Charles S. Greene Business Correspondence | Collections | The Huntington

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Visual Materials

Charles S. Greene Business Correspondence

Description: At the end of Box 3 and continuing into Box 4 is a series of letters, announcements, and advertisements of a professional or business nature, organized alphabetically. These include communications with stockbrokers and banks, orders for books or subscriptions to periodicals, invoices from Hall Manufacturing Co. for furniture, pamphlets, guides, and other ephemera.
Type: Visual Materials(Opens in new tab)
Date: 1903-1950
Call number: Subseries C.
Provenance: Gift of The Gamble House Conservancy, July 2021. In 1968, the Greene and Greene Library (later the Greene and Greene Archives) was established to bring together drawings, photographs, and other records of the Greenes' work. The core of the initial collection was the gift by David and Mary Gamble of drawings and photographs of The Gamble House. Subsequently more than 400 donors contributed to the collection, most importantly the families of Charles and Henry Greene, who donated personal correspondence, family photographs, drawings and sketches, and numerous other materials. Besides the Greene and Gamble families, other clients and later owners of Greene and Greene buildings gifted drawings and other records. The Greene and Greene Collection also contains a research collection on Greene and Greene, comprised of copies of original materials from other institutions and other secondary materials. The Greene and Greene collection has physically resided at The Huntington Library since 1987. However, during that time it remained the property of and was administered by the Greene and Greene Archives of The Gamble House, School of Architecture, University of Southern California until 2019 when ownership was transferred to the Gamble House Conservancy. In July 2021, The Huntington acquired the collection from the Gamble House Conservancy.

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Charles S. Greene Notes, Diaries, Writings
Visual Materials
At the end of Box 4 are three notebooks, two dating from the 1890s and one from the 1930s, and 2 diaries (appointment books) from the 1940s. Continuing in Box 5 are folders containing fragmentary writings and notes, both prose and verse, various scratchpads with notes and sketches, and the typescript of Charles' novel Thais Thayer (c. 1916), as well as a typescript of an essay entitled "Symbolism" (1932).
Subseries D.
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Charles S. Greene Family and Personal Correspondence
Visual Materials
Box 3 contains letters to and from the Greene family, including correspondence and ephemera documenting Charles' marriage to Alice Gordon White in 1901 and their honeymoon trip to Europe. Also included are scattered letters from Thomas Sumner Greene; from Alice's sisters, Martha and Jane; from Henry Mather Greene, and from the children of Alice and Charles. There is also a series of letters from Alice and the children to Charles while he was on visits to Pasadena in 1918 and 1919. A small group of letters is addressed to Alice Greene from friends and family (1901-1960), as are a few to eldest son Nathaniel Patrickson Greene, and one to daughter Bettie Greene. Several of the letters in this family group concern disposition of Charles' papers after his death.
Subseries B.
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Book Collection of Charles S. Greene
Visual Materials
Charles Greene had a large collection of books that reflected his interests in art, architecture, furniture, pottery, landscape gardening, Asian art and culture, ancient history, and photography. Many of his books were donated to the University of California at Berkeley; about 70 of the finest books were sold at the California International Book Fair in 1993. The collection includes 10 boxes of books, including a few on Japanese and Indian art, as well as a collection of novels by Lafcadio Hearn.
Subseries L.
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Artifacts from Charles Sumner Greene
Visual Materials
Charles S. Greene kept samples of glass and wood acquired during his career as an architect. He also created prints, including many block prints, and worked in leather (see the hand-tooled seat of the stool for Mary J. Moore) and carved wood (see the hand-carved screen for Mrs. Willis Walker). For his Carmel studio, he carved wood blocks that were pressed into the plaster to create an ornamental pattern. His samples, tools, and carved wood blocks are now part of the Greene and Greene Collection. These artifacts reflect Charles Greene's continuing personal engagement with the arts and crafts.
Subseries H
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Correspondence
Visual Materials
This subseries contains what Neff called "general correspondence," as well as magazine subscriptions, and copies of letters of recommendation he wrote for others. Neff kept a carbon copy of his outgoing letters, which he filed in the same folders with letters received. For correspondence regarding specific projects, see Series 3. Project records: Project files.
Subseries 1
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Charles S. Greene Creative Works: Sketchbooks, Art and Design Drawings, and Blockprints
Visual Materials
In Box 30 is a sketchbook kept by Charles during his 1909 trip to England. The remaining Boxes 31-37 contain small sketches, design drawings, block prints, watercolors, one photograph of a lane lined by California oak trees, and oil paintings. Subjects include landscapes, seascapes, and mission buildings.
Subseries I.