning Robert Smithson. These consist of the gallery's inventory and slide records of Robert Smithson's drawings and sculptures, including earthworks.
The collection total also includes 30 linear feet of unprocessed records including 18 linear feet of Holt's photographic material; 1 linear feet of Holt's preliminary project plans and sketches; 2 linear feet of financial records; and 9 linear feet of Holt's annotated library.
Biographical material includes some vital records for Holt such as birth and marriage certificates, as well as resumes, biographical notes, and academic and family history records. Also found are records related to Smithson's death and information Holt gathered about Smithson's childhood and military service in circa 2005.
Correspondence files document many personal friendships including with artists and writers such as Carl Andre, Robert Fiore, Dee Dee Halleck, Lucy Lippard, Stanley Marsh, Serge Paul, May Stevens, Dennis Wheeler, and others. The series includes some personal family correspondence with Holt's aunts Dorothy Lopez and Ethel Tate, as well as copies of two letters and a postcard sent to Holt by Robert Smithson in 1961 and 1968, and many greeting and holiday cards sent to Holt from the 1970s to the end of her life. Over five linear feet of professional correspondence documents many aspects of Holt's career and includes correspondence with galleries, museums, writers, and researchers interested in Holt's work or requesting permissions for publication and duplication of images and other records. Arranged in rough chronological order spanning from the early 1970s to 2014, these files also provide a chronological point of access to material about specific projects including Dark Star Park, Rock Rings, Sky Mound, and many others.
Holt's writings include many artist statements on specific works, and notes revealing something of the development of her ideas. These are further supplemented by her notebooks and her calendars which provide another point of access to her activities throughout her career beginning in the 1970s. A series of interviews includes transcripts and two sound recordings primarily of interviews of Holt by various people. Also found are transcripts and related material pertaining to a conversation between Holt, Robert Smithson, and Lucy Lippard about Eva Hesse.
Holt's project files document over fifty of her realized and unrealized projects from the late 1970s to the late 1990s including earthworks and land art, film and video, publications, and gallery installations. They include Holt's proposals, correspondence and memoranda, background records such as site studies and reports, Holt's plans and photographs showing the development of her ideas, and printed material such as publicity about her projects and reviews of her work. Noticeably missing from the files is substantial documentation of Sun Tunnels. The project files are supplemented by Holt's business and professional files with include some project-related material such as records of maintenance work carried out on specific sites, contractual records which may duplicate those found in the project files, and some reference material. Other business and professional files include exhibition records, grant material, documentation of loans and permissions, inventories of Holt's work, and legal records including real estate agreements for land purchased in Utah and Maine by Holt and Smithson.
Holt's subject files include primarily printed material such as a clippings file of subjects of interest to Holt. A separate series of printed material includes announcements, catalogs, invitations, and programs related to exhibitions, installations, film and video screenings, and other events and documents press coverage Holt's work over the course of her career. Also found are extensive clippings and articles about her work published in newspapers, art journals, and other publications.
Artwork by others consists of four items including a computer portrait of Holt by an unknown artist. Records documenting Holt's stewardship of Robert Smithson's estate and legacy includes agreements and contracts, authentications for some artwork, inventories and invoices for Smithson's work from John Weber Gallery and James Cohan Gallery, appraisal records for Smithson's library, permissions for reproductions and use of his work, and records related to the maintenance of specific works. The records include documentation of donations to museums and other art organizations, including Holt's gift of Spiral Jetty to the DIA art foundation which is also the owner and steward of Sun Tunnels. Also found are transcripts of interviews with Smithson, drafts and related material for writings about Smithson, and printed material about his work including announcements, catalogs, clippings, posters, and other publicity. Additionally, the John Weber Gallery records concerning Robert Smithson consist of the gallery's inventory and slide records of Robert Smithson's drawings and sculptures, including earthworks, and incorporate some slides from the James Cohan Gallery. James Cohan worked for John Weber before establishing his own gallery in 2001.
Arrangement:
The Nancy Holt Estate records are arranged as 11 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1912-2014 (0.6 linear feet; Box 45, OV 64)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1966-2014 (7.5 linear feet; Boxes 45-52, 63)
Series 3: Writings, Calendars, and Notebooks, 1947-2013 (2.6 linear feet; Boxes 40-42, 52-53, OVs 43-44, 65)
Series 4: Interviews, 1973-2007 (0.3 linear feet; Box 53)
Series 5: Project Files, circa 1900-2014 (bulk 1970-2000) (12.8 linear feet; Boxes 3-10, OVs 11-31, RDs 32-39)
Series 6: Business and Professional Files, 1967-2013 (2.5 linear feet; Boxes 53-55, 63, OVs 64, 66-67)
Series 7: Subject Files, 1835, circa 1960s-circa 2013 (1.9 linear feet; Boxes 55-57, 63, OVs 65-66)
Series 8: Printed Material, 1964-2013 (2 linear feet; Boxes 57-59, 63, OV 65, RD 68)
Series 9: Artwork by Others, circa 1960s-circa 2006 (0.1 linear feet; Box 63)
Series 10: Robert Smithson Estate and Legacy, circa 1961-2013 (3.1 linear feet; Boxes 59-62, OV 66)
Series 11: John Weber Gallery Records Concerning Robert Smithson, circa 1960-circa 2001 (2 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Biographical / Historical:
Nancy Holt (1938-2014) was an environmental and installation artist, sculptor, filmmaker, and photographer, based in New York, New York. She was best known for her large-scale public land art installations including her seminal work Sun Tunnels (1973-1976) located in the Great Basin Desert, Utah. Her work engaged with the natural environment and the celestial realm, tracing the rotation of the earth and the movement of the sun and stars. Holt was also fascinated by mechanical systems such as those used for heating, drainage, and ventilation, and her functional sculptural installations explored the relationship between architecture and the built environment.
Holt was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, grew up in New Jersey, and graduated from Tufts University in 1960 with a degree in biology. She moved to New York City later that year where she met the artist Robert Smithson, to whom she was married from 1963 until Smithson's death in 1973.
Holt's landmark work Sun Tunnels was executed in 1973-1976 in Utah's Great Basin Desert, where Holt and Smithson had purchased surrounding land specifically to ensure an unimpeded view of the horizon. Holt went on to produce many site-specific outdoor works including 30 Below (1980), Dark Star Park (1984), Solar Rotary (1995), and Up and Under (1998). Her exploration of what she termed Systems Works included Catch Basin (1982), Flow Ace Heating (1985), and Spinwinder (1991).
Holt's photography was essential in the development of her ideas. In Missouri Ranch Locators: Vision Encompassed (1972) she used photography in her development of "seeing devices," creating eye-level steel pipes to direct viewers to a specific site in the surrounding landscape, and developing a concept that was central to Sun Tunnels and other works. Her book Ransacked, Aunt Ethel: An Ending (1980) documented through text and photographs the abuse and theft her aunt was subjected to at the end of her life. In Time Outs (1985) Holt used photographs of football games taken from a television screen to create a book born out of her childhood love of TV sporting events.
Holt's work can be found in the collections of major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum für Gegenswartkunst, Germany. Her permanent installations can be found at public institutions including Miami University Art Museum, Southern Connecticut State University, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Western Washington University, and University of South Florida.
In 2012 Nancy Holt was made a Chevalier of the of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government. In 2013 she was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Sculpture Center in New York. Holt received five National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, two New York Creative Artist Fellowships, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of South Florida, Tampa.
Holt lived in Galisteo, New Mexico, from 1995-2013. She died in New York City in 2014.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt papers, an interview with Nancy Holt conducted 1992 July 6 by Scott Gutterman for the Archives of American Art, an interview with Nancy Holt conducted 1993 August 3 by Joyce Pomeroy Schwartz for the Archives of American Art, and the James Cohan Gallery records relating to Robert Smithson.
Provenance:
Bequest of Nancy Holt, 2014.
Restrictions:
Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
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.
Items created by Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson copyright held by Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Requests for permission to reproduce should be submitted to ARS.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Filmmakers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Environmental artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Installation artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
on back: list of White Mountain Scenery; Flower Series; Hoosac Tunnel & Vicinity; and Miscellaneous Views.
handwritten: F. A. Stevens
see also STR011002
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Speaker: Dennis Zembala "The West Oil Company: Endless Wire Rope Dive and Its Use in the West Virgiia Oil Fields."
Speaker: Robert Bruegmann, "Central Heating, Forced Ventilation, and Their Effects on Architectureral Design in the 19th Century."
Speaker: Joseph H. Hall, IV, "Excavations at the Henry Wood's Sons Mineral Paint Manufactory in Wellesley, Massachusetts."
Session II
General Papers (Larry Lankton,(Chairman)
Speaker: Robert Mayo, "Early American Tunnels."
Speaker: Kathryn Eckert, "Sandstone Quarries and Sandstone Architecture in Michigans Upper Peninsula."
Speaker: Richard Kathmann, "The Development of the Hanford Mills in East Meredith, New York."
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. 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:
Society for Industrial Archaeology Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
