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Oliver Ingraham Lay, Charles Downing Lay, and Lay Family papers, 1789-2000, bulk 1870-1996

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Series 1: Oliver Ingraham Lay and Marian Wait Lay Papers , 1789-1955
4.2 Linear feet
Boxes 1-5, OV 11

The papers of Oliver Ingraham Lay and Marian Wait Lay contain biographical materials, correspondence, diaries, writings and notes, family business records, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographs, and artifacts.
The series is organized into 9 subseries.
  • 1.1: Biographical Material, 1818-1888 (7 folders; Box 1, OV 11)
  • 1.2: Correspondence, 1814-1944 (1.2 linear ft.; Boxes 1-2)
  • 1.3: Diaries, 1856-1925 (8 folders; Box 2)
  • 1.4: Writings and Notes, 1789-1900 (0.4 linear ft.; Boxes 2-3)
  • 1.5: Family Business Records, 1810-1903 (14 folders; Box 3)
  • 1.6: Printed Material, 1840-1955 (9 folders; Box 3)
  • 1.7: Scrapbooks, 1854-1896 (0.3 linear ft.; Box 4, OV 11)
  • 1.8: Photographs, 1857-1933 (19 folders; Box 5)
  • 1.9: Artifacts, 1860-1890 (5 folders; Box 5)

1.1: Biographical Material, 1818-1888

This subseries contains biographical material on Charles Downing and various individuals from the Brown and Wait families. Files include handwritten accounts of Charles Downing by a family member and copies of obituaries on Charles Downing (Marian's uncle), a marriage certificate of William A. Brown and Phebe C. Brown, the wills of Robert Bagg and William Brown, respectively, and abstracts of the last Wills and Testaments of Robert Earle and his wife, Maria Earle (sister of William Brown).
Description Container
Charles Downing , 1885, undated
1
1-3
Various Family Members, 1818-1888, undated
Oversized material housed in OV 11
1
4-7
Oversized Biographical Material for Various Family Members , 1833-1834
OV 11

1.2: Correspondence, 1814-1944

Included are letters between Oliver Ingraham Lay and Marian Wait Lay, as well as the respective correspondence files of Oliver Ingraham Lay, Marian Wait Lay, Wilfrid Lay (Oliver's son), Charles Downing, and various family members, reflecting the mutual interaction between friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. Topics include daily events, personal reflections, creative activities, trips, and residences.
Oliver Ingraham Lay's letters to family members and friends describe his painting activities, working methods, and projects, including his commissioned portraits for Edwin Booth and Cyrus Field. Many contain references to Lay's prominent clients, such as Cornelia Curtis and family, Frederick and Mathilda Shelton, and Mary Shannon and the Shannon family. Also found are letters from Alexander Lawrie discussing his painting and financial difficulties. Lay's letters contain references to his colleagues, Henry Bellows, Fidelia Bridges, Sanford Gifford, Jervis McEntee, and William Trost Richards, among others. There are scattered references to Lay's exhibitions at the Artists' Fund Society, the Brooklyn Society of Artists, and the Century Association. One letter to Annie Brown describes his meeting with Oscar Wilde at the Century Association.
Condolence letters to Marian Lay upon Oliver Ingraham Lay's death include letters from Fidelia Bridges and George Henry Story. A file of transcriptions contains miscellaneous correspondence and two theatrical scenarios by Lay, reflecting the artist's enduring interest in the stage productions of his day.
Also of interest, are items found in the correspondence files of Lay family members. Charles Downing's letters to Marian Wait Lay discuss his experimental fruit plantings conducted at his residence in Newburgh, New York. The Brown family correspondence contains numerous references to Fidelia Bridges; also found is an illustrated letter from Annie Brown to Oliver Ingraham Lay. Letters exchanged between Samuel Wait and his son and namesake, Samuel, wholesale dealers in cattle and grain illustrate the manner in which mercantile activities were conducted during the early half of the nineteenth century.
Description Container
Oliver Ingraham Lay to Marian Wait Lay, 1878-1887, undated
1
8-9
Oliver Ingraham Lay, 1871-1890, undated
1
10-29
Oliver Ingraham Lay, Condolence Letters, 1890, undated
1
30-31
Transcriptions of Letters and Writings by a Family Member, 1881-1890, undated
1
32
Marian Wait Lay, 1870-1895, undated
1
33-42
Wilfrid Lay, 1886-1944, undated
1
43-48
Charles Downing, 1851-1885, undated
1
49-55
The Brown Family, 1814- 1901, undated
1
56-81
The Brown Family, 1902-1923, undated
2
1-5
Alice Brown, undated
2
6-9
Annie Brown, undated
2
10-12
Ella Brown, undated
2
13-14
Phebe Crowell Brown, undated
2
15
William Augustus Brown, undated
2
16
Fragments, undated
2
17-19
The Wait Family, undated
2
20-28
Other Family Members, undated
2
29
Transcriptions of Letters of Various Family Members, 1835-1876
2
30-31
Loose Envelopes, 1882-1926, undated
2
32-34

1.3: Diaries, 1856-1925

This subseries houses the diaries of Marian Wait Lay, Oliver Ingraham Lay, Laura Brown, and Annie Brown.
Oliver Ingraham Lay's diaries record daily events, as well as include references to Lay's commissioned works, exhibitions, and professional and social activities; also found are loose items, including clippings, an exhibition announcement, receipts, letters, and sketches. Entries also contain numerous references to Lay's colleagues, including Samuel Putnam Avery, Fidelia Bridges, Henry Kirke Brown, Thomas Hicks, Eastman Johnson, John Sartain, William Trost Richards, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Worthington Whittridge, and Alexander H. Wyant, among others. Four volumes of Annie Brown's diaries record her daily activities and personal observations about family members and friends; entries also contain references to Fidelia Bridges.
Description Container
Marian Wait Lay, 1856-1857
2
35
Oliver Ingraham Lay, 1879-1889
2
36-37
Laura Brown, 1873-1874
2
38
Annie Brown, 1901-1925
2
39-42

1.4: Writings and Notes, 1789-1900

This subseries houses Oliver Ingraham Lay's notebooks, notes and writings; Marian Wait Lay's scattered notes and writings; and the student notebooks of Wilfrid Lay.
Oliver Ingraham Lay's notebooks include handwritten transcriptions of literary excerpts and quotations; a record of the artist's exhibitions at the Century Association; and a record of payments for his artwork. Also found is a ledger with entries of daily activities from 1889-1890; included are transcribed letters, printed material, clippings, and obituary notices on Lay's death. One notebook contains a list of the works of art by Lay and others that were a part of the artist's personal collection at the time of his death. Also found are transcribed poems, various literary compositions by Lay, including handwritten essays and a poem to Fidelia Bridges.
Other files contain Annie Brown's handwritten essays, her notebook of transcribed literary extracts, and address book; biographical accounts of Charles Downing; and the miscellaneous writings and notes of various family members.
Description Container
Notebooks of Oliver Ingraham Lay, 1866-1890
2
43-45
Notebook of Artwork, Photographs, and Miscellaneous Items, circa 1890
2
46
Various Notes and Writings by Oliver Ingraham Lay, 1867
2
47-50
Various Notes and Writings by Marian Wait Lay, 1859-1893
2
50
Notebooks of Wilfrid Lay, 1881-1900
2
51-54
Essays by Annie Brown, 1860-1887
2
55-56
Notebook of Annie Brown, undated
2
57
Address Book by Annie Brown, undated
3
1-2
Biographical Accounts of Charles Downing, 1789-1889
3
3
Miscellaneous Notes and Writings of Lay Family Members, 1789-1889
3
4-8

1.5: Family Business Records, 1810-1903

This subseries contains record books and various lists documenting Oliver Ingraham Lay's household expenses for the family's residences in New Rochelle, New York and Stratford, Connecticut. One notebook records the picture frames purchased by Lay for his paintings; included are a list of works of art sold and scattered receipts. A folder of loose receipts contains several items relating to Lay's business transactions on behalf of Alexander Lawrie.
Also found are a bill of sale to William Brown for property, miscellaneous receipts, Thomas Lee Gill's statement of expenses, and Mary Downing's handwritten bequest to Marian Wait Lay. An account ledger contains printed material, clippings, and reproductions.
Description Container
Record of Expenses, 1878-1903
3
9-12
Lists of Expenses, 1865-1886
3
13
Notebook of Frames Purchased, 1881-1889
3
14-15
Receipts, 1882-1898
3
16
Various Family Members, 1810-1890
3
17-21
Account Ledger, 1823-1826
3
22

1.6: Printed Material, 1840-1955

This subseries houses an exhibition announcement for Oliver Ingraham Lay at Reichard's Gallery (New York) and news clippings, including obituaries and memorials for Andrew Jackson Downing, Charles Downing, and other family members.
Description Container
Exhibition Announcement, 1888
3
23
Clippings on Lay Family Members, 1885-1955
3
24-25
News Clippings, Various, 1940
3
26
Miscellaneous Printed Material, 1885-1903
3
27-28
Monographs, 1840-1875
3
29-31

1.7: Scrapbooks, 1854-1896

This subseries contains the scrapbooks of Mary Downing's leaf and flower cuttings and Charles Downing's scrapbook of leaf cuttings. Two scrapbooks with notations by Mary Downing include sketches and miscellaneous letters.
Loose scrapbook pages include Oliver Ingraham Lay's sketches, handwritten literary extracts, letters, printed material, calling cards, and Charles Downing Lay's bookplate designs, reproductions, and printed material.
Description Container
Mary Downing, Leaf and Flower Cuttings, 1854-1856
4
1
Mary Downing, Leaf and Flower Cuttings, 1865-1879
4
2
Charles Downing, Leaf Cuttings, 1870
4
3
Oliver Ingraham Lay and Charles Downing Lay, Loose Scrapbook Pages, 1884-1896
Oversized material housed in OV 11.
4
4
Oversized Scrapbook Pages, 1884-1896
OV 11

1.8: Photographs, 1857-1933

This subseries houses photographs, cartes de visites albums, tintypes, glass plate negatives, and one negative. There are images of Oliver Ingraham Lay, Marian Wait Lay, Charles Downing Lay, and Wilfrid Lay, individually and with others. Photographs of other Lay family members include Charles Downing, Mary Downing, Samuel Wait (Marian's brother), William A. Brown, Phebe C. Brown (William's wife), and their daughters, Alice, Annie, and Laura. Tintypes include Charles Downing Lay with an unidentified individual; two tintypes of Marian Wait Lay in her youth; three tintypes of Laura Brown; and three tintypes of an unidentified woman.
Three cartes de visites albums contain images of various family members and friends; many individuals are unidentified. The albums were received with numerous images missing. Also found are glass plate negatives of Oliver Ingraham Lay's portrait of Aaron Burr and his portrait of Edwin Booth as Hamlet.
Description Container
Photographs and Tintype of Oliver Ingraham Lay and Charles Downing Lay, 1873
5
1
Photograph of Oliver Ingraham Lay and Wilfrid Lay?, undated
5
2
Photograph of Wilfrid Lay, 1933
5
3
Photographs and Tintypes of Marian Wait Lay, undated
5
4-5
Photographs, Tintypes, and Negative of Lay Family Members, 1857-1874
5
6-12
Group Photograph at the Art Students League, undated
5
13
Miscellaneous Photographs, undated
5
14
Cartes de Visites Albums of Lay Family Members, 1857-1888
5
15-17
Glass Plate Negatives, undated
MGP 5

1.9: Artifacts , 1845-1890

Artifacts consist of locks of hair from Marian Wait Lay, a monograph cover, inscribed to Marian Wait Lay from Charles Downing on the verso, Annie Brown's stationery plate, and one silk purse.
Description Container
Lock of Hair from Richard Wait?, 1860
5
18
Locks of Hair from Marian Wait Lay, 1866
5
19
Monograph Cover, Loose, 1890
5
20
Stationery Plate, undated
5
21
Silk Purse, undated
5
22
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Series 2: Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay Papers , 1864-1993
4.2 Linear feet
Boxes 5-9, OV 12-13

The Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay papers contain biographical material, correspondence, professional files, writings and notes, family business records, artwork, printed materials, photographs, and an artifact.
The series is organized into 9 subseries.
  • 2.1: Biographical Material, 1895-1956 (13 folders; Box 5)
  • 2.2: Correspondence, 1879-1964 (2.75 linear ft.; Boxes 5-8)
  • 2.3: Professional Files, 1918-1993 (0.75 linear ft.; Boxes 7-8)
  • 2.4: Writings and Notes, 1884-1917 (12 folders; Box 8)
  • 2.5: Family Business Records, 1864-1949 (26 folders; Box 8)
  • 2.6: Artwork, 1883-1916 (11 folders; Box 8; OV 12)
  • 2.7: Printed Material, 1874-1972 (0.25 linear ft.; Box 9; OV 13)
  • 2.8: Photographs, 1888-1939 (15 folders; Box 9, OV 13)
  • 2.9: Artifact, undated (1 folder; Box 9)

2.1: Biographical Material, 1895-1956

This subseries contains biographical information on Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay. Files on Charles Downing Lay include school records from Columbia University, a marriage certificate, a birth certificate for Laurence Lay (son of Charles and Laura), registered architect certificates, application forms, a copy of a passport application, a passport, a death certificate, an insurance identification card, and a published biographical account. Also found is the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Lee Gill (Laura's father).
Description Container
Charles Downing Lay Biographical Material, 1904, 1931-1956
5
23
Charles Downing Lay Education and Professional Material, 1895-1902
5
24
Laura Gill Lay Biographical Material, 1907, 1934
5
25
Laurence Lay Birth Certificate, 1916
5
26
Thomas Lee Gill Biographical Material, (Laura Gill Lay's father), 1923
5
27

2.2: Correspondence, 1879-1964

This subseries includes the letters between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay before their marriage. Also found is the personal correspondence of Charles Downing Lay; the files also contain Laura Lay's correspondence with family members, her children, and friends.
Many of Charles Downing Lay's letters are to Laura Lay and relate to daily events and the activities of family members and friends. Also included are references to his landscape design projects and his painting activities. Among the correspondents are Homer Saint-Gaudens, Eugene Speicher, and Robert Wheelwright. Found are one letter from John C. Olmsted (1916) and one letter from Fidelia Bridges (undated). There is an illustrated letter by Charles Downing Lay to David Lay (Charles's son; 1934).
Also found are Century Association files documenting Lay's affiliation with the club through a variety of material, including correspondence, miscellaneous writings and notes, printed material, and photographs. Much of the correspondence relates to the admission of new members, especially the nominations of Eugene Speicher and Forbes Watson. Notable correspondents include John Taylor Arms, Royal Cortissoz, Homer Saint-Gaudens, Robert W. DeForest, William Henry Fox, and Gari Melchers. There is a group photograph of Charles Downing Lay with Henry Allen Moe and Geoffrey Parsons, (undated).
Description Container
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1899-1900
5
28
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, circa 1900s
5
29-35
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1901
6
1
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1902
6
2
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, circa 1903
6
3
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1903
6
4-8
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, circa 1904
6
9-12
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1904
6
13-41
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1905
6
42-44
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, circa 1906-1908
6
45
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1906-1907
6
46
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1908-1909, undated
6
47
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1912-1913
6
48
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1914-1915
6
49
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1915
6
50
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1916
6
51
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1917-1918
6
52
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1919
6
53
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, circa 1920s
6
54-57
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1920-1921
6
58
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1923-1924
6
59
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, 1925-1934
6
60
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, Fragments, circa 1904, undated
6
61-62
Between Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay, Loose Envelopes, 1902-1904, 1934, undated
6
63-64
Charles Downing Lay, 1879-1880, undated
6
65
Charles Downing Lay, 1886-1894, undated
6
66
Charles Downing Lay, Letters from William R. Ware, 1898-1911, undated
6
67-68
Charles Downing Lay, 1900
6
69
Charles Downing Lay, 1901
6
70-71
Charles Downing Lay, 1902
7
1
Charles Downing Lay, 1903
7
2-4
Charles Downing Lay, circa 1904
7
5
Charles Downing Lay, 1904
7
6-13
Charles Downing Lay, 1905-1906
7
14
Charles Downing Lay, 1907-1908
7
15
Charles Downing Lay, Letters from Thatcher and Lea Luquer, 1907-1930
7
16
Charles Downing Lay, 1911-1912
7
17
Charles Downing Lay, 1914-1922, undated
7
18
Charles Downing Lay, 1915-1916
7
19
Charles Downing Lay, The Century Association, 1915-1936, undated
7
20-31
Charles Downing Lay, 1916-1918
7
32
Charles Downing Lay, 1917-1919
7
33
Charles Downing Lay, 1922, 1930
7
34
Charles Downing Lay, 1925-1926
7
35
Charles Downing Lay, Letters from Robert Wheelwright, 1927-1936, 1954, undated
7
36
Charles Downing Lay, 1932-1933
7
37
Charles Downing Lay, 1934
7
38
Charles Downing Lay, 1935
7
39
Charles Downing Lay, 1936
7
40
Charles Downing Lay, Vintage Festival, 1936-1954
7
41-46
Charles Downing Lay, Blossom Festival, 1937-1939
7
47-52
Charles Downing Lay, 1940
7
53
Charles Downing Lay, 1954, 1964, undated
7
54
Charles Downing Lay, 1955-1956
7
55
Charles Downing Lay, undated
7
56-63
Charles Downing Lay, Loose Envelopes, 1859-1905, 1954, undated
7
64

2.3: Professional Files, 1918-1993

Professional files illustrate Lay's personal and professional interaction with a close-knit group of colleagues that included Gifford Beal, Reynolds Beal, Joseph P. Chamberlain, Edwin Lefevre, Henry Allen Moe, Geoffrey Parsons, and Allen Tucker. The files contain mostly correspondence; also found is biographical material, writings and notes, artwork, printed material, clippings, exhibition brochures, and a photograph.
Of special interest are Reynolds Beal's letters to Lay, in which he discusses exhibitions of his artwork held at Kraushaar Gallery (New York) and his various painting and literary projects; also found are Beal's personal reflections about his creative activities. Allen Tucker's files contain letters to Lay and others relating to his painting. Also included are the artist's lists of his artwork, and printed material, including exhibition brochures for his exhibits at the Century Association, Montross Gallery, and Macbeth Gallery. There is a pencil sketch by Allen Tucker of Charles Downing Lay's layout for the World's Fair (circa 1939). George C. Lay's correspondence relates to a work of art donated to the Phillips Collection by his father; found is one letter to Charles Downing Lay from Duncan Phillips (undated).
Description Container
Gifford Beal, Letters to Charles Downing Lay, 1918-1936, undated
7
65-66
Gifford Beal, Printed Material, 1932
7
67
Reynolds Beal, Letters to Charles Downing Lay, 1924-1930, undated
7
68-70
Joseph P. Chamberlain, Correspondence, 1918-1945, undated
7
71-74
Joseph P. Chamberlain, Personal Business Records, 1942-1951, undated
7
75-76
Joseph P. Chamberlain, Printed Material, 1951, undated
7
77-78
George C. Lay, Correspondence, 1992-1993, undated
7
79
George C. Lay, Miscellaneous Writings and Notes, undated
7
80
George C. Lay, Printed Material, undated
7
81
Edwin Lefevre, Correspondence, undated
7
82-89
Edwin Lefevre, Architectural Sketch of Lefevre's Estate in Dorset, Vermont, undated
7
90
Edwin Lefevre, Charles Downing Lay's Statement of Professional Services, undated
7
91
Henry Allen Moe, Correspondence, undated
7
92-107
Henry Allen Moe, Drafts and Typescripts of Speeches, 1927-1948, undated
7
108-110
Henry Allen Moe, Printed Material, 1925-1975, undated
7
111-114
Henry Allen Moe, Photograph, 1946
7
115
Geoffrey Parsons, Letters to Charles Downing Lay, 1922-1938, undated
8
1-2
Geoffrey Parsons, Writings and Notes, undated
8
3
Geoffrey Parsons, Printed Material, 1938-1942, undated
8
4
Allen Tucker, Biographical Material, 1922-1947
8
5
Allen Tucker, Letters to Charles Downing Lay, 1919-1947
8
6-35
Allen Tucker, Sketch of Charles Downing Lay's Design for the World's Fair, 1939
8
36
Allen Tucker, Various Writings and Notes, 1920
8
37-38
Allen Tucker, Printed Material, 1922-1947
8
39-42

2.4: Writings and Notes, 1884-1917

This subseries contains Charles Downing Lay's notebooks, school essays, and various notes. Two notebooks contain Lay's class notes when he was a student at Columbia University; also included are printed material, loose notes, and sketches of architectural design elements. Some notes and writings relate to the Century Association. Found in Laura Gill Lay's files are a miniature notebook of transcribed literary quotations, essays, draft versions of letters and essays, and scattered diary entries. There are also miscellaneous writings and notes of various Lay family members.
Description Container
Student Notebooks by Charles Downing Lay, 1884-1904, undated
8
43
Student Notebooks by Charles Downing Lay, 1898-1899
8
44
Essays by Charles Downing Lay, circa 1890s
8
45
Various Notes and Writings by Charles Downing Lay, 1909-1913
8
46
Various Notes and Writings Regarding the Century Association by Charles Downing Lay, circa 1900s
8
47
Various Notes to Laura Lay by Charles Downing Lay, circa 1900s
8
48
Various Writings by Laura Gill Lay, 1899-1917, undated
8
49-53
Miscellaneous Writings and Notes by Lay Family Members, undated
8
54

2.5: Family Business Records, 1864-1949

This subseries contains the personal business records of Charles Downing Lay and Laura Lay, as well as the scattered files of Lay family members. Included are various receipts, receipts of book purchases, a joint partnership agreement between Lay, Henry Vincent Hubbard, and Robert Wheelwright, family bequests, and a handwritten schedule of payments. Also folders include material relating to the Estate of Samuel Wait and an agreement pertaining to the distribution of assets to Gill family members.
Description Container
Receipts, Various, 1864-1915
8
55-56
Receipts for Book Purchases, 1901-1933, undated
8
57-70
Account Records Relating to Family Bequests to Laura Gill Lay, 1906
8
71
Joint Partnership Agreement for the Formation of Landscape Architecture, 1910
8
72
Schedule of Payments to Laura Gill Lay, 1921
8
73
Estate of Samuel Wait, 1890-1949, undated
8
74-79
Agreement Pertaining to Distribution of Assets to Gill Family Members, 1909
8
80

2.6: Artwork, 1883-1916

This subseries houses Charles Downing Lay's sketches, a sketchbook, landscape designs, and a scrapbook of artwork; a sketch by Laura Lay; and loose sketches by various family members.
Charles Downing Lay's watercolor, pencil, and ink sketches depict head and figure studies, landscapes, interior layouts, and architectural design elements. Also found is Lay's pencil sketch of Oliver Ingraham Lay (1883). A scrapbook includes watercolor and pencil sketches, architectural design elements, book plate designs, printed material and reproductions used for art reference. Included are Lay's landscape designs for the residences of Anson W. Burchard (Locust Valley, Long Island), William Campbell (Watchung, New Jersey), J.P. Chamberlain (Middlebury, Connecticut), William Murray Crane (Dalton, Massachusetts), and James M. Willcox (Radnor, Pennsylvania), as well as landscape designs done with Robert Wheelwright for A. Bijur (Long Branch, New Jersey), William Murray Crane (Dalton, Massachusetts) and Frederick Bertuch (Babylon, New York).
Description Container
Sketches by Charles Downing Lay, 1883-1897, undated
Oversized material housed in OV 12
8
81-82
Sketchbook of Charles Downing Lay, 1895, undated
8
83
Scrapbook of Sketches, Bookplate Designs, Exhibition Catalog Covers, 1896-1900, undated
8
84
Various Landscape Designs by Charles Downing Lay, 1907-1915, undated
Oversized material housed in OV 12
8
85
Landscape Designs, Sketches, and Blueprint for the Joseph P. Chamberlain, 1916, undated
Oversized material housed in OV 12
8
86
Landscape Designs by Charles Downing Lay and Robert Wheelwright, 1916, undated
Oversized material housed in OV 12
8
87
Design Layout for Educational Facilities, undated
8
88
Drawing of Interior Layout for Charles Downing Lay's Residence in Brooklyn, New York, undated
8
89
Sketch by Laura Gill Lay, undated
8
90
Sketches by Various Lay Family Members, undated
8
91-92
Oversized Sketches by Charles Downing Lay, 1895-1897
OV 12
Oversized Landscape Designs by Charles Downing Lay, 1907-1916
OV 12
Oversized Landscape Designs, Sketches, and Blueprint for the Joseph P. Chamberlain Estate, 1916, undated
OV 12
Oversized Landscape Designs by Charles Downing Lay and Robert Wheelwright, 1916
OV 12

2.7: Printed Material, 1874-1972

This subseries consists of news, magazine, and journal clippings, reproductions of works of art, menus, calling cards, miscellaneous printed material, and monographs. News clippings include the wedding announcement of Charles and Laura Lay and obituaries of various Lay family members. Also found is an article in The Architectural Forum by Charles Downing Lay.
Description Container
Clippings, Various, 1874-1972, undated
8
1-3
Art Journal Clippings, 1915-1931, undated
8
4-11
Article by Charles Downing Lay, 1924
8
12
Magazine Clippings, 1911-1942, undated
Oversized material housed in OV 13
8
13-18
Periodicals, Various, 1938-1951
8
19-20
Reproductions of Artwork, 1911-1931, undated
Oversized material housed in OV 13
8
21-31
Menus, Various, 1887-1937
8
32
Calling Cards, undated
8
33
Miscellaneous Printed Material, undated
8
34-38
Monographs, 1903-1939
8
39-41
Oversized Magazine Clippings, 1915-1916
13
1
Oversized Reproductions, undated
13
2

2.8: Photographs, 1888-1939

This subseries houses photographs of Gill, Brown, and Lay family members; many images are not identified. There are photographs of Laura Gill Lay, individually and with other family members. One folder contains images of Laura with Annie Brown on a trip to Europe taken before her marriage to Charles Lay. Included are photographs of Phebe Brown (Laura's grandmother); Alice Gill (Laura's mother); Donald, Harold, Philip, William Gill (Laura's brothers); Charles Downing Lay; and David and Alice Lay (children of Charles and Laura Lay).
Also found are transparencies of the Olympiad Berlin (Germany) medal awarded to Charles Downing Lay in 1936.
Description Container
Photographs of Laura Gill Lay and Family Members, 1890-1909, undated
9
42-50
Photographs of Other Lay Family Members, 1888-1939, undated
Oversized material housed in Box 13
9
51-56
Transparencies of Olympiad Berlin (Germany) Medal, 1936
9
57
Oversized Photograph, Other Lay Family Members, undated
13
3

2.9: Artifact, undated

Description Container
Leaf cutting, undated
9
58
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Series 3: Fidelia Bridges Papers , 1857-2000
1.4 Linear feet
Boxes 9-10

The Fidelia Bridges papers consist of letters, exhibition files, writings and notes, artwork, printed material, photographs, and an artifact.
This series is organized into 7 subseries.
  • 3.1: Letters, 1857-2000 (37 folders; Boxes 9-10)
  • 3.2: Exhibition Files, 1976-1999 (7 folders; Box 10)
  • 3.3: Writings and Notes, circa 1916-1999 (5 folders; Box 10)
  • 3.4: Artwork, 1886 (3 folders; Box 10)
  • 3.5: Printed Material, 1867-2000 (21 folders; Box 10)
  • 3.6: Photographs, circa 1865-1965 (22 folders; Box 10)
  • 3.7: Artifact, undated (1 folder; Box 10)

3.1: Letters, 1857-2000

This subseries includes Fidelia Bridges' letters to Phebe Crowell Brown, Annie Brown, and other Brown family members, Oliver Ingraham Lay, and Charles and Laura Lay. Topics include painting activities, personal observations, visits with mutual friends and family, travels, and residences.
Letters contain references to Bridges' colleagues and friends, including William Trost Richards and his daughter, Anna Richards Brewster, John Sartain, the Shannon family, and Hannah Smith. Letters document the period Bridges studied painting with William Trost Richards in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the 1860s and her stay in England when she exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1879 to 1880. Also found are the artist's reflections during her travels to England, Germany, and Switzerland, as well as to Paris and Venice in the late 1860s-1890s; many letters are interspersed with Bridges' detailed descriptions of the landscape. Found is one illustrated letter from Fidelia Bridges to Annie Brown (undated). Files also contain typescripts of transcriptions of Bridges' letters and the letters exchanged between Brown family members.
This subseries also contains the scattered correspondence files of Henry Bridges (Fidelia's brother), Charles Downing Lay, George C. Lay, (Charles's son), and various Lay family members. Also found as attachments with other letters are business records, notes, miscellaneous printed material, and photographs. Letters from William T. Brewster to Charles Downing Lay discuss Bridges's relationship with the Richards family and the work of his wife, the painter Anna Richards Brewster. George C. Lay's correspondence with art historians, gallery dealers, and others provides biographical material on Bridges, as well as provenance-related information on several works by the artist.
Description Container
Letters to Annie Brown, 1860-1899
9
59
Letters to Annie Brown, 1910, 1920
9
60
Letters to Annie Brown, undated
9
61
Letters to Annie Brown, undated
9
62
Letters to Annie Brown, undated
9
63
Letters to Phebe C. Brown, 1857-1899
9
64
Letters to Phebe C. Brown, undated
9
65
Other Brown Family Members, undated
9
66
Letters to Charles and Laura Lay, 1899-1915, undated
9
67-71
Letters to Oliver Ingraham Lay, 1890, undated
9
72
Fragments, undated
9
73
Loose envelopes, 1882-1921, 1985, undated
9
74
Photocopies of Letters to Annie Brown, 1860-1921, undated
9
75-78
Photocopies of Letters to Phebe C. Brown, 1857-1899, undated
9
79-80
Photocopies of Letters to Charles and Laura Lay, 1899-1913, undated
9
81-83
Photocopies of Letters to Oliver Ingraham Lay, 1890, undated
9
84
Transcriptions of Letters by Philip Chadwick Foster Smith (descendent of Fidelia Bridges), 1857-1920, 1987, undated
9
85-86
Henry Bridges Correspondence, 1907-1916, undated
9
87-88
Charles Downing Lay Correspondence, 1927-1955, undated
9
89-90
George C. Lay Correspondence, 1954-2000
10
1-4
Other Lay Family Correspondence, 1966-1967, 1984
10
5

3.2: Exhibition Files, 1976-1999

This subseries contains George C. Lay's files relating to retrospective exhibitions that featured Fidelia Bridges's work; included are correspondence, loan agreements, a certificate of insurance, a facility report, various receipts, exhibition catalogues, printed material, photographs, and one slide. Exhibitions included the Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Katonah Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, as well as at Anderson Fine Arts, Inc. (New York), the Connecticut Gallery and other venues.
Description Container
Whitney Museum of American Art, 1976
10
6
International Exhibitions Foundation and National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1985-1988, undated
10
7-9
National Museum of American History, 1994-1995, undated
10
10
Katonah Museum of Art, 1994-1999, undated
10
11
Other Exhibitions, 1980-1987, undated
10
12

3.3: Writings and Notes, circa 1916-1999

This subseries contains index cards and a list of the curio collection bequeathed to Charles Downing Lay by Henry Bridges, a copy of a biographical account of Fidelia Bridges by Frederic A. Sharf, George C. Lay's handwritten notes relating to Fidelia Bridges, and a copy of a play written by Fidelia Bridges.
Description Container
Charles Downing Lay, Index Cards and Handwritten List, circa 1916
10
13
Biographical Account of Fidelia Bridges, circa 1968
10
14
George C. Lay, Draft of Letter and Notes, 1986-1999, undated
10
15-16
The Play by Fidelia Bridges, undated
10
17

3.4: Artwork, 1886, undated

This subseries houses one pen and ink drawing by Anna Richards inscribed to Oliver Ingraham Lay, one watercolor portrait of Fidelia Bridges, and a watercolor sketch of a seascape.
Description Container
Drawing by Anna Richards, 1886
10
18
Portrait of Fidelia Bridges, undated
10
19
Miscellaneous Sketch, undated
10
20

3.5: Printed Material, 1867-2000

This subseries includes Bridges' chromolithographs of her illustrated greeting cards, reproductions of artwork, exhibition invitations, announcements, exhibition catalogs, brochures, clippings, an offprint, and copies of photographs of artwork by Bridges. Several of the greeting cards are inscribed. Most clippings are reviews of the exhibitions. Also found are two published books illustrated by Fidelia Bridges, A Garland of Love, 1882 and Songs of Birds, 1886.
Description Container
Chromolithographic Illustrations by Fidelia Bridges, 1882-1884, 1933, undated
10
21
Reproductions, 1867, undated
10
22-23
Biographical Accounts of Fidelia Bridges, 1971, undated
10
24
Exhibition Invitations, 1976, 1987-1995
10
25
Invitations, Other, 1987, 1990
10
26
Announcements, 1987-1995, undated
10
27
Exhibition Catalogs, 1976, 1981-1995
10
28-30
Catalogs, Shannon's Auction House, 1998-2000
10
31
Brochures, 1986-1990
10
32
Clippings, 1985-1995, undated
10
33-35
Offprint, Fidelia Bridges, Painter of Birds and Flowers, 1834-1923 by Frederic A. Sharf, 1968
10
36
Miscellaneous Printed Material, 1968-circa 1995, undated
10
37-38
Photocopies of Photographs of Fidelia Bridges, Friends, Family Members, and artwork, undated
10
39
A Garland of Love by Emily Shaw Forman; illustrated by Fidelia Bridges, 1882
10
40
Songs of Birds, edited by Susie Barstow Skelding; illustrated by Fidelia Bridges, 1886
10
41

3.6: Photographs, circa 1865-1965

The subseries contains images of Fidelia Bridges, family and friends and residences, in addition to images of artwork, including installation shots, negatives, slides, and transparencies.
There are images of Bridges as a young woman with a group of women colleagues, Bridges with William F. Brown, and William Trost Richards, respectively, as well as a portrait image of Anne Whitney. Also found is one cyanotype of Bridges and one cyanotype of Oliver Ingraham Lay. Included are exterior and interior views of Fidelia Bridges' home in Canaan, Connecticut and of the Shannon residence in Newton, Massachusetts. Several photographs are inscribed from Mary Shannon to Oliver Ingraham Lay. Files also contain nature studies by Bridges.
Description Container
Photographs and Cyanotype of Fidelia Bridges, circa 1865- circa 1900s, undated
10
42-45
Photographs and Cyanotype of Family Members and Friends, 1864-1874, undated
10
46-48
Photographs of Fidelia Bridges' Residence in Canaan, Connecticut, circa 1900s
10
49-50
Photographs of Residences of Family Members and Friends, 1873-1876, undated
10
51-53
Photographs of Artwork, undated
10
54-60
Negatives of Artwork, 1965
10
61
Slides and Transparencies of Artwork, undated
10
62-63

3.7: Artifact, undated

Description Container
Sachet Purse, undated
10
64

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