The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, DE  19735

302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:         Althin, Olaf, 1859-1920                                             

Title:               Papers

Dates:             1886-1920

Call No.:         Col. 426

Acc. No.:        96x42, 96x131, 97x93

Quantity:        ca.10 cu. ft. (5 volumes, 29 boxes plus some flat drawings)

Location:        9 E 2-4; Map case A, drawer 5; top of map cases D and E

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

Olof Althin was a Swedish born cabinetmaker who worked in Boston, Massachusetts, between the early 1880s and 1920.  He was born in Nobbelov in the Skane region in southern Sweden in 1859. He probably received his early training as a cabinetmaker in the town of Sinrishamn.  Althin moved to the United States in 1881 via Gothenberg, Sweden. His first address in America was 2 Arch Place in Boston.   Shortly after his arrival, Althin began work for the firm of Evans and Toombs.  He later worked as a foreman for Doe, Hunnewell, & Co. on Albany Street in Boston and then bought the company.  It is unclear as to when he first went into business for himself, but records indicate that it was sometime in or before 1886.

 

According to family members, Althin's first shop was located at 92 Utica Street in Boston, and his second at 101 Bristol St. in Boston.  From 1909 or 1910 until 1913, his business was located at 537 Albany Street.  When Althin retired in 1913, he moved his woodworking shop to his home at 47 Alpine Street in Roxbury, Massachusetts; there he continued to make furniture and worked at expertising (or authenticating) furniture until his death in 1920.  Olaf married a woman named Annie (or Anna) Beata Carlson, and they had a daughter named Bessie, who was born in 1888.  Mrs. Althin apparently continued to sell his furniture after his death.

 

Althin employed a number of people in his shop.  According to bills in the collection, some of the turning and carving work was outsourced to other local craftsmen, perhaps because of the numerous orders he received.  Visual images suggest that Althin primarily made Colonial Revival style furniture.  He also restored a large collection of antique furniture that was purchased by Mrs. Russell Sage from Mr. H. E. Bolles and later donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.  In addition, Althin restored the Charles Hitchcock Tyler collection of furniture at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

This collection contains the business papers of cabinetmaker Olof Althin. Included are approximately 700 bills, about 1,000 canceled checks, over 100 glass plate negatives primarily of furniture, about 60 small scale drawings, approximately 100 photographs, a manuscript of a book on designing furniture written by Althin, miscellaneous letters, patents, legal documents, business cards, stationery, woodworking magazines, and a number of time books, shipping records, order books, a business diary, a ledger, a daybook, and a scrapbook.  Also included are 149 full scale drawings of furniture on 130 sheets.

 

The bills are primarily for supplies used by Althin in making furniture: lumber, hardware, shellac, and such, although there are also utility bills and a couple of bills from him to clients for their purchases of furniture.  In addition to photos of furniture, there are photos of the Althin family and of the Althin workshop and workers.  Althin took out patents for concealed hinges and for an ash sifter; documents relating to these are found in the collection.  A few letters to daughter Bessie are included. 

           

 

RESTRICTIONS

 

Because of their size or fragility, access to the large drawings and to the glass plate negatives may be restricted for preservation reasons.  Copy prints for the glass plate negatives are available.

 

 

ORGANIZATION

           

The papers arranged according to genre or type.

 

 

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

 

The materials are in English.

 

 

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

 

Collection is open to the public.  Copyright restrictions may apply.

 

 

PROVENANCE

           

Accessions 96x42, 96x131, 97x93: Gift of Adelaide Toombs Sundin, granddaughter of Olof Althin.

Accession 10x66: purchased from Derin Bray.

 

 

RELATED MATERIAL

 

Sweeney, Erin M. Olof Althin: From Swedish Apprentice to Boston Businessman. Master’s thesis, University of Delaware, 1998.

 

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

People:

Althin family - Genealogy.

 

Topics:

            Business records - Massachusetts.

            Furniture - Drawings.

            Furniture making.

            Furniture design.

            Furniture industry and trade - Massachusetts.

            Furniture - Photographs.

            Wages - Furniture workers.

Account books.

            Checks.

Daybooks.

Glass plate negatives.

Letters.

            Ledgers.

Legal instruments

            Patent licenses.

            Scrapbooks.

            Furniture workers.

            Cabinetmakers.

            Furniture designers.

           

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location: 9 E 2-4; Map case A, drawer 5; top of map cases D and E

 

 

Box 1

 

Folder 1:         Genealogical information

 

Folders 2-4:    “Architect’s, Designer’s and Draftsmen’s Guide for the Designing of Woodwork and Furniture,” typescript and manuscript draft of work by Althin

 

Folder 5:         Stationery, envelopes, and trade cards for Olof Althin

 

Folder 6:         Trade cards of other businesses

(upholsterers, manufacturer of marqueterie, brass and copper tube supplier, gold leaf and bronze powders manufacturer, ornamental iron work manufacturer, furniture maker, cabinet hardware supplier, and a physician)

 

Folder 7:         Shop inventory, with note “must be a list of what my grandfather had in stock when he retired”

 

Folder 8:         Patents and legal documents [see also Box 6 for another patent]

                        (patent for concealed hinge, 1907, and related papers; Census of Manufactures, 1909, and similar information for 1908, 1910-1912)

 

Folder 9:         Business letters to Althin, 1909-1919, and no year.  Includes a letter in Swedish

 

Folder 10:       Insurance papers and correspondence

 

Folder 11:       Miscellaneous accounts and notes removed from 1906 Time Book, including items dated 1910-1912

 

Folder 12:       Recipes used by Althin for furniture polish

 

Folder 13:       Letters to and from Bessie Althin

 

Folder 14:       “Approximate cost of changing shop into a four room suite, 47 Alpine Street,” with diagram of layout of rooms

 

Folder 15:       Miscellaneous items:

note about work to be done (acc. 10x65.13);

inlay samples from Geo. H. Jones, New York (acc. 10x65.14);

label for box which contained name plates for Althin (acc. 10x65.15);

gold paper ring (acc. 10x65.16)

 

folder 16:        plastic name plates, reading O. Althin, Cabinet Maker, Boston, Mass., with four holes (one in each corner) for attachment to his creations (acc. 10x65.17)

 

 

Box 2: Small Drawings (acc. no. 96x131)

 

Folder 1:         Drawings: beds

 

Folder 2:         Drawings: chairs

 

Folder 3:         Drawings: corner cupboards

 

Folder 4:         Drawings: cupboards or dining room pieces 

 

Folder 5:         Drawings: curio cupboards

 

Folder 6:         Drawings: mirrors

 

Folder 7:         Drawings: mirrored chests of drawers and dressing tables

 

Folder 8:         Drawings: miscellaneous case pieces

 

Folder 9:         Drawings: sofas and settees

 

Folder 10:       Drawings: tables

 

 

Box 3

 

Folder 1:         Letterbook, 1896-1899

 

Folder 2:         American Express shipping records, 1912

 

Folder 3:         Business diary, 1889-1903

 

Folder 4:         Order book, 1885-1887

 

Folder 5:         Order book, 1886-1887

 

Folder 6:         Order book, 1896(?)-1898 (no. 511-953)

 

Folder 7:         Order book, 1898-1899 (begins with no. 954)

 

 

Box 4:

 

Folders 1-9:    Checks, 1900-1906

 

 

Box 5:

 

Folders 1-6:    Checks, 1907-1910

 

 

Box 6:

 

Folder 1:         Patent for ash sifter [see also Box 1 for other patent materials]

 

Folder 2:         “Wood-Working Machinery List,” no. 164 (May 1913), published by A.H. Hitchcock, “a reference for buyers of saw mill and wood-working machinery”

 

Folder 3:         Patton’s Monthly, February 1913, “a magazine devoted to the paint, glass, and oil trade”

 

Folders 4-10:  Wood Craft,

1912: July, September, October;

1913: February, April, May, June

 

Folder 11:       Time book for Willis, 1906-1908

 

Folder 12:       Time book for H. Christensen, 1908-1913

 

Folder 13:       Time book for various employees, 1886-1891

 

Folder 14:       Time book for various employees, 1895-1906

 

Folder 15:       Time book for various employees, 1900-1908

 

Folder 16:       Time book for various employees, 1906-1913

 

 

Box 7: Bills

 

Note: mostly bills to Althin for products used in his furniture making, such as hardware, shellac, and lumber; also some utility and rent bills.  As well, includes a few bills from Althin to his clients, filed under clients’ names.

 

Folder 1:         Bills, Allen-Andrews

 

Folder 2:         Bills, Badger-Barnard

 

Folder 3:         Bills, Bartlett-Boston Electric

 

Folder 4:         Bills, Boston Plate and Window Glass-Evans

 

Folder 5:         Bills, Firmin-Holt

 

Folder 6:         Bills, Hopkins-Kellar

                        Includes a bill from Irving & Casson-A.H. Davenport Co.

 

Folder 7:         Bills, Kulkmann-Merrifield

 

Folder 8:         Bills, Merrill-O’Neill

 

Folder 9:         Bills, Palmer-Rogers

 

Folder 10:       Bills, Schoepflin-Woods

                        Includes a bill from Althin to Herbert W. Toombs

 

 

Box 8: Photographs

 

Folders 1-2:    views of the workshop and pictures of individual pieces of furniture; one photo is dated 1906  

 

Folders 3-4:    pictures of individual pieces or groups of furniture

 

Folder 5:         pictures of furniture, one picture of workmen in the shop (men not identified), view of a lumberyard, probably that of Althin

 

Folders 6-8:    pictures of furniture (some mounted on cloth)

 

Folder 9:         photo of unidentified workmen; photo of view of city

 

Folder 10:       unidentified groups of workmen

 

Folder 11:       two photos of unidentified workmen; unidentified artist (probably a sculptor) working on a panel     

 

Folder 12:       photos of a secretary (being used to store china); unidentified workmen; and of a piano with a note on the back that carving had been done by Uncle Carl

 

Folder 13:       two photos of workshop mounted on same board

 

Folder 14:       photos of Olof Althin and of a mirror

 

Folder 15:       photo of Althin’s factory at 537 Albany St., in front of which is a delivery wagon marked with Althin’s name, piled high with mantels; photo of Althin family; photo of a desk

 

Folder 16:       photo of a man working in the shop

 

Folder 17:       photos of a desk, open and closed

 

Folder 18:       photo of Althin family, labeled on back that it was taken in May 1907 at a celebration of the 50th wedding anniversary of King Oscar and Queen Sophia of Sweden, Olof was 48, Beata was 45, and Bessie was 22

 

Folder 19:       photo of group of furniture; two photos of groups of workmen, in one of which Althin is identified

 

Folder 20:       photos of unidentified man, of Althin family (same as in folder 18), and of a group of unidentified workmen (acc. 97x93.33-.34)

 

Folder 21:       photos of furniture, of a man standing in the workshop, and of various rooms in a house, showing the furniture in the rooms (acc. 97x93.21-.32)

 

Folder 22:       photos of furniture, two of which are numbered, and three of which include prices on the back (acc. 97x93.16-.20)

 

Folder 23:       photos and negatives of furniture, workshop, girls with doll carriage and doll (acc. 10x65.18-30)

                        Includes 4 photos of carved chests (2 identified and priced on back); pie crust table, carved chest, and other small antiques (identified on back); 2 copies of photo of 3 chairs (one photo is identified on back); a low boy; a 4-poster bed next to a mantel; 2 views of workshop, showing carved chests, tables, chairs, mirrors, etc.; negative of a carved chest sitting in front of 3 chairs; negative of a tall candle stand

                        Note: some of these duplicate other photos in the collection

 

 

Boxes 9-18: Glass plate negatives

 

See study prints in Box 19; access to glass plate negatives is restricted

 

 

Box 19: Study prints for glass plate negatives

 

96x131.1         bonnet-top highboy

 

96x131.2         two tables, perhaps for sewing [see also .49, .52, and .62]

 

96x131.3         two shield-back side chairs

 

96x131.4         a side chair, matching arm chair, and a carved blanket chest

 

96x131.5         carved blanket chest with two drawers

 

96x131.6         Chippendale style arm chair, side chair, round dining table

 

96x131.7         carved chest

 

96x131.8         view of workshop

 

96x131.9         carved blanket chest with top open blocking view of a sofa

 

96x131.10       same as above, but with top closed

 

96x131.11       same as .9, but from different angle

 

96x131.12       Chippendale style side chair and armchair

 

96x131.13       carved blanket chest with inlay work

 

96x131.14       view of showroom with three salesmen and sign “Old furniture for sale”

 

96x131.15       carved blanket chest

 

96x131.16       view of showroom, with sign “Old books to read, Old wood to burn, Old furniture for sale”

 

96x131.17       bowed front chest of drawers and tilt top table

 

96x131.18       carved blanket chest, made to resemble 17th century New England court cupboards

 

96x131.19       an assortment of furniture: two tilt top tables, a carved blanket chest, a chest of drawers, a small table with a statue on it, a knife box, and another box

 

96x131.20       an assortment of furniture, including some trays or oval table tops

 

96x131.21       a carved blanket chest with drawers

 

96x131.22       a carved blanket chest with drawers

 

96x131.23       a carved blanket chest, 17th century style

 

96x131.24       a carved blanket chest, 17th century style

 

96x131.25       view of salesroom

 

96x131.26       view of sale room, dated April 1, 1906, O.A.

 

96x131.27       mantel

 

96x131.28       bench with large carved legs  

 

96x131.29       bonnet top highboy

 

96x131.30       round table with Empire style base

 

96x131.31       William and Mary style highboy

 

96x131.32       Empire style sofa

 

96x131.33       sofa with cane back and much carved decoration

 

96x131.34       four poster bed

 

96x131.35       tall narrow chest

 

96x131.36       slant top desk (shown open)

 

96x131.37       carved blanket chest with inlay

 

96x131.38       man leaning against a small blanket chest

 

96x131.39       carved blanket chest

 

96x131.40       Chippendale style corner chair (without seat)

 

96x131.41       round dining table

 

96x131.42       sofa frame

 

96x131.43       dressing table with mirror frame

 

96x131.44       bed headboard

 

96x131.45       one bed post

 

96x131.46       William and Mary style highboy

 

96x131.47       bed headboard

 

96x131.48       frame(?) (picture is not very clear)

 

96x131.49       drop-leaf table with structure underneath, perhaps a sewing table, shown with leaves up [see also .2 and .52]

 

96x131.50       arm chair

 

96x131.51       drop-leaf table

 

96x131.52       same table as .49, with leaves down

 

96x131.53       sofa frame

 

96x131.54       cat on arm chair with cane seat

 

96x131.55       carved chest

 

96x131.56       multi-sided table

 

96x131.57       tall chest of drawers

 

96x131.58       William and Mary style highboy

 

96x131.59       bonnet top highboy

 

96x131.60       round table with Empire style base

 

96x131.61       group of furniture, including a Chippendale style side chair, a large buffet, and trays or table tops

 

96x131.62       two tables, perhaps for sewing [see also .2, .49, and .52]

 

96x131.63       Sheraton or Hepplewhite style sideboard

 

96x131.64       group of furniture, including two carved blanket chests, a table, and a Chippendale style mirror

 

96x131.65       Chippendale style armchair, side chair, and a round table [see also .66]

 

96x131.66       same table as in .65 above, but opened up for the addition of a leaf

 

96x131.67       an armchair and a side chair

 

96x131.68       very dark photo of a round table

 

96x131.69       view of salesroom with salesmen

 

96x131.70       tall chest of drawers

 

96x131.71       shield-back armchair in front of a round table top

 

96x131.72       armchair

 

96x131.73       view of workshop

 

96x131.74       four carved blanket chests

 

96x131.75       Sheraton or Hepplewhite style sideboard, with a side chair of the same period

 

96x131.76       dark photo of a multi-sided table

 

96x131.77       Chippendale style armchair with other pieces nearby

 

96x131.78       small carved box, in the style of a Bible box

 

96x131.79       carved blanket chest, with other pieces nearby

 

96x131.80       interior of a wardrobe or armoire

 

96x131.81       carved chest

 

96x131.82       interior of a wardrobe or armoire

 

96x131.83       samples of carving

 

96x131.84       carved blanket chest in front of a mantel, other pieces nearby, also shows a statue of a man on which someone has placed a hat [see also .94]

 

96x131.85       wardrobe or armoire

 

96x131.86       wardrobe or armoire

 

96x131.87       carved blanket chest, with other pieces nearby

 

96x131.88       hall tree in the form of two bears climbing a tree

 

96x131.89       man sitting next to the bear hall tree

 

96x131.90       a sample of carving, appears to be done out of clay

 

96x131.91       a different sample of carving, probably also out of clay

 

96x131.92       a Federal style secretary [see also .97]

 

96x131.93       a carved blanket chest

 

96x131.94       a mantel with large andirons and a display of glassware, pieces of furniture and a frame nearby, also shows a statue of a man on which someone has placed a hat [see also .84]

 

96x131.95       a sample of wood turning, perhaps a close-up of a foot for a piece of furniture

 

96x131.96       a dining room dresser or cupboard

 

96x131.97       a Federal style secretary [see also .92]

 

97x93.1           man standing behind a Chippendale style slant top desk, with the top open

 

97x93.2           a shield back chair in front of a large round table top

 

97x93.3           an assortment of chairs next to a round tea table, on which are a statue and other items

 

97x93.4           a table (perhaps a sideboard), a bed headboard [see also 97x93.7 and .10]

 

97x93.5           a shield back armchair next to a chest of drawers

 

97x93.6           two desks and a sample of carving [see also 97x93.9]

 

97x93.7           table or sideboard [see also 97x93.4 and .10]

 

97x93.8           shield back chairs next to a Chippendale style lowboy

 

97x93.9           a desk [see also 97x93.6 and .12]

 

97x93.10         table or sideboard [see also 97x93.4 and .7]

 

97x93.11         a buffet and a tilt-top tea table

 

97x93.12         a desk [see also 97x93.9]

 

97x93.13         two shield back chairs (an armchair and a side chair) next to a tilt-top tea table

 

97x93.14         grave marker of Anders Hakansson and Bengta(?) Persdotter, both of whom died in the 1870s

 

97x93.15         a church with a decorative iron fence around the churchyard

 

 

Boxes 20-29, Map Case A, drawer 5, and rolled drawings on top of Map Cases D-E: Drawings

 

Note: most of these drawings are very large and brittle, therefore access to them may be limited.  Boxes 28-29 contain fragments broken off the larger drawings; A folder of medium size drawings and some of the larger drawings are in map case A; see Box 2 for small drawings, to which access is not limited.

 

                        A list of the drawings is attached to the repository copy of finding aid (not the finding aid available through the on-line catalog).  The accession numbers on the list begin with 95x1, and thus the drawings are labeled, although the drawings are actually accession number 96x42. 

 

 

Volumes on shelf:

 

Order book, 1899

Order book, 1902-1907

                        These volumes record the expenses for individual orders.  Noted in each entry are the order number, customer name, description of the item (including some measurements), costs of materials, and price for labor (the names and hours that each workman spent on a project are recorded).  Shipping and other miscellaneous charges are included.  For other order books, see Box 3.

 

 

Daybook, 1896-1914 

                        Records the daily business transactions; each entry includes date, order number, customer name, a description of the item, amount charged, and a note of payment.  Entries are more or less in chronological order.

 

 

Ledger, 1896-1913

                        This manuscript is arranged alphabetically by customer last name (an index is in front of the volume).  Entries record the amount owed and the amount paid by each customer, as well as the date, order numbers, billing dates, and sometimes a description of the items ordered. 

 

Scrapbook

                        A large volume containing only seven photographs and seven drawings (one color, the others pencil) of various types of furniture, including beds, tables, desks, armoires, and mirrors.  The drawings contain much detail of the carving work.  In several cases, the photograph of the item has been matched with the drawing.