Scope and Contents

Papers of the collection include: printed material, correspondence, drawings, and maps.

Scope and Contents

Photographs (which include silver gelatin photonegatives and photoprints) document Chinese ceramics and kiln sites in Fukien (Fujian) and Chekiang (Zhejiang) provinces, dating from ninth and tenth centuries, which were discovered by Plumer. Many of the images depict ceramics both at their original archaeological sites and in the laboratory. Most of the items are "wasters", imperfect ceramic objects that were broken at the kiln site at the time of manufacture. They include bowls, candlesticks, jars, tea cups, and vases. Other photographs show archaeological field workers including Plumer and local staff, field work activities, kilns, and the landscape surrounding the kilns.

Scope and Contents

Photographers and studios represented include the Fogg Art Museum of Harvard University, Charles B. Hoyt, Herbert Ingram, C.T. Loo, the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), and James Marshall Plumer. Some photographs from this collection have been previously published or used in exhibitions.

Arrangement

1 linear foot (papers only)

Biographical / Historical

James Marshall Plumer (1899-1960) , scholar of Asian art. After receiving his B.A. from Harvard, Plumer served as an administrative officer with the Chinese Government Service in Maritime Customs. From 1935 until his death, he taught art history at the University of Michigan while continuing to visit and work in China and Japan. In 1935 and 1937, Plumer discovered ancient kiln sites in the Chinese provinces of Fukien (Fujian) and Chekiang (Zhejiang). He wrote extensively on Chinese ceramics and edited the 'Far Eastern Ceramic Bulletin' from 1950 to 1958.

Local Numbers

FSA A.14

Custodial History

Donated by Plumer's wife, Caroline I. Plumer, 1961.