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Beatrice H. Kirkbride and Earle R. Kirkbride Papers

 Collection
Identifier: HC.MC-1340

Scope and Contents

The papers of Beatrice and Earle Kirkbride consist of correspondence, notes, photographs, and research and published material related to the Kirkbride family. Both born in Pennsylvania, the Kirkbrides held respective careers in architectural history and illustration.

The largest components of the collection include the material in Series III related to Beatrice’s research on her home 704 S. Front St. and her work with the Philadelphia Historical Commission The family photographs in Series V and a set of published materials (Series VII) related to Earle’s work as an artist constitute two other significant portions of the papers.

The small selection of material related to Earle in Series II is expanded upon in Series VI (Research Material). Here correspondence, photographs, and newspaper clippings are intermixed with photocopies and notes made by Earle’s son and grandson as they researched his life in the 2000’s and 2010’s.

The two remaining series, Series I and Series IV, consist of correspondence and family papers (such as genealogical research) respectively. Series IV also includes a small set of papers related to the Kirkbride’s fight against the I-95 Expressway expansion which include correspondence about their house’s condemnation.

Dates

  • Creation: 1892 - 2013

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Standard Federal Copyright Law Applies (U.S. Title 17)

Biographical / Historical

Earle Rosslyn Kirkbride was born in 1891 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Edward and Ada St. Clair Kirkbride. He received his secondary education at the Earle school, then attended the Art Institute of Chicago from 1909 to 1915. After working as a painter in the Army during World War I, Earle established a career as an artist in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia, specializing in commercial art and illustrations for magazines and books. He married Vernon Thomas and, after receiving a divorce in 1929, married Beatrice Hedley in 1930. He died in 1968.

Beatrice Hedley Kirkbride was born in 1907 in Paoli, Pennsylvania to Luella and Edward Hedley. She studied at Moore College of Art and Design from 1925 to 1928 then married Earle Kirkbride in 1930. After raising three children, Beatrice worked with the Philadelphia Historical Commission as a researcher from 1957 to 1975. She died in 2004.

Beatrice and Earle had three children together: Beatrice Rosslyn, Edward Earle, and Jonathan Mahlon. While in Philadelphia they purchased an eighteenth century home in the neighborhood of Southwark at 704 S. Front St. and worked to restore it. In the 1960's and 1970's, as the I-95 Expressway was expanded, the Kirkbrides fought to have construction diverted from the historic area.

Extent

4.5 linear ft. (8 boxes, 12 volumes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

These papers include the correspondence, photographs, and personal papers of Beatrice and Earle Kirkbride and their family. Beatrice Kirkbride was an architectural historian who worked with the Philadelphia Historical Commission and Earle was an artist and illustrator. Includes a small set of papers related to their fight to prevent the destruction of a historic Philadelphia neighborhood during a highway expansion.

Arrangement

Series I: Correspondence (1946-2000) Series II: Earle Kirkbride Materials (1918-1968) Series III: Beatrice Kirkbride Materials (1913-2004) Series IV: Family Papers (1918-1987) Series V: Photographs (1896-1997) Series VI: Research Material (1891-2013) Series VII: Published Material (1892-1962)

Other Finding Aids

Bibliography of books not accessioned, used for research, can be found here: https://haverford.box.com/s/amestsqa9ptupm4etn07ri9rvekcykcx

Acquisition

Gift of Edward E., Carole H. and Robert E. Kirkbride and Melissa Grey, September 2022

Related Materials

Earle Rosslyn Kirkbride papers, 1917-1964 are housed by the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.

Processing Information

Processed by Lillian Sweeney, completed May 2023

Title
Beatrice H. Kirkbride and Earle R. Kirkbride Papers
Author
Lillian Sweeney
Date
May, 2023
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

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 repoductions from Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections Library

Contact:
370 Lancaster Ave
Haverford PA 19041 USA US