Jay T. Last Collection of Views Prints and Ephemera, approximately 1815-approximately 1921, bulk 1850-1900

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Summary

Creators:
Last, Jay T.
Abstract:
The Jay T. Last Collection of Views Prints and Ephemera consists of approximately 250 mostly lithographic items depicting physical locales, primarily in the United States. These images date from approximately 1815 to approximately 1921 and include town and city views; pictorial maps and plans; landscapes and waterscapes; scenes of rural and wilderness areas; commercial and residential streets and individual buildings and structures; parks, bridges, and monuments; and a small number of interior views. Generic dwellings as well as homes of famous people are also contained here. The images often incorporate depictions of people, animals, street traffic, trains, railroad activity, and structures, but share a focus on place, as opposed to genre scenes of everyday life or company- or product-based advertisements.
Extent:
approximately 250 items
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

The Jay T. Last Collection of Views Prints and Ephemera consists of approximately 250 mostly lithographic items depicting physical locales, primarily in the United States. While the majority of the collection features lithographs of American views produced by American artists, printers, and publishers, there are also a few engravings and foreign prints. The collection dates from approximately 1815 to approximately 1921 and includes town and city views; pictorial maps and plans; images of landscapes and waterscapes; scenes of rural and wilderness areas; commercial and residential streets and individual buildings and structures; parks, bridges, and monuments; and a small number of interior views. Generic dwellings as well as homes of famous people are also contained here. The images often incorporate depictions of people, animals, street traffic, railroad trains, and structures but share a focus on place, as opposed to genre scenes of everyday life or company- or product-based advertisements. For advertisements or views of specific types of buildings see other Jay T. Last sub-collection subjects: e.g. for churches see Religion, for schools see Education, for grain mills see Food, and for breweries see Beverages. For monuments relating to the armed forces see Military. For views of the cosmos and natural phenomena occurring in the atmosphere see Science and Technology.

The prints in this collection were produced for a variety of purposes including as art reproductions, as illustrations in books, and occasionally as promotional materials. They consist of color-printed and/or hand-colored images and uncolored images, and range in size from approximately 2 x 3 inches to 27 x 43 inches. The prints are organized geographically by region based on the four geographic regions of the United States recognized by the United States Census Bureau: Northeast, South, Midwest, and West, plus foreign views.

Materials are arranged in two series: small-size items (11 x 14 inches or less) and large-size items (bigger than 11 x 14 inches). Small-size items measuring less than 8 x 10 inches are described broadly at the series level; large-size items and small-size items between 8 x 10 inches and 11 x 14 inches are fully inventoried, and all printers, artists, and publishers are indexed by name.

The view prints provide rich resources for the study of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American printing history, visual culture, and social history. They offer evidence of developing techniques and trends in printmaking, and of the artists, engravers, lithographers, printers, and publishers who created these items. As a visual historical record, this collection provides documentary evidence of the interplay between individuals and their environments, and their perceptions and interpretations of their surroundings. Prints in the collection document the topography, development, and promotion of towns and cities; urban planning; the impact of settlement, transportation, and infrastructure on both rural and urban environments; the architectural history of business and retail centers, civic buildings, and private residences; and perceptions towards wilderness and frontier areas. Information about social history emerges through the depictions of individuals and street scenes in many of these prints, including modes of transportation, leisure, and commercial activities.

Acquisition information:
This collection forms part of the Jay T. Last Collection of Graphic Arts and Social History, which was donated to the Huntington Library by Jay T. Last in 2005 as a gift in progress. The bulk of the views were transferred to the Library between 2010 and 2012 .
Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in the following series:

  • Series I. Views Prints and Ephemera (small size)
    • Subseries A. Northeast (small size)
    • Subseries B. Midwest (small size)
    • Subseries C. West (small size)
  • Series II. Views Prints and Ephemera (large size)
    • Subseries A. Northeast (large size)
    • Subseries B. South (large size)
    • Subseries C. Midwest (large size)
    • Subseries D. West (large size)
    • Subseries E. Foreign (large size)

The series are based on the four geographic regions of the United States recognized by the United States Census Bureau.

Items are arranged numerically by call number and described in the following format:

  • Title of print. Date
  • Artist(s) (when known). Printer(s). Publisher(s).

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Note:

Finding aid last updated on February 13, 2017.

Access and use

Restrictions:

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

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