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Charles Russell Orcutt papers
mssOrcutt papers
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Title: Charles Russell Orcutt papers
Dates: 1881-1904
Collection Call Number: mssOrcutt papers
Creator:
Orcutt, Charles Russell, 1864-1929
Extent:
1 box
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2203
Fax: (626) 449-5720
Email: manuscripts@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: The papers consist of the correspondence of botanist Charles Russell Orcutt. There are a few documents and manuscripts and
six pieces of ephemera
Language of Material: The records are in English.
Collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information,
please go to following
web site .
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], Charles Russell Orcutt papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
The collection was was purchased from W. T. Genns in August 1959.
Charles R. Orcutt, botanist and editor. In 1879, he came from Vermont to San Diego where his father established the Orcutt
Seed and Plant Company near the ruins of the San Diego mission. From an early age he collected and studied plants, making
many contributions to the Smithsonian Institution during his lifetime. Orcutt edited the American botanist (1898-1900), American
plants (1907-1910), and The West American scientist (1884-1919). He died in Haiti in 1929.
The 642 items in this collection consist primarily of letters written to Orcutt from fellow botanists and other representatives
of historical societies, nurseries, museums, and related institutions. These items are arranged in alphabetical order by author
last name.
Orcutt corresponded frequently with botanists, collectors, and other scholars in the field of natural history in the buying,
selling, and exchange of specimens such as seedlings, plants, and trees. He also collected seashells. Some of these discoveries
were showcased in "The West American Scientist," a monthly magazine containing news, articles, editorials, illustrations and
advertisements broadly related to the study of natural history on the Pacific coast and Mexico. As a result, the collection
also includes numerous receipts and invoices, inquiries of pricing and shipping fees, and requests for copies of the publication.
Orcutt also corresponded regularly with members of the American Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.
There are several noteworthy items. A handwritten translation of a description of the Washington robusta genus details the
origins, characteristics, and growth patterns of the California palm tree. Letters from George Frederick Kunz of Tiffany and
Company include requests to send pearls and shells as well as books and articles on mineralogy. He also seeks Orcutt's knowledge
and personal observations of pearls and other precious and ornamental stones found along the California coast. Two letters
from Alice A. Gray, the niece of the botanist Asa Gray, are of a personal nature. She responds to Orcutt's inquiries regarding
a potential shared ancestry and attempts to trace their genealogy. In a letter written to Orcutt in 1887, John Dickinson,
Professor of Mathematics and Mineralogy at the University of Southern California, requests a donation of all back copies of
"The West American Scientist" magazine to help build a library and promote interest in the study of the natural sciences.
Correspondents include: Asa Gray, Edward Lee Greene, George Frederick Kuntz, Charles Christopher Parry, George Vasey, and
Serno Watson and others.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged alphabetically. It is housed in one box.
Gray, Asa, 1810-1888
Greene, Edward Lee, 1843-1915
Kunz, George Frederick, 1856-1932
Orcutt, Charles Russell, 1864-1929
Parry, C. C. (Charles Christopher), 1823-1890
Vasey, George, 1822-1893
Watson, Sereno, 1826-1892
American Museum of Natural History
Tiffany and Company
University of Southern California
Botanists -- California -- Correspondence
Botany -- California
Botany -- Mexico
Mineralogy
Palms -- California -- History
Periodical editors -- United States -- Correspondence
Letters (correspondence) -- United States
Personal papers -- California
Professional papers -- California