Benjamin Paul Akers letter collection
name: label: Creator
content: Akers, Benjamin Paul, 1825-1861
label: Names
content: Maine Historical Society
label: Names
content: Allen, Elizabeth Akers, 1832-1911
label: Names
content: Powers, Hiram, 1805-1873
topic: label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- Maine
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The letters were lent for microfilming by the Maine Historical Society in 1963, and returned after filming.
creator: label: Creator
content: Akers, Benjamin Paul, 1825-1861
setName: label: See more items in
content: Benjamin Paul Akers letter collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: The Benjamin Paul Akers letter collection dates from 1858 to 1920. The collection consists of letters from Akers to various friends, relatives, and others. Of note is an exchange of letters with Hiram Powers regarding an article by Akers in the Atlantic Monthly (1860). Also included are letters about Akers written to the Maine Historical Society by his widow, the writer Elizabeth Akers Allen and other acquaintances, and an obituary published in The Crayon.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Benjamin Paul Akers (1825-1861) was a sculptor in Maine. He also wrote articles on art for the Atlantic Monthly and The Crayon, a New York art magazine. He was married to writer and poet, Elizabeth Akers Allen (1832-1911).
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Microfilm reel
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1858-1920
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.akerbenj
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Microfilm reels
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Due to the pre-existing microfilm arrangement, the collection is arranged as one series.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was microfilmed on Reel D316 and was returned to the Maine Historical Society after filming. The microfilm was described in a finding aid by Jayna Josefson in 2025 and the microfilm was digitized in 2025 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Collections Information System (CIS) IRM Pool Fund.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: The collection has been microfilmed on reel D316. The microfilm has been digitized and is available on the Archives of American Art website.
originalsloc: label: Existence and Location of Originals
content: Original letters are at the Maine Historical Society, 485 Congress Street, Portland, Maine.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Benjamin Paul Akers letter collection dates from 1858 to 1920. The collection consists of letters from Akers to various friends, relatives, and others. Of note is an exchange of letters with Hiram Powers regarding an article by Akers in the Atlantic Monthly (1860). Also included are letters about Akers written to the Maine Historical Society by his widow, the writer Elizabeth Akers Allen and other acquaintances, and an obituary published in The Crayon.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: The Maine Historical Society holds the Benjamin Paul Akers scrapbook, circa 1860 and the Elizabeth Akers Allen papers 1852-1914.