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Samuel G. Hibben Papers: Finding Aid
mssHibben  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Overview of the Collection
  • Access
  • Administrative Information
  • Biographical Note
  • Scope and Content
  • Arrangement
  • Indexing Terms

  • Overview of the Collection

    Title: Samuel G. Hibben Papers
    Dates (inclusive): 1905-1971
    Bulk dates: 1950-1957
    Collection Number: mssHibben
    Creator: Hibben, Samuel Galloway, 1888-1972.
    Extent: 502 items.
    Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department
    1151 Oxford Road
    San Marino, California 91108
    Phone: (626) 405-2129
    Email: reference@huntington.org
    URL: http://www.huntington.org
    Abstract: This collection contains the papers of Samuel G. Hibben (1888-1972), Director of Applied Lighting with the Westinghouse Corporation. The bulk of the collection dates from the 1950s and consists of articles.
    Language: English.

    Access

    Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

    Administrative Information

    Publication Rights

    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]. Samuel G. Hibben Papers, The Burndy Library Collection at The Huntington Library, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

    Provenance

    Acquired as part of the Burndy Library Collection, Gift of Dibner Family, 2006, November.

    Biographical Note

    Samuel Galloway Hibben (1888-1972) was a pioneer in the field of applied electrical lighting. During his tenure as Director of Applied Lighting with the Westinghouse Corporation, Hibben was noted for redesigning the illumination of the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument, and the interior of the White House. He also published and lectured extensively to educate the public on the importance of proper illumination, and proposed the idea of the “brown-out”, a reduction of electrical illumination for homes and businesses as a safety measure during times of war that did not require complete darkness. Hibben was also involved with many national and international lighting committees, and contributed much time and effort to the preservation the history of the lighting industry through the Electrical Historical Foundation. In 2006, Hibben was named one of the most distinguished designers in the lighting field by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).

    Scope and Content

    The Samuel G. Hibben collection is divided into four sections: articles, photographs, correspondence, and ephemera.
    The bulk of the collection consists of articles, both handwritten and printed, and most written by Hibben. The rest are lighting-related articles kept by Hibben, sent to him by colleagues or through the Westinghouse Company. These articles are arranged alphabetically by title, in Boxes 1-3. Box 4 contains articles specifically related to projects in which Hibben was involved, such as the lighting of the Statue of Liberty or the 1939 New York World’s Fair, and committees he was a part of, such as the Electrical Historical Foundation.
    Box 5 contains miscellaneous unattributed articles, and photographs, mostly of the 1939 New York World’s Fair, the White House, and various landmarks being lit at night.
    Box 6 contains correspondence, arranged by date, most being either written by Hibben or directed to his attention. The majority of this correspondence relates to various electrical committees.
    Box 7 consists of ephemera, and includes photographic negatives, diagram sketches, and blueprints.

    Arrangement

    Arranged in the following order:
    • Articles and lectures by Hibben (Boxes 1-3)
    • Miscellaneous articles (Boxes 4-5)
    • Photographs (Box 5)
    • Correspondence (Box 6)
    • Ephemera, photographs, drawings, diagrams (Box 7)

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.  

    Subjects

    Black, Fischer.
    Dibner, Bern.
    Hibben, Samuel Galloway, 1888-1972, -- Archives.
    Lincoln, E. S. (Edwin Stoddard), 1885-
    Electrical Historical Foundation.
    Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, Westinghouse Lamp Division.
    New York World's Fair (1939-1940)
    Electric industries -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
    Electric lamp industry -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
    Electric light fixtures -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
    Electric lighting -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
    Electric power -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
    France -- Buildings, structures, etc. -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
    New York (State) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.
    Statue of Liberty (New York, NY) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
    Washington (D.C.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
    Washington Monument (Washington, D.C.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
    White House (Washington, D.C.) -- Facilities -- 20th century -- Sources.

    Forms/Genres

    Manuscripts.

    Additional Contributors

    Burndy Library, former owner.