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Richard Tapper Cadbury Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-025

Scope and Contents

The collection contains correspondence and memorabilia of the Cadbury, Comfort, Haines, and Shinn families. The correspondence provides a detailed picture of life in Philadelphia Quaker families of the mid 19th century, and of the hardships of those who participated in the California gold rush. Also includes the journal of Richard Tapper Cadbury while he was a student at Haverford College, and the correspondence of Cadbury's uncle, Earl Shinn Jr., who often used pseudonym “Edward Strahan” and was an art critic for the Nation with artists with well-known artists of his day.

Earl Shinn Jr. corresponded with the following artists: Thomas Eakins, Howard Roberts, William Chase, John Sartain, Carroll Backwith, B.C.Champney, and William T. Richards, Howard Nelmick, A.Quartley. Possible correspondents: R. Swain Gifford, Edward L. Scull, F.A.Bridgman, William Walton, R. Sturgis, P.F.Rothermel, G.W.H.Boughton, Henry Bacon, Jas. Hamilton, and R. Wylie.

Artists with whom Shinn was acquainted in the Tile Club (or otherwise) include: Hopkinson Smith, Abbey, Reinhart, Walter Paris, O'Donovan, Laffan, Baird, Harry Bispham, Weber, Winslow Homer, Kenyon Cox, Roger Haydock, S.J.Ferris, John Yaber, Bradford, Heaton, T.B.Read, D.R.Knight, Humphrey Moore, and George Wood.

Dates

  • 1799-1924

Creator

Limitations on Accessing the Collection

Access to Earl Shinn correspondence is through microfilm. Collection is open for research.

Copyright and Rights Information

Friends Historical Library believes all of the items in this collection to be in the Public Domain in the United States, and is not aware of any restrictions on their use. However, the user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status before reproducing. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/.

Biographical / Historical

Richard Tapper Cadbury was born on October 11, 1853, in Philadelphia, the son of Richard and Lydia Shinn Cadbury. He graduated from Haverford College in 1868 and received an M.A. from Harvard in 1878. Cadbury was a teacher, writer, businessman, and art connoisseur; as a child, he was very much influenced by his uncle (his mother's brother), Earl Shinn, Jr., art critic for The Nation. Among his various employments were serving as superintendent for the Deaf and Dumb Institute of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and as a trust officer at Provident Life and Trust Company. He also lectured on art topics.

Richard Tapper Cadbury was married to Helen Nathans on August 28, 1884, and the couple lived in Haverford, PA, where Helen ran a school for small children. The couple had four children: Richard Cadbury (1885-1926) who donated the papers; Helen (1886-1974); Earl Shinn (1888-1970); and Leah Tapper (1892-). Richard Tapper Cadbury died October 29, 1929.

Extent

3 Linear Feet (6 boxes)

Language

English

Overview

Richard Tapper Cadbury (1853-1929) was a Quaker businessman, teacher, writer, and art connoisseur. His mother's brother, Earl Shinn, Jr., (1838-1886) was a well-known art critic. The collection contains correspondence and memorabilia of the Cadbury, Comfort, Haines, and Shinn families. The letters give a detailed picture of life in Philadelphia Quaker families of the mid 19th century, and of the hardships of those who participated in the California gold rush.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into three series:

  1. Genealogical and biographical
  2. Writing by Richard T. Cadbury and others
  3. Correspondence

Physical Location

For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donor: Richard Cadbury, 1951

Gift of Richard Cadbury, the son of Richard Tapper Cadbury.

Separated Materials

The following material has been removed from the collection and recatalogued:

  1. Marriage certificate of David Comfort and Beulah Walton, great- grandparents of Richard T. Cadbury, dated 3-13-1799. See marriage certificate files, FHL
  2. Nero, A Tragedy, by Richard Tapper Cadbury, pub. Phila. 1880, under pseud. “Richard Comfort”. See printed copy in F.H.L. BX7617.C18N4
  3. Writ, By Richard Tapper Cadbury, pub. Haverford, 1923. See printed copy in F.H.L. BX7617.C18W9
  4. The Earl Shinn correspondence (Series 3, folders 15, 15a-16) was microfilmed in 1985 by the Smithsonian Institution (Archives of American Art, Philadelphia Project).
  5. Copy of microfilm received January, 1987: FHL microfilm MS-C2
Title
An Inventory of the Richard Tapper Cadbury Papers, 1799-1924
Author
FHL staff
Date
Before 1967
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Sponsor
Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting reproductions from Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Library

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