Foster Brothers records, 1875-1973, bulk, 1893-1942

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A Finding Aid to the Foster Brothers Records, 1875-1973 (bulk 1893-1942), in the Archives of American Art, by Catherine S. Gaines

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Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

Table of Contents:

• Historical Note
• Overview of the Collection
• How to Use the Collection
• Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Historical Information

Established by Stephen Bartlett Foster (1856-1932) and John Roy Foster (1863-1931), Foster Brothers opened in 1893 at 164 Boylston Street, Boston. By 1896, Foster Brothers had moved to 3 Park Square, just around the corner from its first location. Eventually, the business relocated to 4 Park Square, where it stayed for the remainder of its existence. The original Foster Brothers factory was housed in the old Parkman’s Market building on Cambridge Street in Boston. In 1918, the Fosters built a new factory in Arlington, the suburb in which the brothers lived.

Foster Brothers was known for high quality frames that featured expert carving and gilding by fine craftsmen, consistent with the esthetic and philosophy of the Arts and Crafts movement of the time. Their frames that incorporated elements of early Dutch frames especially appealed to Boston School artists such as Edmund Tarbell and William MacGregor Paxton. Custom orders were welcomed from museums, galleries, collectors, and artists. In the 1890s, Foster Brothers operated a small gallery that featured watercolors and sketches by local artists; sporadic exhibitions continued throughout the 1930s. Early business cards and advertisements indicate that the company sold "wedding presents, etchings, engravings, water colors and picture frames." Among its best selling merchandise were mirrors in a wide variety of styles. As early as 1898, Foster Brothers began to copyright and publish reproductions of paintings, drawings, silhouettes, and miniatures. These were framed in sets and sold by Foster Brothers in its retail shop and by mail order; in addition, they were distributed through department stores, furniture stores, gift shops, and interior decorators.

John Roy Foster was in charge of promotion and merchandising, designing the retail line, and managing the company’s wholesale and mail order businesses. Stephen Bartlett Foster managed the factory and oversaw all aspects of the manufacturing. Helen J. Foster, John’s daughter, studied art at Smith College and by the late 1920s was a successful manager and saleswoman in the retail store. The Depression brought a sharp decline in sales. After the deaths of John and Stephen Foster, Helen and her husband, Shattuck Osborne, owned and managed Foster Brothers for another decade. Although the business closed in 1942, Foster Brothers frames continue to command high prices and are highly prized and sought after today.

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Overview of the Collection

Scope and Contents

The records of the Boston picture frame company Foster Brothers measure 12.5 linear feet and date from 1875 to 1973 with the bulk of the material falling between 1893 and 1942. Correspondence, stock records, financial records, writings, miscellaneous business records, printed material, scrapbooks, and photographs document the history of the picture frame company that operated a factory, retail store, and wholesale and mail order businesses between 1893 and 1942. A small number of family papers are included, including items from periods when Foster Brothers was not in business. Scattered throughout the collection are small slips of papers with explanatory notes and background information supplied by the donor, Helen Foster Osborne.

Correspondence mostly concerns routine business with suppliers, distributors, and wholesale and retail customers and is relatively sparse for 1897-1941. Foster Brothers’ last year in business, 1942, is well documented and includes letters from S. W. Osborne (Margaret Foster’s husband) written while traveling to meet with wholesale clients in cities throughout the Northeast and Midwest.

Stock records include stock cards, inventory records and price lists. Also found are a large number of paper stencils that were used to transfer carving designs to frames, and extensive drawings of frames and moldings including finished, colored drawings by master craftsman C. F. Richter.

Financial records consist mainly of routine accounting records, but also include annual financial reports, orders, and sales records. Among the writings and lists are an unsigned article concerning Foster Brothers’ craftsmen and their early use of machinery. Notes include material for a history of mirrors by Helen J. Foster, and "The Art of Framing" by John R. Foster.

The majority of printed material relates to advertising and consists of catalogs and brochures about frames, mirrors, and published reproductions. Eight volumes of scrapbooks also contain printed material consisting of advertising, brochures and catalogs, form letters, and reproductions of miniatures and silhouettes published by Foster Brothers.

Family papers consist of a small number of personal papers of the founders, John Roy and Stephen Bartlett Foster, and also of Helen Foster Osborne (John’s daughter). They include Foster Oborne's 1973 reminiscence of having her portrait painted by William Paxton in 1923, John R. Foster’s personal account book and Foster Osborne’s correspondence with Ernest Donnelley concerning the sale of printing plates and dies from the miniature reproduction business.

Photographs are of founders John Roy and Stephen Bartlett Foster, some of their employees, and early pictures of the first Foster Brothers frame factory on Cambridge Street.

Arrangement and Series Description

The collection is arranged as 9 series:

• Series 1: Correspondence, 1897-1942 (Box 1; 1.0 linear ft.)
• Series 2: Stock Records, 1905-1942 (Boxes 2-6, 11, OVs 23-24, BVs 13-15; 6.2 linear ft.)
• Series 3: Financial Records, 1892-1959 (Boxes 7-9; BVs 16-19; 3.3 linear ft.)
• Series 4: Writings and Lists, 1920s-circa 1942 (Box 9; 0.25 linear ft.)
• Series 5: Miscellaneous Business Records, 1898-1939 (Box 10; 7 folders)
• Series 6: Printed Material, 1893-1947 (Box 10, OV 25; 0.25 linear ft.)
• Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1906-1942 (Boxes 10, 12, BVs 20-22; 1.3 linear ft.)
• Series 8: Family Papers, 1875-1973 (Box 10; 6 folders
• Series 9: Photographs, circa 1880s-1918 (Box 10; 5 folders)

Subjects and Names

Provenance

Helen Foster Osborne, daughter of John R. Foster, donated the Foster Brothers records to the Archives in four installments between 1973 and 1976.

How the Collection was Processed

The entire collection was processed to an intermediate level by Catherine S. Gaines in 2007 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

How to Use the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.

Ownership & Literary Rights

The Foster Brothers records are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

How to Cite this Collection

Foster Brothers records, 1875-1973 (bulk 1893-1942). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Series 1: Correspondence, 1897-1942 (Box 1; 1.0 linear ft.)

Business correspondence with suppliers, distributors, and wholesale and retail customers concerns routine matters and special orders. The correspondence dated 1897-1941 is relatively sparse and primarily concerns copyright of artwork reproduced by Foster Brothers that was sold, framed, in gift shops, department and furniture stores.

The year 1942, the company's last year in business, is well documented. Of particular interest are letters from S. W. Osborne (Margaret Foster’s husband) written while traveling to meet with wholesale clients in cities throughout the Northeast and Midwest.

Chronological correspondence is followed by alphabetically arranged correspondence.

Series 2: Stock Records, 1905-1942 (Boxes 2-6, 11, OVs 23-24, BVs 13-15; 6.2 linear ft.)

This series contains stock cards, inventory records, and price lists in addition to blueprints, drawings, and stencils and designs for wood carving.

Stock cards (mostly 8" x 10" pieces of mat board) describe merchandise produced or sold by Foster Brothers, including frames for pictures and mirrors, candlesticks, glove boxes, moldings, painted glass and stands. Each card contains at least one image (drawing, photograph, or printed reproduction) of the item and its stock or style number, and sometimes notes dimensions and prices. Some loose images are interfiled with the cards.

A large number of paper stencils that were used to transfer carving designs to frames survive, although many are fragile. Many stencils are annotated with the corresponding stock or style number; other designs for woodcarving are merely drawn on paper. In addition, there are extensive drawings of frames and moldings, loose and in bound volumes, including finished, colored drawings by master craftsman C. F. Richter.

One volume titled "Cost on Mirrors" (1929) analyzes the amount of time needed to carve, gild, and polish frames, the cost of materials, and prices of frames #1001-1308.

Series 3: Financial Records, 1892-1959 (Boxes 7-9; BVs 16-19; 3.3 linear ft.)

Financial records consist mainly of accounting records, but also include annual financial reports, orders, and sales records. There are relatively few records before the early 1900s.

Series 4: Writings and Lists, 1920s-circa 1942 (Box 9; 0.25 linear ft.)

Writings consist of articles, lists and notes. An unsigned article concerns Foster Brothers’ craftsmen and their early use of machinery. Notes include material for a history of mirrors by Helen J. Foster, and "The Art of Framing" by John R. Foster.

Series 5: Miscellaneous Business Records, 1898-1939 (Box 10; 7 folders)

Included in this series are copyright and trademark information, a building permit, and records relating to an exhibition of etchings by Dorsey Potter Tyson held at Foster Brothers.

Series 6: Printed Material, 1893-1947 (Box 10, OV 25; 0.25 linear ft.)

The majority of printed material relates to advertising and consists of catalogs and brochures about frames, mirrors, and published reproductions. Unless otherwise noted, all items were produced by or are about Foster Brothers. Scrapbooks in Series 7 contain additional printed material.

Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1906-1942 (Boxes 10, 12, BV 20-22; 1.3 linear ft.)

8 volumes of scrapbooks contain printed material including clippings, advertising material, brochures and catalogs, form letters, and reproductions of miniatures and silhouettes published by Foster Brothers.

Series 8: Family Papers, 1875-1973 (Box 10; 6 folders)

Family papers consist of a small number of personal papers of Foster Brothers founders, John Roy and Stephen Bartlett Foster, and also of Helen Foster Osborne (John’s daughter). A letter from Edward Everett Hale, 1889, accepting an invitation addressed to Mr. Foster could have been intended for either Stephen or John Foster. Also included are a silhouette of John R. Foster cut by Doris Burdick, and his personal account book with some brief diary entries that pre-date the establishment of Foster Brothers by more than a decade. Of particular interest is Helen Foster Osborne’s 1973 reminiscence of having her portrait painted by William Paxton in 1923. Helen Foster Osborne’s correspondence with Ernest Donnelley, post-dating the closing of Foster Brothers, concerns the sale of printing plates and dies from the miniature reproduction business.

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1880s-1918 (Box 10; 5 folders)

Photographs are of the Foster brothers, John Roy and Stephen Bartlett Foster. One portrait of each is in a "Keepsake Frame," a popular item designed and manufactured by Foster Brothers. Other people appearing in photographs are employees, most of whom are unidentified. Also included are pictures of the Foster Brothers' first frame factory on Cambridge Street, picturing the exterior of the factory and the "fitting room."