The Carrig-Rohane Shop records measure 6.7 linear feet and date from 1903 to 1962. The records document the founding of the Boston company, frame design and production, and the financial transactions of the shop. The numerous framing records, such as pattern and specification order books, are particularly valuable for researching and matching custom frames with specific works of art of the late 19th and early 20th century. The frame patterns are also useful for researchers interested in the history of frame design.
Scope and Content Note:
The Carrig-Rohane Shop records date from 1903 to 1962, and measure 6.7 linear feet. The records document the founding of the company, frame design and production, and the financial transactions of the shop. Series 2: Frame Orders and Specifications is particulary valuable for researching the frames used for late 19th and early 20th century American works of art. The frame patterns can be cross-referenced with the orders to obtain visual documentation of the frame desing used with a specific work of art. The frame patterns are also useful for researchers interested in the history of frame design.
The records of the Carrig-Rohane Shop also include financial and business records, printed material, sketches of frames, and photographs of sketches and sculptures.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into seven series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Frame Patterns, circa 1903-1962 (boxes 1-2, 1 linear ft.)
Series 2: Frame Orders and Specifications, 1904-1962 (boxes 2-5, 3 linear ft.)
Series 3: Financial Records, 1908-1939, undated (boxes 5-7, 1.9 linear ft.)
Series 4: Business Records, 1903-1955, undated (box 7, 11, 0.6 linear ft.)
Series 5: Printed Material, 1906 (box 7, 0.1 linear ft.)
Series 6: Works of Art, 1931, 1936, undated (boxes 7, OV 10, 0.1 linear ft.)
Series 7: Photographs, undated (box 7, 0.1 linear ft.)
Historical Note:
In 1903 Herman Dudley Murphy, Walfred Thulin and Charles Prendergast began making frames and in 1906 H.D. Murphy opened "The Frame Shop of Herman Dudley Murphy" on Clarendon Street in Boston.
According to the meeting minutes, on June 13, 1911, the frame shop incorporated under the name "The Thulin-Murphy Co." with Walfred Thulin as the President. The shop name was then changed to "Carrig-Rohane" on February 5, 1914, and on October 23, 1915, the shop came under the management of Robert Churchill Vose, Sr. and Nathaniel Morton Vose.
The corporation was eventually dissolved on March 29, 1939, and the framing operations moved to the Vose Galleries' premises.
Provenance:
The Carrig-Rohane Shop records were donated by Robert Churchill Vose, Jr., Duxbury, Massachusetts, April 4, 1974, January 13, 1975, April 5, 1984, February 1, 1986, and March 17, 1987.
Funding for the processing and microfilming of this collection was provided by a grant from the Eli Wilner & Company, Inc., New York, New York.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy.
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.
