Material collected by Robert Weinstein | Collections | The Huntington

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Visual Materials

Material collected by Robert Weinstein

Description: The materials collected by Robert Weinstein include autobiographical and biographical material on Peabody; notes and photocopies; an essay on Peabody (presumably by Weinstein); letters; and some of Peabody's lecture scripts. The autobiography is a copy of the original in the International Museum of Photography, and is missing pages 20-24. The biographical material consists of excerpts of letters by Peabody copied by Weinstein; short articles from various publications on Peabody; and a biographical chronology Peabody created for Dartmouth. The notes are presumably those taken by Weinstein, and are accompanied by two photocopies: Log Book of Car 159 (by Fred B. Lichtman), and the 1893 supplement to Representative American Yachts (by Peabody). The scripts are the narrations written by Peabody to accompany his slide lectures on El Camino Real, Southern California, the Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park; each is annotated with slide numbers. The letters include one addressed to Weinstein from Mrs. Leonard (Mildred Peabody) Chapman in regard to Peabody's work with the Los Angeles County Board of Education and reproductions of his work in a book on A.C. Vroman; a copy of a letter written to Peabody by his Aunt Helen, February 8, 1859; a letter addressed to Weinstein from Dick Bartlett, Florida State University, in regard to reproductions of Peabody's work; several letters addressed to Robert Weinstein from various individuals at the Western College Alumnae Association in regard to a proposed article on Peabody by Weinstein; a letter from the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities in regard to both their, and Weinstein's, work on Peabody; and a letter addressed to Weinstein from John Jezierski in regard to an essay on Peabody.

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Correspondence
Visual Materials
The Peabody Collection correspondence, 1909-1950, consists of letters to and from Henry Peabody and various businesses and individuals (including the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway; Bell and Howell Company; Dartmouth College; Encyclopedia Britannica; Ideal Pictures Corporation; National Geographic Society; the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities; and the Society for Visual Education). Much of it concerns sales of Peabody's slides and albums to private individuals, schools, and museums; technical discussions about the projection of his films and slides; sales, purchases, and discussions of projection equipment; and slide and film production. Of particular note are the correspondence between Peabody and the Society of the Preservation of New England Antiquities in regard to the sale of some of Peabody's albums; the correspondence between Peabody and the Society for Visual Education, a distributor of Peabody's slides and films; and letters from Peabody and attorney Carl Waldron in regard to a claim against Ideal Pictures, a distributor of Peabody's educational slides and films.
<emph render="bold">Subseries III.C.</emph>
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Ephemera
Visual Materials
The ephemera consists of a 135 page scrapbook created by Henry Peabody, 1872-1948, a brochure about the Grand Canyon published by Gates Tours, and scripts for Peabody's lectures on El Camino Real. The scrapbook's ephemeral items consist of programs (for commencement exercises and other events) from the Pennsylvania Military Academy and Dartmouth College; yachting and sailing ephemera; mementoes from Peabody's childhood; passes for railroads and exhibitions; Peabody's business cards; catalogues of Peabody's work, published both privately (by Peabody) and commercially (by the Society for Visual Education and the Soule Photographic Company); memoranda and telegrams; tickets from trips; the slide narration (printed version) for Peabody's lecture on Zion National Park; a floor plan of his Boylston Street (Boston) studio (drawn by Peabody?); subscription announcements for Peabody's publications; price lists for Peabody's services and for photographic equipment; Peabody lecture programs; Peabody's marriage certificate; a program for Dora Peabody's memorial; an advertisement and brochure for the sale of Peabody's house at 640 North Prospect Boulevard, Pasadena; ephemeral materials from the United Universalist Conventions' Church of the Golden Rule in Pasadena; Swastika Educational Series brochures and catalogs; and Peabody's Christmas cards (featuring his hand-colord photographs). The Gates Tours brochure, What the Tourists Say, contains quotes about the experience of seeing the Grand Canyon. The El Camino Real scripts are Peabody's narrations written to accompany his slide lectures.
<emph render="bold">Subseries III.D.</emph>
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Swastika Education Series Catalogs
Visual Materials
Three catalogs published by Peabody and listing slides (lantern and film), manuals, and films that make up his Swastika Educational Series. They contain information about prices and include "commendatories," or praise from third parties in regards to both Peabody's lectures and the strength of his images. The first and third also contain an index to subjects and localities. There are slight variations in content in each catalog, but in general they contain the same information. See also Peabody's scrapbook (Box 55) for additional Swastika catalogs.
<emph render="bold">Subseries III.B.</emph>
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[Copy of Weinstein essay on Peabody?]
Visual Materials
The Peabody Collection consists of 672 glass plate negatives in various sizes, 1054 film negatives in various sizes, 24 photograph albums, 887 loose photographs in a variety of formats, published works, and manuscript material, created and collected by Henry G. Peabody, 1859-1993 (bulk 1890s-1900s). The materials collectively describe Peabody's long career as a commercial landscape photographer working on both the east and west coasts of the United States. The photographs and negatives depict Peabody and his family; landscape views in New England, Canada, the western United States, California, and Mexico; Native Americans; city and landscape views in Great Britain, France, and Switzerland; portraits; architectural renderings; plants and animals; unidentified landscapes; and miscellaneous images. Additional photographers and photographic firms represented in the collection include Alexander Hesler, Charles F. Lummis, and Spence Air Photos. The published works contain photographs by Peabody. The manuscript material provides information about Peabody's negatives; contains catalogs of Peabody's works for sale; describes Peabody's commercial dealings as both a photographer and seller of photographic equipment; and contains ephemeral material collected by Peabody throughout his life.
photCL 478
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Manuscript Material
Visual Materials
The manuscript material, dated 1859-1993, that accompanies Peabody's photographs and negatives provides background information on the photographer's travels, professional interests, and commercial output. It consists of ledgers and negative lists; commercially published catalogs; correspondence; ephemera; and materials collected by Robert Weinstein. The ledgers and negative lists record information about Peabody's negatives, specifically negative number, size, title/subject, style (colored or plain), and copyright date. Ledger 1 (fragment) details negatives arranged by lecture: "In the Footsteps of Cortes"; "A Tour of the White Mountains"; "Around Historical Boston"; "Seashore of New England"; and "Grand Canyon of Arizona." Ledgers 2, 3 and 4 list negatives arranged by negative number. The negative lists detail negatives for some of the national parks and monuments in the Western United States, and the Canadian Rockies. The Swastika Educational Series catalogs were published by Peabody and list the slides (lantern and film), manuals, and films that comprised the Series. They contain information about prices and include "commendatories," or praise from third parties in regards to both Peabody's lectures and the strength of his images. The first and third also contain an index to subjects and localities. The correspondence consists of letters to and from Henry Peabody and various businesses and individuals (including the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway; Bell and Howell Company; Dartmouth College; Encyclopedia Britannica; Ideal Pictures Corporation; National Geographic Society; the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities; and the Society for Visual Education). Much of it concerns sales of Peabody's slides and albums to private individuals, schools, and museums; technical discussions about the projection of his films and slides; sales, purchases, and discussions of projection equipment; and slide and film production. The ephemera consists of a scrapbook created by Henry Peabody, a brochure about the Grand Canyon published by Gates Tours, and scripts for Peabody's lectures on El Camino Real. The scrapbook documents Peabody's youth and career, and contains, among other items, mementoes from Peabody's childhood and marriage; catalogues of Peabody's work; the slide narration for Peabody's lecture on Zion National Park; a floor plan of his Boylston Street (Boston) studio; subscription announcements for Peabody's publications; price lists for Peabody's services and for photographic equipment; Peabody lecture programs; advertisement and brochure for Peabody's house at 640 North Prospect Boulevard, Pasadena; ephemeral materials from the United Universalist Conventions' Church of the Golden Rule in Pasadena; Swastika Educational Series brochures and catalogs; and Peabody's Christmas cards (featuring his hand-colored photographs). The Gates Tours brochure, What the tourists say, contains quotes about the experience of seeing the Grand Canyon. The El Camino Real scripts are Peabody's narrations written to accompany his slide lectures. The materials collected by Robert Weinstein include autobiographical and biographical material on Peabody; notes and photocopies created by Weinstein; an essay on Peabody; letters to and from Weinstein; and some of Peabody's lecture scripts.
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Ledgers and Negative Lists
Visual Materials
Four hand-written ledgers and ten typed negative lists (some in duplicate) recording Peabody's negatives. Ledger 1 (fragment) details negatives arranged by lecture: "In the Footsteps of Cortes" (with 54 entries); "A Tour of the White Mountains" (with 74 entries); "Around Historical Boston" (with 72 entries); "Seashore of New England" (with 72 entries); "Grand Canyon of Arizona" (with 73 entries). Ledger 2 details negatives 1101-3303. Ledger 3 details negatives 1101-3260 (pages 1-59), with gaps; negatives 86-282 (pages 60-66), with gaps; negatives 1101-2893 (pages 75-95), with significant gaps; negatives 1703-3291 (pages 96-103), with significant gaps. Ledger 4 details negatives 1373-4883. Ledger 1 lists negative number, size, title/subject, style (colored or plain), and copyright date. Ledger 2 lists negative number, title/subject, size/type, and copyright date. Ledger 3 list negative number, title/subject, and size/type, and ledger 4 lists negative number and title/subject. The negative lists detail 5 x 7 inch negatives (for Zion National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Crater Lake National Park, eastern approach to Yellowstone Park from Cody, Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park, and Yosemite National Park), 8 x 10 inch negatives (for the Canadian Alps), and 4 x 5 inch negatives (for the Canadian Alps), and thus duplicate some of the information in the ledgers.
<emph render="bold">Subseries III.A.</emph>