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COLLECTION Identifier: X A-3 DW

Arnold Arboretum Photograph Collection. Donald Wyman Images; Series D, E, F, G, 1936-1938

Overview

Donald Wyman was the Arnold Arboretum Horticulturist. These photographs depict individual plants as well as events and places at the Arboretum, and views of other locations.

Dates

  • Creation: 1936-1938

Access and Use Guidelines

Researchers seeking to examine archival materials are strongly encouraged to make an appointment. The Director, or an office of origin, may place restrictions on the use of some or all of its records. The extent and length of the restriction will be determined by the Director, office of origin, and the Archivist and will be enforced equally for all researchers.

The copyright is held by The President and Fellows of Harvard College for the Arnold Arboretum Archives of Harvard University. The copyright on some materials in the collection may be held by the original author or the author's heirs or assigns. Researchers are responsible for obtaining written permission from the holder(s) of copyright and the Arnold Arboretum Archives prior to publishing any quotations or images from materials in this collection.

Photocopies may be made at the discretion of the Arnold Arboretum Archives staff. Permission to make photocopies does not constitute permission to reproduce or publish materials outside the bounds of the fair use guidelines.

Extent

7 boxes

This collection consists of both contact prints and 35mm black and white negatives dating from 1936 to 1938 taken by Donald Wyman and arranged by subject. The majority of the 99, 35mm negative rolls, which are arranged in 4 series [D-G], were shot at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, MA. However, there are a substantial number of images that were taken at other locations. Accompanying the rolls of film are corresponding sets of field note cards for each of the four series that list the date and describe the subject of the image.

In addition to the negatives and note cards, there is a set of 2½ x 3½ contact prints made from the negatives that are mounted on 4 x 6 inch index cards. For each exposure a corresponding card has been created that contains a contact print of the image, the title/subject of the image, its place in the negative roll, and the date of exposure. This series of contact prints is arranged in three subseries: Alphabetical listing of plants by botanical name; Arnold Arboretum subjects; and images taken at other locations, also arranged by subject. Subjects include 1938 hurricane damage both at the Arboretum and elsewhere, Arnold Arboretum views, and Dr. Wyman's trip to western North America. The western trip contains images from Canada (Ontario and British Columbia), California, Colorado, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The trip largely focuses on national parks and other prominent natural features.

Also included is a notation in Donald Wyman's hand: "These photographs have never been to large size for file upstairs [library photograph collection] All taken '36-'38 some no good, but many are reproducible, all are noted, recorded & printed in 2 drawers of photographs in DW's [Donald Wyman's] office." However, at some later time many of the negatives were printed as 5x7 or larger images and are currently filed in the Library's Photograph Collection, either by genera or by Arboretum subject.

Historical Note

Donald Wyman served as the Arnold Arboretum Horticulturist from 1935-1970, and wrote several books, including Shrubs and Vines for American Gardens, Trees for American Gardens, and the widely used and respected Wyman's Gardening Encyclopedia. The collection was created by Donald Wyman between 1936 and 1938.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in two series: Negatives and Contact prints

  1. 1. Negatives
  2. 2. Contact prints
  3. ___Plants
  4. ___Arnold Arboretum
  5. ___Other locations

Acquisition Information

Negatives and contact prints were obtained when the archive collection was created.

Related Material:

Records of Horticulturist Donald Wyman, 1935-1970 (inclusive) http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:ARB:ajp00003

Separated Materials

Also in 2006, the cards and contact prints representing the Arboretum's hedge collection, which is no longer extant, and hedge collections at other sites, were relocated to: Living Collections, Specific Collections, IV B-2, Hedge Collections. The corresponding negatives remain with this collection.

Processing Information

Processed:03/2006

By: Joshua A. Lascell

The negatives were originally housed in 4 Leica metal film boxes and the cards holding the contact prints were housed in a 2 drawer, metal card catalog (6 ¼ inches x 18 inches x 14 ½ inches) labeled: "Leica Photographs 1935-1938." In 2006, the collection was re-housed in archival enclosures and boxes, the acidic dividers were replaced, and the cards holding the contact prints were sleeved as the adhesive bonding the contact prints to the index cards was failing.

Title
Arnold Arboretum Photograph Collection. Donald Wyman Images; Series D, E, F, G, 1936-1938: Guide.
Author
Archives of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
Language of description
und
EAD ID
ajp00050

Repository Details

Part of the Arnold Arboretum Archives Repository

The Arnold Arboretum Horticultural Library is a specialized collection devoted to the study of temperate woody plants. We collect works on botany, horticulture, floras, urban forestry and taxonomy. The library contains more than 25,000 volumes and 40,000 photographs, and includes an archive that both documents the Arboretum's history and is a repository for 19th, 20th, and 21st century horticultural and botanical collections.

Contact:
125 Arborway
Jamaica Plain MA 02130 USA