Benson John Lossing Papers Addenda 1: Finding Aid
mssLS1
Gayle Richardson
The Huntington Library
July 2022
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Benson John Lossing papers addenda 1
Creator:
Lossing, Benson John,
1813-1891
Identifier/Call Number: mssLS1
Physical Description:
16.5 Linear Feet
(31 boxes, 1 volume)
Date (inclusive): 1740-1928
Date (bulk): 1855-1885
Abstract: A collection of material related to
Benson John Lossing, American artist and historian.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
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]. Benson John Lossing papers addenda 1, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Seven Gables Bookshop, September 1973.
Biographical / Historical
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.
Scope and Contents
A collection of material related to Benson John Lossing; the collection includes
correspondence, manuscripts, diaries, notebooks, drawings, photographs, and ephemera. The
correspondence includes letters written by Lossing, many illustrated with sketches, which he
wrote to his family during his travels in preparation for his "Pictorial Field Book of the
Revolution." There are also letters by Lossing, chiefly retained copies, to his scholarly
associates and publishers. The miscellaneous material includes printed biographical
pamphlets, a small scrapbook related to Lossing, genealogical materials concerning the
Lossing and other related families, photographs, newspaper clippings, forms, and other
ephemera. The collection also includes some unidentified and uncataloged manuscripts,
drawings, photographs, sketches, notes, and ephemera.
Processing Information
Processed by Harriet McLune, July 1975. In 2022, Gayle Richardson created the finding aid
derived from a legacy summary report.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
General
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssLS 290-2149.
Related Materials
Benson John Lossing papers (mssLS); 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
Travelers' writings, American
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
Diaries -- United States -- 19th century
Drawings (visual works) -- United States -- 19th century
Family papers -- New York (State) -- 19th century
Genealogies (histories) -- United States -- 19th century
Histories (literary works) -- United States -- 19th
century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Personal papers -- United States -- 19th century
Professional papers -- United States -- 19th century
Research (documents) -- United States -- 19th century
Box 6, Folder 1-76
1860 January-approximately 1860
Box 7, Folder 1-34
Approximately 1860-1861 April
Box 9, Folder 1-67
1862 August-1863 November
Box 10, Folder 1-70
1863 December-1865 February
Box 14, Folder 1-67
1869 September-1870 November
Box 15, Folder 1-64
1870 December-1872 January
Box 25, Folder 1-59
1889 January-1890 November
Box 27, Folder 1-60
1893 January-1928 January
Box 28, Folder Unknown
Miscellaneous receipts, documents, Negro hymns, manuscripts, notes,
biographical scrapbook, and material
Box 29
Ephemera: articles, clippings, invitations, forms, and printed
material
Box 30
Miscellaneous unidentified family letters, manuscripts, drawings, sketches,
photographs, and clippings; genealogies of various families
Volume 1
Benson J. Lossing. Notes for family magazine LS 1142
1843
