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
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.