Benson Lossing Collection, 1853-1889

Contents and Arrangement

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Collection Overview

Creator:

Lossing, Benson John (1813-1891)

Collector:

Princeton University. Library. Special Collections

Title:

Benson Lossing Collection

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/fj2362108

Dates:

1853-1889

Size:

1 box and 0.2 linear feet

Storage Note:

ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1

Language:

English

Abstract: Consists of selected correspondence, manuscripts, and printed material of the nineteenth-century American author and illustrator Benson Lossing.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of selected correspondence, manuscripts, and printed material of Benson Lossing. Correspondents include John W. Barber, regarding Lossing's article on Anderson; William Worth Belknap, Princeton Class of 1852 and U.S. secretary of war, discussing the U.S. War Department's sale of trophies of the war with Great Britain and Mexico; Edward Bierstadt of the Photo Plate Printing Company, explaining to Lossing the gelatin printing process; William J. Bok, including a circular of his Literary Leaves Syndicate with his letter regarding Lossing's future publications; E. J. Carson, praising the Anderson book; John R. Chapin, with a letter and photographs; George W. Childs, founder and editor of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, discussing the printing and publishing of Lossing's book titled The Great Rebellion (thirty-two letters, some with original envelopes, and printed material, two letters by Lossing to Childs); W. J. Linton, with an autograph letter and a prospectus for his book Engraving on Wood; Mrs. Howard (for "G. B. B."), regarding Alexander Anderson; J. W. Osborne of the American Photo-Lithographic Co., introducing his company and explaining his new method of copying by photo-lithography; George Henry Preble, writing about a Schuyler drawing for Lossing's biography about him; Philip C. Rogers; J. Morris of John E. Potter & Company, asking Lossing to write an obituary for Mr. Harper; Alfred Billings Street, New York State Librarian, praising The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution; Mrs. Harriett Tenney, writing about Alexander Anderson; Major General L. Wallace; and Elias J. Whitney, asking Lossing to write a short biography of Anderson for The Child's Paper, which was published by the American Tract Society, accompanied by the original holograph manuscript and a copy of the November 1867 issue of the paper with Lossing's article. Also included is an holograph manuscript signed by Lossing titled "A Magician," about Alexander Anderson, and a draft of a letter to the editor of American historical records at Grosvenor Library in Buffalo, N.Y.

Arrangement

Arranged by accession number, and then alphabetically by correspondent.

Collection Creator Biography:

Lossing

Benson Lossing was an American wood-engraver, author, and editor, whose Dutch ancestors settled in Albany, N.Y. The only formal education he received was three years in the district schools in New York. At age twenty-two he was joint editor and proprietor of the Poughkeepsie Telegraph. He learned the art of engraving on wood, and in 1838 moved to New York City where he established himself as a wood-engraver. From June 1839 to May 1841 he edited and illustrated the weekly Family Magazine. In 1848 Lossing conceived the idea of writing a narrative sketchbook of scenes and objects associated with the American Revolution. Harper & Brothers advanced him the funds to carry out the project, which ultimately took the form of the Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution in two large volumes. In gathering material for this work Lossing traveled more than eight thousand miles in the United States and Canada. The book was published in parts between 1850 and 1852, and gave Lossing a wide reputation. For the next thirty-five years he was a prolific writer and editor of books mostly on popular subjects in American history, including Our Countrymen; or, Brief Memoirs of Eminent Americans (1855), The Hudson, from the Wilderness to the Sea (1866), and A Memorial of Alexander Anderson, M.D., the First Engraver on Wood in America (1872).

Collection History

Acquisition:: Letter from George H. Preble was a gift of Michael Papantonio on September 24, 1973 .
Custodial History: The collection was formed as a result of a Departmental practice of combining into one collection material of various accessions relating to a particular person, family, or subject.
Appraisal: No appraisal information is available.
Processing Information: This collection was processed by Dina Britain in June 2006. Finding aid written by Tenley Eakin on June 22, 2006. Folder inventory added by James Clark '14 in 2012.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

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