Tom White Collection (CAA/51)

Archives and Ephemera of Cincinnati Ceramic Arts and Artists


Title:
Tom White Collection
Repository:
Mary R. Schiff Library & Archives, Cincinnati Art Museum
Creator:
Kircher, Edwin John, 1932-2002
Creator:
McLaughlin, James, 1834-1923
Creator:
McLaughlin, Mary Louise, 1847-1939
Creator:
Raymond Cummins, Virginia, 1907-1990
Creator:
Raymond, Fritz van Houten, 1878-1979
Creator:
Rookwood Pottery Company (Cincinnati, Ohio). Rookwood Pottery.
Creator:
Women's Art Museum Association [WAMA] (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Creator:
Women's Centennial Executive Committee of Cincinnati.
Creator:
Young, Grace, 1869-1947
Dates:
c.1850-1993, 2021, undated
Quantity:
Quantity: 5.0 Cubic feet
Quantity: 4 boxes, 1 oversize folder
Abstract:
Collected materials relating to: the Women's Centennial Executive Committee of Cincinnati; Women's Art Museum Association; McLaughlin family; Rookwood Pottery Company; Grace Young; Fritz van Houten Raymond; Virginia Raymond Cummins.
Identification:
CAA/51
Language:
English

Biographical/Historical Notes

From the donor:

Upon moving to Cincinnati from my hometown of Ripley, Ohio, I became fascinated with the local decorative arts movement of the 1870s and 80s—the wood carvers, China painters, and ceramic artists (both amateur and professional). I was particularly attracted to the contributions of M. Louise McLaughlin and to the artistic and technical genius of the Rookwood Pottery.

I read every resource about this fertile period in Cincinnati’s history. I also was blessed to meet and be mentored by several local experts who generously shared their enthusiasm and knowledge. I acquired a few pieces of pottery, but soon realized my true interest was in collecting related ephemeral material which, at the time, could still be found in local used book stores and at antique shops and shows. Later, the online marketplace proved useful as it removed the previous geographic limits to my searching.

The past 40 years of collecting has provided endless hours of enjoyment and enrichment. The goal in giving my archive to the Museum is make it accessible to future researchers and authors who wish to preserve the history and recognize the contribution this movement, and the women and men involved, made to American art and industry.

Tom White January 2023

Scope and Contents

Collected materials relating to: the Women's Centennial Executive Committee of Cincinnati; Women's Art Museum Association; McLaughlin family; Rookwood Pottery Company; Grace Young; Fritz van Houten Raymond; Virginia Raymond Cummins.

Arrangement

The arrangement as imposed by the donor has been retained. The donor created detailed lists of the material in the collection. Each item was given a unique identifier (e.g. JM-1), which has been included in the item description to allow cross-referencing with the donor's original lists (copies available in CAA/51 Box 1 Folder 1).

Kircher, Edwin John, 1932-2002
McLaughlin, George, 1831-1893
McLaughlin, James, 1834-1923
McLaughlin, Mary Louise, 1847-1939
Raymond Cummins, Virginia, 1907-1990
Raymond, Fritz van Houten, 1878-1979
Rookwood Pottery Company (Cincinnati, Ohio). Rookwood Pottery.
White, Thomas E., 1952-
Women's Art Museum Association [WAMA] (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Women's Centennial Executive Committee of Cincinnati.
Young, Grace, 1869-1947
art pottery, American
ceramics

Custodial History note

Notes concerning provenance accompany many of the items. Additionally, each series has notes describing where the bulk of the material included originated.

Appraisal

A number of published works from the collection were added to the Mary R. Schiff Library, while others were returned to the donor.

Several objects received were transferred to the museum's permanent collection: a Martha Washington Tea Party cup and saucer set (MW-1 on the donor's list); Mary Louise McLaughlin wood carving (LM-11 on the donor's list); a number of Rookwood die stamps (EJK-2 on the donor's list).

Additionally, a small collection of materials related to Henry Farny, formerly belonging to an Eleanor A. Mingus, and two photographs of Hiram Powers and his wife, were removed from this collection and added to the archival artists files (CAA/1/5). Also, two University of Cincinnati catalogs, containing information on the design school, were transferred to the Art Academy collection (AAC/7/1), and a Cincinnati College Law School catalog including references to Joseph Longworth was added to the Benefactors & Trustees collection (CAM/1/5).

All materials transferred or returned were marked on the donor's inventory listing (see CAA/51 Box 1 Folder 1).

Detailed List of Collection


Box 1 / Folder 1
Information from the donor on items in the collection, including details of how/where materials were acquired, and relevant biographical and historical background, 2021

Quantity: 1 folder/s




Early Cincinnati Arts, [1875?], 1877




Women's Centennial Executive Committee of Cincinnati, [1875?]

Box 1 / Folder 2
WCEC envelope, postmarked Cincinnati, Jul 12 [1875?] and addressed to Mrs. H. C. Whitman, 213 Richmond St., City; original contents not present, [1875?]

Quantity: 1 item/s

Scope and Content: Notes provided by donor: The Cincinnati Society Bluebook and Family Directory published by Peter G. Thompson in 1879 lists Judge and Mrs. Henry Whitman at this address. Mrs. Whitman, nee Elizabeth King, was a member of the Women’s Centennial Executive Committee (1874-1876); treasurer of the Women’s Art Museum Association (1877-1886); and a trustee of WAMA from 1879-1886.





Women's Art Museum Association, 1877

Box 1 / Folder 3
"Women's Art Museum Association of Cincinnati." Robert Clarke & Co. (1877), 16 pages, 1877

Quantity: 1 item/s

Scope and Content: This pamphlet documents the formation of the Women’s Art Museum Association. It contains the contents of a paper presented at an ensuing meeting by Mrs. Aaron F. Perry, calling for the establishment of an art museum and training schools. It also lists the men invited to join in this effort, the new organization’s constitution, the names of officers, and a list of standing committees.



McLaughlin Family Collection, c.1850-1937, undated


Custodial History note
Notes provided by donor:Many of my photos of M. Louise and James W. McLaughlin & daughters were previously owned by Robert Richshafer Americana. The story of how they became my property is explained below.Mark Mendleson, of Fountain Square Stamp & Coin, was a classmate of Richshafer in High School. He told me that, after graduation, Robert, son of "Will" of Will’s Pawn Shops, became obsessed with acquiring rare historical photographs, documents, and ephemera (mostly Cincinnati-related) and, over the years, amassed an impressive collection.This collection was exhibited in a July 1988 show and sale titled "Cincinnati: A Celebration of its Past" in observance of Cincinnati’s Bicentennial. The show was held at the Madison Road Gallery, then located at 1991 Madison Road in O’Bryonville. It was at this event that I first became aware of the existence of the McLaughlin photos. They were offered for sale as lot #272 in the catalog. The lot did not sell.Robert housed his collection in, and did business out of, an abandoned bank building located at 1800 Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine. He actually kept some of his more valuable objects in the bank vault. A short time later I encountered Robert at an antique show and made an appointment to visit him at his Vine Street location to see if I could purchase the McLaughlin collection at a more reasonable price. Robert was very accommodating and allowed me to inspect some amazing treasures, but he didn’t lower the price of the McLaughlin photos sufficiently to make them affordable.The remainder (majority) of the collection, including the McLaughlin photos, was later offered for sale as part of a Don Treadway Galleries’ auction held May 19, 1991 at the Radisson Inn at the Greater Cincinnati International Airport. The McLaughlin collection was listed in the catalog as lot #216. This time the lot was listed as having sold for $250, which I believe represented a "buy-in" price and not an actual sale.Several years later Robert was forced to liquidate his collection as part of a divorce settlement. This time he called upon Jim Fallon at the Ohio Book Store to sell the remaining items. I was a regular customer of OBS at the time and was invited to preview the Richshafer items before they were offered to the public. I was pleased to find the McLaughlin photos included in the offering. Jim and I arrived at a price and I purchased the collection (16 photos + 2 other items) in March of 1995.Unfortunately, I am not aware of how Richshafer came into possession of these photos. Robert is retired and currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.My notes from the time of purchase indicate that the collection was composed of 16 photographs, 1 copper printing plate, and 1 autograph book page. Basically, every photo that is professionally mounted in an archival window mat came from Richshafer.


Related Archival Materials
McLaughlin Family Papers (CAA/41); Mary Louise McLaughlin artist file (CAA/1/5 Box 35 & 35A); Theodore Langstroth Collection (CAA/7/1)




George McLaughlin, c.1891, 1893, undated

Box 1 / Folder 3
Cabinet card portrait of George McLaughlin by Landy, Cincinnati, OH (GM-1), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 3
Firemen’s Insurance Co., Cincinnati, blotter, listing Geo. McLaughlin as President (GM-2), c.1891

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 3
"Library of the Late George McLaughlin, Cincinnati, Ohio, December 18th–22nd, 1893." Bangs & Co. New York - auction catalog (GM-3), 1893

Quantity: 1 item/s






James W. McLaughlin, c.1875-[1934], undated

Box 1 / Folder 4
Carte de Visite portrait photograph of a young James W. McLaughlin, by an unidentified photographer (JM-1), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 4
Cabinet card profile photograph of a middle-aged James W. McLaughlin, by Van Loo, 148 W. 4th Street, Cincinnati, OH (JM-2), c.1875

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 4
Cabinet card portrait photograph of James W. McLaughlin, by the Marceau & Bellsmith Studio, 148 W. 4th Street, Cincinnati, OH (JM-3), c.1890

Quantity: 1 item/s

Biographical/Historical Notes The Marceau & Bellsmith Studio was a successor to Van Loo, in business from 1887-1892

Box 2
Cabinet card photograph of "James McLaughlin, Architect", by R. P. Bellsmith, 148 W. 4th St., Cincinnati, OH (JM-4) [identical to JM-3, but a later printing], c.1895

Quantity: 1 item/s

Biographical/Historical Notes Randolph Parker Bellsmith was in business at 148 W. 4th from 1892-1895.

Box 1 / Folder 4
Carte de Visite photograph of Cora L. McLaughlin, daughter of James W. and Olive Amelia McLaughlin, by Landy & Porter Photographers, 208 W. Fourth St. at Plum, Cincinnati, OH (JM-5), c.1886

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 2
Photograph of sisters Sophie and Esther McLaughlin, seated on the ground with a pet cat between them and two horse-drawn carriages on McGregor Avenue behind (JM-6), Aug 1894

Quantity: 1 item/s

Biographical/Historical Notes On the reverse of the photo is written: "August, 1894. Left: Buttercup McLaughlin. Married Carver W. Smalley, October 9, 1913 of Brandon, Vt. Died Jan 23, 1962. Right: Esther Barbe McLaughlin. Christian Science healer and writer for the Sentinel. Graduated from Cinti Walnut Hills High School and University of Cincinnati. Died in New York City, Feb 7, 1958. Both born in Cinti, O. Children of Mr. & Mrs. James W. McLaughlin (architect). Judge Hiram Peck home in foreground." This image was likely taken in the front yard of Judge Peck’s home at 124 McGregor Avenue in Walnut Hills, Cincinnati. The McLaughlin home was across the street at 129 McGregor Avenue.

Box 1 / Folder 4
Copper printing plate, titled "Ye Equestrian Club on a Ryde", engraved by James W. McLaughlin, signed lower left: "JWMcL." (JM-7), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s

Scope and Content: Image depicts three men on horseback galloping past a house and yard with a large tree, all surrounded by a picket fence. A squirrel is seen scampering along in the foreground.


Box 1 / Folder 4
Business card of "James W. McLaughlin, Architect. Cincinnati. Rooms 46 & 47, Johnston Building, Corner Fifth & Walnut" (JM-8), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 4
Business card of "Jas. W. McLaughlin, Architect. Odd Fellows Building, Corner Third & Walnut Streets, Cincinnati" (JM-9), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 4
"Noted Architect Born 100 Years Ago." Cincinnati Times-Star - clipping about James McLaughlin (JM-10), [1934]

Quantity: 1 item/s






Mary Louise McLaughlin, Bulk, 1850-1896; c.1850-1896, 1930, 1937, undated

Box 1 / Folder 5
Carte de Visite photograph of Mary Louise McLaughlin at age 2, by Landy Photographer, 208 W. Fourth Street Corner of Plum, Cincinnati, OH (LM-2), c.1850

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 5
Carte de Visite photograph of "M. Louise McLaughlin as a Teenager", by Hoag & Quick’s Art Palace, 100 4th St., Cincinnati, OH (LM-3), 1860s

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 2
Photograph of Mary Louise McLaughlin’s studio at her Park Avenue home, by an unidentified photographer (LM-4), 1887-1892

Quantity: 1 item/s

Biographical/Historical Notes McLaughlin lived on Park Avenue from 1887-1892.

Box 2
Cabinet card photograph of Mary Louise McLaughlin, seated, taken by Van Loo, Cincinnati, OH (LM-5), c.1880

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 6
Page from photograph album with attached images: Mary Louise McLaughlin (x3), James McLaughlin, and an image showing excavation of ground for a backyard kiln [see "The Ceramic Career of M. Louise McLaughlin" by Anita J. Ellis, page 140] (LM-6), [1890s?]

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 5
Snapshot of Mary Louise McLaughlin seated with two women, possibly Alice Holabird and Clara Chipman Newman (LM-7), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s

Custodial History note

This photograph was found in the donor's copy of "Clara Chipman Newton, A Memorial Tribute", privately printed in Cincinnati in 1928.



Box 2
Photograph of Mary Louise McLaughlin and two unidentified women standing in a park[?] (LM-8), c.1893

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 2
Photograph of an oil painting of an unidentified African American subject by Mary Louise McLaughlin, take by J. Landy Photo, Cincinnati, OH (LM-9), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 2
Photograph of Mary Louise McLaughlin’s Eden Avenue home showing the rear and side elevation (LM-10), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s

Scope and Content: McLaughlin can be seen standing on the rear porch (left) with an unidentified woman, possibly her roommate, Margaret Hickey, on the right. Close inspection reveals Louise’s pet parrot, Teddy, perched on the porch railing between the two women. Photograph identified on reverse as: "House in Mt. Auburn where Miss McLaughlin’s kiln was located. The kiln was at the end of the lot back of the house." Based upon other markings on the reverse, and the fact that the caption matches exactly, the donor believes this is the photograph published in the “Bulletin of the American Ceramic Society,” vol. 17, no. 5, May 1938, on page 220.


Box 2
Photograph of Mary Louise McLaughlin’s Eden Avenue home showing the front and side elevation (LM-10A), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s

Scope and Content: McLaughlin can be seen sitting on the front porch (right) with an unidentified woman, possibly her roommate, Margaret Hickey, standing on the left.


Box 1 / Folder 5
Page removed from an autograph/memories book on which someone has drawn, in pencil, an open book beside a flowering plant. Within the book illustration, written in ink is, "1882 Yours, Louise McLaughlin, Cincinnati Ohio" (LM-12), 1882

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 5
Paper identification tag from the 1930 Cincinnati Museum Association Juryless Exhibition for "Springtime", by Mary Louise McLaughlin (LM-13), 1930

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 5
"Famed Ceramic Artist Has 90th Birthday." Cincinnati Times-Star (Sep 29, 1937) - clipping about Mary Louise McLaughlin (LM-14), 1937

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 5
Invitation to "the Opening of The Portrait Loan Exhibition in the Art Rooms of The Music Hall, Monday evening, May the fourth 1896" - cover designed by Mary Louise McLaughlin (LM-17), 1896

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 2
Photograph of Mary Louise McLaughlin seated at an easel in her studio at her Park Avenue home, by an unidentified photographer (LM-18), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s




Rookwood Pottery Collection, 1886-c.1960, undated


Related Archival Materials
Rookwood Pottery Collection (CAA/3/1); Carolyn Stegner Papers (CAA/23); Carl Schmidt Papers (CAA/18); Fritz van Houten Raymond Papers (CAA/12).




Rookwood Pottery Publications, c.1890-c.1960

Box 1 / Folder 6
"Rookwood Pottery" - pamphlet containing a history of Rookwood, notices from "The Studio", "Harper’s Magazine", etc., and a list of awards (RPP-1), c.1890

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 6
"[Rookwood Pottery] Grand Prix, Paris, 1900. Pan-American Exposition, 1901. Gold Medal." Rookwood Pottery Co., Cincinnati, OH - booklet containing information on Rookwood history, marks, decorators’ marks, honors, and museums purchasing Rookwood [carved plaque by William Purcell McDonald marked "Rookwood" on cover] (RPP-3), c.1902

Quantity: 1 item/s

Biographical/Historical Notes Latest date mentioned in text is 1902.

Box 1 / Folder 6
"Rookwood Vellum Ware. Grand Prix Paris, 1900. St. Petersburg, 1901. Turin, 1902." Rookwood Pottery Co., Cincinnati, OH - pamphlet introducing Vellum glaze (RPP-4), c.1904

Quantity: 1 item/s

Biographical/Historical Notes Likely printed for distribution at the St. Louis Exposition.

Box 1 / Folder 6
"Rookwood Mat Glazes." Rookwood Pottery Co., Cincinnati, OH - small sales catalog (RPP-5), 1905

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 6
"Rookwood Pottery." Rookwood Pottery Co., Cincinnati, OH - booklet containing information on Rookwood history, marks, decorators’ marks, honors, and museums purchasing Rookwood [gray cover] (RPP-6), c.1915

Quantity: 1 item/s

Biographical/Historical Notes Mentions Rookwood's 35th anniversary (1915) and the introduction of Rookwood soft porcelain. Last decorator mentioned = Arthur P. Conant. NOTE: This is one of several very similar publications with very similar titles and/or content. Subtle differences in the anniversary years mentioned and decorators listed must be used to distinguish one from another.

Box 1 / Folder 6
"Rookwood Pottery. Founded in 1880. Its History and Its Aims." Rookwood Pottery Co., Cincinnati, OH - booklet containing information on Rookwood history, marks, decorators’ marks, honors, and museums purchasing Rookwood [cover features the Rookwood "potter at wheel" image] (RPP-7), c.1930

Quantity: 1 item/s

Biographical/Historical Notes There are three virtually identical versions of this booklet, all including reference to Rookwood's 50th anniversary in 1930. However, one includes additional artists in the Decorators Marks section, indicating a later publication date than the other. This is the earlier version. Last decorator mentioned = Janet Harris. NOTE: This is one of several very similar publications with very similar titles and/or content. Subtle differences in the anniversary years mentioned and decorators listed must be used to distinguish one from another.

Box 1 / Folder 6
"Rookwood. America's Contribution to the Fine Arts. Founded in 1880. Its History and its Aims." Rookwood Pottery, Cincinnati, OH - booklet containing information on Rookwood history, marks, decorators’ marks, honors, and museums purchasing Rookwood [cover features the Rookwood "potter at wheel" image in black] (RPP-7), Late-1950s

Quantity: 1 item/s

Biographical/Historical Notes Title page includes: "The world’s exclusive producers of jewel porcelain. Rookwood Pottery, James M. Smith, President." Smith and Wm. MacConnell purchased the pottery in 1954 and sold it to Herschede Hall Clock Co. in 1959, thus making this pamphlet circa late 1950s. Last decorator mentioned = R. Earl Menzel.

Box 1 / Folder 6
"This is Genuine Rookwood Pottery" - four-panel, accordion-fold, paper insert included with each piece of Rookwood pottery sold in the 1960s guaranteeing authenticity (RPP-9), c.1960

Quantity: 1 item/s

Biographical/Historical Notes The insert lists Rookwood's address as Starkville, Mississippi, indicating that it post-dates the move to Starkville around 1960.




Rookwood Pottery Sales Brochures, undated

Box 1 / Folder 7
"Rookwood Vases and Lamp Bases" – tri-fold illustrated brochure, undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 7
"Rookwood Book-Ends" - bi-fold illustrated brochure, undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 7
"The Evolution of a Rookwood Vase" - bi-fold illustrated brochure, undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 7
"Clay Decoration at Rookwood" - bi-fold illustrated brochure [white paper], undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 7
"Clay Decoration at Rookwood" - bi-fold illustrated brochure [green paper], undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 7
"Rookwood Bowls" - illustrated 4-panel brochure, undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 7
"Rookwood Book-Ends" - 4-panel brochure, undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 7
"Rookwood Candlesticks and Flower Holders" - 3-panel brochure, undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 7
"Rookwood Novelties" - illustrated 3-panel brochure, undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 7
"Price List of Rookwood Pieces" - 5-panel brochure, undated

Quantity: 1 item/s






Miscellaneous, 1886-1941

Box 1 / Folder 8
"The Mournful Ballad of Isaac Abbott." Robert Clarke & Co., Cincinnati (1886) - pamphlet illustrated by Edward Pope Cranch (RP-1), 1886

Quantity: 1 volume/s



Box 1 / Folder 8
"The Rookwood Pottery." William Watts Taylor. Reprinted from Forensic Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Sep 1910) (RP-3), 1910




Box 2
Photograph of Matthew Andrew Daly (10" x 13") holding a fist full of paint brushes and standing beside an easel on which rests a framed landscape painting (RP-4), c.1920

Quantity: 1 item/s

Biographical/Historical Notes Possibly photographed in his studio at 325 E. Fourth Street in Cincinnati.

Oversize_Folder 1
"Give Rookwood Pottery this Christmas." Cincinnati Enquirer (Nov 23, 1941) - full-page advertisement for the Rookwood Pottery Company (RP-5), 1941

Quantity: 1 oversize_folder/s
Physical Description: Treated with deacidification spray and encapsulated in Mylar by Virginia Wisniewski, Head Conservator at the University of Cincinnati Conservation & Binding Department. Housed in a custom-made, acid-free chemise.




Fritz van Houten Raymond Collection, c.1880-c.1965, 1968, 1970, undated


Related Archival Materials
Fritz van Houten Raymond artist file (CAA/1/5 Box 44 Folder 9); Fritz van Houten Raymond Papers (CAA/12).


Custodial History note
The donor believes that Virginia Raymond Cummins, Fritz Raymond's daughter, probably gave these materials to Edwin J. "Jack" Kircher as the two were friends. Kircher entrusted them to the donor in the mid-1990s.

Box 1 / Folder 9
5.5" x 9.5" sheet of paper signed, in ink, "Fritz V. Raymond, Ludlow Ky" (FR-1), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s

General note Appears to be a front free endpaper removed from a book.

Box 1 / Folder 9
Reproduction of Rookwood Pottery Company stock certificate, dated Sep 24, 1931, certifying that Fritz van Houten Raymond owns two shares of preferred capital stock (FR-2), undated

Quantity: 3 item/s
Quantity: 2 copies, plus a photographic negative

Custodial History note

Reproduced on page 95 of Rookwood Pottery Potpourri.



Box 1 / Folder 9
Blank 4 1/4" x 8/1-2" piece of note paper with "F. V. RAYMOND" imprinted at top and bottom (FR-3A), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 9
6" x 6.5" billheads printed with the heading, "F. V. Raymond, Photographer" (FR-3), undated

Quantity: 15 sheet/s



Box 1 / Folder 9
"I Am a Camera." The Cincinnati Post & Times-Star (May 25, 1968) - article recognizing Fritz Raymond’s 90th birthday (FR-5), 1968

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 9
Notarized letter signed by Fritz van Houten Raymond confirming that Grace Young, his wife, painted a particular portrait of an African American model (FR-6), Nov 27, 1970

Quantity: 1 item/s






Photographs, c.1880-c.1965, undated

Box 1 / Folder 10
Charlotte (Grogan) Raymond (FR-7), undated

Quantity: 1 item/s



Box 1 / Folder 10
Fritz van Houten Raymond (FR-8), c.1880-c.1965

Quantity: 9 item/s




Virginia Raymond Cummins Collection, 1937-1985


Custodial History note
The donor believes that Virginia Raymond Cummins probably gave these materials to Edwin J. "Jack" Kircher as the two were friends. Kircher entrusted them to the donor in the mid-1990s.


Related Archival Materials
Further materials relating to the preparation of Cummins' Rookwood Potpourri can be found in the Riley Humler Rookwood collection (CAA/?).

Box 1 / Folder 11
Original typescript of Rookwood Pottery Potpourri - loose-leaf, 139 pages (un-numbered), with author’s additions, edits, and corrections in ink (VRC-1), c.1973

Quantity: 1 folder/s



Box 4
Ring binder containing miscellaneous papers, correspondence, clippings, notes, and photographs relating to Cummins' research on Rookwood artists (VRC-2), 1937-1985

Quantity: 1 binder/s

Scope and Content: Included are Virginia’s notes regarding many artists and their marks, plus handwritten letters from Louise Abel, Janet Harris Squires, and Patti Conant (whose remembrances from this letter were published on pages 59-60 of Potpourri). Also present are letters by Alza Hentschel, Ed Diers’ daughter, C.J. Dibowski’s son, Lois Furakawa’s husband, Charles McLaughlin’s daughter, Herb and Marj Peck, Lucile Henzke, G. W. Batchelder (of Rookwood Pottery in Starkville), and others. There are also photographs of Rookwood Pottery artists and seven, original, black and white photographs [by Fritz Raymond?] of the Kenton Hills Pottery that Virginia used in her September 1972 article published in the "Pottery Collectors’ Newsletter". A photocopy of William Auckland's notebook of Rookwood shapes is also included.



Edwin J. Kircher Collection, 1960-1993


Custodial History note
Edwin Kircher gave the materials in this grouping to the donor in the mid-1990s.

Box 4
Ring binder containing correspondence and papers related to Rookwood Pottery (EJK-1), 1960-1993

Quantity: 1 binder/s

Scope and Content: The binder includes: correspondence between Edwin J. "Jack" Kircher and the Van Briggle Pottery; a letter from the daughter of Elizabeth Brain, a Rookwood artist; letters from Millard F. Rogers and Anita Ellis regarding the 1992-93 "Glorious Gamble" exhibition [Jack contributed three pieces]; and a letter Jack wrote to the editor of the Kansas City Star after the paper’s art critic panned the exhibition. Also included are the typescript for Jack’s book, Rookwood Pottery: An Explanation of Its Marks and Symbols (26 pages plus two pages of notes); 7 photos of Rookwood pieces from Jack’s collection (5 in color shot in "still-life" style with fruit, and two in black and white showing two early undecorated cream pitchers, each displaying the "kiln with rooks" logo designed by Henry Farny).



Grace Young Letters, 1891-1906, undated

Scope and Content
A collection of 240 letters and 14 postcards written, with a few exceptions, by Grace Young from Europe to her family in Cincinnati and to her Aunt Susan in Boston. The majority (211 letters and all postcards) chronicle Grace's transatlantic voyage to Munich in 1891, her experiences and travels while studying in Germany, and her return home to Cincinnati in 1895. The second group of 27 letters were written to family during Grace's second visit to Europe and describe her studies in Paris between December 1904 and June 1906. In addition, there is a letter written by Grace while working at Rookwood Pottery in 1900 and a second, incomplete letter, that may date from the same period. 24 of the letters are accompanied by full or partial transcriptions by Virginia Raymond Cummins, Grace Young’s step-daughter.

Related Archival Materials
Grace Young artist file (CAA/1/5 Box 54 Folder 13); "Paintings & Drawings by Grace Young" (Oct 3-Nov 7, 1971) - exhibition staged by the Frame House Gallery (CAA/3/1/3 Box 1 Folder 12 & 13); Photographs of Grace Young's work by Fritz van Houten Raymond (library stacks, ND237 Y68)

Box 4 & 5
Grace Young Correspondence, 1891-1906

Quantity: 5 binder/s
Physical Description: The letters were organized by the donor chronologically in five D-ring binders. Each letter is contained in a clear top-loader backed with an archival paper insert. The condition of the letters varies greatly. All are age-toned, and many have tears, moisture damage, brittle paper, etc.



Box 4 / Folder 1
Grace Young letters transcribed by Virginia Cummins, undated

Quantity: 1 folder/s

Scope and Content: At some point, possibly during the years Virginia Cummins was doing research for Rookwood Pottery Potpourri, she transcribed either all of, or pertinent excerpts from, 24 of Grace Young’s letters. Listing of the letters transcribed by Virginia Cummins: •July 6, 1891 •September 14, 1891 (excerpt only) •November 17, 1891 •November 24, 1891 (excerpt only) •December 8, 1891 (excerpt only) •June 3, 1893 •October 22, 1893 (excerpt only) •April 22, 1894 •July 22, 1894 •August 4, 1894 •December 8, 1894 •February 4, 1895 •February 9, 1895 •August 12, 1896 (from Charlotte Young who was visiting Grace) According to Herbert Peck’s The Book of Rookwood Pottery, Chapter 12, page 53, “1896,” third paragraph, Van Briggle returned to Cincinnati (from Paris) in June, 1896. (?) •1896 (from Susan Carpenter Schmitt to Victoria Young, Susan’s sister/Grace’s mother) •Page three of a letter written by Grace (no date—circa late January or early February, 1900?) states that "Mr. Valentien will have charge of the exhibit in Paris." I presume this is in reference to the 1900 Exposition Universelle. See Peck, pages 66-67. •April 14, 1905 •May 4, 1905 •July 10, 1905 •September 6, 1905 •October 15, 1905 •November 13, 1905 •December 21, 1905 •March 16, 1906