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:         Roycroft Shops                                              

Title:               Collection

Dates:             ca.1900-1938, 2017

Call No.:         Col. 254         

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 Boxes 2A-3D.  Lantern slides are in Box 4.  Prints from negatives and slides, postcards, and other materials are in Box 1.

           

 

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.

 

RELATED MATERIALS  

 

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.

            East Aurora (N.Y.) - Photographs.

            Niagara Falls (N.Y. and Ont.) - Photographs.

            Boston (Mass.) - 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                     Reading and Rest Room, Emerson Hall

                        .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                   Elizabeth Barrett Room, Roycroft Inn

                        .22                   Main Street, East Aurora, showing one of Roycroft buildings

                        .23                   Roycroft Shops

                        .24                   Roycroft Inn and Bowling Green

                        .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

                        .76                   Grove Street, East Aurora

                        .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                   Roycroft Art Gallery

                        .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 Inn, showing outdoor sleeping rooms

                        .96                   Town Hall of East Aurora (formerly the chapel)

                        .97                   Elbert Hubbard’s private bank

                        .98                   Baptist Church, East Aurora

                        .99-.100           Emerson Hall, for Roycroft workers

                        .101                 “Apple Blossom Time”

                        .102-.104         Appian Way at Roycroft

                        .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 Box 4 for description)

 

Folder 7:          Negatives for the following lantern slides: .1, .3, .6, .8., 10, .12, .13, .22, .26 

                        (see Box 4 for description)

 

Folders 8-15:   Prints from glass plate negatives

                        (see Boxes 2A-3D for descriptions)

 

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]

 

 

Box 2A: Glass-plate negatives (all are 5x7, unless otherwise indicated; acc. no. 92x91)

 

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)

 

 

Box 2B: Glass-plate negatives (all are 5x7, unless otherwise indicated; acc. no. 92x91)

 

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)

 

 

Box 2C: Glass plate negatives (all are 5x7, unless otherwise indicated; acc. no. 92x91)

 

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 Grove St., Blacksmith Shop in background

.67       Roycroft chapel from the southwest corner, looking towards Main St.

.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 Boston, by Elbert Hubbard, II

.70       Roycroft chapel from the southeast, by Paul Fournier (print only, no glass negative)

.71       John Q. Adams House, Quincy, Mass., by Elbert Hubbard, II

.72       Entrance to Roycroft campus from South Grove St., by Paul Fournier (print only, no glass negative)

.73       Cement block house in East Aurora (4x5) (negative in Box 3D) (see also .101)

.74       Red’s family in orchard across from first print shop, South Grove St.

.75       Sandy and Ralph Hubbard with Jerome Connors, by Elbert Hubbard, II

.76       Anson Blackman (Ali Baba)

.77       Victorian transitional house, East Aurora

.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       Boston Public Library, by Elbert Hubbard, II

.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

           

 

Box 2D: Glass plate negatives (all are 5x7, unless otherwise indicated; acc. no. 92x91):

 

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, East Aurora (4x5) (see also .73)

.102     Lilacs in bloom

.103     Ralph and Sandy Hubbard

.104     Uncle John seated

 

 

Box 2 E: Glass plate negatives (all are 5x7, unless otherwise indicated; acc. no. 92x91):

 

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 Boston, by Elbert Hubbard, II

.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 "Winona" on Cazenovia Creek (see also .149 and .150)

 

 

Box 3A: Glass plate negatives (all are 5x7 unless otherwise indicated; acc. no. 92x91):

 

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

 

 

Box 3B: Glass plate negatives (all are 5x7 unless otherwise indicated; acc. no. 92x91):

 

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

 

Box 3C: Glass plate negatives (all are 5x7 unless otherwise indicated; acc. no. 92x91):

 

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     "Winona" motor boat at Donner's park (see also .117 and .150)

.150     "Winona" motor boat at Cazenovia Creek (see also .117 and .149)

.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 South Grove St.

.155     Roycroft chapel from corner of Grove and Main

.156     Roycroft baseball player at Hamlin Park

 

also in Box 3D: .73, .83a., .83b, .84, .89, .94

 

 

Box 4: Lantern slides (all these accession numbers begin with 92x91)

 

.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 Main Street, East Aurora

.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)

.24       Main Street, East Aurora, ca. 1920, with rows of banners and flags spanning the street

.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 Niagara Falls

.33       U. S. Capitol building from the air

.34       Niagara River from the air

.35       Niagara River, above the falls

.36       Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, aerial view

.37       Niagara Falls

.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