Search Results

Landscape architect:

Wheeler, Perry H., 1914-1989  Search this

Photographer:

Stengle, James M., Dr.  Search this

Creator:

University of Georgia  Search this

Garden Club of America  Search this

Emory University  Search this

American Society of Landscape Architects  Search this

Names:

Arlington National Cemetery (Arlington, Va.)  Search this

National Arboretum (U.S.)  Search this

Washington National Cathedral (Washington, D.C.)  Search this

Bonnet, Henri, Ambassador  Search this

Bonnet, Henri, Madam  Search this

Estes, Billie Sol  Search this

Harriman, Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward, 1920-1997  Search this

Johnson, Lady Bird, 1912-2007  Search this

Mellon, Paul  Search this

Mellon, Rachel Lambert  Search this

Mesta, Perle, 1889-1975  Search this

Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy, 1929-1994  Search this

Palmer, Bertha Honoré, 1849-1918  Search this

Truman, Margaret  Search this

Extent:

25.75 Cubic feet

3,958 Photographs

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Lists

Awards

Certificates

Invoices

Negatives

Correspondence

Clippings

Invitations

Slides (photographs)

Photographic prints

Plans (drawings)

Place:

Canada

White House (Washington, D.C.)

Africa

Europe

Caribbean

South America

West (U.S.)

Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)

Date:

1880-1984

bulk 1950-1965

Summary:

The Perry H. Wheeler Collection includes the design, client and business records of Perry H. Wheeler, a landscape architect best known for his work on numerous townhouse gardens in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., during the 1960s as well as the redesign of the White House Rose Garden in collaboration with Rachel Lambert ('Bunny') Mellon during the Kennedy administration.

Scope and Contents note:

The Perry H. Wheeler Collection includes the design, client and business records of Perry H. Wheeler, a landscape architect best known for his work on numerous townhouse gardens in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. during the 1960s as well as the redesign of the White House Rose Garen in collaboration with Rachel ('Bunny') Lambert Mellon during the Kennedy adminstration. The collection includes photographic images, plans, drawings, client correspondence, plant lists, invoices, newspaper and magazine clippings, certificates, awards, and invitations. The bulk of the collection and most of the professional papers date from about 1950 to 1965 and relate to various garden design projects by Wheeler, many of them located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Of particular note are documents for Wheeler's public design work including the White House grounds, Washington National Cathedral, U. S. National Arboretum, President John F. Kennedy's gravesite in Arlington National Cemetery, and the British and Cambodian Embassies in Washington, D.C. Noteworthy correspondents include President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, Ladybird Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, and Margaret Truman.

There are also over 3,000 35mm slides dating from the 1950s and 1960s that document Wheeler's personal travels to Europe, Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Canada, and the American West.

Biographical/Historical note:

Perry Hunt Wheeler (1913-1989), a Georgia native, began his higher education at Emory University, going on to graduate from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1937. Immediately afterward Wheeler enrolled in Harvard University from which he earned a graduate degree in Landscape Architecture in 1938. After graduation, Wheeler collaborated on garden projects in Atlanta, Georgia with fellow landscape architect Helen Hawkins Clarke. During World War II, Wheeler moved to Washington, D.C. to serve under the Office of Civilian Defense and the Office of Strategic Services Camouflage Division. Following the war, Wheeler worked at Garden House a Georgetown shop where he advised homeowners on tasteful garden design, accessories, and furnishings. By 1948 Wheeler had established a landscape architecture practice in Washington, D.C. His practice grew via word of mouth through Washington's social circles and through a shared office with landscape architect Rose Ishbel Greely, and later with architect Gertrude Sawyer.

In 1947, he formed a 'bachelor household' in Georgetown with James Snitzler. Later, at the invitation of Rachel Lambert "Bunny" Mellon, he and Snitzler created a second home outside of Washington called "Spring Hill" on property owned by Mellon. Shortly after Snitzler's death in 1968, Wheeler moved permanently to Middleburg, Virginia and continued to travel, lecture, and consult with clients. Wheeler semi-retired in 1981 to 'Budfield,' a property in Rectortown, Virginia where he passed away in 1989, leaving his estate to his partner, James M. Stengle.

Wheeler is best known for his work on private gardens in Washington's Georgetown neighborhood. He frequently employed the use of intricate brickwork, low-maintenance planting, and simple water features in creating his charming and functional designs. His most noteworthy commissions outside the private realm include collaboration with Bunny Mellon on the White House Rose Garden, designing a Garden Club of America-commissioned gazebo and its surroundings for the U.S. National Arboretum, and plantings for the National Cathedral and President John F. Kennedy's gravesite in Arlington National Cemetery.

Provenance:

Gift from the estate of James M. Stengle, 1993.

Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Presidents -- United States  Search this

Landscape architects  Search this

Presidents' spouses -- United States  Search this

Gardens -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this

Genre/Form:

Lists

Awards

Certificates

Invoices

Negatives

Correspondence

Clippings

Photographs

Invitations

Slides (photographs)

Photographic prints

Plans (drawings)

Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Perry H. Wheeler collection.

Identifier:

AAG.WHE

See more items in:

Perry H. Wheeler collection

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb62b29cd93-c01c-4a8c-ae82-fdd6e8499072

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aag-whe

Landscape architect:

Jungles, Raymond  Search this

Innocenti & Webel  Search this

Provenance:

Jupiter Island Garden Club  Search this

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Place:

Gretchen W. and James L. Johnson Jupiter Island Estate (Hobe Sound, Florida)

United States of America -- Florida -- Martin -- Hobe Sound

Scope and Contents:

The folder includes worksheets, personal narratives, and photocopies of landscape architect's plans.

General:

The Jupiter Island Estate comprises 14.68 acres, incorporating four property lots and four houses integrated by a designed landscape made to look as though it occurred naturally. This property was put together in 2002 and the gardens have evolved, with trees sometimes brought down by storms and once by an explosion on the property. Although each building has distinct features such as trellised vines for shade on the studio building and a small vegetable and herb garden outside the guest cottage, the gardens are unified by fountains or other water features and the use of indigenous plants and coquina rockwork, with shades of red for most of the flowering plants. The predominate shape for planned garden areas suggests islands, with opened vistas the only obvious straight lines. The decomposing shapes of dead trees are prized and left in place to provide habitat for wildlife. Other casts off plant materials such as husks from palm trees are laid down on paths. The busy Intracoastal Waterway runs along one side of the property so a retaining wall was built for privacy and as protection against storms. Since the coastline of this property is rocky a private beach or sand pit was installed and there is an swimming pool with a modern beach house.

The plant selection for the tropical location includes bromeliads and bougainvillea in shades of red, blue agave, pink caladiums, jasmine, ficus and a stand of live oaks near the main residence. The plantings outside the yellow house include yellow roses, canna lilies and yellow orchids in a banyan tree with touches of periwinkle blue in the plantings and blue shutters on the building. Other plants that recur throughout the property include native cactus, wild coffee plant, peanut grass, sea grape and native berries, iron wood trees and stumps and many palm varieties. There are mature banyan trees, pigeon plum, ficus and a gnarly pigeon palm. Poinsettias that were holiday gifts are planted in the ground each year. There is a border of citrus trees for fruit, and dramatic large leaf philodendron, palms and stands of bamboo for privacy around another residence building. Confederate and night blooming jasmine, gardenia and ginger add fragrance outside windows and doors.

Persons associated with the garden include Raymond Jungles, FASLA (landscape architect, beginning in 2002); Innocenti & Webel (landscape architects).

Related Materials:

Gretchen W. and James L. Johnson Jupiter Island Estate related holdings consist of 2 folders (16 digital images; 3 photographic prints)

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Gardens -- Florida -- Hobe Sound  Search this

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, File FL254

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Florida

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6da36de4e-31cb-4fbe-a163-c90e6aed5e96

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref11961

Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Names:

New York Flower Show  Search this

Extent:

37000 Slides (photographs) (35mm slides)

33 Linear feet ((garden files))

3,000 Lantern slides

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Lantern slides

Plans (drawings)

Brochures

Articles

Correspondence

Clippings

Date:

circa 1920-present

Summary:

This collection contains over 37,000 35mm slides, 3,000 glass lantern slides and garden files that may include descriptive information, photocopied articles (from journals, newspapers, or books), planting lists, correspondence, brochures, landscape plans and drawings. Garden files were compiled by Garden Club of America (GCA) members for most of the gardens included in the collection. Some gardens have been photographed over the course of several decades; others only have images from a single point in time. In addition to images of American gardens, there are glass lantern slides of the New York Flower Show (1941-1951) and trips that GCA members took to other countries, including Mexico (1937), Italy, Spain, Japan (1935), France (1936), England (1929), and Scotland.

A number of the slides are copies of historic images from outside repositories including horticultural and historical societies or from horticultural books and publications. The GCA made a concerted effort in the mid-1980s to acquire these images in order to increase its documentation of American garden history. Because of copyright considerations, use of these particular images may be restricted.

Biographical/Historical note:

The Garden Club of America was established in 1913 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when the Garden Club of Philadelphia and eleven other garden clubs met to create a national garden club. Its purpose is to foster the knowledge and love of gardening and to restore and protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and gardening and conservation efforts. The GCA was incorporated in Delaware in 1923, with its headquarters established in New York City. Today, local clubs are organized under twelve regional zones. The GCA continues its tradition of hosting flower shows and publishing material related to gardening in the United States.

The GCA's glass lantern slides were used by The GCA for presentations and lectures about notable gardens throughout the United States dating back to colonial times. An effort was made in the late 1980s, in preparation of the 75th anniversary of the Garden Club of America's founding, to collect the disbursed slides. These slides were to eventually form the Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens. The informational value of this collection is extensive since a number of images of the more than 4,500 gardens represented show garden designs that have changed over time or no longer exist. While the majority of images document a range of designed upper and upper-middle class gardens throughout the U.S., the scope of the collection is expanding as volunteers photograph and document contemporary gardens including community and vernacular gardens.

The gardens illustrate the design work of dozens of landscape architects including Marian Coffin, Beatrix Farrand, Lawrence Halprin, Hare & Hare, Umberto Innocenti, Gertrude Jekyll, Jens Jensen, Warren Manning, the Olmsted Brothers, Charles Platt, Ellen Biddle Shipman, and Fletcher Steele. Because of their proximity to the gardens, works of notable architects and sculptors may also be featured in the images.

Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Gardens -- France  Search this

Gardens -- Italy  Search this

Gardens -- Japan  Search this

Gardens -- Mexico  Search this

Flower shows  Search this

Gardening -- United States -- societies, etc  Search this

Gardens -- England  Search this

Landscape architecture  Search this

Gardens -- United States  Search this

Gardens -- Spain  Search this

Gardens -- Scotland  Search this

Genre/Form:

Plans (drawings)

Brochures

Articles

Correspondence

Clippings

Lantern slides

Slides (photographs)

Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb617385372-1028-4cb7-b07d-04fea2e51c47

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aag-gca

Lantern slide maker:

Van Altena, Edward  Search this

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Extent:

1 Lantern slide (col., 3.25 x 4 in.)

Type:

Archival materials

Lantern slides

Place:

Packwood House (Lapworth, Warwickshire, England)

United Kingdom -- England -- Warwickshire -- Lapworth

Date:

[between 1925 and 1930]

General:

Packwood House was visited during the Garden Club of America's June 1929 tour to England. A complete copy of the GCA tour itinerary was printed in the Bulletin of the Garden Club of America (Fourth Series, No. 5), September 1929, pp. 6-25.

Mount reads: "Edward Van Altena, 71-79 W. 45th St., N.Y.C."

Historic plate number: "97."

Historic plate caption: "English."

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Summer  Search this

Garden structures  Search this

Walkways, gravel  Search this

Garden borders  Search this

Gazebos  Search this

Gardens -- England -- Warwickshire -- Lapworth  Search this

Genre/Form:

Lantern slides

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, Item ENG032006

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 2: International Garden Images / United Kingdom -- England / ENG032: Lapworth -- Packwood House

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb618fac87f-95b6-4d47-817a-587edea46ebb

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref4580

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Extent:

1 Photograph (lantern slide, hand-colored)

Type:

Archival materials

Photographs

Lantern slides

Place:

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte (Melun, France)

France -- Ile-de-France -- Seine-et-Marne Department -- Melun

Date:

1936 Jun.

General:

Historic plate number: "24."

Historic plate caption: "French Gardens."

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Sculpture  Search this

Gardens -- France -- Melun  Search this

Hedges  Search this

Walkways  Search this

Genre/Form:

Lantern slides

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, Item FR012018

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 2: International Garden Images / France / FR012: Maincy (near Melun) -- Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6b9cc78cf-921f-4add-9fbd-09ddb60b55f6

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref4846

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Extent:

1 Photograph (lantern slide, hand-colored)

Type:

Archival materials

Photographs

Lantern slides

Place:

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte (Melun, France)

France -- Ile-de-France -- Seine-et-Marne Department -- Melun

Date:

1936 Jun.

General:

Historic plate number: "25."

Historic plate caption: "French Gardens."

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Canals  Search this

Stairs  Search this

Sculpture  Search this

Topiary work  Search this

Urns  Search this

Boats  Search this

People  Search this

Gardens -- France -- Melun  Search this

Terraces  Search this

Genre/Form:

Lantern slides

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, Item FR012019

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 2: International Garden Images / France / FR012: Maincy (near Melun) -- Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6223ca2b7-5d01-44e9-96bc-09d577f74b58

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref4847

Lantern slide maker:

Van Altena, Edward  Search this

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Extent:

1 Lantern slide (col., 3.25 x 4 in.)

Type:

Archival materials

Lantern slides

Place:

Seagry House (Chippenham, Wiltshire, England)

United Kingdom -- England -- Wiltshire -- Chippenham

Date:

[between 1925 and 1935]

General:

Mount reads: "Edward Van Altena, 71-79 W. 45th St., N.Y.C."

Historic plate number: "104."

Historic plate caption: "English."

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Summer  Search this

Ponds  Search this

Columns  Search this

Sculpture  Search this

Hedges  Search this

Gardens -- England -- Wiltshire -- Chippenham  Search this

Mansions  Search this

Genre/Form:

Lantern slides

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, Item ENG013004

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 2: International Garden Images / United Kingdom -- England / ENG013: Chippenham -- Seagry House

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6b6c23089-b8f7-41f7-8def-f3ce14a5dcef

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref4532

Creator:

Adams, Molly, 1918-2003  Search this

Landscape architect:

Ireys, Alice Recknagel, 1911-2000  Search this

Stege, Friede, 1896-1990  Search this

Weber, Nelva M.  Search this

Extent:

Photographic prints (color, 4 x 6 inches)

Photographic prints (black and white, 3 1/2 x 5 inches)

Photographic prints (black and white, 8 x 10 inches)

Contact sheets (black and white)

35mm slides (photographs) (color, 2 x 2 inches)

Negatives, 35mm negatives (color)

Negatives (black & white, 4 x 5 inches)

Negatives, 120mm negatives (black and white, 2 x 2 inches)

Film transparency (color, 4 x 5 inches)

Transparencies, 120mm transparencies (color, 2 x 2 inches)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Film transparencies

Color negatives

Black-and-white photographs

Photographs

Color photographs

Negatives

Slides (photographs)

Contact sheets

Black-and-white negatives

Date:

circa 1960-1994

Summary:

The Maida Babson Adams American Garden Collection documents the work of Molly Adams, a free-lance garden photographer who photographed hundreds of private and public gardens, many of them in the mid-Atlantic region, from the late 1950s through the mid-1990s. It includes slides, photographic prints, negatives and transparencies. A significant number of images document the work of landscape designers Nelva M. Weber, Alice Recknagel Ireys, and Friede Stege. Roughly 50 gardens do not have an identified location. Some images have captions and other information written on them.

Scope and Contents:

The Maida Babson Adams American Gardens Collection includes a total of 7,606 images documenting close to 400 gardens photographed by Molly Adams from the 1950s to the 1990s. Although most images document gardens in New Jersey, the collection also includes gardens in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania. While the vast majority of gardens in the collection are private, there are also some public gardens and venues like the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in New Jersey, the International Flower Show in New York City, and the White House in Washington, D.C. A number of gardens were photographed during organized garden or horticultural tours or annual meetings of the Garden Club of America. A significant number of images document the work of landscape designers Alice Ireys, Nelva Weber, and Friede Stege. Approximately 85 gardens in the collection are unidentified as to their location and/or client. Relatively few images are captioned or dated; Adams often labeled a film envelope or back of a photograph or contact sheet with just a client surname and the designer (if it was Ireys, Weber, or Stege). In some cases, additional information about a garden's location or owner's full name was gleaned from the finding aids for the Alice Recknagel Ireys Papers or the Nelva Weber Papers. Some images were accompanied by clippings from newspapers or magazines that featured one or more related images by Adams; most of these clippings date from the 1950s and 1960s. There is also a file of general clippings of Adams' work; many of these do not identify the garden that is shown.

Most of the images are black and white, though there are a number taken in color. Adams' contact sheets and photo envelopes were sometimes marked with cropping marks or photo developing notes respectively.

Biographical / Historical:

Molly (Maida Babson) Adams (1918 - 2003) had a 40+ year career as a nationally recognized free-lance garden and wildlife photographer and conservationist. Her images were published under the name "Molly Adams." Adams was born in Orange, New Jersey and lived over fifty years in Mendham Township, New Jersey. As a teenager she became interested in photography; she later attended the New York Institute of Photography and became a member of the New York Camera Club.

Her photographs were featured in numerous newspapers and magazines including the "New York Times," "New York Herald Tribune," "House Beautiful," "Horticulture," "Home Garden," and "Audubon." During the Kennedy administration, she photographed the White House Rose Garden; these photographs were later published in "Flower Grower."

Adams provided hundreds of photographs for "How to Plan and Plant Your Own Property" (1967) by landscape architect Alice Recknagel Ireys and "How to Plan Your Own Home Landscape" (1976) by landscape designer Nelva M. Weber. Her images were also published in books including "The Reader's Digest Practical Guide to Home Landscaping," and "The Complete Illustrated Book of Garden Magic." Adams also occasionally wrote garden-themed articles. A longtime member in the Somerset Hills (NJ) Garden Club, which is part of the Garden Club of America, Adams once served as the latter's official photographer.

In the 1960's Adams' photographs drew attention to conservation issues related to the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern New Jersey. These widely publicized photographs rallied public support against the proposed destruction of the Great Swamp for the construction of an airport. Adams was also active as a member of the Mendham Township Environmental Commission and the North Jersey Conservation Foundation. In the 1980's she was awarded the Buckley Medal of Merit for Horticultural Achievement by the Garden Club of America for her photographs used in the postcard campaign "Save Our Vanishing Wild Flowers."

Related Archival Materials Note:

The Alice Recknagel Ireys Papers in the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, include photographs by Molly Adams.

The Nelva Weber Papers in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections at Cornell University Library in Ithaca, New York, likely include photographs by Molly Adams.

Separated Materials:

The North Jersey History & Genealogy Center at The Morristown & Morris Township Library in New Jersey has a collection of images by Molly Adams showcasing nature scenes and birds.

Provenance:

Adams' family donated her collection of garden images to the Smithsonian's Archives of American Gardens after her death in 2003.

Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Gardens -- Pennsylvania  Search this

Gardens -- United States  Search this

Gardens -- Connecticut  Search this

Gardens -- Massachusetts  Search this

Gardens -- New Jersey  Search this

Gardens -- New York (State)  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographic prints

Film transparencies

Color negatives

Black-and-white photographs

Photographs

Color photographs

Negatives

Slides (photographs)

Contact sheets

Black-and-white negatives

Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Maida Babson Adams American garden collection.

Identifier:

AAG.ADM

See more items in:

Maida Babson Adams American garden collection.

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb64551e192-9900-4d6c-9a87-0322776b8d93

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aag-adm

Photographer:

Adams, Molly, 1918-2003  Search this

Collection Creator:

Adams, Molly, 1918-2003  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (black-and-white, 8 x 10 in.)

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Place:

Straus House (Pound Ridge, New York)

United States of America -- New York -- Westchester County -- Pound Ridge

Date:

[between 1960 and 1994]

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Gardening in the shade  Search this

Walkways, concrete  Search this

Ground cover plants  Search this

Stones  Search this

Gardens -- New York -- Pound Ridge  Search this

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Maida Babson Adams American garden collection.

Identifier:

AAG.ADM, Item NY1228005

See more items in:

Maida Babson Adams American garden collection.

Maida Babson Adams American garden collection. / Series 1: Garden Images / New York / NY1228: Pound Ridge -- Straus House

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6c94c09ea-d3aa-4644-a16b-952c309f19e5

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-adm-ref652

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Extent:

1 Photograph (lantern slide, hand-colored)

Type:

Archival materials

Photographs

Lantern slides

Place:

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte (Melun, France)

France -- Ile-de-France -- Seine-et-Marne Department -- Melun

Date:

1936 Jun.

General:

Historic plate number: "23."

Historic plate caption: "French Gardens."

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Sculpture  Search this

Parterres  Search this

Fountains  Search this

Walkways  Search this

Ponds  Search this

Urns  Search this

Gardens -- France -- Melun  Search this

Genre/Form:

Lantern slides

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, Item FR012017

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 2: International Garden Images / France / FR012: Maincy (near Melun) -- Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6ce773237-6c9b-41b2-949b-17ba08187a8d

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref4845

Photographer:

Pratt, Adelaide Moors, d. 2004  Search this

Extent:

.18 Cubic feet (343 slides, 35mm color)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1950-1965

Content Description:

The Adelaide Pratt garden photography slide series within The Garden Club of America Collection consists of 35mm slides of various gardens photographed by Pratt, a member of the Chestnut Hill Garden Club in Massachusetts.

Biographical / Historical:

Adelaide Moors Pratt (d. 2004) was a photographer and member of the Cohasset Garden Club and Chestnut Hill Garden Club, both in Massachusetts. In 1991 she received a Zone Historic Preservation Award from The Garden Club of America and a Club Historic Preservation Award from the Chestnut Hill Garden Club.

Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Gardens -- California  Search this

Gardens -- New Jersey  Search this

Gardens -- Vermont  Search this

Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection, Adelaide Pratt garden photography slides

Identifier:

AAG.GCA.PRT

See more items in:

Adelaide Pratt garden photography slides

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb686c55cda-e424-424d-ba87-54e798a0be23

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aag-gca-prt

Former owner:

Leadbetter, Frederick  Search this

Series Photographer:

Pratt, Adelaide Moors, d. 2004  Search this

Extent:

1 Slides (photographs)

Container:

Box 1

Type:

Archival materials

Slides

Slides (photographs)

Place:

United States of America -- California -- Santa Barbara County -- Montecito

Las Tejas (Santa Barbara, California)

Date:

1952

General:

The original slide is inscribed "1952/Cal[ifornia]/Mrs. Oakleigh Thorne/Santa Barbara." However, the image may have been misidenitified. A published source indicates this could be Gaywood, another garden owned by Mrs. Oakleigh Thorne in Montecito. See also Santa Barbara -- Leadbetter Garden, 1952 (CA587).

Series Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Series Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Gardens -- California -- Montecito  Search this

Series Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection, Adelaide Pratt garden photography slides

Identifier:

AAG.GCA.PRT, File CA063

See more items in:

Adelaide Pratt garden photography slides

Adelaide Pratt garden photography slides / Gardens / California

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb68e082e1c-b98c-4382-994b-f96d9565dd31

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-prt-ref11

Creator:

Sears, Thomas Warren, 1880-1966  Search this

Sears & Wendell  Search this

Olmsted Brothers  Search this

Harvard University  Search this

American Society of Landscape Architects  Search this

Donor:

Tibbetts, Eleanor Sears  Search this

Extent:

44.5 Cubic feet (4,317 glass negatives. 363 film negatives. 182 glass lantern slides. 12 photograph albums. 56 plans and drawings. 3 monographs. )

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Negatives

Blueprints

Albums

Plans (drawings)

Lantern slides

Date:

1899-1964

Summary:

The Thomas Warren Sears Photograph Collection documents examples of the design work of Thomas Warren Sears (1880-1966), a landscape architect and amateur photographer from Brookline, Massachusetts. Sears, who was based for most of his career in Philadelphia, designed a variety of different types of landscapes ranging from private residences, schools, and playgrounds to parks, cemeteries, and urban housing developments located primarily in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York. In addition to some of Sears' design work, images in the collection document Sears' domestic and foreign travels, design inspirations, and family. The collection includes over 4,800 black and white negatives and glass lantern slides dated circa 1899 to 1930. While most images show private and public gardens, there are a significant number of unidentified views and views photographed in Europe during two trips he took there in 1906 and 1908. Few images are captioned or dated. In addition, there are over 50 plans and drawings, most notably for Balmuckety in Pikesville, Maryland and Reynolda in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and 3 monographs by or about Sears.

Scope and Contents note:

The Thomas Warren Sears Photograph Collection documents examples of the design work of Thomas Warren Sears (1880-1966), a landscape architect and amateur photographer from Brookline, Massachusetts. Sears, who was based for most of his career in Philadelphia, designed a variety of different types of landscapes ranging from private residences, schools, and playgrounds to parks, cemeteries, and urban housing developments located primarily in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York. In addition to some of Sears' design work, images in the collection document Sears' domestic and foreign travels, design inspirations, and family. The collection includes over 4,800 black and white negatives and glass lantern slides dated circa 1899 to 1930. While most images show private and public gardens, there are a significant number of unidentified views and views photographed in Europe during two trips he took there in 1906 and 1908. Few images are captioned or dated. In addition, there are over 50 plans and drawings, most notably for Balmuckety in Pikesville, Maryland and Reynolda in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and monographs by or about Sears. Several of the glass lantern slides are duplicates of glass plate negatives in the collection. They apparently were chosen by Sears to illustrate some of his best design work, perhaps for lecture or client purposes.

In addition, there are 56 plans and drawings, most notably for Balmuckety in Pikesville, Maryland and Reynolda in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They range in date from 1917 to 1937 and from 1955 to 1964. Sears photographed some of his early plans; they are included in with the photographic images. Sears also photographed a handful of design plans by landscape architect Sibley Coslett Smith who practiced in Providence, Rhode Island; Sears and Smith shared the same business address there.

The Thomas Warren Sears Collection does not fully document the extent of Sears' design work. The use of glass plate negatives—which make up the bulk of the Thomas Warren Sears Collection—as a photography medium waned sometime during the first quarter of the twentieth century. As a result, the images in the Sears Collection capture examples of Sears' early to mid-career design work but they do not include jobs designed by Sears during the latter half of his design career.

Arrangement note:

The glass plate negatives were originally housed in numerous cardboard boxes manufactured for the sale of undeveloped glass plate negatives. Sears annotated the outside of the boxes with project or client names and/or locations, but the contents do not always match these labels. In addition, because very few of the glass plate negatives and lantern slides were labeled or captioned, it is not always evident where one job ended and another began if multiple projects were stored in the same carton. As a result, there are many instances in the Sears Collection where images have been inadvertently mislabeled because their identification is not apparent. Misidentified images are subject to correction as their proper identification is discovered. Each project has been assigned its own unique AAG job number based on its geographic origin. Those groups of images that have not been identified as to their location have been assigned a project number starting with 'SRS.' The collection is arranged into 3 series: 1) Photographic images (including glass plate negatives, film negatives, glass lantern slides, and photograph albums) 2) Plans and Drawings 3) Monographs

Biographical/Historical note:

Thomas Warren Sears was born in 1880 in Brookline, Massachusetts. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University in 1903 and Bachelor of Science degree in landscape architecture from the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard in 1906. Sears was an amateur photographer who won awards for his photography while at Harvard. In 1915 his images were published in the monograph, Parish Churches of England. After graduation he worked for the firm of Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects for two years and then briefly practiced in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1913, Sears established a landscape design office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he spent the remainder of his professional career. Sears at one point was in a professional partnership; some of his design plans list the firm name of Sears and Wendell. He was made a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1921.

Sears designed many different types of landscapes ranging from private residences, schools, and playgrounds to parks, cemeteries, and urban housing developments. His designs were primarily located in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York. Just a few of his private landscapes include Marengo in Easton, Maryland; Sunnybrook, the Isaac H. Clothier, Jr. estate in Radnor, Pennsylvania; and Balmuckety in Pikesville, Maryland. In 1915, Sears started work on Reynolda, a country estate in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He generated design plans for the property intermittently over the next two decades. Reynolda's formal gardens, greenhouses, and acres of fields and woodlands subsequently became part of Wake Forest University.

During World War I, Sears designed Army camps in Battle Creek, Michigan and Spartanburg, South Carolina. He also helped lay out Langley Field, at that time an experimental aviation field in Hampton Roads, Virginia. In the 1940s, Sears designed the amphitheater at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania for concerts, outdoor performances, and other special events. During that decade he also worked on Colonial Revival gardens at Pennsbury, William Penn's country estate in Bucks County, Pennsylvania located by the Delaware River. Sears retired in 1964 and died in 1966.

Related Archival Materials note:

The Philadelphia Architects and Buildings Project (PAB), administered by The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, includes references to design projects by Sears.

Harvard University's Loeb Library includes a number of images by Sears, some of them documenting gardens that he designed.

Harvard University's Fine Arts Library, Special Collections includes a collection of photographs and negatives of English parish churches by Sears, c. 1908. Some of the images were published in the monograph, Parish Churches of England.

The Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, North Carolina includes plans by Sears of Reynolda in its Estate Archives.

Provenance:

Gift of Eleanor Sears Tibbetts, Sears' daughter, to the Horticulture Services Division (later Smithsonian Gardens) in 1992.

Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Photographers  Search this

Landscape architects  Search this

Gardens -- United States  Search this

Gardens -- Switzerland  Search this

Gardens -- Scotland  Search this

Gardens -- Italy  Search this

Gardens -- Germany  Search this

Gardens -- France  Search this

Gardens -- England  Search this

Genre/Form:

Negatives

Blueprints

Albums

Plans (drawings)

Lantern slides

Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection.

Identifier:

AAG.SRS

See more items in:

Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb68e184341-59d2-4612-8886-4cc747c92bfe

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aag-srs

Lantern slide maker:

Collyer, Frank L.  Search this

Collection Creator:

Sears, Thomas Warren, 1880-1966  Search this

Sears & Wendell  Search this

Olmsted Brothers  Search this

Harvard University  Search this

American Society of Landscape Architects  Search this

Extent:

1 Lantern slide (black-and-white, 3.25 x 4 in.)

Type:

Archival materials

Lantern slides

Place:

Villa Lante (Bagnaia, Italy)

Date:

[between 1900 and 1930]

General:

The lantern slide was made by Frank L. Collyer, 22 1/2 Crescent St., Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Summer  Search this

Water jets  Search this

Ponds  Search this

Topiary work  Search this

Urns  Search this

Balustrades  Search this

Parterres  Search this

Hedges  Search this

Treillage  Search this

Sculpture  Search this

Finials  Search this

Gardens -- Italy -- Bagnaia  Search this

Genre/Form:

Lantern slides

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection.

Identifier:

AAG.SRS, Item IT020005

See more items in:

Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection

Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection / Series 1: Photographic Images / International / Italy / IT020: Bagnaia -- Villa Lante

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb652125634-7fb3-4d91-96d1-f7eecc69c12e

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-srs-ref2787

Lantern slide maker:

Collyer, Frank L.  Search this

Collection Creator:

Sears, Thomas Warren, 1880-1966  Search this

Sears & Wendell  Search this

Olmsted Brothers  Search this

Harvard University  Search this

American Society of Landscape Architects  Search this

Extent:

1 Lantern slide (black-and-white, 3.25 x 4 in.)

Type:

Archival materials

Lantern slides

Place:

Villa Lante (Bagnaia, Italy)

Date:

[between 1900 and 1930]

General:

The lantern slide was made by Frank L. Collyer, 22 1/2 Crescent St., Cambridge, Massachusetts. An identical image appears in Rose Standish Nichols, Italian Pleasure Gardens (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1931).

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Summer  Search this

Fountains  Search this

Water jets  Search this

Ponds  Search this

Topiary work  Search this

Urns  Search this

Balustrades  Search this

Parterres  Search this

Hedges  Search this

Treillage  Search this

Sculpture  Search this

Gardens -- Italy -- Bagnaia  Search this

Genre/Form:

Lantern slides

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection.

Identifier:

AAG.SRS, Item IT020004

See more items in:

Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection

Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection / Series 1: Photographic Images / International / Italy / IT020: Bagnaia -- Villa Lante

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb65ed18c3a-ad24-4ca6-a6a0-285b7d207605

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-srs-ref2786

Donor:

Bethlehem Steel Corporation  Search this

Manufacturer:

Consolidation Coal Company  Search this

Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company  Search this

Extent:

23 Cubic feet (99 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Photograph albums

Window displays

Date:

1885-1940s

Summary:

The collection documents the building, operation and daily life of coal mining communities in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio between 1911 and 1946. The collection is a valuable for the study of mining technology and the social conditions of the time period and regions.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists mostly of photographs depicting Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company mines and mining towns in Maryland, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Subjects include worker housing, schools for miners' children, gardens, churches, recreational facilities, health services, company stores, safety, mining machinery, construction of mines and related structures, and the interiors of mines.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into two series.

Series 1: Background Materials, 1904-1933

Series 2: Photographs, 1885-1940s

Subseries 2.1: Photograph Albums, 1885-1932

Subseries 2.2: West Virginia Division, 19091-1917

Subseries 2.3: Glass Plate and Film Negatives, 1911-1940s

Subseries 2.4: Numbered Photographs, 1911-1930

Subseries 2.5: Miscellaneous, 1913, 1916

Historical Note:

The Consolidation Coal Company was started in 1864 to mine bituminous coal deposits in Maryland's Cumberland region. it expanded by acquiring other mine companies as well as rail and other transportation companies. It went into receivership in 1932. The Pittsburgh Coal Company, founded in 1900, took over the firm in 1945 and formed the Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company.

The Consolidation Coal Company (Maryland)

The Consolidation Coal Company was incorporated in Maryland on March 8, 1860, for the purpose of effecting a merger of a number of coal operators mining the Georges Creek basin in Allegany County, Maryland. Because of the Civil War, during which Confederate armies frequently blocked the region's only outlet to market, the company was not actually organized until April 19, 1864. Starting life as the dominant operator in this small but significant coal field, "Consol" rose to become the nation's top producer of bituminous coal.

The Georges Creek or Cumberland Coal Field, occupying part of the triangle of western Maryland, contained a high-quality, low-volatile bituminous steam coal which was also, thanks to the Potomac River, the coal of this type most accessible to Eastern markets. Coal had been mined in the region beginning in the 1700s, and the first coal company, the Maryland Mining Company, had been incorporated in 1828. However, large-scale development could not occur until the mid-1840s, after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Cumberland and provided reliable transportation. This also coincided with the development of ocean steam navigation and a rapid growth in the number of railroad locomotives and stationary steam engines. Cumberland coal was ideal for ship bunkering, and much of the output was shipped to New York Harbor. Naturally, New York capitalists and manufacturers played a leading role in developing the field. Lewis Howell's Maryland and New York Iron and Coal Company rolled the first solid U.S. railroad rail at its Mount Savage mill in 1844. The Consolidation Coal merger was put together by New Yorkers such as William H. Aspinwall, Erastus Corning, the Delanos and Roosevelts, and the Boston financier John Murray Forbes, who already had substantial investments in the region.

Upon its formation, the Consolidation Coal Company acquired the properties of the Ocean Steam Coal Company, the Frostburg Coal Company, and the Mount Savage Iron Company totaling about 11,000 acres. The last named company brought with it control of the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad, which connected the mines to the Baltimore & Ohio and later the Pennsylvania and Western Maryland railroads. In 1870, Consol absorbed the Cumberland Coal and Iron Company of 1840, the next largest operator in the field, and gained an additional 7,000 acres. Further purchases from the Delano interests gave it over 80 percent of the entire Cumberland Field.

Soon after its hated rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad, gained access to the Cumberland Coal Field, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad began purchasing large blocks of Consolidation Coal stock to protect its traffic base in 1875, eventually gaining a 52 percent interest. A B&O slate of directors was elected in February 1877, with Charles F. Mayer of Baltimore as president, and the company offices were moved from New York to Baltimore.

Until the turn of the century, Consolidation Coal's mining operations were confined to the small soft coal region of western Maryland. The company purchased the 12,000 acre Millholland coal tract near Morgantown, W.Va. in 1902 and acquired controlling interests in the Fairmont Coal Company of West Virginia and the Somerset Coal Company of Pennsylvania the following year. These acquisitions boosted Consolidation's annual production more than six-fold in only three years. The company purchased the 25,000 acre Stony Creek tract in Somerset County, Pa., in 1904. The Fairmont Coal Company purchase included a joint interest in the North Western Fuel Company, which owned and operated docks and coal distribution facilities in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

In 1906, the Interstate Commerce Commission held a formal investigation of rail ownership of coal companies, which resulted in the passage of the Hepburn Act and its "Commodities Clause," which prohibited railroads from dealing in the commodities they hauled. In anticipation of the new regulations, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad sold its entire holdings of Consolidation stock to a Baltimore syndicate headed by Consol president Clarence W. Watson, J. H. Wheelwright and H. Crawford on April 26, 1906. At the time of the B&O's divestiture, the aggregate annual output of Consolidation's mines totaled more than 10 million tons and the company controlled more than 200,000 acres. The John D. Rockefeller interests began purchasing Consol securities in 1915, eventually securing a controlling interest. The company's offices were returned to New York City in May 1921.

After the B&O divestiture, Consol began expanding into the Southern Appalachian coal fields, which were just being opened by railroads on a large scale. The mines in this region yielded a low volatile coal that provided an ideal fuel source for stationary steam engines, ships, and locomotives. Of equal importance, operators in the remote mountains had been able to resist unionization and thus achieve lower operating costs, while all of Consol's previous holdings had been in the so-called "Central Competitive Field" to the north, which had been unionized in the 1890s. Consolidation Coal purchased 30,000 acres in the Millers Creek Field of Eastern Kentucky in 1909 and 100,000 acres in the Elkhorn Field the next year. In February 1922, Consol secured a long term lease and option on the Carter Coal Company, whose 37,000 acres straddled the borders of Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky. In 1925, Consol became the nation's largest producer of bituminous coal, excluding the captive mines of the steel companies.

During the Great Depression, Consolidation Coal experienced serious financial difficulties and was forced into receivership on June 2, 1932. The Rockefellers liquidated their holdings at a loss, and the Carter Coal Company was returned to the Carter heirs in 1933. Consol was reorganized and reincorporated in Delaware as the Consolidation Coal Company, Inc. on November 1, 1935, and was able to retain its position as one of the nation's top coal producers. Eventually, stock control passed into the hands of the M.A. Hanna Company group of Cleveland, dealers in coal and iron ore. Although production reached record levels during the Second World War, management feared a recurrence of the collapse that had followed World War I. It also faced the prospect of increased competition from oil and natural gas and the loss of traditional markets such as home heating and locomotive fuel. As a result Consol opened negotiations with another large producer, the Pittsburgh Coal Company, which was the dominant operator in the Pittsburgh District.

The Pittsburgh Coal Company

The Pittsburgh Coal Company was a product of the great industrial merger movement of the late 1890s. In 1899, two large mergers were effected in the Pittsburgh District.

The Monongahela River Consolidated Coal and Coke Company was incorporated in Pennsylvania on October 1, 1899 to merge the properties of over 90 small firms operating mines along the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh. Some of these operations dated to the early 1800s, and all of them shipped coal down the Ohio-Mississippi River system by barge from close to the mine mouth, or later by the railroads built along the river banks. The combination controlled 40,000 acres of coal land, 100 steam towboats, 4,000 barges, and facilities for handling coal at Cincinnati, Louisville, Vicksburg, Memphis, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

The Pittsburgh Coal Company was incorporated in New Jersey as a holding company on September 1, 1899 and acquired the properties of over 80 operators located in the areas back from the river on both sides of the Monongahela south of Pittsburgh. The combination was engineered by some of the most prominent Pittsburgh industrialists, including Andrew W. Mellon, Henry W. Oliver, and Henry Clay Frick. It controlled over 80,000 acres and six collector railroads, the longest of which was the Montour Railroad. Most of its output was shipped by rail, with a large share being transferred to ships on the Great Lakes for distribution throughout the industrial Midwest. The company owned coal docks and yards at Chicago, Cleveland, Duluth, West Superior, Sault Ste. Marie, Ashtabula, Fairport and Thornburg. Subsequently, the company expanded in southwestern Pennsylvania and the Hocking Valley of Ohio through the lease of the Shaw Coal Company in 1901 and the purchase of the Midland Coal Company in 1903. Most of the properties were vested in a separate Pittsburgh Coal Company, an operating company incorporated in Pennsylvania.

Unlike the Consolidation Coal Company, which had grown by gradual accretion, the Pittsburgh Coal Company had been created in a single stroke. As with many mergers of the period, its capitalization probably contained a high percentage of "water" in anticipation of profits from future growth. Unfortunately, the years after the merger saw explosive growth in the coal fields of Southern Appalachia instead. Although farther from major consuming centers, they enjoyed several advantages. The coal itself was superior, low-volatile with higher BTU content and altogether cleaner than the high-volatile coals of Ohio and the Pittsburgh District. As already noted, the southern mines were also non-union. With the inroads of Southern Appalachian coal, the Pittsburgh Coal Company continuously lost ground in the crucial Lake and western markets from 1900 to 1915. The company's capitalization proved unwieldy in the unsettled economic conditions following the Panic of 1907. A reorganization plan was devised under which a new Pittsburgh Coal Company was incorporated in Pennsylvania on January 12, 1916 by merging the old Pittsburgh Coal Company of Pennsylvania and the Monongahela River Consolidated Coal and Coke Company. The old holding company was then liquidated and the stock of the new operating company distributed to its stockholders. Dissension between the common and preferred stockholders delayed consummation of the plan until July 16, 1917.

The Pittsburgh Coal Company, which had all its operations in the Central Competitive Field, had a much more difficult time than Consolidation in breaking the 1923 Jacksonville Agreement with the United Mine Workers in 1925-1927 and reverting to non-union status. The three-year struggle ended the company's ability to pay dividends. Pittsburgh Coal survived the Depression without receivership but with ever-increasing arrearages on its preferred stock. By the end of World War II, its managers were just as eager as those at Consol to attempt greater economies through merger. The Pittsburgh Coal Company and the Consolidation Coal Company merged on November 23, 1945, with exchange ratios of 65 to 35 percent. Pittsburgh Coal Company, the surviving partner, changed its name to the Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company.

The Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company

After the merger, the M.A. Hanna Company interests of Cleveland became the dominant factor in Pitt-Consol's affairs. Hanna had transferred its pre-merger Consol stock to its subsidiary Bessemer Coal & Coke Corporation in 1943. This led to a restructuring whereby Pitt-Consol acquired Hanna's share of the North Western-Hanna Fuel Company in April 1946 and the Hanna coal properties in eastern Ohio on June 16, 1946 These included large reserves of strippable coal that accounted for about 20 percent of the state's production. Pitt-Consol later acquired Hanna's holdings of coal land in Harrison, Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio, on December 30, 1949. It purchased the New York Central Railroad's 51 percent interest in the Jefferson Coal Company, giving it full control, in 1952 and merged it into the Hanna Coal Company Division.

Pitt-Consol sold its last major railroads, the Montour Railroad and the Youngstown & Southern Railway to the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad on December 31, 1946. The Northwestern Coal Railway had been sold to the Great Northern system, and the Cumberland & Pennsylvania Railroad had been sold to the Western Maryland Railway in May 1944.

In addition, a new Research and Development Division was created to fund projects aimed at developing more efficient production methods, new outlets for coal consumption, coal-based synthetic fuels and chemical byproducts. A new coal gasification plant opened at Library, Pa., in November 1948, and the company began the manufacture of a smokeless fuel briquette under the trademark "Disco" at Imperial, Pa., in 1949. An experimental coal slurry pipeline was built in Ohio in 1952.

During the 1950s and early 1960s, Pitt-Consol made many changes in its coal holdings, selling high-cost or less desirable properties, diversifying its reserves across many different coal fields, rationalizing property lines to permit large mechanized underground or strip mines and forming joint ventures with steel companies to secure guaranteed customers. Pitt-Consol acquired the Jamison Coal and Coke Company in 1954 and the Pocahontas Fuel Company, Incorporated, a large producer of low-volatile Southern Appalachian coal, in 1956. In the latter year, it sold its Elkhorn Field properties to the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. As Pittsburgh District operations became less central, the corporate name was changed back to Consolidation Coal Company in April 1958.

The Consolidation Coal Company, CONOCO and CONSOL Energy, Inc.:

Consol continued to expand into the early 1960s. On April 30, 1962, it absorbed the Truax-Traer Coal Company of Illinois. Truax-Traer also mined lignite in North Dakota, a low-grade but low-sulfur coal that was taking a greater share of the power generation market as environmental laws placed greater restrictions on high-sulfur coal from the Central Competitive Field. The following year Consol acquired the Crozer Coal and Land Company and the Page Coal and Coke Company, owners of additional reserves of low-volatile, low-sulfur steam coal in southern West Virginia.

In 1966, just two years after the company marked its centennial, Consolidation Coal was acquired by the Continental Oil Company (Conoco). This was part of a general trend whereby U.S. oil companies extended their reach by acquiring coal reserves and large coal producers. In turn, Conoco was acquired by E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company in 1981. This purchase was motivated by DuPont's desire to obtain better control of chemical feedstocks in an era of high oil prices. Consolidation Coal was not a major factor in the Conoco acquisition and did not really fit into DuPont's strategy, especially after coal and oil prices declined. As a result, it was quickly sold off when DuPont was restructured a decade later. In 1991, a new holding company CONSOL Engery, Inc. was incorporated as a joint venture of DuPont Energy Company and the German energy conglomerate Rheinisch-Westfalisches Elektrizitatswerk A.G., through its wholly owned subsidiaries Rheinbraun A.G. and Rheinbraun U.S.A. GmbH. Consolidation Coal Company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of CONSOL Energy, Inc. DuPont eventually sold most of its half interest, so that by 1998, Rheinbraun affiliates owned 94% of CONSOL Energy stock, while DuPont Energy retained only 6%. CONSOL Energy purchased the entire stock of the Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company on September 22, 1998. CONSOL Energy stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CNX" in 1999, with an initial public offering of more than 20 million shares.

CONSOL Energy produced more than 74 million tons of coal in 1999, accounting for approximately 7% of domestic production. The company currently operates 22 mining complexes, primarily east of the Mississippi River.

Source

Historical note from the Consolidation Coal Company Records, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

The Archives Center holds a number of collections that document coal.

Coal and Gas Trust Investigation Collection (NMAH.AC.1049)

Hammond Coal Company Records (NMAH.AC.1003)

Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company Records (NMAH.AC.0071)

Lehigh Valley Coal Company Records (NMAH.AC.1106)

Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company Records (NMAH.AC.0282)

Materials in Other Organizations

Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh

CONSOL Energy, Inc. Mine Maps and Records Collection, 1857-2002

AIS.1991.16

The CONSOL Energy Inc. collection contains coal mine maps, related documents and topographical information, as well as surface maps and detailed information on mine accidents. Additionally, there are technical drawings, outside notes on multiple mines, traverse and survey books, information on companies and railroads with which CONSOL conducted business, and a variety of non-print materials including photographs, negatives and aperture cards. Digital reproductions of selected material are available online.

CONSOL Energy Inc. West Virginia and Eastern Ohio Mine Maps and Records Collection, 1880-1994

AIS.2004.22

The CONSOL Energy Inc. West Virginia and Eastern Ohio Mine Maps and Records Collection contains coal mine maps as well as surface maps and detailed information on mine accidents in West Virginia and Eastern Ohio. Additionally, there are technical drawings, related documents, traverse and survey books, publications and photographs.

Consolidation Coal Company Records, 1854-1971, bulk 1864-1964

AIS.2011.03

The Consolidation Coal Company (Consol) was created by the merger of several small operators mining the Georges Creek coal basin in Allegany County, Maryland. The company expanded rapidly in the early twentieth century through the purchase of substantial tracts in the coal fields of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky as well as docks and distribution facilities in the Great Lakes region. By 1927, Consol was the nation's largest producer of bituminous coal. Following a merger with the Pittsburgh Coal Company in 1945, the company pursued a policy of acquiring companies which afforded opportunities for greater diversification while selling off unprofitable lines. In addition, a new research and development division was created to fund projects aimed at developing more efficient production methods and new outlets for coal consumption. The records of the Consolidation Coal Company and its affiliated companies are arranged in seven series. Minute books and contract files provide the most comprehensive documentation in this collection.

Provenance:

Donated to the National Museum of American History in 1987 by Bethlehem Steel Corporation.

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 intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Accidents  Search this

Children -- 20th century  Search this

Coal miners  Search this

Company towns  Search this

Churches  Search this

Coal mines and mining -- Safety measures  Search this

Construction  Search this

Dams  Search this

Gardens  Search this

General stores  Search this

Hospitals  Search this

Housing  Search this

Kindergarten  Search this

May Day  Search this

Mine safety  Search this

Mines -- Kentucky  Search this

Mines -- Maryland  Search this

Mines -- Pennsylvania  Search this

Mines -- West Virginia  Search this

Mining corporations  Search this

Mining equipment  Search this

Mining -- Kentucky  Search this

Mining -- Maryland  Search this

Mining and minerals industry  Search this

Mining -- Pennsylvania  Search this

Mining -- West Virginia  Search this

Railroads -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Schools -- school houses -- Classrooms  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- Black-and-white negatives -- 20th century

Photographs -- 20th century

Photograph albums -- 20th century

Window displays

Citation:

Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company photographs and other materials, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Sponsor:

Digitization of Series 2.3: Glass Plate and Film Negatives was made possible by Andrew and Anya Shiva.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1007

See more items in:

Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company photographs and other materials

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep86027ae9f-9a84-4277-adcf-d0b5e919ac6a

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1007

Former owner:

Brenton, William  Search this

Auchincloss, John Winthrop  Search this

Auchincloss, Emma Brewster (Mrs. Hugh D., Sr.), 1861-1942  Search this

Auchincloss, Hugh D.  Search this

Auchincloss, Janet  Search this

Landscape architect:

Olmsted Brothers  Search this

Landscape designer:

Kellaway, Herbert J.  Search this

Barrett, Nathan Franklin  Search this

Timchenko, Boris V., 1898-1975  Search this

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Place:

Hammersmith Farm (Newport, Rhode Island)

United States of America -- Rhode Island -- Newport County -- Newport

Scope and Contents:

The folder includes worksheets, a brochure, and photocopies of photographs of and articles about the garden.

General:

Lying at the meeting of Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic, Hammersmith Farm was originally settled in the 17th century by surveyor William Brenton and named for his English residence. Eventually passing into the Auchincloss family, the property was landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers firm (records show that the firm was involved with the site from 1909 to 1946). Other designs for the property were developed by Nathan Franklin Barrett, Herbert Kellaway, and Boris V. Timchenko. An elaborate Italianate sunken garden was centered on a pool flanked by low mounds of flowers. Geometrically shaped flowers beds lay to either side, while the space was decorated by urns and columns. A pergola enclosed three sides. The property was the site of the wedding reception of Mrs. Hugh D. Auchincloss, Jr.'s daughter, Jacqueline Bouvier, and John F. Kennedy.

Persons and firms associated with the garden include: William Brenton (former owner, after 1638); John W. Auchincloss (former owner, c. 1887); Mr. and Mrs. Hugh D. Auchincloss (former owners, early 20th century); Mr. and Mrs. Hugh D. Auchincloss (former owners, mid-20th century); Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects (landscape architects, 1909-1946); Nathan Franklin Barrett (landscape designer, 1912); Herbert J. Kellaway (landscape designer); and Boris V. Timchenko (landscape designer, 1959).

Related Materials:

Hammersmith Farm related holdings consist of 1 folder (12 glass lantern slides; 9 35 mm. slides)

Records related to this site can be found at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Olmsted Job Number 03794, H. D. Auchincloss.

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Gardens -- Rhode Island -- Newport  Search this

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, File RI025

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Rhode Island

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb69cf023d3-f1be-41a9-9a2e-70113cf774df

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref10559

Creator:

Lewis & Valentine Company  Search this

Donor:

Lewis, Hewlett Withington  Search this

Names:

Lewis & Valentine Company  Search this

Longwood Gardens (Kennett Square, Pa.)  Search this

Rodin Museum (Philadelphia, Pa.)  Search this

Lewis, Harold Carman  Search this

Owner:

Auchincloss, Hugh D.  Search this

Du Pont, Eugene  Search this

Kahn, Otto Hermann, 1867-1934  Search this

Schwab, Charles M., 1862-1939  Search this

Stotesbury, Edward Townsend, 1849-1938  Search this

Woolworth, F. W.  Search this

du Pont, Pierre S.  Search this

Extent:

2.5 Cubic feet (documents, 366 photographs, 1 videotape.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Videotapes

Brochures

Books

Lists

Correspondence

Trade catalogs

Photographs

Place:

New York (State) -- Greenvale

New York (State) -- Roslyn

Date:

1916-1971

Summary:

The Lewis & Valentine Company Collection contains records of the Lewis & Valentine Company dating from 1916 to 1971 including photographs, negatives, brochures, books, trade catalogs, company papers, letters from clients, customer lists and a history of the company written by Harold Carman Lewis. Photographs document the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia, estates in Long Island, New York, and the properties of Hugh D. Auchincloss, Eugene du Pont, Walter P. Chrysler, Otto H. Kahn, F. W. Woolworth, Pierre S. du Pont (Longwood Gardens), Charles M. Schwab and Edward T. Stotesbury. This collection contains only a sampling of the records of Lewis & Valentine and should not be considered comprehensive.

Arrangement note:

The collection is arranged into 3 series:

Series 1: Documents Series 2: Photographs Series 3: Videotape

Biographical/Historical note:

Specializing in moving and replanting large trees, Lewis & Valentine was one of the most prominent landscape contracting companies in the eastern United States during the first half of the twentieth century. The Lewis & Valentine Company was formed by five brothers whose father had hoped that his sons would grow up to be lawyers. Instead, the Lewis brothers formed a landscape design, installation and nursery firm that specialized in developing "successful methods for transplanting full-grown trees." Their success was based on "doing well the task which is usually considered impossible."

The company was the inspiration of H.C. Lewis, the oldest of seven brothers, who believed that estate owners should have the luxury of immediate landscapes, rather than waiting decades for their landscapes to mature. The Lewis brothers started their business in the early 1900s. Shortly afterwards, a Mr. Valentine, roommate of Albert Addison Lewis at the Amherst Landscape School in Massachusetts, invested in the business. After three years Mr. Valentine moved on and the Lewis brothers bought back his interest, but continued to keep Valentine part of the company's name.

Lewis & Valentine was the largest firm in America devoted to transplainting mature trees in the years leading up to the Great Depression. It claimed to be "the most experienced and most versatile, backed by an intimate knowledge of horticulture and the development of fine estates." The company was noted as a leader in providing complete landscape services, from selling and guaranteeing the plants, to designing and installation, requiring that its staff be men "of good character and not afraid of hard work." This was evident in the firm's principle of no limitations to the size of trees that they were willing to deliver. The trees were often full-grown and ranged in age from twenty to a hundred years old. Many were so large that 20 or more tons of earth had to be moved during the relocation process.

During its first 25 years in business, Lewis & Valentine opened nineteen offices east of the Mississippi serving such notable clients as Charles A. Schwab and Pierre du Pont at his estate, Longwood. The business was set up as an organization of independent companies. Each was incorporated under the laws of the state in which it operated. The offices were located in Connecticut (Darien), Florida (Palm Beach), Illinois (Chicago), Maryland (Baltimore), Massachusetts (Boston and Hanover), Michigan (Detroit), Pennsylvania (Ardmore and Pittsburg), New Jersey (Ashbury Park and Morristown), New York (Buffalo, Roslyn-Long Island, Rye, Valley Stream-Long Island, New York City), North Carolina (Winston-Salem) and Ohio (Cleveland and Cincinnati). Although no longer owned by any members of the Lewis family, the company still exists and operates in Long Island under the name Lewis & Valentine Nurseries.

Separated Materials:

Dozens of historic photographs from the Lewis & Valentine Co. were found In the Eleanor Weller Collection at AAG amongst images that had been amassed by Weller for possible use in The Golden Age of American Gardens: Proud Owners, Private Estates, 1890-1940. These photos were removed from the Weller Collection and added to the Lewis and Valentine Co. Records.

Provenance:

Gift from Hewlett Withington Lewis, former owner of Lewis & Valentine Nurseries.

Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Nurseries (Horticulture) -- United States  Search this

Gardens -- New York (State)  Search this

Tree moving  Search this

Landscape gardening -- New York (State)  Search this

Genre/Form:

Videotapes

Brochures

Books

Lists

Correspondence

Trade catalogs

Photographs

Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Lewis & Valentine Company Records.

Identifier:

AAG.LVC

See more items in:

Lewis & Valentine company records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6b87d85b6-90fe-4657-96f1-2b4c381715e0

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aag-lvc

Compiler:

Weller, Eleanor  Search this

Names:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Extent:

36 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Publications

Notes

Clippings

Correspondence

Date:

circa 1978-2006

bulk 1981-1991

Summary:

The Eleanor Weller Collection dates from circa 1978-2006 and consists of photographic images and research files relating to The Garden Club of America's Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens (later donated to the Smithsonian Institution as The Garden Club of America Collection) and the book, The Golden Age of American Gardens: Proud Owners, Private Estates, 1890-1940, co-written by Weller and Mac Griswold, as well as thousands of photographic images of historic and contemporary gardens compiled or taken by Weller. Materials include correspondence, research notes, clippings, brochures, lecture scripts, photocopied images from archival repositories, and original and duplicate 35mm slides.

Scope and Contents note:

The core of the collection consists of thousands of 35mm slide images photographed or amassed by Eleanor Weller. The latter come from numerous sources including books, magazines and archival repositories. The images document thousands of private gardens and public spaces (including parks, historic sites, and sculpture gardens) throughout the United States. Duplicates of a significant number of images from the Eleanor Weller Collection can be found in The Garden Club of America Collection at the Archives of American Gardens. There is also a smaller grouping of photographs of gardens taken by Weller. Complementing this collection of images are numerous vertical files with magazine and newspaper clippings and brochures, etc. relating to hundreds of public and private gardens in America. A significant number of the files relate to gardens profiled in the book co-authored by Weller, The Golden Age of American Gardens: Proud Owners, Private Estates, 1890-1940. The collection also includes correspondence regarding the recompilation of The Garden Club of America's collection of historic glass lantern slides as well as correspondence and research materials relating to the compilation of 35mm slides for the GCA's Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens from both public and private sources.

Another portion of the collection documents the research and image compilation for The Golden Age of American Gardens manuscript. While similar in nature to the research materials relating to the GCA Slide Library, the portion of the collection encompassing the book's preparation represents a change in focus from collecting a representative sampling of 35mm slides for gardens throughout the U.S. to gathering specific high quality images intended for The Golden Age of American Gardens. This portion of the collection also contains a nearly complete draft of the manuscript as well as drafts of the footnotes and appendix. Because of the similar nature of the GCA Slide Library and The Golden Age of American Gardens book projects and the fact that they overlapped for a time, the files frequently intertwine closely. Some files identified with one project may include documents for the other project and visa versa. An example of this is seen in The Golden Age of American Gardens' Image Reference Files arranged according to Archival Repository. The files include packets from archival repositories throughout the U.S. with photocopies of select images in their collections. These images were used to facilitate both the selection of images for The Golden Age of American Gardens book project and the GCA Slide Library, and are occasionally annotated. In some cases, a review of both series may be necessary to ensure that relevant files are not overlooked.

Other noteworthy aspects of this collection are materials that deal with the origins and operations of the Smithsonian's Archives of American Gardens, including correspondence regarding one of its future collections, The Chimneys Collection. Also present are several slide scripts corresponding with the GCA's historic glass lantern slide collection, as well as materials in the GCA Slide Library (now The Garden Club of America Collection).

It should be noted that while the creator of this collection is Eleanor Weller, significant portions of the files relating to the GCA Slide Library and The Golden Age of American Gardens were compiled by Helen Rollins in her position as research assistant for The Golden Age book project. It is possible that Rollins also helped compile the files in The Golden Age of American Gardens' Image Reference Files arranged by state.

Lastly, the collection includes contemporary color photographs of historic sites and gardens taken by Richard Marchand. Weller had previously worked with Marchand, the donor of the Richard Marchand Historical Postcard Collection at the Archives of American Gardens, to compile historic garden images for the GCA Slide Library.

Biographical/Historical note:

Eleanor Weller Reade is a horticulturist, garden lecturer, interior designer, and co-author of the book The Golden Age of American Gardens: Proud Owners, Private Estates, 1890-1940. As a member of The Garden Club of America, she played a ciritical role in the compilation of the GCA's Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens which was subsequently donated to the Archives of American Gardens as The Garden Club of America Collection.

Provenance:

Donated by Eleanor Weller Reade to the Archives of American Gardens in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2012.

Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Gardens -- History  Search this

Gardens -- United States  Search this

Parks -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Publications

Notes

Clippings

Correspondence

Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Eleanor Weller Reade collection.

Identifier:

AAG.ECW

See more items in:

Eleanor Weller collection

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb625937a95-310e-4e98-8a04-45d544ecdd7b

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aag-ecw

Provenance:

Wissahickon Garden Club  Search this

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Place:

United States of America -- Pennslyvania -- Philadelphia County -- Philadelphia

Stonehurst Revisited (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Scope and Contents:

5 35mm slides (reproductions from the Library of Congress), 1 file folder, 40 digital images and 1 digital file.

Varying Form:

Henry Garden, formerly known as.

General:

Naturalistic Wissahikcon Style woodland garden created on remnants of an Olmsted Brothers design, including pergolas, koi ponds, and schist rock walls.

Person associated with the garden's design include: Nina Schneider (Garden designer, mid 2005–2020) and Heidi Schusterman (Landscape Architect, 2018- 2020).

Related Materials:

See the Frances Benjamin Johnston Collection at the Library of Congress.

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Gardens -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia  Search this

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, File PA378

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Pennsylvania

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6d25bbf6b-7faf-4c91-b1c9-e85475d8fe2c

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref33360