The sun., 1908-06-28
CALLS FOR QUEER OLD PRINTS
LFN0x LIBRARY COLLECTION
FILLS MANY WANTS

LENDx LIBRARY COLLEVAAv"
FILLS MANY WANTS
v,.,t.rs yyr,o Sack Co learn Details Of Coss
tuue OF Every Age--Hnitstands ana
paeatang Flour Mills hut Two Of tho
thousands Of queer subjects Involved
Sheep.
Tbeatrioal costume Of eighteenth century,
Uniform OF present day Turkish soldier.
Floating -four mill on Danube.
These ara a few Of tho varied requesvs
OF one day at the print department of tho
Lenox Library. Theinquiry for sheep cams
from a young man with pad OF sltetchina
paper In his hand. He volunteered no ex-
planation, but looked over print after prins
without finding anything that met his TO
ouirements. Eventually the curator laid
before him an immense fat case filled with
set OF famous and costly old prints by Q
French master. A satisfied smile ntteo
over his lips as he extracted a certain print'
placed It upon an easel and set himself 10
sketching 1t. ~
The man who wanted theatrical costumes
OF the eighteenth century looked through
many boxes full Of prints, made some notes.
took the names of two publications which
would furnish him with material and Went
away with the remark that the Information
was for future use
For the uniform Of the Turkish soldier
OF the present day the resources OF tho
department were small. Among the thou
sands Of prints Of every variety ana epoch
exactly one was found Of the subject sought.
| This was on a page from an Illustrated sup
plement of q New York paper, containing
half tone reproductions Of o lot Of photo
graphs only two inches long. soldier
| Of the Sultan was among them, and having
been indexed when II was put away it was
| Immediately available. The inquirer might
have searched the city OF New York, perhaps
the whole country, without finding 1t else
| where.
! Fcs the floating -four mill on the Danube
the curator was obliged to confess himself
up a stump, He had not only newer cota-
| logued such picture but never heard OF
| such thing. The man who wanted it had
seen the thing. but found pictire'of IL
unattainable.
With the exception OF the print division
Of the Congressional Library and the Gray
collection at Harvard all other collections
of prints In the country besides the Lenox
form parts Of museums. The print depart
ment of the New York Public Library
started with the gift OF his collection TO
Lenox by the late Samuel P. Avery In 1900.
Since then under the mana cement OF Curator
Frank Weitenkampf, it has been developed
along library lines, as part OF the records
of the past and as source Of information.
In one division. which he. calls the art
Workshop, the curator is collecting current
prints OF every variety, all topically. Ale
I>though many thousands of these are now
indexed the curator still considers the art
Workshop In too incipient stage to warrant
theless It serves many such inquirers as this.
designs for inkstands. He found 100 prints
Of artistio designs for inkstands IN box;
To and one such dssiEn Tor himself ne would "usa
and 60 through them year by year until he
| happenoSlto find design for an inkstand.
Themos heterogeneous topics are treated
In the same way; vehicles, chairs, tables,
brooches, lighting fixtures, silver platei
clocks and scores of others. In architec-
ture the topical division is carried to great
length. There are boxes full Of nothing
but designs for gates; others Of porches,
bedrooms. dining rooms, elevator grills,
lodges, windows, DOORS cornices, archi-
tectnral details Of every description. Thou
sands OF art and technical magazines OF
every variety are given to the department;
with name and date Of publication and
placed in the proper receptacle In addi-
ton. for every illustrated book which 10
catalogued at the Astor Library an extra
Of the print department. -,
The other day q man wanted an authentic
picture Of an Irish peasant girl OF the present
day. Suoh things are often harder to find
, than historical subjects. There was no
such print in stock, but in the card oatalogue
was indexed recent work on Irish htera-
: ture which contained exactly tho thing
wanted-a picture Of an Irish peasant girl
taken from life very recently.
Actors come to the department to know
how Beau Brummel tied his tie, how the
Pump Room at Bath looked, what kind OF
looking woman Mrs. Lincoln was. The
Municipal Art soSiety % % offered uh Prize so for
Forty Of the competitors sought informa.
tion from the Lenox prints for historical
accuracy Of costume in their designs.
Writer'S wish to study pictures Of city
quarters which no longer exist-old Paris
or old London or other localities in epochs
I Of which they are writing. They come
: to study old costumes that they may get
, their descriptions correct Aprons Of the
, Second Empire. was queer topic handed
in one day.
They wish to study the faces Of persons
+ | in every walk OF life in the past The
, department contains thousands Of these
The very latest Of all it's gifts. for instance
/ OdtilO iiOui tu0 tOIiuoI CoilCCtiOh Vi Syiur
j. Lawrence and consisted of 700 pieces
} | Of work Of one man, Honore Daumier. a
French carioaturist Of the middle Of the
: eighteenth century. It was entirely made
up Of carioatures Of figures In the political
. and social life Of the time. many Of them
r made for lie Charipdri.
) In the Avery collection alone are designs
l for menus. programmes and cards Of every
description. material for Napoleonio his
: tory. costumes Of the past, army uniforms
D | Of the INST pictures Of old Paris and Other
) city quarters now destroyed, and portraits
? OF great numbers Of persons In every walk
/ in the world to wRom ait It ever @ y ooSurred Pdt &
, make collection OF prints made by women
. Of which he got together $40. Many Of
, | them are valueless from an artistic stand
. point but the history Of the art records
Y a number OF women whose works are now
o sought by collectors.
Those who have made the most use oi
= the department 30 far are art students
q designers. illustrators, oaricaturists, au
q thors. publishers. lecturers and private
| D,k be- snkz - ~. 10