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Philadelphia -- Boxly

Former owner:
Penn, William  Search this
Pastorius, Francis Daniel  Search this
Du Barry, Joseph  Search this
Sheridan, Owen  Search this
Taylor, Frederick Winslow, 1856-1915  Search this
Taylor, Frederick Winslow, Mrs.  Search this
Peck, Frederick W. G.  Search this
Peck, Frederick W. G. Mrs.  Search this
Architect:
Fielding, Mantle, 1865-1941  Search this
Landscape architect:
Gallagher, Percival  Search this
Peck, Frederick W. G.  Search this
Olmsted Brothers  Search this
Civil engineer:
Vandu Zee, Harold (civil engineer)  Search this
Gardener:
Bender, Robert  Search this
Provenance:
The Garden Club of Philadelphia  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Boxly (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
United States of America -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia County -- Philadelphia
Scope and Contents:
The folders include worksheets, photocopies of newspaper and other printed references about the garden, and photocopies of photographs of the garden when it was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Winslow Taylor (before 1951).
General:
"Boxly" was originally established by Joseph Du Barry (a friend of Joseph Bonaparte) as "Mulberry Farm." The property was the center of an unsuccessful silk industry in the early 19th century. It was later purchased by the famous efficiency engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor, who built the first undulating putting green (for golf) in America at the property. He renamed it "Boxly" because of its then 100-year-old boxwood bushes. The property was redesigned in the 1950s and 1960s.
Persons associated with the property include: William Penn (former owner, 1681-1683); Francis Daniel Pastorius (former owner, 1683-?); Joseph Du Barry (former owner, 1803-?); Owen Sheridan (former owner, 1833-?); Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Winslow Taylor (former owners, 1901-1951); Mr. and Mrs. Frederick W. G. Peck (former owners and landscape architect, 1951-1998); Mantle Fielding (architect, 1901-1905); the Olmsted Brothers (landscape architects, 1901-1910); Percival Gallagher (landscape architect, 1901-1910); Harold Vandu Zee (civil engineer, 1901-1915); and Robert Bender (gardener, 1902-?).
Related Materials:
Boxly related holdings consist of 3 folders (4 glass lantern slides; 63 35 mm. slides; 17 photonegatives)
Records related to this site can be found at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Olmsted Job Number 00168, F. W. Taylor (Clark, J.S.).
See others in:
Maida Babson Adams American Garden Collection, ca. 1960-1994.
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.
Topic:
Gardens -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, File PA009
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Pennsylvania
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6eecd6092-7c89-4e8f-9859-2299b3d74d87
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref16501

Middletown -- Belle Grove Plantation

Former owner:
Hite, Isaac, Jr  Search this
Hunnewell, F. W. (Francis Welles)  Search this
Brumback family  Search this
Landscape architect:
Favretti, Rudy J., 1932-1923  Search this
Owner:
National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States  Search this
Creator:
Garden Club of Virginia  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Belle Grove (Middletown, Virginia)
United States of America -- Virginia -- Frederick County -- Middletown
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets and photocopies of articles about the property.
General:
Major Isaac Hite Jr., who fought with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, and his first wife Eleanor (Nelly) Conway Madison, a sister of President James Madison, built the Federal style house beginning in 1794, using limestone quarried on the 483 acre property. The landscape plan included groves of trees for shade and was influenced by the less formal 18th century English gardens that complement rather than contrast with the natural setting. The fields would have been planted in grain for livestock, including cattle and Merino sheep. During Hite's lifetime the property was expanded to 7,500 acres and included a distillery and several mills. The house has a south façade of dressed limestone, and is in the pavilion style favored by Thomas Jefferson. There are several outbuildings. The only records of the garden show light foundation plantings around the house and a latticework fence.
During the Civil War, Belle Grove Plantation was the setting of the Battle of Cedar Creek on October 19, 1864, in which Union General Philip Sheridan defeated Confederate General Jubal Early.
The Brumback family owned the property from 1907 to 1929. Francis Welles Hunnewell purchased the property in 1929 and bequeathed it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1964.
In 1983, the Garden Club of Virginia voted to restore the gardens at Belle Grove Plantation, using funds raised in their annual garden walks. The gardens were restored to the style of circa 1820. University of Connecticut Professor Emeritus Rudy J. Favretti (Fellow in the American Society of Landscape Architects) designed the restoration. Restoration included pruning the trees to restore light to the house and open the view of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains and replacing the large foundation plantings including diseased boxwoods with low-growing plants. In addition, an overgrown herb garden was converted to a demonstration garden comprised of plants used in cooking, medicine and commerce in the 19th century, with restored latticework fencing on three sides and post and rail fencing on the fourth side.
Belle Grove Plantation, now 283 acres, is operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and open to the public. Sites on the grounds include the ice house, old hall, dairy, smokehouse, blacksmiths shop, demonstration garden, slave cemetery, and agricultural fields. There is also a library of local, architectural, crafts and agricultural history, and an artifacts collection.
Persons associated with the property include Major Isaac Hite (former owner, 1794-1836) and descendents of the Hite family, the Brumback family (former owner, 1907-1929), Francis Welles Hunnewell (former owner, 1929), Rudy J. Favretti (1983, restoration landscape architect) and the National Trust for Historic Preservation (owner, 1964-present)
Related Materials:
Belle Grove Plantation related holdings consist of 2 folders (1 3 x 4 in. lantern slide and 3 35mm slides)
See also the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
See others in:
Hollerith Collection, ca. 1970?
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.
Topic:
Gardens -- Virginia -- Middletown  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, File VA094
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Virginia
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6a1c3d45f-f402-49e6-afa3-7d7766b16b38
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref18856

Wiltshire -- Wilton House and Vicinity

Garden designer:
Caus, Isaac de, 1590-1648  Search this
Architect:
Wyatt, James, 1746-1813  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Wilton House (Wilton, Wiltshire, England)
United Kingdom -- England -- Wiltshire -- Wilton
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets and photocopies of articles.
General:
Like other great country houses in England Wilton House has been expanded and rebuilt over the centuries, with contributions from some of the most renowned architects working in the Palladian style. The gardens have evolved as well: in 1645 designer Isaac de Caus published etchings of his newly styled French formal Wilton Garden, set within the 21 acres of parkland that comprised the estate gardens. Features included elegant parterres bordered with clipped hedges, balustrades, galleries, statues, fountains, colored gravel walks and other walks under trellised vaults and pavilions. One natural feature left untouched was the River Nadder, and this became identified as in the English style as opposed to the highly ordered great gardens of the Continent. In the next century a footbridge based on Palladio's design for the Rialto in Venice was built over the river. The bridge complements the Palladian style house designed by architects Inigo Jones and his son-in-law John Webb. In the early 19th century architect James Wyatt re-used the provincial baroque carved limestone façade of the grotto at the end of the Great Walk, installing it on a building on the grounds known as the Old Schoolhouse. Wyatt also relocated on the grounds a 16th century porch from the earlier version of the main house, attributed to artist Hans Holbein.
The parterre was demolished and replaced by lawns, and contemporary gardens include a water garden, an Oriental garden area with linked ponds crossed by Chinese style red bridges, and a rose garden. Other public facilities include an adventure playground and a garden center. The current Earl of Pembroke and his family still own Wilton House and reside there. Wilton House was visited by Thomas W. Sears in 1908 and by the Garden Club of America's June 1929 tour to England. A complete copy of the GCA tour itinerary was printed in the Bulletin of the Garden Club of America (Fourth Series, No. 5), September 1929, pp. 6-25.
Persons associated with the garden include First through 17th Earls of Pembroke, Herbert family (owners since circa 1550); Isaac de Caus (1590-1648) (garden designer, 1632-1633); Inigo Jones (1573-1652) and John Webb (1611-1672) (architects, circa 1633-1647) and James Wyatt (1746-1813) (architect, circa 1805).
Related Materials:
Wilton House and Vicinity related holdings consist of 1 folder (14 glass negatives; 4 lantern slides)
See others in:
Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection, 1900-1966.
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.
Topic:
Gardens -- England -- Wiltshire -- Wilton  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, File ENG057
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 2: International Garden Images / United Kingdom -- England
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6c350dfa6-b8b8-4e7d-9c6e-6a6c099cbf66
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref4491

Silas H. Woodard Papers

Creator:
Woodard, Silas H., 1870-1961  Search this
Names:
Isthmian Canal Commission.  Search this
Pennsylvania Railroad.  Search this
St. Lawrence River Power Development Commission.  Search this
Former owner:
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:
1 Cubic foot (3 boxes, 3 map-folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Reports
Photograph albums
Maps
Place:
Great Lakes (North America)
St. Lawrence River
Date:
1899-1932
Scope and Contents note:
The papers of Silas H. Woodard include the Isthmian Canal Commission Report containing text, maps, profiles, and plates, 1899-1901; photograph albums on the East River Tunnel, 1904-1908; reports on the regulation of the levels of the Great Lakes, 1910-1914; and reports dealing with the development of hydroelectric power on the St. Lawrence River, 1930-1932.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical/Historical note:
Silas H. Woodard, civil engineer specializing in power development, dams, tunnels, and foundation work, served as an engineer for the Isthmian Canal Commission, 1899-1902; the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1902-1909; and the Engineering Board of the St. Lawrence River Power Development Commission, 1930s. Woodard also worked as a consulting engineer.
Related Materials:
Materials at the Archives Center

Panama Canal Commission Photonegatives (AC1116)

Joe Britton Panama Canal Zone Photographs (AC1234)

W.P. Stine Panama Canal Papers (AC1039)

Katherine Kingsford Panama Canal Photograph Album (AC1040)

W.A. Fishbaugh Panama Canal Photograph Album (AC1021)

John Frances Little Panama Canal Scrapbook (AC0708)

Charles Wood Panama Canal Photograph Album (AC1114)

Robert Dearborn Panama Canal Glass Negatives (AC1111)

William Currie Photograph Album (AC1043)

Roland A. McCrady Photograph Collection (AC0710)

George S. Morison Collection (AC0978)

George W. Sims Papers (AC0127)

William R. Hutton Papers (AC0987)

Division of Cultural History Lantern Slides and Stereographs (AC0945)

Robert F. Olds Collection (AC0231)
Provenance:
Immediate source 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.
Topic:
Tunnels  Search this
Dams  Search this
Canals  Search this
Genre/Form:
Reports
Photograph albums
Maps -- 19th century
Citation:
Silas H. Woodard Papers, circa 1899-1932, Archives Center, National Museum of American
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1038
See more items in:
Silas H. Woodard Papers
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8930f229e-f4a0-4bc3-990a-1734049abc17
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1038

Modjeski and Masters Company Records

Creator:
Modjeski and Masters  Search this
Collector:
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
Names:
Masters, Frank, 1883-1974  Search this
Modjeski, Ralph, 1861-1940  Search this
Interviewer:
Vogel, Robert M.  Search this
Extent:
60 Cubic feet (140 boxes, 23 map folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Oral history
Lantern slides
Photographs
Drawings
Contracts
Letterpress books
Correspondence
Place:
Harrisburg (Penn.)
Pennsylvania
Date:
1870-1979
bulk 1900-1940
Summary:
The records document the work of consulting engineers and bridge builders, Ralph Modjeski (1861-1940) and Frank Masters (1883-1974) of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Scope and Contents:
This collection documents the civil engineering career of Ralph Modjeski (1861-1940) and Frank masters (1883-1974). The materials include bound volumes and loose photographs of bridge work-in-progress; printed reports; articles, pamphlets; drawings, blue prints and tracings of bridges; letterpress books of correspondence; contracts; reports; studies of bridge materials; and glass plate negatives and lantern slides depicting bridges.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into ten series.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1915-1986

Series 2: Letter Press Books, 1898-1906

Series 3: Photographs, 1878-1979

Series 4: Contracts, 1895-1960

Series 5: Printed Materials, 1862-1969

Series 6: Newspaper Clippings, 1924-1941

Series 7: Lantern Slides, undated

Series 8: Glass Plate Negatives, 1906-1926

Series 9: Film Negatives, 1924, undated

Series 10: Drawings, 1901-1952
Biographical / Historical:
Rudolphe Modrzejewski was born to Helena Jadwiga Opid (d.1909) and Gustav Sinnmayer Modrzejewski (d. 1901) on January 27, 1861, in Cracow, Poland. His mother was an internationally known stage actress who went by the name Helena Modrzejewska. In 1868, Helena married Count Karol Bożenta Chłapowski. In July 1876, Helena and Rudolphe emigrated to America, where, for purposes of American citizenship, the Polish form of their surname was later changed to Modjeski (feminine form Modjeska). Modjeski became a naturalized citizen in 1883 in San Francisco, California.

In 1882, Modjeski returned to Europe to study at the Ecole Des Ponts et Chaussees and graduated in 1885 with a degree in civil engineering. Modjeski worked with prominent civil engineer and "Father of American Bridge Building," George S. Morison, on the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge over the Missouri River at Omaha as an assistant engineer. He remained with Morison from 1885 to 1892. Some of his assignments included working in the shops which produced steel sections; the design office where he advanced to chief draftsman; and as an inspector of quality control in shops that fabricated steel elements. Modjeski worked with Morison on his Willamette, Nebraska City, Sioux City, Winona, Cairo, and Memphis bridges across the Mississippi River. The Memphis bridge was the longest span cantilever in the country at the time.

In 1893, Modjeski opened a civil engineering practice in Chicago with S. Nicholson. After some financial difficulties, Nicholson and Modjeski dissolved their partnership. Modjeski's first individual large commission was the bridge at Rock Island, Illinois (1895) across the Mississippi River where he designed and supervised the construction of the bridge for the federal government and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company.

In 1902, Modjeski went into partnership with fellow civil engineer, Alfred Noble (1844-1914) forming the firm of Noble and Modjeski. He went into partnership with Walter Angier, under the name Modjeski and Angier, civil and inspecting engineers, between 1912 and 1924 with several offices around the United States. Angiers had worked with him beginning in 1902 on the bridge across the Mississippi at Thebes, Illinois. Modjeski partnered, in 1924, with Frank Masters (1883-1974), who had worked with him and Angiers between 1904 and 1914 on the Memphis and Louisville Bridges, forming Modjeski and Masters. Clement E. Chase and Montgomery B. Case later joined the firm as partners. In 1937, Masters assumed full control and ownership of the firm which specialized in the design and construction supervision of large bridges and other structures, rehabilitation and reconstruction of existing bridges, the design of highways and expressways, subways and wharves, the design of large and complex foundations, inspection of construction materials, and the creation of surveys, investigations and reports.

Modjeski built and/or consulted on over forty bridges in his lifetime. He built truss, steel arch, and suspension bridges. He introduced steel tower pylons in place of masonry towers and he used better grades of steel, such as new steel alloys with improved strength and durability. He also introduced advancements in the design of cable configurations and deck-stiffening beams. Some of his major projects included: the Columbia River and Willamette bridges, McKinley Bridge at St. Louis; the Celilo Railroad Bridge at Celilo, Ohio; the Thebes Bridge over the Mississippi; the Quebec Bridge over the St. Lawrence River; the Delaware River Bridge; the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, and the Mid-Hudson Bridge.

On December 28, 1885, Modjeski married Felicie Benda (d. 1936) in New York and the couple had three children: Felix Bozenta Modjeski (1887); Marylka Stuart Modjeski (1894) and Charles Emmanuel John Modjeski (1896-1944). Ralph and Felicie divorced in 1931. He later married Virginia Giblyn on July 7, 1931. Modjeski died in Los Angles on June 26, 1940.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center

Bollman Truss Bridge Collection, 1852-1986 (AC1064)

Canadian Bridges Photograph Albums, 1873-1911 (AC1025)

Victor C. Darnell Bridge Construction Photographs, 1911-1913 and undated (AC1018)

Beata Drake Covered Bridge Collection, 1954-1981 (AC0998)

Ben Franklin Bridge Photograph Album, 1922-1926 (AC1029)

Hartford, Connecticut Bridge Collection, 1903-1905 (AC1066)

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad Bridge Profiles, 1877-1896 (AC1073)

Richard H. Miller Bridge Collection : postcards and slides, circa 1950-1988 and undated, #950

George S. Morison Collection, 1846-1903 (AC0978)

Niagara Falls Bridge Commission Records, 1848-1946 (bulk 1890-1929) (AC1060)

Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge Construction Photograph Album, 1883-1884 (AC1030)

David Plowden North American Bridge Photographs, 1970-1976 (AC1019)

Quebec Bridge Photograph Collection, 1905-1986 (bulk 1905-1916) (AC1026)

Railroad Bridges Construction Photograph Album, circa 1905-1914 (AC1024)

Samuel Reed Bridge Collection, 1947-1964 (AC1001)

Rip Van Winkle Bridge Photographs, 1933-1935 (AC1027)

John A. Roebling Collection,1836-1975 (bulk 1930-1950) (AC0981)

Holton Duncan Robinson Papers, 1889-1938 (AC0963)

Lucinda Rudell Covered Bridges Collection, 1942-1979 (AC1028)

Lester Shanks Collection of Covered Bridge Photographs and Ephemera, 1876-2010 (bulk 1973-2008) (AC1244)

Washington, D.C. Bridges Collection, 1900-1905 (AC01095)

Raymond E. Wilson Covered Bridge Collection, 1958-1974 (AC0999)

Materials at Other Organizations

Southern Illinois University, Morris Library Special Collections

Walter E. Angier photograph collection, 1901-1915

Walter E. Angier Vertical File Manuscript, 1924

Michigan Historical Collections, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan

Alfred Noble Papers, 1862-1922
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Modejeski and Masters Consulting Engineers, through Joseph J. Scherrer, October 2, 1990.
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.
Topic:
Civil engineering  Search this
Bridge failures  Search this
Bridges  Search this
Genre/Form:
Oral history -- 1950-1970
Lantern slides
Photographs -- Black-and-white negatives -- Glass
Drawings
Contracts
Letterpress books
Photographs -- 19th century
Correspondence
Citation:
Modjeski and Masters Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0976
See more items in:
Modjeski and Masters Company Records
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep827750b46-05ec-4519-8a2c-dddf6ab57d6e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0976
Online Media:

Montpelier [MD]

Slide manufacturer:
Van Altena, Edward  Search this
Creator:
Long, Breckenridge, Mrs  Search this
Snowden, Nicholas  Search this
Snowden, Thomas & Anne Ridgel  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Photograph (lantern slide, hand-colored, 3.25 x 4 in.)
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Lantern slides
Place:
Maryland -- Laurel
United States of America -- Maryland -- Prince George's County -- Laurel
Date:
[between 1914 and 1949?]
General:
The garden immediately in front of the house was laid out in the early 19th century.
Mount reads: "Edward Van Altena."
Historic plate number: "39."
Historic plate caption: "Maryland, Brout Palris, Box Avima [?]."
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.
Topic:
Summer  Search this
Trees  Search this
Walkways  Search this
Benches  Search this
Genre/Form:
Lantern slides
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item MD005001
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Maryland / MD005: Laurel -- Montpelier MD
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb66277c12c-8201-499b-9d64-f9a743670956
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref14838

Montpelier [MD]

Slide manufacturer:
Van Altena, Edward  Search this
Creator:
Long, Breckenridge, Mrs  Search this
Snowden, Nicholas  Search this
Snowden, Thomas & Anne Ridgel  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Photograph (lantern slide, hand-colored, 3.25 x 4 in.)
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Lantern slides
Place:
Maryland -- Laurel
United States of America -- Maryland -- Prince George's County -- Laurel
Date:
[between 1914 and 1949?]
General:
The garden immediately in front of the house was laid out in the early 19th century.
Mount reads: "Edward Van Altena."
Historic plate number: "40."
Historic plate caption: "Montpelier, Laurel, Maryland, S."
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.
Topic:
Summer  Search this
Hedges  Search this
Stairs  Search this
Garden houses  Search this
Genre/Form:
Lantern slides
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item MD005002
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Maryland / MD005: Laurel -- Montpelier MD
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb65584439c-8160-42f8-813e-1fd4fe0e2763
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref14839

Montpelier [MD]

Slide manufacturer:
Van Altena, Edward  Search this
Creator:
Long, Breckenridge, Mrs  Search this
Snowden, Nicholas  Search this
Snowden, Thomas & Anne Ridgel  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Photograph (lantern slide, hand-colored, 3.25 x 4 in.)
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Lantern slides
Place:
Maryland -- Laurel
United States of America -- Maryland -- Prince George's County -- Laurel
Date:
[between 1914 and 1949?]
General:
The garden immediately in front of the house was laid out in the early 19th century. No glass slide.
Mount reads: "Edward Van Altena."
Historic plate number: "37."
Historic plate caption: "Montpelier, Laurel, Maryland."
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.
Topic:
Gardens -- Maryland -- Laurel  Search this
Winter  Search this
Box  Search this
Walkways  Search this
Genre/Form:
Lantern slides
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item MD005003
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Maryland / MD005: Laurel -- Montpelier MD
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb68f5ccbc3-69e5-4978-9e9f-92a12b150d36
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref14840

[Mount Gulian]: peonies in the garden, planted in the early 19th century.

Slide manufacturer:
Van Altena, Edward  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Photograph (lantern slide, hand-colored, 3.25 x 4 in.)
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Lantern slides
Place:
Mount Gulian (Beacon, New York)
United States of America -- New York -- Dutchess County -- Beacon
Date:
[between 1900 and 1931]
General:
Mount reads: "Edward Van Altena."
Historic plate number: "39."
Historic plate caption: "Mt. Gulian, Fishkill, NY."
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.
Topic:
Spring  Search this
Peonies  Search this
Garden borders  Search this
Gardens -- New York -- Beacon  Search this
Genre/Form:
Lantern slides
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item NY003002
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / New York / NY003: Beacon -- Mount Gulian
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb60d13ce65-a6b0-4026-9a44-c10dabaf5824
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref27266

Lake Forest -- Walden

Former owner:
McCormick, Cyrus H. (Cyrus Hall), 1859-1936  Search this
McCormick, Harriet Hammond, d. 1921  Search this
Landscape architect:
Manning, Warren H.  Search this
Shelton, Louise  Search this
Griswold, Ralph E., 1894-1981  Search this
Architect:
Hunt, Jarvis  Search this
Garden, Hugh Mackie Gordon  Search this
Coolidge, Charles Allerton, 1858-1936  Search this
Walcott, Russell A.  Search this
Provenance:
Lake Forest Garden Club  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Walden (Lake Forest, Illinois)
United States of America -- Illinois -- Lake County -- Lake Forest
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets, photocopies and printouts of information about the site, and additional information.
General:
Dating to the late 19th century, Walden was the estate of Cyrus H. McCormick and his wife Harriet Hammond McCormick. Inspired by Henry David Thoreau's Walden, its namesake was a center for the reform-era initiatives of its owners. Not the least was Harriet's interest in promoting calming natural surroundings and gardens (she was one of the founders of both the Lake Forest Garden Club and the Garden Club of America). Design work for the grounds, which included extensive woodlands, a ravine, bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan, and a working farm, was primarily the responsibility of Warren H. Manning, while over the years other contributions were made by such designers as Louise Shelton and Ralph E. Griswold. The house, which has been demolished, was designed in 1896 by Jarvis Hunt, with subsequent remodellings by Hugh Mackie Gordon Garden, Charles Allerton Coolidge, and Russell S. Walcott. The entire estate was subdivided after World War II, although isolated elements remain.
An aerial view of the estate and its neighbor, Villa Turicum (IL079), may be found at www.villaturicum.com.
Persons associated with the property include Cyrus H. (Cyrus Hall) McCormick and Harriet Hammond McCormick (former owners, ca. 1895-1936); Warren H. Manning (landscape architect, ca. 1895); Louise Shelton (landscape architect), Ralph E. Griswold (landscape architect); Jarvis Hunt (architect, 1896); Hugh Mackie Gordon Garden (architect); Charles Allerton Coolidge (architect); and Russell S. Walcott (architect).
Related Materials:
Walden related holdings consist of 1 folder (1 35 mm. slide (photograph); 8 lantern slides)
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.
Topic:
Gardens -- Illinois -- Lake Forest  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, File IL025
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Illinois
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6dbea559e-87a3-4dd9-a695-83049aed864e
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref6802

Bar Harbor -- Kenarden

Landscape architect:
Farrand, Beatrix, 1872-1959  Search this
Garden designer:
Bracale, Dennis  Search this
Sculptor:
Soderholtz, Eric E.  Search this
Former owner:
Kennedy, John Stewart  Search this
Dorrance, Ethel Mallincknot  Search this
Architect:
Rowe & Baker  Search this
Carroll, Grisdale & Van Alen  Search this
Provenance:
Garden Club of Mount Desert  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Kenarden (Bar Harbor, Maine)
United States of America -- Maine -- Hancock County -- Bar Harbor
Scope and Contents:
The folders includes worksheets, historical information about the property, and a garden tour description.
General:
The original gardens at Kenarden were designed by landscape architect Beatrix Jones Farrand (1872-1959) early in the last century and have been restored and replanted by the current owners. The gardens include a formal rose garden with boxwood edging that has a contemporary Lunaform urn at its center. The fomal sunken Italianate garden's balustrade and pergola were replicated by garden designer Dennis Bracale, and the flower beds were replanted. Urns created by Eric Ellis Soderholtz in the early 20th century are in situ in the Italianate garden as well as around the residence. Large cutting and vegetable gardens were installed in the same location as the historic gardens, alongside greenhouses. Many of the original outhouses remain on the property as well as mature specimens including a Japanese umbrella pine, a very large hawthorn tree, a mature gingko, and very mature pieris, kalmia and rhododendron. An iron fence surrounding the property was added with new perimeter plantings. The drive from the main entrance cuts through native woods that are maintained as a decorative feature.
Kenarden Lodge was one of the original summer properties built at the end of the 19th century in Mount Desert, Maine. The turreted mansion with its own electrical plant designed by New York architects Rowe and Baker in 1892 was torn down in the 1960s and another house was built in its place circa 1970 by the architectural firm Carroll, Grisdale & Van Alen. The first owner of the property was financier John Stewart Kennedy; the estate was sold in the 1930s to Ethel Mallinckrot Dorrance, widow of Dr. John Thompson Dorrance, a chemist at Campbell who invented condensed canned soups.
Encouraged by Beatrix Farrand, Eric Ellis Soderholtz switched from photography to manufacturing garden urns and other ornaments, some of which remain at Kenarden.
Persons associated with the garden include John Stewart Kennedy and members of the Kennedy family (former owners, 1892-1933); Ethel Mallinckrot Dorrance (former owner 1933-1958); Ethel Dorrance Colket (former owner 1958-1966); Rowe and Baker (architects of original house, 1892); Beatrix Jones Farrand (landscape architect, circa 1915); Carroll, Grisdale & Van Alen (architects of current house, 1970-1972; firm in business 1946-1973 ); AB & JR Hodgkins, Inc. (builders of current house, 1970-1972); Dennis Bracale, Gardens by Design (landscape designer).
Related Materials:
Kenarden related holdings consist of 3 folders (36 35 mm. slides; 15 digital images.; 4 photographic prints; 3 glass lantern slides)
See others in:
J. Horace McFarland Collection, 1900-1961
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.
Topic:
Gardens -- Maine -- Bar Harbor  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, File ME044
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Maine
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb638447c52-0b53-49c9-b91b-690e7e5929ef
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref8150
Online Media:

Myron Bement Smith Collection

Creator:
Smith, Myron Bement, 1897-1970  Search this
Names:
Aga-Oglu, Mehmet, 1896-1949  Search this
Ettinghausen, Richard  Search this
Field, Henry  Search this
Herzfeld, Ernst, 1879-1948  Search this
Kuban, Dogan  Search this
Moe, Henry Allen  Search this
Pope, Arthur Upham, 1881-1969  Search this
Former owner:
Blake, Marion Elizabeth  Search this
Extent:
192 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1910-1970
Summary:
The Myron Bement Smith collection consists of two parts, the papers of Myron Bement Smith and his wife Katharine and the Islamic Archives. It contains substantial material about his field research in Italy in the 1920s and his years working on Islamic architecture in Iran in the 1930s. Letters describe the milieu in which he operated in Rochester NY and New York City in the 1920s and early 1930s; the Smiths' life in Iran from 1933 to 1937; and the extensive network of academic and social contacts that Myron and Katharine developed and maintained over his lifetime. The Islamic Archives was a project to which Smith devoted most of his professional life. It includes both original materials, such as his photographs and notes, and items acquired by him from other scholars or experts on Islamic art and architecture. Smith intended the Archives to serve as a resource for scholars interested in the architecture and art of the entire Islamic world although he also included some materials about non-Islamic architecture.
Scope and Contents:
The Myron Bement Smith Collection consists of two parts, the papers of Myron Bement Smith and his wife Katharine and the Islamic Archives. The papers include some biographic material about Myron but little about his wife. Information on his academic and professional experience is sketchy and his diaries and appointment books often contain only sporadic entries. The papers contain substantial material about his field research in Italy in the 1920s and his years working on Islamic architecture in Iran in the 1930s. Correspondence comprises the largest and most potentially useful part of the papers. Letters describe the milieu in which he operated in Rochester, NY and New York City in the 1920s and early 1930s; the Smiths' life in Iran from 1933 to 1937; and the extensive network of academic and social contacts that Myron and Katharine developed and maintained over his lifetime.

The Islamic Archives, formally entitled The Archive for Islamic Culture and Art, was a project to which Smith devoted most of his professional life. It includes both original materials, such as his photographs and notes, and items acquired by him from other scholars or experts on Islamic art and architecture. Most of the latter consists of photographs and slides. Smith intended the Archives to serve as a resource for scholars interested in the architecture and art of the entire Islamic world although he also included some materials about non-Islamic architecture. The core collection of the Archives consists of Smith's original photographs and architectural sketches of Iranian Islamic monuments made during his field research in the 1930s. He meticulously photographed the interior and exterior of monuments, including their decorative detail. Some of the photographic materials subsequently loaned, purchased, or donated to the Archives may enable scholars to document sites over time but in many cases the materials are poorly preserved or reproduced. A notable exception to this is the glassplate negatives and prints of 19th century Iranian photographer Antoin Sevruguin.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 2 major series with further subseries. A third series inventories the outsized and miscellaneous materials.

Series 1: Papers

Subseries 1.1: Biographic Materials

Subseries 1.2: Professional Experience

Subseries 1.3: Notebooks, Journals and Appointment Books

Subseries 1.4: Correspondence

Subseries 1.5: Published and Unpublished Materials

Subseries 1.6: Italy Research 1925, 1927-1928

Subseries 1.7: Iran Research 1933-1937

Subseries 1.8: Katharine Dennis Smith Papers and Correspondence

Series 2: The Islamic Archives

Subseries 2.1: Islamic Archives History, Collection Information

Subseries 2.2: Resource Materials Iran

Subseries 2.3: Resource Materials Other Islamic World and General

Subseries 2.4: Myron Bement Smith Architectural Sketches, Plans and Notes, Iran, 1933-1937

Subseries 2.5: Myron Bement Smith Iran Photographs, Notebooks and Negative Registers

Subseries 2.6: Country Photograph File

Subseries 2.7: Lantern Slide Collection

Subseries 2.8: Myron Bement Smith 35 mm Color Slides

Subseries 2.9: Country 35 mm Color Slide File

Subseries 2.10: Myron Bement Smith Negatives

Subseries 2.11: Country Photograph Negatives

Subseries 2.12: Antoin Sevruguin Photographs

Series 3: Outsize and Miscellaneous Items

Subseries 3.1: Map Case Drawers

Subseries 3.2: Rolled Items

Subseries 3.3 Items in Freezer

Subseries 3.4 Smithsonian Copy Negatives
Biographical Note:
Myron Bement Smith was born in Newark Valley, New York in 1897 and grew up in Rochester, New York. He died in Washington D.C. in 1970. He showed an early interest in drawing, and after graduation from high school, he worked as a draftsman for a Rochester architect. He served in the US Army Medical Corps in France during World War I and on return again worked as an architectural draftsman. He studied at Yale University from 1922 to 1926, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. During summer vacations, he worked as draftsman or designer for architectural firms in New York City. After graduation, he received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation grant and spent two years in Italy doing research on northern Italian brick and stone work. He used photography as an tool for his research and published several well-illustrated articles. On return he joined an architectural firm in Philadelphia and in 1931 became a registered architect in New York. He enrolled in Harvard University graduate school in 1929 pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree.

In April 1930, Smith was appointed Secretary of the newly created American Institute for Persian Art and Archaeology founded by Arthur Upham Pope and located in New York City. He had no prior academic or work experience in Islamic art or architecture, and his job entailed designing publications, arranging lectures, organizing exhibitions and fund raising. That summer he arranged an independent study course at Harvard University on Persian art and subsequently studied Persian language at Columbia University and attended graduate courses at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. His work and academic credentials enabled him to compete successfully for a research fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies in 1933 to study Iranian Islamic architecture.

Accompanied by his new bride Katharine Dennis, Smith left for Iran in 1933. They suffered a horrendous motor vehicle accident in Iraq en route and required a lengthy recuperation in Lebanon and Cyprus. The Smiths eventually arrived in Isfahan, Iran, where they established their "Expedition House," as Smith called it, in a rented faculty house at Stuart College. Smith's research consisted of meticulous photographic documentation of Islamic monuments and architectural sketches and drawings of many of them. He concentrated on the Isfahan area but also documented monuments elsewhere in Iran. Smith outfitted his station wagon as a combination camper and research vehicle in which he and his staff traveled widely. Katharine sometimes traveled with him but generally she remained in Isfahan managing the household and logistics for the "expedition." The Smiths left Iran in 1937.

Smith published several articles about Iran's Islamic monuments based on his field research and in 1947 completed his PhD thesis for The Johns Hopkins University on the vault in Persian architecture. His professional career from 1938 until his death in 1970 consisted of a series of temporary academic positions, contract work and government or academic sponsored lecture tours and photographic exhibits. He had a long lasting relationship with the Library of Congress where he served as an Honorary Consultant from 1938 to 1940 and again from 1948 to 1970; from 1943 to 1944 he was Chief of the Iranian Section at the Library. Despite his lack of published material, Smith was well-known among academic, government and private citizens who worked, traveled or were otherwise interested Iran and the Islamic world.

Smith developed an extensive network of professional and social contacts that dated from his early student days and increased markedly during his time at the Persian Institute and later in Iran. He kept in touch with them and they touted him to others who were interested in Iran or Islamic art and architecture. This network served him well in realizing his ambition of creating a resource for scholars that relied on photographs to document Islamic architecture. The Islamic Archives began with his own collection of photographs from his Iran research and grew to include all manner of photographic and other materials not only on the Islamic world but also other areas. Creating and managing the Archives became the main focus of Smith's professional life and career. In 1967 he received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to revise his PhD thesis as a publishable manuscript but died before he could complete it.
Related Materials:
The Antoin Sevruguin Photgraphs

Ernst Herzfeld Papers

Lionel B. Bier Drawings

Lionel D. Bier and Carol Bier Photographs
Provenance:
Gift of Katherine Dennis Smith, transfered from National Anthropological Archives.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Islamic architecture  Search this
Islamic Architecture-Turkey  Search this
Iran-description and travel  Search this
Iran-History 20th Century  Search this
Islamic Architecture-Middle East  Search this
Iran-social life and customs  Search this
United States-Social life and customs  Search this
Mosques  Search this
Architecture -- Iran  Search this
Citation:
The Myron Bement Smith Collection, FSA A.04. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Katherine Dennis Smith.
Identifier:
FSA.A.04
See more items in:
Myron Bement Smith Collection
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3c8c950fe-250b-40df-b8c7-bcf788073968
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-fsa-a-04
Online Media:

Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Bridges Reference Collection

Creator:
Vogel, Robert M.  Search this
Shayt, David H.  Search this
Worthington, Bill  Search this
Names:
Historic American Buildings Survey  Search this
Former owner:
National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this
Extent:
45 Cubic feet (114 boxes, 23 map folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Articles
Color slides
Contracts
Copy prints
Correspondence
Illustrations
Letterheads
Maps
Negatives (photographic)
Newsclippings
Notebooks
Photographs
Picture postcards
Pocket notebooks
Postage stamps
Press releases
Reports
Specifications
Stereographs
Date:
1755-2000
Summary:
The collection consists of a wide range of materials--ephemera, trade literature, correpsondence, photographs, maps, plans, schematics, pamplets, brochures, postcards, calendars--documenting the subject of bridges.
Scope and Contents:
This collection was assembled by the Division of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (now the Division of Work and Industry) curators over the course of several decades. The collection consists of a wide range of materials documenting the subject of bridges broadly in terms of planning, construction, geography, aesthetics, cost, and failures. Well-known bridges such as the Brooklyn Bridge and its bridge builders and engineers is also documented.

The materials consist of photographs, negatives, copy prints, illustrations, correspondence, newsclippings, journal articles, HABS/HAER drawings, engineeeing reports, contracts and specifications for building bridges, blueprints, and notebooks. Throughout the files is curatorial correspondence, principally with curator Robert Vogel and historians of the history of technology, bridge enthusiasts, and civil engineers. There is a mixture of primary, secondary and tertiary materials found throughout the collection.

Some of the materials related to the Brooklyn Bridge are photocopies or copy prints from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Roebling Collection and other archives and libraries. These materials were assembled for the exhibit "Building Brooklyn Bridge--The Engineering and Construction, 1867-1883" staged in 1983 at the National Museum of American History. These materials are filed under the title "Building Brooklyn Bridge."

Many of the photographs and other items are from collections at the National Museum of American History: Llewellyn Nathaniel Edwards, Henry Grattan Tyrrell, Samuel E. Reed Collection, and the T.F. Healy Collection.

Publications vary widely, but some titles include American Contract Journal, American Railroad Journal, Harpers Weekly, Scientific American, Engineers and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering News-Record, Engineering Record, and others.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series, then alphabetically.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Horatio Allen Papers, NMAH.AC.1447

American Public Works Association "Top Ten Public Works Projects of the Century--1900-2000" Nominations, NMAH.AC.0983

American Petroleum Institute Photograph and Film Collection, NMAH.AC.0711

Archives Center Business Americana Collection, NMAH.AC.0404

Archives Center Lantern Slide Collection, NMAH.AC.0686

Archives Center Postcard Collection, NMAH.AC.0483

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Records, NMAH.AC.1086

Benjamin Franklin Bridge Photograph Album, NMAH.AC.1029

Berlin Construction Company Records, NMAH.AC.1032

Victor Blenkle Postcard Collection, NMAH.AC.0200

Bollman Truss Bridge Collection, NMAH.AC.1064

Donald M. Burmister Paper, NMAH.AC.1068

Canadian Bridges Photograph Albums, NMAH.AC.1025

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Collection, NMAH.AC.0930

Robert Covington Stereograph Portfolio, NMAH.AC.1201

Cummings Structural Concrete Company Records, NMAH.AC.0218

Arthur d'Arazien Industrial Photographs, NMAH.AC.0314

Victor C. Darnell Bridge Construction Photographs, NMAH.AC.1018

William E. Dean Papers, NMAH.AC.0230

Robert Dearborn Panama Canal Glass negatives, NMAH.AC.1111

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Records, NMAH.AC.1074

Beata Drake Covered Bridge Collection, NMAH.AC.0998

Llewellyn N. Edwards Papers, NMAH.AC.0959

W.J. Eney Collection, NMAH.AC.1062

Erie Railroad Collection, NMAH.AC.1082

Joseph C. Farber Papers and Photographs, NMAH.AC.0520

Foundation Company Records, NMAH.AC.0974

James Forgie Papers, NMAH.AC.0986

James Gallagher Collection, NMAH.AC.0228

Grand Central Terminal Collection, NMAH.AC.1071

Henry Grattan Tyrrell and Mary Maude Knox Tyrrell Papers, NMAH.AC.0948

Hartford, Connecticut Bridge Collection, NMAH.AC.1066

William R. Hutton Papers, NMAH.AC.0987

Kahn Family Film Collection, NMAH.AC.0722

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad Bridge Profiles, NMAH.AC.1073

Beatrice Lizinger Postcard Collection, NMAH.AC.0530

Nicholas C. Mandragos Papers, NMAH.AC.0484

Mechanical and Civil Engineering Stereograph Cards, NMAH.AC.1090

Mechanical and Civil Engineering Glass Plate Negatives, NMAH.AC.1089

Montgomery C. Meigs Papers, NMAH.AC.0984

Richard H. Miller Bridge Collection of Postcards and Slides, NMAH.AC.0950

Minnesota Railroads Photograph Albums, NMAH.AC.1023

George S. Morison Collection, NMAH.AC.0978

Modjeski and Masters Company Records, NMAH.AC.0976

Nathan W. Morgan Papers, NMAH.AC.0965

Niagara Falls Bridge Commission Records, NMAH.AC.1060

Thomas Norrell Railroad Photographs Collection, NMAH.AC.1174

Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge Construction Photograph Album, NMAH.AC.1030

Panama Canal Commission Photonegatives, NMAH.AC.1116

Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas Records, NMAH.AC.0969

David Plowden North American Bridge Photographs, NMAH.AC.1019

David Plowden Steel Manufacturing Photographs, NMAH.AC.1020

Samuel E. Reed Bridge Collection, NMAH.AC.1001

Lili Rethi Papers, NMAH.AC.0749

John A. Roebling Collection, NMAH.AC.0981

Lucinda Rudell Covered Bridges Collection, NMAH.AC.1028

Edwin G. Rust Papers, NMAH.AC.1070

Jean W. Seele Rural Photographs, NMAH.AC.0759

Lester Shanks Collection of Bridge Photographs and Ephemera, NMAH.AC.1244

J. Parker Snow Collection, NMAH.AC.1000

Society for Industrial Archaeology Records, NMAH.AC.0688

Quebec Bridge Photograph Collection, NMAH.AC.1026

Railroad Bridges Construction Photograph Album, NMAH.AC.1024

Holton Duncan Robinson Papers, NMAH.AC.0963

Underwood & Underwood Glass Stereograph Collection, NMAH.Ac.0143

U.S. Steel Corporation Photograph Albums, NMAH.AC.1037

Rip Van Winkle Bridge Photographs, NMAH.AC.1027

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series: Bridges, NMAH.AC.0060

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series: Railroads, NMAH.AC.0060

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series 2: Other Collection Divisions, NMAH.AC.0060

Washington, D.C. Bridges Collection, NMAH.AC.1095

Raymond W. Wilson Covered Bridge Collection, NMAH.AC.0999
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Bridges  Search this
Civil engineers  Search this
Railroads -- 19th century  Search this
Railroads -- 20th century  Search this
Genre/Form:
Articles
Color slides -- 20th century
Contracts -- 20th century
Copy prints
Correspondence -- 19th century
Correspondence -- 20th century
Illustrations
Letterheads
Maps -- 20th century
Negatives (photographic)
Newsclippings
Notebooks
Photographs -- 20th century
Picture postcards -- 20th century
Pocket notebooks
Postage stamps
Press releases
Reports -- 19th century
Reports -- 20th century
Specifications
Stereographs
Citation:
Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Bridges Reference Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1577
See more items in:
Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Bridges Reference Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8f3912776-c575-41af-a27e-338800e96007
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1577

National Sculpture Society records, 1883-1962

Creator:
National Sculpture Society (U.S.)  Search this
Subject:
Bitter, Karl Theodore Francis  Search this
Ward, John Quincy Adams  Search this
New York Architectural League  Search this
Type:
Scrapbooks
Place:
New York N.Y. -- Photographs
Citation:
National Sculpture Society records, 1883-1962. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Societies, etc.  Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 19th century -- United States  Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
War memorials -- United States  Search this
Theme:
Art organizations  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9082
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211275
AAA_collcode_natiscul
Theme:
Art organizations
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211275

National Society of Mural Painters records, 1895 - circa 2007

Creator:
National Society of Mural Painters (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Subject:
Cox, Allyn  Search this
Fortel, Ruth  Search this
Millet, Francis Davis  Search this
Molinari, Everett  Search this
Lanning, Edward P.  Search this
Treadwell, Helen  Search this
Williams, J. Scott (John Scott)  Search this
Baskerville, Charles  Search this
Covey, Arthur Sinclair  Search this
Stewart, Jack  Search this
Fausett, Dean  Search this
American Federation of Arts  Search this
Red Cross  Search this
Municipal Art Society of New York  Search this
Fine Arts Federation of New York  Search this
Federal Art Project  Search this
United States Capitol Historical Society  Search this
Type:
Lantern slides
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Citation:
National Society of Mural Painters records, 1895 - circa 2007. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Subways -- New York (N.Y.)  Search this
American Revolution Bicentennial, 1776-1976  Search this
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Mural painting and decoration -- 19th century -- United States  Search this
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
Theme:
Art organizations  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9083
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211276
AAA_collcode_natimurp
Theme:
Art organizations
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211276
Online Media:

Xanthus Smith diaries, 1883-1892

Creator:
Smith, Xanthus, 1839-1929  Search this
Subject:
Smith, Russell  Search this
Citation:
Xanthus Smith diaries, 1883-1892. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 19th century -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia  Search this
Photography -- History -- 19th century  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Photography  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)10873
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)214643
AAA_collcode_smitxant
Theme:
Diaries
Photography
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_214643

National Sculpture Society records

Creator:
National Sculpture Society (U.S.)  Search this
Names:
New York Architectural League  Search this
Bitter, Karl Theodore Francis, 1867-1915  Search this
Ward, John Quincy Adams, 1830-1910  Search this
Extent:
20.3 Linear feet ( (partially microfilmed on 10 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Place:
New York N.Y. -- Photographs
Date:
1883-1962
Scope and Contents:
Photographs, scrapbooks, printed material, correspondence and business records.
UNMICROFILMED MATERIAL: 4 photograph albums, glass negatives and photographs of works of art by society members; exhibition records; bank records and check stubs; scrapbooks and clippings on the New York Architectural League; and books on Karl Bitter and John Quincy Adams Ward.
REEL D132: 414 photographs and reproductions of sculpture by society members. Information on the back of photographs includes artist, title, location, dimensions, date, price and material.
REEL NJ1: Complete run of National Sculpture Review, the quarterly publication put out by the National Sculpture Society from Dec. 1951 to Spring 1962.
REELS 488-494: Financial and general correspondence; financial records, ledgers, cash books, tax records and check books; a catalog distribution book; publications and clippings; War Memorials Project material; a constitution, membership lists, minutes and an exhibitors' roster.
REEL 3097: Lantern slides of the work of 262 sculptors and views of New York City.
REEL 3161: Mimeographed copies of minutes of the Council of the National Sculpture Society, 1951-1952, kept by Katherine Lane Weems, Chairman of the Library and Research Committee, 1951, and Recording Secretary, 1952.
Biographical / Historical:
Founded in 1893 The society works with architects, art councils, and sponsoring committees in selecting sculptors to execute new works. Assists governmemt art councils with advice on rules for competitions and in preparing exhibitions. Conducts research, maintains an archives and library, and sponsors exhibitions and competitions.
Provenance:
Material on reel D132 lent for microfilming by the National Sculpture Society, 1964. All other material was donated by the society, 1964-1972.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- United States  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Societies, etc.  Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 19th century -- United States  Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
War memorials -- United States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Identifier:
AAA.natiscul
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91c6eebe0-bee3-4a59-9ea4-beb626a98a47
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-natiscul

Lester Shanks Collection of Covered Bridge Photographs and Ephemera

Collector:
Shanks, Lester  Search this
Extent:
3 Cubic feet (16 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Maps
Slides (photographs)
Photograph albums
Books
Picture postcards
Photographs
Ephemera
Travel brochures
Pamphlets
Newsletters
Postcards
Place:
Switzerland
Baltimore (Md.) -- 19th century
Date:
1876-2010
bulk 1973-2008
Summary:
The collection is comprised of the results of Shanks's research on covered bridges, mostly in America but also covered bridges in Canada and Switzerland. Included are albums containing color photographs of covered bridges, slides of covered bridges, postcards depicting covered bridges; maps, and guidebooks; newsletters, magazines, and newspaper clippings on the subject of covered bridges.
Scope and Contents:
The collection is comprised of the results of Shanks's research on covered bridges, mostly in America but also covered bridges in Canada and Switzerland. Included are albums containing color photographs of covered bridges, slides of covered bridges, postcards depicting covered bridges; maps, and guidebooks; newsletters, magazines, and newspaper clippings on the subject of covered bridges.

Series 1, Photograph Albums, 1963-2006, consists of bound albums of black-and-white and color photographs by Shanks documenting covered bridges in the United States and other countries. The series is arranged geographically and then alphabetically. Some of the states have documentation preceding the photographs which lists the counties where the covered bridges he photographed were located. Shanks assigned a number to each state and each county for organization purposes. The number 35-04-03 means Ohio-Ashtabula County-third photograph in the group. The majority of photographs are identified.

In some instances, correspondence, brochures, fliers for covered bridge activities, invitations to covered bridge events, and copies or portions of Covered Bridge Topics, a quarterly journal published by the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, containing articles and information relating to covered bridges, are also included. Wooden Covered Spans, the newsletter for the Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society of Pennsylvania is also present. The covered bridge photographs from Switzerland were taken by Leonard Reich.

Series 2, Slides, 1971-1997, consists of color slides taken by Shanks documenting covered bridges in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec, Canada, and Switzerland. The slides depict bridge interiors, side elevations, landscape views surrounding the bridge, river views, views of the road leading up to the bridge, and restoration work. Each slide is labeled with the name of the state/country/province, county and/or township, date, name of bridge and in some instances, the name of the river the bridge spans. Other numbers such as 38-63-22 are also present on the slides and represent a numbering system Shanks applied to his slides, which are keyed to states and counties. Shanks assigned a Roman numeral and Arabic numeral system to some of the slides (e.g. I-1 to I-100) and (13-1 to 13-100). This arrangement has been retained and while there is no key to it, the slides are arranged chronologically.

Series 3, Guide Books, 1876-2009, consists of bound guide books about covered bridges. The most significant of the guide books is theThe Stranger's Guide in Baltimore and its Environs, 1876. This small pocket guide book contains sketches of public buildings, monuments, notable localities, resorts, and suburban drives. The guide book is intended to show strangers where to go and what to see when in Baltimore.

Series 4, Maps, 1850, 1982, contains two maps for the city of Baltimore and Baltimore County, Maryland.

Series 5, National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, Inc, 2005-2010, consists of copies of the Covered Bridges Topics, the official magazine for the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, Inc. (N.S.P.C.B.) and the newsletter for the N.S.P.C.B.

Series 6, Newsclippings, 2006, 2008, consists of two articles fromThe Post Standard, New York about covered bridges.

Series 7, Postcards, 1963-1985, consists of color postcards of covered bridges from a variety of locations in the United States. The postcards are arranged alphabetically by state. Some bear cancelled postmarks, but the majority are blank.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into seven series.

Series 1, Photograph Albums, 1963-2006

Series 2, Slides, 1971-1977

Series 3, Guide Books, 1876-2009

Series 4, Maps, 1850, 1982

Series 5, National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, Inc., 2005-2010

Series 6, News clippings, 2006, 2008

Series 7, Postcards, 1963-1985
Biographical / Historical:
Shanks, an employee of Baltimore Gas and Electric for over 40 years, was a covered bridge enthusiast and collector. He set a goal of photographing every covered bridge in America. Lester Shanks died October 10, 2010.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Bridges (series), circa 1818-1940 (AC0060)

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Bridges: stereographs, circa 1868-1902 (mostly circa 1875-1880) (AC0060)

Beata Drake Covered Bridge Collection, 1954-1981 (AC0998)

Raymond E. Wilson Covered Bridge Collection, 1958-1974 (AC0999)

Samuel E. Reed Bridge Collection, 1947-1964 (AC1001)

Lucinda Rudell Covered Bridge Collection, 1942-1979 (AC1028)

Robert Bagby Stereographs and Lantern Slides, 1919; circa 1940-1960 (AC1185)
Provenance:
Donated by Eunice C. Shanks on August 11, 2011.
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.
Topic:
Bridges -- Switzerland  Search this
Covered bridges -- Switzerland  Search this
Covered bridges -- United States  Search this
Bridges -- United States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Maps -- 20th century
Slides (photographs) -- 1950-2000
Photograph albums -- 20th century
Books
Picture postcards -- 20th century
Photographs -- 20th century
Ephemera -- 19th century
Travel brochures
Photographs -- Color transparencies -- Acetate film -- 20th century
Ephemera -- 20th century
Pamphlets -- 1950-2000
Newsletters -- 2000-2010
Postcards
Citation:
Lester Shanks Collection of Covered Bridge Photographs and Ephemera, 1876-2010 (bulk 1973-2008), Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1244
See more items in:
Lester Shanks Collection of Covered Bridge Photographs and Ephemera
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8e43d1ed5-4784-475c-afb4-35ff22e3db80
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1244

Clown with moving eyes

Physical Description:
glass (overall material)
Measurements:
overall: 4 in x 8 in; 10.16 cm x 20.32 cm
Object Name:
lantern slide
Date made:
19th century
ID Number:
PG.78.04.4
Accession number:
1978.2499
Catalog number:
78.04.4
See more items in:
Work and Industry: Photographic History
Photography
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng4b69f251a-8520-6905-e053-15f76fa0f7ec
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_1991963

General Electric NELA Park Collection

Creator:
General Electric Company  Search this
Gotti, Mary Beth  Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Information, Technology and Society  Search this
Extent:
5 Cubic feet (22 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Travel diaries
Advertisements
Diaries
Blotters (writing equipment)
Business records
Manuals
Lantern slides
Stock certificates
Stereographs
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Date:
circa 1890s-1969
Summary:
The collection documents the technology of lighting and various business aspects of the General Electric Lighting Division throughout the 20th century and consists of correspondence, bulletins, price lists, business record books, stock certificates, sales and advertising materials, scrapbooks, photographs, and lantern slides.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of approximately five cubic feet of correspondence, bulletins, price lists, business record books, stock certificates, sales and advertising materials, scrapbooks, photographs, and lantern slides. The collection documents the technology of lighting and various business aspects of the GE Lighting Division throughout the twentieth century.

Series 1, Historical Background Materials, 1910-1969, contains documentation on the history of the National Electric Lamp Company and the development of the incandescent lamp. The European Diary of 1928 is a narrative written by three General Electric employees—Samuel Doane, Chief Engineer, Joseph Kewley, Sales Manager, and George Osborn, Sales Manager. This narrative describes their business trip to Europe in the spring of 1928. It contains black-and-white photographs, menus, brochures, maps, postcards, and drawings detailing their travels in Paris, Nice, Milan, Venice, Berlin, Amsterdam, and England. The Record of Accomplishment, 1969, is a chronological listing (time line) of various events and/or accomplishments within General Electric.

Series 2, Executive Records, 1903-1955, consists of correspondence, annual reports, and technical standardization notices. The technical standardization notices were created by the Standardization Committee. This committee made decisions on how to facilitate and increase sales, improve quality, cheapen cost, and further the interests of the members of the Lamp Association. The reports cover a variety of subjects such as packing boxes, felt washers, high candle power lamps, and tabulating machines. Many of the reports contain black-and-white photographs. The Lamp Committee Reports seek to detail the demand for incandescent lamps and their improvements.

Series 3, House Organs, 1919-1959, contains documentation on in-house publications for General Electric. The Stimulator, 1919-1920, promoted "lighting profits and cemented friendliness, cooperation, progress, and quality." The Lamp Letter, 1947-1950, was published by the Lamp Department and dealt specifically with lamp-related issues. The Lamp Department Bulletin, 1947-1950, was produced for GE personnel and dealt with a variety of issues from sales to lamp types to licensing issues. The See Better—Work Better Bulletin, 1959, was published by the Lamp Division as a service to industrial and commercial lamp users.

Series 4, Sales and Advertising Materials, 1910-1955, includes price lists for lamps from both General Electric and other companies, manufacturers' schedules, data books, sales notebooks for sales representatives, and Edison Mazda Lamp advertising cards. The advertising cards are approximately 3" x 6" and are in color. They contain ad slogans such as "His Only Rival," "Satisfied Customer," Edison's Dream Comes True," "Have You Electricity?" and "I like Lots of Light."

Series 5, NELA School of Lighting Records, 1920-1930, documents the school, now known as the GE Lighting Institute, for training sales people and customers in the proper application of various lighting products. The records contain quarterly reports and general and lighting course descriptions.

Series 6, Business and Stock Records, 1890-1912, contains record and minute books and stock certificates from other lamp companies. The record books contain correspondence, resolutions, stockholder information, and committee reports.

Series 7, Scrapbooks and Photographs, 1890s-circa 1950, contains one scrapbook from 1923 with black and white photographs, clippings, correspondence, charts, telegrams, and booklets documenting General Electric's Nela Park location. The photo albums contain black and white photographs of staff, lamps, bulbs, tubing, tabulating, filaments, lead wires, stems, mounts, and lighting installations. The scrapbook and photo albums have indices.

Series 8, Lantern Slides, 1880-1950, consists of glass plates of Edison, images of people in the work place, and lighting equipment.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into eight series.

Series 1, Historical Background Materials, 1910-1969

Series 2, Executive Records, 1903-1955

Subseries 1.1, Correspondence, 1909-1922

Subseries 1.2, Annual Reports, 1949-1955

Subseries 1.3, Technical Reports, 1903-1935

Subseries 1.4, Standardization Committee, 1903-1908

Subseries 1.5, Lamp Committee, 1909-1935

Series 3, House Organs, 1919-1959

Series 4, Sales and Advertising Materials, 1914-1953

Subseries 4.1, Miniature Mazda Lamps, 1914-1935

Subseries 4.2, Large Mazda Lamps, 1914-1934

Subseries 4.3, Carbon Lamps, 1915-1922

Subseries 4.4, Miscellaneous, 1914-1953

Series 5, NELA School of Lighting, 1920-1930

Series 6, Business and Stock Records, 1890-1912

Subseries 1, Business Records, 1890-1912

Subseries 2, Stock Records & Certificates, 1890-1912

Series 7, Scrapbooks and Photographs, 1890s-circa 1950

Series 8, Lantern Slides, 1880-1950
Biographical / Historical:
Established in 1911, Nela Park (named for the National Electric Lamp Association) in Cleveland, Ohio, has through the present day served as both administrative headquarters and research laboratory for the development and sale of General Electric's (GE) lighting products. In the years following Thomas Edison's electric lamp invention (1879) many companies began to make and sell lighting devices. A merger of Edison Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric in 1892 created GE, which quickly grew to dominate the market. Westinghouse and several much smaller companies struggled to compete. These smaller lamp companies could not afford engineering and research facilities on a scale comparable with those of General Electric.

The National Electric Lamp Company was organized on May 3, 1901, by Franklin S. Terry (Sunbeam Incandescent Lamp Company), and Burton G. Tremaine, H. A. Tremaine and J. Robert Crouse (all from Fostoria Bulb and Bottle Company and Fostoria Incandescent Lamp Company). Terry suggested that the small companies band together to operate an engineering department, conduct lamp research and development, improve manufacturing methods, and build better lamp-making machinery. He further proposed to raise capital from and share patents with GE. This built upon an earlier organization, the Incandescent Lamp Manufacturers Association, organized by GE in 1896. The new National Electric Lamp Company was a holding company in which—unknown even to many of the smaller companies' executives—GE held a controlling (75%) interest. In 1911, GE's involvement with National became public during anti-trust proceedings. GE then purchased the outstanding stock and absorbed the smaller companies by converting them into divisional units.

Thomas Edison had, in 1882, moved his company's lamp manufacturing operation from the Menlo Park laboratory to a new facility in East Newark (Harrison), New Jersey. Named the Edison Lamp Works, this plant became the main administrative and sales facility for Edison Electric's and later GE's, lamp business. Research moved to Edison's new West Orange laboratory. In 1900, after the merger, GE established a research lab in Schenectady, New York. After forming National, Terry and B. G. Tremaine consolidated the administrative functions of that company in Cleveland and by 1910 were actively seeking space for a new office and laboratory campus. They selected a site along Euclid Avenue that was then on the outskirts of town. This became Nela Park (the "Company" had changed to "Association" in 1906). In addition to the National buildings, GE began moving its directly-owned lamp operations to Cleveland after the 1911 settlement. From 1925 through 1930 the various departments at Harrison moved to Nela Park, with the sales department being one of the last to move. GE's lighting research was carried out at both Nela Park and Schenectady.

A focal-point at Nela Park is the GE Lighting Institute, formerly known as the Nela School of Lighting. Organized by the Illuminating Engineering Section of the Engineering Department in 1921, the Lighting Institute continues to train sales people and customers in the use and proper application of various lighting products.

For additional information about Nela Park, General Electric and the National Electric Lamp Company see:

Arthur A. Bright, Jr., The Electric Lamp Industry, MacMillan, 1949.

Harold C. Passer, The Electrical Manufacturers, 1875-1900, Harvard University Press, 1953.

Leonard S. Reich, "Lighting the Path to Profit: GE's Control of the Electric Lamp Industry, 1892-1941," in Business History Review Vol. 66, pages 305-34.

Hollis L. Townsend, A History of Nela Park: 1911-1957, published by General Electric.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center

William J. Hammer Collection (AC0069)
Separated Materials:
The Division of Work and Industry (Electricity-related collections) hold several artifacts. See accession numbers: 33,407; 43,120; 68,492; 232,822; 1997.0388 and 1998.0231.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Division of Information Technology and Society (now the Division of Work and Industry) by Mary Beth Gotti, Manager of the General Electric Lighting Institute on March 22, 2001.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.

Researchers must handle unprotected photographs 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.
Topic:
Electricity  Search this
Electric lighting  Search this
Genre/Form:
Travel diaries
Advertisements
Diaries -- 19th century
Blotters (writing equipment)
Business records
Diaries -- 20th century
Manuals
Lantern slides
Stock certificates
Stereographs
Scrapbooks
Photographs -- 19th century
Citation:
General Electric Nela Park Collection, dates, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0789
See more items in:
General Electric NELA Park Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep89d3df569-a94b-4a8d-9aca-799c03a1c72f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0789
Online Media:

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