Smithsonian Institution Archives

Records, 1894-1993

Summary

Collection ID:
SIA.FARU0580
Creators:
National Postal Museum
Dates:
1894-1993
Languages:
English
Physical Description:
10 cu. ft. (10 record storage boxes)
Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives

Descriptive Entry

Descriptive Entry
These records consist of staff correspondence and memoranda of the National Postal Museum and its predecessors; early photographs of exhibitions; planning information for the Hall of Philately; newspaper clippings, articles, and research files documenting the origin and extensive history of the National Postal Museum; proposals, preliminary contracts, minutes of meetings, and blueprints for a National Postal Museum; and administrative files.

Historical Note

Historical Note
The philatelic collections date back to 1887, when Spencer F. Baird bequeathed his personal stamp collection to the Institution. The stamps were placed in the custody of A. Howard Clark, Curator of the Section of Historical Relics, United States National Museum (USNM). The collections then fell under various successor units: the Section of Historical Collections (1889-1897), the Division of History and Biography, Department of Anthropology (1897-1904), and the Division of History (1904-1948). In 1908, David W. Cromwell, a well-known New York philatelist, began making a series of donations to the Smithsonian Institution, which by 1915 housed some twenty thousand United States and foreign postage stamps. These stamps, as well as Baird's collection and others acquired by the Division over the years, were placed on display at the Arts and Industries Building.
In 1911, the Post Office Department began transferring to the USNM holdings of stamps and related objects from its Postal Museum. This collection eventually amounted to some two hundred thousand items, mostly consisting of domestic and foreign stamps, envelopes, and postal cards as well as albums of models, photographs of Post Office facilities, and die proofs. The Post Office Department agreed to make periodic transfers of United States issues and foreign stamps to the Smithsonian, to insure the continual growth of what became known as the National Postage Stamp Collection. From 1913 to 1921, Joseph B. Leavy served as the first Philatelist of the Collection.
The Collection was organized as the Section of Philately in the Division of History through 1947, and became the Division of Philately in the new Department of History in 1948. In 1957, the Division was renamed Philately and Postal History (changing again to Postal History in 1969). It was affiliated with the Departments of Civil History, 1957-1968, Applied Arts, 1969-1977, and National History, 1978-1979, as a result of museum reorganizations. In 1980, the Division was organized as the National Philatelic Collection (NPC) in the National Museum of American History, reporting to the Director. A decade later, in 1990, the National Philatelic Collection became the National Postal Museum (NPM).
Curators at the National Postal Museum research the history of the American postal system and collect American postage, special stamp editions of famous individuals or subjects, postal stationery, Post Office equipment and uniforms, and foreign stamps primarily for what they show about American history. Curators and staff included Joseph B. Leavy, Philatelist, 1913-1921; Catherine L. Manning, Philatelist, 1921-1943, Assistant Curator of Philately, 1944-1951; Franklin R. Bruns, Jr., Assistant Curator of Philately, 1951, Associate Curator in charge, 1952-1957, Associate Curator, 1971-1977, and Supervisor, 1978-1979; Francis J. McCall, Assistant Curator of Philately, 1957, Acting Curator, 1958, Associate Curator, 1959-1963; George T. Turner, Acting Curator of Philately, 1959-1961, and Associate Curator, 1962; Richard H. Howland, Acting Curator of Philately, 1962-1963; Carl H. Scheele, Assistant Curator of Philately, 1960-1963, Acting Curator, 1964-1968, Associate Curator, 1969, Curator in charge, 1970-1977; Reidar Norby, Assistant Curator of Philately, 1969, Associate Curator, 1970-1983, Curator, 1984-1988; Robert G. Tillotson, Executive Director of the National Philatelic Collection, 1980-1982; Herbert R. Collins, Executive Director of the National Philatelic Collection, 1982-1990, Director of the National Postal Museum, 1990; and James R. Bruns, Curator, 1984-1989, and Deputy Executive Director, 1990, of the National Philatelic Collection, and Acting Director of the National Postal Museum, 1991- .

Administration

Author
Finding aid prepared by Smithsonian Institution Archives

Using the Collection

Prefered Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 580, National Postal Museum, Records

More Information

Notes

SI Records


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Clark, A. Howard Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cromwell, David W. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Leavy, Joseph Britton, 1872-1921 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manning, Catherine L. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bruns, Franklin R., Jr. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
McCall, Francis J. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Turner, George T. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Howland, Richard Hubbard Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scheele, Carl H. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Norby, Reidar Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tillotson, Robert G. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Collins, Herbert Ridgeway, 1932- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bruns, James H. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Postal Museum (U.S.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Baird, Spencer Fullerton, 1823-1887 Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States National Museum. Section of Historical Collections Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States National Museum. Section of Historical Relics Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States National Museum. Division of History and Biography Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States National Museum. Division of History Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arts and Industries Building (Washington, D.C.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States. Post Office Department Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Postage Stamp Collection Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States National Museum. Division of Philately Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States National Museum. Department of History Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Museum of History and Technology (U.S.). Division of Philately and Postal History Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of History and Technology (U.S.). Division of Postal History Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Museum of History and Technology (U.S.). Department of Civil History Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of History and Technology (U.S.). Department of Applied Arts Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of History and Technology (U.S.). Department of National History Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). National Philatelic Collection Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Hall of Philately Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Postal museums Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Stamp collecting Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Museum exhibits Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Architectural drawings Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuscripts Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Black-and-white photographs Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clippings Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Smithsonian Institution Archives
Washington, D.C.
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