A MECHANISM OF AMERICAN MUSEUM-BUILDING PHILANTHROPY, 1925-1970 Brittany L. Miller Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in the Departments of History and Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University August 2010 Accepted by the Faculty of Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. ____________________________________ Elizabeth Brand Monroe, Ph.D., J.D., Chair ____________________________________ Dwight F. Burlingame, Ph.D. Master’s Thesis Committee ____________________________________ Philip V. Scarpino, Ph.D. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the same way that the philanthropists discussed in my paper depended upon a community of experienced agents to help them create their museums, I would not have been able to produce this work without the assistance of many individuals and institutions. First, I would like to express my thanks to my thesis committee: Dr. Elizabeth Monroe (chair), Dr. Dwight Burlingame, and Dr. Philip Scarpino. After writing and editing for months, I no longer have the necessary words to describe my appreciation for their support and flexibility, which has been vital to the success of this project. To Historic Deerfield, Inc. of Deerfield, Massachusetts, and its Summer Fellowship Program in Early American History and Material Culture, under the direction of Joshua Lane. My Summer Fellowship during 2007 encapsulated many of my early encounters with the institutional histories and sources necessary to produce this thesis. I am grateful to the staff of Historic Deerfield and the thirty other museums included during the fellowship trips for their willingness to discuss their institutional histories and philanthropic challenges. To the staff of the Benson Ford Research Center at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, who introduced me to W.W. Taylor, H.F. Morton, and F.C. Campsall’s accounts of their acquisitions for Henry Ford’s museum projects. I could not have completed my archival research during my one-week vacation without their valuable guidance through their extensive collections. Special thanks to Mr. Seth W. Miller for his assistance in procuring rare biographical information on W.W. Taylor. iii To the faculty, staff, and students of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and the Department of History (IUPUI) for their encouragement and support. I would like to thank the History H750 class (Spring 2010) for their critiques and insights on early drafts of this thesis. Special thanks to James Kienker for his encouragement and valuable editing on the first full draft of this thesis. Lastly, I would like to thank my family for their constant support and motivational conversations. They continue to teach me the value of history and philanthropy as essential characteristics of a well-rounded human being. I especially thank my sister, Crystal, for her endless patience, inspiration, and assistance. She has been essential for midnight brainstorming sessions and editing toward the completion of this thesis. I wish her the greatest success in her own graduate endeavors. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 Key Terms ............................................................................................................... 3 Henry Ford’s Museums........................................................................................... 5 Methodology ........................................................................................................... 8 Scope ....................................................................................................................... 9 Results ................................................................................................................... 12 Applied Research Opportunities ........................................................................... 14 CHAPTER TWO: A SPARK OF IMAGINATION ......................................................... 17 History of American Museums ............................................................................. 17 Institutional History .............................................................................................. 20 Individual Biographies .......................................................................................... 25 Group Biographies ................................................................................................ 28 Philanthropic History ............................................................................................ 32 Architectural History ............................................................................................ 34 Ideological History................................................................................................ 36 Historiographical Connections.............................................................................. 37 CHAPTER THREE: AN ENGINE OF PHILANTHROPY ............................................. 44 Industrial Elite Philanthropy ................................................................................. 45 Motivations for Supporting Museums .................................................................. 48 Philanthropists’ Exhibition of Ideals .................................................................... 56 v The Common Museum-Building Experience ....................................................... 60 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 77 CHAPTER FOUR: A MECHANISM OF MUSEUM BUILDING ................................. 79 Mechanics of Museum Building ........................................................................... 80 Acquisition of Artifacts ......................................................................................... 87 The Challenges of Museum Building ................................................................... 96 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 100 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS .............................................................................. 102 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ 106 Appendix A: Institutional References ................................................................. 106 Appendix B: Biographical References ................................................................ 108 Appendix C: Select Museum Builders and Their Affiliations ............................ 121 Appendix D: Presenters for Colonial Williamsburg Antiques Forums .............. 124 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 130 CURRICULUM VITAE vi CHAPTER ONE Introduction In a letter to the executive director of the Edison Institute, E.I. Allston Boyer of Colonial Williamsburg wrote: “One trouble you have at present . is that the Museum is trying to accomplish too much. You are trying to be an industrial museum as well as a fine arts museum. The two collections do not mix very well and I think they should be completely divorced.”1 Henry Ford’s museum collections combined enormous industrial machinery with exquisite furniture and glass. However, these objects did not constitute two separate and divergent collections. Within the context of the period, Ford’s museums made perfect sense. Ford and his contemporaries perceived industry and art as inherently connected by the presence of intentional design.2 The term “industrial art” was applied to these objects.3 Evidence of unifying concepts, such as “industrial art,” lies hidden in museum archives and publications produced between 1925 and 1970. One must consider these sources to comprehend how philanthropists developed American museums based on a system of ideas and a culture of giving. Archival records demonstrate how hundreds of people collaborated under the unifying vision of American industrial philanthropists to form their museums. Although individuals’ contributions rarely received widespread credit, records reveal their activity as part of a national culture of philanthropic giving. 1 Consultant Report to A.K. Mills (Executive Director, Edison Institute) from E.I. Allston Boyer (Assistant to the President, Colonial Williamsburg), 3 Apr 1951. Consultant Reports, Box 1, Series 175, Edison Institute Collection, Benson Ford Research Center, The Henry Ford, 20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn, Michigan 48124-5020 (Hereafter E.I. #175.) 2 Charles R. Richards, Industrial Art and the Museum (New York: Macmillan Company, 1927), v-vi, 3, and 51-70. 3 Ibid. 1 Donors worked with members of the industrial elite to form a multi-directional system of philanthropy, shaping American museum growth for future generations. This thesis investigates why twentieth-century philanthropists, such as Henry Ford,* John and Abby Rockefeller,* Henry du Pont,* and Henry and Helen Flynt,* developed American museums between 1925 and 1970.4 These individuals shared similar beliefs and ideological perspectives of American history, which shaped their museum-building efforts. Additionally, philanthropists had financial resources, social