Archives Center, National Museum of American History

New England Gravestone Imagery [1650-1815], 1957-1959, 1963

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0658
Creators:
Parker, Ann
Neal, Avon
Art in America
Ludwig, Saul
Ludwig, Allan I.
Dates:
1957-1959
1963
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
2 Cubic feet
6 boxes
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection is arranged in two series.
Series 1: PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALLAN LUDWIG, 1957-1959
408 photoprints with captions. The photos were originally divided into 6 volumes. These were then consolidated into 3 binders. The original 6 divisions have been maintained here. Each photograph has been numbered. The number corresponds to the "List of Identifications."
Series 2: PORTFOLIOS OF RUBBINGS, 1963
Forty-two rubbings of gravestones issued in three portfolios of different sizes. There are fourteen rubbings in each box. The portfolios are number #16 of an edition of 50.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Divided into two series.
Series 1: Photographs by Allan Ludwig, 1957-1959
Series 2: Portfolios of rubbings by Ann Parker and Avon Neal, 1963

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Allan I. Ludwig, an historian and photographer, was born in 1933 in Yonkers, NY. He studied at Yale University, earning a BFA in 1956, a MA in 1960, and a PhD in 1964. Additionally, from 1960 to 1963 he was a Bollingen fellow.
Graven Images: New England Stonecarving and Its Symbols, 1650-1815
was originally published by Wesleyan University Press, and has most recently (1999) been reprinted by the University Press of New England. It continues to be a seminal work. He works in platinum and silver gelatin photographic printing media. Ludwig took the photographs for this survey between 1957 and 1959.
In 1963, as part of its 50th Anniversary program,
Art in America
magazine sponsored the publication of a series of portfolios of original gravestone rubbings made by Ann Parker and Avon Neal. The work was conducted under a Ford Foundation Grant. A limited number of each of the rubbings was made for the portfolios, issued in three different sizes. They are published under the title:
A Portfolio of Rubbings from Early American Stone Sculpture Found in the Burying Grounds of New England
.

Administration

Author
Jennifer Snyder
Custodial History
Allan Ludwig's photographs were donated by Mr. Saul Ludwig to the Division of Cultural History (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) in 1959, and the portfolios of rubbings were purchased from the authors in 1964. The two collections were combined because of their related content and transferred to the Archives Center in 1998.
Division of Cultural History (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) original catalog numbers: 68.258-68.299 for the rubbings, and 60.412 for the photographs.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Ludwig portion of the collection was donated to NMAH (formerly United States National Museum) in 1959 by Saul Ludwig. The three portfolios were purchased by the Museum in 1964 from Ann Parker and Avon Neal. The materials were transferred to the Archives Center in 1998 from the Division of Cultural History and combined to form one collection.
Processing Information
by: Jennifer Snyder, February 2002

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Preferred Citation
New England Gravestone Imagery, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Related Materials
From the Ludwig photographs, seven stones were selected by the Museum in 1960 to be reproduced in plastic resin for exhibition; the replicas were executed by Smithsonian craftsmen under the direction of Allan Ludwig. The reproductions are in the Division of Cultural History (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) collections.
Related Materials
From the Ludwig photographs, seven stones were selected by the Museum in 1960 to be reproduced in plastic resin for exhibition; the replicas were executed by Smithsonian craftsmen under the direction of Allan Ludwig. The reproductions are in the Division of Cultural History collections.
The Division of Cultural History (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) retains a number of objects relating to death, dying, and mortuary services (including coffin manufacturing). The Division also has tools and other objects relating to stone carving and gravestones.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Tombstones Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cemeteries -- 1650-1810 -- New England Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Epitaphs -- 1650-1810 -- New England Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sculpture -- 1650-1810 -- New England Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New England -- Gravestones Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rubbings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Portfolios (groups of works) -- 1960-1970 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1950-1960 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Cultural History Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu