Summary
Overview
Robert Judson Clark Papers
13.5 linear feet, 10 boxes
Abstract
The Robert Judson Clark Papers consist of records pertaining to the architecture and grounds of Princeton University's campus and the surrounding area, compiled by professor emeritus Robert Judson Clark of the Princeton University Department of Art and Archaeology.
Description
Description
The Robert Judson Clark Papers consist of research materials compiled by Professor Clark on the history of Princeton University's campus, buildings, and surrounding area. These documents were used by Clark in preparing his courses on Princeton architecture as well as by the Evolution of a Campus project. Much of the material is drawn from the collections of the Princeton University Archives, held at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library; however there is also a significant amount of documentation from other sources such as architectural journals. Also present in the papers are records of the courses Clark taught with these materials, as well as correspondence and budget-related records from Evolution of a Campus.
As a result of Professor Clark's sources and research methods, the vast majority of the collection consists of copies of original material. In compiling information, Clark or one of his assistants would exhaustively make photocopies of relevant primary documents, and then annotate and interfile the copies into the appropriate building or subject's file. Hence, very little original material is in the collection, and some items appear in more than one file.
Please see series descriptions in the contents list for additional information about individual series.
Collection Creator
Biography
Robert Judson Clark *74 is a professor emeritus of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University. While earning his doctorate at Princeton in the early 1970s, Clark earned national recognition as a specialist in the study of decorative arts, chairing the Princeton University symposium "Aspects of the Arts and Crafts Movement in America" in 1972. A subsequent edited volume The Arts and Crafts Movement in America: 1876-1916 remains one of the most widely used texts in the field. Clark has also acted as a curator or advisor on many major museum exhibitions.
One of Clark's most enduring research interests as an acting professor and emeriti has been the architecture and grounds of the Princeton campus. Among undergraduates one of his most popular upper-level courses was a seminar given on Princeton architecture, which focused on the evolution of the campus in the context of modern architectural history. He also offered a similar course on the town of Princeton, though less frequently.
Robert Judson Clark also oversaw the research aspects of the Evolution of a Campus project. Undertaken as part of the University's 250th Anniversary Celebration in 1996-1997, this project compiled an architectural history of the University, focusing on the structural history of each individual building. The final online product incorporated three-dimensional digital models, photographs, and text to present researchers with single-point access to a digital narrative of the campus' past and present.
Collection History
Acquisition
The papers were transferred to the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library by the Department of Art and Archaeology on July 2, 2001.
Archival Appraisal Information
Appraisal has been conducted in accordance with Mudd Library guidelines. In processing this collection, a sizable quantity of duplicate material from the Department of Grounds and Buildings Subject Files (AC110) was separated and discarded.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Daniel Brennan and Joshua Muketha '10 in March 2007. Finding aid written by Daniel Brennan in March 2007.
Access and Use
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research use.
Use Restrictions
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the University Archivist. Any copyright vested in the Robert Judson Clark Papers has passed to Princeton University. Researchers are responsible for determining any other copyright questions
Preferred Citation
Robert Judson Clark Papers; 1741-1997, Princeton University Archives, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
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Related Material
The Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library holds many collections which are related to the topic of Princeton University Architecture. Most notable among these are the Department of Grounds and Buildings Subject Files (AC110). The originals of many of the documents in the Robert J. Clark Papers can be found here, and the collection also seems to have served as the inspiration for Clark's filing system.
Other useful sources pertaining to campus architectural history are the Historical Photograph Collection: Grounds and Buildings Series, the Office of Physical Planning Records, the Office of the President Records, and the Historical Subject Files. Additionally, numerous books have been written about various aspects of Princeton's campus, ranging from Howard Crosby Butler's broad 1905 survey, Princeton: a Typical American University Town and its Architecture to the highly specific The Gargoyles of Princeton University: A Grotesque Tour of the Campus written by Laurel Masten Cantor in 1983.
Finally, the interactive campus history which represents the final product of the Evolution of a Campus project can be accessed on the World Wide Web: http://etcweb.princeton.edu/campus/Campus/.
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