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Laura Wood Roper
A Register of Her Papers in the Library of Congress
Prepared by Bradley E. Gernand
with the assistance of Deloris Butler
1996
Manuscript Division
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress
Manuscript Division, 2001
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents for Laura Wood Roper
Collection Summary
Selected Search Terms
* Names:
* Subjects:
* Occupations:
Administrative Information
* Provenance:
* Transfers:
* Copyright Status:
* Preferred Citation:
Biographical Note
Scope and Content Note
Description of Series
* Frederick Law Olmsted, 1834- 1982, n.d.
* Olmsted Associates, 1894- 1958, n.d.
* Indices to Frederick Law Olmsted Papers, 1865- 1928, n.d.
* Microfilm, 1822- 1887, n.d.
Container List
* FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED, 1834- 1982, n.d.
* OLMSTED ASSOCIATES, 1894- 1958, n.d.
* INDICES TO FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED PAPERS, 1865- 1928, n.d.
* MICROFILM, 1822- 1887, n.d.
Appendix
Headings Used in Card File Subject Index
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Collection Summary
Creator: Roper, Laura Wood, 1911-
Title: Papers of Laura Wood Roper 1822-1982 (bulk 1871-1895 and 1948-1952)
Size: 2,280 items; 17 containers; 4 linear feet; 9 microfilm reels
Repository: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Abstract: Biographer of Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903). Correspondence,
research notes, and related material pertaining to Roper's biography of
Olmsted; correspondence, reports, clippings, printed material collected by
Roper related to Frederick Law Olmsted and the landscape architectural
firm, Olmsted Associates (1961- ) and its predecessors; and chronological,
subject, correspondent, and personal name indexes to the Frederick Law
Olmsted Papers in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Selected Search Terms
Names:
Eliot, Charles, 1859-1897--Correspondence
Hubbard, Theodora Kimball, 1887-1935--Correspondence
Olmsted, Frederick Law, 1870-1957--Correspondence
Olmsted, John Charles, 1852-1920--Correspondence
Olmsted, Frederick Law, 1822-1903. Papers
F.L. and J.C. Olmsted (Firm : 1897-1898) Records
Olmsted Associates. Records
Olmsted Brothers. Records
Olmsted, Olmsted, and Eliot. Records
Subjects:
Capitols
City planning
Exhibitions
Landscape architecture
Parks
Occupations:
Authors
Biographers
Administrative Information
Provenance:
The papers of Laura Wood Roper, biographer of Frederick Law Olmsted, were
given to the Library of Congress by Roper in 1975 and 1992. The 1975 gift
was included in the papers of Frederick Law Olmsted and is described in the
finding aid for that collection. Her 1992 gifts comprise this collection
and are described herein.
Transfers:
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial
divisions of the Library. Cartographic records have been transferred to the
Geography and Map Division. A lithograph has been transferred to the Prints
and Photographs Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions
as part of the Laura Wood Roper Papers.
Copyright Status:
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Laura Wood Roper in these papers
and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of
Congress has been dedicated to the public.
Preferred Citation:
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following
information: container number, Laura Wood Roper Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date Event
1911 , Mar.
15 Born, St. Louis, Mo.
1932 A. B., Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
1940 Married W. Crosby Roper, Jr. (died 1982)
1943 Published Walter Reed: Doctor in Uniform (New York: J.
Messner. 281 pp.)
1944 Published Raymond L. Ditmars: His Exciting Career With
Reptiles, Animals and Insects (New York: J. Messner, 272
pp.; republished, London: R. Hale, 261 pp., 1951. Published
as Schlangen, Seltene Tiere und Insekten: das Forscherleben
von Raymond L. Ditmars, Berlin: P. H. Ohlert. 222 pp. 1949)
1948 Published Louis Pasteur (New York: J. Messner. 218 pp.)
1973 Published FLO: A Biography of Frederick Law Olmsted
(Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 555 pp.)
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Laura Newbold Wood Roper (1911- ) span the years 1822-1982
(bulk dates 1871-1895 and 1948-1952) and include original papers of
Frederick Law Olmsted and the firm Olmsted Associates. Olmsted's son,
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., also a landscape architect and longtime
principal of Olmsted Associates, sanctioned Roper's efforts and provided
her many of the items which make up this collection from his family and
office files. Most of the remainder of those files were later given to the
Library of Congress and now comprise the papers of Frederick Law Olmsted
and the records of Olmsted Associates. The Roper Papers also include
Roper's correspondence, research notes, and related material.
The collection is organized into four series, the first of which consists
of papers relating to the elder Frederick Law Olmsted and his works.
Chiefly consisting of correspondence, reports, newspaper clippings, and
related information, this series is organized by subject and concerns city
planning, expositions, capitols, parks, Olmsted's business partners, and
his writings. Some of Roper's additions include correspondence to or from
Theodora Kimball Hubbard, a bibliographer who researched Olmsted in the
1920s.
Correspondence and reports of Olmsted Associates comprise the second
series. Although some of the correspondence is original, there are also
copies or research findings prepared for Roper's use by Stella D. Obst,
longtime secretary to Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. Correspondents include
John Charles and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and Charles Eliot. Topics
include civic projects and the firm's work. There is also much biographical
information about the Olmsteds, ca. 1898-1954.
The third series consists of a card file index of Frederick Law Olmsted's
papers compiled by Roper during the years she used the papers after their
arrival in the Library. The index accesses the papers chronologically and
by subject, correspondent, and personal name. Since broken and missing tabs
or dividers and an unorthodox format render the subject index somewhat
difficult to use, its primary categories and subcategories have been listed
at the end of this finding aid as an appendix. Arrangement of the index and
thus the accompanying appendix is generally alphabetical.
Roper microfilmed most of the index except Containers 7 and 11 of the
chronological index, covering 25 Nov. 1865-28 Aug. 1876 and 25 Feb. 1887-21
Aug. 1928, and part of Containers 16 and 17, covering part of the
correspondent index and all of the personal name index. A reference file,
which no longer exists in textual format, appears only on microfilm, and
consists of excerpts and notes from secondary and some primary source
materials, including books, newspapers, reports, and letters, 1822-1864.
Description of Series
Box Series
BOX Frederick Law Olmsted, 1834 - 1982 , n.d.
1-5
Correspondence, reports, newspaper and journal clippings, printed
matter, and research notes.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, type of material, or name of
person.
BOX Olmsted Associates, 1894 - 1958 , n.d.
5-6
Correspondence and associated reports, newspaper clippings, and
printed matter.
Arranged chronologically.
BOX Indices to Frederick Law Olmsted Papers, 1865 - 1928 , n.d.
7-17
BOX 7-11 Chronological Index, 1865 - 1928 .
Card file arranged chronologically for the years
1865-1896, 1903-1904, 1912, 1916, 1920-1921 and 1928.
A microfilm edition of this index is limited to the years 1865
and 1876-1887 (see below).
BOX 12-15 Subject Index, n.d.
Card file arranged alphabetically by subject, name, and
place category and thereunder by subcategories.
BOX 15-17 Correspondent Index, n.d.
Card file of correspondents arranged alphabetically by
name of writer or recipient.
A microfilm edition of this index is limited to the letters "A-N"
and first part of "O" (see below).
BOX 17 Personal Name Index, n.d.
Card file of personal names referred to in correspondence,
arranged alphabetically by name of person.
This index has not been microfilmed.
Reel Series
REEL Microfilm, 1822 - 1887 , n.d.
1-9
Microfilm of part of the chronological and correspondent indices to
the Frederick Law Olmsted papers and all of the subject and
personal name indices. Also microfilm of a secondary source
reference file which is not contained in the papers. Shelf number
21,458.
Container List
Box Contents
FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED, 1834 - 1982 , n.d.
BOX 1 Agricultural colleges, 1864-1866, 1949, n.d.
André, Edouard, 1951
Arboreta, 1928, 1954
Articles and essays, 1844, 1893, 1928, 1948-1954
"A" miscellaneous, 1951
Biographical, 1866, 1884, 1893, 1903, 1918-1921, 1946,
n.d.
Books, 1882, 1941, n.d.
Bowles, Samuel, 1875
Brace, Charles Loring, 1874, 1890
Burnham, Daniel Hudson, 1922
"B" miscellaneous, 1947-1952
Capitols
Albany, N.Y., 1876-1880, 1886-1889
Montgomery, Ala., n.d.
Cemeteries, 1864-1865, 1886, n.d.
City planning
General, 1891
New York, N.Y., 1858, 1864, 1881, 1889, 1916, 1933,
1948, 1965
Riverside, Ill., 1860, 1868-1869
Staten Island, N.Y., 1870, 1921
Tacoma, Wash., 1975
Washington, D.C., 1861-1864, 1874, 1882-1885, 1949
Cleveland, Horace William Shaler, 1967-1970
Correspondence, 1962, n.d.
BOX 2 Curtis, George William, 1875, 1948-1952, 1969, n.d.
"C" miscellaneous, 1877, 1948-1953, 1970
Dana, Charles Anderson, 1924
Dickens, Charles, 1951
Downing, Alexander Jackson, ca. 1895, 1949-1955, n.d.
Earth closets, 1869
Errington, Harriet, 1951-1952
Expositions
World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, Ill. (1893),
1890-1894, 1957, 1975, n.d.
World's Fair, New York, N.Y. (ca. 1892), 1869-1889
Gardening, 1886, n.d.
Godkin, Edward Lawrence, 1942, 1950-1951
Green, Andrew Haswell, n.d.
"G" miscellaneous, 1948-1949, 1967, n.d.
Honors, 1892-1893, 1898, 1928-1929
Hurlbert, William Henry, 1950
"H" miscellaneous, 1948-1952, n.d.
Illustrations, n.d.
Interviews with Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., 1948-1952,
n.d.
Knapp, Frederick N., ca. 1864, 1957, n.d.
"K" miscellaneous, 1948-1949
Landscape architecture
Bibliography, 1921, 1927, 1946, n.d.
California, ca. 1870, 1947, n.d.
Education, 1882
History, 1886, 1906, 1921, 1943-1950, 1957, n.d.
Terminology, 1860, 1875, 1924, 1949, 1963
"L" miscellaneous, 1951-1952
Martin, William R., 1877
Nation, 1867, 1949-1950, n.d.
Newspaper clippings, 1855-156
Nurseries, 1874-1887, 1912
"N" miscellaneous, 1887, 1914, 1950
Olmsted, Frederick Law, Jr., 1894, 1919, 1929, 1936-1938,
1944-1949, 1957, n.d.
BOX 3 Olmsted, Gideon, ca. 1855, 1955
Olmsted, John Charles, 1920, n.d.
Olmsted, Mary Cleveland Perkins, 1847, 1921, n.d.
Parks
Architectural structures, ca. 1890
Baltimore, Md., 1876, 1968
Boston, Mass., 1879-1886, 1891-1895, 1924-1926,
1964-1965
Brooklyn, N.Y., 1874, 1903, 1967-1969, 1973-1974
Buffalo, N.Y., 1868-1869, 1877, 1887-1889, n.d.
Chicago, Ill., 1889
Detroit, Mich., 1881, 1887
General, 1897, n.d.
Haddam, Conn., 1941, 1955-1956
Hartford, Conn., ca. 1870, 1890
Hot Springs, Ark., 1893
London, England, 1834, 1883, 1891, 1916, 1962
Louisville, Ky., 1891
New York, N.Y.
Articles and newspapers clippings,
1857-1860, 1875, 1880-1885, 1892, 1910,
1917, 1926-1930, 1951-1953, 1973, 1977,
n.d.
Correspondence, 1860, 1869, 1883, 1922,
1927-1928, 1949, n.d.
Reports, indices, 1857-1870, 1966, n.d.
Riverside Park, 1874-1875, 1925
New Orleans, La., 1900
Newark, N.J., 1927
Newburgh, N.Y., 1889
BOX 4 Niagara, N.Y., 1879-1883, 1887-1893
San Francisco, Calif., 1866-1869, 1886-1887, 1927,
1949, 1953, 1965, n.d.
Montreal, Que., 1876-1881, 1967, n.d.
Saint Catherine's, Ont., 1887
Washington, D.C., 1941, 1953
Yosemite, Calif., 1864-1866, 1890, 1913, 1921,
1948, 1952, 1962
Parmentier, André, 1950-1951
Partnerships, 1872, 1952, 1961
Portraits and silhouettes, n.d.
Private estates
Asheville, N.C., 1890-1893, 1949, 1982, n.d.
England, 1973, n.d.
Mariposa, Calif., 1876, 1949-1951, 1959, n.d.
Professional procedures, 1883
Progress and advancement, 1851, 1864
Publishing firm, 1949
Raymond, Henry J., 1948
Renwick, James, 1959
Residences, 1873, 1896, 1936, 1956, n.d.
Richardson, Henry Hobson, 1951, 1958, 1962, 1970-1972
Riotte, Charles N., 1949
Robinson, William, 1948-1951
Russel[l?] [William Howard?] (correspondent), 1863
Schurz, Carl, 1952, 1972
Schuyler, Louisa Lee, 1950
Shurcliff, Arthur A., reminiscences of Olmsted, 1952
Speeches and statements, 1975-1982
(8 folders)
BOX 5 Spoils of the Park, 1882
Stanford, Leland, Jr., 1882
State Charities Aid Association, 1938, n.d.
"S" miscellaneous, 1950, n.d.
Turnpikes, 1864
"T" miscellaneous, 1927, 1949, 1963
Universities and colleges
Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., 1887-1893,
1957
University of California, Berkeley, Calif., 1874,
n.d.
Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., 1921, 1948
Vaux, Calvert, 1876-1877, 1894, 1920, 1952
Viele, Egbert L., 1861-1864, 1883, 1923
Waring, George E., Jr., 1948
Weidenmann, Jacob, ca. 1884, 1946-1950
Works by Olmsted, 1893, 1971
Writings, ca. 1910-ca. 1949
(2 folders)
"W" miscellaneous, 1894-1976, n.d.
OLMSTED ASSOCIATES, 1894 - 1958 , n.d.
BOX 5 1894-1943
(2 folders)
BOX 6 1944-1958, n.d.
(3 folders)
INDICES TO FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED PAPERS, 1865 - 1928 , n.d.
BOX 7 Chronological Index, 1865-1928
25 Nov. 1865-28 Aug. 1871
BOX 8 10 Sept. 1871-29 Feb. 1876
BOX 9 3 Mar. 1876-2 June 1881
BOX 10 2 June 1881-13 Feb. 1887
BOX 11 25 Feb. 1887-21 Aug. 1928
BOX 12 Subject Index, n.d.
See Appendix for major subject list.
"A-O" miscellaneous
Olmsted firms
"A" miscellaneous
BOX 13 "A-Z" miscellaneous (excluding "O")
"O" miscellaneous
Olmsted, Frederick Law
Advice on investments
BOX 14 Job offers
Olmsted family
"P" miscellaneous
BOX 15 "P-Z" miscellaneous
Unidentified
Correspondent Index, n.d.
A-C
BOX 16 C-P
BOX 17 P-Z
Personal Name Index, n.d.
A-Z
MICROFILM, 1822 - 1887 , n.d.
Shelf no. 21,458
Reel Contents
REEL 1 Indices to the Frederick Law Olmsted Papers, 1871-1887, n.d.
Chronological Index
1 Sept. 1871-25 Feb. 1881
REEL 2 1 Mar. 1881-13 Feb. 1887
REEL 3 Subject Index, n.d.
See Appendix for major subject list.
A-O
REEL 4 O-P
REEL 5 P-Z
Correspondent Index, n.d.
A-P
REEL 6 Secondary sources reference file, 1822-1864, n.d.
1822-1859
REEL 7 1860-1863
REEL 8 1864, n.d.
REEL 9 Undated
Appendix
Headings Used in Card File Subject Index
Listed exactly as arranged, which is generally alphabetically:
* Accounting
* Agricultural societies, congresses, etc.
* Allston's self-portrait
* American Academy of Political and Social Science
* American Institute of Architects
* American Association for the Advancement of Science
* American Forestry Association
* American Institute of Architects
* American Meteorological Society
* American Social Science Association
* Appeals and pressure for money, jobs, advice, and influence
* Aquaria
* Arboreta [by name]
* Architects and artists
* Arsenals and military establishment
* Art, architecture, and ornament
* Birds [by type]
* Blue Anchor Society
* Boats
* Books on landscape architecture and gardening
* Boston Coop Building Co.
* Boston Society of Civil Engineers
* Boston Memorial Association
* Boston Society of Architects
* Botanical gardens
* Brazil
* Brookline, Mass.
* Brooklyn Bridge, New York, N.Y.
* Brooks Vale
* Buffalo, N.Y.
* Building materials and methods
* Bussey Institute for Horticulture
* Capitols [by place]
* Carpet bedding
* Cemeteries
* Census bulletins
* Charities
* Chicago, Ill.
* Chicago Academy of Design
* Churches and cathedrals
* City planning
* Civil service reform
* Clubs [by name]
* Colleges and universities
* Competitions
* Conservation and preservation
* Cooperative Colony Aid Association
* Copyright
* Country club membership
* Cyclopedias [by name]
* Deer Isle, Me.
* District of Columbia
* Dix & Edwards, Inc.
* Drains and drainage
* Earth closets
* Education
* Emerson house
* Engineers
* England
* Erie Canal
* Evaporation
* Expositions
* Fences
* Fertilizer
* Fires [by city]
* Fish and fisheries
* Flush tanks
* Forests and forestries
* France
* Freedmen's Bureau
* Free trade
* Gardens and gardening
* Geological surveys
* Governor's Island, N.Y.
* Gravel
* Gravetye, England
* Handbook for Visitors to Poorhouse
* Health and health associations
* Historical societies
* Hospitals [by name]
* Hotels, beaches, and resorts
* Housing
* Humane Society
* Iceland
* Immigration
* International Arbitration and Peace Association
* Introductions
* Iron work
* Inventions
* Japan
* Jeffersonville, Ind.
* Johnson's Illustrated Universal Cyclopaedia
* Kew, England
* Labor and laborers
* Landscape architecture--Legislation, lighting, libraries, livestock,
lodging houses
* Loyal Legion, Mass. Commandery of
* Malaria
* Malden Library, Malden, Mass.
* Marblehead
* Mariposa mining estates, Calif.
* Metropolitan Public Gardens Assn.
* Mines
* Model Yacht Club
* Montauk Association
* Monuments, memorials, statues, fountains, etc.
* Morgan (J. P.) & Co, Inc.
* Morocco
* Muddy River
* Museums
* Music
* National Association of Sanitary and Rural Development
* Natural History Society
* Negroes
* New England Emigrant Aid Society
* New Hampshire Forestry Commission
* New Haven, Conn.
* Newport, R. I.
* Newspapers [by city and name]
* New York
* Nicaragua Association for Improvement of the Condition of the Poor
* New York Board of Health
* New York Infant Asylum
* New York State Bar Association
* New York State Charities Aid Assn.
* Nomenclature
* Norfolk, Va.
* Nurseries
* Oil in California
* Old South Museum
* Orleans County, N.Y. poorhouse
* Oyster shell lime
* [?] development
* Olmsted firms [correspondence]
* "A"-"N," "P"-Z"
* "O" (excluding Olmsteds)
* Olmsted, Frederick Law--Advice to; autographs; biographical data,
character, standing, and appreciation; clubs, associations, honorary
degrees, etc.; consulship; current work; domestic affairs; estimate of
own work and of self; expert witness; Farm, S. I.; fees and income;
gifts, donations, loans; health; inventions; investments; job offers;
litigations; mention in publications; offices held; open eyed sleep;
pets; photographs and portraits; plans, hopes, etc.; professional
procedure; public office; religion; residence; royalties; speeches,
articles, etc.; Sunday question; use of name; whereabouts
* Olmsted, Frederick Law, Jr.
* Olmsted, John
* Olmsted, John Charles
* Olmsted, John Hull
* Olmsted, John Theodore
* Olmsted, M. [Mary or Marion]
* Olmsted, Mary Ann
* Olmsted, Mary Cleveland Bryant
* Olmsted, Owen Frederick
* Olmsted, Owen Pitkin
* Olmsted firms and associations
* Olmsted genealogy and letters
* Panics
* Pantographs
* Parades and parade grounds
* Parks
* Park commissions
* Park police
* Parks--use of; value of; [by place]
* Periodicals--Garden and Forest;Nation; New Examiner
* Photosculpture
* Plant material
* Plants [by name]
* Play grounds
* Politics
* Ponds and pond gardening
* Population
* Prisons and prison associations
* Private places [by estate title and by name of owner]
* Pumps
* Railroads
* Rapid transit
* Recreation
* Redwoods
* Residential development [by state and province]
* Riding
* Roads and streets [by place]
* Rockery
* Rocky Mountain Cattle Co.
* Rugby
* St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railway Co.
* Sanitation
* Sanitary Commission
* Scenery [by place]
* Schools
* Scribner's and Sons, Inc.
* Sea islands, Port Royal Sound, S. C.
* Sewage and drainage
* Sherwood Land Co.
* Siemen Brothers, Inc.
* Slavery
* Small [ship S.S. Wilson Small]
* Social statistics
* Society, progress, etc.
* Social commentary
* South, the
* Southern Famine Relief Commission
* Spain
* Speedways
* Spiritualism
* Sports and exercise
* Staten Island, N.Y.
* Stevens Institute
* Stockbridge, Mass.
* Strikes
* Suburban [?]
* Summit, N.J.
* Tammany Hall
* Tariffs
* Telephones
* Terraces
* Toledo, Ohio
* Tools, machines, materials, etc.
* Trees [by type]
* Tree cutting
* Tree planting
* U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
* U. S. Hot Springs [Ark.] Commission
* U. S. War Department
* War
* Urinals
* Ventilation
* Versailles, France
* Village improvement and societies
* Wages
* Walls
* Waterbury, Conn.
* Watercourses
* Water closets
* Water supply
* Webster [ship S.S. Daniel Webster]
* Windmills
* Windsor Terrace, N.Y.
* Wine
* Winter gardens
* Women
* Women's Central Relief Association
* Women's congress
* Woods
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