Archives of American Gardens

Hollerith Family slide collection, 1952-1980

Summary
Winterthur -- Winterthur Museum
Winterthur -- Winterthur Museum
Collection ID:
AAG.HOL
Creators:
Hollerith family
Hollerith, Lucia Beverly, 1891-1982
Hollerith, Herman, 1860-1929
Hollerith, Nannie Talcott, 1898-1985
Hollerith, Virginia
Garden Club of America
Georgetown Garden Club
Dates:
1952-1980
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.75 Cubic feet
approximately 2,500 35mm slides
35mm
Repository:
The Hollerith Family Collection includes approximately 2,200 35mm slides dating from 1952 to 1980 that document the horticultural interests and travels of sisters Virginia and Nan Hollerith, members of the Georgetown Garden Club in Washington, D.C. The images primarily show private and public gardens, plantations, and historic sites in the mid-Atlantic and the southeast regions of the United States. Included in the collection are slides documenting the activities of the Georgetown Garden Club and various floral arrangements.
Arrangement Note
Arrangement Note
The Holleriths used a self-designed numbering system to organize their 35mm slides. They captioned most slides with the name of the garden or site shown in the slide.
Biographical/Historical note
Biographical/Historical note
Lucia, Nannie (Nan) and Virginia Hollerith were the daughters of inventor Herman Hollerith and his wife Lucia Beverly Talcott Hollerith. Other Hollerith children include Herman Hollerith, Jr. (1892-1982), Charles Hollerith (1893-1972), and Richard Hollerith (1900-1967).
Herman Hollerith's invention of the punch card tabulating machine, which played an integral role in the creation of the modern information processing industry, was implemented in the 1890 census to summarize census data. His business, the Tabulating Machine Company, would ultimately become International Business Machines (IBM). Upon selling his business in 1911, Herman Hollerith purchased a Georgetown residence known as Mackall Square, and added to the property a second home, which was known as the Hollerith House. The three Hollerith sisters spent the bulk of their lives in residence at this Georgetown home and at the family's Mathews County, Virginia property, known as Brighton, or Mobjack Farm.
Lucia Beverly Hollerith, the eldest of the six Hollerith children, was born in 1891. A visual artist, she studied at the Corcoran School of Art and taught floral arrangement at the National Cathedral School for Girls. Born in 1898, Nannie Talcott Hollerith, commonly addressed as Nan, appears to have been particularly engaged in the maintenance of the Hollerith family estate. Virginia Hollerith was born in 1902. The youngest of the Hollerith children, she published a biographical piece about her father in the Spring 1971 issue of Isis by the History of Science Society.
Mrs. Lucia Hollerith, mother of the Hollerith children, co-founded the Georgetown Garden Club in 1924. The three sisters were active members throughout their lives, as well as active members of Christ Church in Georgetown, where they regularly contributed floral arrangements for the altar. These and other floral arrangements are documented in the collection, as are the Hollerith sisters' activities with the Georgetown Garden Club.
Administration
Author
Anna Barker
Sponsor
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
Custodial History note
Gift from the Hollerith estate through Mrs. Richard G. Brown, a Georgetown Garden Club member. The slides had been in the keeping of Laura Fisher.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access note
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Conditions Governing Use note
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Preferred Citation note
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Hollerith Family Slide Collection.
Related Archival Materials note
Related materials may be found in the Hollerith Family Papers at the Washington D.C. Historical Society's Kiplinger Research Library and Collections, the Papers of the Hollerith Family at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, the Barnard-Talcott Hollerith Family Papers in the Special Collections Research Center at The George Washington University, and the Papers of Herman Hollerith in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress.
Keywords
Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Slides (photographs) Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gardening -- United States -- societies, etc Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gardens -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gardens -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Georgetown Garden Club Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Repository Contact
Archives of American Gardens
P.O. Box 37012
Capital Gallery West, Suite 3300, MRC 506
Washington, DC 20013-7012
aag@si.edu