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Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo Papers
Collection number: FCP
Title: Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo Papers
Dates: 1745 - 1970
Bulk: 1880 - 1960
Extent:
219 Boxes
Approximately 110 Linear Feet
Repository:
Pasadena Museum of History
Research Library and Archives
470 West Walnut Street
Pasadena, California 91103-3594
Abstract: The Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo collection consists of the papers of eight family members created over a period of four generations.
During the 19th and 20th centuries the family traveled internationally, established homes in New York, Colorado, New Mexico,
and California, and accumulated a rich and varied collection of financial, legal, personal and professional documents.
Languages:
English,
Finnish,
Hungarian,
German,
Spanish,
Italian and
Arabic
Administrative Information
| February 2013 | Machine readable finding aid created by Victoria Brennan. |
| January 2013 | Collection and finding aid updated by Julie Stires. |
| February 2011 | Collection and finding aid updated by Julie Stires. Edited by Sarah Heiman. |
| 2005 | Collection processed and description prepared by Lian Partlow and Julie Stires. |
The collection is open to the public for research. Use is restricted by rules intended to protect and preserve the materials
in good condition for the future. For additional information please contact Pasadena Museum of History.
Use of the materials is governed by all applicable copyright law. Pasadena Museum of History reserves the right to restrict
any materials from reproduction at any time. Property rights reside with Pasadena Museum of History. Literary rights are
retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. The Museum's physical ownership of the materials in its collection
does not imply ownership of copyright. It is the user's responibility to resolve any copyright issues related to the use
and distribution of reproduced materials. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please contact Pasadena Museum of History.
Suggested citation for these records is: [Identification of item], Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo Papers, Box [#],
Folder [#], Research Library and Archives, Pasadena Museum of History.
Folder [#], Research Library and Archives, Pasadena Museum of History.
Eva Scott Fenyes (ESF) was a gifted watercolorist, a successful businesswoman, and a devoted daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother. She
was a patroness of the arts, literature, and music, and an advocate for the preservation of America's Southwestern heritage.
Heiress to the fortune created by her father, Eva utilized her inheritance and talents to establish a life in Pasadena, California, that allowed her to nurture her family and sustain an active participation in Pasadena's turn of the 20th century culture
and society. She built luxurious homes where she entertained renowned guests. She managed her business properties with sophisticated
acumen, traveled extensively, and studied continuously. She participated in establishing and supporting Southwestern cultural
institutions and created a unique and artistic record of California's and New Mexico's Spanish and Mexican legacies.
Eva Scott (ESF) was born in New York City on November 9, 1849. Her father, Leonard Franklin Scott, born in 1810 in New Brunswick, Canada, was a New York City real estate investor and founder of the Leonard Scott Publishing Company. He married Rebecca Briggs of White Plains, New York, in 1840, and together they had two daughters. Only Eva survived.
Attendence at private schools and travel throughout Europe and Africa, where she was tutored in languages and the arts, provided
Eva with an education that contributed to her success and independence. As a young woman she developed an interest in the
preservation of the native cultures of the American West. In 1877, while visiting her parents in St. Augustine, Florida,
she assisted Native American detainees held at Fort Marion by purchasing art supplies that they used to paint a record of
their historic past as well as their present encounters with American culture. In 1878, Eva married Marine Lieutenant William Sulivane Muse. Their daughter Leonora Scott Muse (LSMC) was born in White Plains, New York, in 1879. Together the family lived on the
East Coast and then in California before Eva obtained a divorce from William Muse in New Mexico in 1890. While in the Southwest,
Eva purchased her first Santa Fe, New Mexico property and lived for a short time in Prescott, Arizona.
From late 1891 through 1895, Eva again traveled in the eastern United States, Europe and Africa, studying language and art.
While in Egypt, she met her second husband, Dr. Adalbert Fenyes, whom she married in Budapest, Hungary in 1896. The newlyweds
settled in Pasadena, California that same year. There Dr. Fenyes practiced as a physician and was an early practitioner in
the use of X-ray technology. He was also a renowned entomologist who traveled the world collecting beetle specimens. Today
this important beetle collection is housed at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.
Living and painting in California, Eva Fenyes soon became acquainted with Charles Fletcher Lummis, founder of the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles. Eva supported the establishment of the museum, and Lummis supported her effort to paint a historic record of the crumbling
adobe houses and missions that represented California's Spanish and Mexican heritage. Today the Braun Research Library of
the Southwest Museum of the American Indian at the Autry National Center houses collections of Eva Fenyes' watercolors and papers.
Ever mindful of her own development, Eva also saw carefully to her daughter's education. For several years prior to their
permanent move to California, Eva sent Leonora (LSMC) to school in Lausanne, Switzerland. In Pasadena, she enrolled Leonora
in Miss Orton's Classical School for Girls. Leonora's life was also enriched by her parents' varied interests and the many
visitors to their home; and, she was involved in Pasadena's social life, attending events at the Valley Hunt Club and the Hotel Green.
In 1903, Leonora Scott Muse (LSMC) married Thomas Edouard Curtin. They settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where their daughter Leonora Frances (LFCP) was born. Thomas Curtin died in
1911, and Leonora and her daughter returned to Pasadena where Eva and Adalbert built a house for them on the Fenyes Mansion
property. Leonora, however, like her mother, was drawn to the Spanish colonial culture of New Mexico.
Over the years, the family's interest in western Spanish heritage became a studied endeavor; and, Eva Fenyes, Leonora Scott
Muse Curtin, and Leonora Frances Curtin Paloheimo each brought their own special focus to their collective interest in the
Southwest. They gave their financial support and offered their particular skills to anthropological studies and archaeological
expeditions; and, they sponsored institutions. They developed friendships and professional relationships with Adolf F. Bandelier, Edgar L. Hewett, Frederick Webb Hodge, and John P. Harrington. Leonora Scott Muse Curtin's deep interest in the use of native plants for healing and cooking culminated in the publication
of her books
Healing Herbs of the Upper Rio Grande (1947) and
By the Prophet of the Earth (1949). Leonora Frances Curtin's (LFCP) interest in language led to her work as a linguistics researcher at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Together, along with writer Mary Austin and Frank G. Applegate, the women's support for Spanish Colonial art in New Mexico resulted in the founding of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society in 1925. In the 1930s, during the Depression, Leonora Frances Curtin (LFCP) supported vocational training for the preservation
of Spanish Colonial arts and crafts. From this venture, Native Market developed as an innovative commercial outlet for Spanish Colonial artisans.
In 1926, the family built their home in Santa Fe, and while much of their legacy remains there today, their roots in Pasadena
held firm as well. In 1946, Leonora Frances Curtin married Yrjo Alfred Paloheimo, Finnish Consul to the United States. They adopted four children from Finland: George, Nina, Eric, and Eva. They made their
home in both California and New Mexico and traveled frequently to Finland. In 1939, Consul Paloheimo was the Commissioner
General for the Finnish Pavilion at the New York World's Fair. He later established the Finnish Consulate for the Southwestern
United States in the Fenyes' Pasadena home, where his office may be seen today. In the 1950s, the Paloheimos participated
in the creation of the Museum of International Folk Art as part of the Museum of New Mexico. In 1972, Yrjo and Leonora Paloheimo
(LFCP) and Leonora Curtin (LSMC) founded the living history museum, El Rancho de Las Golondrinas (Ranch of the Swallows) at
La Cienega, New Mexico. It is dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of Spanish Colonial New Mexico.
In 1970, the Paloheimo/Curtin families donated the family papers and the furnishings and artwork from the Fenyes Mansion to
the Pasadena Historical Society which is now known as Pasadena Museum of History. In partnership with Finlandia Foundation, the Museum is also home to the Finnish Folk Art Museum.
The history of the Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo family is culturally rooted in the eastern United States. As the family grew,
Eva Scott Fenyes, Leonora Scott Muse Curtin, and Leonora Frances Curtin Paloheimo, along with their husbands, extended their
interests and their love of art and education to the cultures and societies of the Southwest. Through their foresight and
generosity their legacy has been established and preserved in both California and New Mexico.
The Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo collection consists of the papers of eight family members created over a period of four generations.
Across the 19th and 20th centuries the family traveled internationally, established homes in New York, Colorado, New Mexico,
and California, and accumulated a rich and varied collection of financial, legal, personal and professional documents. Financial
and personal papers form the bulk of the collection, while legal and professional papers form smaller portions.
Financial documents include correspondence, receipts, ledgers, banking and investment papers, real estate records, and tax records.
Personal documents include correspondence, receipts, newspaper and magazine clippings, pamphlets, brochures, scrapbooks, postcards and postcard
albums, photographs and photograph albums, diaries, notebooks, sheet music, books, prints, and paintings. The daily life
of family members, their worldwide travels, and their individual interests and pursuits are reflected throughout this wide
variety of formats. The papers reveal associations with relatives, friends, and historic personalities, including significant
artists of the period. Many of Eva Scott Fenyes' watercolor sketches are contained in 14 folio sketchbooks. These as well
as smaller sketchbooks and many unframed paintings provide insight not only into her travels and interests, but also into
her significant artistic talent.
Legal documents include divorce papers, wills, and estate papers. Property litigation records relate to the Pasadena Civic Center renovation
project and various Pasadena street reconfiguration projects.
Professional documents include the papers of Adalbert Fenyes who was a physician and entomologist.
Margaret E. Nicholas was secretary to Eva Scott Fenyes, Leonora Scott Muse Curtin, and Leonora Frances Curtin Paloheimo. She terminated employment
October 26, 1945. Her files have been kept in their original order.
Files of Harold J. Schiesswohl
Harold J. Schiesswohl was secretary to Leonora Scott Muse Curtin, Leonora Frances Curtin Paloheimo and Yrjo Alfred Paloheimo. When possible, the
original order of his files has been maintained.
In 1970, the Paloheimo/Curtin families donated the family papers and the furnishings and artwork from the Fenyes Mansion to
the Pasadena Historical Society which is now known as Pasadena Museum of History.
In 2006 and 2007, additional family papers were found in the Fenyes Mansion and the History Center Archives. In 2008 and 2009,
these papers were processed into the existing Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo Papers.
In 2009 and 2010, the 14 folio sketchbooks created by Eva Scott Fenyes were photographed and cataloged and added to the Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo
Papers.
Key to Arrangement/Container List:
The collection is organized in 11 subgroups by person and one subgroup by size.
| Subgroups: | Box |
|---|---|
| Leonard Franklin Scott | 1-6 |
| (July 30, 1810 - March 1, 1895) | |
| Leonard & Rebecca married May 21, 1840 | |
| Rebecca Briggs Scott | 7 |
| (November 20, 1811 - June 13, 1896) | |
| Adalbert Fenyes | 8-12 |
| (November 17, 1863 - February 23, 1937) | |
| Adalbert & Eva married April 25, 1896 | |
| Eva Scott Fenyes (ESF) | 13-72, 142-152, 201-215 |
| (November 9, 1849 - February 3, 1930 | |
| Thomas Edouard Curtin | 73-76 |
| (March 19, 1874 - October 30, 1911) | |
| Thomas & Leonora married March 12, 1903 | |
| Leonora Scott Muse Curtin (LSMC) | 77-111, 153-170 |
| (October 2, 1879 - September 2, 1972) | |
| LSMC/LFCP - Mixed | 171-176 |
| Yrjo Alfred Paloheimo | 112-118, 177-183 |
| (October 29, 1899 - May 23, 1986) | |
| Yrjo & Leonora married October 17, 1946 | |
| Leonora Frances Curtin Paloheimo (LFCP) | 119-127, 184-186 |
| (December 7, 1903 - November 24, 1999) | |
| Yrjo and Leonora Paloheimo - Mixed | 128-129, 187-195 |
| Unassigned Family Papers | 130-140, 196-200, 216, 219 |
| Oversize Boxes: | 141, 217, 218 |
Boxes 142-219 were added to the original complement of Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo Papers. These numbers have been interspersed throughout
the subgroups and are designated in
"Bold" typeface throughout the container list.
A portion of the names, corporations and places found in the Pasadena Museum of History's Library and Archives local database.
Alliot, Hector [Archaeological Institute of America]
Amsden, Charles [Curator, Southwest Museum]
Aoki, Toshi [Japanese artist]
Austin, Mary
Bandelier, Adolph Francis Alphonse [archaeologist]
Bandelier, Fanny R.
Baumann, Gustave
Birck, Alphonse
Blackwelder, Parley
Borg, Carl Oscar
Briggs, Thomas J.
Briggs, Warren C.
Brown, Benjamin Chambers
Brown, Howell C.
Carlisle, Mary Helen
Chamberlin, Katherine Stetson
Channing-Stetson, Grace Ellery
Chase, William Merrit
Cloud, Teresa
Cohen, Gertrude
Cole, George Townsend
Curtin, Leonora Scott Muse
Curtin, Thomas Edouard
Daggett, Maud
Dennis, Oliver Perry
Farquhar, Robert David [architect]
Fenyes, Adalbert
Fenyes, Eva Scott
Field, Edward Salisbury
Harrington, John P. [ethnologist]
Hewett, Edgar L.
Hodge, Frederick Webb
Lummis, Charles Fletcher
Lummis, Eva Frances Douglas
Marston, Sylvanus Boardman
Miller, Richard Emile
Muse, William Sulivane
Nicoll, John W.
Ogilvie, Frederick Forbes
Paloheimo, Leonora Frances Curtin
Paloheimo, Yrjo Alfred
Parsons, Orin Sheldon
Prince, L. Bradford [Le Baron Bradford Prince, Governor, Territory of New Mexico]
Rich, John Hubbard
Scott, Leonard Franklin
Scott, Rebecca Briggs
Sibelius, Jean
Spalding, Elsa
Spalding, Rufus
Stetson, Charles Walter
Stetson, Grace Ellery Channing
Underwood, John Curtis
Wachtel, Elmer
Wachtel, Marion Kavanaugh
Archaeological Institute of America
Dennis and Farwell [architects]
Finlandia Foundation
Land of Sunshine
Landmarks Club
Marston and Van Pelt
Museum of International Folk Art
Museum of New Mexico
Native Market
Miss Orton's Classical School for Girls
Pasadena Country Club
Pasadena Historical Society
Southwest Museum
Valley Hunt Club
California
Pasadena, California
Los Angeles, California
Colorado
New York
New Mexico
Mexico