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: Dorman, Charles G.
Title: Research
notes and photographs
Dates: 1954-1960
Call
No.: Col. 261
Acc.
No.: 94x29; 2017x84
Quantity: 1 box
Location: 9 B 1
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
Charles
Gilpin Dorman (1920-2000) was a curator at Independence National Historical
Park, where his favorite project was the restoration of the Bishop William
White House. Born in Wilmington,
Delaware, in 1920, he was the son of Melda May Walthers and Thomas Gilpin
Dorman. He received a bachelor’s degree
from the University of Delaware. He
worked at the J. Kenneth Danby Galleries (an antiques shop in Wilmington)
before becoming a historian in the division of political history at the
Smithsonian. In 1960, he became a
curator at Independence National Historical Park, from which he retired in
1983. Dorman assisted in a number of
historic restorations in the Delaware Valley area. His hobby was collecting Delawareana.
He
was recognized for his expertise in 18th century American decorative
arts and wrote the book Delaware
Cabinetmakers and Allied Professions, 1655-1855, published in 1960. He was an active member of the Historical
Society of Delaware and a board member of the Chester County Historical
Society. Mr. Dorman died in Philadelphia
in 2000.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
Consists
of Dorman's notes and typescript of what he titles "A Survey of Delaware
Cabinetmakers, 1700-1830." Much of
the material was later published as Delaware
Cabinetmakers and Allied Artisans, 1655-1855. Included in the material are photographs of
furniture, photocopies of inventories of cabinetmakers' estates and wills,
typewritten biographical information, and miscellaneous accounts. Most of the information and photocopies were
taken from material in the Delaware State Archives.
The
collection also includes some slides which are believed to have been taken by
Dorman. Pictured are pieces of Delaware
furniture; log cabins in Chester County, Pennsylvania; other houses and
buildings (some labeled, some not); and buildings at Independence National
Historical Park. One of the slides is a
photo of Dorman.
ORGANIZATION
The
files on cabinetmakers are arranged alphabetically by surname. The slides were not received in any order,
but have been roughly grouped by subject.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The
materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS ON
ACCESS
Collection
is open to the public. Copyright
restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Accession
94x29: found in stacks; acquisitions information unknown.
Accession
2017x84: gift of Independence National Historical Park.
ACCESS POINTS
Topics:
Cabinetmakers - Biography.
Cabinetmakers -
Delaware.
Furniture –
Delaware – Photographs.
Furniture industry
and trade - Delaware.
Furniture -
Photographs.
Inventories
of decedents' estates - Delaware.
Log
cabins – Pennsylvania – Photographs.
Buildings
– Pennsylvania – Photographs.
Buildings
– Delaware – Photographs.
Estate
records.
Notes.
Photographic
prints.
Wills.
Cabinetmakers.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 9 B 1
Box 1 of 1:
Folder 1: Introduction.
Folder 2: A-Ba:
George Anderson,
Dudson Bacon, Sampsom Barnet.
Folder 3: Bu-By:
Aaron Burton;
Samuel, James Fitch, and Caleb Byrnes.
folder 4: C-H:
Jared Chesnut;
John Ferris; William Cox; Robert Owen; Francis McMullen Gardiner; Samuel
Nichols; Timothy Hanson
Folder 5: John Janvier: account book.
Folder 6: J-M:
Peregrine Janvier;
James, Daniel, and William McDowell; Joseph P. Monigle; James Maxwell, Jr.;
John H. Pennington
folder 7: P:
David and William
Penny.
folder 8: Q-S:
John Quilling; Thomas
Ralph; James and Thomas Stevenson
folder 9: T-W:
Charles Trute;,Joseph
Tumblin; John Watson; John White
Folder 10: W-Y:
Joseph White;
George Whitelock; John Williams, Jr.; Henricus Williams-Neering; John Yarnall
Folder 11: Slides (acc. 2017x)
Abbreviations
frequently used:
J. Kenneth Danby was an antiques
dealer in Wilmington and trustee of Historical Society of Delaware;
HSD = Historical Society of
Delaware;
CGD = Charles G. Dorman
Del. City = Delaware City, Delaware
KPB = K. P. Brown
Sheet
1:
Clock:
Ed. LaFond’s Ziba Ferris Clock;
Clock:
Great Thomas Crow [clock], I found for Kenneth Danby, H.S.D.;
Clock:
“The Clock supreme” [detail] Thos. Crow, found in a WWII housing development
north of Wilm., H.S.D.;
Clock:
[not labeled, tall case clock];
Clock:
detail of unlabeled clock;
Outdoor
Scene: fortified wall and cannon in background, excavation in middle ground;
Door:
Short House near Laurel Del., June 1955;
Independence
Hall and street;
Building
at Independence Hall National Park, Philadelphia;
Building
at Independence Hall National Park, Philadelphia;
Street
scene, Philadelphia, with Building at Independence Hall National Park in
background;
Houses,
not identified;
Street
and house porches;
Exterior
of building –View of side of house in Fredericka, Del. showing Flemish bond and
bricked up closet windows June, 1955;
Brick
house, Fredericka, Del., real view showing outbuildings, June 1955;
Several
buildings
Sheet
2:
Near
Crome, Log House: corner post with mortise tenon at corner, 1959;
[seems to mean Chrome, Penn., which
is south of Oxford, on route 272]
Log
House at Crome: corner post mortise & tenon, 1959;
Log
Building at Hause Store, 1958;
Log
House, North of Romansville, 1958;
Log
House, North Romansville;
Log
House at Grove, 1959;
Log
Cabin, Grove Rd., Detail of Corner, 1953;
Log
Cabin, Grove Road
Log
Cabin, Valley Creek;
Log
Cabin, Valley Creek, Detail Stone Filling;
Log
Cabin, Valley Creek, Detail of Bed Post used as studs in Partition taken from
attic;
Log
Cabin, Valley Creek, detail Stone Filling;
Log
Cabin, Valley Creek, Detail Stone Filling;
Log
Cabin, Mrs. Hopper, 1958;
Log
Cabin, Mrs. Hopper, 1958;
Log
Barn, South Immaculata College, Zook Barn, 1958;
Log
Barn: Detail of Corner, South Immaculata College, 1958;
Log
Barn, with Floor held down with Oak Pins 1” Dia., across from Immaculata
College, 1958;
Log
Barn, interior, south of Immaculate College
Log
Barn, corner detail, Boot road, South Immaculata college, 1958
Sheet
3:
Log
House at Martin’s Corner, 1958;
[there is a Martin’s Corner north of
Hibernia County Park]
Log
House Martin Corner, 1958;
Living
Room Log House at Martin’s Corner, 1958;
Log
House, Martin’s Corner, Living Room Fireplace, 1962;
Pin
Floor, Log House, Martin Corner, 1959;
Pin
or peg floor, Log House, Martin’s Corner, 1958;
Bedroom
Door Hardware, Martin’s Corner, 1958;
Log
House, Martin Corner, Wood Hinge, 1958
2nd
floor, Log House, Martin Corner;
Plank
Cabin;
Plank
Cabin;
Plank
Cabin;
Plank
cabin N. of Primitive Hall (West Marlboro PA);
Plank
house;
Plank
House;
Plank
House, Mill Town;
Plank
House, Milltown;
Plank
House, Milltown;
Plank
House, Milltown, 1960;
Sheet
4:
Log
House, Chester Co., 1958;
Outside
of cabin
Remains
of Croft house, Odessa, Del., in 1956, Now Demolished, 1961,
Outbuilding,
home of Mrs. Wm. Truitt, near Laurel, Del., June 1955;
Exterior
of brick house
Houses
Two
views of stone farmhouse with log cabin;
Two
close-up shots of log cabin attached to stone farmhouse;
Pennington
Family Lowboy, Owned by Mrs. Nickles, Sr., Del. City;
Round
top pedestal table, Nickels, Del. City, Pennington Family;
Alleyway
or passage between two buildings, with carts at end;
Drawing
Room, Rockwood Museum, Early View;
Muniment
Chest, Old Swede’s, Wilmington;
Sheet
5:
Jeffries
Chest, Slightly Dark, Owned in Lewes, Del.;
Chest
on chest: “This wouldn’t go up my stairway so I had to give it up Now at ASD”;
Sideboard,
Ex Harrington, Dover, now Winterthur in Odessa;
Sideboard
with silver;
Nan
Campbell’s Ralph Cupboard;
Nan
Campbell, Laurel Del.;
Clock:
My Janvier Clock in my apt. on Pine St in Phila. 1962;
View
of Mr. John Janvier’s [house], now in Biggs Museum, Dover, Del.;
Janvier
chest of drawers, Corbit House;
Janvier,
Cooch, Newark Del.;
J.
Janvier Jr., Ex me, now Ken Brown;
Side
Table on J. Janvier, Sr., Bill;
Chair,
J. Janvier Sr., DAR Museum;
Chair,
J. Janvier Sr., DAR Museum, Washington DC;
1
of pair of chairs on Janvier bill, Mrs. Chamberlain, Lewes, Del.;
Chest
of drawers, John Janvier, Sr., ex Chancellor Harrington, Dover, Del., signed as
work progressed;
Original
bill from Janvier, Sr., owned by Mrs. Chamberlain, Lewes, Del.;
Chair,
J. Janvier Sr., Biggs Museum;
Winterthur
in Odessa, Odessa, Del., portrait of John Janvier Sr.;
Mr.
& Mrs John Janvier, Senior, Odessa, Del., Winterthur: silhouettes;
Sheet
6:
McDowell
Desk, State House, Dover;
McDowell
Chest of Drawers, HS. Del.;
Clock:
Now owned in Conn,. James & Daniel McDowell (Israel Sack, Inc. slide);
Label
in tall case clock by James & Daniel McDowell;
My
James and William McDowell chest of drawers, now K.P. Brown;
K.P.
Brown - McDowell Sideboard;
KP
Brown, McDowell Sideboard;
KP
Brown, McDowell Sideboard;
[James
McDowell brand,] Chest from Dover sale I bought for J. Kenneth Danby, H.S.D.;
Armchair;
Rush-bottom
armchair: Sussex County, Del., Owned by Warnock;
Windsor
chair with arms: Ex me, Now K.P. Brown;
Corner
chair;
My
Chair sold to Smithsonian;
Caeser
[sic] Rodney Chair;
Del.
Armchair sold to S.I.;
My
Signed Wilm “Boston” rocker, gave to H.S.D., C.G.D.;
Chair,
Ridgely House, Dover;
Chair
– HSD
My
Wilm. Chair, CGD;
Sheet
7:
4
views of marble top table, Christ Church, Dover;
My
Barnett Sack Back [Windsor chair], Gave to HSD, CGD;
My
Barnet Side [Windsor chair];
Barnet
Comb back [Windsor chair], Danby Coll., H.S. Del., brand & label;
Barnet
[brand of S. Barnet];
Label
on Barnett comb back [Windsor chair], Danby Coll., HSD;
Lafayett
[sic] Brace framing with brick filling, 1955;
Lafayette
HDQ sill & siding, 1956;
Front
door, Asa Boyce house near Laurel, Del., June 1955;
Offset
stair, Asa Boyce House, near Laurel, Del., June 1955;
Bayard
Family, looking glass, Corbit House;
Looking
glass, HSD;
Stairway
entrance hall, Parson Sydenham Thorne House, Milford, Del., June 1955;
2nd
floor landing stair of Parson Thorne house, Milford Del., June 1955;
Sheet
8:
Windsor
chair: J. Chesnut, ex me, Now KPB;
Richardson
Chair, HSD
Del.
Chair in Lewes, Del.;
Del.
Table in Lewes;
Del.
Candlestand in Lewes;
Table;
Doherty
High Chest, HSD;
Hollingsworth
family of Brandywine Hd. [Hundred], Penny brothers walnut candlestand, madde
for [not completed], My Phila apt, 1962;
Clock:
Whitelock case [clock case], Phila. Sofa, Burton watercolor, my apt. in Phila
on Pine (321) 1962;
Clock:
George Whitelock Label My Phila apt. 1962, with view of pendulum;
Whitelock
Sideboard, HSD? or Milford, Del.;
Whitelock
card table in my Phila apt;
Whitelock,
HSD, label;
Del.
Highboy, Wilm., Bringhurst’s, from Park Place, Sold to Robt. McNeill, Phila.;
Del.,
Bringhurst, Chest on frame, Sold Robert McNeill;
66.30,
[illegible], Sidechair, McKinley Chair, H. McNeil
66.30.1,
McKinley Chair, H McNeil;
66.30.1,
Detail of handwritten identifying label, McKinley Chair, McNeil Coll.;
Sheet
9:
Secretary,
HSD [Historical Society of Delaware];
Label
in white chest of drawers owned by one of Irené du Pont Sr.’s daughters;
Charles
G. Dorman in city park [probably at Independence National Historical Park];
Windsor
chair in front of fireplace;
Exterior
of building: Marriott house? [sic] House near Old St. Anne’s Ch., Middletown,
Del.;
House
near St. Anne’s Ch., Middletown, Del.;
House
on lower Orange St., Wilmington, Del.;
Three
views of small building covered with shingles and clapboards;
Three
houses, one brick, one focusing on porch, one from side;
Two
street scenes, with brick houses [possibly Philadelphia or Wilmington];
Out
building;
Top
of large building, with taller building next to it