Messmore Kendall Collection 1695-1939 Multiple Catalog Numbers · Messmore Kendall, 1872-1959...

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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Finding Aid Messmore Kendall Collection 1695-1939 Multiple Catalog Numbers National Park Service Manhattan Sites Federal Hall National Memorial Jenny Beard October 2012 This finding aid may be accessed electronically from the National Park Service Manhattan Historic Sites Archive http://www.mhsarchive.org Processing was funded by a generous donation from the Leon Levy Foundation to the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy.

Transcript of Messmore Kendall Collection 1695-1939 Multiple Catalog Numbers · Messmore Kendall, 1872-1959...

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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Finding Aid

Messmore Kendall Collection

1695-1939 Multiple Catalog Numbers

National Park Service Manhattan Sites

Federal Hall National Memorial

Jenny Beard October 2012

This finding aid may be accessed electronically from the National Park Service Manhattan Historic Sites Archive

http://www.mhsarchive.org

Processing was funded by a generous donation from the Leon Levy Foundation

to the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy.

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National Park Service: Manhattan Sites

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................................... 2

COPYRIGHT AND RESTRICTIONS ................................................................................................................... 4

PROVENANCE NOTE ...................................................................................................................................... 5

HISTORICAL NOTE ......................................................................................................................................... 6

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE ......................................................................................................................... 9

ARRANGEMENT NOTE ................................................................................................................................. 10

SERIES NOTES AND CONTENTS LIST ............................................................................................................ 11

RELATED MATERIALS NOTE......................................................................................................................... 19

SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................... 19

ADDED ENTRIES ........................................................................................................................................ 20

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SUMMARY

Creator: Kendall, Messmore, 1872–1959 Title: Messmore Kendall Collection Date: 1695-1939, undated

Extent: 8.32 linear feet

National Park Service Accession Number: FEHA-00078

National Park Service Catalog Number: Multiple catalog numbers

Historical Statement:

The original Federal Hall built at Wall and Nassau Streets functioned as a City Hall during British Colonial

governance until 1789, when City Hall became Federal Hall, the first Capitol of the United States. In the

mid-19th century a Greek Revival Customs House was constructed on the site; it subsequently housed

the New York Sub-Treasury, the Federal Reserve, and several other federal offices. Designated a

National Historic Site in 1939, Federal Hall was redesignated a National Memorial in 1955 by the United

States Congress. The Federal Hall Memorial Associates (FHMA), by the authority of the Secretary of the

Interior, was given the responsibility of funding, creating, and maintaining the Federal Hall museum in

1939; Messmore Kendall was an active member.

Messmore Kendall (1872-1959), a New York businessman and collector, was influential in law practice,

real estate, film and theater production, and historic preservation. He was introduced to the Federal

Hall Memorial Associates through his membership in the patriotic society, the Sons of the American

Revolution. Kendall worked to establish the Federal Hall Museum while serving on the Board of

Governors. His large collection of artifactual and archival relics of George Washington was exhibited

first at the New York World’s Fair of 1939 and then loaned to FHMA for exhibition at the Federal Hall

Museum. Upon his death, the collection, that had been loaned to the Federal Hall Museum and

managed by the Federal Hall Memorial Associates, became part of the permanent collection.

Scope and Content Statement:

The Messmore Kendall Collection comprises archival items collected by Messmore Kendall, including

Acts of Congress, military commissions, surveys, bills, orders, receipts, customs statements, calling

cards, dinner invitations, and wax impressions, engravings, mezzotints, etchings, lithographs,

chromolithographs, letterpress halftones, photomechanical reproductions, painted profile and coat of

arms, souvenir ribbons, Stevengraphs (images woven in silk), and clippings. Many of the items

contained in this collection were believed by Messmore Kendall to have been owned by George

Washington or have been contemporaneous to him. Several items in the collection are in the hand of

Washington; the United States Military Commission appointing James V. Ball as Lieutenant in the Light

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Dragoons, signed by George Washington, countersigned by James McHenry and the land survey

conducted by Guy Broadwater for 526 acres adjoining George Pemberton and near the Old Wagon

Road, which Washington is said to have endorsed as a young surveyor.

Processing Information:

This Collection was processed as part of the Manhattan Sites Archives Project in 2012 by Assistant Archivist Jenny Beard, with the assistance of Project Archivist, Tobi Adler and Lead Archivist, Mimi Bowling.

Funding Source:

Processing of this collection was made possible by a generous donation from the Leon Levy

Foundation to the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy.

Contact Information:

Chief of Cultural Resources, National Park Service, Manhattan Sites Federal Hall National Memorial

26 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005

(212) 825-6883

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COPYRIGHT AND RESTRICTIONS The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. The various state privacy acts govern the use of materials that document private individuals, groups, and corporations. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction if the document does not infringe the privacy rights of an individual, group, or corporation. These specified conditions of authorized use include:

• non-commercial and non-profit study, scholarship, or research, or teaching • criticism, commentary, or news reporting • as a NPS preservation or security copy • as a research copy for deposit in another institution

If a user later uses a copy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," the user may be personally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement. This institution's permission to obtain a photographic, xerographic, digital, or other copy of a document doesn't indicate permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, sell, distribute, or prepare derivative works from this document without first obtaining permission from the copyright holder and from any private individual, group, or corporation shown or otherwise recorded. Permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, prepare derivative works from, sell, or otherwise distribute the item must be obtained by the user separately in writing from the holder of the original copyright (or if the creator is dead from his/her heirs) as well as from any individual(s), groups, or corporations whose name, image, recorded words, or private information (e.g., employment information) may be reproduced in the source material. The holder of the original copyright isn't necessarily the National Park Service. The National Park Service is not legally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement when materials are wrongfully used after being provided to researchers for "fair use." This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if fulfillment of the order is judged

in violation of copyright or federal or state privacy or publicity law.

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PROVENANCE NOTE

The Messmore Kendall Collection was bequeathed to the Federal Hall Memorial Association in

December 1959. It was officially transferred to the National Park Service and accessioned in December

1974 as accession number FEHA-00078, “the relics and memorabilia of George Washington,” and listed

in NPS records as a “large accession of 375 objects that include paintings, prints, invitations, engravings,

correspondence, ceramics, hair fragment, busts, gavel, coffin fragment, commemorative memorabilia,

signet, fobs, snuffbox, photographs, glassware, shaving kit, silverware, scale, compass, calling card, pin

cushion, stickpin, charm, buttons, figurines, lace fragments.” Accession FEHA-00078 is the only

accession of Messmore Kendall items to contain archival materials and is the only accession reflected in

this finding aid. Other accession numbers which contain additional artifactual materials from the

Messmore Kendall Collection are FEHA-00058, FEHA-00059, FEHA-00080, FEHA-00085, and FEHA-00402.

Catalog numbers assigned to archival collection objects are mostly consecutive, FEHA 228-FEHA 601 and

FEHA 899.

The circumstances under which Messmore Kendall acquired each collection item from William Lanier

Washington are unknown. Items may have been acquired privately or through one of the two auctions

of relics and memorabilia of Washington that William Lanier Washington held; the first with the

Anderson Galleries in 1917, the second in 1922 with the American Art Association. Two items in the

collection can be found in the illustrated catalog for the 1922 auction: the receipt of payment for

thirteen dollars and thirty cents paid by John A. Washington for Jane Thornton and the St. Memin

portrait of Col. Augustine Washington said to be printed by V. Winthrop Newman.

Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records contains affidavits of authenticity for many of

the Messmore Kendal artifactual items. Though no affidavit records the provenance of archival

materials, this provenance data may prove helpful to the researcher. Each affidavit is signed and sealed

by a Notary Public and by William Lanier Washington, a descendent of George Washington’s who sold

many of these items to Messmore Kendall. Affidavits have a number affixed to the top right hand

corner of each—these numbers do not correspond with catalog numbers or accession numbers.1 Dates

of affidavits span January 20, 1921 to March 30 1925. Many of the affidavits claim that William Lanier

Washington inherited said item from his father, Major James Barroll Washington, who inherited from his

grandfather, Colonel George Corbin Washington, though many affidavits provide further provenance

tracing items to ownership by George Washington.

1 Federal Hall National Memorial. Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records. Catalog Number FEHA 1924.

National Park Service, Manhattan Sites. Box 6, Folder 4

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HISTORICAL NOTE

Messmore Kendall, 1872-1959

Messmore Kendall was a key figure in Manhattan in the early to mid 20th century, known for his work as

a lawyer, real estate developer, film and Broadway producer, preservationist and collector. Born in

1872 in Grand Rapids Michigan, Kendall studied law at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.,

known as Columbian University. He moved to New York in 1897 where he was briefly involved in New

York politics. In 1900, he established the law firm of Kendall and Herzog2 with Paul M. Herzog. Kendall

made his first large cultural investment in 1916 through the purchase and subsequent restoration of

Washington’s headquarters at Dobb’s Ferry, New York. He built one of the city’s first cinema palaces,

the Capitol Theater on Broadway, through his own Moredall Realty Company in 1919. Throughout his

career, Kendall engaged in several business ventures with publisher George Doran; at George H. Doran

Company, Kendall acted as Vice President until the company was absorbed by Doubleday. Through his

position at the Doran Company, he became friends with the author Somerset Maugham, whose books

Doran published. 3 From 1920-1922, Kendall was credited in the production of several films, one of

which, “Cardigan” imagined the life of an American colonist in the time before the Revolutionary war.4

From film Kendall shifted his focus to Broadway, working with his friend Maugham as a producer on four

of Maugham’s Broadway theater productions from 1927 to 1931. In June of 1927, Kendall made news

as the purchaser of 5,000 books and bound papers from the Harry Houdini library. This collection is now

held at the Ransom Center at the University of Texas. Kendall was active in politics and patriotic

societies. He became a member of the Sons of the American Revolution the year he bought the Dobb’s

Ferry property (1916), and became their President General in 1936-1940.5

Kendall was an avid collector. He remarks in his autobiography that it was from “Will” Washington that

he acquired many of the items that make up his collection of Washingtoniana. William Lanier

Washington (George Washington’s great-great-grandnephew) and Messmore Kendall were friends since

at least the beginning of the 20th century.6 Kendall’s collection of materials relating to Washington had

been privately displayed until the 1939 World’s Fair, where Kendall, at his own expense, built

Washington Hall, a white pillared building in Federal style, to house his collection of Washington relics.

Federal National Memorial

In the early 20th century, the building then known as the Sub-Treasury (later Federal Hall) was a popular

location for patriotic celebrations and memorials, many organized by patriotic societies such as the Sons

2 “Many Sided Promoter,” New York Times, November 24, 1946

3 “On Behalf of Maugham,” New York Times, October 18, 1931

4 Messmore Kendall, Internet Movie Database, accessed October, 10, 2012,

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0447626/ 5 Sons of the American Revolution, Official bulletin of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution,

Vol. 11-15, accessed through Google books 6 Messmore Kendall, Never let weather interfere. Farrar, Straus. New York, 1946, p. 141.

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of the American Revolution of which Kendall was a key member. Patriotic groups responded to the

site’s importance to the history of American democracy. The original Federal Hall functioned as City Hall

during British Colonial governance and as the meeting place for the Stamp Act Congress in 1756. During

and following the American Revolutionary war, the Congress of the Confederation met at the site until

1789, when City Hall became Federal Hall, the first Capital of the United States. Here George

Washington was elected and inaugurated and the Legislative, Executive and Judicial departments of the

government were established.

The first New York World’s Fair opened to the public on April 30, 1939, the 150th anniversary of George

Washington's inauguration as President. Federal Hall, as the site of Washington’s inauguration, was the

ideal location to provide visitors to the World’s Fair with assistance as well as reiterate the historic

context of the site itself. The Downtown District New York World’s Fair Committee proposed to the

Secretary of the Interior the use of Federal Hall as a Central Information Bureau and Museum of Old

New York. On September 28, 1939, in a meeting predating the official incorporation of the Federal Hall

Memorial Associates, a Board of Governors was established and Messmore Kendall was chosen as a

Director. On the same occasion, Kendall was elected as one of nine members charged with the

development of a comprehensive operating plan for the new museum. 7 After the closing of the World’s

Fair, the collection Messmore Kendall had loaned for display at Washington Hall was installed in the

basement rotunda of Federal Hall on January 13, 1940.

The Messmore Kendall Collection

The Messmore Kendall Collection as bequeathed to the Federal Hall Memorial Associates in 1959

comprises nearly 400 archival and artifactual items. The collection was displayed in the Federal Hall

basement gallery from 1940 until 1962 when, in the week of December 5, the Kendall Collection moved

temporarily to the former Sons of the American Revolution room on the first floor.8 Photographs of the

basement installation can be found in the Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records.9

Renovations occurred under the new management of the National Park Service when NPS took on a

more active role in the administration and management of Federal Hall, with the Federal Hall Memorial

Associates contributing in marketing and fundraising.

In the 1950s, the National Park Service sought to make renovations to the museum. Early plans mention

a Washington room, where the objects from the Kendall collection could be displayed to better depict

the life of Washington. An exhibit plan submitted in 1962 called for a Washington Memorabilia room to

7

Federal Hall National Memorial. Federal Hall Memorial Associates, Minutes of Pre-Organization Meeting, September 28, 1939. Catalog Number FEHA 1924, National Park Service, Manhattan Sites. Box 1, Folder 3

8 Thomas Pitkin, Memorandum to Regional Director on the subject of the Kendall Collection, December 10, 1926. Catalog

Number FEHA 1925. Box 19 Folder 4 9 Federal Hall National Memorial. Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records, Catalog number FEHA 1924,

National Park Service, Manhattan Sites. Series VII: Exhibits and Collections, 1929-1966, Subseries B: Messmore

Kendall Collection, 1921-1925, undated

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be completed in 1964 to coincide with the second New York World’s Fair. The Washington room with

an exhibition containing part of the Kendall collection was to be dedicated in the summer of 1964

though building renovation was not completed until 1972.10 Sometime in the 1960s, the Kendall

Collection was moved to the second floor, as referenced in the 1967 Museum Prospectus. In 1971 the

work was nearing completion, yet the NPS was unsure whether the Messmore Kendall Collection would

be re-installed in its entirety. After the renovations had been completed, Federal Hall was dedicated on

October 20, 1972. In 1976, the Kendall collection was featured in an exhibition of Washingtoniana:

“George Washington: Icon for America” alongside materials from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.11

Until the collection was transferred to its present location in 2010, select items from the collection have

been exhibited in cabinets on the third floor and elsewhere at Federal Hall National Memorial, though

the installation of the entire collection has not been reassembled since the 1960s.

10 Gardener Osborn, Letter to Brig. General W. H. Wilbur, July 13, 1964. Catalog Number FEHA 1924. Box 6, Folder 3 11 Federal Hall National Memorial. National Park Service Administrative Records. Catalog Number FEHA 1925. Box 21 Folder 5

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SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Messmore Kendall Collection comprises archival materials dating from 1695 to 1939 collected by

Messmore Kendall and cataloged individually. The collection represents the life of Washington, as

surveyor, landowner, General and President. Materials reflect Washington’s time, surrounding figures,

and events in materials owned by Washington and his contemporaries. The materials include Acts of

Congress, military commissions, surveys, bills, orders, receipts, customs statements, calling cards, dinner

invitations, and wax impressions, engravings, mezzotints, etchings, lithographs, chromolithographs,

letterpress halftones, photomechanical reproductions, painted profile and coat of arms, souvenir

ribbons, Stevengraphs (images woven from silk), and clippings. Most items are framed except for those

noted as unframed. The original frames of many of the items are thought to have originated from the

preparation of the Washington Hall exhibit for the New York World’s Fair of 1939-1940. These items

have their own collection numbering system written on the reverse of each frame, and each piece has a

typescript label affixed to the mat inside the frame. A few inconsistencies have been found in these

labels, yet the labels are now considered to be part of the archival history of these collection materials.

Some items are said to relate to several of Washington’s relatives: Augustine Washington (George’s

father); Mary Ball Washington (second wife of Augustine Washington, George’s mother); John A.

Washington (George’s brother); Bushrod Washington (son of John A., George’s nephew); William A. (son

of John A., George’s nephew); Augustine Washington (George’s half-brother); Lawrence Washington

(George’s half brother); and Eliza Steptoe (related to George’s brother, Samuel).

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ARRANGEMENT NOTE

This is an artificial collection organized to facilitate intellectual and physical access to documentary items. Materials are arranged into six series based on genre of material: Letters, Documents, Prints, Artwork, Textiles, and Clippings. Within each series items are stored by size and organized by date. The entirety of the collection consists of oversize materials. Many items framed at the time of exhibition have been framed with one or more items of topical relation. These framed items have been included in the series into which the item with the greatest historical interest fit best. Items that have two objects displayed in one frame are dated in the container list earliest first. These were moved to oversize boxes and map drawers (MD), and are listed as such in the contents lists. Cab-2 denotes Cabinet 2. Box 31, housing the deed to the Washington estate also houses Federal Hall National Memorial Cataloged Archival Items. Folder numbers are not imposed in this collection; items still maintain their individual catalog numbers. This collection is described at the item level.

SERIES OUTLINE

I. Correspondence

II. Documents and Ephemera

III. Prints

IV. Artwork

V. Textiles

VI. Clippings

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SERIES NOTES AND CONTENTS LIST

Series I: Letters (1778-1939, undated)

Extent: 0.49 linear feet

Scope and Content: Letters included in this series include references to George Washington and his family. All letters are framed in glass with the exception of the announcement of George Washington’s honorary degree, which is matted. Italics denote an inscribed title. Box Catalog # Title Date

Cab-2

FEHA 423 Letter from Bushrod Washington to his mother concerning smallpox, framed with a photograph of Mary Ball Washington and an engraving of Bushrod Washington by Albert Rosenthal

1778 March 23

4 FEHA 228 Letter from Eliza Steptoe to General Washington requesting cloth to make clothing for her slaves

1789 November 3

9 FEHA 584 Letter from William Augustine Washington matted with

aquatint in sepia of William Augustine Washington by St.

Memin, unframed

1791 April 6; 1804

Cab-2; MD-19

FEHA 566 Letter from Gilbert W. Mead to Messmore Kendall announcing the award of an Honorary Degree from Washington College to George Washington, displayed with translation of diploma, unframed; enlarged photostat of honorary diploma to George Washington unframed and stored separately

1939 May 20; undated

5 FEHA 495 Letter from A. Spotswood to Col. George Washington requesting farm equipment

undated

Series II: Documents and Ephemera (1695-1830)

Extent: 1.9 linear feet

Scope and Content: Items in this series include Acts of Congress, military commissions, surveys, bills, orders, receipts, customs statements, calling cards, dinner invitations and wax impressions. Italics denote an inscribed title. The oldest item in this series is the deed to Washington’s birthplace. The deed, dated 1695, is for a portion of the Washington family estate in Westmoreland County, Virginia, purchased by Lawrence Washington (1659-1698), grandfather of George Washington (1732-1799). The estate was later known as Wakefield, and is now George Washington Birthplace National Monument. The land survey conducted by Guy Broadwater for 526 acres adjoining George Pemberton and near the Old Wagon Road, in the vicinity of the Washington estates (John Washington and George Washington) is a revealing relic of Washington’s career as a surveyor. This survey conducted by Broadwater (chain

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carriers Michael Swain and Henry Bradshaw) is endorsed by Washington in two lines on the reverse of the survey. The single page survey has been framed in double-sided glass for visual access to the recto and verso. The simple sketch drawn by Broadwater describes a five-sided tract of land surveyed for Robert Worthington. The survey resulted in a grant through the Northern Neck Proprietary, governed at the time by the 6th Lord of Fairfax (Thomas).12 Several documents relate to the management of an estate in the 18th century. Documents share details of the running of Washington’s estate and those of his neighbors and relatives, providing insight into the interconnectedness of these small communities. There is a receipt for the hire and purchase of a slave by George Washington, a receipt for beef bought by George Washington, two delivery receipts for whiskey purchased from George Washington by Lawrence Washington, and, from the household of William A. Washington; a bill for surveying services to be paid for in tobacco and a receipt for thirty-four shillings and two pence half penny for 23 pair of negro shoes. Several portraits of Washington in this and the following series can be found in William Spohn Baker’s 1880 catalog of engraved portraits. Box Catalog # Title Date

31 FEHA 560 Deed to George Washington's Birthplace 1695

2 FEHA 317 Land Survey conducted by Guy Broadwater for 526 acres

adjoining George Pemberton and near the Old Wagon Road

1751 June 22

5 FEHA 496 Blank notice of promotion from the Col. of the Militia of the County of Westmoreland, John. A. Washington

1756–1776

6 FEHA 235 Receipt of payment for 35 pounds, 40 shillings paid by

George Washington for a month’s hire and payment outright

for the servant Henry Young, signed James Crump

1774 July 27

2 FEHA 314 George Washington's calling card, displayed with engraving,

Washington at Trenton, New Jersey, January 2, 1777,

engraved by A. Daggett, Baker no. 143

1775-1850

4 FEHA 532 Order and receipt for two thousand twenty five and five

ninths of a dollar to be paid to Brigadier Gen'l. Heath for use

in the Continental Army

1776 April 1

Cab

-2

FEHA 417 Forged Bill of Exchange from George Washington to General

Henry Lee, framed with portrait George Washington. by

Scoles, Baker no. 329

1790 February 13

7 FEHA 230 Blank invitation to dinner with the President and Mrs. Washington

1790-1799

3 FEHA 499 Bill from William A. Washington to J. Steward for surveying to be paid in tobacco

1793 November 22

12

Gray, Gertrude E. 1988. Virginia Northern Neck land grants, volume II, 1742-1775. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub.

Co. p. 54

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Box Catalog # Title Date

1 FEHA 229 Receipt for beef bought by George Washington from Joseph Baltzen, October, 1793, displayed with engraving, George Washington, by Dupréel, after Stuart

1793; undated

7 FEHA 472 Customs statement for goods imported by William Torrey signed by Benjamin Walker, former aide-de-camp to Washington, here serving as First Naval Officer in the Port of New York. Goods arrived on the ship James, Nathaniel Howard, Master

1794 June 5

Cab-2

FEHA 421 Two Acts of Congress begun at second session of the third Congress of the U.S. 1794, approved 1795, signed by Edmund Randolph

1795

8 FEHA 487 Bill to William Augustus Washington from Singleton and McFaddon, Baltimore, for furniture ordered from 1793

1795 July 13

MD-19

FEHA 571 United States Military Commission appointing James V. Ball as Lieutenant in the Light Dragoons, signed by George Washington, countersigned by James McHenry. Engraved by Thackara & Vallance, unframed

1797 March 3

7 FEHA 509 Receipt for thirty-four shillings and two pence half penny for 23 pair of negro shoes paid by William A. Washington to John Worrell, written by James Nivison

1799 March 12

7 FEHA 281 Two delivery receipts for whiskey purchased from George Washington and delivered by James Anderson to John B. Pearson who will deliver to purchaser, Lawrence Washington; framed with delivery receipt written by James Anderson acknowledging delivery to Captain Pearson

1799 November 8

5 FEHA 271 Bill to Colonel William A. Washington from Burnett and Rigden Silversmiths for tea spoons, salt spoons, and mustard spoons

1805 February 19

6 FEHA 497 Receipt of payment for thirteen dollars and thirty cents paid by John A. Washington for Jane Thornton, signed by Lawrence Lewis, nephew of George Washington and Executor of his estate

1830 May 813

1 FEHA 457 Three wax impressions of General Washington’s seals undated

5 FEHA 460 Wax impression on etching of General Washington's gold watch and seal

undated

7 FEHA 437 Signet impression of the coat of arms of George Washington undated

13

The date of this item is inconsistent with the life spans of either George Washington’s brother, John A. Washington (1736-1787), or his grandson, John A. Washington (1821-1861).

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Series III: Prints (1798-1870, undated) Extent: 3.7 linear feet

Scope and Content: Items in this collection include portraits of George Washington, William A. Washington, Martha Washington, and a selection of locations, events and details pertaining to his life such as his coat of arms and his bookplate. Italics denote an inscribed title. Several late 18th century and early 19th century engravings of George Washington can be found in the collection. Copies of some are also found in the Federal Hall National Memorial Cataloged Archival Items collection: George Washington Esqr, late President Of The United States Of America, Georgius Washington George Washington (Frey), George Washington (Blanchard). Five portraits of William Augustine Washington found in the collection are representative of the portrait package developed by the popular neoclassical portraitist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint- Mémin. St. Memin sketched a sitter’s profile using the contemporary drafting tool, the physiognotrace. The sketch would be completed, reduced and transferred to a copper plate from which the engravings originated. St. Memin gave each of his sitters a package containing his original drawing, copper plate, and several engravings. Box Catalog # Title Date

2 FEHA 565 George Washington Esqr, late President Of The United States Of America, engraved by Nutter, Baker no. 294

1798 January 15

4 FEHA 424 George Washington, First President of the United States of America. Portrait bust of George Washington, head to left, engraved by James Fittler, Baker no. 226

1804 May 15

6 FEHA 379 William Augustine Washington, engraved by St. Memin 1804

1 FEHA 500 William Augustine Washington, engraved by St. Memin 1804

6 FEHA 546 William Augustine Washington, engraved by St. Memin 1804

5 FEHA 512 Washington, engraved by Leney for the Washington Benevolent Society, Baker no. 275

1808

8 FEHA 434 Georgius Washington, engraved by Longhi, Baker no. 281 1817

MD-46

FEHA 418 George Washington, stipple engraved by Frey after Krethlow, Baker no. 165

1818

9 FEHA 414 George Washington, engraved by Blanchard after Couder, Baker no. 139

1820-1829

8 FEHA 419 The pedigree of Washington, chromolithograph by Gwilt

Mapleson; framed with informational insert

1830-1850

MD-19

FEHA 883 George Washington, engraved by Laugier after Cogniet, reprint by Fishel Adler & Schwartz Co., N.Y.

1839

MD-19

FEHA 242 The Home of Washington, chromolithograph after Thomas Oldham Barlow

1860-1930

8 FEHA 409 Gen. Washington's Carriage, lithograph by J. H. Daniels 1872 February 22

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National Park Service: Manhattan Sites

Box Catalog # Title Date

7 FEHA 435 Woodcut of George Washington at Valley Forge, drawn by H. A. Ogden, woodcut by Hoskin

1890-1920

3 FEHA 516 George Washington's book plate etched by Albert Rosenthal displayed with portrait

1897

7 FEHA 413 William Augustine Washington, engraving by St. Memin 191514

MD-19

FEHA 00567

George Washington as a Mason, published by Edwards & Deutsch

1932

3 FEHA 263 George Washington's Coat of Arms, color letter press half-tone

1950-1959

MD-19

FEHA 559 Lady Washington's Reception, engraved by A. H. Ritchie 1860-1870

Cab-2

FEHA 568 George Washington, chromolithograph after Gilbert Stuart, unframed

undated

3 FEHA 402 George Washington in Freemason regalia, color letter press half-tone

undated

7 FEHA 491 George Washington in uniform, color offset lithograph undated

9 FEHA 586 First in War First in Peace, hand-colored engraved of

George Washington; matted with full color letterpress

halftone of Washington's coat of arms

undated

4 FEHA 476 Two silk fragments displayed with a mezzotint of Martha Washington after John Wollaston

undated

3 FEHA 403 George Washington after St. Memin, engraved by H. B. Hall & Sons

undated

5 FEHA 404 Washington. Portrait bust of George Washington engraved by J. C. Buttre after a painting by Edward Savage, Baker no. 122

undated

5 FEHA 405 G Washington, engraved by H. B. Hall and Sons for the Magazine of American History

undated

5 FEHA 406 George Washington General and Commander in Chief of the American Revolutionary Army and first President of the United States, stipple engraved by Edwin, Baker no. 212

undated

7 FEHA 554 G. Washington, stipple engraved after Gilbert Stuart undated

10 FEHA 569 Washington Family. Mezzotint published by Moore and

Annin

undated

4 FEHA 459 George Washington President der Vereinigten Staaten von America, engraved by Rosmaster, Baker no. 317

undated

14

Information concerning the print originates from the handwritten description back of the frame: " Col. Wm. Augustine Washington nephew of General Washington / Printed in colors from the original plate engraved by St. Memin. / Plate coloring and printing done by V. Winthrop Newman 1915 one of ten prints in color / No. 3. / G. G. Grandfather of W. Lanier Washington." V. Winthrop Newman was a New York collector whose collection was sold in 1920, however, in the auction catalog for William Lanier Washington’s Relics and Memorabilia of Washington sale (1922) this item is listed as “the personal work of the English dry-point artist Victor Winthrop Newman.”

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National Park Service: Manhattan Sites

Box Catalog # Title Date

3 FEHA 407 George Washington, after Gilbert Stuart, color letter press half-tone

undated

8 FEHA 408 The Verplanck House, lithograph undated

1 FEHA 420 G.Washington, woodcut by Darley undated

7 FEHA 347 Circular miniature portrait bust of General Washington, letterpress halftone

undated

7 FEHA 260 George Washington in uniform, color offset lithograph undated

7 FEHA 442 George Washington, lithograph undated

N/A FEHA 258 Signing the Declaration of Independence- Not found undated

N/A FEHA 331 Children weeping at Washington's tomb- Not found undated

N/A FEHA 342 Children weeping at Washington's tomb- Not found undated

N/A FEHA 502 Print of weeping figures at Washington's tomb- Not found undated

N/A FEHA 436 George Washington coat of arms photo reproduction- Not found

undated

Series IV: Artwork (1815-1825, undated) Extent: 0.23 linear feet

Scope and Content: Two hand-painted works show Washington’s coat of arms and Washington in military dress. Box Catalog # Title Date

5 FEHA 231 General George Washington Commander in Chief of the Continental Forces in America. Painted profile on glass.

1815-1825

1 FEHA 493 Painting of George Washington's Coat of Arms undated

Series V: Textiles (1832-1876) Extent: 1.15 linear feet

Scope and Content: Silk ribbons in this series include woven, printed examples of souvenir textiles from the 19th century. The oldest pieces in the collection are an engraved silk souvenir of the centennial of George Washington’s birth and one example of a machine-woven silk portrait bust of Washington by the weaver Carquillat. The majority of this series is composed of machine-woven Stevengraph ribbons. The patented Stevengraph souvenirs were created by the British ribbon weaver, Thomas Stevens. 15 The items in the Kendall collection are souvenir bookmarks memorializing the Independence Day centennial in silk embroidery, each with a portrait of Washington.

15

The bookseller: a newspaper of British and foreign literature. London: 1858. [s.n.].

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National Park Service: Manhattan Sites

Box Catalog # Title Date

6 FEHA 327 Printed silk ribbon commemorating the centennial of George Washington's birth, engraved by Tuthill

1832 February 22

4 FEHA 232 Woven silk portrait bust of George Washington, designed by Allardet woven by Carquillat

1845-1855

6 FEHA 451 Printed silk ribbon commemorating the laying the cornerstone of the Washington Monument with portrait bust of George Washington, October 19th 1847

1847

6 FEHA 589 Silk Stevengraph souvenir ribbon from the Independence Day Centennial, 1876 with portrait of George Washington and the signing of the Declaration of Independence

1876

6 FEHA 449 Silk Stevengraph souvenir ribbon from the Independence Day Centennial, 1876 with portrait of George Washington and the signing of the Declaration of Independence

1876

6 FEHA 450 Silk Stevengraph souvenir ribbon from the Independence Day Centennial, 1876 with portrait of George Washington, "The Father of his Country"

1876

6 FEHA 452 Silk Stevengraph souvenir ribbon from the Independence Day Centennial, 1876, with Washington equestrian statue and the signing of the Declaration of Independence

1876

6 FEHA 453 Silk Stevengraph souvenir ribbon from the Independence Day Centennial, 1876, with Washington equestrian statue and the signing of the Declaration of Independence

1876

6 FEHA 454 Silk Stevengraph souvenir ribbon from the Independence Day Centennial, 1876 with Washington equestrian statue

1876

Series VI: Clippings (1799-1833, undated) Extent: 0.84 linear feet

Scope and Content: Materials in this series include clippings of articles concerning the career, death, and portraits of George Washington. Also include is an article on President Andrew Jackson’s visit to Fredericksburg, Va.

Box Catalog # Title Date

1 FEHA 548 “Regulations relative to the Washington Funeral

procession,” from unknown newspaper

1799 December 29

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National Park Service: Manhattan Sites

Box Catalog # Title Date

10 FEHA 478 "Visit of the President [Andrew Jackson] of the United

States to Fredericksburgh [sic],” from the New York

Mirror

1833 June 8

10 FEHA 422 Newspaper clipping of bust of George Washington, from

unknown newspaper

undated

10 FEHA 521 Clipping of portrait of George Washington by Gilbert

Stuart, from cover of Liberty Magazine

undated

1 FEHA 528 Display of items related to the elm tree under which

Washington took command of the American Army, from

unknown newspaper

undated

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Finding Aid Messmore Kendall Collection - Multiple Catalog #’s Page 19

National Park Service: Manhattan Sites

RELATED MATERIALS NOTE

Federal Hall National Memorial. Federal Hall National Memorial Cataloged Archival Items. Multiple Catalog Numbers. National Park Service, Manhattan Sites.

Federal Hall National Memorial. Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records. Catalog

Number FEHA 1924. National Park Service, Manhattan Sites. Federal Hall National Memorial. National Park Service Administrative Records. Catalog Number FEHA 1925. National Park Service, Manhattan Sites. Federal Hall National Memorial. American Legion Wall Street Post 1217 Records. Catalog Number FEHA

1926. National Park Service, Manhattan Sites.

SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY American Art Association. n.d. Illustrated catalogue of original letters and documents, statuary,

medallions, snuff-boxes, watches, clocks, silver and other relics or memorabilia of or belonging

to George Washington To be sold without reserve or restriction by order of Mr. William Lanier

Washington on Friday and Saturday, February 6th and 7th, 1920. New York: American Art

Association, composition, Presswork and binding by Lent & Graff Co.

http://books.google.com/books?id=_j0TAQAAMAAJ.

Baker, William Spohn. The engraved portraits of Washington with notices of the originals and brief

biographical sketches of the painters. Philadelphia: Lindsay & Baker, 1880.

Kendall, Messmore. Never let weather interfere. New York: Farrar, Straus, 1946. Sons of the American Revolution. Official bulletin of the National Society of the Sons of the American

Revolution, Vol. 11-15, accessed through Google books

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National Park Service: Manhattan Sites

ADDED ENTRIES

Personal Names:

Ball, James V.

Blanchard, Auguste, b. ca. 1766

Buttre, John Chester, 1821-1893

Edwin, David, 1776-1841

Fairfax, Thomas Fairfax, Lord, 1692-1782

Fittler, James, 1758-1835

Kendall, Messmore, 1872-1959

Lee, Henry, 1756-1818

Leney, William Satchwell, 1769-1831

Longhi, Giuseppe, 1776-1831

McHenry, James, 1753-1816

Newman, V. Winthrop

Nutter, William, 1754-1802

Ogden, Henry Alexander, 1856-1936

Randolph, Edmund, 1753-1813

Ritchie, Alexander Hay, 1822-1895

Rosenthal, Albert, 1863-1939

Saint-Mémin, Charles Balthazar Julien Fevret de, 1770-1852

Savage, Edward, 1761-1817

Spotswood, Alexander, ca. 1746-1818

Steptoe, Eliza

Torrey, William, 1751?-1828

Walker, Benjamin, 1753-1818

Washington, Bushrod, 1785-1830

Washington, John Augustine, 1736-1787

Washington, Lawrence Augustine, 1776-1824

Washington, Mary Ball, 1708-1789

Washington, William Augustine, 1757-1810

Washington, William Lanier, 1865-1933

Wollaston, John, 1710-1775?

Corporate Names: H.B. Halls Sons Thackara & Vallance

Subjects: Dobbs Ferry (N.Y.)

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National Park Service: Manhattan Sites

Fredericksburg (Va.) George Washington Birthplace National Monument Washington, George, 1732-1799 Washington, George, 1732-1799--Collectibles Washington, George, 1732-1799--Family Washington, George, 1732-1799--Finance, Personal Washington, George, 1732-1799--Freemasonry Washington, George, 1732-1799--Military leadership Washington, George, 1732-1799--Museums Washington, George, 1732-1799. Papers of George Washington Washington, George, 1732-1799--Portraits