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Edwards (Cecil and Gladys Brown) Papers
0005
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Title: Cecil and Gladys Brown Edwards Papers
Creator:
Edwards, Gladys Brown
Creator:
Edwards, Cecil L.
Identifier/Call Number: 0005
Contributing Institution:
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Special Collections and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Identifier/Call Number: 27
Physical Description:
45.17 Linear Feet
(61 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1868-1998
Date (bulk): 1940-1980
Abstract: Gladys Brown Edwards was a noted equine artist and authority on the Arabian horse. She worked at the Kellogg Ranch for over
a decade and was active in the Arabian horse community. Her husband, Cecil L. Edwards, was a respected horseman and Quartermaster
General of the Pomona Remount Depot. The collection includes personal and business correspondence; photographs; business records;
Gladys' extensive research materials; and examples of her artwork.
Advance notice required for access.
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
[Box/folder# or item name], Cecil and Gladys Brown Edwards Papers, Collection no. 0005, W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library,
Special Collections and Archives, University Library, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The bulk of the collection was donated to the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library in 1989 by an anonymous donor. The Arabian
Horse Breeders' Society of California scrapbook was donated by Bill Hughes in 1992. The prints, hood ornaments, and most statuettes
were donated by Teresa Rogers between 2016 and 2019.
Gladys Brown Edwards was born Gladys Melvina Brown in Portland, Oregon, on June 3, 1908. Gladys spent her early childhood
in Oregon until her family moved to California in 1914, eventually settling in Los Angeles.
As a child, Gladys became fascinated with horses and carved tiny horse models. She attended Manual Arts High School in Los
Angeles, where she was awarded an honor in art for "individual and excellent studies of the horse." After graduation, Gladys
received a four-year scholarship to the Chouinard School of Art. At Chouinard, she studied under painter Millard Sheets and
Arthur Millier, who was art editor for the
Los Angeles Times. While still in art school, Gladys worked as a professional artist and contributed illustrations to
Sportologue magazine.
Gladys began working as a secretary at the Kellogg Ranch in 1932. She was hired not for her clerical skills, but for her extensive
knowledge of horses. At the Kellogg Ranch, she continued her studies of horse conformation and expression and soon became
known as a master of equine anatomy. Many of her early works focused on the Arabian horse and she was recognized as an authority
on the breed.
By 1941, the United States had entered World War II. Like many women at the time, Gladys contributed to the war effort and
worked at Lockheed Aircraft Service. She returned to the Kellogg Ranch in 1943, which by then had been commandeered as a Remount
Service Depot for the U.S. Army cavalry. It was during the Remount period that Gladys met Major Cecil L. Edwards, the Quartermaster
General. Gladys and Cecil were married in May 1946.
Cecil was born in Salem, Oregon on November 20, 1906. His father, A.J. Edwards, was an agent for the American Remount Association.
In 1933, Cecil began serving as secretary to Representative Otto K. Paulus of the Oregon state legislature and eventually
rose to the position of secretary and Chief of Staff to Governor Charles Sprague. He joined the Army prior the outbreak of
World War II and was stationed at the Pomona Remount in 1941, where he remained until the war's end.
Shortly after their wedding, Cecil formed the Horseman's Studio to market Gladys' artwork. In 1949, they moved to Oregon and
became active members of the Arabian horse community. Gladys was soon a much sought-after horse and dog show judge and began
breeding and showing Airedale terriers. By 1952, Gladys returned to Southern California. She and Cecil amicably divorced in
1955 and remained friends until her death.
Gladys' career flourished throughout her life. In addition to sculpture, she produced paintings, etchings, wood carvings,
dry point engravings, drawings, and pastels. Her art found an audience beyond the horse community and has been featured in
art galleries, museums, magazines, and multiple books. Gladys was also a prolific writer, contributing articles to horse magazines
and authoring several books including
Anatomy and Conformation of the Horse,
The Arabian: War Horse to Show Horse, and
A Photographic History of the Polish Arabian. She co-authored the book
The Kellogg Arabians with Kellogg Ranch manager H.H. Reese and illustrated his books
Arabian Horse Breeding and
Horses of Today.
Gladys held wide and varied interests. She received her pilot's license in 1941 and co-owned a bi-plane, was part owner of
a stud stallion called El Brilliante, and edited the newsletter
The Lakelander. She was a voracious reader and researcher, and her extensive study of the Arabian horse took her to countries around the
world. Gladys died in Riverside, California on January 28, 1989.
Cecil remained in Oregon after their divorce and returned to the state legislature as Chief Clerk of the House in 1963. He
was appointed state legislative historian in 1975 and remained in that position until his retirement in 1993. He died on December
22, 1995 and the Oregon State Archives building was renamed in his honor.
The collection includes Gladys Brown Edwards' research materials and writings on horses, dogs, and other topics; correspondence
between Gladys and Cecil Edwards; correspondence sent to and from Cecil regarding the Pomona Remount; photographs taken by
Cecil, Gladys' study photographs, scrapbooks, and photographs of her artwork; examples of her artwork in various media and
assorted awards and military regalia.
The collection is organized into the following series: Series 1. Correspondence; Series 2. Photographs, Negatives, and Slides;
Series 3. Business, Financial, and Legal Materials; Series 4. Research Materials and Writings; and Series 5. Art and Realia.
A.J. Edwards Papers, Collection no. 0004, Special Collections and Archives, University Library, California State Polytechnic
University, Pomona.
Arabian Horse Association of Southern California Records, Collection no. 0066, W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library, Special
Collections and Archives, University Library, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Arabian Horse Legacy, Inc.
Gladys Brown Edwards. Littleton, CO: Arabian Horse Legacy, Inc, 1998. VHS.
Edwards, Gladys Brown.
The Arabian: War Horse to Show Horse. Denver: Arabian Horse Trust of America, 1980.
Edwards, Gladys Brown.
The Complete Airedale Terrier. New York: Howell Book House, 1966.
Edwards, Gladys Brown.
Know the Arabian Horse. Omaha: Farnam Horse Library, 1971.
Edwards, Glayds Brown.
A Photographic History of the Polish Arabian. Rockville, MD: Arab Ink, 1978.
Martin, Carolyn.
Gladys Brown Edwards' Equine Works in Metal. Galesburg, MI: C. Martin, 2008.
W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center Records, Collection no. 0062, W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library, Special Collections and
Archives, University Library, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Books and periodicals from the Edwards' personal library have been separated from the archival collection can be located by
searching the Library catalog for the keyword phrase "Cecil and Gladys Brown Edwards Papers."
The collection was processed in 2016 by Stella Castillo, Eilidh Cogswell, and Andrew Kopp. Additional artworks and realia
were added to the collection and the finding aid updated by Alexis Adkins in 2020.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Arabian horse
Horsemen and horsewomen
Equestrian artists
Edwards, Gladys Brown
Edwards, Cecil L.
W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center
United States. Army Remount service
Airedale terrier