The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry
Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, DE 19735
302-888-4600 or
800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF THE
COLLECTION
Creator: Laughlin, Ledlie
I.
Title: Collection
Dates: 1926-1973
Call
No.:
Acc.
No.: 73x157
Quantity: 26 boxes (8.5 cu. ft.)
Location: 16 E 1-4, and Map Case 3, drawer 1
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
Ledlie Irwin Laughlin, 1890-1977, was a renowned pewter collector,
scholar and author. In 1928 he became
assistant Dean of Freshman at
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
The
bulk of the collection contains research notes and notecards pertaining to
pewter and its makers, inventories, and touchmarks of pewter makers, most of
which was compiled while researching his book Pewter in America: Its Makers and their Marks. Typescripts of the book, photographs for that
work, and correspondence with the publisher are also found. This important work of his was first published
in two volumes in 1940. Those two
volumes were later republished and a third volume was added in 1971. There is also correspondence with other
collectors, copies of dealers’ catalogs, and some magazine articles about
pewter and Britannia ware.
ORGANIZATION
A
more detailed description of some of the materials in the collection is
available at this repository.
LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS
The materials
are in English.
RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Gift
of
ACCESS POINTS
Topics:
Pewter -
Pewter
- Collectors and collecting.
Pewter
- Marks.
Pewterers
-
Inventories
of decedents' estates -
Notes.
Correspondence.
Illustrations.
Inventories.
Photoprints.
Notebooks.
Pewterers.
Collectors.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 16 E
1-5
Folders 1-3: Manuscript for
"Pewter in
Folders 4-6: Manuscript for
"Pewter in
Folders 1-4: Vol. III:
manuscript
Folder 5: Vol. III:
manuscript: contents
Folder 6: Vol. III:
manuscript: list of plates
Folder 7: Vol. III:
manuscript: index of makers (pewter shown in plates)
Folder 8: Vol. III:
manuscript: bibliography
Folder 9: Vol. III:
manuscript: list of people to be thanked
Folder 10: Vol. III:
manuscript: acknowledgements
Folder 11: Vol. III:
manuscript: index
Folder 12: Vol. III:
material for plates, Frontispiece
Folder 13: Vol. III: typescript,
duplicate copy (folder 1 of 3; continues in next box)
Folders 1-2: Vol.
III: typescript, duplicate copy (folders 2 and 3 of 3; continued from previous
box)
Folders 3-5: Vol. III: page
proofs
Folder 6: Vol. III:
photocopy of cover and inside dust jacket
Folder 7: Vol. III:
typescript of general index
Folder 8: vol. III: List of
plates with memo to Laughlin
Folder 9: Correspondence:
1926-1940; A-B
Folder 10: Correspondence:
1926-1940: C-E
Folders 1-2: Correspondence:
1926-1940: Cotterell, Howard
Folder 3: Correspondence:
1926-1940: F-G
Folder 4: Correspondence:
1926-1940: H-L
Folder 5: Correspondence:
1926-1940: M
Folder 6: Correspondence:
1926-1940: Minor, Edw. E.
Folder 7: Correspondence:
1926-1940: N-Q
Folder 1: Correspondence:
1926-1940: R-S
Folder 2: Correspondence:
1926-1940: T-Z
Folder 3: Correspondence:
1940-1971: A-Blaney
Folder 4: Correspondence:
1940-1971: B’s continued
Folder 5: Correspondence:
1940-1971: C-D
Folder 6: Correspondence:
1940-1971: E-F
Folder 7: Correspondence:
1940-1971: G
Folder 1: Correspondence:
1940-1971: H
Folder 2: Correspondence:
1940-1971: Hilt, Wendell, 1966-70
Folder 3: Correspondence:
1940-1971: J-Mc
Folder 4: Correspondence:
1940-1971: M’s continuted
Folder 5: Correspondence:
1940-1971: N-P
Folder 6: Correspondence:
1940-1971: R
Folder 7: Correspondence:
1940-1971: S-V
Folder 1: Correspondence:
1940-1971: W
Folder 2: Correspondence:
1940-1971: Williams, Thomas D.
Folder 3: Correspondence:
1940-1971: Y
Folder 4: correspondence
received after publication of vol. III: A-G
Folder 5: correspondence
received after publication of vol. III: H-Y
Folder 6: Correspondence
with various publishers, 1940 and later
Folder 7: Correspondence
with publisher Barre Publishing Co., 1967-72, Vols. I-III
Folder 8: Correspondence with publisher Chanticleer Press, re: Encyclopedia
of American Art, 1971
Folder 1: Correspondence
with publisher Houghton Mifflin
Folder 2: Correspondence
with publisher Meriden Gravure, 1966-70
Folders 3-4: uncut pages of
plates [cut pages of plates are in
Folder 1: Research
notebooks for Vols. I-II: books 1-2
Folder 2: Research
notebooks for Vols. I-II: books 3-4
Folder 3: Research
notebooks for Vols. I-II: books 5-6
Folder 4: Research
notebooks for Vols. I-II: books 7-8
Folders 5-8: Research notebooks for Vols. I-II [no book numbers; typed
indexes prepared by another person are in the folders]
Folder 9: Research notes for Vols. I-II (notes may not have been
transferred to notebook)
Folder 1: Research cards
for Vols. I-II: Pewterers A-E
Folder 2: Research cards
for Vols. I-II: F-M
Folder 3: Research cards
for Vols. I-II: N-Y
Folder 4: American pewter
in private collections
Folder 5: American pewter
in museums and historical societies, after 1940
Folder 1: Articles on
pewter
Folders 2-3: Articles, publications,
and research notes
Folder 4: Dealers lists
and auction sales, after 1962
Folders 5-6: Dealers
lists and auction sales, checked prior to 1966, for revision [continues in next
box]
Folder 1: Dealers
lists and auction sales, checked prior to 1966, for revision [continued from
previous box]
Folder 2: "Dethroned
Pewterers"
Folder 3: Hilt, Wendall;
Folder 4: Pewter
Collectors’ Club of
Folder 5: Pewter Society
(
Folder 6: Research notes,
clippings, and rubbings
Folder 7: Rubbings of
touches (some photos; mostly Britannia)
Folder 8: St. Peter
Hungate Church Museum,
Folder 9: "Semper
Eadem - Who?"
Folder 1: Bigelow,
Francis H.: Notes on pewterers
Folder 2: Boggs, Benjamin
R. (of
Folder 3: Miscellaneous
research material
Folder 4: Pewter in
Folder 5: Pewter in
private collections and museums, before 1940
Folder 6: Danforth,
Joseph: inventory
Folder 7: Danforth,
Samuel, of
Folder 8: Danforth,
Thomas: inventory, 1782
Folder 9: Danforth,
Thomas: inventory, 1787
Folder 10: Danforth,
William: inventory
Folder 11: Eggleston,
Jacob: inventory
Folder 12: plates for vol.
I-II: extra copies [uncut pages of plates are in
Folder 13: Prospectus for
book
Folder 14: Records of
measurements of pewter forms, Vols. I-II
Folders 1-29: Plates I-XXIX
(1-29): photos, layouts, notes about images in plates
Folders 1-26: Plates
XXX-LVI (30-56): photos, layouts, notes about images in plates
Folders 1-22: Plates
LVII-LXXVIII (57-78): photos, layouts, notes about images in plates
Folders 1-26: Plates LXXIX-CIV
(79-104): photos, layouts, notes about images in plates
Folders 1-12: Plates
CV-CXV (105-115 and vol. 3 frontispiece): photos, layouts, notes about images
in plates [missing plate CXIV (114)]
Folders 13-14: photos of touches [i.e. touchmarks]
Folder 15: photos of
touches gathered for Vol. I
Folder 1: photos of
touches gathered for Vol. I
Folder 2: photos of
touches gathered for Vol. II
Folders 3-6: photos of
touchmarks for Vol. III
Folders 7-8: photos
accumulated before 1940 for illustrations in Vol. I
Folders 1-2: photos accumulated before 1940 for
illustrations in Vol. I
Folder 3: photos accumulated before 1940 for
illustrations in Vol. II
Folder 4: Photos accumulated before 1940, never
intended for use on book
Folders 5-8: photos not used in Vol. III
Folders 1-2: photos not used in Vol. III
Folder 3: Photos and miscellaneous
Folders 4-5: Photos used in Encyclopedia Britannica, 1973
Folder 6: Photos of
exhibition at
Folder 7: Photos loaned
to Charles F. Montgomery
Folders 8-10: Additional photos
Folders 1-5: Negatives, not
wanted for 2nd edition
Folders 1-2: Negatives, not
wanted for 2nd edition
Folders 3-6: Negatives
Folder 7: negatives and
slides
Folders 8-11: study prints for glass
negatives [originals in
26 glass plate negatives – must use study prints in
Map case:
Folder 1: uncut sheets of
plates
Folders 2-3: 11 boards with drawings of pewter touchmarks, with a note that
these were not used in Pewter in America