Doolittle family collection of prints and ephemera, 1878-1965, bulk 1910s-1960s

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Summary

Abstract:
A collection of greeting cards from approximately 1914 to 1965 created by artist Harold L. Doolittle and wife, Vestina Doolittle addressed to Doolittle family members in South Pasadena, California. Collection also contains pen and ink drawings by Harold's father, Samuel H. Doolittle, and illustrated poems by Harold and Vestina's daughter, Ruth Doolittle. Other materials include documents and ephemera tracing the Doolittle family history.
Extent:
0.42 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Doolittle family collection of prints and ephemera, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection contains greeting cards by artist Harold L. Doolittle and wife, Vestina Doolittle, pen and ink drawings by Harold's father, Samuel H. Doolittle, and poetry by Harold and Vestina's daughter, Ruth Doolittle. Majority of the collection are Christmas greeting cards addressed to Harold's sister, Florence L. Doolittle (1885-1971), and her husband, Edwin E. Tarbox (1869-1928) in South Pasadena, California. The greeting cards are organized by date, ranging from approximately 1914 to 1965. Many of the holiday cards are signed by Harold, and include imagery of trees, lakes, forests, landscapes, and scenery from national parks. Some cards also include their original envelopes with notes from Vestina and Harold.

Collection also contains documents relating to the Doolittle family history, including an invitation for Samuel H. Doolittle and Esther K. Metzler's wedding in 1878, correspondence between Ruth and her aunt Florence and uncle Edwin, and a family tree tracing relatives from 1812 to 1922.

Biographical / historical:

Harold Lukens Doolittle (1883-1974) was born in Pasadena, California to Samuel Hosmer Doolittle (1850-1942) and Esther Kate Metzler (1856-1940). Harold was a civil engineer, etcher, and printmaker who studied art at Throop Polytechnic Institute (now California Institute of Technology) from 1900 to 1903, and mechanical engineering at Cornell University from 1903 to 1906. In 1908, Harold married Vestina Scobey (1881-1963), a Music and English instructor at Throop Institute. They had a daughter, Ruth Scobey Doolittle (1911-1925).

Harold was the chief design engineer for the Southern California Edison Company. In 1934, he was Vice President of the Los Angeles Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers, from 1943 to 1944 was President of the Pasadena Society of Artists, and was a member of the California Society of Etchers, the California Society of Printmakers, the Chicago Society of Etchers, and the Society of American Graphic Artists. As an artist he produced materials using varying photography and printing techniques to create collotypes, aquatints, and other graphic art formats.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Jackie Hanlon, August 2022.
Processing information:

Processed by Mari Khasmanyan, February 2025.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Doolittle family collection of prints and ephemera, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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