Collection Guide
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Lossing (Benson John) Papers
mssLS
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Benson John Lossing papers
Creator:
Lossing, Benson John,
1813-1891
Identifier/Call Number: mssLS
Physical Description:
17 Linear Feet
(30 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1825-1906
Date (bulk): 1848-1890
Abstract: A collection of manuscripts and
correspondence related to Benson John Lossing, American artist and historian.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
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.
[Identification of item]. Benson John Lossing papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The manuscripts and drawings were purchased from the Anderson Galleries, January 1917; the
correspondence was purchased from Paul F. Hoag, 1960-1964. All the material was assembled at
the Library into the Benson John Lossing papers.
Benson John Lossing (1813-1891) was an American artist and historian. Lossing was born in
Beekman, New York, his father was descended from a family of old Dutch stock and his mother
was a Quaker; they both died during his childhood. He had little formal education and was
mainly self-taught through reading history books. At the age of thirteen he was apprenticed
to a Poughkeepsie watchmaker and was soon taken into partnership; at twenty-two, he became
joint owner and editor of two local papers: "The Telegraph" and "The Casket," a monthly,
which Lossing illustrated with wood engravings. Throughout his career he was
author-illustrator of some thirty major works of history, as well as a collaborator on many
other publications. He received several honorary degrees and was a member of numerous
learned societies. On June 18, 1833, Lossing married his first wife Alice Barrit, who died
in 1855; he married Helen Sweet in 1868. During his life, Lossing collected over 5,000 books
and documents related to the American Revolution and the framing of the Constitution. He
died at home in Dover Plains, New York, in June 1891.
A collection of material related to the life and work of Benson John Lossing. The
collection includes his original manuscripts of published and unpublished works, travel
notebooks, drawings, and sketches; also included are letters, chiefly addressed to Lossing,
reflecting his literary interests and research methods. Many of the manuscripts include
Lossing's notes, revisions, corrections, and additions. The published works include: The
American Centenary (1876); The Empire State: A Compendious History of the Commonwealth of
New York (1888); Our Countrymen, or, Brief Memoirs of Eminent Americans (1855); Pictorial
Field Book of the Revolution (1850 to 1852); Pictorial Field Book of the War of 1812 (1868);
Harper's Popular Cyclopedia of United States History (1881), and other works. The pocket
notebooks were kept by Lossing during his travels to the battlefields of the Civil War from
1864 to 1866.
Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1920-1965. In 2022, Gayle Richardson created
the finding aid derived from a legacy summary report.
Arranged by subject and format.
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssLS 1-289.
Benson John Lossing papers addenda 1 (mssLS1); Benson John Lossing papers addenda 2
(mssLS2); Benson John Lossing papers addenda 3 (mssLossing3).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Artists -- United States
Historians -- United States
Illustrated books -- United States -- History -- 19th
century
Slavery -- United States -- History -- 19th century
Travelers' writings, American
United States -- Description and travel
United States -- History
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Drawings (visual works) -- United States -- 19th century
Histories (literary works) -- United States -- 19th
century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Notebooks -- United States -- 19th century
Professional papers -- United States -- 19th century
Research (documents) -- United States -- 19th century
Shakers -- New York (State) -- New Lebanon --
History