Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization Search this
Names:
New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.) Search this
Extent:
130 Cubic feet (417 boxes, 25 map-folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Souvenirs
Photographs
Pamphlets
Guidebooks
Exhibition posters--1930-1940
Diaries
Ephemera
Film transparencies
Motion picture film
Posters
Place:
Flushing Meadows Park (New York, N.Y.)
New York (N.Y.)
Date:
1835-2000, undated
Summary:
Collection documents the 1939 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York. Also includes material relating to other fairs, the Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization (ECHO), New York City tourism and The Walt Disney Company.
Scope and Contents:
Collection primarily documents the conception, planning, construction, management, and operations of the 1939 New York World's Fair located in Flushing Meadows, New York. Materials provide historical context and cultural significance as recorded in publications, artwork, photographs, ephemera, postcards, maps, plans, exhibitor's literature, souvenirs, and motion picture film. Most of the materials were primarily created for people who attended the fair. Some of the materials include scrapbooks created by fair visitors to document their experiences. There is a significant amount of material relating to other fairs, New York tourism, the Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization (ECHO) and the World's Fair Collector's Society. Other forms of entertainment such as festivals, the Olympic games, and Disney World are also found among these materials. There is little information relating to Edward Orth's personal and professional life as a city planner. The collection is arranged into eleven series.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into eleven series.
Series 1, Edward J. Orth Personal Papers, 1915-1989, undated
Subseries 1.1, Correspondence, 1939-1989
Subseries 1.2, Other Materials, 1915-1989, undated
Series 2, Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization (ECHO) and World's Fair Collector's Society, Incorporated Records, 1942-1990, undated
Subseries 2.1, General Information, 1960-1988, undated
Subseries 2.2, Correspondence, 1942-1990, undated
Subseries 2.3, Classified and Wanted Advertisements, 1956-1988, undated
Edward Joseph Orth grew up with a strong interest in history, particularly the history of the 1939 New York World's Fair. Orth's visit to the fair as a twelve-year-old boy led to a life-long passion of collecting. At the time of his death, he had amassed enough materials to fill two homes in California. Orth also collected materials from several other fairs. In addition, he saved some of the records of the Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization (ECHO) and the World's Fair Collector's Society.
Orth was born April 19, 1927, to Andrew Joseph Orth and Florence Minnie Gordon Orth in Glendale, New York. In the 1930s, the Orth family lived in several locations in New York including Ridgewood, Brooklyn, Glendale, and Queens. The home that made the most impact in young Orth's life came in 1935 when the family moved to St. Albans, Queens seven miles from Flushing Meadow Park, the future site of the 1939 fair. Sadly in 1939 there were several deaths in the family including three grandparents. The severe loss of life limited family social activities but a drive by the future site of the fair provided Orth a glimpse of the Trylon and Perisphere. He would later remark that the sight appeared to be magic. In the summer of 1939, he went to the fair with his classmates from Public School 136. The next summer Orth and his father purchased a 10-admission ticket from an elementary school in Hollis, Queens, New York. He saved every souvenir and any information he could find about the fair. He filled scrapbooks with images from newspapers and postcards from the Curt Teich and Manhattan Postcard companies. When his family moved from an apartment to a house, he acquired a fair bench which was kept in the backyard.
In 1941, Orth attended Newton High School in Elmhurst, and Queens, New York. The high school offered a college preparatory program with heavy emphasis on mathematics, science, mechanical drawing, and workshop courses. Orth's education and training combined with the knowledge he gained from motion picture films viewed at the fair, including Thomas Edison's "The City of Light," Ford Motor Company's "Road of Tomorrow," "Democracy," and General Motors' "Futurama" provided the foundation and inspiration for a career in architecture and landscaping. He ultimately became a city planner for the state of California. By 1943, Orth was exploring used magazine and bookstores in New York City to acquire more fair materials before enlisting in the United States Army in 1945. Upon his discharge he resumed buying and trading fair postcards. From 1948-1953, Orth attended the University of California and the University of Connecticut where he studied architecture and landscape design. During these years he posted advertisements in various publications in his continued pursue for fair materials.
In March 1953, Mr. Orth moved to Los Angeles, California. There he formed lasting friendships with other collectors. By 1967, Orth and several of his closest friends including Peter Warner, Oscar Hengstler, David Oats, Larry Zim, and Ernest Weidhaas conceived the idea of a fair collector's organization. By the summer of 1968, the group had formally created the Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization (ECHO).
As time passed Orth became increasing concerned about the welfare of his collection. He wanted it to go to a museum rather than be sold in parts. In his will he stipulated that the collection would be given to the Smithsonian Institution upon his death. Jon Zackman, former Smithsonian employee, interviewed Orth's brother George and fair collector Peter Warner. Orth and Warner corresponded and traded objects over many years. Mr. Orth primarily covered the west coast area while Peter Warner was his east coast counterpart. Edward Orth died on September 6,1989 in Los Angeles, California at the age of sixty-two.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center
New York World's Fair Collection, NMAH.AC.0134
Landor Design Collection, NMAH.AC.0500
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Subject Category, World Expos, NMAH.AC.0060
Larry Zim World's Fair Collection, NMAH.AC.0519
Alice R. Hillis World's Fair Film, NMAH.AC.0531
Borden Company 1939 New York World's Fair Collection, NMAH.AC.1063
Memories of the New York World's Fair, NMAH.AC.0592
Archives Center World Expositions Collection, NMAH.AC.0825
Daniel H. Meyerson World's Fair Collection, NMAH.AC.0745
Division of Community Life World's Fairs Collection, NMAH.AC.1132
Princeton University Posters Collection, NMAH.AC.0433
Smithsonian Speech Synthesis History Project, NMAH.AC.0417
Messmore and Damon Company Records, NMAH.AC.0846
Thomas Norrell Railroad Collection, NMAH.AC.1174
William L. Bird Holidays on Display Collection, NMAH.AC.1288
Wurlitzer Company Records, NMAH.AC.0469
Victor A. Blenkle Postcard Collection, NMAH.AC.0200
Materials at Other Organizations
New York Public Library The New York World's Fair 1939 and 1940 Incorporated Records, 1935-1945, MssCol 2233.
New York City 1939 World's Fair architectural drawings, circa 1935. Museum of the City of New York. Museum of the City of New York.
New York City 1939 World's Fair Collection, 1939-1940. Museum of the City of New York. New York World's Fair 1939/40 Collection. Queens Museum.
1939 New York World's Fair Postcards, Identifier: 1972-320, Audiovisual Collections Repository, Hagley Museum & Library
Separated Materials:
Materials at the National Museum of American History
Artifacts from the collection include several thousand souvenirs and examples of memorabilia commemorating the fair to include buttons and badges, ceramics, glassware, clothing, costume jewelry, coins and medals, commemorative spoons and flatware, toys and games, and philatelic material which are all part of the Division of Home and Community Life's holdings (now Division of Cultural and Community Life).
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Viewing film portion of collection requires special appointment, please inquire. Do not use when original materials are available on reference video or audio tapes.
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:
Exhibitions -- 1930-1940 -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The Farber collection documents images of celebrated American buildings by photographer Joseph C. Farber.
Scope and Contents note:
The Farber collection is filled with well-crafted and often very beautiful images of celebrated American buildings. Many of the images, which for the most part take the form of 11" x 14" black-and-white photoprints, explore the European Renaissance origins of American architecture. The collection is also very rich in color transparencies. Nearly all the images are directly related to published projects, specifically photo-essays in the shape of articles , many of which appeared in the magazine Antiques or newspapers. Farber probably would have wished for all of his photographs to have been published. Many were shown in exhibitions, as evidenced by the large proportion of the photoprints that are mounted and also the existence of correspondence files relating to such matters. There are also files related to the processes of conceiving, executing, and publishing his photographic work.
The images for the books are nearly all black-and-white, whereas magazine work, especially the commissions from Antiques, generated the most transparencies. In addition to the images in print and transparency form, and the associated proof sheets and negatives, there is also a great quantity of slides related to travel in the collection, which predate Farber's second career as a professional photographer. A tiny sampling of earlier photographs, mostly with artistic or family-and-personal themes, is also included.
Black-and-white negatives, black-and-white prints, and color transparencies, mostly created for specific book projects, articles in Antiques magazine, etc. Generally, color was used for magazine articles, while black-and-white images were intended for books. Collection also includes photographs of personal or family significance, and some early artistic efforts. Non-pictorial portion consists primarily of material related to Farber's publications: correspondence, galley proofs, reviews, etc.
Photographs include projects related to Thomas Jefferson (e.g., Monticello), classical architecture, Essex, Connecticut, etc. Buildings photographed include Raleigh's Tavern, Williamsburg, Va.; Independence Hall, Philadelphia; Maison Carree, Nimes, France; St. Paul's Chapel, Boston, Mass.; White House, Washington; New York City landmarks; sites in Springfield and New Salem, Ill., associated with Abraham Lincoln; historic buildings in Boston and Cambridge,Mass.; Hannibal, Mo.; Deerfield, Mass.; New England churches and meetinghouses; and buildings and objects from ancient Greece, which were published with excerpts from Herodotus' History of the Pelopponesian Wars (Farber called this group of images "Herodotus"); and Italian villas designed by Andrea Palladio, such as the Villa Rotunda. Some pictures relating to themes of democracy were inspired by the U.S. Bicentennial celebration.
Arrangement:
Divided into five series.
Series 1: Photographs
Series 2: Photonegatives and Contact Sheets
Series 3: Textual Materials
Series 4: Color Slides and Transparencies
Series 5: Books
Biographical/Historical note:
Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1902, Joseph C. Farber he attended the New York Military Academy, and later Columbia College, where his formal studies included chemistry and art composition. While these were excellent preparation for subsequent employment in the family business, Friedman Blau Farber, Manufacturers of Knitted Outerwear, at Columbia he discovered the true love of his life, the art and craft of photography. He became involved in the New York Camera Club. For the rest of his life he would consider himself a protégé of the Club's resident guru, famed photographer Edward Steichen. Farber's work was first shown in the Fifth Annual Exhibition of Work by Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen at the Cleveland Museum of Art in late spring 1923, and he taught photography to summer campers. Later, throughout 39 years of employment in the garment business, he continued to enjoy and practice photography, especially in making portraits of good friends. He married Caroline Feiss, also a Cleveland native and a promising watercolor artist. In 1939 the Farber's moved to New York.
According to his daughter, Dr. Joan Farber, her father purchased a large format Linhof field camera during a 1958 visit with his son Thomas in Germany. The Linhof camera front can be shifted to provide corrections for architectural photography which are not possible with smaller cameras. After Joan headed to college the Farbers had time for increased travel. They were accompanied by their daughter on a trip to Greece in summer 1960 which included photographs of herself, an attractive, sophisticated college coed, stylishly dressed and coifed for the occasion, posed on the steps of the Parthenon. A trip to Spain the following year resulted in many dozens of 35mm color images, part of a large group of travel slides.
This was also the period in Farber's life that a whirlwind round-the-world trip was undertaken, with visits to Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Hawaii, and California. By the end of the next year, the Farbers were renting as a vacation home a converted button factory in Essex, Connecticut, a former shipbuilding town on the Connecticut River, as a vacation home. Within months Farber had retired from his design and executive responsibilities at the Campus Sweater and Sportswear Company in Manhattan to live for a year in Essex. There were also trips more abroad, particularly to Greece and Egypt, while the Farbers continued to maintain an apartment in New York. Climbing a mountain in Greece in summer 1967, Farber suffered a heart attack, from which he fully recovered.
In 1969 his new career was launched by the publication of Portrait of Essex by Barre Publishers. Local historian Marie Moore supplied the text to accompany Farber's evocative photographs of the ships, shops, shores, streets, and historic structures of this seafaring town. His brother-in-law Carl Feiss, F.A.I.A., furnished the Introduction.
In 1971, Farber and Wendell Garrett published his first Jefferson book, The Worlds of Thomas Jefferson followed by their second, Thomas Jefferson Redivivus Garrett, who edited the Adams Papers wrote the text, with the help of excerpts from the writings of Jefferson himself. The following summer one of Farber's Monticello views was featured on the cover of Antiques. In 1973 Farber was credited with three covers and a frontispiece for the magazine, as well as three photographic essays. The subjects ranged from Sculpture at the Boston Atheneum to The Villas of Andrea Palladio to The Architecture of Lavius Fillmore Garrett introduced Farber to Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer who hired Farber as photographer to help illustrate his Prints of Abraham Lincoln, which appeared in the annual presidents' birthday number of Antiques the next year, February 1974. Some Contemporary Paintings of Abraham Lincoln appeared twelve months later. Three more Lincoln-themed articles appeared in February issues of Antiques in 1978, 1979, and 1980: Sculptures of Abraham Lincoln From Life, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and Here Lincoln Lived: New Salem and Springfield, Illinois.
Two more books of Farber's photographs were published in 1975. Democracy's First Struggle was an account of the Peloponnesian Wars in the words of Herodotus, as edited from the Aubrey de Selincourt with translation by Farber. The photographic images dated back to the family trips to Greece in the early 1960s. Native Americans: 500 Years After was published by Thomas J. Crowell in 1975 with text by Michael Dorris. Following Native Americans came a series of exhibitions of photographs from the book including shows at the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution), Dartmouth College, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History .
Also in the mid -1970s a cover story in Antiques entitled "The Architectural Heritage of New York City" led to an exhibition at the Abigail Adams Smith House. In the late '70s two more exhibitions were staged, featuring scenes of local color at the dedication of the East Haddam (Connecticut) Historical Society in the summer of 1979 and showing buildings by Palladio at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum (New York City.)
In 1980 Farber's interior view of a basilica, Palladio's Redentore church in Venice, was featured on the cover of Antiques. The photographs became the subject of a book, Palladio's Architecture and Its Influence authored by architectural historian, Henry Hope Reed.
Harold Holzer organized many joint photographic trips revolving around Holzer's career in the public relations department of Channel 13, New York's public television station. Each summer for four years in succession they set off to diverse spots to make publicity shoots for upcoming special programming. First was Missouri to photograph Mark Twain sites for a dramatization of "Life Along the Mississippi". The next summer they headed to the Berkshires to document The Mount, the home of Edith Wharton in Lenox, Massachusetts, around whose life and work a mini-series in three parts was planned. The summer trip of 1982 was a return visit to Massachusetts to photograph The Street, Deerfield's historic thoroughfare, combined with a side trip across the border to the Robert Todd Lincoln home, Hildene, in Manchester, Vermont.
In 1982 Farber was commissioned by Architectural Digest magazine to photograph the Mark Twain residence in Hartford. Farber and Holzer succeeded in the early to mid-1980s in getting Farber's out-takes from their Channel 13 trips published together with his carefully worded scripts in such periodicals as American History Illustrated and in Antiques & The Arts Weekly. Many of Farber's pictures were printed in articles in Antique Trader, to which Holzer was a regular contributor. In 1983, when Farber turned 80, his color images of the interior spaces of the Metropolitan Club of New York were published in a book by the same name, written by Paul Porzelt. In his travels in the last decade of his life he was often accompanied by family friend Ethel Phillips, including a tour of Great Britain in the summer of 1987. With Mrs. Phillips he at one time had contemplated publishing a book on the historic mansions of the Hudson River. Two other unrealized projects, upon his death in 1994 at the age of 91, were books on the classical architecture of New York City and on the history and daily lives of Hispanic Americans in the United States.
Biographical Time Line:
Biographical Time Line for Joseph C. Farber
Biographical Time Line
1903 -- Born Cleveland, Ohio
1910s -- At New York Military Academy
1920s -- At Columbia College, studying chemistry, art composition; studies photography with Edward Steichen in Camera Club; teaches photography as camp counselor
1923 -- Participates in Fifth Annual Exhibition of Work by Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen at Cleveland Museum of Art (May 1-June 3)
1926 -- Takes job as "salesman and experimental worker" at Friedman Blau Farber, Mfg. Knitted Outerwear," Cleveland; Marriage to Caroline Feiss, Cleveland native and watercolor artist
1933 -- Son Thomas Feiss born at Cleveland
1936 -- Daughter Joan born
1930s -- Family moves to New York
1958 -- Visit to son in Germany; purchase of Linhof camera; daughter off to college
1960 -- Trip to Greece, daughter along
1961 -- To Spain
1963 -- Death of son in mountaineering accident; to Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Hawaii, California
1964 -- Rents former button factory in Essex, Connecticut as vacation home
1965 -- Retirement from Campus Sweater & Sportswear Company; Living in Essex
1966 -- To Greece
1967 -- To Egypt and Greece; heart attack ; Essex (summer?)
1969 -- Portrait of Essex published, text by Marie Moore; into by Carl Feiss, AIA (Barre)
1970 -- Trip to Bermuda
1971 -- Thomas Jefferson Redivus published, text by Wendell Garrett, Editor of The Magazine Antiques (Barre); Farber introduced to "Jefferson circle"; Vacations in Essex and Florida
1972 -- Monticello images published in Antiques
1973 -- Photographs of sculpture at the Boston Atheneum, the Maison Carree at Nimes (France): the villas of Andrea Palladio in Vicenza and environs (Italy) and the architecture of Lavius Fillmore (Connecticut and Vermont) published in Antiques
1974 -- Images of Abraham Lincoln prints published in Antiques: accompanying article is by Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer; beginning of ten-year collaboration
1975 -- Photographs of Lincoln portraits in Antiques, Holzer text Democracy's First Struggle published, based on Herodotus' Histories of Greece (Crown); Native Americans: 500 Years Afterpublished (Thomas Crowell)
1976 -- Exhibitions of photographs of Native Americans at National Museum of Natural History, Dartmouth College, and Cleveland Museum of Natural History; Images of historic New York City buildings in Antiques, text by Elizabeth Donaghty Garrett; Exhibition of photographs of New York City landmarks at Abigail Adams House, New York City.
1978 -- Photographs of Lincoln sculptures, with Holzer, in Antiques
1979 -- Images of Lincoln and George Washington, sculpture of John Rogers, and sculpture of U.S. Capitol published in Antiques, with Holzer; Exhibition of photographs at East Haddam Historical Society; Exhibition of Palladio photographs at Cooper Hewitt Museum, New York City.
1980 -- Palladio's Architecture and Its Influence published, with Henry Hope Reed (Dover) ; Venice image (church interior) published on Antiques cover; Death of wife; "Caroline Fund" established at Cooper Union; Teaches photography in local high school; To Missouri with Holzer to photograph Mark Twain sites for Channel 13
1981 -- Images of Lincoln sites published in black and white in Antiques with Holzer (should have been in color); Summer trip to Berkshires with Holzer to photograph Edith Wharton home
1982 -- Commissioned to photograph Mark Twain house in Hartford for Architectural Digest; Images of The Mount, Edith Wharton's home in Lenox, Mass., published in American History Illustrated with Holzer; Summer trip to Massachusetts and Vermont with Holzer to photograph "The Street," Deerfield (Channel 13) and Hildene, Robert Todd Lincoln home in Manchester
1983 -- Images of Mark Twain sites in Hannibal, Missouri published in American History Illustrated with Holzer; Summer trip to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia with Holzer (Channel 13); Harper's Ferry images published in Antique Trader with Holzer Deerfield, Massachusetts images published in Antiques & The Arts Weekly with Holzer; The Metropolitan Club of New York published, with Paul Porzelt (Rizzoli)
1984 -- Images of Hildene published in Antique Traderwith Holzer
1985 -- Images of Rebecca Nurse Homestead, Old Salem, Massachusetts published in Antique Traderwith Holzer
1987 -- Tour of Great Britain with Ethel Phillips (summer?)
1994 -- Died, New York City, New York
Related Archival Materials:
Other Materials at the Smithsonian Institution
National Anthropological Archives, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Joseph C. Farber photographs of American Indian life, circa 1970-1975
Photographs made as part of Joseph C. Farber's project to document modern American Indian everyday life. Represented tribes include the Acoma, Apache, Blackfoot, Chehalis, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chippewa, Cocopa, Dakota, Eskimo, Haida, Kiowa, Kutenai, Lummi, Mohave, Mohawk, Navaho, Northern Athabascan, Onandaga, Pima, Pueblo, Quinalt, Seminole, Taos, Tlingit, and Zuni. Subject coverage is broad and varies from tribe to tribe. Included are portraits, as well as totem poles, carving, weaving, pottery, painitng, landscapes, boats and canoes, ceremonial regalia, camps, classes and vocational training, homes and traditional dwellings, construction projects, rodeos and powwows, dances, industries (including lumber), herding and ranching, agriculture, stores and storefronts, cliff dwellings, parades, crab cleaning, fishing, games, health care, legal processes, music, office work, sewing, vending, and a funeral. There are also photographs of R. C. Gorman (and a letter from Gorman to Farber) and Fritz Shoulder (some in color).
Provenance:
Collection donated by Dr. Joan Farber, 1994.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Photographs published in Joseph C. Farber's books are still under copyright. Reproduction permission from the Joseph C. Farber's estate is required. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Williams, J. Scott (John Scott), b. 1877 Search this
Extent:
13.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Lantern slides
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Date:
1895 - circa 2007
Summary:
The records of the National Society of Mural Painters measure 13.1 linear feet and date from 1895 to circa 2007. The activities of the society are documented through administrative files, membership files, correspondence, committee files, exhibition and competition files, artist files, financial and legal records, printed material, a scrapbook, and photographic materials.
Scope and Contents:
The records of the National Society of Mural Painters measure 13.1 linear feet and date from 1895 to circa 2007. The activities of the society are documented through administrative files, membership files, correspondence, committee files, exhibition and competition files, artist files, financial and legal records, printed material, a scrapbook, and photographic materials.
Administrative files include meeting minutes and agendas, historical information, and newsletter drafts, and the organization's constitution and by-laws. Membership files contain correspondence with members about their applications and acceptance or denial of membership, member voting ballots, and lists of members. General correspondence is with artists, members, organizations, universities, and federal commissions, and documents a wide varity of NSMP activities; additional correspondence is scattered throughout other series. Correspondence is with Charles Baskerville, Arthur Covey, Allyn Cox, Dean Fausett, Ruth Fortel, Edward Lanning, Everett Molinari, Jack Stewart, and Helen Tredwell, as well as with the American Federation of Arts, the Commission of Fine Arts on War Memorials, Fine Arts Federation, and the U. S. Capitol Historical Society.
Committee files document the work of various NSMP standing and ad hoc committees. Exhibition and competition files include correspondence, photographs, catalogs, itineraries, and printed materials for the NSMP's 1976 U.S. Bicentennial celebration projects, including the "Freedom Murals," "Caravan of Freedom," and "Momentous Events in American History." Additional files document the Red Cross Canteen Project, Federal Art Project, the Municipal Art Society exhibition in 1940, New York City subway murals, and other competitions and public art mural projects.
Artist files primarily date from the 1960s through the 1990s and often include biographies, resumes, correspondence, and photographs of works of art. Financial and legal records include the NSMP treasurer's files, ledgers, and miscellany. Also found in the records are printed materials; a mixed media scrapbook dating from 1923-1935; photographs of meetings, events, exhibitions, and works of art; photo collages of members with examples of their works of art. There are also lantern slides of Francis D. Millet in his studio and with his murals, and of J. Scott Williams with his art work.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 10 series reflecting the original order of the records.
Missing Title
Series 1: Administrative Files, 1895-circa 2007 (2.2 linear feet; Boxes 1-3)
Series 2: Membership Files, 1915-2001 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 3-4)
Series 3: Correspondence, 1912-2001 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 4-5)
Series 4: Committee Files, 1909-1960s (0.3 linear feet; Box 5)
Series 5: Exhibition and Competition Files, 1917-1998 (2.0 linear feet; Boxes 5-7)
Series 6: Artist Files, 1915-1990s (1.3 linear feet; Boxes 7-8, 18)
Series 7: Financial and Legal Records, 1895-1996 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 8-10)
Series 8: Printed Material, 1915-2000 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 10-11)
Series 9: Scrapbook, 1923-1935 (0.2 linear feet; Box 11)
Series 10: Photographic Material, circa 1900-1997 (2.5 linear feet; Boxes 12-18)
Biographical / Historical:
Originally named The Mural Painters, the National Society of Mural Painters (NSMP) was founded in 1895 in New York City by a group of artists, including John W. Alexander, Kenyon Cox, Edwin Blashfield, and John LaFarge, who were concerned with the design and execution of mural art for architecture in the United States. The organization's first president was Frederic Crowninshield. For well over one hundred years members of NSMP have created significant and monumental works of art across the country. Many significant American artists have been members and served as past presidents, such as George Biddle, Hildreth Meiére, Arthur S. Covey, Allyn Cox, Helen Treadwell, and Xavier Gonzales, among many others.
Since its founding, the NSMP has collaborated with the Fine Arts Section of the Treasury Department, the federal WPA Arts Project, and the design boards of several World's Fairs. As a member of Artists for Victory, NSMP coordinated the execution of murals for barracks and camps, as well as many triptych alterpieces.
NSMP organizes exhibitions and conductes competitions. In celebration of its one hundredth anniversary, a centennial exhibition was held in October 1995 at the Art Students League. Society members work with other organizations, actively sponsoring legislation for the development and commission of public works of art. Still active today, the current president is Jeff Greene.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reel NSM1) including 83 photographs of mural paintings and mural studies, and 25 exhibition boards showing sculptures, mosaics, and mural paintings with the artist's name, medium, title, and location listed. Lent materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
The National Society of Mural Painters lent materials for microfilming in 1963 and donated records in 1965-1966. The National Society of Mural Painters, via President Jeff Greene, gave papers in 2009.
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.
Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1851-2000, undated
Scope and Contents:
Consist of programs, maps, correspondence, official guides, view books, images, publications, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, and ephemera created for and about world's fairs dating from 1851-2000. There is a small amount of material about carnivals, the Olympic games, state fairs, the American Revolution bicentennial, and festivals. In addition, Orth also collected materials that discussed more than one fair or provided general information about them. Series is arranged into fifty subseries: Subseries 8.1: Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations/Crystal Palace Exhibition, 1851; Subseries 8.2, Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, 1853-1853; Subseries 8.3, International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine or Centennial International Exhibition, 1876;
Subseries 8.4, World's Columbian Exposition, 1893; Subseries 8.5, Exposition Internationale D'Anvers, Antwerp, Belgium; Subseries 8.6, Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition, 1897; Subseries 8.7, Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, 1898; Subseries 8.8, Expositions, 1901; Subseries 8.9, Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 1906; Subseries 8.10, Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition, 1907; Subseries 8.11: Alaska, Yukon, Pacific Exposition, 1909; Subseries 8.12, Panama-California Exposition, 1915-1916; Subseries 8.13, Bronx International Exposition of Science, Arts, and Industries, 1918; Subseries 8.14, Sesquicentennial Exposition, 1926; Subseries 8.15, Barcelona International Exposition, 1929; Subseries 8.16, L'Exposition Coloniale, Paris, 1931; Subseries 8.17, Olympics, 1932;
Subseries 8.18, A Century of Progress International Exposition, 1933; Subseries 8.19, Expositions, 1935; Subseries 8.20, Expositions, 1936; Subseries 8.21, Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne, 1937; Subseries 8.22, Golden Gate International Exposition, 1939
Subseries 8.23, Festival of Britain, Festival of Britain, London, United Kingdom, 1951; Subseries 8.24: Milan Fair, 1955; Subseries 8.25, Exposition Universelle et venti Internationale de Bruxelles, 1958; Subseries 8.26, New York's World Fair, 1961-1965; Subseries 8.27, American National Exhibition, 1959; Subseries 8.28, Century 21 Exhibition, 1962; Subseries 8.29, International and Universal Exposition or Expo '67, 1967; Subseries 8.30, Long Beach, California Long Beach, California; Subseries 8.31, HemisFair '68, 1968; Subseries 8.32, Expo '70, Japan World Exposition, 1970; Subseries 8.33, Expo 74, 1974; Subseries 8.34, Expo '75 or International Ocean Exposition, 1975; Subseries 8.35, American Revolution Bicentennial, 1776-1976, 1976; Subseries 8.36, Queens Bicentennial Festival, 1975-1976;
Subseries 8.37, Expo 81; Subseries 8.38, Kobe Port Island Exposition or Portopia 81, 1981; Subseries 8.39, Knoxville International Energy Exposition or 1982 World's Fair, 1982; Subseries 8.40: Louisiana World Exposition, 1984; Subseries 8.41: Games of the XXIII Olympiad, 1984; Subseries 8.42: The International Exposition, Tsukuba, Japan or The International Science Technology Exposition, 1985; Subseries 8.43, Queens Festival, 1985; Subseries 8.44: Expo '86, 1986; Subseries 8.45: World Expo '88, 1988;
Subseries 8.46, Universal Exposition of Seville or Expo 92, 1992; Subseries 8.47, Expo 2000, 2000; Subseries 8.48, Other Events and Celebrations, 1886-1989; Subseries 8.49, Combined Fairs, 1968-1994; and Subseries 8.50, General information about world's fairs, 1964-1980.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Viewing film portion of collection requires special appointment, please inquire. Do not use when original materials are available on reference video or audio tapes.
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:
Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the New York World's Fair, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization Search this
Container:
Box 405, Folder 11-12
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1975-1976
Scope and Contents:
Consist of ephemera, publications, and other materials celebrating the historical events that lead to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic including the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Viewing film portion of collection requires special appointment, please inquire. Do not use when original materials are available on reference video or audio tapes.
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:
Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the New York World's Fair, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization Search this
Container:
Box 405, Folder 11-12
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1976
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Viewing film portion of collection requires special appointment, please inquire. Do not use when original materials are available on reference video or audio tapes.
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:
Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the New York World's Fair, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization Search this
Container:
Box 411, Folder 9
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1975-1975
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Viewing film portion of collection requires special appointment, please inquire. Do not use when original materials are available on reference video or audio tapes.
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:
Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the New York World's Fair, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
1989.0438.3054, Poster commemorating the American Revolution Bicentennial held in 1976. Marked "American Revolution Bicentennial 1776-1976;" U.S. Flag with 13 stars and one corner folded back to show American Revolution Bicentennial logo
Zim, Larry (Larry Zimmerman), 1931-1987 Search this
Container:
Map-folder 124
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1976
Scope and Contents:
20 x 29 5/8 in.; 50.8 x 75.2475 cm
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but two oversize folders are 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:
Larry Zim World's Fair Collection, 1841-1988, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
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.
Collection Citation:
Leo Castelli Gallery records, circa 1880-2000, bulk 1957-1999. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the partial digitization of this collection was provided by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.
31.73 cu. ft. (31 record storage boxes) (1 tall document box) (1 oversize folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Floor plans
Color photographs
Black-and-white photographs
Drawings
Clippings
Books
Manuscripts
Brochures
Date:
circa 1955-1990 and undated
Descriptive Entry:
This record unit contains a variety of records documenting the planning, design, and production of permanent and temporary exhibitions at the NMNH. It also contains
smaller amounts of records concerning exhibitions held at the National Museum of History and Technology, National Air and Space Museum, National Collection of Fine Arts, Anacostia
Neighborhood Museum, and Arts and Industries Building. A few records documenting office administration are also found.
The records were created by the Office of Exhibits, 1955-1969; the Office of Exhibits Programs, 1969-1973; and the Office of Exhibits, NMNH, 1973-1990. Staff of the Office
of Exhibits, NMNH, and its predecessor offices, represented in the records include John E. Anglim, 1956-1972; A. Gilbert Wright, 1963-1970; Dorothy Guthrie, 1965-1970; James
A. Mahoney, 1969-1973; William F. Haase, 1969-1983; Harry T. Hart, 1970-1977; Eugene F. Behlen, 1977-1983; and Carl A. Alexander, 1969-1987. Also included are a few records
of Lawrence P. O'Reilly, 1984-1990.
The records offer primary documentation of natural history exhibition production at the Smithsonian, and they help to illustrate a period of intense exhibit modernization
at the Institution. They include correspondence, memoranda, photographs, blueprints, layouts, scripts, work contracts, schedules, notes, and publications. Of special interest
are records documenting the renovation of permanent exhibition halls during the 1960s; efforts to make NMNH exhibits more accessible to the handicapped; the development of
the Insect Zoo; planning and preparation of the NMNH Bicentennial Exhibition in the 1970s; activities of the NMNH Exhibits Committee; and professional activities of the staff.
Historical Note:
The Office of Exhibits in the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) was created in 1973 when a reorganization established independent exhibit offices in several
Smithsonian museums. Prior to its establishment, natural history exhibitions were the responsibility of the Office of Exhibits, 1955-1969, and the Office of Exhibits Programs,
1969-1973.
Harry T. Hart was appointed Chief of the Office of Exhibits, NMNH, on March 18, 1973. Eugene F. Behlen replaced Hart on May 22, 1977, and he served as Chief until 1983.
Carl A. Alexander was Acting Chief during 1983-1984. In 1984, administration of the Office of Exhibits became a duty of the newly established Assistant Director for Exhibits.
Lawrence P. O'Reilly was appointed to the position.
Smithsonian Institution. Traveling Exhibition Service Search this
Extent:
46.19 cu. ft. (91 document boxes) (1 16x20 box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Black-and-white photographs
Clippings
Manuscripts
Date:
1952-1981
Descriptive Entry:
These records consist primarily of exhibition files, 1952-1981, for shows no longer traveling. The exhibitions are developed and organized by SITES and produced by
both the Smithsonian's Office of Exhibits Central and outside sources. Exhibition themes cover the fields of art, history, and science, as well as current events. Also included
are records on canceled and refused shows, photographs, and negatives. Additional SITES material can be found in the records of the Exhibit Editors' Office, Office of Exhibits
Central, Record Unit 90, and in the records of the National Collection of Fine Arts, Office of Exhibition and Design, Record Unit 314.
Historical Note:
Funds from the Alice Pike Barney Memorial Fund, established in 1951, and a grant from the Department of State enabled the National Collection of Fine Arts (NCFA) to
create the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). Annemarie H. Pope was appointed chief of the Service and served until 1963. By 1962, the Service was
circulating 135 exhibits to 316 museums within the United States and two exhibits abroad. Occasionally, exhibits were prepared for the use of the United States Information
Agency.
The Service became independent of NCFA in 1965. Other chiefs of SITES included Dorothy Van Arsdale, 1965-1970 (acting chief in 1964); Eileen Rose, acting, 1971; and Dennis
A. Gould, 1971-1979. In 1974, the administrative title of the head of the Service changed to "director." Rose served as acting director from 1979 to 1980, and Peggy A. Loar
became director in 1981.
National Museum of American History. Division of Military History Search this
Extent:
5 cu. ft. (5 record storage boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
circa 1968-1981
Descriptive Entry:
These records consist of public inquiries from museums, universities, historical societies, and private collectors regarding gun models, saber types, military heraldry,
uniform insignia, history of the United States Army, the preservation of artifacts, and paintings illustrating scenes from American military history. Also included are copies
of responses to public inquiries by the two curators; photographs, scripts, and correspondence concerning the exhibitions By Sea and By Land: Independence with the Help
of France, Steuben: Secret Aid for the Americans, and Belgian Gunmaking and American History; and memoranda from administrative offices, some of which pertain
to planning for the Bicentennial of the American Revolution.
Historical Note:
Beginning in the 1880s, military collections were curated by the Section of Historical Relics, United States National Museum, and its various successors through to
the Division of History. In 1935, the Division established the Military and Naval Collection, and, in 1947, it formed a Section of Military History. The Section was given
Division status in 1948 and was placed under the direction of Mendel L. Peterson. Additional details on the history of the Division are located in Record Unit 383, and in
the introduction to the Department of Social and Cultural History, Guide to the Smithsonian Archives, 1996.
The Division of Military History was responsible for tracing the historical development of the United States Army from its inception as a colonial militia to its current
role in the missile age. Research focused on United States Army firearms, artillery, ammunition, edged weapons, uniforms, medals, and flags. In addition to collecting military
and foreign artifacts the Division published military histories and conducted studies of arms collections in other museums.
Staff members of the Division included Craddock R. Goins, Jr., Curator, 1959- , and Donald E. Kloster, Associate Curator, 1973- .
Topic:
American Revolution Bicentennial, 1776-1976 Search this
Smithsonian Institution. Assistant Secretary for History and Art Search this
Extent:
48 cu. ft. (48 record storage boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Motion pictures (visual works)
Black-and-white photographs
Clippings
Sound recordings
Newsletters
Manuscripts
Pamphlets
Date:
1966-1980, with related records from 1961
Descriptive Entry:
This record unit documents the tenure of Charles Blitzer as assistant secretary for History and Art from 1973 to 1979. There are also records pertaining to the Office
of Education and Training, 1965-1968, which Blitzer had directed.
The celebration of the bicentennial of the American Revolution was a major Smithsonian project from 1972 to 1977. These records document those efforts from first proposals
to their completion or abandonment and include memoranda, budget proposals, and audio-visual recordings, including a 16-mm film of the Wells Fargo Essay Contest, Towards Our
Third Century.
The records consist of correspondence, memoranda, budgets, and associated materials documenting the changing activities of History and Art bureaus during a period of intense
activity and growth.
Historical Note:
Changes in History and Art's organization during these years included the return of the Hillwood Estate to the Marjorie Merriweather Post Foundation in 1975, the transfer
of the Smithsonian Institution Archives to the Assistant Secretary for Museum Programs, and the assignment of the office of the American Revolution Bicentennial Coordinator
to History and Art. The Renwick Gallery was acquired as a showcase for design, crafts, and decorative arts and became part of the National Museum of American Art. The Smithsonian
also acquired the Carnegie Mansion and renovated it to house the Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, which opened in 1976. The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture
Garden was completed during this period and opened in 1974. The Museum of History and Technology became the National Museum of History and Technology (NMHT) in 1969.
Topic:
American Revolution Bicentennial, 1776-1976 Search this
Smithsonian Institution. Assistant Secretary for History and Art Search this
Extent:
44.54 cu. ft. (41 record storage boxes) (1 document box) (1 12x17 box) (2 16x20 boxes) (2 oversize folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Color photographs
Black-and-white photographs
Black-and-white negatives
Clippings
Books
Sound recordings
Manuscripts
Motion pictures (visual works)
Color transparencies
Brochures
Audiotapes
Videotapes
Color negatives
Architectural drawings
Date:
1962-1982
Descriptive Entry:
These records document the work of Susan A. Hamilton as Bicentennial Coordinator, acting under the direction of the Assistant Secretary for History and Art. They also
cover preliminary planning for Bicentennial programs carried out between 1968 and the creation of the Office in 1971. For a fuller record of such activities, researchers should
also consult the records of John J. Slocum, Special Assistant to the Secretary (Record Unit 341).
These records consist of correspondence, memoranda, publications, photographs, videotapes, a banner, and posters documenting the work of the Coordinator and the committee,
as well as proposals and planning documents for both approved and rejected projects prepared to mark the Bicentennial. Plans for Art in America: A Bibliography and
for an exhibition, The Federal City: Plans and Realities, are especially well represented.
Historical Note:
The Bicentennial Coordinator's Office was created on July 1, 1971, to coordinate the work of a special Institution-wide committee intended to plan the Smithsonian's
activities in observance of the Bicentennial of the American Revolution. The office was abolished in 1977 at the conclusion of the Bicentennial observance.
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 337, Smithsonian Institution, Assistant Secretary for History and Art, American Revolution Bicentennial Records
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Collection Citation:
Captain Michael Gitt Papers, Acc. NASM.2003.0033, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Institution. Office of the Secretary. Special Assistant to the Secretary for Bicentennial Planning Search this
Extent:
3.41 cu. ft. (3 record storage boxes) (1 film box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Date:
1969-1977
Descriptive Entry:
These records consist of correspondence between Slocum and various persons and organizations he dealt with in carrying out his duties. They also document some of his
personal interests, notably numismatics and the work of the English Speaking Union.
Historical Note:
The Special Assistant to the Secretary for Bicentennial Planning was responsible for developing various aspects of the Smithsonian Institution's planning for the celebration
of the Bicentennial of the American Revolution in 1976. For a full account of planning for the Bicentennial events, researchers should also consult the records of the Bicentennial
Coordinator responsible for internal Smithsonian planning, Record Unit 337.
John J. Slocum was attached to the Office of the Secretary, but also reported on occasion to the Director of the National Museum of History and Technology since he was
involved in procuring artifacts for use by the Museum in its exhibits. He was particularly involved in negotiations for a Pony Express first-day cover and for a Corliss steam
engine, both of which the Museum wanted as features of its Bicentennial exhibitions. Slocum was also responsible for planning and leading a Smithsonian National Associates
trip to Turkey during 1971, drawing on his earlier experience of the eastern Mediterranean in the American diplomatic service.
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 341, Smithsonian Institution, Office of the Secretary, Special Assistant to the Secretary for Bicentennial Planning, Correspondence
