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William Louis Calver papers

Call Number

MS 96

Date

1894-1940 (bulk, 1900-1940), inclusive

Creator

Calver, William L. (William Louis), 1859-1940

Extent

2.5 Linear feet (6 boxes)

Language of Materials

The documents in this collection are chiefly in English, with some possible instances of French.

Abstract

Correspondence and papers, 1894-1940, including material concerning the N-YHS Field Exploration Committee (formed in 1918) and correspondence with eminent American, English, and French military experts, antiquarians, and military artists.

Biographical Note

William Louis Calver (1859-1940) was a military antiquarian and chairman of the New-York Historical Society's former Field Exploration Committee from the time of its formation in 1918 to the time of his death. His research and archaeological investigations on Revolutionary War campsites and forts and War of 1812 military sites along the Canadian frontier formed the background of articles published in the NYHS Quarterly Bulletinand subsequently republished in History Written with Pick and Shovel.

Arrangement

The collection is roughly organized by type of material: papers relating to the NYHS Field Exploration Committee, data, reprints and drafts of articles, and letters.

Scope and Contents

Interspersed among the papers of William Louis Calver are photostat copies of published material and other relevant material. Though the work of the Field Exploration Committee did not begin until its formation in 1918 and continued to the time of Calver's death, the collection of Calver papers actually antedate the committee's functions and include Calver's correspondence with other eminent American, English, and French military experts, antiquarians, and military artists, and form the basis for his expert writings on uniforms of the American, British, and French armies. An account of the work of William Louis Calver and his associates and of the Society's Field Exploration Committee is to be found in Richard J. Koke's introduction to History Written with Pick and Shovel.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as the William Louis Calver Papers, MS 96, The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donation of William L. Calver, 1940.

Related Material at The New-York Historical Society

For related materials at the Society, see BV Calver and Calver's "Collection of old British Army buttons, badges, accoutrements and costumes."

Collection processed by

Processed by Richard J. Koke

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:47:56 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Edition of this Guide

This version was derived from calver03mb.xml

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024