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:         Davis, C. K. (Charles Krum)

Title:               C.K. Davis papers                  

Dates:             circa 1940-circa 1980

Call No.:         Col 1001

Acc. No.:        2018x63; 2019x2

Quantity:        2 boxes, 2 magazines

Location:        8 B 6

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

C. K. Davis was a distinguished collector of American antiques and a business executive.  He was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, in 1889, the son of Mary Magdalena Krum and Walter Scott Davis.  He graduated from the University of Illinois and became a chemical engineer.  After stints with the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) and the American Smelting and Mining Company, he went to work for the DuPont Company.  In 1933, he became president of the Remington Arms Company (a subsidiary of DuPont), and moved to their new home, Highwood House, in Winton Park, Fairfield, Connecticut.  There, he and his wife Bertha Barbara Buscher Davis began to collect American antiques, buying the best they could from the top dealers.  Much of their furniture was purchased from Israel Sack, Inc.; the development of their pewter collection was supervised by Charles Montgomery.  Davis was a friend of fellow collector Henry Francis du Pont.  Articles about the Davis collection were printed in the Magazine Antiques in January and March 1941. 

 

Davis served as president of Remington Arms until 1954; he then became chairman of the company’s board, serving in that capacity until 1968, the year he died.  He was a trustee of American Wildlife Foundation and served on the board of Winterthur Museum.  He was a member of the Pewter Collectors’ Club of America.  Davis was awarded the Rice Gold Medal of the Army Ordnance Association for his work during World War II.  When part of Davis’ collection was disbursed after his death, Winterthur Museum acquired several pieces.  His obituary was printed in the New York Times on January 10, 1968.

 

Israel Sack, Inc. sold other pieces from the Davis collection after the death of Mrs. Davis, which occurred before October 1976.  The Davis’ had four children, two daughters and two sons. 

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

The bulk of the collection is comprised of information sheets about and photographs of individual pieces in the collection of C. K. Davis, particularly furniture, clocks, paintings, and Currier and Ives prints.  Also included are photos of rooms in the house, showing how the antiques the Davises collected were arranged.  Sometimes, items in a room were rearranged as evidenced by varying photos of the same room.  The information sheets have a description of the piece (whether piece of furniture, clock, or art work), and a note about when and from whom purchased, but rarely was the price given.  Most of the photos show the pieces in isolation, not in a room setting.  Although the Davises had collected other decorative arts, such as ceramics, pewter, and silver, little information about those are found.  It is not known who nor when the photos were taken, although one album was apparently compiled by one of the Davises’ daughters; it focuses on items in her own home.

 

Also included are several pamphlets and magazines.  In 1953, Albert Sack published a tribute to his father Israel Sack; C. K. Davis contributed a letter to the pamphlet.  Israel Sack signed both copies in this collection.  Davis owned several paintings by Connecticut artist George Henry Durrie and loaned them to an exhibit at the Wadsworth Atheneum in 1947.  Two copies of the exhibition catalog are in the collection.  Brochure 29, Oct. 1, 1976, from Israel Sack, Inc., featured pieces from the Davis collection which came on the market after the death of Mrs. Davis.

 

           

ORGANIZATION

 

The two accessions have been interfiled.  The bulk of acc. 2019x2 were binders labeled “American Antiques, C. K. Davis.”  Only one of these binders was in acc. 2018x63.  One of the original binders has been retained.    

 

 

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

 

The materials are in English.

 

 

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

 

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

           

 

PROVENANCE

 

Accession 2018x63: purchased from Schwenke Auctioneers/Woodbury Auction; these materials had been consigned by the estate of one of the sons of C. K. Davis.

 

Accession 2019x2: purchased from Catherine Myers, a granddaughter of C. K. Davis.

 

 

RELATED MATERIALS

 

Correspondence between Henry Francis du Pont and C. K. Davis may be found in the H. F. du Pont papers in the Winterthur Archives. 

           

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

            People:

                        Durrie, George Henry, 1820-1863.

                        Sack, Israel.

 

Topics:

            Antiques.

            Antiques in interior decoration - Connecticut - Fairfield.

            Art, American - 19th century.

            Furniture, American - 18th century - Photographs.

Furniture, American - 19th century - Photographs.    

Photography of interiors.

Collectors.

Executives.

 

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location: 8 B 6

 

 

Box 1:

 

Folder 1:          “American Antiques, C.K. Davis”: original binder

                                    The contents of folders 2-8 were in binders just like this one. 

 

Folders 2-8:     “American Antiques, C.K. Davis”: contents removed from binders

Between the two accessions, there were seven binders.  None of the binders were numbered, and there did not seem to be in particular order to them.  One contained photos of the house, while the others contained photos of antiques and information sheets about them.  The contents of each binder were removed and placed into these folders, in the same order in which they were in the binders.  It is not known who compiled these information sheets and photos, but presumably someone working for Mr. and Mrs. Davis, if not them.

 

Folder 9:          unlabeled notebook: photos and notes about C.K. Davis collection; these materials may have been compiled by one of his daughters

 

 

Box 2:

 

Folder 1:          C.K. Davis collection: information sheets and photos; includes a 19th century print of General Anthony Wayne;

                                    Most, if not all, of the items in this folder are copies of items in the “American Antiques” binders, but these were in a separate binder with no title.

 

Folder 2:          C.K. Davis home: interior photos showing his collection

                                    Again, most of these are duplicates of what is found in Box 1, folder 3

 

Folder 3:          note cards about pieces from collection which went to Bill [whether son or grandson is not known]

 

Folder 4:          “George Henry Durrie, 1820-1863: Connecticut Painter of American Life” (2 copies):

                                    catalog for exhibition at Wadsworth Atheneum, 1947; Davis lent paintings no. 15, 30, and 40, plus Currier and Ives prints from Durrie paintings (entries 44-45, 47-53)

 

folder 5:          “Israel Sack: A Record of Service, 1903-1953,” compiled by Albert Sack (2 copies)

                                    Tribute from and to C. K. Davis is on pages 26-27.  Israel Sack signed both copies; the inscriptions are different.

 

Folder 6:          Israel Sack, Inc.: “Opportunities in American Antiques,” brochure 29, Oct. 1, 1976.

                                    On page 3 is a tribute to C. K. Davis; pieces from his collection are pictured on p. 4-47.  Mrs. Davis had recently died and these pieces were back on the market because of that.

 

Folder 7:          Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Bulletin, v. 7, no. 2 (Oct. 1948).  Includes a picture of “The Death of Wolfe” by Benjamin West.  Apparently a print from this was in the Davis collection.

 

 

Magazines on shelf:

 

The Magazine Antiques, December 1940.  A copy of the frontispiece “Approach to Christmas” was in the Davis collection.

 

American Collector.  October 1939.  The issue includes an article about Currier and Ives prints, and also an article on Queen Anne furniture.