The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, DE  19735

302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:         Fleming, E. McClung (Edward McClung), 1909-

Title:               Symbols of America Research Papers

Dates:             ca.1960-1994

Call No.:         Col. 582         

Acc. No.:        95x21

Quantity:        29 boxes

Location:        35 J 5-6, K 1-3

           

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

Edward McClung (“Mac”) Fleming was director of education at the Winterthur Museum, and after his retirement from that position, he continued as a research associate.  He was born in India, where his parents were missionaries; the family returned to the United States when he was three years old.  He received a B.A. degree from Yale University, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in American intellectual and cultural history from Columbia University.  Dr. Fleming taught history at Forman College, Lahore, India for two years, then taught at the College of the City of New York for seven years.  During World War II, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army.  From 1947 to 1955, Dr. Fleming was professor of history and dean at Park College in Parkville, Missouri.  In 1955, he came to Winterthur Museum as head of the Education Division, a position he held until his retirement in 1974.  His responsibilities included educating tour guides, organizing school tours, presenting seminars and conferences, and teaching in the joint Winterthur Museum/University of Delaware Program in Early American Culture. 

 

After retiring from Winterthur, Dr. Fleming researched symbols of America, in preparation for writing a book which Winterthur hoped to publish.  Unfortunately, Dr. Fleming died on May 30, 1994, before completing the work.

 

Dr. Fleming was married to Patricia Crew Fleming.  She was an artist and a guide at Winterthur, and was very interested in Chinese export porcelain and English ceramics.  They had three sons and one daughter.

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

Most of the materials in the collection are notes and pictures, including photographs and slides, collected by Dr. Fleming for his book on symbols of America.  Drafts of most of the chapters are included, as are copies of lectures delivered by Dr. Fleming, and some records from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture.  Some of the lectures were about symbols of America; the others covered a range of topics relating to history, material culture, and museums.   There are also a number of slides from Winterthur’s Education Department; most of these depict historic sites, 18th and early 19th century costumes, and Winterthur Summer Institutes.  None of them seem to have any relation to his research on symbols of America, but do pertain to his position as head of the Education Department.

 

 

ORGANIZATION

           

The organization of the collection reflects Dr. Fleming’s arrangement of his papers, so materials on the same subject may be found in more than one place.

 

Boxes 1-4 contain drafts of most of the chapters of Dr. Fleming’s book.  Lectures delivered by him are found in boxes 4, 5, and 7.  Boxes 10-15 contain note cards.   Box 20 contains correspondence, plus a folder of personal material pertaining to Dr. Fleming (notices of his appointment to Winterthur, obituary, etc.)   In Box 25 are found books which Dr. Fleming consulted and in which he made notes while researching symbols of America.  Slides are found in boxes 26-29.  These include slides from Winterthur’s Education Department; most of these slides are labeled with a letter and number scheme (G-1, G-2, etc.), and they have been arranged in that order, although it is not known what the letters signify.

 

 

PROVENANCE

           

Gift of the Fleming family estate, through Daniel J. Fleming, III, 645 Watson Branch Dr., Franklin, Tennessee  37064

 

 

SEPARATION NOTICE

 

Microfilm of Totten, Charles, A.L., The Seal of History, New Haven, 1897, was removed to microfilm collection, Mic.

 

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

Topics:

            Decoration and ornament – United States

            Emblems, National – United States

            National characteristics, American

            Nationalism

                        Signs and symbols

                        Patriotism - United States.

                        United States – Civilization

 

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location:  35 J 5-6, K 1-3

 

Box 1:

 

Folder 1:          Preface; Introduction

           

Folders 2-3:     Chapter I: Indian Queen

 

Folder 4:          Chapter II: “The First Era of National Symbol-making, 1765-1789”

 

Folders 5-6:     Chapter III: The Indian

 

Folder 7:          Chapter III: The Indian: first draft

 

Folder 8:          Chapter IV: Columbia, part 1

                                    [continues in next box]

 

 

Box 2:

 

Folder 1:          Chapter IV: Columbia, part 2

                                    [continued from previous box]

 

Folder 2:          Chapter IV: Liberty as goddess

 

Folder 3:          Chapter V: Liberty Tree and Pole

 

Folder 4:          Chapter VI: Pine tree, Rattlesnake

 

Folders 5-6:     Chapter VII: Liberty as Columbia

 

 

           

Box 3:

 

Folder 1:          Chapter IX: part 1: Union

 

Folder 2:          Chapter IX: part 2: Independence

 

Folders 3-4:     Chapter XI: Flag

 

Folders 5-6:     Chapter XII: The Great Seal

 

Folder 7:          Chapter XIV: The Eagle

 

           

Box 4:

 

Folder 1:          Chapter XVI: George Washington

 

Folder 2:          Chapter XVII: From Yankee Doodle to Uncle Sam

 

Folder 3:          Symbols: Publications [articles by Dr. Fleming]

 

Folder 4:          U.S. symbols at Winterthur

 

Folder 5:          Symbols of U.S.: master organization

 

Folders 6-7:     Lectures, chiefly on symbols

           

 

Box 5:

           

Folder 1:          The Great Seal: lecture

 

Folder 2:          Liberty-Columbia on coinage

 

Folder 3:          Liberty-Columbia: work on Antiques Show 

 

Folders 4-5:     U.S. symbols: topical

 

Folders 6-7:     U.S. symbols, part 1

 

Folder 8:          U.S. symbols: NEH grant, part 1

 

Folder 9:          Columbia project, Winterthur

 

 

Box 6:

 

Folders 1-2:     “’New England’s Annoyances’: America’s First Folk Song,” paper by J.A. Leo Lemay

 

Folder 3:          “Franklin’s American Aesthetic,” paper by J.A. Leo Lemay

 

Folder 5:          Winterthur: American image

           

Folder 6:          Winterthur - symbols

           

Folders 7-9:     Monograph: Symbols: books and articles

 

 

Box 7:

 

Folder 1:          Monograph: Symbols: draft

 

Folders 2-3:     Miscellaneous

                                    Includes issue of The American Literary Magazine (vol. 2, no. 2 [Feb. 1848]) and Magazine of Art (v. 39, no. 7 [Nov. 1946])

 

Folder 4:          Artifact lecture

 

Folders 5-6:     Lectures by EMF, 1967-1969,

 

Folder 7:          ARH 801, II A-B-C, 1971

 

 

Box 8:

 

Folders 1-2:     H802: current

 

Folders 3-4:     Culture concept: interaction, art and culture

           

Folder 5:          Symbols of America: EMF’s original proposal

 

Folder 6:          Symbols: research, contract, correspondence, Ian and Winterthur, 1973-1976

 

Folder 7:          Checklists, symbols, sources, outlines, titles, 1976

 

Folder 8:          Symbols of America: progress reports, 1976-1978

 

 

Box 9:

 

Folder 1:          EMF: symbols book: research expenses, 1973-1979

 

Folder 2:          EMF: symbols book: research grant, ACLS, 1973-1974

 

Folder 3:          Outline of symbols book, 1976

 

Folder 4:          Mac - symbols

 

Folder 5:          Image no. 1: correspondence, 1964-1966

 

Folder 6:          American image: re: illustrations, 1967

 

Folder 7:          Cooperstown miscellaneous (1950s); and Butterfield [book dealer], 1969

 

Folder 8:          “The Singular Fate of the Reverse of the Great Seal of the United States”

 

Folder 9:          “The Story of the Great Seal of the United States,” American Heritage

 

Folder 10:        Introduction: “Symbols of the Young Nation, 1765-1790”

 

Folder 11:        American militiaman: symbols, texts (article: “The New England Solider,” by John Ferling)

           

Folder 12:        American symbols: raw material: symbols, texts

 

Folder 13:        Chapter III: The Belligerent Years: symbols, texts

 

Folder 14:        Benno: outline: symbols, texts

 

Folder 15:        Britannia: symbols, texts

 

Folder 16:        Brother Jonathan: symbols, texts

 

 

 

Box 10:           Note cards: Indian queen; eagle; George Washington; militia man; Yankee Doodle; Uncle Sam; index; Union

 

Box 11:           Note cards: flag; seal; research institutions; bibliography, A-P

                       

 

Box 12:           Note cards: bibliography, Q-Z; chapter III: The Indian; chapter IV: Columbia

 

Box 13:           Note cards: to file

 

Box 14 :           Note cards: to accompany slides (“pull slide, check card with number on slide”)

 

Box 15:           Note cards about symbols of America; cards to be filed

 

 

Box 16:

 

Folder 1:          Brother Jonathan: symbols II: illustrations

 

Folder 2:          Ceramics: symbols, texts

 

Folder 3:          Coinage: symbols, texts

 

Folder 4:          Columbia and Columbia, plumed: symbols, texts

 

Folder 5:          Columbian myth: symbols, texts

 

Folder 6:          Cooperstown trip, etc.: symbols, texts (1970s)

 

Folder 7:          Craig black boys: symbols II, illustrations; paper: “Sculpture for Smokers”

 

Folder 8:          Eagle, general: symbols, texts

 

Folder 9:          Eagles: Old Deerfield paper by Tom Steil: symbols, texts

 

Folder 10:        Eagle: slides, symbols II, illustrations

           

Folder 11:        Eagles, plumes, miscellaneous: symbols II, illustrations

 

 

Box 17:

 

Folder 1:          Flag: symbols, texts;

                                    Includes a plastic sheet of “Flags of U.S.A.,” printed to help the Flag Heritage Foundation, Lexington, Mass., establish a flag museum; supported by Schmidt’s Sunbeam Bread

 

Folder 2:          Flags, other: symbols, texts;

                                    Includes flag coloring books

 

Folder 3:          Great Seal: symbols, texts

 

Folder 4:          Great Seal: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 5:          Great Seal, Esoteric Study Center: symbols, texts

 

Folder 6:          Symbols illustrations I thru Pine tree

           

Folder 7:          In God We Trust: symbols, texts

 

Folder 8:          Indian: symbols, texts

 

Folder 9:          Indian brave, Tammany: symbols, texts

           

Folder 10:        Indian, Columbia: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 11:        Indian in American, Indian brave: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 12:        Indian princess

 

 

Box 18:

 

Folder 1:          Indian princess: American: symbols II: illustrations

 

Folder 2:          Indian princess: Dutch, French: symbols II: illustrations

 

Folder 3:          Indian princess: English: symbols II: illustrations; English political prints

 

Folder 4:          Indian princess: chapter III: symbols, texts

 

Folder 5:          Indian queen: symbols, texts

 

Folder 6:          Indian queen: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 7:          Liberty

 

Folder 8:          Liberty Bell: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 9:          Liberty cap, pole, bell: symbols, texts

           

Folder 10:        Liberty cap, pole, tree, flag: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 11:        Liberty-Columbia: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 12:        Liberty-Columbia: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 13:        Liberty: Goddess, 1792-1815: symbols, texts

 

Folder 14:        Liberty, Roman: symbols, texts

 

Folder 15:        Liberty tree, maypole: symbols, texts

           

Folder 16:        Major Jack Downing, Yankee Doodle: symbols, texts

 

Folder 17:        Minerva-Columbia: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 18:        Minerva, Hercules: symbols II, illustrations

 

 

Box 19:

 

Folder 1:          Monographs: emblems on Liberty: Hagley, symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 2:          Neoclassical: Minerva, Hercules: symbols, texts

 

Folder 3:          Newport Light Infantry: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 4:          Patriotic symbols – miscellaneous general: symbols, texts

 

Folder 5:          Snake: symbols II, illustrations; symbols, texts

 

Folder 6:          Stars and stripes, Columbia: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 7:          State seals, flags: symbols, texts

 

Folder 8:          Uncle Sam: symbols, texts; symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 9:          Union: symbol, texts; symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 10:        George Washington: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 11:        Yankee Doodle: symbols II, illustrations

 

Folder 12:        Symbols of America: correspondence, reports

 

Folder 13:        Correspondence to answer, 1980-1981

 

           

Box 20:

           

Folder 1:          Correspondence, general, 1975-1984

 

Folder 2:          Correspondence with Columbia University Press re: my Columbia, 1986-1987

 

Folder 3:          Correspondence: Esoteric Study Center, Hieronimus, Reed, etc., 1976-1980

 

Folder 4:          Correspondence: Connecticut, 1975-1979

 

Folder 5:          Correspondence: Delaware, 1975-1987

 

Folder 6:          Correspondence: Massachusetts, 1975-1978

 

Folder 7:          Correspondence: New York, 1964-1986

 

Folder 8:          Correspondence: Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, 1976-1984

 

Folder 9:          Correspondence: Virginia, 1981-1982

 

Folder 10:        Correspondence: Washington, DC, 1975-1984

           

Folder 11:        E. McClung Fleming: biographical data, 1980; appointment to Winterthur, 1955; obituary, resume

 

 

Box 21:

 

Folder 1:          American character

           

Folder 2:          American heritage

 

Folder 3:          Baltimore

 

Folders 4-5:     Independence – eagles, part 1

 

Folder 6:          Miscellaneous

 

Folder 7:          Post cards and patriotic envelopes: photocopies

 

Folder 8:          Symbols - Bicentennial

 

Folder 9:          Symbols – current

 

Folder 10:        Symbols – miscellaneous, important

 

 

Box 22: 

 

Folder 1:          American patriotic and political china

           

Folder 2:          American Revolution

 

Folder 3:          Architect of Capitol

 

Folder 4:          Cartoons – history of American Revolution

 

Folder 5:          Change in concept of the book, 1976

 

Folder 6:          Coins, medals, currency         

 

Folder 7:          Copies with historical notes

 

Folder 8:          Eagles, snakes, flags

 

Folder 9:          Emblems of America

 

Folder 10:        Foreign influences

 

Folder 11:        Historical newspaper articles

 

Folder 12:        Historical newspaper cartoons

 

Folder 13:        Liberty

           

Folder 14:        Library Company

 

Folder 15:        Mayflower and maypole

 

Folder 16:        Miscellaneous

 

Folder 17:        Music

 

Folder 18:        19th century

 

Folder 19:        Notes

 

Folder 20:        Photoduplication requests: AAS, Library of Congress, NYPL

 

Folder 21:        Statue: “Freedom”

 

Folder 22:        Strong Museum

 

Folder 23:        Uncle Sam

 

Folder 24:        University of Delaware

 

Folder 25:        U.S. symbols

 

 

Box 23:

 

Folders 1-2:     From Indian queen to Uncle Sam, part 1

 

           

Box 24:

 

Folder 1:          American Heritage – book of the Revolution

           

Folder 2:          Detroit talk – outlines, manuscript

 

Folder 3:          Eagles – Winterthur, 1969

 

Folder 4:          Greenwood Press article on Winterthur, 1980-1981

 

Folder 5:          Historical societies - memos

 

Folder 6:          Indians, 1840s

 

Folder 7:          Linen tea towel: Philadelphia motifs

 

Folder 8:          Non-book correspondence, 1981-1983

 

Folder 9:          Peabody Museum

 

Folders 10-11:             Portfolio III: correspondence, 1966

 

Folder 12:        Prown, Jules – material culture, 1981

 

Folder 13:        Publication permissions for illustrations for snakes, 1969

 

 

Box 25:

 

Folder 1:          Symbols: folk and scrimshaw

 

Folder 2:          Symbols: New York Public Library

 

Folder 3:          Symbols of U.S. – talk at Emory University, 1973

 

Folders 4-5:     “An American Icon: Brother Jonathan and American Identity,” by Winifred Morgan

 

Books:             Coin Dictionary and Guide, by C.C. Chamberlain and Fred Reinfeld, 1960;

Report on “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Hail Columbia,” “America,” “Yankee Doodle,” by Oscar George Theodore Sonneck, 1972;

Songbook of the American Revolution, by Carolyn Rabson, 1974;

So Proudly We Hail: The History of the United States Flag, by William Rea Furlong and Byron McCandless, 1981.

 

           

Box 26: slides

 

Folder: 1          Slides: Four continents, montage of symbols

           

Folder: 2          Slides: Indian queen, 16th and 17th centuries

 

Folder: 3          Slides: Indian queen (continued)

 

Folder: 4          Slides: Indian princess: English prints

 

Folder: 5          Slides: Indian princess: English prints (con’t), non-cartoons, non-prints

 

Folder: 6          Slides: Indian princess: Dutch, French

 

Folder: 7          Slides: Indian princess: American prints

 

Folder: 8          Slides: Indian princess: American, non-prints           

 

Folder: 9          Slides: Indian chief (brave) as symbol of U.S.

 

Folder: 10        Slides: Indian in American experience

 

Folder: 11        Slides: Indian in American life (con’t) (noble savage);

                                    Slides: Pine tree

 

Folder: 12        Slides: Pine tree (con’t); Rattlesnake

 

Folder: 13        Slides: Rattlesnake

 

Folder: 14        Slides: Liberty cap, Liberty Bell, Liberty tree, Liberty pole

 

Folder: 15        Slides: Liberty, slogans, mottoes, emblems, flag

 

Folder: 16        Slides: Flag, seal

 

Folder: 17        Slides: eye of God, pyramid, seal

 

Folder: 18        Slides: seal (continued); Eagle

 

Folder: 19        Slides: Eagle (continued)

 

Folder: 20        Slides: Union

 

Folder: 21        Slides: George Washington

 

Folder: 22        Slides: Yankee Doodle

           

Folder: 23        Slides: Brother Jonathan

 

Folder: 24        Slides: Major Jack Downing

 

Folder: 25        Slides: Uncle Sam

 

Folder: 26        Slides: Serpent miscellaneous; Uncle Sam

 

 

Box 27: slides

 

Folder: 1          Slides: Columbia

 

Folder: 2          Slides: Liberty-Columbia       

 

Folder: 3          Slides: Liberty-Columbia, coins

 

Folder: 4          Slides: Hercules, Minerva, Columbia

 

Folder: 5          Slides: plumed Columbia

 

Folder: 6          Slides: Columbia crowned

 

Folder: 7          Slides: Indian-Columbia

 

Folder: 8          Slides: Stars and stripes, Columbia

 

Folder: 9          Slides: Stars and stripes, Columbia

 

Folder: 10        Slides: unclassified WMF (part 1)

           

Folder: 11        Slides: unclassified WMF (part 2)

 

Folder: 12        Slides: made for CAF, not used by EMF

 

Folder: 13        Slides: made for CAF, not used by EMF

 

Folder: 14        Slides: miscellaneous (part 1)

 

Folder: 15        Slides: miscellaneous (part 2)

 

Folder: 16        Slides: EMF, U.S. colonies, 18th century, chiefly unlabeled, miscellaneous, part 1

 

Folder: 17        Slides: EMF, U.S. colonies, 18th century, chiefly unlabeled, miscellaneous, part 2

 

Folder: 18        Slides: Great Seal, Columbia, flags

 

Folder: 19        Slides: Liberty pole, Washington, etc.

           

Folder: 20        Slides: Seals

 

Folder: 21        Slides: Providence Artillery color; Yankee Doodle; Junior League party: cake for Mr. du Pont; Independence National Historic Park; miscellaneous national history; Paul Revere cartoon

 

Folder: 22        Slides: Japanese tea ceremony and floral arrangement; Mayflower cross section; Burgess view, Boston; sailing ship; Fort Amsterdam; Geo. Frick; Plimouth Plantation

 

Folder: 23        Slides: Yucatan; 18th century Philadelphia public buildings; Lexington (Mass.?) Historical Society; Maryland Historical Society; sailing ship; miscellaneous

 

Folder: 24        Slides: Merrimack Valley Textile Museum

 

Folder: 25        Slides: line of beauty – neoclassical; Memorial Hall, Deerfield, Mass.; Dutch delft tobacco jar, miscellaneous

 

Folder: 26        Slides: unclassified 18th century U.S. life, part 1

 

Folder: 27        Slides: unclassified 18th century U.S. life, part 2

 

                       

Box 28: mostly slides, but also replica coins and a cassette tape

 

Folder: 1          Slides: the Indian

 

Folder: 2          Slides: Eagle

 

Folder: 3          Slides: Eagles

 

Folder 4:          Slides: South Carolina homes and plantations

           

Folder 5:          Slides: Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.

 

Folder 6:          Negatives

 

Folder 7:          large metal replicas of twenty dollar gold piece, Liberty head dime (1916), and Indian head penny (1877)

 

Folder 8:          audiovisual program cassette tape: “We Care about Eagles,” by National Wildlife Federation

 

Folder 9:          Slides from Education Department, E-G

 

Folder 10:        Slides from Education Department, G-I

 

Folder 11:        Slides from Education Department, I

 

Folder12 :        Slides from Education Department, I-J

 

 

Box 29: slides            

               

Folder: 1          Slides from Education Department, J-K        

 

Folder: 2          Slides from Education Department, K

 

Folder: 3          Slides from Education Department, K-O

 

Folder: 4          Slides from Education Department, O and unnumbered