The Winterthur Library

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: Lyon family

Title: Lyon Family Papers

Dates: 1879-1941

Call No.: Col. 62

Acc. No.: 76x99, 78x314, 87x174, Ph 1382, Ph 1384, 90x91

Quantity: 14 boxes (4.7 cu. ft.)

Location: 16 B 3-5

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Irving Whitall Lyon, 1840-1896, was a physician in Hartford, Connecticut. A heart and lung specialist, he was chief medical examiner for the Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance Company. He started his hobby of collecting antiques in the late 1870s. This hobby took him to Europe several times and led to the publication of a book on New England colonial furniture, The Colonial Furniture of New England: A Study of the Domestic Furniture in Use in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, which was first published in 1892.. His research notes make up a prominent part of this collection.

Irving Phillips Lyon, one of Irving W. Lyon's three children, was also a physician, practicing in Buffalo, New York, and an antiques collector. His main interests were 17th century oak furniture, particularly from Ipswich, Massachusetts, and Guilford, Connecticut, and the carver Thomas Dennis. He wrote a series of articles about oak furniture which were published in Antiques. His papers and letters often trace the provenance of a furniture piece and the details of its construction. His notes and letters also make up a substantial part of this collection.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

These papers consist of research notes and correspondence on furniture, ceramics, oak furniture, cabinetmakers, carvers and genealogy. The notebooks record ocean voyages to Europe and include references to decorative arts and architecture. Drafts of published articles are also included in the collection. Details of furniture construction are recorded in many letters, along with genealogical information on the owners and makers. Notes from inventories and photographs are also included.

Irving P. Lyon had a wide correspondence, including exchanges with Wallace Nutting, Henry F. du Pont, the Essex Institute, and many other people and museums..

ORGANIZATION

Miscellaneous notes and a manuscript copy of Colonial Furniture in New England are in Boxes 1-5. Boxes 6-9 contain correspondence of Irving P. Lyon. Boxes 10-14 hold an assortment of notes, letters, and photographs.

A more detailed description of the some of the items in the collection is available at this repository. A name index to accession 78x314 is appended to this finding aid.

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

The materials are in English.

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.

PROVENANCE

Gifts and purchases from various sources.

ACCESS POINTS

People:

Lyon, Irving Whitall, 1840-1896.

Lyon, Irving Phillips, 1870-1944.

Dennis, Thomas, ca. 1638-1706.

Topics:

Furniture making.

Furniture - Expertising.

Cabinetmakers - Genealogy.

Furniture workers - Genealogy.

Ceramics.

Architecture.

Inventories of decedents' estates - Massachusetts.

Inventories of decedents' estates - Connecticut.

Inventories of decedents' estates - England.

Voyages and travels.

Buffalo (N.Y.) - Social life and customs.

Hartford (Conn.) - Social life and customs.

Clippings.

Scrapbooks.

Correspondence.

Photoprints.

Drafts (preliminary versions).

Genealogies.

Notes.

Notebooks.

Physicians.

Collectors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 16 B 3-5

Box 1:

Folder 1: Letters between Irving P. & Charles Lyon, brothers, 1929-1930 (acc. 90x91)

Folder 2: Voyage notebook to England & Scotland, 1879 (acc. 76x99.1)

Folder 3: Notebooks, European travels, 1881: Memoranda of inquiries to be made in Europe, 1881: pottery, furniture (2 items) (acc. 76x99.2-.3)

Folder 4: Expense book, European travels, 1879, 1881 (acc. 76x99.4)

Folder 5: notebooks: European travels, 1886, 2 vols. (acc. 76x99.5-.6)

Folder 6: English inventories, 1882-84, 3 vols. (acc. 76x99.7-.9)

Folder 7: Notes from old Connecticut inventories: crockery (acc. 76x99.11)

Folder 8: Connecticut records, 1641-1800 (notes taken 1883) (acc. 76x99.12)

Folder 9: Boston inventories, 1639-1784 (notes taken 1884 and 1886) (acc. 76x99.13)

Box 2:

Folder 1: Inventories, Massachusetts, 2 vols. (acc. 76x99.15-.16)

Folder 2: Notes from inventories on old furniture (acc. 76x99.17)

Folder 3: Notes, queries, etc. especially relating to old furniture (acc. 76x99.18)

Folder 4: Receipts for old books on furniture, etc.

Folder 5: Letters & data on old china, glass & delft, etc. (acc. 76x99.20)

Folder 6: Queries, odd notes, extracts, questions (acc. 76x99.22)

Folder 7: Index: clock & watchmakers, 1666-1757 (acc. 76x99.23)

Folder 8: Notes on chairs (acc. 76x99.23)

Folder 9: Notes on clocks (acc. 76x99.25)

Folder 10: Notes on cupboards (acc. 76x99.26)

Folder 11: Notes on desks (acc. 76x99.27)

Folder 12: Notes on tables (acc. 76x99.28)

Folder 13: Halls & parlours (acc. 76x99.29)

Folder 14: Crittenden, A.R. (acc. 76x99.30)

Folder 15: Caldwell, C.C.

Folder 16: Chests: notes by I. W. Lyon

Box 3:

Folders 1-3: Manuscript of "Colonial Furniture in New England" (acc. 76x99.31a)

Folder 4: Typescript of "Colonial Furniture in New England" (acc. 76x99.31b)

Folder 5: Dummy book for size, form, etc.; includes a letter from I. W. Lyon to I. P. Lyon about his meeting with the publishers Houghton, Mifflin & Co., May 17, 1891 (acc. 76x99.32)

Box 4:

Folder 1: Prospectus for "Colonial Furniture in New England" (acc. 76x99.33)

Folder 2: Lyon, Mary Tucker; letters 1879-1881 (acc. 76x99.35-.36)

Folders 3-4: Lyon, Irving Phillips; letters 1879-1896 (acc. 76x99.35 and others)

Folders 5-7: Lyon, Mary E.; letters 1879-1896 (acc. 76x99.35 and others)

Box 5:

Folder 1: Irving P. Lyon’s annotations to "The Colonial Furniture in New England," by I. W. Lyon [photocopy] (Ph 1382)

Folder 2: Searches made in English inventories on old furniture (acc. 76x94.10)

Folder 3: Early Boston & Plymouth inventories (acc. 76x94.14)

Folder 4: Lyons book on ceramics [photocopy of manuscript] (Ph 1384)

Folder 5: Chests: photos: I.W. Lyon illustrations (acc. 78x314.809-.815, .817, .819-.820) (see also oversize box)

Folder 6: Clocks: photos: I.W. Lyon illustrations (acc. 78x314.832-.834, .837) (see also oversize box)

Folder 7: Photo: Irving W. Lyon, with family information on the back (acc. 90x91)

Folder 8: The Magazine Antiques: loose sheets on Ipswich furniture (acc. 90x91)

Folders 9-10: The Magazine Antiques: Nov.-Dec. 1937; Feb., April, June, Aug. 1938 (acc. 90x91)

Box 6:

Folder 1: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "A" (includes letter from Mary Allen, photographer, Deerfield, Mass.)

Folder 2: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Allien, Frederick

Folder 3: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Augar, Mrs. Willis L.

Folder 4: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "B"

Folder 5: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Bailey family

Folder 6: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Baldwin, Mrs. Chas.

Folder 7: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Batchelder, Charles H.

Folder 8: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Behrend, Mrs. B.A.

Folder 9: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Blair, Mrs. J. Insley

Folder 10: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Blaney, Dwight

Folder 11: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Bradstreet, Ruth

Folder 12: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Brainard, Newton C. & Morgan B.

Folder 13: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Brooklyn Museum

Folder 14: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Bulkeley family

Folder 15: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Bull, C. Sanford

Folder 16: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Bushnell, George

Folder 17: Letters to Irving P. Lyon:Buxton, A. K., British Museum, re: "Laurea Austriaca" (acc. 78x315.1-.2)

Folder 18: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "C"

Folder 19: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Chittenden, Alice H.

Folder 20: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Church, Mrs. W.B.

Folder 21: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Clarke, Hermann

Folder 22: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Concord Antiquarian Society

Folder 23: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Connecticut State Library

Folder 24: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Cooper, W.F.

Folder 25: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Creamer, Warren Weston

Folder 26: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "D"

Folder 27: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Daland, Mrs. John

Folder 28: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Davis, Harry R.

Folder 29: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Day, Katherine

Box 7:

Folder 1: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Dennis, Harriet Sawyer

Folder 2: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: du Pont, Henry Francis, 1931, 1937

Folder 3: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Dyer, Walter A.

Folder 4: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "E"

Folder 5: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Eliot, Catharine G.

Folder 6: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Elliot, Mrs. John

Folder 7: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Essex Institute

Folder 8: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "F"

Folder 9: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Fiske, Cornelia

Folder 10: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Foote, H. W.

Folder 11: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: French, Hollis

Folder 12: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Frost, Mrs. Josephine

Folder 13: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "G"

Folder 14: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Goodwin, Wm. B.

Folder 15: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Goss, George A.

Folder 16: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Griswold, Mrs. Samuel A.

Folder 17: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "H"

Folder 18: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Heard, Miss Alice

Folder 19: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Hutchinson, Susan A.

Folder 20: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "I"

Folder 21: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Irving, H. W.

Folder 22: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Folder 23: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "J"

Folder 24: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Johnson, Rev. Arthur

Folder 25: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "K"

Folder 26: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Keyes, Homer Eaton

Box 8:

Folder 1: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "L"

Folder 2: Letters to Irving P. Lyon:Lawton, Herbert

Folder 3: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Leete, Eva B. and Frank Chapman

Folder 4: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Lockwood, Luke V.

Folder 5: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Longfellow's Wayside Inn

Folder 6: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Luther, C.F.

Folder 7: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Lynes, Wilson

Folder 8: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "M"

Folder 9: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Merriam, Marion Pickett (Mrs. C. N.)

Folder 10: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Folder 11: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Folder 12: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "N"

Folder 13: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: New Haven Colony Historical Society

Folder 14: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: New Hampshire Historical Society

Folder 15: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Nichols, Mary E.

Folder 16: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Nutting, Wallace

Folder 17: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Oviatt, Edwin

Folder 18: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "P"

Folder 19: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Paine, John B.

Folder 20: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Park, Estelle

Folder 21: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Palmer, Mrs. George

Folder 22: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Patch, Emily

Folder 23: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Pennsylvania Museum of Art

Folder 24: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Putnam, Mrs. W. L.

Folder 25: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "R"

Folder 26: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Richter, Mrs. Ferdinand

Box 9:

Folder 1: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "S"

Folder 2: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Seymour, G. Dudley

Folder 3: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Sheldon, Mrs. George

Folder 4: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Short, H.C.

Folder 5: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Singleton, Miss Esther

Folder 6: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Smith, Robert (T. or J.)

Folder 7: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Spalding, Philip

Folder 8: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Steiner, Walter

Folder 9: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Stoddard, Henry B.

Folder 10: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "T"

Folder 11: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Taylor, G.A.

Folder 12: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Towne, Mrs. G.W.

Folder 13: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "U"

Folder 14: Letters to Irving P. Lyon:“V”

Folder 15: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: "W"

Folder 16: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Wadsworth Atheneum

Folder 17: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Waters, William C.

Folder 18: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Wesleyan University

Folder 19: Letters to Irving P. Lyon: Yale University

Folder 20: Index of objects in old houses (acc. 78x314.3)

Box 10:

Folder 1: Bed index, including outline of chapter on bedsteads (acc. 78x314.4)

Folder 2: Notes on bedsteads (acc. 78x314.5-9)

Folder 3: Prices of court cupboards in England and New England (acc. 78x314.10)

Folder 4: Notebook of fire place utensils and “various odd items found in old houses” (acc. 78x314.11)

Folder 5: Letter, unsigned, to Miss Rosa, March 26, 1925, re: maple wood, Spanish names for other kinds of wood; plus a sample of maple wood (acc. 78x314.13-.13)

Folder 6: Letters & notes to Dr. Lyon, re: early uses of mahogany (acc. 78x314.14-.34 and .39-.58)

Folder 7: Booklets: "Tropical Woods," numbers 1, 5, 6, and 7 in a series issued by Yale University School of Forestry (acc. 78x314.35-.38)

Folder 8: Notes on woods used for early American furniture (draft of an article; lists of different kinds of woods used for furniture) (acc. 78x314.59-.61)

Folder 9: Letters re: how to distinguish American from English oak (acc. 78x314.62-.73)

Folder 10: Wood specimens – list of specimens sent to Yale and envelopes with samples (acc. 78x314.74.86)

Folder 11: Draft: "Wainscot New England Chairs in General & Guilford in particular" (acc. 78x314.87)

Folder 12: Abraham Pierson chair: analysis, history, and genealogy of Pierson family (acc. 78x314.88-.90)

Folder 13: Nicholas Disbrowe chair: notes refuting attribution (acc. 78x314.91)

Folder 14: Notes on Arnold chair (acc. 78x314.92)

Folder 15: Nagel, Charles (acc. 78x314.93)

Folders 16-19: Photos of wainscot chairs (acc. 78x314.94-.125)

Box 11:

Folder 1: Letters re: Guilford research and Guildford scroll (acc. 78x314.126-.128)

Folder 2: Letters & notes re: Joshua Reed highboy and genealogy records of the Reed family (acc. 78x314.129-.149)

Folder 3: Letters & notes re: Mary Allyn chest and how the Nicholas Disbrowe inscription could be a forgery (acc. 78x314.150-.158)

Folder 4: Polly Bartlett chest-on-chest; Bartlett family notes; Howe, Bush, Perley families, and connections to the Fay, Oaks, and Newell families (acc. 78x314.159-.176)

Folder 5: Dennis family notes, including Thomas Dennis; also related lines: Hovey, Scullard, Searle, Scarlett, Alderman, Farley, Charles, Grafton, Sawyer, Palmer, Stickney, and Brookhouse (acc. 78x314.177-.332)

Folder 6: Genealogies of Fowler, Mulliner, Wainwright, Choate, Perkins, Woodbury, Raymond, Conant, and Dodge families (acc. 78x314.333-.346)

Folder 7: Notes on Pike chest, including genealogy of Sawyer family, and a clipping of wood from the chest (acc. 78x314.347-.354)

Folder 8: Carvers: Ed. Budd (Boston, 1683) and Richard Knight (Charlestown, 1689) (acc. 78x314.406-.410)

Folder 9: Drafts & notes for articles on Ipswich oak types (acc. 78x314.411)

Folder 10: Photos: “The Oak Furniture of Ipswich”; Part I, figs.1-4, Nov. 1937 (acc. 78x314.412-.417)

Folder 11: Photos: “The Oak Furniture of Ipswich”; Part II, figs.5-16, Dec. 1937 (acc. 78x314.418-.430)

Folder 12: Photos: “The Oak Furniture of Ipswich”; Part III, figs.17-24, Feb. 1938 (acc. 78x314.431-.438)

Folder 13: Photos: “The Oak Furniture of Ipswich”; Part IV, figs.25-38, April 1938, plus drawings of types of spindles and columns found on cupboards (acc. 78x314.439-.458)

Folder 14: Photos: “The Oak Furniture of Ipswich”; Part V, figs.40-53, June 1938 (acc. 78x314.454-.470)

Folder 15: Photos: “The Oak Furniture of Ipswich”; Part VI, figs.54-59, Oct. 1938 (acc. 78x314.471-.476)

Folder 16: Photostats - Ipswich furniture (acc. 78x314.477-.539)

Folder 17: Published references to articles on Ipswich furniture (acc. 78x314.540-.543)

Folder 18: Drafts: "Oak Furniture of Guilford, Connecticut" (acc. 78x314.544-.546)

Folder 19: Drafts: "The Guilford Scroll: A Type Identifying the Carved Oak Furniture Made at Guilford, Conn." (acc. 78x314.547-.549)

Folder 20: Photos used in Guilford article (acc. 78x314.550-.563)

Folder 21: "The Oak Furniture of Guilford, Conn.," part 2 (acc. 78x314.564-.565)

Folder 22: Photos used in Guilford article, part 2 (acc. 78x314.566-.573)

Box 12:

Folder 1: Draft of oak furniture of Guilford, part 3 (acc. 78x314.574-.575)

Folder 2: "Guilford Scroll..." part 2 (acc. 78x314.576-.579)

Folder 3: Photos used in Guilford article, part 3 (acc. 78x314.580-.588)

Folder 4: Article: "Oak Furniture of Guilford, Connecticut", part 4: plain wainscot, photos (acc. 78x314.589-.594)

Folder 5: Drafts & checklist on variants of Guilford carved furniture, especially pieces from New Haven County, with notes on genealogical search of the original owners (acc. 78x314.595-.599)

Folder 6: Photos of furniture in variants article (acc. 78x314.600-.610)

Folder 7: Photos resembling Lyon's figure I, Guilford article, part (acc. 78x314.611-.617)

Folder 8: Draft: critique of Guilford joiner (acc. 78x314.618)

Folder 9: "Palm Paneled Chest...," with checklist and genealogy (acc. 78x314.619-.621)

Folder 10: Photos: Windham type furniture (acc. 78x314.622-.640)

Folder 11: Photos: carved scroll type (acc. 78x314.641-.653)

Folder 12: Photos: Guilford painted type (acc. 78x314.654-.659)

Folder 13: Photos: spiral turned furniture (acc. 78x314.660-.662)

Folder 14: Photos: furniture, possibly Guilford or related (acc. 78x314.663-.666)

Folder 15: Photos: chests on frame (acc. 78x314.667-.677)

Folder 16: Photos: bracket tables (acc. 78x314.678-.684)

Folder 17: Camehl, Ada Louise: article: “As Told on Old China: American History on Jugs from Over the Sea.” 1912 (acc. 78x314.685)

Folder 18: Letters to Miss Almira Lathrop (Nov. 20, 1838, from Caroline, with family news and plans for Thanksgiving) & Mrs. R. Lathrop (Jan. 8, 1853, from Charles and Rebecca, about their recent marriage), both in Colchester, Conn. (acc. 78x314.686-687)

Folder 19: American Antiquarian Society, Proceedings, April 29, 1891, quoting comments by I. W. Lyon on the Hancock clock and its maker Bowley Devereux of London (acc. 78x314.688)

Folder 20: Miscellaneous personal notes & letters, many related to business (acc. 78x314.689-.710)

Folder 21: Miscellaneous photos of furniture (especially chests), mostly identified on the back (acc. 78x314.711-.746)

Box 13:

Folder 1: Letters & notes re: Haddock court cupboard (PW 1680), showing possible descent from Peter Woodbury of Beverley, including genealogies of Haddock, Whitney, and Leach families, and their connections to Herrick, Conant, Batchelder, Farley, Choate, and Raymond families (acc. 78x314.355-.369)

Folder 2: Notes on M F box from Ipswich, and notes on Caldwell family (acc. 78x314.370-.383)

Folder 3: Letters & notes re: Foster-Ames cupboard, including copy of the Salta report and Lyon’s summary to H. F. du Pont (acc. 78x314.384-.405)

Folder 4: Photos: tables in "Colonial Furniture in New England" by I. W. Lyon (acc. 78x314.747-.758)

Folder 5-6: Photos: chairs in "Colonial Furniture in New England" by I. W. Lyon (acc. 78x314.759-.796)

Folder 6: Photos: boxes & desks in "Colonial Furniture in New England" by I. W. Lyon (acc. 78x314.797-.505)

Folder 7: Photos: chests on frame, dressing tables, corner cupboards in "Colonial Furniture in New England" by I. W. Lyon (acc. 78x314.821-.831)

Box 14: (oversized box)

Folder 1: Chests: photos: I.W. Lyon illustrations (acc. 78x314.816, .818) (see also Box 5)

Folder 2: Clocks: photos: I.W. Lyon illustrations (acc. 78x314.836, .838) (see also Box 5)

Folder 3: Drawings of furniture & brass: I.W. Lyon illustrations (acc. 78x314.839-.849)

Folder 4: scrapbook of press notices of The Colonial Furniture in New England

Folder 5: Miscellaneous notes (mostly lists of furniture with prices)

Index to names in Acc. 78x314:

Alderman genealogy .83

Allyn, Mary .150-156

Ames (Eames) genealogy .390-395, .400-.403

Andover Historical Society .391

Appleton genealogy .440, .446

Arnold, Benedict (Governor) .92

Atwater genealogy .596, .599-600

Bartlett genealogy .162-.174, .447

Batchelder genealogy .365-.367

Behrend, Mrs. B. A. .441, .649

Bishop, John .544,.552

Blair, Mrs. J. Insley .468, .671, .682-.684

Bolles Collection .463, .464, .469, .475, .553, .560, .563, .601, .634, .650, .655, .658, .659, .667, .668, .676, .737

Boston