Hollis French Research Material on Silversmiths

This collection of records came from the office of Henry Hawley, Curator of Later Western Art. The records probably came to the museum when Hollis French donated his large collection of silver to the museum in 1940. The collection consists of research materials for French's two books on silver, "A List of Early American Silversmiths and Their Marks" and "Jacob Hurd and His Sons Nathaniel and Benjamin, Silversmiths 1702-1781" (both of which can be found in the Ingalls Library). The types of records include correspondence, notes and abridged copies of documents used for research; a card file listing smiths, description of their marks, and a photographic image of the marks. These cards also state where French found the marks. Also part of the collection are photograph cards depicting silver pieces and accompanying information about each piece. Most pieces are French's but a few may belong to others. These are arranged alphabetically by silversmith. Much of this information was also used and is duplicated in "The Cleveland Museum of Art: Catalogue of American Silver" (Available in Ingalls Library).