The personal papers of Charles Lang Freer, the industrialist and art collector who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. The papers include correspondence, diaries, art inventories, scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeil Whistler and other press clippings, and photographs.
Scope Content:
The personal papers of Charles Lang Freer, the industrialist and art collector who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. The papers include correspondence, diaries, art inventories, scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeil Whistler and other press clippings, financial material, architectural drawings, and photographs.
Correspondence, circa 1860-1921, includes Freer's correspondence, 1876-1920, with artists, dealers, collectors, museums, and public figures; letterpress books contain copies of Freer's outgoing letters, 1892-1910; correspondence collected by Freer of James McNeill Whistler, and his wife Beatrix, 186?-1909, with Lady Colin Campbell, Thomas R. Way, Alexander Reid, Whistler's mother, Mrs. George W. Whistler, and others; correspondence of Whistler collector Richard A. Canfield, 1904-1913, regarding works in Canfield's collection; and correspondence of Freer's assistant, Katharine Nash Rhoades, 1920-1921, soliciting Freer's letters from his associates, and regarding the settlement of his estate.
Also included are twenty-nine pocket diaries, 1889-1890, 1892-1898, 1900-1919, recording daily activities, people and places visited, observations, and comments; a diary kept by Freer's caretaker, Joseph Stephens Warring, recording daily activities at Freer's Detroit home, 1907-1910. Inventories, n.d. and 1901-1921, of American, European, and Asian art in Freer's collection, often including provenance information; vouchers, 1884-1919, documenting his purchases; five volumes of scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeill Whistler, 1888-1931, labeled "Various," "Peacock Room," "Death, etc.," "Paris, etc.," and "Boston...London" ; three volumes of newsclippings, 1900-1930, concerning Freer and the opening of the Freer Gallery of Art.
Correspondence regarding Freer's gift and bequest to the Smithsonian Institution, 1902-1916; and photographs, ca. 1880-1930, of Freer, including portraits by Alvin Langdon Coburn and Edward Steichen, Freer with others, Freer in Cairo, China and Japan, Freer's death mask, and his memorial service, Kyoto, 1930; photographs of artists and others, including Thomas Dewing, Ernest Fenollosa, Katharine Rhoades taken by Alfred Stieglitz, Rosalind B. Philip, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Abbott H. Thayer, Dwight Tryon, and Whistler; and photographs relating to Whistler, including art works depicting him, grave and memorial monuments, works of art, the Peacock Room, and Whistler's memorial exhibition at the Copley Society.
Organization of the Papers:
This collection is organized into twelve series.
Series 1: Genealogical and Biographical Data
Series 2: Correspondence
Series 3: Diaries
Series 4: Freer Colleague Materials
Series 5: Art Inventories
Series 6: Financial Materials
Series 7: Exhibition Loan Files
Series 8: Biblical Manuscripts and Gold Treasure Files
Series 9: American School of Archaeology in China
Series 10: Printed Material
Series 11: Outsize Material
Series 12: Photographs
Biographical Note:
1854 February 25 -- Born in Kingston, New York
1873 -- Appointed accountant and paymaster of New York, Kingston and Syracuse Railroad by Frank J. Hecker (1846-1927)
1876 -- Moves to Indiana to work, with Hecker, for the Detroit and Eel River and Illinois Railroad
1880 -- Moves to Detroit, participates in organization of the Peninsular Car Works with Hecker
1883 -- Becomes vice president and secretary of Peninsular Car Company when it succeeds Peninsular Car Works
1883 -- Begins collecting European prints
1884 -- Peninsular Car Company constructs plant on Ferry Avenue
1887 -- Meets Howard Mansfield (1849-1938)
1887 -- Acquires proofs of 26 etchings, Venice, Second Series(1886), by James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
1887 -- Purchases a small Japanese fan attributed to Ogata Korin(1658-1715)
1887 -- Buys land on Ferry Avenue
1889 -- Meets Frederick Stuart Church (1826-1900) and Dwight William Tryon (1849-1925) in New York
1890 -- Commissions Wilson Eyre (1858-1944) to design house on Ferry Avenue, Detroit, Michigan
1890 -- On first trip to London, meets James McNeill Whistler(1834-1903)
1892 -- Moves to Ferry Avenue house
1892 -- Tryon and Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) undertake decoration of reception rooms
1893 -- Lends American paintings to World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago
1893 -- Purchases first piece of Chinese art, a small painting of white herons by an anonymous Ming dynasty (1368-1644) artist
1894 -- Begins yearlong trip around the world, which includes visit to the Whistlers in Paris and first trip to Asia, stopping in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, China, and Japan
1896 -- Meets Matsuki Bunkyo (1867-1940) in Boston
1899 -- Takes part in consolidation of railroad-car building companies then retires from active business
1900 -- Attends Exposition International Universelle in Paris
1900 -- Buys villa in Capri with Thomas S. Jerome
1901 -- Meets Siegfried Bing (1838-1905) in Paris and Ernest Fenollosa(1853-1908), who visits Freer in Detroit
1902 -- Meets Dikran Kelekian (1868-1951)
1902 -- Spends summer in Britain building Whistler collection
1902 -- Views Whistler's, Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room
1904 -- Purchases Whistler's Peacock Room
1904 -- Offers his art collections and funds to build a museum in which to house them to the Smithsonian Institution
1905 -- Smithsonian committee visits Freer in Detroit
1906 -- United States government formally accepts Freer's gift on January 24
1906 -- Freer signs Deed of Gift to Smithsonian Institution on May 5
1907 -- On second tour of Asia, meets Hara Tomitaro 1868-1939) in Yokohama, Japan
1908 -- Takes third trip to Asia, specifically to West Asia to study Rakka ware
1909 -- Tours Europe to study art museums
1909 -- On fourth trip to Asia, attends memorial ceremony for Fenollosa (d.1908 September) at Miidera, Japan, and meets Duanfang (1861-1911) in China
1910 -- On last trip to Asia, visits Longmen Buddhist caves in China
1911 -- Suffers stroke
1912 -- Lends selection of objects for exhibition at Smithsonian Institution
1913 -- Meets Eugene (1875-1957) and Agnes E. (1887-1970) Meyer
1913 -- Commissions Charles Adams Platt (1861-1933) to design museum building in Washington
1914 -- Meets Katharine Nash Rhoades (1885-1965) in Detroit
1915 -- Settles in New York City
1915 -- Site of future Freer Gallery of Art is determined
1916 -- Platt's plans for Freer Gallery are approved by Smithsonian Regents and Commission of Fine Arts and ground is broken in September
1918 -- After falling ill in Detroit, Freer travels to New York for treatment
1918 -- Work on the museum building is delayed by the war
1919 -- Freer appends codicil to will permitting acquisitions of Asian, Egyptian, and Near Eastern (West Asian) art
1919 -- Dies in New York City on 25 September and is buried in Kingston, New York
1919 -- Construction of Freer Gallery completed
1920 -- John Ellerton Lodge (1876-1942) is appointed director of the Freer Gallery
1923 -- Freer Gallery opens to the public on May 9
1930 -- Memorial ceremony for Freer is held at Koetsuji, Kyoto
Charles Lang Freer was an American industrialist who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. He was a well-known collector of Asian art, and strongly supported the synthesis of Eastern art and Western art. One of his most famous acquisitions was James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room.
Index:
Index to cross-referenced correspondents in the series Charles Lang Freer correspondence
Beal, Junius E. -- See: -- Warring, Joseph Stephens
Black, George M. -- See: -- Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
Board of Education (Kingston, New York) See: Michael, M. J.
Bonner, Campbell See: University of Michigan
Boughton, George H. See: Yardley, F. C.
British Museum See: Binyon, Laurence; Hobson, R. L.
Brown, Harold H. See: Art Association of Indianapolis
Buchner, Evelyn B. See: Knoedler, M., and Company
Buckholder, C. H. See: Art Institute of Chicago
Butler, S. B. See: Unidentified correspondents
Carnegie Institute See: Balken, Edward Duff; Harshe, Robert B.
Carpenter, Newton H. See: Art Institute of Chicago
Caulkins, Horace James See: Pewabic Pottery
Chao, Shih-chin See: Gunn, Chu Su
Chicago & North Western Railway Co. See: Hughett, Marvin
Clark, Charles Upson See: Clark, Arthur B.
Cleveland Museum of Art See: Whiting, Frederic Allen
Columbia University See: Braun, W. A.; Gottheil, Richard; Hirth, Friederich
Commission of Fine Arts See: Moore, Charles
Corcoran Gallery of Art See: Minnigerode, C. Powell
Crocker, Anna B. See: Portland Art Association
Dannenberg, D. E. See: Karlbeck, Orvar
De Menoncal, Beatrice See: Lien, Hui Ch'ing Collection
De Ricci, Seymour See: Ricci, Seymour de
Defnet, William A., Mrs., See: Franke, Ida M.
DeMotte See: Vigouroux, J.
Detroit Institute of Arts See: Detroit Museum of Art
Detroit Publishing Company See: Livingstone, W. A.
Detroit School of Design See: George Hamilton; Stevens, Henry
DeVinne Press See: Peters, Samuel T.; Witherspoon, A. S.
Dyrenforth, P. C. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
Eddy, Arthur J. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
Eggers, George Williams See: Art Institute of Chicago
Farr, Daniel H. See: Robinson and Farr
Farrand School (Detroit) See: Yendall, Edith
Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago) See: Laufer, Berthold
Flagg, Frederick J. See: Allen, Horace N.
Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University See: Forbes, Edward; Pope, Arthur Upham; Sachs, Paul J.
French, M. R. See: Art Institute of Chicago
Fu, Lan-ya See: Pang, Lai-ch'en
Fujii, Yoshio See: Yoshio, Fujii
Gerrity, Thomas See: Knoedler, M., and Company
Goupil Gallery See: Marchant, William
Gray, William J. See: Barr, Eva
Great Lakes Engineering Works See: Hoyt, H. W.
Grolier Club See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
Heinemann, W. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
Holden, Edward S. See: West Point, U. S. Military Academy
Hudson, J. L. See: Weber, William C.
Hutchins, Harry B. See: University of Michigan
Hutchins, Charles L. See: Art Institute of Chicago
Kelekian, H. G. See: Kelekian, Dikran G.
Kent, H. W. See: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Lee, Kee Son See: Li, Chi-ch'un
Levy, John See: Schneider, A. K.
Library of Congress See: Rice, Richard A.; Wright, Helen
Louvre (Paris, France) See: Midgeon, Gaston
Matsuki, Z. See: Matsuki, Kihachiro
McKim, Mead and White See: White, Stanford
Mills, A. L., Colonel See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
Miner, Luella See: Lien, Hui Ch'ing Collection
Minneapolis Institute of Arts See: Breck, Joseph; Van Derlip, John R.
Monif, R. Khan See: Rathbun, Richard
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston See: Lodge, John Ellerton
Naser, Katen & Nahass See: Katen, K.
Nordlinger, Marie, Miss See: Meyer-Riefstahl, Marie
Panama Pacific International Exposition See: Moore, Charles C.; Trask, John E. D.
Peabody Museum See: Morse, Edward Sylvester
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts See: Trask, John E. D.
Saint-Gaudens, Augusta H. See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
Saint-Gaudens, Homer See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
Samurai Shokai See: Nomura, Yozo
San Francisco Art Association See: Laurvik, J. Nilsen
Scribner's, Charles, Sons See: Van Dyke, John C.
Shaw, Wilfred B. See: University of Michigan
Shirae, S. Z. See: Yamanaka and Company
Smith College See: Clark, Arthur B.
Smithsonian Institution See: Holmes, William Henry; Rathbun, Richard; Ravenel, Walcott, Charles D.
Society of Arts and Crafts (Detroit) See: Plumb, Helen
Societe des Beaux-Arts See: Reid, Alexander
Stevens, George W. See: Toledo Museum of Art
Stratton, Mary Chase Perry See: Pewabic Pottery
Tanaka, Kichijiro See: Yamanaka and Company
Tuttle, William F. See: Art Institute of Chicago
Union Trust Company (Detroit) See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
United States Military Academy See: West Point, U. S. Military Academy
University of Chicago See: Zug, George Breed
University of Pennsylvania, Univ. Mus. See: Gordon, George Bryon
Ushikubo, D. J. R. See: Yamanaka and Company
Wallis & Son See: Barr, Eva; Thompson, C. Croal Ward, Clarence See: Oberlin College
Warren, Edward K. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
Warring, Stephen See: Warring, Joseph Stephens
Watkin, Williams R. T. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
Watson, Margaret, Miss See: Parker, Margaret Watson
Whistler, Anna See: Stanton, Anna Whistler
Whiting, Almon C. See: Toledo Museum of Art
Williams College See: Rice, Richard A
Wright, F. G. See: Orbach and Company
Yatsuhashi, H. See: Yamanaka and Company
Index to cross-referenced correspondence in the series Whistler correspondence
Bell, William See: Unidentified correspondents
Brown, Ernest See: Painter Etchers' Society, Committee
Cowen, John T. See subseries: Charles Lang Freer Correspondence
Ford, Sheridan See: Reid, Alexander
Haden, Francis Seymour See: Painter Etchers' Society, Committee
Haden, Francis Seymour, Lady See: Haden, Deborah Whistler
Leighton, Frederick, Baron See: Campbell, Lady Colin
Moore, Albert See: Reid, Alexander
Morley, Charles See: Pall Mall Gazette
Morris, Harrison S. See: Reid, Alexander
Pennell, Joseph See: Miscellaneous typescripts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts See: Reid, Alexander
Prange, F. G. See: Reid, Alexander
Societe des Beaux-Arts See: Reid, Alexander
Society of Portrait Painters See: Reid, Alexander
Stevens Fine Art See: Reid, Alexander
Studd, Arthur See: Miscellaneous typescripts
[Vanderbilt?], George, Mrs. See: George, Mrs.
Whistler, William McNeill, Mrs. See: Whistler, Nellie
Whistler Memorial Committee See: Miscellaneous typescripts
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art microfilmed portions of the Freer papers in 1992. The microfilm is available at the Archives of American Art's Washington D.C. office, the Freer Gallery of Art Library, and through interlibrary loan.
Provenance:
Gift of the Estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Tape 1 217/78 Sri Lanka [Done at case of Pakistani musical instruments] asks what instruments. Activity carried out next to the display case containing Pakistani musical instruments.
Local Numbers:
Knez Sound Recording 16
Collection Restrictions:
The Eugene Irving Knez papers are open for research.
Access to the Eugene Irving Knez papers requires an appointment.
The collection primarily contains prints, engravings, and books. The majority of the collection highlights the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 20th centuries through the lens of Europeans. It contains depiction of the subcontinent's peoples, cultures, monuments, religious sites, and religious practices as seen in Dutch, English, French, German, and Italian publications. Among this collection are also some representations of people from other parts of the world.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into seven series, beginning with the initial gift in support of the 2014 exhibition, Strange and Wondrous: Prints of India from the Robert J. Del Bontà Collection. Each series represents a grouping selected by the donor and follows the donor's original curation of the material. E or engraving numbers reflect the donor's numbering system.
Series 1: Original gift supporting the exhibition, Strange and Wondrous: Prints of India from the Robert J. Del Bontà Collection in 2014 focusing on ascetics and mendicants.
Series 2: Prints and Engravings relating to the rulers including Timurid and Mughal rulers
Series 3: 16th-17th century prints
Series 4: Engravings and prints from around the world
Series 5: English engravings depicting India
Series 6: Dutch and French engravings of voyages across the world
Series 7: French engravings depicting monuments of India
Biographical / Historical:
Dr. Robert J. Del Bontà was born in 1949. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1978. From 1993 to 2000 he was a research associate and guest curator at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. He also curated major exhibitions for the Berkeley Art Museum; the University of Michigan Museum of Art; the Portland Art Museum; and the New Orleans Museum of Art. He writes and lectures on a wide range of subjects relating to South Asian art including paintings, prints, photographs, popular art, sculptures, and architecture. More recently, he also writes about European prints pertaining to Europe's perception of India and Indo-Portuguese art.
Del Bontà began to collect prints related to South Asia while completing his doctorate in South Asian art history at the University of Michigan in the 1970s. The Robert J. Del Bontà collection contains prints and books depicting people, cultures, religious customs, gods and goddesses, and architecture of Asia, with a specific emphasis on South Asian art.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Permission to reproduce and publish an item from the Archives is coordinated through the National Museum of Asian Art's Rights and Reproductions department. Please contact the Archives in order to initiate this process.
Photographs collected by Charles Lang Freer during his lifetime, including portraits, art objects, and travels to countries including China, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Japan, and Syria. Many of the photos depict temples, mosques, castles, landscapes, and people, with a special focus on architecture. Also includes photographs of memorial ceremonies to Freer conducted in Kyoto in 1921 and 1930.
Series 12: Charles Lang Freer, Collected Photographs
Arrangement:
Organized by country.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Photographic prints acquired by Freer duriing his tour of Colombo in February 1907, depicting the archaeological, religious, and scenic sites of Sri Lanka. Photographs include works by the major studios in Colombo such as Skeen & Co., and Scowen and Co. (later Apothecaries Co.), as well as works by unknown photographers. Geographically the images display a wide range of sites from across the island but emphasize the ancient ruins of the Anuradhapura District. All the prints are gold-toned albumen prints.
1: Alsophila Crinita. Caption: "Alsophila Crinita Woolly Tree-Ferns." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 2: Anuradhapura, Abhayagiri ViharaComplex, Abhayagiri Thupa, from the south. Caption: "Jetawanarama Dagoba 245 high. Anuradhapura." Captions: "Jetawanarama DagobaAnuradhapura", "Anuradhapura" Scowen; Apothecaries Co. Ltd. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 3: Anuradhapura, Abhayagiri Vihara Complex, Kanda-oru. Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 4: Anuradhapura, Abhayagiri Vihara Complex, Kuttum Pokuna. Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 5: Anuradhapura, Abhayagiri Vihara Complex, Mahasena's Pavilion, moonstone and stairway. Captions: "Kings Palace Moonstone, Ruanwella", "Anuradhapura" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 6: Anuradhapura, Isurumuniya Temple, carved stone images. Captions: "Carved stone in S-steps, Isurumuniya", "Anuradhapura" Apothecaries Co. Ltd. Not after 1896; 7: Anuradhapura, Isurumuniya Temple, front from the east. Captions: "Isurumuniya Temple, Ruanwella", "Anuradhapura, Isurumuniya." Apothecaries Co. Ltd. Not after 1896; 8: Anuradhapura, Magul Uyana, rock cut pond. Caption: "A rock cut recess in connection with a bathing pond on the east side of the Tisawewa, Anuradhapura." Captions: "Rock cut recess east of Tissawewa", "Anuradhapura" Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 9: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, "Dalada Maligawa" idol house.; 10: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Kujjatissa Pabbata. Caption: "Sala Chaitiya Dagoba, Anuradhapura." Caption: "Anuradhapura" Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 11: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Kujjatissa Pabbata. Caption: "Sala Chaitiya Dagoba. Anuradhapura." Caption: "Anuradhapura" Scowen & Co. Between the 1876 and ca.1894; 12: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, monastic cistern and dyeing vessel near the Thuparama Dagoba. Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 13: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, monastic ruins west of the Ruvanvalisaya. Caption: "Ruins of the north west side of the Ruanwelli Dagoba, Anuradhapura." Caption: "Anuradhapura" Scowen & Co; Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 14: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex,monastic ruins south west of the Ruvanvalisaya. Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 15: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, monastic ruins south west of the Ruvanvalisaya. Caption: "Anuradhapura" Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 16: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Ruvanvalisaya, east entrance. Captions: "Ruanwella Dagoba from the east showing carved entrance", "Anuradhapura" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 17: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Ruvanvalisaya, southern vahalkada. Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 18: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Sri Maha Bodhi Shrine. Caption: "Ficus Religiosa, the sacred Bo tree at Anuradhapura. This ancient tree is an object of the most profound veneration to the Buddhists; its parent in India being the identical tree under which Gautama is said to have attained the Buddhaship. The original branch was planted by King Dewanpiya Tissa, B.C. 288. " Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 19: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, stone bulls near the Ruvanvalisaya. Captions: "Stone Bulls, Ruanwella", "Anuradhapura" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 20: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, stone figure. Caption: "Stone figure in Kachcheri ground, Ruanwella." Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 21: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Thuparama Dagoba, pillar capital. Caption: "Pillar at the Thuparama, Anuradhapura.". Not before 1862; 22: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Thuparama Dagoba and surrounding ruins. Caption: "Polonnaruva?" Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 23: Anuradhapura, Mirisvatiya Dagoba. Captions: "Merisawatte Dagoba, Ruanwella", "Anuradhapura, Miriswetiya." Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 24: Anuradhapura, Western Monasteries, stone canopy. Skeen & Co. Between 1886 and 1903; 25: Anuradhapura District, Mihintale, Mahinda's Bed. Caption: "Mihintale,, Mahinda's Bed"; 26: Colombo District, Colombo Fort, from the south. Captions: "Barracks, Fort, Colombo. No. 62", "Colombo" C.A. Co. Ltd. Between the 1870s and ca.1890; 27: Kandy, Dalada Maligawa, entrance. Caption: "Entrance to the Buddhist Temple, Kandy." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 28: Kandy, Dalada Maligawa, front view. Caption: "Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth) Kandy." Caption: "Kandy,, Maligawa." Scowen. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 29: Kandy, back of Temple. Captions: "Back of Temple, Kandy," Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 30: Kandy, "Florence Villa." Caption: "Florence Villa, Kandy, No. 193." C.A. Co. Ltd. Between the 1870s and ca.1890; 31: Kandy, Kandy Lake with Hantanne Peak in back. Caption: "Kandy Lake and Hantanne Peak." Scowen. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 32: Kandy, Kandy Lake and city from the South-east. Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 33: Kandy, Old Palace. Caption: "Old palace, Kandy"; 34: Kandy District, Panwila, "Holton Estate" tea plucking. Caption: "Plucking tea leaf-Holton Estate. Panwila." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 35: Kandy District, Peradeniya, Mahavali River. Caption: "River at Peradeniya." Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 36: Kandy District, Peradeniya, Royal Botanic Gardens, Creeper. Caption: "A Creeper in the Peradeniya Gardens" Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 37: Kandy District, Peradeniya, Royal Botanic Gardens, fig tree. Caption: "Fig tree, Peradeniya"; 38: Kandy District, Peradeniya, Royal Botanic Gardens, palms. Caption: "Group of palms in the Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 39: Kandy District, Peradeniya, Royal Botanic Gardens, palms. Caption: "Group of Palms in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 40: Kandy District, Peradeniya, the Satinwood Bridge over the Mahavali River. Captions: "Satinwood Bridge from the gardens", "Peradeniya,, Royal Botanic Gardens.". Not after 1904; 41: Matale District, Aluvihara Rock Temple. Caption: "Matale. Aluwihara Rock Temple. Where Buddhist books were first committed to writing in B.C. 90." Caption: "Matale,, Aluvihara." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 42: Matale District, Aluvihara Rock Temple. Caption: "Rock Temple at Matara showing the Great Gorge"; 43: Matale District, Dambulla Cave Temple, entrance to a cave. Captions: "Rock Temple entrance, Mihintale", "Mihintale" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 44: Matale District, Dambulla Cave Temple, terrace. Captions: "Buddhist Rock temple view from terrace, Mihintale", "Mihintale" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 45: Matale District, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, assent to the summit. Captions: "Sigiri remains of galleries running to the top of the rock", "Sigiriya" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 46: Matale District, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, view to summit from the Lion Terrace. Captions: "Sigiri Rock", "Sigiriya"; 47: Matale District, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, stairs of the lower gallery. Captions: "Sigiri end of the remaining portion of the lower gallery", "Sigiriya"; 48: Nuvara Eliya, landscape. Captions: "Nuwera Eliya", "Nuwara Eliya" C. Scowen. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 49: Polonnaruva, Ancient City, Dalada Maluva Complex, Hatadage. Captions: "Atadage, Ruawella", "Anuradhapura" Apothecaries Co. Ltd. Not after 1903; 50: Polonnaruva, Ancient City, Dalada Maluva Complex, Hatadage, broken stone Buddha. Captions: "Atadage inner chamber"; "Polonnaruwa, Atadage." Apothecaries Co. Ltd. Not after 1903; 51: Polonnaruva, Ancient City, Siva Devale No. 1, east entrance. Captions: "Anuradhapura", "Anuradhapura" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 52: Ratnapura District, Sripada. Caption: "Temple of Adam's Peak"; 53: Matale District, unidentified gorge. Caption: "Vicarton Gorge, Matale." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 54: Unidentified temple. Caption: "Buddhist Temple, Colombo No. 92." Caption: "Colombo." Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 55: Unidentified temple. Caption: "Buddhist Temple, Peradeniya." Caption: "Peradeniya." C.A. Co. Ltd; Apothecaries Co. Ltd. Between the 1870s and ca.1890; 56: Unidentified house. Captions: "Hill Club", "97' Moliya", "Nuwara Eliya" C. Scowen. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 57: Unidentified river. Captions: "Maskeliya river", "Maskeliya"; 58: Unidentified waterfall. Captions: "Maskeliya Falls", "Maskeliya"; 59: Unidentified waterfall.
Captions: "Naliawilla Falls Haputale,", "Haplutale"; 60: Unidentified waterfall. Captions: "The double Ramibadde Falls", "Ramboda"; 61: Unidentified ruins of stairs. The Colombo Apothecaries Company, Ltd. Photographers; 62: Unidentified brick ruin. The Colombo Apothecaries Company, Ltd. Photographers.
Arrangement:
Organized in the original manner by the creator.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.10
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Printed caption on verso reads: "No. 4. Galle Face Hotel, Colombo."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "Copyright by Plate Ltd., Colombo."
Postmarks, manuscript message, and address on verso.
Local Numbers:
EEPA CE-30-01
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Provenance:
I.U.: Indiana University collection; Donation.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
73 albumen photo prints, some mounted, many signed and numbered in the negative and some with hadwritten penciled identifications, various sizes. A small number are hand-tinted. Images depict Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Japan and China. Subjects include portraits, people in daily activities, street scenes, city views, architecture, fauna and gardens, and landscapes. Photographers include Scowen & Co., Skeen & Co. and Samuel Bourne. Images depict architectural monuments, city and village views, and picturesque landscapes such as the Great Imambara and Mosque in Lucknow, the quadrangle of the Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) in Agra, the Memorial Well in Kanpur (Cawnpore), numerous views of villages, bridges and landscapes in Kashmir, and the botanical gardens at Ootacamund (Udagamandalam). There is also one photograph, an unmounted albumen print, signed and numbered in the negative, by John Edward Saché (active 1860-1880), also depicting a landscape in India. Additionally, an ethnographic portrait (unmounted albumen print) of two Sri Lankan aboriginal men titled "Veddahs" by Charles T. Scowen is included in the collection.
Arrangement:
Four flat boxes.
Biographical / Historical:
British photographer Charles T. Scowen arrived in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the early 1870s, where he was first employed as a clerk. By 1876, Scowen had established a studio, Scowen & Co., in Kandy, with a second location appearing in Columbo by the 1890s. There appear to have been several Scowens working in the studios, as Charles T. Scowen returned to England in 1885. C. Scowen was listed as the proprietor until 1891 and M. Scowen was the proprietor when the firm was finally sold in 1893. Images from Scowen & Co. were used to illustrate a number of books about Ceylon and the tea trade.
Skeen & Co. was a commercial photography studio active in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from 1860-1903. In 1860, William Skeen, who was the official Government Printer, purchased J. Parting's photography studio in Colombo for his son, William Louis Henry Skeen, who had studied at the London School of Photography. In 1891 another Skeen & Co. studio was opened in Kandy. The firm was known for its images of agriculture (particularly tea and spices), industry (the construction of the Ceylon railroads and the Colombo Breakwater), landscapes and ethnic groups.
John Edward Saché (1824-1882) was an American commercial photographer, born in Prussia as Johann Edvart Zachert. He arrived in Calcutta in 1864 and for the next twenty years traveled widely in northern India, photographing major towns and sites. Saché's first professional association was with W. F. Westfield in Calcutta but he would go on to establish other studios, either alone or in partnerships, in Nainital, Bombay, Lucknow and Benares, among other locations.
Samuel Bourne (1834-1912) had already begun to earn recognition for his work in England, having exhibited at the London International Exhibition of 1862, when he decided to give up his position in a bank and depart for India to work as a professional photographer. He arrived in Calcutta early in 1863, initially setting up a partnership with William Howard. They moved up to Simla, where they established a new studio Howard & Bourne, to be joined in 1864 by Charles Shepherd, to form Howard, Bourne & Shepherd. By 1866, after the departure of Howard, it became Bourne & Shepherd, the name under which the firm continues to operate to this day. Although Bourne only spent 6 years in India, his time there was extremely productive. He undertook three major expeditions in the Himalayas, creating an impressive body of work which combined the highest technical quality and a keen artistic eye, while working under difficult physical conditions. Bourne left India for good in 1870, selling his interest in Bourne & Shepherd shortly thereafter and abandoning commercial photography.
Local Numbers:
FSA A2002.01
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
193 Items (postcards and photographs, black and white and color)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Postcards
Photographs
Place:
China -- Description and Travel
Egypt -- description and travel
Hong Kong -- Description and Travel
India -- description and travel
Japan -- Description and Travel
Kuwait
Oman
Somalia
Sri Lanka -- 1890-1920
Yemen
Date:
circa 1895-1909
Scope and Contents:
Assembled by English petty officer Russell Hamilton (d. 1911) during his voyages made prior to 1909, likely for the British Merchant Marines, documenting images of China, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and Yemen. The items date from between the late 1890's and 1909.The 183 photographic postcards are both black and white and hand-tinted with many captions in English created for Western audiences They were produced by various publishers, among whom Clifton & Co. The 10 silver prints depict people in daily activities, culture groups, street scenes, city views, architectural monuments and landscapes.
Arrangement:
The postcards are organized by geographic location.
Local Numbers:
FSA A2001.13
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Genre/Form:
Postcards
Photographs
Citation:
Russell Hamilton Postcard and Photograph Collection, FSA.A2001.13. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Mary Shepherd Slusser, 2002.
Identifier:
FSA.A2001.13
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
Photographs made by Janet Longcope during trips to countries around the world. They depict landscapes, buildings, markets, dances, agriculture, arts and crafts, ceremonies, children, cooking, musicians, and transportation. Locations depicted include Afghanistan, Australia, Bhutan, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Easter Island, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Greece, Guatemala, Hawaii, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, New Guinea, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Siberia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, and Yucatan. Longcope used many of these photographs in lectures.
Biographical/Historical note:
Janet Longcope (1886-1974) was a bookbinder and world traveler who gave informal lectures about her travels. Ater the death of her husband Dr. Warfield T. Longcope in 1953, she visited countries all over the world, returning to some, such as India, as many as nine times.
Photographs collected by Emma A. Koch documenting the people and natural and built environments in India, South Asia, and Australia. The collection largely consists of images of East Indian peoples, structures, scenery, and activities, including tea making and entertainment; areas of India most commonly depicted are Assam, Bengal, and the Andaman Islands. Additional photographs portray people, architecture, and scenery in Burma, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Tibet, and Australia. Most of the photographs were likely taken by Samuel Bourne and Charles Shepherd (Bourne & Shepherd), with some made by Scowen & Co., Shepherd & Robertson, Benjamin F. Simpson, Reynolds, and Ganey.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot 161, USNM ACC 40922
Location of Other Archival Materials:
This collection has been relocated from Photo Lot 79-38.
Photographs in the Koch Collection (accession 40922), previously filed in Photo Lot 97 and Photo Lot 8, have been relocated and merged with Photo Lot 161.
Additional photograhs by Bourne & Shepherd can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo Lot 82-44, Photo Lot 91-27, and Photo Lot 97.
Additional photographs by Shepherd & Robertson can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo Lot 8.
The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives hold additional photographs by Benjamin Simpson, Samuel Bourne, Bourne & Shepherd, Scowen & Co., and Shepherd & Robertson.
Koch also donated an album of dried flowers to the Department of Anthropology as part of accession 40922.
Photo lot 161, Emma A. Koch photograph collection relating to India, South Asia, and Australia, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
1 Albumen print (011 in x 008 in mounted on 011 in x 008 in)
Type:
Archival materials
Albumen prints
Photographs
Place:
Sri Lanka
Date:
undated
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.04467300
Local Note:
Photo 1903 or Before
Place:
Ceylon -- Ceylon Island/Sri Lanka Island
Sri Lanka -- Ceylon Island/Sri Lanka Island
Related Materials:
Relocated from Photo Lot 97, USNM ACC 40922.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Collection Citation:
Photo lot 161, Emma A. Koch photograph collection relating to India, South Asia, and Australia, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Photo lot 161, Emma A. Koch photograph collection relating to India, South Asia, and Australia, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Sri Lanka -- Ceylon Island/Sri Lanka Island/Kadngannawn
Related Materials:
Relocated from Photo Lot 97, USNM ACC 40922.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Collection Citation:
Photo lot 161, Emma A. Koch photograph collection relating to India, South Asia, and Australia, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Sri Lanka -- Ceylon Island/Sri Lanka Island/Kandy (Near)
Related Materials:
Relocated from Photo Lot 97, USNM ACC 40922.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Collection Citation:
Photo lot 161, Emma A. Koch photograph collection relating to India, South Asia, and Australia, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Photo lot 161, Emma A. Koch photograph collection relating to India, South Asia, and Australia, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Sri Lanka -- Ceylon Island/Sri Lanka Island/Kandy/Dalada Maligawa
Related Materials:
Relocated from Photo Lot 97, USNM ACC 40922.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Collection Citation:
Photo lot 161, Emma A. Koch photograph collection relating to India, South Asia, and Australia, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Photo lot 161, Emma A. Koch photograph collection relating to India, South Asia, and Australia, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Sri Lanka -- Ceylon Island/Sri Lanka Island/Wijewardene Muhamdiram
Related Materials:
Relocated from Photo Lot 97, USNM ACC 40922.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Collection Citation:
Photo lot 161, Emma A. Koch photograph collection relating to India, South Asia, and Australia, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Photo lot 161, Emma A. Koch photograph collection relating to India, South Asia, and Australia, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Photo lot 161, Emma A. Koch photograph collection relating to India, South Asia, and Australia, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
