6.2 Linear feet ((Boxes 2-6, 11, OVs 23-24, BVs 13-15))
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1905-1942
Scope and Contents note:
This series contains stock cards, inventory records, and price lists in addition to blueprints, drawings, and stencils and designs for wood carving.
Stock cards (mostly 8" x 10" pieces of mat board) describe merchandise produced or sold by Foster Brothers, including frames for pictures and mirrors, candlesticks, glove boxes, moldings, painted glass and stands. Each card contains at least one image (drawing, photograph, or printed reproduction) of the item and its stock or style number, and sometimes notes dimensions and prices. Some loose images are interfiled with the cards.
A large number of paper stencils that were used to transfer carving designs to frames survive, although many are fragile. Many stencils are annotated with the corresponding stock or style number; other designs for woodcarving are merely drawn on paper. In addition, there are extensive drawings of frames and moldings, loose and in bound volumes, including finished, colored drawings by master craftsman C. F. Richter.
One volume titled "Cost on Mirrors" (1929) analyzes the amount of time needed to carve, gild, and polish frames, the cost of materials, and prices of frames #1001-1308.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
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:
Foster Brothers records, 1875-1973 (bulk 1893-1942). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
