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

 

 

Col. 209: Byrdcliffe (Art colony) records

 

Series XI: Newspapers and Miscellaneous

 

Miscellaneous materials, mostly oversized, and newspapers are in Series XI.  There are only a few newspapers; of especial note are copies of the Woodstock, New York, newspaper The Overlook, most of which have articles about Byrdcliffe.  Newspaper clippings recounting the sinking of the ship Vestris are also found.  Ralph, Jr., died in this accident.  (These clippings have been photocopied.)  Also in this series is a song with lyrics by Ralph Whitehead, his leather trunk, and the library card catalog from Byrdcliffe, including not only the cards from the catalog, but also the actual piece of furniture itself, decorated with Florentine lilies.  The catalog may have been made at Byrdcliffe. 

 

 

Box 1: Location: 42 E 11

 

Folder 1:          Newspaper article –“Doylestown Tile Maker and Scientist Leaves His

‘Castle of Dreams’ to the Public as a Legacy.” [about Henry Mercer, Jane’s cousin] [see photocopy in Box 2]

 

Folder 2:          The Overlook, Woodstock, N.Y., June 10, 1938 (two copies); July 1, 1938 (two copies);  July 8, 1938; July 15, 1938 (two copies); August 19, 1938 (two copies); May 12, 1939; July 21, 1939; July 28, 1939; August 11, 1939; Sept. 8, 1939; January 3, 1941.

 (Most of these have articles about Byrdcliffe.)

 

Folder 3:          The Evening Post, New York, Wednesday, Mar. 27, 1907.  (four pages only);

The Times Literary Supplement, Nov. 2, 1922, with article “Art and Science,” which mentions Ruskin

 

Folder 4:          The Knickerbocker News, Albany, N.Y.  Sept. 3, 1940. “Wondrous

                         Woodstock, Part I.”;

The Knickerbocker News, Albany, N.Y. Sept. 4, 1940.  “Wondrous

                        Woodstock, Part II.”

 

Folder 5:          Articles on Byrdcliffe, 1901 to present.

 

Folder 6:          Music and Lyrics: “O Ye Merry Chorus Gay,” words by R. Radcliffe Whitehead.  [original compositions]

On reverse: “Retrospect,” words by John Russell.   (Both are these are marked “cut out,” probably a reference to R.R.W.’s book Folk-Songs of Eastern Europe.) 

“All the Notes of All the Earth Make One Great Song,” words by John Russell. 

 

Folder 7:          Envelope for Modern Art Magazine sent to R. Radcliffe Whitehead.

 

Folder 8:          The Art Amateur Working Designs: printed designs labeled: Border For Needlework [two different designs], Center For a Cushion, Designs For Plates For China Painting, Working Drawing For Low Cost Mantel, Design For A Paper Cutter.

La Corbeille a Ouvrage – designs for crochet, a window treatment, lace, and a decorative panel.

 

Folder 9:          Brown velvet fabric with red and blue floral design.

 

Folder 10:        Coming Nation, March 25, 1899, newspaper from Ruskin Co-operative Association, Ruskin, Tennessee, plus a photocopy of the paper. 

                        Note: the newspaper is very brittle, and has broken into two pieces.  A photocopy of the newspaper is in the same folder and must be used first.

 

Folder 11:        calligraphy of a poem about Peter Whitehead written by Anne Moore on June 9, 1917, the first line of which begins “I met him when the day was hottest….”  Attached is a copy of a photo of Peter.  Calligraphy done late 20th century; copy of photo also late 20th century. (acc. 10x3.1)

                        [Anne Carroll Moore was a librarian and children’s author who visited Byrdcliffe.  A brief biography appears in Byrdcliffe: An American Arts and Crafts Colony, published by Cornell University in 2004.]

 

Folder 12:        newspaper clippings about the Vestris sinking, 1928 (acc. 10x63.22)

                        Note: see photocopies in Box 2

 

 

Box 2: (location: 42 E 11)

 

Folder 1:          Santa Barbara Times, “More School Art.”  (about the Whiteheads’ offer to pay for artwork for new school) (photocopy only)

 

Folder 2:          Articles about William Morris, Stickley, and mission-style furniture. (mostly photocopies)

 

Folder 3:          Articles about Leon Barzin, Fletcher Martin, Rinaldo Carnielo. (photocopies)

 

Folder 4:          photocopy of article about Henry Chapman Mercer (original in Box 1, folder 1)

 

Folder 5:          photocopies of newspaper clippings about the Vestris sinking, 1928 (acc. 10x63.22) (original are in Box 1)

 

Folder 6:          “Coincidences,” article by F. Max Muller, p. 157-162 from unknown publication [the initial T. was printed, but has been corrected to F by an unknown hand, probably that of Ralph Whitehead] (acc. 10x63.6a-c)

 

Folder 7:          Christ Church, Friezland, Parish Magazine, June 1902, front and back cover only (acc. 10x63.8)

 

Folder 8:          article, “Old Philadelphia Families: XLV. Bayard,” from The North American, April 12, 1908 (photocopy only), and envelope labeled “Family records” (of which this article was the only contents) (acc. 10x63.13a-b)

 

Folder 9:          Potpourri recipe (acc. 10x63.16)

 

Folder 10:        “White Pines,” booklet issued by the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, no date (probably between 2003 and 2014)

 

 

Box 3: (actually a roll, not a box): Location: 42 E 12

 

                        “The Stave Modulator,” by John Taylor.  (something to do with music)

 

 

Library Card Catalog and catalog cards: Location: 41 D 3 and 4

 

                        The library was formed as a service to the residents of Byrdcliffe.  The cards provided a record of the books in the library.  The entries are by author only, apparently.  The cards also marked with a combination of a letter and a number (e.g., A 2), almost undoubtedly a reference to the location of the book (bookcase A, shelf 2). Sometimes, however, the location is another building: Villetta, the Studio, or White Pines, for example.

 

                        The card catalog itself is made of wood, the outside stained dark.  The sides are decorated with a lighter stained fleur-de-lis.  The top of the unit is missing; one drawer (out of twelve) is gone; and two of the rods used to hold the cards in place are also gone.  The cards, 3” x 5” note cards, have been removed and put into boxes (five of them).  In photos of the library, the card catalog can be seen sitting on top of a table. 

 

                        In Series VI, Box 7, folder 1, will be found the library register book for 1923-1925.  Here, borrowers wrote down the title and author of the books they were taking, the date checked out, their own name, and the date the book was returned. 

 

 

Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead’s leather trunk: Location: 41 E 5

 

Leather trunk has the initials RRW painted in blue on two sides (much of the paint has now flaked off).