The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:          Ledlie I. Laughlin                                                         

Title:               Collection

Dates:             1926-1973

Call No.:         Col 58 

Acc. No.:         73x157

Quantity:        26 boxes (8.5 cu. ft.)

Location:        16 E 1-5

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

Ledlie Irwin Laughlin, 1890-1977, was a renowned pewter collector, scholar and author.  In 1928 he became assistant Dean of Freshman at Princeton University.  He retired from there in 1953 as Associate Director of Admissions.  He was very active in the Pewter Collectors' Club of America.

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

This collection contains research notebooks and notecards pertaining to pewter and its makers. Inventories and touchmarks of makers, as well as photos of objects are also included. Most of this material was used in his book Pewter in America: Its Makers and their Marks, Vols. I-III. There is also correspondence with other collectors.

           

 

ORGANIZATION

           

Research notes are found in Boxes 1-5.  Photographs and negatives are mostly in Boxes 6-14 and 16-18.  Boxes 15 and 19-25 hold drafts of Laughlin’s book and correspondence with publishers and fellow pewter collectors. 

 

A more detailed description of some of the materials in the collection is available at this repository.

 

 

PROVENANCE

           

Gift of Ledlie I. Laughlin.

 

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

Topics:

            Pewter - United States.

            Pewter - Collectors and collecting.

            Pewter - Marks.

            Pewterers - United States.

            Inventories of decedents' estates - United States.

            Notes.

            Correspondence.

            Illustrations.

            Inventories.

            Photoprints.

            Notebooks.

            Pewterers.

            Collectors.

 

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location: 16 E 1-5

 

 

Box 1:  

 

Research notebooks for Vols.I-II: books 1-2

Research notebooks for Vols.I-II: books 3-4

Research notebooks for Vols.I-II: books 5-6

Research notebooks for Vols.I-II: books 7-8

Research notebooks for Vols.I-II

Research notebooks for Vols.I-II (may not have been transferred to notebook)

 

 

Box 2:  

 

Research cards for Vols.I-II: Pewterers A-E

Research cards for Vols.I-II: F-M

Research cards for Vols.I-II: N-Y

Hilt, Wendall; Connecticut research

St. Peter Hungate Church Museum, Norwich; catalog

"Semper Eadem - Who?"

Photos - A.C. Hauck

 

 

Box 3:  

 

Notes on pewterers by Francis H. Bigelow

Research papers, Benjamin R. Boggs, Harrisburg, PA

Miscellaenous material

Pewter in America, Vol. I

Pewter in private collections, museum, before 1940

Eggleston, Jacob: inventory

Danforth, William: inventory

Danforth, Thomas: inventory, 1782

Danforth, Thomas: inventory, 1787

Danforth, Joseph: inventory

Dealers lists checked prior to 1966...for revision

 

 

Box 4:  

 

Miscellenous material

American pewter in private collections

American pewter in museums, hist. socs., after 1940

Danforth, Samuel, Hartford

"Dethroned Pewterers"

Winterthur Newsletter, Jan. 1971

Dealers lists, auction sales after 1962

Dealers lists etc. checked prior to 1966, revision

 

 

Box 5:  

 

Bulletin of Pewter Society (England)

Prospectus for book

Vols.I-II, extra set of Plates of Illus., orig. ed.

Vols.I-II, records of measurements of pewter forms

Rubbings, photos of touches, mostly Britannia

Vols.I-II, correspondence 1926-40; A-B

Xerox of research notebook 2/63 & 11/16/65

 

 

Box 6:  

 

Photos of exhibition at Reading

Manuscript for "Pewter in America" part 1

Manuscript for "Pewter in America" part 2

 

 

Box 7:  

 

Typescript, dup. copy

Negatives

 

 

Box 8:  

 

Negatives

Glass negatives

Negatives, not wanted for 2nd edition

 

 

Box 9:  

 

Negatives, not wanted for 2nd edition

Negatives, prints, Plate XXXVII

Prints, Plate XXXVIII

Prints, negatives, Plate XXXIX

Prints, Plate XL

Prints, Plate XLI

 

 

Box 9a:

 

Glass negatives

Glass negatives, touches to be used

 

 

Box 10:

 

 Prints &/or negs. for Plates XLII to LVIII

 Prints &/or negs. for Plates I to III

 

 

Box 11: 

 

Prints &/or negs. for Plates IV to XXVI

 

 

Box 12: 

 

Prints, Plates XXVIII to XXXVI

Loose plates, nos. LXXIX to XCIXa

Vol.II, prints &/or negs., Plates LIX to LXVIII

 

 

Box 13: 

 

Vol.II, prints &/or negs., Plates LXIX to LXXVIII

Vol.II, photos accumulated before 1940 for illus.

Vol.I, photos accumulated before 1940 for illus.

 

 

Box 14: 

 

Vol.I, photos accumulated before 1940 for illus.

Photos accumulated before 1940, no use intended

Photos of touches

Rubbings of touches taken prior to 1940

Vol.II photos of touches gathered

Vol.I photos of touches gathered

Vol.III manuscript

 

 

Box 15: 

 

Vol.III manuscript

List of plates with memo to Laughlin

Front flap, xerox Vol.III

Vol.III xerox of cover & inside dust jacket

Vol.III manuscript contents

Vol.III manuscript list of plates

Vol.III manuscript index of makers (pewter shown)

Vol.III manuscript bibliography

Vol.III list of people to be thanked

Vol.III manuscript acknowledgements

Vol.III manuscript index

Vol.III typescript of general index

Vol.III material for plates, Front piece

Vol.III, Plates LXXIX to LXXXVII

 

 

Box 16: 

 

Vol.III, Plates LXXXVIII to CX

 

 

Box 17: 

 

Vol.III, Plates CXI to CXIII, also misc. plates

Vol.III, photos not used

Vol.III, photos of touchmarks

 

 

Box 18: 

 

Vol.III, photos of touchmarks

Vol.III, page proofs

Photos used in Encyclopedia Britannica, 1973

 

 

Box 19: 

 

Photos loaned to Charles F. Montgomery

Additional photos

Vols.I-II, correspondence 1926-40: C-E

Vols.I-II, correspondence 1926-40: F-G

Vols.I-II, correspondence 1926-40: H-L

Vols.I-II, correspondence 1926-40: M

Vols.I-II, correspondence 1926-40: N-Q

 

 

Box 20: 

 

Plate XXVII

Vols.I-II, correspondence: Minor, Edw. E.

Vols.I-II, correspondence 1926-40: T-Z

Correspondence 1940-71: M-Minor

Correspondence 1940-71: N-P

Correspondence, H.A. Laughlin et.al., Houghton Mifflin

Correspondence, Barre Publishing Co., 1967-72, Vols.I-III

 Xerox copy research notebook, 7/10/63 - 2/20/66

 

 

Box 21: 

 

Vols.I-II, correspondence 1926-40: R-S

Correspondence 1940-71: A-Blaney

Correspondence 1940-71: B

Correspondence 1940-71: C-D

Correspondence 1940-71: E-F

Correspondence 1940-71: G-H

 

 

Box 22: 

 

Correspondence 1940-71: J-L

Correspondence 1940-71: R

Correspondence 1940-71: S-Snow

Correspondence 1940-71: S-V

Correspondence 1940-71: W

Correspondence 1940-71: Williams, Thomas D.

Correspondence 1940-71: Y

Correspondence, various publishers, 1940 & later

Correspondence, Meriden Gravure, 1966-70

 

 

Box 23: 

 

Vol.III, letters, Darrell Hyder, Barre Pub.

Correspondence, 1971, Chanticleer Press, Ency. Am. Art

Photos & miscellaneous

Cotterell, Howard

Vol.III, correspondence received after publication: A-G

Vol.III, correspondence received after publication: H-Y

Hilt, Wendell, 1966-70

Hauck, Andrew, 1971

Blaney, William O.

Miscellaneous correspondence

Xerox of notebook, Vols.I-II

 

 

Box 24: 

 

Xerox of research notebook, 12/13/65 - 2/4/67

Xerox of research notebook, 6/1/52 and 8/20/39

"Antiques"

"American Collector"

Articles on pewter

Correspondence, Chanticleer Press

Clippings

 

 

Box 25: 

 

Uncut pages

[Galleys?]