Contents and Arrangement Collection View
Description:

Primarily consists of correspondence from zoologists, biologists and anatomists of the international academic community, with a bulk of the letters coming from his close associates, including his former instructor Henry Fairfield Osborn (whom McClure would later succeed at Princeton) and his frequent collaborator, George Sumner Huntington, professor of anatomy at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Additionally, there is correspondence from several of McClure's Princeton University colleagues and administrators, including Christian Gauss, James McCosh, Harold W. Dodds, Charles McAlphin, and Woodrow Wilson. Other notable correspondents include Alexander Agassi, Alexander Graham Bell, Laurence Hutton, William Sedgewick and animal dealers William Bartels and J.S. Edwards.

Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

Description:

Includes drafts and copies of research papers, speeches, and lectures written by McClure, some of which were co-authored with colleagues. Additionally, there is an essay, "The Monastery," in which McClure describes the living arrangements of various groups of faculty (himself included) at Princeton from the 1880s until 1937. There are also drafts of a speech, "The Early Life of Charles F.W. McClure", which chronicles McClure's childhood in Massachusetts, his time as a sheepherder in Texas, his decisions to attend Princeton and to study biology, and the course of his career

Materials were arranged chronologically.

Description:

Includes collected abstracts and illustrated figures related to McClure's research. Documents and photographs, in the form of negatives and lantern slides, related to botanist David Fairchild's travels as a participant of the Allison V. Armour Expeditions of 1925-1927 are also included. Geography and plant life from Europe, North and West Africa, the Canary Islands, and South Asia are documented in these photographs.

Description:

Description:

Includes two notebooks from Henry E. Hall (Class of 1892) while a student of McClure's and a scrapbook of collected exam questions used by McClure.

Description:

Includes a photograph of McClure with LeRoy Wiley McCay, Professor of Chemistry at Princeton, and sometime housemate. Also includes a photograph of frequent collaborator, George S. Huntington, Professor of Anatomy at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and a collection of miscellaneous lantern slides.

Scope and Contents

The collection contains approximately 1200 letters sent to Dr. Charles F. W. McClure (Princeton Class of 1888), a professor in the Princeton University Biology Department, by numerous biologists and anatomists from the international academic community. A sizable portion of the correspondence is between McClure and his close associates, including his former instructor Henry Fairfield Osborn (whom McClure would later succeed at Princeton) and his frequent collaborator, George Sumner Huntington, professor of anatomy at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

McClure studied a wide variety of animal specimens, both living and dead. During his time at Princeton, he built a comparative anatomical collection using specimens from a number of sources including zoos, circuses, and animal dealers. Correspondence with early 20th-century animal dealers such as William Bartels and J.S. Edwards documents this practice.

Also included in the collection are some of McClure's writings, speeches, and lecture notes, research and teaching files, diaries, and photographs. Some items of note include a diary McClure kept while at Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888; a diary of a trip to Greenland in 1899 as part of the Peary Relief Expedition; and a set of negatives and lantern slides of photographs from botanist David Fairchild from his research and travels as part of the Allison V. Armour Expeditions of 1925-1927. Geography and plant life from Europe, North and West Africa, the Canary Islands, and South Asia are documented in these photographs.

In addition, there is an essay, "The Monastery," in which McClure describes the living arrangements of various groups of faculty (himself included) at Princeton from the 1880s until 1937. There are also drafts of a speech, "The Early Life of Charles F.W. McClure", which chronicles McClure's childhood in Massachusetts, his time as a sheepherder in Texas, his decisions to attend Princeton and to study biology, and the course of his career.

Collection Creator Biography:

McClure, Charles F. W. (Charles Freeman Williams), 1865-1955

Charles F.W. McClure (1865-1955) was a comparative anatomist and embryologist. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1865, McClure attended Princeton University and received his B.A. in 1888. He continued his studies at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, as well as in Europe at universities in Berlin, Kiel, and Wurzburg. In 1891, he returned to Princeton as an instructor of biology, later becoming assistant professor, professor of comparative anatomy, and professor emeritus. He authored numerous papers on the anatomy and development of the vascular system in vertebrates, among other subjects. McClure died in 1955.

Acquisition:

Gift of Professor Charles F.W. McClure in 1950 (AM 13965; AM 14164) and 1955 (AM 15510). Gift of Mrs. E.D.H. Johnson in 1960 (AM 17051).

Appraisal

No materials were removed from the collection during 2018 processing beyond routine appraisal practices.

Processing Information

This collection was processed in 2001. Finding aid written in 2001.

Biography written by Jessica Marati, '08

Collection was reprocessed by Sara Rogers in 2018. Finding aid updated by Chloe Pfendler and Sara Rogers in 2018.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

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.

Credit this material:

Charles F. W. McClure Papers; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/4b29b6007
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Boxes 1-9; 11; B-001199