The Winterthur
Library
The Joseph Downs Collection of
Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera
OVERVIEW OF THE
COLLECTION
Creator:
Samuel H.
Laidacker
Title:
Papers
Dates:
1880-1991
Call No.:
Col. 64
Acc. No.:
87x172, 88x210, 89x55, 91x36, 05x46
Quantity:
82 boxes, 3
volumes
Location:
14 G-H
1-5
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
Samuel H. Laidacker was an antiques
dealer in eastern Pennsylvania. His
specialties were American historical glass and Anglo-American historical
Staffordshire china. Early in his
career, he also dealt in other antiques, such as furniture, prints, coins,
stamps, and firearms. In addition
to selling antiques, he sought to educate collectors through writing,
publishing, and selling books and a magazine.
Laidacker was born in 1902, the son of
John Gideon (1865-1927) and Edith Laidacker. John Gideon Laidacker was an antiques
collector and dealer, beginning his career in the 1880s. His primary collecting
interest was antique firearms, but he also sold coins, china, bottles,
furniture, and crude implements.
Some of his business correspondence and records are preserved in this
collection. In addition to Samuel,
John and Edith also had at least two daughters, Edith and Katherine, and another
son.
Samuel attended Bloomsburg Normal School
and then Pennsylvania State College.
After their father’s death, Samuel and his brother turned their attention
to running their father’s antiques business. Samuel Laidacker conducted his
business in several ways: selling at auctions, from a shop, by mail order, and
at shows. His residences and shops
were in the following Pennsylvania towns (with approximate dates): Shickshinny
(1927-28); Wilkes Barre (1929) (with the brother still operating out of the
Shickshinny store); Wyoming (1929-37); Meshoppen (1938 with a "summer shop" here
as early as 1935); Scranton (1936-47); Bristol (1947-63); Bloomsburg (1963-83);
Watsontown (1983-88); Northumberland (1989-?). In addition to running his own business,
Laidacker also did cataloging for auction houses over a number of years,
particularly for Parke-Bernet in New York.
In January 1961, Laidacker introduced
himself in a mimeographed letter titled "Bottles & Flasks" this
way:
I started out to be an engineer and wound up in the antiques
business. Over 25 years ago I got
into the stamps and coin business and was quite successful at it. The thought came to me that the antiques
business would be much better, more interesting and more profitable if guide
books, with prices if possible, were in general circulation. While I dealt in bottles and rare glass
before I became so interested in china and involved in the publishing business,
it was for historical china that I first attempted a classification. I am happy to say that I believe that I
have covered it very thoroughly in my several books and in AAC 'The American
Antiques Collector,' that small magazine that I have been publishing for nearly
twenty years. In each issue there
have been many notes about bottles, some of them not obtainable anywhere
else. Those notes are taking shape
to come out in book form.
My books 'Anglo-American China' practically put me out of the china
business. So many people collect it
that as soon as some comes on the market it goes into a collection…. While I am
best known in the field of china, in recent years I have been much more active
with rare glass, especially bottles and flasks of all types - and there are
many.
In 1938 Samuel published The Standard Catalogue of Anglo-American
China. This small book
arranged, classified, and described--for the first time--the many varieties of
Staffordshire wares manufactured for the North American market. A special feature was the inclusion of
recent auction prices realized for individual pieces. (The first copy of this book is part of
this collection.) According to an
ad in the back of this work, Laidacker planned to issue a similar work for
historical bottles and flasks, although it is unclear whether this was ever
published.
Laidacker followed the successful issue
of this groundbreaking volume with the premier issue of his long-running, albeit
irregular (e.g., volume 3, nos. 7-9, the last 3 issues, were released in 1949,
1952, and 1956 respectively), magazine called The American Antiques Collector. By publishing recent auction prices in
this magazine, he was able to keep his Standard Catalog… up-to-date. As he tells it in an undated
mimeographed letter:
While this is the smallest publication in the field of American Antiques
in size, it is the second oldest and the most frequently read and referred to
because it contains so much practical and permanently valuable information. Actually, it contains more classified
and condensed auction records than all of the others
combined.
AAC - the abbreviation for 'THE AMERICAN ANTIQUES COLLECTOR' was started
in 1939 as my [mail order] list with information added in printed form. By that time I had been conducting a
successful mail order business for about 10 years and, as today, my mimeographed
lists contained notes of new discoveries, auction reports, current happenings
and items of interest to antiques collectors. Demand for those lists (collectors'
glass, china, fla[s]ks, prints, etc) was so great that it was decided to print
them and the information.
Competitors asked for advertising and that is how AAC began. Collectors reported notes and I acquired
many while dealing, cataloging for leading auction galleries, lecturing,
traveling, etc, etc. The
information became more specialized and more detailed and the illustrations
greater in number. Costs of
publication and accumulating material for future issues have always run ahead of
receipts. Recent issues have been
all information and advertising and no lists.
Laidacker also revised, expanded, and
updated his Staffordshire china book.
It came out as Anglo-American
China, part I and part II. Part
I covers American and Canadian views in printed transfer, Gaudy Dutch, Gaudy
Welsh, Gaudy Ironstone, Spatter and other hand decorated wares by Staffordshire
and other potters. Part II covers
literary series (Dr. Syntax, Wilkie, and Don Quixote), sentimental subjects,
English and other foreign views in transfer and patterns including ironstone by
Staffordshire and other potters.
Samuel H.
Laidacker was married to Katherine Brace (Kay), who died in 1978. Their son John (also called Jack)
followed his father and grandfather in the antiques business, specializing in
firearms and British campaign medals.
Samuel died on November 15, 1994, at the Klingerman Nursing Center in
Orangeville, Pennsylvania.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
The collection
consists of Samuel Laidacker's business papers, including correspondence; card
files; sales lists and sales records; issues of American Antiques Collector;
photographs; printed material from antiques shows and auctions, including
auction catalogs and price lists; newspaper and magazine clippings; and
miscellaneous publications. As
well, there are some papers from John Gideon Laidacker’s antiques business, and
some nineteenth century documents, mostly records of land sales, that have
nothing to do with the antiques business but which came in with the rest of the
papers.
Important correspondents include Alma and
Paul Brunner, Albert W. Claflin, H. F. du Pont, Charles B. Gardner, Ima Hogg ,
Ruth Webb Lee, Albert C. Marble, George S. McKearin, Jim Rose, Lorraine
Southern, Mrs. J. Watson Webb, and R.H. ("Dick") Wood.
The card files include names and
addresses of collectors and dealers, subscribers to American Antiques Collector, and notes
on the classification of china. The
box of magazine and newspaper clippings offers research material on glass and
ceramics. The photographs are
pictures of china, furniture, glass, textiles, people, metal objects, etc., but
unfortunately many are not identified or documented.
The materials about auctions are arranged
by name of auction house and are not indexed by the name of the person whose
estate was being offered for sale. The show literature is arranged
geographically; researchers should note that the names of annual shows sometimes
change.
The sales lists, the dates of which range
over 40 years, include those issued by Laidacker as well as those issued by some
of his competitors. Laidacker coded
his lists in the following way: List 5603 is May 1960, list 3; while List 12581
is December 1958, list 1.
ORGANIZATION
The papers are
arranged in twelve sereis:
I.
Correspondence [except with George S.
McKearin, for him see Series VI], Boxes 1-15;
II.
Business papers (bills, sales ledgers),
Boxes 16-17, and volumes 1-3;
III.
Issues of American Antiques Collector, Boxes
18-19;
IV.
Sales lists of Laidacker and his
competitors, Boxes 20-22;
V.
Materials about shows and auctions, Boxes
23-26;
VI.
George S. McKearin papers, Box
27;
VII.
Photographs and printing blocks, Boxes
28-33
VIII.
Biographical and miscellaneous material,
Box 34;
IX.
John
Gideon Laidacker papers, Box 35;
X.
Card
files, Boxes 36-78;
XI.
Research materials (clippings and
publications), Boxes 79-81;
XII.
Old
documents, Box 82.
PROVENANCE
Gift of Samuel
Laidacker.
RELATED
MATERIALS
Laidacker donated auction catalogs and
other materials that dealt with glass to the Corning Museum of Glass.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Laidacker, John
Gideon, 1865-1927.
Brunner, Paul.
Brunner, Alma.
Claflin, Albert W.
Du Pont, Henry Francis, 1880-1969.
Gardner, Charles B.
Hogg, Ima.
Lee, Ruth Webb, 1894
Marble, Albert C.
McKearin, Helen.
McKearin, George S. (George Skinner), 1874-
Rose, James.
Southern, Lorraine.
Webb, J. Watson, Mrs.
Wood, Richard H.
Topics:
Antiques.
Antique dealers - Pennsylvania.
Antiques - Prices.
Antique auctions.
Pottery.
Pottery - Collectors and collecting.
Pottery - Prices.
Staffordshire pottery.
Luster-ware.
Glassware - United States.
Glassware - Collectors and collecting.
Bottles - Collectors and collecting.
Firearms - Private collections.
Correspondence.
Auction catalogs.
Bills (financial).
Business cards.
Cashbooks.
Clippings.
Galley proofs.
Lists.
Notes.
Pamphlets.
Photoprints.
Antique dealers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
COLLECTION
Location: 14 G-H
1-5
Box 1:
Uncertain origin
A - miscellaneous
Aalressel, Delverne,
1966
Adams, Frank; Laverne; and Samuel K.,
1934-39
Ader, Herb, 1964
Adler, Ija, 1948
Agadjanian, Serge and Carol,
1963-72
Albany Institute of History and Art (re:
ten Eyck collection)
Albert, Ruth, 1930
Alexander, Mrs. J. F., 1947,
1962-64
Allen, Raymond,
1947-53
Allen [various]
Allman, Felicia,
1968
American Antiquarian Society, 1938,
1954
American Art Association/Anderson
Galleries, Inc., 1938
American Association of Antique Dealers,
1938
Anderson, Bart, 1941,
1953
Andrews, Mary W.,
1938
Arbuthnot, Thomas S.,
1936
Arkenburgh, Miriam V. (Mrs. Weber Hill),
1948
Arman, David and Linda,
1972
Arment, Helen G.,
1947
Ashby, Agnes,
1942-49
Attman-Weiss, 1937
Atwater Kent Museum,
1955-66
Austin, George,
1956-80
Ba--- miscellaneous
Baer, Margaret (Mrs. Howard A.) (and
grand-daughter Robin Hamlin), 1968-73
Ballister, F. E.,
1938
Banahan, Mrs. J. P.,
1928-32
Barenholtz, Edith (Mrs. Bernard),
1964-69
Barnes Foundation,
1940
Barrus, Arthur W.,
1961-63
Bass, Gordon,
1955-62
Bassett, Katherine E. (Miss),
1947-63
Bassett, Preston R.,
1961-62
Baver, Faith and
George
Beatty, George,
1976
Beaumont, Howard B.,
1935
Bell, Carrie (Mrs. Frank E.),
1964-66
Benedict, Mrs. Elbert,
1955-60
Benkard, Mrs. Harry Horton,
n.d.
Bennett, Mrs. Gerald W.,
1948
Bergstrom, Evangeline H.,
1940-41
Bernet, O., n.d.
Bernstein, Milton L., 1929,
1947
Besant, G. Montz,
1939
Bezette, H. J.,
1960-64
Box 2:
Bierce, George William,
1939
Bigelow, Paul W., 1941-45,
1956
Bigstaff, Edith D.,
1947
Bilhuber, Gertrude,
1942
Bill, Clare R.,
1948
Billups, Melvin P.,
1954-61
Bl--- miscellaneous
Blair, Jesse, 1964
Blair, Streeter and Camille,
1947
Blaske, Edmund R.,
1960-61
Blaske, Edmund R., 1962-67, 1971,
1979
Blumenthal, M. L.,
1931
Boehm, Edw. D.,
1950-55
Bohnstengel & Sayles (Willard J.
& Neil D.), 1962-65
Bond, Marie, 1972
Boston Antique Shop,
1929-40
Bowers, John W.,
1963-65
Bown, W. J., 1942,
1950
Boyer, Alden Scott,
1942
Boyer, Marion L.,
1972-77
Br--- miscellaneous
Brady, Mrs. Thomas F.,
1942-56
Brandon, Patricia (Mrs. Ralph F.),
1971-77
Brewer, George,
1963-68
Brezany, Violet,
1963
Bricker, Patricia,
1970
Brinton, Francis D., 1934,
1941
Box 3:
Brogan, Hannah C.,
1961-67
Brown, Dudley,
1945-48
Brown, Naomi S. (Mrs. W. K.),
1942
Brunner, Alma and Paul,
1978-84
Brunner, Alma and Paul,
1956-78
Brunner, Alma and Paul,
1953-55
Buckles, E. Joseph,
1937-39
Bulman, Mrs. John,
1940-51
Burbage, Beverly S. and Margaret (Mr. and
Mrs.), 1949, 1965
Burg, Chester E.,
1941
Burr, Marjorie,
1965
Burroughs, M. S., 1938,
1956-76
Burk, Dr. J. M.,
1958
Buten, Harry M.,
1959
Butler, Harold F. and Miriam,
1959-67
Buzick, Joyce E. and Joseph,
1972-73
Ca--- miscellaneous
Cannon, Harry, 1946
Caplan, Theresa,
1965
Carey, Helen M. (Mrs. Louis A.), 1943-44,
1948
Carey, Sue (Susan) (Mrs. Edward J.),
1942-57
Carey, W. W.,
1940-48
Box 4:
Carter, Marvin O.,
1963-64
Carter, Mary, 1967
Ceramic Book Company,
1956-59
Ch--- miscellaneous
Chandler, Mardee,
1967
Chapman, Gay L.,
1944-46
Charles, John R.,
1963-64
Cl--- miscellaneous
Clarke, D. S., 1951, 1953,
1958
Claflin, Albert W.,
1945-55
Claflin, Albert W.,
1947-55
Co--- miscellaneous
Cohen, William
1960-62
Connor, Mrs. J. J.,
1942-45
Conrad, Werner R.,
1940-45
Coolidge, Marcus A. (Mr. & Mrs.),
1939-44
Cooper, Everett K., Jr.
Cooper [various]
Copeland Antiques,
1979-80
Corning Museum of Glass,
1956-68
Covill, William E., Jr.,
1959-64
Cr--- miscellaneous
Cross, William E.,
1947-53
Crowninshield, Mrs. F. B.,
1945
Cruikshank, Douglas M.,
1942-47
Cu--- miscellaneous
Da--- miscellaneous
Dambach, L. Earl,
1953-58
Davis, Frank W.,
1963-64
De--- miscellaneous
Denchfield, Lou R.,
1964
Box 5:
Derr, Jane C. (Mrs. Louis),
1938-42
de Volpi, Charles P.,
1960-72
Di--- miscellaneous
Dicke, L. E.,
1945-46
Diehl, John A.,
1961
Diehl, Marie,
1969-75
Do--- miscellaneous
Dr--- miscellaneous
Drepperd, Carl W.,
1944-50
Dryfoos, Leon,
1942-43
du Pont, Henry Francis,
1927-68
Duckworth, Harold G.,
1953
Dumas, Oralee (Mrs. Joseph A.),
1973-74
Dunlap, Sarah B. (Mrs. Roy E.),
1950
Durrell, Hal,
1939-41
Dwyer, Mrs. Raymond J., 1963; Dyke,
Sydney, 1930
E--- miscellaneous
Ehlermann, Maude E.,
1951-63
Fa---, Fe---, and Fi---
miscellaneous
Feidt, John Thorpe,
1951
Fiedler, Reta,
1963-64
Finegan, Mrs. Edwin H.,
1938
Firth, Alfred,
1955-62
Fl---, and Fo---
miscellaneous
Flack, Paul, 1966,
1978
Foster, Helen B. (Mrs. Robert G.),
1960-62
Fowler, A. V.,
1943-44
Fr---, and Fu---
miscellaneous
Frank, Norman S. (Mr. & Mrs.),
1941-43
Box 6:
Frank, William K. and James A.,
1964
Freeman, Larry G.,
1943-44
Freeman, M. H.,
1931
Freeman, Samuel T.,
1943-60
Fuller, Constance,
1944-63
Gabell, James R. and Thelma S.,
1944-49
Gardiner, Avis & Rockwell,
1949-70
Gardner, Charles B.,
1933-75
Gardner, Laurence H.,
1934-36
Garrison, Lois & Preston,
1965
Gathers, Harry and
Pat
Gebhart, B. R.,
1954-67
Geesey, Titus C., 1939-42,
1955
Gest, Niel C.,
1937-42
George, Warren,
1974
Giesler, Mrs. J. V.,
1940-44
Gilbert, Frank,
1966-72
Gilbert, O. Rundle,
1938-60
Gillette, Leda,
1962-66
Gimbel Brothers,
1950
Gl--- miscellaneous
Go--- miscellaneous
Goldsmith, Doris (Mrs. Herbert),
1959-66
Box 7:
Gr--- miscellaneous
Graham, Lloyd J.,
1944-56
Greenawalt, Irene,
1938-39
Greensport, Charles and Mark,
1969-71
Greer, Everett S.,
1948-55
Gribbel, W. Griffin,
1938-40
Gu--- miscellaneous
Haa--- miscellaneous--Ham---
miscellaneous
Hall, James S.,
1963
Hamilton, Miss Rene,
1961-65
Hankele, Allen J.,
1944-48
Har--- miscellaneous--Haw---
miscellaneous
Harbour, Jerry,
1986
Harpending, Abram R.,
1967-72
He--- miscellaneous
Hi--- miscellaneous
Higgins, Marian Hill (Mrs. Marshall),
1941
Ho--- miscellaneous
Hobbies Magazine,
1957
Hoffmann, Edgar F.,
1940
Hogg, Ima, 1957-63
Hollander, David,
1938-54
Howard, Whitney (Mrs. Neal D.),
1940-44
Hu--- miscellaneous and Hy---
miscellaneous
Hubbard, Clarence T.,
1945-63
Hughes, Ed, 1961-62
Box 8:
I--- miscellaneous
Ja--- miscellaneous--Ju---
miscellaneous
Jenkins, Harold C.,
1947-55
Jones [various]
Ka--- miscellaneous--Ke---
miscellaneous
Kavka, Jaroslav,
1957-68
Ki--- miscellaneous--Kl---
miscellaneous
Kinne, Anne Spencer,
1970-76
Klaner, Melba (Mrs. Joe),
1953-55
Kleinsorge, Elizabeth B.,
1952-71
Kn---, Ko---, Kr---, and Ku---
miscellaneous
Knittle, Mrs. Earl J.,
1939
Kohn, Solomon,
1958-60
La--- miscellaneous
Lang, Harold D.,
1966-68
Lanmon, Dwight,
1968-73
Lansing, Ernest R.,
1941-44
Larsen, Ellouise Baker,
1938-55
Latimer, A. G.,
1932-35
Laughlin, Ledlie I.,
1936
Le--- miscellaneous
Box 9:
Lee, Ruth Webb,
1936-41
Lee, Ruth Webb,
1940-56
Lee, Ruth Webb--Rose, Jim--Laidacker,
Sam, July-August 1952
Lee, Ruth Webb,
1944-57
Leersmachers, J. A.,
1959-60
Lefevre, Edwin,
1939-40
Leffingwell, B. H.,
1929-63
Lemley, Vernon,
1938-39
Li--- miscellaneous
Lightner, O. C.,
1943
Lindquist, H. L.,
1937-41
Lippincott, Carol,
1961-67
Little, Nina Fletcher (Mrs. Bertram K.),
1940-59
Lo--- miscellaneous--Lu---
miscellaneous
Lockard, Roy, 1933
Loose, M. A., 1939
Ludwig, Esther,
1945-48
Lyon, Ravenna (Mrs. H. M.),
1948-49
Lyons, Louis,
1943-63
Ma--- miscellaneous
MacBarron, Philip C.,
1955-58
Madlener, Elaine W. (Mrs. Otto),
1941-66
Marble, Albert C.,
1936-51
Marden, Richard G.
Mariner's Museum, Newport News, VA,
1949-51
Martin, Laura O. (Mrs. George R.),
1957-60
Marx, Mrs. Harpo,
1954
Mayes, Mary H.,
1961-63
Mc--- miscellaneous
McCall, D. L., 1940
Box 10:
McCauley, Robert H. and Edna P.,
1938-40
McCauley, Robert H.,
1940-46
Me--- miscellaneous
M.E.S.D.A. (Museum of Early Southern
Decorative Arts), 1968
Metcalf, Addison M.,
1947
Meyers, William R.,
1962
Mi--- miscellaneous
Micklos, Charlotte (Mrs. Charles P.),
1970-71
Miller, Edgar G.,
1939-40
Mo--- miscellaneous
Montgomery, Charles B.,
1928
Montgomery, Charles F.,
1944-48
Morley, Wm. D.,
1940-59
Moses, H. Clarke,
1948-52
Box 11:
Moyer, Forrest D.,
1960-65
Mu--- miscellaneous--My---
miscellaneous
N--- miscellaneous
National Association of Dealers in
Antiques, Inc., 1962-63
National Bottle Museum,
1982
National Early American Glass
Club
Neefe, Leon S.,
1956-65
Nevil, J. E.,
1937-49
Newton, Ewell L.,
1956-58
Newton, Wilma,
1968-69
Norcross, Hiram and Kathryn,
1943-54
O--- miscellaneous
Old Sturbridge Village, Old Sturbridge,
MA, 1955
Oliver, Frances C.,
1945-58
P--- miscellaneous
Paige, Robert E.,
1946-49
Paine, Stephen D.,
1963-67
Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc.,
1940-70
Patton, Gerald M.,
1953-63
Payne, Henry Fleming and Lee,
1938-59
Pennoyer, Oscar,
1968-74
Pennsylvania Historical Museum
Commission, 1961-66
Pepper, Adeline,
1961-63
Plough, Cyrus T. (also Evans, Roy css.
put here by SHL), 1970-74
Powell, Ida (Mrs. R. A.),
1966
Box 12:
Quattlebaum, W. D.,
1946-55
Queen, S. W., 1947
Quigley, Richard S.,
1941
Quirk, Anne,
1950-51
Ra--- miscellaneous
Ramsdell, Ada C. (Mrs. Bentley F.),
1939-51
Re--- miscellaneous
Reeves, Alfred,
1936
Ri--- miscellaneous
Riffle, H. F. ("Pete"),
1968
Riggins, Minnie (Mrs. S. P.),
1956-57
Ro--- miscellaneous
Roach, Lew D. and Lois,
1970-71
Roloff, Walt H.,
1947
Rose, Jim, 1937-72
Rowan, H. Leo,
1946-54
Ru--- miscellaneous--Ry---
miscellaneous
Sa--- miscellaneous
Sawyer, Eleanor,
1949-73
Sc--- miscellaneous
Schock, Thomas U.,
1960-69
Scholl, J. A., 1939
Schuster, Martin,
1946-47
Schwarz, Herbert A.,
1942-45
Se--- miscellaneous
Sh--- miscellaneous
Shumway, George,
1967-70
Si--- miscellaneous
Simonsgaard, Jens and Sara,
1964-70
Sirrine, Helen C. (Mrs. Horace S.),
1946-62
Box 13:
Sittig, Charlotte and Edgar,
1940-72
Sk---, Sl---, Sm---, and Sn---
miscellaneous
Smith [various]
Smith, Amy W. (Mrs. Frank C., Jr.),
1938-43
Snow, Julia D. S.,
1937-41
So--- miscellaneous
Southern, Lorraine (Mrs. Frank E.) [none
date sorted]
Southern, Lorraine (Mrs. Frank
E.)
Southern, Lorraine (Mrs. Frank
E.)
Southern, Lorraine (Mrs. Frank
E.)
Southern, Lorraine (Mrs. Frank
E.)
Southern, Lorraine (Mrs. Frank
E.)
Sp--- miscellaneous
Spiegel, Grace F.,
1939-40