The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry
Francis du Pont
5105
Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware 19735
Telephone:
302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
Creator: Roycroft Shops
Title: Collection
Dates: ca.1900-1938, 2017
Call No.:
Acc. No.: 77x631,
91x47, 92x91, 99x65, 2018x54
Quantity: 11 boxes
Location: 34 G 1
BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT
Founded by
Elbert Hubbard in 1895, the Roycroft Shops combined the ideals of William
Morris with the techniques of capitalism.
The business developed out of the growth of the Arts and Crafts movement
in America that was in part promoted by Hubbard through his Roycroft
Press. Those who worked for Hubbard were
known as the Roycrofters. By 1902, the
Roycroft Shops were successfully marketing handcrafted items, including
carpets, sculpture, and mission style furniture, in addition to publishing two
periodicals, The Fra and The Philistine. Despite the popularity of their style, these
products were eventually eclipsed by Gustav Stickley's highly promoted products
and by the mass-produced goods of the furniture industry based in Grand Rapids,
Michigan. By 1910, Hubbard found himself
promoting smaller, more portable items, producing a full line of hand-wrought
copper and leather goods. A 1914
Roycroft catalog listed merchandise in stylized Art Nouveau with everything
from lamps to textiles and table decorations.
Hubbard and
his wife Alice died in the sinking of the Lusitania
on May 7, 1915. His son, Elbert (Bert)
Hubbard, II, continued the enterprise.
The Roycroft Shops were unable to withstand the Great Depression and
were forced to close in 1938.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The material in this collection consists of more than one hundred
postcards (a number of which are in color), 147 glass-plate negatives and
lantern slides, along with 156 contact prints made from the negatives and
slides, and an
advertising circular for "The Goodie Box," prepared for Thanksgiving
by the Roycrofters at the Roycroft Shops in East Aurora, New York, and a motto
card.
(Nine of the glass-plate negatives were returned to the donor after the
prints were made.) Images include a
variety of Roycroft activities, a range of events in small town America at the
turn of the 20th century, the Roycroft
workshops and workers, exterior scenes, the Roycroft chapel, the
Roycroft Inn, portraits, and photos used
for trade catalogs. Several
photos feature members of Hubbard's family.
Postcards depict the exteriors and
interiors of Roycroft buildings, plus a few pictures of Elbert Hubbard. Some have messages giving information about
Roycroft.
An
additional 31 photographs of Roycroft furniture, a "goodie box,"
copper, and graphic designs are located in the Decorative Art Photographic
Collection (DAPC). Featured
photographers include C. D. Arnold, Ernest Simmons, Jerome Connors, Paul
Fournier, and Elbert Hubbard, II.
ORGANIZATION
The
glass-plate negatives are in
LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS
The
materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS
Collection
is open to the public. Copyright
restrictions may apply.
RESTRICTIONS ON USE
Users must
use prints, not the original glass-plate negatives or the lantern slides. Lantern slides are in Mylar sleeves and must
not be removed from them without staff member’s permission.
PROVENANCE
Gifts of
and purchases from various sources.
Accession
2018x54: transferred from Printed Books and Periodicals, Winterthur Library.
An ad for the
1904 Roycroft summer school and a poster advertising Ray Williams' "Heart
to Heart Talk" about Roycroft are found in Col. 41, the Rose Valley
collection, at this repository.
There are photographs
of Roycroft furniture, copper, and graphic designs in the Decorative Arts
Photographic Collection here at Winterthur. See the folders for Roycroft in these
categories: Brass, Copper, Engraving, and Furniture: New York.
Printed
material, located in the Printed Books and Periodicals section of the
Winterthur Library, includes issues of Hubbard's periodicals, The Fra and The Philistine, books printed by the Roycrofters, and original trade
catalogs for Roycroft products, featuring copper and leather objects,
furniture, and books.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Hubbard, Elbert, 1856-1915.
Connors, Jerome,
1874-1943.
Arnold, C. D. (Charles
Dudley), 1844-
Simmons, Ernest Joseph,
1903-1972.
Fournier, Paul.
Hubbard, Bert, 1882-
Topics:
Arts and crafts movement.
Artists' studios - Photographs.
Book design.
Book ornamentation.
Dwellings - Photographs.
Furniture, Mission - Photographs.
Illumination of books and
manuscripts.
Landscape - Photographs.
Mottoes.
Parades - New York (State) - East
Aurora.
Printing.
Sculpture - Photographs.
Aerial photographs.
Advertising.
Contact prints.
Lantern slides.
Postcards.
Wet collodion negatives.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
COLLECTION
Location: 34 G 1
Box 1: Prints, Postcards, etc.
Folder 1a: Advertising
circular for the Roycrofters' "The Goodie Box for Thanksgiving," a
handcrafted wooden box filled with local farm produce and “a piece of roycroft
art work that will make your heart thrill,” ca. 1910. It includes a phono of “when Henry Ford was
at East Aurora.” (acc. no. 77x631)
Two
advertisements for Elbert Hubbard of East
Aurora, by Felix Shay, published
by Wm. H. Wise & Co. (acc. 2018x54.5-.6)
Advertisement
for Little Journeys to the Homes of the
Great, by Elbert Hubbard, published by The Roycrofters (acc. 2018x54.7
Folder 1b: motto cards
Motto
card: “Responsibilities gravitate to the person who can shoulder them; and power
flows to the man who knows how. – Elbert Hubbard,” decorated with Roycroft
symbol (acc. 13x75)
Four
motto cards and a card with a longer text titled “Initiative” (acc.
2018x54.1-.4, .8):
“The
Greatest Mistake You Can Make in Life is to be Continually Fearing You Will
Make One”:
“Do
unto others as though you were the others”;
“Folks
who Never Do any more than they Get Paid for, never Get Paid for an more than
they Do!”;
“Never
Explain – your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you
anyway”
Folder 2: Postcards,
acc. no. 91x7
.1 Entrance to the Roycroft Chapel
.2 Apple blossom time at Roycroft
.3 Saloon, Roycroft Inn
.4 Elizabeth Barrett Room, Roycroft Inn
Folder 3: Postcards,
acc. no. 99x65
.1-.3 Pictures of Elbert Hubbard; in
one, he is riding a horse
.4 Picture of Old Uncle John
.5-.7 The Salon, Roycroft Inn
.8
.9 Dining Room, Emerson Hall
.10-.14 Dining Room, Roycroft Inn
.15-.16 Reception Room, Roycroft Inn
.17 Music Room, Roycroft Inn
.18 Sammy’s studio
.19 Roycroft Chapel, interior
.20 Ruskin Room, Roycroft Inn
.21
.23 Roycroft Shops
.24 Roycroft Inn and
.25-.48 various views of the Roycroft Shops
[.35 – from Ira, who seems to be working at Roycroft]
.49-.58 various views of the Roycroft
Chapel
Folder 4: Postcards,
acc. no. 99x65
.59 “Apple Blossom Time at
Roycroft”
.60 Roycroft Print Shops and
Campus
.61-62 Roycroft Chapel
.63 entrance to the main shop of
the Roycrofters
.64-.72 various views of the exterior of
the Roycroft Inn, including Grove St.
.73-.75 Roycroft Print Shop
.77 Furniture Shop and Wood-pile
Gymnasium
.78-.79 Blacksmith Shop
.80 “Camp in Roycroft Woods where
little Journeys are written”
.81-.82 Home of a Roycrofter [log house]
.83 Roycroft Cottage
.84 Brud’s house, built by
Roycroft boys [log house]
.85-.86 Copper shop
.87 Roycroft campus
.88 Roycroft garden
.89 Power House at Roycroft
.90
.91 view from Roycroft Spring
.92 Roycroft Park
.93 statue of Michelangelo
[spelled Michael Angelo] at Roycroft
.94 statue of Elbert Habbard, by
St. Jerome Connor
.95 Roycroft
.96 Town Hall of East Aurora
(formerly the chapel)
.97 Elbert Hubbard’s private bank
.98 Baptist Church,
.99-.100 Emerson Hall, for Roycroft workers
.101 “Apple Blossom Time”
.105-.108 Peristyle and court at Roycroft Inn
.109-.114 The Old Well-sweep
Folder 5: slides of windows designed by Dard
Hunter at Roycroft Inn
[transferred from DAPC,
photographer unknown, dated July 1991]
Folder 6: Prints from lantern slides
(see
Folder 7: Negatives for the following lantern
slides: .1, .3, .6, .8., 10, .12, .13, .22, .26
(see
Folders 8-15: Prints from glass plate negatives
(see
Folder 16: brochure about Roycroft printed by the
Strong Museum around 1989;
Promotional
materials about Roycroft and the Roycroft Inn acquired during a trip to East
Aurora in October 2017 [no accession numbers]
Glass-plate negatives by Jerome Connors:
.39a-b Copy of a
photograph of a young man, originally taken by Bliss Brothers
.40 Bas
relief of Duffield, by Jerome Connors
.41 Sculpture
of a young man seated on the ground (see also .52)
.42 Bust of a
young girl, perhaps Ruth
.43 Young
woman wearing a cloak, in profile
.44-.45 Bust of
Elbert Hubbard (both are 4.x5)
.46 Life mask
of an unidentified person
.47 Older man
(Jimmy?), Jerome Connors, and a young boy on a bench [no print in file]
.48a-b Old man,
"Uncle John"
.49 Bust of a
young boy
.50 Miss
Donohue, Ms. Baker, and another woman in the Bindery (almost identical to .99)
.51 Anson
Blackman, taken by Bert Hubbard or Paul Fournier
.52 Sculpture
of a young boy seated on the ground (see also .41)
Glass-plate
negatives by Jerome Connors:
.53 Sculpture
of "Sammy" (Samuel Warner)
.54 Side view
of one of Hubbard's sons (Sandy or Ralph), with a bare back
.55 Sculpture
of a seated woman in a chair, by Elbert Hubbard
.56a-d Round
plaque: bas relief of 2 children (4x5)
.57 Large
round plague of profile of Elbert Hubbard
.58 Bust of a
young boy
.59 Bust of
John Brown (of Harper’s Ferry fame)
.60 Bust of a man, "Cassy"
.61 Interior
of Jerome Connors' studio with bust
.61a Jerome
Connor in his studio, with the bust shown in .61
.61b Sculpture
of a seated man
Glass negatives by Paul Fournier, Elbert Hubbard, II,
Ernest Simmons, etc.:
.62 Elbert
Hubbard, photo by James McCreary
.63 Roycroft
print shop from south side garden area
.64 Second Print Shop, after 1905, by Paul
Fourrnier (print only, no glass negative)
Glass negatives by Paul Fournier, Elbert Hubbard, II,
Ernest Simmons, etc.:
.65 Alice
Hubbard and her horse Babe
.66 Roycroft
campus with well, looking west from
.67 Roycroft
chapel from the southwest corner, looking towards
.68 Parade
float of Sol. Bronson, decorator and painter, taken in front of a house, East
Aurora, 1900
.69 Interior
of a fort, showing cannon, perhaps in
.70 Roycroft
chapel from the southeast, by Paul Fournier (print only, no glass negative)
.71 John Q.
Adams House,
.72 Entrance
to Roycroft campus from
.73 Cement
block house in
.74 Red’s
family in orchard across from first print shop,
.75 Sandy and
Ralph Hubbard with Jerome Connors, by Elbert Hubbard, II
.76 Anson
Blackman (Ali Baba)
.77 Victorian
transitional house,
.78 Snow
fall, Cazenovia Creek scene
.79 Robert
Gould Shaw Memorial by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Stanford White, Boston, taken
by Elbert Hubbard, II
.80 Trinity
Church, Boston, by Elbert Hubbard, II
.81 Carl
Ahrens in studio, by Paul Fournier (print only, no glass negative)
.82
.83a-b Man and dog
(4x5) (negatives in Box 3D)
.84 Room
interior (4x5) (negatives in Box 3D) (see also .89)
.85 Portrait
of a young woman
Glass negatives by Paul Fournier, Elbert Hubbard, II,
Ernest Simmons, etc.:
.86 Portrait
of Ralph and Sandy Hubbard, by Paul Fournier (print only, no glass negative)
.87 Portrait
of a young woman (see also .106)
.88 Young
woman standing
.89 Woman
seated at desk with table (4x5) (negative in Box 3D) (see also .84)
.90 Family in
a yard, 2 adults and 3 children
.91 Ralph
Hubbard, by Paul Fournier (print only, no glass negative)
.92 Woman
wearing a shawl over her head
.93 Woman and
young man on grass embracing [see also .123]
.94 Dog, cat,
and bird in a cage (4x5) (in Box 3D)
.95 Bill
Kelly's house, with three people outside it
.96 Portrait
of a young man standing (one of the Hubbards?)
(see also .105)
.97 "C"
initial art work for a book
.98 Sandy,
Ralph, and Elbert Hubbard with Jerome Connors, by Paul Fournier (print only, no
glass negative)
.99 Three women illuminating at a Roycroft
shop (almost identical to .50)
.100 Looking
south on South Grove across from the print shop, by Paul Fournier (print only,
no glass negative)
.101 Cement
house,
.102 Lilacs in
bloom
.103 Ralph and
Sandy Hubbard
.104 Uncle John
seated
Glass negatives by Paul Fournier, Elbert Hubbard, II,
Ernest Simmons, etc.:
.105 Young man
standing (see also .96)
.106 Head shot of a young woman (see also .87)
.107 Shipyard
with battleship, perhaps in
.108 Cazenovia
Creek scene
.109 Man
wearing a hat
.110 Woman on
steps of the Roycroft chapel
.111 Roycroft
campus behind the chapel looking at the print shop
.112 3 men on a
roof watching a parade
.113 Parade
float in front of Aurora Cycle Co., the float displaying Cleveland Bicycles
.114 Roycroft
chapel no. III from southeast looking northwest, by Paul Fournier (print only,
no glass negative)
.115 Logging
scene, with two teams of horses
.116 Parade
float in front of hardware store, East Aurora, float from a hardware store,
displaying a cook stove, bathtub, sink, and toilet
.117 Motor
launch "
Glass negatives by Paul Fournier, Elbert Hubbard, II,
Ernest Simmons, etc.:
.118 Young man
in Roycroft band uniform, holding an instrument
.119 Roycroft
log cabin with hunter holding shot gun and dead rabbits
.120 Man firing
a rifle
.121 Man
fishing, wearing a creel, perhaps at Cazenovia Creek
.122 Second
Roycroft print shop in snow, after 1905
.123 Young man
and woman in embrace, woman holding baseball cap with initials RS [see also
.93]
.124 Interior,
first print shop, library on 1st floor, with women
.125 Interior, first print shop, Morris room,
2nd floor, with women
.126 Interior, first print shop, Ruskin room, 3rd floor, with women,
boys, young man
.127 Interior,
first print shop, Later reception room, with people
.128 Exterior, first print shop, from street
looking east northeast
Roycroft furniture--Photos used in original catalogs
.129 high chair,
with the name Elberta
Roycroft
furniture--Photos used in original catalogs
.130 Piano
bench
.131 Pair of
lamps, by Elbert Hubbard, II
.132 Oak chair
made by Elbert Hubbard, II
.133 Chandelier
by Elbert Hubbard, II
.134 Curly
maple library table, no. 72
.135 10-slat
drop arm bench
.136 Frederick
Krantz leather and oak screen
.137 Single
door bookcase, with gallery above and shelf below
.138 Hall chair
.139 Pedestal
base dining table with early iron lamp
.140 Four leg
no. 74 library table
Roycroft
furniture--Photos used in original catalogs
.141-.142 Tall
magazine pedestal
.143 AC
chiffonnier with 6 drawers (chest of drawers)
.144 Table with
slat sides and slanted legs
.145 octagonal
mahogany table
.146 Magazine
stand or bookcase with slant back
.147 Slant side cellarette
miscellaneous East Aurora Scenes
.148 Roycroft
baseball game
.149 "
.150 "
.151 Boy diving
into Cazenovia Creek
.152 Two men in
hats on Cazenovia Creek bed
Box 3D: Miscellaneous Roycroft Scenes (all these are 4x6; acc. no. 92x91):
.153 Roycroft
Cornet Band
.154 Second
Roycroft print shop from
.155 Roycroft
chapel from corner of Grove and
.156 Roycroft
baseball player at
also in Box 3D: .73, .83a., .83b, .84, .89, .94
.1 Inside
the print shop (C.D. Arnold slide) (negative in Box 1)
.2 Inside
the dining room with Fournier (C.D. Arnold slide)
.3 Inside
the print shop (C.D. Arnold slide) (negative in Box 1)
.4 Man and
woman paper cutters (C.D. Arnold slide)
.5 Inside
the chapel, 1st floor (C.D. Arnold slide)
.6 Inside
the print shop, 1st floor (C.D. Arnold slide) (negative in Box 1)
.7 Women
sewing bindings (C.D. Arnold slide) [slide is cracked]
.8 Men and
women collating the Fra (C.D. Arnold
slide) (negative in Box 1)
.9 Roycroft
mascot: elephant (with horse-drawn wagon behind), probably in a parade (C.D.
Arnold slide)
.10 Interior
of the print shop (C.D. Arnold slide) (negative in Box 1)
.11 Cellar of
the print shop - 1st press (C.D. Arnold slide)
.12 Ballroom
in the print shop, 2nd floor, with women at tables (C.D. Arnold slide)
(negative in Box 1)
.13 Interior
of the print shop, with people (C.D. Arnold slide) (negative in Box 1)
.14 Cellar of
the print shop (C.D. Arnold slide)
.15 4 women
at work, probably in the print shop (C.D. Arnold slide)
.16 Reception
room, transition from print shop to inn
.17 7 men and
1 woman at small presses
.18 Parade in
East Aurora for "Reforestion Day," with banner of East Aurora Fish and
Game Club
.19 Interior
of a Roycroft building with fireplace in the rear, with piles of bundles and
mailbags
.20 Railroad
crossing located at
.21 Office in
the Roycroft building
.22 Portrait
of George Daniels, NY Central Railroad (copy of a photo) (negative in Box 1)
.23 104 Arch,
1921 [possibly a view of tomb of George Washington; ivy covers the name of the
person buried there] (C. Ernest Simmons slide)
.25 2 women
and 1 man at a typewriter in the Roycroft office [slide is cracked]
.26 Portrait
of Robert M. La Follette (copy of a photo; signature is masked) (negative in
Box 1)
.27 “Help
Wildlife to Do Its Bit” conservation poster, 1917-1918
.28-.32 Aerial
views of
.33 U. S.
Capitol building from the air
.34
.35
.36
.37
.38 Pitcher
plants (C. Ernest Simmons slide)
Photographs in DAPC:
Furniture:
(under Furniture: New York)
waste basket
table
magazine stand
table
box
picture frame
goodie box
bed featuring the head board and
foot board
magazine pedestal
library table
bookcase with extended stiles
arm rocker
Copper items:
(under Copper; see also Brass)
tray
nut spoon
lamp
bookends
lamp
vase
candlesticks and sconce
lamp with a round dome and mica
panels
nut bowl and picks
two sets of candlesticks
hat pins
two vases
Graphic material:
(under Engraving)
Border designs by Samuel Warnera
Title page design, 1906 by Dard
Hunter
Cover for the Philistine by Sewall Collins
Cartoon
and back cover of the Philistine by
William W. Denslow