Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Macbeth Gallery records, 1838-1968, bulk 1892 to 1953. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Getty Grant Program. Digitization of the scrapbooks was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee. Correspondence, financial and shipping records, inventory records, and printed material were digitized with funding provided by the Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.
Unrestricted research use by appointment. Photographs must be handled with cotton gloves unless protected by sleeves.
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.
Consists of a group of six volumes acquired either by gift or purchase by Duncan Schiedt. Most of the volumes are dated and are in relatively good condition. It is unknown who created the scrapbooks. The volumes were maintained by Schiedt as a group and are arranged in chronological order with dated materials first and then undated volumes at the end.
Scrapbook number one dates from 1901-1908 and contains theater programs, travelogues and other types of ephemera relating to subjects such as circuses including the Carl Hagenbeck Circus and Show Company and Ringling Brothers. Of particular interest is information relating to the Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago, Illinois on December 30, 1903. Of 1,602 patrons, at least 602 were reported dead as a result of the fire. It has been suggested that the high casualty rate was due to a lack of stairways and exits for each balcony. The improper use of the fire curtain and the failure of doors to open also contributed to the deadly event. There is a program for The Earl of Pawtucket at Powers' New Theatre. Other subjects include information relating to Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Chicago, Milwaukee, Steamships and Christopher Columbus. In addition there is some information relating to the 1906 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Scrapbook number two dates from 1908-1912 and consists primarily of theatre and concert programs. There are also a few Burton Holmes Travelogues. Burton Holmes combined his photography and film with stories of his travels to create what he referred to as these travelogues. Through the travelogues audiences experienced places some would never have the chance to actually visit. In addition there is a New York Hippodrome souvenir book for the 1911-1912 season.
Scrapbook number three dates from 1910s-1920 and includes advertisements and theatre programs from Washington, DC, New York and Illinois including the George M. Cohavis Grand Opera House, Garrick Theatre, Ziegfeld Follies and the Metropolitan Opera House. There is a copy of Victory Travelogues by Burton Holmes (1918), Newman Traveltalks (1919) and a copy of E. E. Meredith's Show Book (1916).
Scrapbook number four dates from 1920-1946 and consists primarily of theatre and film programs from New Jersey, New York, Washington, D C, Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin. There is also information relating to the Yale-Princeton football game, Newman Travel talks, Burton Holmes' Travel Talks, Ruth Saint Denis and Ted Shawn (1927), The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Thanksgiving service in Minneapolis (1937) and Saint Paul's Church located in Milwaukee.
Scrapbook number five dates from 1920s-1930s and contains programs, photographs, promotional and publicity materials primarily documenting the activities of Harry A. Yerkes. Yerkes was a marimba player, inventor, and recording manager who assembled recording sessions in the early years of jazz. He was associated with the musical group the Happy Six and there is information about them found among these materials. In addition, there is a small amount of material relating to the musical group Bobbie Grice and the Fourteen Bricktops and a Varsity Records listing.
Scrapbook number six dates from the 1930s-1950s and includes photographs, programs and promotional items from Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, Wisconsin, Camp Rucker, Alabama and Arkansas relating primarily to jazz. There is also information on the musical group the Crimson Stompers and drummer Walt Gifford.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Duncan Schiedt Jazz Collection, 1900-2012, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Sponsor:
Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Duncan Schiedt Jazz Collection, 1900-2012, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Sponsor:
Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Duncan Schiedt Jazz Collection, 1900-2012, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Sponsor:
Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
2.71 Cubic feet (4 photo albums, 384 glass plate negatives)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Aerial photographs
Scrapbooks
Place:
Washington (D.C.) -- 1910-1920
Washington D.C. -- Photographs
Date:
1918-1920
Summary:
This collection consists predominantly of aerial photography of the Washington, D.C. area created by Dr. William F. Meggers (1888 - 1966), a noted physicist and spectroscopist at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), as part of a research project on sensitizing glass plate negatives which he carried out during the period 1918 to 1919. The collection includes 384 glass negatives (predominantly 4 x 5 inches, with some 5 x 7 inches), four photo albums, several folders of loose photographs, and a document.
Scope and Contents:
This collection, which consists predominantly of aerial photography from the period 1918 to 1919, contains 384 glass negatives (predominantly 4 x 5 inches, with some 5 x 7 inches), four photo albums, several folders of loose photographs, and a document.
Series 1 of the collection consists of material donated in 1967 by the Meggers family and includes four photo albums of print photographs, 85 loose print photographs, a photocopy of Meggers' and Stimson's 1920 article "Dyes for Photographic Sensitizing," and 263 glass negatives. One of the albums has prints of Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area (such as Arlington, Virginia, and the Great Falls of the Potomac). In addition to the aerial photography, there are a few views of the Fokker DH-4M-2 (Atlantic Model 1) biplanes used for the photography flights. Another of the albums contains images of Niagara Falls and the surrounding countryside. The third and fourth albums contain images predominantly from unidentified locations, except for some showing Fort Monroe at Old Point Comfort, Hampton, Virginia. Photographs found in the albums are believed to be prints from negatives in the collection.
Series 2 of the collection consists of 119 4 x 5 inch glass negatives (almost all aerial photographs of the Washington, D.C. area) transferred on November 17, 2011, from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (formerly the National Bureau of Standards). Views of northwest Washington, D.C., include the National Bureau of Standards campus on Peirce Mill Road; the original Wardman Park Hotel in the Woodley Park neighborhood; the William Howard Taft Bridge (Connecticut Avenue NW) across Rock Creek and surrounding Mount Pleasant, Woodley Park, Lanier Heights, and Kalorama Heights neighborhoods; the National Zoological Park (later the Smithsonian National Zoological Park) in Rock Creek Park; new homes in the Richmond Park neighborhood; the McMillan Reservoir, Filtration Plant, and Sand Filtration Site; and the United States Naval Observatory and Observatory Circle area. Views of the National Mall area include the Smithsonian Institution Castle, the United States National Museum (later the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History), the Washington Monument and newly-constructed Lincoln Memorial, and extensive War Office buildings. Views of the Capitol Hill area include the United States Capitol Building, the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, the Hart Senate and Cannon House office buildings, and Union Station. Views of southeast Washington, D.C. include Bolling Field (military airfield) and the Anacostia River and surrounding area. Views made across the Potomac River feature Arlington National Cemetery, including multiple views of the newly-constructed Memorial Amphitheater. This series also contains a few images of the Potomac River waterfront areas of Alexandria, Virginia, including the Torpedo Factory at the foot of King Street and the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation docks at Jones Point, and—farther downriver—views of George Washington's estate at Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Arrangement:
The materials are divided into two series. Series 1 consists of the original 1967 acquisition donated by the Meggers family, with the materials are subdivided by format. Subseries 1.A consists of the four photo albums; Subseries 1.B consists of loose black and white print photographs found inside the front cover of Photo Album 3 [NASM-9A19047] and grouped by location; Subseries 1.C contains materials relating to Dr. Meggers; and Subseries 1.D consists of glass plate negatives. Series 2 consists of the additional materials transferred from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2011. All glass plate negatives are presented in the order they were received from the donors.
Biographical / Historical:
Dr. William F. Meggers (1888 - 1966) was a noted physicist and spectroscopist at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). In 1918, Meggers conducted a NBS research project on sensitizing glass plate negatives and the effectiveness of certain aerial cameras. The glass plate negatives were aerial shots of the Washington, D.C. area taken from a Fokker (Atlantic) aircraft. The flights were made from Bolling Field and a field near Port Comfort, Virginia [now known as Old Point Comfort, Hampton, Virginia]. The results from Meggers' study were published in The Journal of the Optical Society of America, 1920. [See: W. F. Meggers and F. J. Stimson, "Dyes for Photographic Sensitizing, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. IV, Number 3, May 1920.]
Provenance:
Dr. William Meggers via daughter Dr. Betty J. Meggers, gift, 1967, NASM.XXXX.0280; additional material received from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), transfer, 2011
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
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
The papers of painter and muralist Alson Skinner Clark measure 7.2 linear feet and date from 1870 to 1971, with the bulk of the material from 1890 to 1940. Clark's career is documented through biographical material; correspondence with family, friends, galleries, and dealers; eleven diaries by the artist as well as 16 by his wife Medora Clark; stories and essays by Medora; financial records and business files of art and civilian concerns; assorted printed material including exhibition catalogs and announcements, maps, news clippings (singly and in scrapbooks), advertisements, and ephemera; and photographs of the artist, his friends and family, studio, travels, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter and muralist Alson Skinner Clark measure 7.2 linear feet and date from 1870 to 1971, with the bulk of the material from 1890 to 1940. Clark's career is documented through biographical material; correspondence with family, friends, galleries, and dealers; eleven diaries by the artist as well as 16 by his wife Medora Clark; stories and essays by Medora; financial records and business files of art and civilian concerns; assorted printed material including exhibition catalogs and announcements, maps, news clippings (singly and in scrapbooks), advertisements, and ephemera; and photographs of the artist, his friends and family, studio, travels, and artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1890-1958 (Box 1; 6 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1895-1962 (Boxes 1-2; 1.7 linear feet)
Series 3: Diaries, 1889-1922 (Boxes 2-4; 1.5 linear feet)
Series 4: Writings, circa 1900-1962 (Boxes 4-5; 0.9 linear feet)
Series 5: Personal Business Records, 1889-1930 (Boxes 5, 8; 0.7 linear feet)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1890-1971 (Boxes 5-6; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 7: Artwork, circa 1910-1920 (Box 6; 2 folders)
Series 8: Photographs, circa 1885-1935 (Boxes 6, 8, 9; 1.6 linear feet)
Series 9: Scrapbooks, 1902-1955 (Boxes 7, 8; 0.5 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Alson Skinner Clark (1876-1949) was a painter and muralist who travelled and worked in Europe, Mexico, Canada, Panama, and the United States, ultimately settling in southern California.
Clark was born in Chicago, Illinois, and began training in 1891 at the age of 11 at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1896 he studied under William Merritt Chase at the Art Students' League of New York and briefly at the Chase School of Art before moving to Paris to train with James Abbott McNeill Whistler at the Academia Carmen in 1898. Alongside his wife, Medora (married 1902), Clark travelled extensively, painting the landscapes and urban activity of Chicago, New York, Quebec, France, Dalmatia, and Spain.
In 1913, Clark journeyed to Panama to document the construction of the canal, and in 1919, after serving as a military photographer in World War I, he settled in Pasadena, California, where he adopted the landscapes and colonial architecture of Mexico and the American West as subjects en plein air. It was during this time that Clark began to take on work as a muralist, accepting commissions from the local bank and theatre while also embarking on a teaching career at Occidental College and eventually the Stickney Memorial School of Fine Arts, where he served as director.
Provenance:
The 1897 diary, sales notebook, glass negatives, and albums of negatives were donated in 1986 by Joseph Moure, an art historian who purchased the material from occupants of Clark's former studio. The remainder was donated by Clark's son, Alson Clark, in 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1997 and by Clark's grandniece, Deborah Clark, in 2006.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
St. Paul, Minnesota and Mantioba Railway. Search this
Extent:
0.66 Cubic feet (1 box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Clippings
Obituaries
Scrapbooks
Place:
St. Paul (Minn.)
Date:
1916
Scope and Contents:
Scrapbook contains clippings of the news stories and obituaries printed after the death of James J. Hill on May 29, 1916, drawn from newspapers throughout the United States and Canada.
The 151 scrapbook pages (13" x 15") contain newspaper clippings of the news stories and obituaries of the death of James Jerome Hill on May 29, 1916 at age 78. The clippings dated May 29 and 30, 1916 are from throughout the United States and Canada and report on the life and death of the man known as "Railroad Builder" and "Empire Builder".
Biographical / Historical:
James J. Hill was born near Guelph, Ontario on September 16, 1838 of parents of Scottish and Northern Ireland background. He moved to St. Paul, Minnesota when he was 18 and began his career in railroad building.
His major accomplishment was to discover the "bread-basket of the world" in the Northwest United States and led in the development of its 6 states from wilderness. Along the 6,000 miles of track he created wealth of $5 billion in land values, having provided for 400,000 farms on 65 million acres. This was done between 1880-1893 with no Federal or State money. He introduced livestock to these farms and imported blood stock. He had men show the farmers how to raise more wheat, and established cheap rates for rail and steamship for the transport of the grain. Hill organized a fleet of steamships for the commercial invasion of Japan and China and made possible trade between Buffalo, NY to the Far East.
Hill was known to believe in low grades, heavy power, large capacity cars and big trainloads. Besides being president of the Great Northern Railway form 1889-1912, he controlled the First National Bank and the Northwestern Trust Company. He also helped to get Armour and Company to locate in south St. Paul. He arranged for Wall Street to purchase $500,000,000 of foreign bonds to help the allies in 1915. He also personally gave money to King Albert of Belgium to help the country after the Germans invaded it.
Hill was worth an estimated $200 to $250 million when he died.
Hill was the son of a farmer in Ontario, Canada. At 18 he moved to St. Paul, Minn., and took a job as a clerk with a steamship company. In 1873 he and a partner took over the bankrupt St. Louis and Pacific Railway. This line was reorganized in 1879 as the St. Paul, Minnesota and Manitoba Railway, with Hill as General Manager; in 1883 he became its President. Hill extended his rail line into the Great Northwest and opened it up to commerce. He amassed a fortune, estimated at between 200 to 250 million dollars at his death.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
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.
The collection documents the life of Seaman 2nd class Roy Conley, particularly his experiences during World War 1.
Scope and Contents note:
The collection consists primarily of photographs documenting Conley's experiences as a seaman in World War I. War images include battlefields, trenches, weaponry, and damage to villages and cities. Other photographs are of family members and pictures that Conley took later in life as he traveled throughout Europe and the United States as a tourist. Personal papers consist of identification information and a few military documents. There is also a scrapbook containing photographs collected during World War I, photographs of family members and images of the United States and Europe.
Series 1, Personal Papers, 1918-1945, includes documents relating to Conley's World War I and World War II service and family photographs. There is a Naval Aviator's logbook which he used as a scrapbook and which contains photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings and other items accrued in France in World War I. A scrapbook containing photographs collected during World War I, photographs of family members, images of the United States and Europe and personal papers is also included among the materials.
Series 2, World War I, 1918-1919, consists of photographs of World War I battle scenes, including German bodies, a gas attack, tank warfare, artillery pieces and wrecked airplanes. Also included are photographs of the damage done to countryside and towns by aerial and artillery bombardment.
Series 3, Post World War I, 1919, undated, contains sightseeing and other photographs Conley collected after World War I. Scenes of Paris and other European locations, New York and Kentucky are included.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into three series.
Series 1: Personal Papers, 1918-1945
Series 2: World War I, 1918-1919
Series 3: Post World War I, 1919, undated
Biographical/Historical note:
Roy Gilbert Conley was born in 1899. He lived most of his life in Detroit, Michigan. Conley served in the U.S. Navy from January, 1918 until September, 1919. After basic training at Camp Decatur in Great Lakes, Illinois, he was assigned to a dirigible unit in Paimboeuf, France. He served again during World War II in Port Huron, Michigan as a member of the Coast Guard Reserve. Mr. Conley died in 1963.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives Center by Ms. Barbara Murray, Mr. Conley's grand niece.
Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply.
The papers of painter and naturalist, Abbott Handerson Thayer, and the Thayer family date from 1851 to 1999, with the bulk of the material dating from 1881 to 1950, and measure 5.12 linear feet. Thayer's painting career, interest in concealing coloration (camouflage) in nature, and relationships with artists, patrons, family, and friends are documented through correspondence, writings, scattered legal and financial records, printed materials, and a scrapbook. Photographs are of Thayer, his family, studio, and friends, including artists. The collection also contains family papers created by his second wife, Emma Beach Thayer, his son Gerald, his daughters Mary and Gladys, and Gladys' husband David Reasoner, who managed Thayer's estate after his death.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of painter and naturalist, Abbott Handerson Thayer, and the Thayer family date from 1851 to 1999, with the bulk of the material dating from 1881 to 1950, and measure 5.12 linear feet. Thayer's painting career, interest in concealing coloration in nature, and relationships with artists, patrons, family, and friends are documented through correspondence, writings, scattered legal and financial records, printed materials, and a scrapbook. Photographs are of Thayer, his family, studio, and friends, including artists. The collection also contains family papers created by his second wife, Emma Beach Thayer, his son Gerald, his daughters Mary and Gladys, and Gladys' husband David Reasoner, who managed Thayer's estate after his death.
Scattered Biographical Material includes a brief autobiographical statement and chronology by Abbott Thayer, lists of artworks by Abbott Thayer and Gladys Thayer Reasoner, and biographical information about Thayer's granddaughter, Jean Reasoner Plunket. Two linear feet of family correspondence includes Abott Thayer's correspondence with patrons Charles L. Freer and John Gellatly; with many artists, several of whom were close friends, including Samuel Colman, Thomas Millie Dow, Daniel Chester French, Richard Meryman, Everton Sainsbury, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and E. M. Taber; and former students, such as Ben Foster and Barry Faulkner; and with other friends, many of them prominent members of society, such as Samuel Clemens, Royal Cortissoz, Edward Waldo Emerson, and Stanford White. Also found is Thayer's correspondence with scientists and naturalists discussing his theories on protective coloration in nature. Correspondence of his second wife Emma Beach Thayer, his first wife, Kate Bloede Thayer, his daughter, Gladys Thayer Reasoner, her husband and executor of Thayer's estate, David Reasoner, and other family members are also included in the papers.
Writings and notes by Thayer record his thoughts on concealing coloration, nature, restoration of artwork, and other topics. Writings by others include those by Emma Beach Thayer, daughters Mary and Gladys, and Thayer scholars. The collection also contains correspondence of David Reasoner and other family members, as well as financial and legal documents regarding the estate of Abbott Handerson Thayer and Emma Beach Thayer. Additional financial and legal material includes ledgers, accounts statements, bills, a patent granted to Thayer and Gerome Brush, legal agreements, property deeds, and a map of Thayer's property.
Printed material include books, including one written by Theodore Roosevelt in response to Thayer's book on concealing coloration. Also found are newspaper and magazine clippings, and exhibition announcements and catalogs. Photographs are of Abbott Thayer, his wife Emma; his studio and home in Dublin, New Hampshire; friends, including Rockwell Kent and Ralph Waldo Emerson; and of unidentified people. Artwork includes a few drawings by Thayer, drawings and paintings by his children, and sketchbooks belonging to David Reasoner and Jean Reasoner Plunket. The collection also includes one large scrapbook kept by David Reasoner documenting Abbott Thayer's artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 10 series. Glass plate negative is housed separately and closed to researchers.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1878 - circa 1966 (Box 1; 7 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1867-1987 (Box 1-3; 2.0 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, 1888-1945 (Box 3; 0.8 linear feet)
Series 4: Estate Papers, 1921-1954 (Box 3-4; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 5: Other Financial Records, 1889-1957 (Box 4; 7 folders)
Series 6: Legal Records, 1891-1927 (Box 4; 4 folders)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1851, 1896-1999 (Box 4-5; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 8: Photographs, circa 1861-1933 (Box 5, MGP 2; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 9: Artwork, 1887 - circa 1940s (Box 5-6, 8; 8 folders)
Series 10: Scrapbook, circa 1910-1920 (Box 7; 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849-1921) was born in Boston to Dr. William Henry Thayer and Ellen Handerson Thayer. After his birth his family moved to Woodstock, Vermont, and in 1855 settled in Keene, New Hampshire. As a child Thayer developed a love of nature that was encouraged by his close family, which included three sisters, Ellen, Margaret, and Susan. At the age of fifteen he was sent to the Chauncy Hall School in Boston, and while there he met Henry D. Morse, an amateur animal painter. Under Morse's instruction Abbott developed his skill in painting birds and other wildlife and began painting animal portraits on commission. In 1867 he moved to Brooklyn, New York and attended the Brooklyn Academy of Design where he studied under J. B. Whittaker for two years. In 1868 he began showing his work at the National Academy of Design and enrolled there in 1870, studying under Lemuel Wilmarth. He met many emerging artists during this period, including his future first wife, Kate Bloede and his close friend, Daniel Chester French. Thayer became part of progressive art circles, showing his work at the newly formed Society of American Artists, while continuing to develop his skill as an animal and landscape painter.
Despite family tragedies, Thayer became a leader in the New York art world during the 1880s and 1890s. He was a successful portraitist and painted allegorical figures of angels, women, and children, which were popular among collectors of this period, including his patrons Charles Lang Freer and John Gellatly. He often used his children as models, especially his eldest daughter, Mary.
In the late 1880s one of Thayer's students, Mary Amory Greene, built a house and studio for the Thayer family on her land in Dublin, New Hampshire, and in 1901 the family settled there permanently. Many of Thayer's artist friends lived nearby, such as Richard Meryman and George de Forest Brush, and the Thayer family frequently entertained prominent visitors such as Edward Waldo Emerson and Samuel Clemens. Abbott Thayer taught painting to his children, and Gerald and Gladys both became artists and art educators. Gladys married David Reasoner, a student of Abbott Thayer who later became his assistant. Other students of Thayer included Rockwell Kent, Ben Foster, Barry Faulkner, and Louis Agassiz Fuertes.
Greatly influenced by transcendentalism and the spirituality of nature, Thayer again began to paint landscapes, especially of nearby Mount Monadnock. He was very interested in the study of protective coloration in the wild, and was an advocate for nature conservation and bird sanctuaries. He published the book Concealing Coloration in the Animal Kingdom in 1909 with his son Gerald, but encountered much resistance to his theories. Thayer also wrote about how his camouflage theories could be applied to military warships and uniforms. These theories failed to gain widespread government interest and after suffering from nervous exhaustion, he spent the rest of his life painting landscapes at his home in Dublin, until his death in 1921.
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art holds several collections related to Abbott Handerson Thayer. These include research material on Abbott Handerson Thayer and other artists, 1895-1990, donated by Thomas B. Brumbaugh; the Abbott Handerson Thayer letter and drawings to Caroline Peddle Ball, circa 1890-1893; "The Drawings of Abbott Thayer", by Elizabeth Robins Pennell, circa 1921; and the Nelson and Henry C. White research material, 1898-1978, which includes many letters, photographs, and other material originally belonging to the Thayer family.
Separated Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reels 48 and 3417) including a diary kept by Thayer, a "Family Record" written by William Henry Thayer, correspondence, printed material, photographs, and original artwork by Abbott Handerson Thayer. Lent materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Anne Whiting, a niece of Abbott Handerson Thayer, loaned the Archives of American Art material for microfilming in 1971 and Jean Reasoner Plunket, Thayer's granddaughter, loaned original artwork for microfilming in 1985. The rest of the Abbott Handerson Thayer and Thayer Family papers were donated in 1999 by Abbott Thayer's great-grandson, John Plunket, who received the papers from his mother Jean Reasoner Plunket. In 2005 Bruce Gimelson donated additional material purchased from the relatives of Emma Beach Thayer.
Restrictions:
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
Rights:
Reel 3417 (art works): Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission from Jean Reasoner Plunket. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Abbott Handerson Thayer and Thayer Family papers, 1851-1999 (bulk 1881-1950). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
The collection consists of five scrapbooks of materials relating to the Mexican Border Veterans, Inc. and Auxiliary's activities.
Scope and Contents:
The scrapbooks contain Mexican Border Veterans annual reports; convention minutes; samples of the Mexican Border Veterans newsletter, The Bugler; photographs of various officers and members of the association and their spouses; brochures of the association's conventions; brief historical sketches of the association; some biographical sketches of the founders of the association; newspaper clippings from unidentified newspapers; limited correspondence among national, state or regional Mexican Border Veterans officials and other miscellaneous correspondence.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Mexican Border Veterans, Inc. (MBV) was a civilian association founded by Clairice A. G. Closson of Independence, Missouri in 1929. Closson was one of the participants in the Mexican border initiative of mid 1916. The association consisted of men who patrolled the Mexican-American border between May 9, 1916 and April 1917. Their presence on the border came about as a response to President Woodrow Wilson's call on the National Guard and the Army in mid 1916 to guard the border which had been repeatedly invaded by Francisco (Pancho) Villa, a Mexican revolutionary leader who carried out his incursions against residents of southern Texas. The MBV was formed by ex-Mexican-American border veterans to seek recognition and veteran benefits to which they were entitled as U.S. government ex-servicemen of a foreign war.
Related Materials:
Materials in the National Museum of American History
The Division of Home and Community Life (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) holds related materials. See accessions 1984.0781 and 1985.0781.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Museum in 1986, through Howard Hubbard and Fabian E. Johnson.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
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.
This collection documents, in correspondence, publications, forms, paperwork, drawings, newspaper clippings, diplomas and photographs, the operations and products of the Frick Company of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, manufacturers of steam-powered engines (portable, stationary, and traction), sawmills, threshing machines, grain separators and other mechanized agricultural harvesting implements, refrigeration, mechanical cooling systems, and ice making plants, from its founding in 1852 through 1961.
Scope and Contents:
This collection documents the founding and business operations of the Frick Company* of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, manufacturers of portable, stationary, and traction engines, threshing machines, sawmills, and refrigeration and ice making machinery. The collection covers the period from 1852 to 1961, with the bulk of the material dating from 1860-1873 and from 1880 through the 1920s and illuminates the evolution of mechanized agriculture and refrigeration technology from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.
The largest portion of the collection contains photographs of Frick engines and refrigeration machinery, taken both in the foundry and in various installations worldwide, as well as original drawings of Frick machines, parts, and components used to illustrate catalogs and trade publications. Another large portion of the collection is correspondence, containing communication from clients ordering Frick products for their farms or businesses, as well as receipts and correspondence from local and regional suppliers of raw materials and components for the construction of Frick products.
The collection also contains numerous examples of operational paperwork from the 1880s-1890s, such as letterheads, order forms, contracts, test logs, and timesheets, as well as a significant amount of trade literature largely from 1880-1920, such as price lists, catalogs, product pamphlets, and advertising material.
There are several published company histories, technical drawings/blueprints of Frick products, diplomas awarded to Frick machinery presented at expositions and fairs (including the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893), full-color posters advertising Frick & Co., agent supplies (including telegraph cipher code books), accounting paperwork, payroll records, communications with shareholders, and significant documentation of the highly publicized labor dispute/strike at Frick in 1946.
This collection would be of interest to researchers in the areas of: agricultural machination and invention in the nineteeth century, steam and horse-powered engines, the development of refrigerating and ice making equipment in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, business operations and financial transactions in the nineteenth century, Pennsylvania history and companies, industrial photography, and nineteenth and twentieth centuries industrial trade literature.
*The name of the company was modified several times over the history of its operation, variations including George Frick, Frick & Bowman, Frick & Co., and Frick Company, depending on the time period in question. Efforts have been made to align the description of the materials throughout the collection with the correct company name at the time of their creation.
Arrangement:
This collection is divided into six series:
Series 1: Publications, 1852, 1874-1875; 1880-1932; 1942-1943; 1953; 1961
Founded in 1852 by engineer and inventor George Frick (1826-1892), Frick Company has been an innovative machinery design leader in many areas of the agricultural and refrigeration industries over the last 160 years. Frick began building steam engines and threshing machines in a small shop in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.
Frick quickly gained a reputation for quality in the growing field of mechanized agriculture. His designs for early portable engines--transported and driven by horsepower--soon evolved into self-propelling, steam-powered vehicles that could be driven into the fields and then used to run the grain separating, cleaning and bagging machines that were revolutionizing the farming industry, increasing production at exponential rates.
In addition, Frick's stationary engines were put to use in mills of all kinds (grist, flour, paper, and woolen) to augment or replace their dependence on unreliable natural water power, including sawmills, of which Frick was soon building a line of portable, steam-driven versions. Between the mid-1850s and the early 1870s, the company continued to expand, outgrowing three different shops before building the final location of the works in Waynesboro. George Frick himself was continuously active in the company through the end of the nineteenth century as a mechanical engineer and product designer, as well as a frequent consultant, traveling to confer with clients on specifications for their orders.
Beginning in 1872, George Frick's business and personal life took a downturn with the deaths in quick succession of both his oldest son Frank and his new business partner C.F. Bowman, as a result of a typhoid fever epidemic that swept through the area. Additionally, the financial Panic of 1873 nearly closed Frick's company along with thousands of other American businesses that year, but thirteen local businessmen formed a partnership, putting forth the necessary capital to keep the manufacturing plant afloat. George Frick sold his controlling interest to the partnership, but remained as general manager of the company.
After this brief period of struggle, Frick and Company began again to expand its product line as well as its reputation. The new works in Waynesboro were modern and efficient, enough to warrant a feature article in Scientific American in 1881. The following year, the company built its first refrigeration machine, and a whole new direction of production opened up. Automatic and traction engines were still in demand, being constantly improved and updated, but refrigeration was the new frontier. Frick rose to become one of the leaders in development of high quality, durable, and functional refrigeration machinery. George's son A.O. Frick, now an engineer with the company, partnered with Edgar Penney, another design engineer, to develop the Corliss engine line, which would run the large ammonia compressors, creating what was called a refrigeration machine. They were intially used to power ice plants, which were being built all over the world after the mild winter of 1890 tipped the natural ice industry into decline. They also used cold storage/mechanical cooling units, of which breweries and meat packing plants were the earliest adopters, followed by cold food stores, florist shops, and fur storage, as well as the dairy and shipping industries. The Armour Packing Plant in Kansas City, Missouri was the proud owner of "The Largest Ice Machine in the World," built by Frick and shipped by train via specially-reinforced rails in 1896. At the turn of the twentieth century, hotels, restaurants, hospitals and industrial plants soon began to rely on refrigeration units for daily operations, and Frick's business was booming.
As gas-powered engine technology began taking over in the first decades of the twentieth century, Frick moved away from steam engines and focused on more specialized farm equipment such as dehydrators, peanut pickers, combines, balers and silo fillers. Their line of sawmills was also still in high demand. But increasingly, Frick was focused on steadily refining and improving its refrigeration equipment. Ammonia, while highly efficient as a coolant, had its dangerous downsides: it could be fatal if leaked, and could contaminate plant ice easily. Although many of Frick's ammonia compression refrigeration machines were still in use forty or more years after installation and were still preferred for industrial use, the technology needed to improve in order to be viable for the general public. Several publicized accidents led eventually to the preferred use of chloroflorocarbons as a coolant, and Frick developed enclosed-type CO2 compressors and eventually freon units. Other Frick refrigeration products included machinery for making dry ice, air conditioning units, and temperature controls for test plants, as well as marine refrigeration (developed during the First World War) for shipping food between continents. Frick did contract work for the US military during and following World War II, and was a major company involved in the development of quick-freezing systems to support the growing frozen food industry starting in the late 1940s.
Frick Company positioned itself as a permanent leader in the food production and distribution industry by the 1950s. The company is still in operation today, though it has been purchased several times, most recently by Johnson Controls, which maintains a product line bearing the name Frick.
Related Materials:
The Archives Center holds several collections that may be of interest to researchers in relation to the Frick Company Collection.
For related material on Corliss engines, see the following collections:
Chuse Engine and Manufacturing Company Records (AC 1088)
For related material on threshing machines and agricultural machinery, see the following collections:
John K. Parlett Collection (AC 3066)
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana (AC 0060)
For related material on refrigeration machinery, see the following collections:
Madison Cooper Papers (AC 1105)
Nickerson and Collins Photography (AC 1044)
Southwork Foundry and Machine Company Records (AC 1107)
Separated Materials:
The Division of Work and Industry holds artifacts related to this collection. See acquisition numbers AG79A09.1, MC 319243.12 and .13, and 58A9.
Provenance:
Collection donated by the Frick Company, through Terry Mitchell in 1961.
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.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Robert Reid papers, circa 1880-circa 1930. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
The collection documents Emile Bachelet, inventor of electro-magnetic therapeutic devices for the treatment of rheumatism.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of approximately .66 cubic feet of biographical materials, correspondence, clippings, patents, photographs, newspaper clippings, and a scrapbook relating to Emile Bachelet's invention of a device for magnetically levitating trains and other devices.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1890-1956, consists of Bachelet's passports, citizenship papers, some genealogical notes, clippings, a certificate from the Masonic Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, and an undated interview with Albert Bachelet, Emile's son. Documentation on Albert Bachelet's work with the Lincoln stereoscopic pairs is also here.
Series 2: Correspondence, 1915-1959, includes letters from Emile Bachelet's former secretary, Suzanne Stokvis-Simpson, to Albert Bachelet from 1948 to 1959.
Series 3: Patents, 1903-1929, contains both United States and foreign issued patents for Bachelet's inventions. Also included in this series is information on Bachelet's Wave Generator Machine that was used to treat individuals suffering from rheumatism and other pains by "increasing the vital energies of the blood and creating a vibratory magnetic field in which is placed the patients or patients."
Series 4: Photographs, 1929-1945, include Bachelet's "Magnetically Levitated Railway" device, his "Free Energy Machine", models, equipment, and other devices being demonstrated and portraits of Emile Bachelet.
Series 5: Newspaper Clippings and Scrapbook, 1912-1973, document accounts of the public presentation of Bachelet's model of a magnetically levitated train in London in 1914 and other projects.
Series 6: Miscellaneous, 1915-1917, contains a visitor's book to Bachelet's laboratory, brochures on the Bachelet Wave Generator machine and drawings.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into six series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1890-1956
Series 2: Correspondence, 1915-1959
Series 3: Patents, 1903-1929
Series 4: Photographs, circa 1880s-1945
Series 5: Newspaper Clippings and Scrapbook, 1912-1973
Series 6: Miscellaneous, 1915-1917
Biographical / Historical:
Emile Bachelet (1863-1946) was born in Nanterre, France, a village outside Paris and emigrated to the U.S. in the 1880s. He began his career in Boston as an electrician on the building staff of the Boston Institute (now known as Massachusetts Institute of Technology). He was naturalized a United States citizen in 1888, moved to California in 1889 and then to Tacoma, Washington where he worked as an electrician for the city government and later as an inventor of electro-magnetic therapeutic devices for the treatment of rheumatism. Bachelet discovered that arthritic pain disappeared when he was near huge generators and thus began his experimentation with electromagnets. In the 1890s he conceived the idea of magnetic levitation and worked for twenty years on its application to a train. A model was exhibited in London in 1914 and it received worldwide notice and some financial support. In the early 1900s, Bachelet moved to New York City and formed three companies, Bachelet General Magnet Co., Inc., Bachelet Magnetic Wave Company, and Bachelet Medical Apparatus Company to continue his invention work. However, his interest shifted often from one device to another and he later moved to Poughkeepsie, NY where he continued his invention efforts in a small workshop until his death in 1946.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Albert E. Bachelet, son of the inventor.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.
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.
This large scrapbook, compiled by David Reasoner, includes photographs and printed reproductions of paintings by Abbott Thayer, as well as a few newspaper clippings about his artwork. The scrapbook also includes a few notations listing the current owners of the paintings.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
Collection Rights:
Reel 3417 (art works): Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission from Jean Reasoner Plunket. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Abbott Handerson Thayer and Thayer Family papers, 1851-1999 (bulk 1881-1950). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
Collection Rights:
Reel 3417 (art works): Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission from Jean Reasoner Plunket. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Abbott Handerson Thayer and Thayer Family papers, 1851-1999 (bulk 1881-1950). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Macbeth Gallery records, 1838-1968, bulk 1892 to 1953. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Getty Grant Program. Digitization of the scrapbooks was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee. Correspondence, financial and shipping records, inventory records, and printed material were digitized with funding provided by the Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.
