The Winterthur Library

The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware 19735

Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Creator: Florence M. Montgomery

Title: Collection

Dates: 1956-1986

Call No.: Col. 107

Acc. No.: 87x175, 87x176, 88x219, 94x58, 02x60

Quantity: 12 boxes

Location: 17 I 4-6

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Florence M. Montgomery, wife of Charles F. Montgomery (1911-1978), was Assistant Curator of Textiles at the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum and textile consultant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As the author of Printed Textiles: English & American Cottons & Linens, 1700-1850 and Textiles in America: 1650-1870, she was often called upon as a lecturer and teacher at numerous institutions. She wrote other articles on textiles in addition to her monumental book.

Florence Mellowes was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1914. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1936 and received a master’s degree in fine arts from Radcliffe College in 1943. She worked at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she was assistant to Joseph Downs in the American Wing. In 1946, Miss Mellowes married Charles F. Montgomery, who at the time of their marriage was an antiques dealer. They moved to Winterthur Museum in 1951, and she developed the guide training system for the new museum. In 1953, she was appointed an instructor in Art History for the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture. In 1959, she became Keeper (title later changed to assistant curator) of Textiles. She retired from Winterthur around 1970 and served as textile consultant to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Wing in 1976-1978.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The collection consists of research materials compiled between 1956 and 1976 for the books and articles authored by Florence Montgomery. Included are annotated articles about the textile industry; correspondence from institutions and individuals regarding the identification and use of textiles; papers pertaining to woven and printed fabrics, carpets, window furnishings, bed furnishings, wallpaper, embroidery, crewelwork, the economics of the textile trade, inventories, and fabric designers and manufactures; note cards on sources for copper plates and linen and cotton printing; photographs and slides of textile swatches, bed and window treatments, and handkerchiefs; notes on fabric from the Public Records Office in London; and reviews of "Textiles in America." Also included are 136 photographs of rooms at the Winterthur Museum and two Winterthur study course binders. As well, there are a few fabric samples.

ORGANIZATION

The materials are housed in 12 boxes, with one box holding oversized materials. The correspondence folders are followed by research notes, photographs, and post cards. Boxes 11 and 12 contain research notes, pictures, and fabric scraps found at the Connecticut Historical Society. It was clear that the notes were those of Florence Montgomery, but no one knew how they came to be in Connecticut. Those materials were reunited with the rest of the collection in 2002.

PROVENANCE

Gift of Florence M. Montgomery.

Accession number 02x60 was transferred from the Connecticut Historical Society Library.

ACCESS POINTS

Topics:

Textile fabrics - Expertising.

Textile crafts - Expertising.

Textile design.

Textile fabrics in interior decoration.

Textile industry.

Textile printing.

Textile research.

Textile fabrics - Photographs.

Textile museums.

Museum curators.

Decoration and ornament.

Textile fabrics – Specimens.

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum Gardens (Del.)

Photoprints

Articles.

Correspondence.

Notes.

Inventories.

Photonegatives.

Reviews (criticism).

Bibliographies.

Letters.

Authors.

Curators.

Consultants.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 17 I 4-6

Box 1:

Correspondence: A-C

Allentown Art Museum: Margaret Vincent

American Hurrah Antiques: Joel & Kate Kopp

Baltimore Museum of Art: Dena S. Katzenberg

Center for the Study of Southern Culture: William Ferris

Chalfant, Lee Ellen G., Philadelphia

Cliveden: Raymond Sheperd, Jr.

Coastal Georgia Hist. Soc.: Anne Schelander

Colonial Williamsburg: Linda Baumgarten

Colonial Williamsburg: Barbara & Cary [Carson]

Colonial Williamsburg: Mary & Carl [Hummelsine]

Colonial Williamsburg: Sumpter T. Priddy

Cooper Hewitt Museum: Alice B. Beer

Cooper Hewitt Museum: Catherine L. (Tappy) Frangiamore

Cooper Hewitt Museum: Mrs. Eleanor Sachs

Cooper Hewitt Museum: Mrs. Bertrand L. Taylor, III

[Copeland,] Pam & Mots

Correspondence: D

Dornsife, Sam (of Henry A. Dornsife & Sons), with book En Tapetserabok fran Karl Johan-Tiden

Drake House Museum: Lyn Rupp

Correspondence: Design Library and Documentary Designs: Susan and Herbert Meller (includes photos)

Correspondence: F

Freer Galley of Art (David Curry)

Friends of Saint-Marie (Ontario): Christine Rollinson

Correspondence: G-J

The Genesee Country Museum: Dorie Hoot

Ginsburg, Cora (Mrs. Benjamin), Tarrytown, NY

Glick, Merle H., Pekin, Ill.

Gordon, Judith, Chicago

Gordon, Michael, Storrs, Conn.

Hagley Museum & Library: Maureen O'Brien Quimby

Halifax, England, Archives Dept., Central Lib.: Mr. Betteridge

Hayward, Helena, London

Henry Holt & Co., Inc.: Channa Taub

Hershey, Connie, Philadelphia

Historic Interiors: Lavinia DeNood

Historic Madison, Inc.: Joseph D. Carr

Institute of Early American History and Culture: Norman Flering,

John Walton Inc.: Mary B. Wallton

Correspondence: K-L (photos)

Kaufmann, Mrs. Charles L. (Portsmouth, NH)

Kerridge, Eric (Univ. of North Wales)

Kirk, John T., Boston

Kvale, Kriss M. (Iowa State Univ.)

Ladies Hermitage Assoc.: Milly McGehee

Larson, Elinor

Laughlin, Roberta, Barnstable, Mass.

Lederer, Richard M., Jr., White Plains, NY

Levis, Jim, Coral Gables, Fla.

Loring, Augustus P., Boston

Louisiana State Museum: Vaughn L. Glasgow (includes letter to Irene Burnham, National Endowment for the Humanities)

Correspondence: M (photos)

M. Finkel & Daughter: Amy Finkel

The Magazine Antiques: Wendell Garrett

Mayflower Society: Ruth B. Hall

McNeil, Robert L., Jr., Wyndmoor, Penn.

MESDA: Mrs. A. Hewson Michie, Jr.

Minneapolis Institute of Art: Francis J. Puig

Mississippi Dept. of Archives & History: -Patricia Galloway

Monmouth County (NJ) Hist. Assoc.: Rosemary E. Troy

Murphy, Frank, Westfield, Mass.

Museum and Library of Maryland History: Mrs. Gregory R. Weidman

Mystic Seaport: Mary E. Hughes

Correspondence: N

National Conservation Advisory Council: David S. Shute

National Cyclopedia of American Biography: G. J. Mittleman

National Endowment for the Humanities: Irene U. Burnham – see Louisiana State Museum

National Museum of American History: Sue Ostroff

National Trust for Historic Preservation: Richard W. Price

New York Univ. Div of Education: Susan Stark

The Newark Museum: Ulysses G. Dietz,

Northampton Hist. Soc.: Nancy Rexford

Nordiska museet (Stockholm): Elisabet Hidemark

Old State House (Hartford, Conn.): Wilson H. Faude

Old Sturbridge Village: Jane Nylander

Orlofsky, Patsy, South Salem, NY

Correspondence: P (photos)

Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science: Leanna Lee-Whitman

Philadelphia Museum of Art: Marianne T. Carlano

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Far Eastern Art: Jean Gordon Lee

Pierson, G. W., Mt. Carmel, Conn.

Pinelli, Jean T., Hopewell, NY

Correspondence: Pennsbury

The Pennsbury Society: Nancy Kolb

Correspondence: R (photos)

Ring, Betty

The Royal Oak Foundation: Arete B. Swartz

The Royal Scottish Museum: R. Oddy

Correspondence: S

Sansing, James (Dr.). Litchfield, Conn.

Schwartz, Esther, Paterson, NJ

Schweiz Landesmuseum: Jenny Schneider

Schwerin, Jennifer, Marblehead, Mass.

The Seabury Society for Preservation of the Glebe House: Mary E. Baker

SPNEA: Richard Nylander

[Stone,] Stanley, Milwaukee

Strand, Mrs. Peter (Embroiders' Guild of America), Albany, NY

The Stratford Historical Soc. (Conn.): Hiram Tindall

Stumpwork Society: Sylvia C. Fishman

Correspondence: T

Temple Newsam House: Christopher Gilbert

[Thacher,] Doris, New York

Tischler, Annette

Correspondence: U-V

University of Kansas Museum of Art: Lea Rosson

The University of Mich. Center for Russian & East European Studies: Ellen C. Schwartz

University of Notre Dame: Thomas J. Schlereth

University of Wisconsin: Elizabeth Simpson

Valentine Museum: Colleen Callahan

Vander Noordaa, Titia C.

Correspondence: Victoria and Albert Museum

Victoria & Albert Museum: Barbara Morris

Victoria & Albert Museum: Natalie Rothstein

Victoria & Albert Museum: Peter K. Thornton

Correspondence: W-Y

Wadsworth Atheneum: Charles Tracy Atkinson

Wenham Historical Society: Mary K. Bowen

Winterthur Library: Eleanor McD. Thompson

Winterthur Museum: Benno Forman

Winterthur Museum: Wendy Kaplan

Wood, Charles B., III (to Charles Montgomery), CN

Yale Univ. Art Gallery: Alan Shestack

"American Hooked Rugs": exhibit brochure

"Art's Treasury of Rarities...," photocopy of p. 1-27, 30-31, 72-75, 84-89

Bed and window treatments

Box 2:

Beds: photos

Bed hangings: photos

Beer, Alice B.: biographical letter, 1973

Beer, Alice: Trade Goods: A Study of Indian Chintz

Bibliography - textiles

“William Blathwayt, Imperial Fixer,” article by Stephen W. Webb

Blue-resist, Cooper Hewitt conference (photos)

Book review; sample dictionary entry

Brightman, Anna, article by

Brunschwig & Fils, Inc.

Burnham, Harold B., Royal Ontario Museum

"Calico Campaign of 1719-1721," article by Natalie Rothstein

"Cavalcade of Costumes," article from Woman's Day, October 1963

Carpets, articles on

Carpets: photos

Cooper Union: Museum for the Arts of Decoration

Conferences and symposia attended by FMM; talks given by FMM

Design Sources, English Ceramic Circle

Dyes and dyeing

Economics

Elbeuf

Embroidery: photos

Box 3:

Fall River: photos

"Fashion, Commerce and Technology in the 19th century," article by Thomas W. Leavitt Floud, Peter

Gillow & Co.: photos

Ham House interior: photos

Handkerchiefs: photos

Hartford crewelwork bed

Hewson, John: photos and notes

Hewson, John: Bible record: photos

"History of the Cotton Manufacture in Great Britain"

Holker, John: photos

Holker, Jr.

Holker: photos (continues in Box 4)

Box 4:

Holker: photos (continues from Box 3)

Holker, Aix 1a C[happelle?], Berch (2 folders): photos

Hopewell Cotton Works: photos

Huguenot Society of London

Hyde, Robert and Nathan, pattern book, 1771: photos

Inventories

Jackson, John Baptist: photos

"James Alexander, weaver," article by Virginia D. Parslow

Jouy Pattern book: photos

Box 5:

Kelly, Warner, Pro-cottons, Stansfeld, Maurepas: photos

Leaske, Ada: photos

Maurepas

Mechanics Fair, Worcester, 1849-1861

Merrimac Valley Textile Museum checklist

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mocassi

Mocassi: photos

Moore, Thomas

Montgomery, C.F.: 1967 lectures

Montgomery, Florence: "Colonial Upholsterers & their Wares"

Montgomery, F.: reviews of Textiles in America, 1650-1870

Box 6:

Montgomery, F.: "Window Curtains in Early America"

Mulhouse: photos

Mulhouse: publications

Mulhouse(?): photocopies, presumed to be from Mulhouse

Needle and Bobbin Club

"New England Crewel Embroideries," by Adolph S. Cavallo

Newspaper ads

Norwich Castle Museum: photos

Post cards, note cards, and greeting cards with pictures of textiles (2 folders)

Post cards, greeting cards, photos, and textile swatch

Praeger reprints

Printed textiles: photos (2 folders, continues in Box 7)

Box 7:

Printed textiles: photos (continues from Box 6)

Public Record Office, London

Research cards (2 folders)

Richelieu papers: photos

"Room arrangements in the mid-18th century," article by P.K. Thornton

"Royal State Bed," article by Peter Thornton

Russian coarse cloth: photos

Scottish block-printed textiles and watercolor patterns: photos

Silks for the American market

Slides: Holker? (2 folders)

Society of Dyers and Colourists

Study of 17th century inventories, Essex County

Box 8:

Textile designs and costumes: photos

Textile samples: negatives

Thornton, Peter: articles

Upholstery: photos

Victoria and Albert Museum: English chintz, 1960

Victoria and Albert Museum: Warner Archive sale

Watson, John Fanning: photos

Windows: photos

Winterthur rooms: photos (3 folders)

Box 9: (oversized materials)

"Henry Francis du Pont, 1880-1969," by C.F. Montgomery

Sources of copper plates & sources of linen and cotton printing (note cards)

Proofs, textile samples, Public Records Office, London: photos

Photo of Joseph Downs

Alexander papers, New York Historical Society: photostats and notes

Lackawanna Leather Company, ca. 1969 or earlier, leather sample book (acc. no. 94x58)

“American Quilts: The GE Gallery’s Bicentennial Show,” exhibit brochure

Box 10:

Holker: Musée des Arts Decoratifs: roll of film

Holker: The Book: roll of film

Holker: roll of film

Box 11:

Research area 5: English designs, before 1725-1860 (5 folders)

Research area 6: English prints and paintings, before 1725-1800 (4 folders)

Research area 8: English documented examples, before 1725-1800 (4 folders)

Draperies, miscellaneous

Draperies (bed, window, etc.), ca.1780-ca.1810

Drapery documentation (Lewis Print Collection), sketches filed by date

Miscellaneous pictures and draperies, needlepoint, etc.

Notes about inventories

Box 12:

Notes on usages of draperies and pictures of draperies

Textile usage forms (blanks)

Sofas: photographs

“To be identified”

Fabric samples

Fabric samples: Venetian blind tapes

Fabric sample and correspondence: velvet

Fabric samples and correspondence with Colonial Williamsburg

Fabric scraps (mostly unlabeled)

Irish easy chair, 1720-1745, with fabric scrap

Queen Anne easy chair: photographs, fabric scraps