Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff photographs and other material, circa 1890-1994

Overview of the Collection

Collector
Plestcheeff, Guendolen Carkeek, 1892-1994
Title
Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff photographs and other material
Dates
circa 1890-1994 (inclusive)
Quantity
4 boxes and 1 oversize folder, including 235 photographs and 1 album, ( )
Collection Number
1995.71
Summary
Photographs, papers and ephemera related to Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff and the Carkeek family
Repository
Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library

P.O. Box 80816
Seattle, WA
98108
Telephone: 2063241126 x102
library@mohai.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public by appointment.

Languages
English.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff was born in Seattle in 1892 at the First Hill mansion home of her parents, British-born Morgan and Emily Carkeek.

Born in Redruth, England, Morgan J. Carkeek emigrated to the United States in 1866. Carkeek married Emily Gaskill, also from England, in 1877, and the couple settled in Seattle in 1885. Morgan Carkeek was an accomplished stonemason and successful building contractor who built several of Seattle's early stone buildings, such as the Dexter Horton Bank, and large office buildings, including the Burke and Haller buildings. Carkeek built the family mansion in 1884 on Seattle's First Hill, at the southeast corner of Madison and Boren Streets, at the time one of Seattle's most fashionable neighborhoods. Emily Carkeek hosted many society events at the mansion, where she also founded the Seattle Historical Society on November 13, 1911 with the first “Founders' Day” ball, with guests dressed in historic costumes related to early Seattle. The party became an annual, invitation-only event, to which guests were asked to bring artifacts or documents related to Seattle history. In 1918, Morgan Carkeek donated land for a city park on Pontiac Bay on Lake Washington at Sand Point, designating a portion of the property for a museum to house the growing Seattle Historical Society collection. Such a building was never realized and the park was displaced in 1926 by the Sand Point Naval Air Station. Morgan Carkeek donated his compensation payment back to the City toward the purchase of land in Piper's Canyon for a new park, the present day Carkeek Park.

Guendolen was the second of two Carkeek children. Her older brother Vivian, born in 1879, was a graduate of the first University of Washington Law School class in 1901 and practiced law in Seattle. Guendolen attended elementary school at the old Pacific School in Seattle, and at age 13 was sent to Europe, first to a French school in England, and afterward to finishing school in Lausanne, Switzerland. Shortly after the teenaged Guendolen's return from Europe, she met dashing young Italian diplomat Paulo Brenna, who was serving as the Italian consul in Seattle. In 1921, young Guendolen and Brenna married in London, then moved to France where Brenna served on an international body for postwar reconstruction. She and Brenna took full advantage of all that Paris had to offer--theater, opera, museums, parties-- sometimes attending several events in one evening. Guendolen fell in love with the city, a second home which she would return to again and again throughout her life.

Shortly afterward, Brenna was named Italian minister to the new Republic of Estonia. After a brief stay in Brenna's hometown of Rome, the couple moved to Reval (now Tallinn), the Estonian capital. During this period, Estonia was home to many refugee Russian aristocrats escaping Bolshevism. Among them was a tall young man from Moscow named Theodor Plestcheeff who had, after several failed attempts, succeeded in escaping across the border using the identification papers of a sympathetic Russian policeman. Plestcheeff was from an aristocratic family related to the noble Stroganov family on his mother's side, and had once served in the court of Czar Nicholas II. Guendolen met Plestsheeff through mutual friends, and discovered that they shared many interests and tastes. Plestcheeff knew a great deal about Russian art and antiquities and introduced Guendolen to the world of Russian arts and crafts, particularly Russian porcelains, which she began to collect.

Guendolen's marriage to Brenna ended in 1928. Rather than returning to Seattle as her family wished, Guendolen moved to Paris, meeting Theodor Plestcheeff there; the couple married in 1929. The Plestcheeffs traveled back and forth between Seattle and Paris for a few years, settling in Seattle after Morgan Carkeek's death in 1931 and moving into the family mansion on Boren Street. In 1934, with the neighborhood no longer as fashionable as it once was, Guendolen decided to sell her parents' home, to be demolished and replaced with a Standard Oil service station. Not one to let such an event pass quietly, Guendolen commemorated the mansion's demise with an exclusive society event held on the premises. Guendolen decorated the house in 1890s style, guided by 1896 Christmas family photograph, and guests dressed in the fashion of the 1890s, the women in bustles and prim necklines, and the men in top hats and fake walrus moustaches. This "Gay Nineties" farewell party, according to local newspapers, was the social event of the season.

In 1937, the Plestcheeffs bought the five-story 1909 stone mansion on East Highland Drive that was built by eccentric Seattle capitalist and "Good Roads" advocate Sam Hill. The house had fallen into disrepair since Hill's death and Guendolen took charge of its renovation: she had the windows enlarged, installed a skylight and redesigned the rooms, decorating them with her own collection of European antiques. The Plestcheeffs also later bought and rejuvenated a waterfront cottage on Bainbridge Island as a summer home, placing the original iron gates from the Carkeek mansion at the entrance to the property.

Following in her mother's footsteps, in 1938 Guendolen became president of the Seattle Historical Society, a position she held for 17 years. She began to raise money for a new home for the Society's historical artifacts, originally collected by her mother Emily, and stored in the Plestcheeff's basement. After years of fundraising and political wranglings, the Seattle Historical Society acquired property off Lake Washington Boulevard, where the Museum of History & Industry opened in 1952.

Though Theodor Plestcheef died in 1967, his influence on Guendolen survived in her wish to share her enthusiasm for the decorative arts, and in tangible form in her extensive collection of Russian decorative ware. In 1987, Guendolen established the Plestcheeff Institute for Decorative Arts, a non-profit center for research and education in the decorative arts, to be housed in the Sam Hill house, which was still her home. Plestcheeff willed the house and its contents to the University of Washington, after plans to donate the building to the Seattle Art Museum fell through. She lived in the mansion until her death in 1994 at the age of 101, and the building continued to serve as the Plestcheeff Institute for Decorative Arts for a few years afterward.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Photographs, papers and ephemera related to the life and interests of Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff, and related to the Morgan and Emily Carkeek family. 235 photographs depict Carkeek family members-- Morgan and Emily Carkeek and their children Vivian and Guendolen--individually and in groups; Guendolen Carkeek's husbands Paulo Brenna and Theodor Plestcheeff; Guendolen and Theodor Plestcheeff at home, in Europe, on vacations and at events; and friends, family and acquaintances, many unidentified. Other photographs document the Carkeek Mansion on Seattle's First Hill, including a "Gay Nineties" party thrown by the Plestcheeff's before the building's demolition, and the Plestcheeff's home in Sam Hill's mansion on Capital Hill.

Papers include legal documents regarding the distribution of Emily and Morgan Carkeek's estates to their children, and several pieces of original writing by Vivian Carkeek. Guendolen Plestcheeff's papers document the establishment of the Plestcheeff Institute for the Decorative Arts and her involvement in the Seattle Historical Society and the establishment of the Museum of History & Industry. Clipping files document the cosmopolitan life of Guendolen Plestcheeff, her ongoing interests in fashion and the decorative arts, and her commitment to preserving the history of Seattle through both the Seattle Historical Society and the establishment of a historical museum.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format here or by clicking on the camera icons in the inventory.

Restrictions on Use

The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff photographs and other material, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Arranged into five series:

  • Photographs and drawings
  • Carkeek family papers
  • Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff papers
  • Ephemera
  • Miscellaneous

Location of Collection

3a.2.4-5 (4 boxes)

Location of Collection

1a.3.11 (oversize folder)

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Guendolen Plestcheeff estate; received in 1995.

Processing Note

Processed by Leila Martin and Jody Hendrickson, 2009.

Related Materials

The Collection of Seattle Historical Society Founders' Day and Other Event Photographs, Accession No. 2008.3.1, contains photographs of the Carkeek family, Carkeek Park and Founders Day celebrations at the Carkeek Mansion.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Photographs and drawingsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Carkeek family
Includes photographs of Morgan, Emily and Vivian Carkeek. A separate series of photographs of Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff follows the Carkeek family photographs.
circa early 1884-1920s
Morgan Carkeek
circa early 1900s-1920s
Box/Folder
1/1
.1: Studio portrait of Morgan Carkeek
James & Bushnell (photographer)
circa early 1900s
1/2
.2-.3: Studio portraits of Morgan Carkeek
Edward Curtis , Seattle (photographer)
circa early 1900s
box-folder:oversize
4/1
.4: Etching of Edward Curtis photograph of Morgan Carkeek
undated
4/2
.5: Studio portrait of Morgan Carkeek
Bushnell , Seattle (photographer)
circa early 1900s
Box/Folder
1/3
.6-.7: Studio portraits of Morgan Carkeek
Lothrop , Seattle (photographer)
circa early 1900s
1/4
.8: Full length portrait of Morgan Carkeek
Webster & Stevens (photographer)
circa early 1900s
1/5
.9: Morgan Carkeek outside house
Hand-colored
circa 1920s
box-folder:oversize
4/3
.10: Morgan Carkeek and unidentified work crew
circa early 1900s
Box/Folder
1/6
.11: Morgan Carkeek and 3 men in office
circa early 1900s
1/7
.12: Morgan Carkeek (?) facing formation of Boy Scouts
circa early 1900s
Emily Carkeek
circa 1900-1911
box-folder:oversize
4/4-5
.13-.15: Emily Carkeek near window, probably inside Carkeek home
circa 1900
Box/Folder
1/8
.16: Portrait of Emily Carkeek
Hand-colored photograph on ceramic
circa 1900
box-folder:oversze
4/6
.17: Emily Carkeek on steps of Carkeek mansion
Handwritten on mount: "Mrs. Morgan Carkeek. Back from Paris 1911!"
circa 1911
Vivian Carkeek
circa 1884-1921
Box/Folder
1/9
.18: Vivian Carkeek as a child
Moore , Seattle, W.T. (photographer)
circa 1884
1/9
.19: Schoolchildren on steps, including Vivian Carkeek
circa late 1880s
1/9
.20: Vivian Carkeek
Boyd , Seattle (photographer)
circa 1890s
1/9
.21: Vivian Carkeek and others in a geometry classroom
circa 1890s
1/10
.22-.23: Vivian Carkeek as a young man
Curtis , Seattle (photographer)
circa 1900
1/10
.24: Portrait of Vivian Carkeek in hat
Lothrop , Seattle (photographer)
circa early 1900s
box-folder:oversize
4/7
.25: Vivian Carkeek and others in front of Hotel Vendome, San Jose, California
Bob's Studio , San Jose (photographer)
Handwritten on photo: "Puget Sound" guests at Hotel Vendome.
1910 March 22
Box/Folder
1/11
.26-.27: Vivian Carkeek in hat
Ralston (photographer)
circa 1920s
1/12
.28-.36: Vivian Carkeek on trip to British Columbia
9 photographs
Some of the images depict Carkeek with Florence Lewis, his future wife
1921
Other family photographs
circa 1905-1926
Box/Folder
1/13
.37: Morgan, Emily and Guendolen Carkeek
circa 1905
1/14
.38: Emily Carkeek adjusting Morgan Carkeek's tie
circa 1920s
1/15 circa 1920s
1/16
.40-.43: Family and others at annual Park Board picnic at Carkeek Park
4 photographs
Includes photographs of Morgan Carkeek ringing the lunch bell; Morgan Carkeek and others at a picnic table; Morgan, Vivian and Florence Carkeek; and Morgan and Emily Carkeek.
1922-1924
1/17
.44-.46: Family at Carkeek Park
Images of Carkeek Park, two of which show the old Seattle fire bell, and all with Morgan, Guendolen and Vivian Carkeek in the distance
circa 1922
1/18
.47-.48: Carkeek tombstone
Two images of Morgan and Emily Carkeek's tombstone, taken sometime after Emily Carkeek's death. Morgan Carkeek stands to the stand in one of the photographs.
circa 1926
Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff
Arranged roughly chronologically
1892-1990
Box/Folder
1/19
.49-.50: Guendolen Carkeek as an infant
Frank La Roche , Seattle (photographer)
1892
1/19
.51: Morgan, Emily and Guendolen Carkeek seated outdoors
circa 1896
box-folder:oversize
4/8
.52: Guendolen Carkeek, Clare Shannon and dog "Rover" in Carkeek garden
circa 1897
Box/Folder
1/19
.53: Guendolen Carkeek in chair
circa 1898
1/19
.54: Guendolen Carkeek and Margaret Tyler
circa 1901
1/19 circa 1905
1/20
.56-.57: Studio portraits
1906
box-folder:oversize
4/9
.58-.60: Guendolen Carkeek with other young women
J. Chenhalls , West End Studio , Redruth (photographer)
These photographs may date from the period when Guendolen Carkeek was sent to England for schooling. One of the photographs portrays an unidentified family group, including a young woman shown in the other two photographs with Carkeek.
Guendolen's father, Morgan Carkeek, was a native of Redruth in Cornwall, England. The family in the photographs may have been Guendolen's English cousins.
circa 1908
Box/Folder
1/21
.61-.63: Studio portraits, with long hair
James & Bushnell , Seattle (photographer)
1909
1/22
.64-.65: Guendolen Carkeek near window inside house, with fancy dress and hairstyle
circa 1909
1/23
.66-.68: Studio portraits
Francis de Jongh , Lausanne (photographer)
Includes two hand-colored copies of number ??
1911
1/24
.69-.70: Guendolen Carkeek in costume
Guendolen Carkeek dressed up, probably for the annual Founders Day parties held at Carkeek Mansion.
1911-1912
1/25
.71: Guendolen Carkeek in fancy dress for her "coming out" celebration
1912
1/26
.72: Guendolen Carkeek with bride Mildred Gibson Oakes
Field Studio (photographer)
1917
1/27
.73-.78: Guendolen Carkeek
6 photographs
Includes one image of Guendolen Carkeek and a "Mrs. Farris" wearing Red Cross hats at the "Red Cross Jumble Shop." Link
circa 1916-1919
Folder
OS
.79: Black and white print of painted portrait of Guendolen Carkeek
Ambrose Patterson (artist)
Frank Kunishige (photographer)
oversize photo shelf 1a.4.8
Label on back of mount: "G. Carkeek 1918-19. Portrait by Ambrose Patterson. Photo by F. Kunishige (original). In anger the painting was destroyed by Ambrose Patterson."
circa 1918
Box/Folder
1/28
.80: Studio portrait
H.G. Oakley , Victoria Parade, Newquay (photographer)
circa 1920
1/28
.81: Guendolen Carkeek Brenna and first husband Paulo Brenna
circa 1921
1/28
.82: Guendolen Carkeek Brenna in Russian costume for a party in Estonia
Handwritten of verso: "Reval"
Reval was formerly the name of the capital of Estonia, now called Tallinn.
circa 1921
1/28
.83: Guendolen Carkeek (Brenna?) on snowy grass with large building in distance
circa 1921
1/28
.84: Guendolen Carkeek Brenna
Wayne Albee , McBride Studio (photographer)
1924
1/28
.85: Guendolen Carkeek Brenna and Theodor Plestcheeff in Viareggio, Italy
1924
1/29
.86-.91: Studio portraits
6 photographs
Copy negatives on file for .86 and .87
1928
1/30
.92-.97: Guendolen and Theodor Plestcheeff on vacation
6 photographs
Alfred S. Witter , Seattle (photographer)
Photographs document a trip by the Plestcheeffs to Honolulu and possibly other locations.
1931
1/31
.98: View of diners at the Royal Hawaiian in Honolulu, including Guendolen and Theodor Plestcheeff
1931
1/32 1931
1/32
.100-.101: Guendolen and Theodor Plestcheeff
Number .100: Cosmo , New York (photographer)
Inscribed on verso on each photo: on Mauritania
circa 1931, 1935
1/32
.102: Cutout silhouette of Guendolen Plestcheeff
Carl Gould, Jr. (artist)
1933
1/32
.103: Guendolen Plestcheeff and woman seated on fence at ranch
Handwritten on verso: "Jamison Ranch. Pryde Mathewson, Guen P."
circa 1940
1/32
.104-.105: Guendolen and Theodor Plestcheeff and others in restaurant
Number .105 is in a photo display folder for Club 18 on West 52rd Street in New York, with the inscription "New York with the Mathewsons 1941-'42."
circa 1941
1/33
.106: Guendolen Plestcheeff walking on Paris street
1942
1/33
.107: Guendolen Plestcheeff at home
Seattle Times (photographer)
1947
1/33
.108: Guendolen and Theodor Plestcheeff on roof garden
circa 1940s
1/33
.109: Guendolen Plestcheeff and woman walking down street in Montecatini, Italy
1948
1/34
.110-.111: Guendolen Plestcheeff and three women dressed for Christmas Ball
1950
1/34
.112: Theodor and Guendolen Plestcheeff in Camigliano, Italy
1951
1/34
.113: Guendolen Plestcheeff at Christmas Ball
McBride & Anderson (photographer)
1951
1/34
.114-.115: Guendolen Plestcheeff on Paris street
1953
1/34
.116: Passport photograph of Guendolen Plestcheeff
circa 1950s
1/35
.117: Guendolen Plestcheeff and others at luncheon, Oasis Hotel, Palm Springs
Some identifications on verso
1956
1/35
.118: Guendolen Plestcheeff and woman in Palm Springs
Handwritten on verso: "Palm Springs. 1956. Jamisons."
circa 1956
1/35
.119-.119a: Guendolen Plestcheeff and others, possibly at Chi Chi Club in Palm Springs
.119a is an enlarged cropping of .119
circa 1956
1/36
.120-.122: Guendolen Plestcheeff in Cairo, Egypt
1961
1/37
.123-.130: Guendolen Plestcheeff
8 photographs
Number .129: Dan Lamont (photographer)
circa 1970s-1990
Other individuals
circa 1864-1940s
box-folder:oversize
4/10
.131: Drawing of Alexis Plestcheeff, Theodor Plestcheeff's father
Signed H. Didier 1864
1864
Box/Folder
1/38
.132-.135: Paulo Brenna
4 photographs
Guendolen Carkeek's first husband was Italian minister to Estonia.
Three of the images depict Brenna in uniform; in one of these he is wearing several medals.
circa 1921
box-folder:oversize
4/11
.136-.137: Paulo Brenna in uniform wearing medals
circa 1921
Box/Folder
1/39
.138-.143: Theodor Plestcheeff
6 photographs
circa 1928-1940
box-folder:oversize
4/12
.144-.145: Theodor Plestcheeff
2 photographs
Richard Erickson (photographer)
1932
Box/Folder
1/40
.146-.151: Mildred Gibson Oakes
6 photographs
Includes photographs of Mildred Oakes with her husband Prescott Oakes, and with her son
circa 1920s
box-folder:oversize
4/13
.152-.153: Elizabeth McEwan Page
Number .152: Leonid Fink (photographer)
circa 1920s
Box/Folder
1/41
.154-.156: Val May
3 photographs
circa 1930s
1/42
.157-.158: Corinne Allievi and Villa Allievi
Number .157: R.W. Alesfandri , Rome (photographer)
Number .158 is an image of an ornate interior captioned on verso: "Villa Allievi. 1 Via Alessandro Farnese. Rome."
undated
1/43
.159: Prince Andrew of Russia
Son of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia (Czar Nicolas's sister) and Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich.
circa 1924
1/43
.160: Baron Max de Reuter (?)
Drawing from photograph.
undated
1/43
.161: "Uncle Jack"
Langfier Ltd. , London (photographer)
Photograph is inscribed "To my dearest Florence - from her affectionate Uncle Jack" and may have belonged to Florence Carkeek, Vivian Carkeek's wife.
undated
1/43
.162: Clarence Blethen and cat
circa 1940
1/43
.163: Postcard showing ten Estonia officials
Postcard sent from Estonia by Guendolen Carkeek Brenna to her mother Emily Carkeek, dated July 5, 1927, regarding Paulo Brenna's health. Also indicates "Here are the heads of the country."
circa 1927
2/1
.164: Woman with dog
Inscription on back of photograph has been cropped: "Myra Romanoff (?) wife of Dimitri de Russie [cut off]on of gr. Duke Alexander"
circa 1940
2/1
.165: Prince George Chavchavadze and his wife Elizabeth de Breteuil
Constance Hope Associates (photographer)
George Chavchavadze (1904-1962) was an internationally noted pianist.
circa late 1930s
2/1
.166: Duchess Simonetta Colonna
Italian fashion designer, had a design business, Simonetta et Fabiani, with husband Alberto Fabiani.
circa 1940s
2/1
.167: Young woman
Inscription on mount: "To Guen with best love Sybil C. Grant-Dalt[cut off]"
1911 September 3
2/1
.168: Bertha Boeing
Alfred A. Witter , Seattle (photographer)
circa 1930
box-folder:oversize
4/14
.169: Copy of drawing of William Boeing
Inscribed on front: "To Gwen and Teddy--Bill"
1939
Box/Folder
2/1
.170: Janet Tourtellotte
undated
2/1
.171: Xenia Bogoiavlensky
James & Merrihew , Seattle (photographer)
Writing on verso: "Xenia Bogoiavlensky. Daughter of Russian Consul [Nicholas N. Bogoiavlensky] Seattle. Died in Flu epidemic of 1918."
circa 1910s
box-folder:oversize
4/15
.172: Grand Duchess Marie of Russia
1940
Box/Folder
2/1
.173: Three women under umbrella on lawn
Depicts one woman pretending to buy flowers from another.
Writing on verso: "Helen Hughes Somerwell, Llewellyn Morrison, Mrs. Champney"
circa 1910
box-folder:oversize
4/16
.174: Portrait of Russian woman in fancy dress
This photograph is visible, in a freestanding frame on a table, in the Plestcheeff home in a photograph of the interior of the house in Folder 2/11 of the collection. The woman may be a Plestcheeff relative from Russia.
undated
Box/Folder
2/2-4
.175-.184: Unidentified individuals and groups
11 photographs
undated
2/5
.185: Young girls at doll party
circa 1910s
box-folder:oversize
4/17
.186: Unidentified man
undated
Carkeek mansion at 918 Boren Avenue, Seattle
Located at the southeast corner of Madison and Boren Streets on First Hill, the Carkeek mansion was built in 1894 and demolished in 1934. A gas station was built on the site.
circa 1894-1924
Box
2/6-7
.187-.194: Exterior of home
8 photographs
Number .188: Peiser (photographer)
circa 1894-1934
Individuals at "Gay Nineties" party at Carkeek mansion
Guendolen and Theodor Plestcheeff threw a costume dinner at the Carkeek home, the last party given in the mansion before being torn down. Guendolen Plestcheeff decorated the rooms in 1890s style and played music of that period, while the women wore petticoats and frilly trains, and the men, fake handlebar moustaches and top hats.
1934 February
Box/Folder
2/8
.195: Glin and Ford Trimble
1934 February
2/8
.196: Emily and Clark Burgard
1934 February
2/8
.197: Charlotte Henry and Cam Kelleher
1934 February
2/8
.198: Mr. and Mrs. Lambuth and Mrs. Prescott (Mildred) Oakes
1934 February
2/8 1934 February
2/8
.200: Neil Jamison and Bertha Boeing
1934 February
2/8 1934 February
box-folder:oversize
4/18
.202: Clark and Emily Burgard, Nat Paschal, Bertha Boeing, Neil Jamison, Val May, Theodor and Guendolen Plestcheeff, Tom Pelly and Pendleton Miller
1934 February
Box/Folder
2/9
.203-.205: Young women dressed up for Founders' Day party at Carkeek mansion
3 photographs
Identifications handwritten on backs of photographs.
circa 1911-1914
Plestcheeff home at Sam Hill House
Box/Folder
2/10
.206-.209 : Exterior of house
4 photographs
undated
2/11
.210-.219: Interior and roof garden views of Plestcheeff home
10 photographs
undated
Folder
OS
.220-.221: Pencil sketches of south elevation of house
2 sketches
J. Lister Holmes , Architect (artist)
oversize photo shelf 1a.4.8
1937 January 21
.223: Theodor Plestcheeff photograph album
134 photographs
1922-1925
Box
2
.223.1-223.134
Includes photographs from the time that Plestcheeff lived in Estonia. Photographs are captioned with place names, but other that "Reval" these are difficult to decipher. Album includes a few photographs showing Guendolen Carkeek Brenna, including a trip to Viareggio in 1924, and in California in 1925.
1922-1925
Miscellaneous
Folder
OS
.224: Copy of watercolor of Central Library Carnegie Seattle Public Library building at 1000 Fourth Avenue
P.J. Weber , Architect, Chicago, Illinois (artist)
oversize photo shelf 1a.4.8
The library was built by Morgan Carkeek's building company. Construction of the 55,000-square-foot library began in spring of 1905; the building was demolished in 1957.
circa 1905
OS
.225: Japanese dignitaries at banquet
Tomowe (photographer)
oversize photo shelf 1a.4.8
circa 1900
Box/Folder
2/12
.226-.228: Race cars and drivers
3 photographs
Webster & Stevens (photographer)
Writing on verso of 3 photographs: "Lewis"; "Charlie Thompson's car"; "Bob Burman"
circa 1910
2/13
.229-.231: Tambov
3 photographs
Photographs of an estate belonging to the Stroganov family, relatives of Theodor Plestcheeff, in Tambov, a Russian city south of Moscow. Plestcheeff spent much of his youth on this estate.
Two photographs of gardens are inscribed on verso as "Property Stroganoff at Tambov." The third photo, of a building, is inscribed on verso as "Tambov. Property Plestcheeff."
undated
2/14
.232: Seattle Officers' Club room designed by Guendolen Plestcheeff
Depue Morgan & Co. , Seattle (photographer)
Handwritten on verso: "Room for 1940 troops in old assay office 9th & James"
The Seattle Officers' Club at 9th Avenue and James Street in Seattle opened in July 1943. The Club was founded by a group of prominent Seattle women, including Guendolen Plestcheeff
1943
box-folder:oversize
4/19
.233.: Construction site or lumber mill
Possibly related to Morgan Carkeek's construction business.
undated
Box/Folder
2/15
.234: White man in group of Nigerians
Caption accompanying photo: "Nigeria. Peace Celebration Day at Owo. B.M.C. (having read the Proclamation of Peace and explained the Peace Terms to the Owa of Owo (on left of B.M.C.)) the Paramount Chief of the Owo, Ifori [?] and Akokko people. B.M.C. seen holding a copy of the Peace Terms as published by 'the Times'."
1919 August
2/16
.235: One white man and four black men near bungalow
Handwritten on verso: "Bernard's bungalow and domestics."
undated
2/16
.236: View of Mount Rainier and Seattle
Frank Jacobs , Seattle (photographer)
undated

Carkeek family papers, 1894-1932, 1976Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Legal papers
Box/Folder
3/1
Morgan Carkeek naturalization
1894 correspondence and certification of Carkeek's naturalization, originally granted in 1875.
1894
3/2
Piper's Canyon donation
Receipt and correspondence regarding Morgan Carkeek's gift of $25,000 toward the purchase of Piper's Canyon for a city park, the present Carkeek Park.
1928
3/3
Wills and codicils of Morgan and Emily Carkeek
1922-1929
3/4-7
Papers regarding distribution of Morgan and Emily Carkeek's estates
4 folders
Includes correspondence, court documents, statements of assets and distribution, tax reports
1929-1932
3/8
Deeds and leases--Morgan and Emily Carkeek
Most of these deeds and leases were apparently requested from safekeeping at Bank of California by Guendolen Plestcheeff in 1970.
1898-1931
Writings
Box/Folder
3/9
Anti-Chinese Riots, narrative by Morgan J. Carkeek
undated
3/9
Poem The Story of the Man Who Found Happiness, a symposium in idealism by Vivian Carkeek
Typed on sheet with poem: "Dedicated to the memory of F.H.B."
1901 June 8
3/9
The Story of the Man Who Found Happiness, a symposium in idealism, by Vivian Carkeek
1913 September 18
3/9
Little Anjim Masajima and the Wupu Blocks, A Japanese Fairy Tale, by Vivian Carkeek
1915 January 3
3/9
Little Benki Sumatsu and the Oku Bird, A Japanese Fairy Tale, by Vivian Carkeek
1915 January 10
3/9
The Law of Compensation, commencement address delivered to the Tolt High School by Vivian Carkeek
1919 June 4
3/9
Transcription of Seattle Times article about the discovery of Vivian Carkeek's diary
1976 October 20

Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff papers, 1907-1991Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
3/10
Diary
1907-1908
3/11
Correspondence
3 letters, including one on Christian Dior letterhead about a dress being sent to Plestcheeff.
1919; 1939; undated
3/12
Diplomatic visas
Italian visas for traveling with her husband Paulo Brenna.
1924; 1926
3/13
Mayoral proclamations
On the naming of Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff day (December 19, 1993) and Seattle Heritage Day in honor of Guendolen Plestcheeff (April 9, 1987).
1987; 1993
Box
OS
Seattle Historical Society Certificate of Merit presented to Guendolen Carkeek
oversize photo shelf 1a.4.8
1980 May 30
Box/Folder
3/14
Business and legal correspondence
1 folder
1936-1969
3/15
Correspondence regarding Seattle Historical Society and Museum of History & Industry
1951; 1982
3/16
Plestcheeff Institute for the Decorative Arts
Folder includes articles for Northwest Arts Magazine issues from September 1980, December 1986, and August 1987; 1996 meeting minutes; 1990-1991 annual report; and brochures for the Institute and for the 1992 show "Très à la Mode."
1986-1996

Ephemera, 1909-1960Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Clippings
1921-1990
Box/Folder
3/17-20
Guendolen and Theodor Plestcheeff
4 folders
Includes "social page" type captioned news photos of the Plestcheeffs; wedding announcement for Guendolen Carkeek and Cavaliere Paulo G. Brenna in 1921; many photographs and articles related to Guendolen Plestcheeff's interest in fashion; and general articles reviewing her life and contributions to Seattle.
1921-1990
3/21
Obituaries
1 folder
Obituaries for Morgan Carkeek, Vivian Carkeek, Theodor Plestcheeff, and Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff.
1931-1994
3/22
Vivian Carkeek
Article about the Vivian and Florence Carkeek Memorial Fund for college scholarships; and an article about a Loyal Knights of the Round Table banquet at which Vivian Carkeek spoke.
1924; 1964
3/23-24
Carkeek mansion
2 folders
Includes clippings from 1934 about the "Gay Nineties" party thrown by Guendolen and Theodor Plestcheeff at the Carkeek mansion before its demolition.
1933-1960
3/25
Visit by Grand Duchess Marie of Russia
When the Grand Duchess Marie of Russia visited Seattle (not in the role of royalty but as a "fashion consultant") in 1940, Guendolen Plestcheeff threw a party at her home in the old Sam Hill mansion.
1940 September
3/26
Seattle Officers' Club
The Seattle Officers' Club at 9th Avenue and James Street in Seattle opened in July 1943, founded by a group of prominent Seattle women, including Guendolen Plestcheeff
1943
3/27
Sam Hill and the Sam Hill mansion at 814 E. Highland Drive, Seattle
The Hill mansion was purchased by Guendolen and Theodor Plestcheeff in 1937.
1937-1986
3/28-31
Seattle Historical Society and Museum of History & Industry
1939-1989
Other ephemera
Box/Folder
3/32
Emily Carkeek's Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition ticket
1909
3/32
Invitation to marriage of Guendolen Carkeek to Cavaliére Paulo Brenna on January 19, 1921 in London
1921
3/32
Mailer for "Spirit of Seattle" day at Longacres, June 29
undated
3/32
Programs for meetings of the Seattle table of the Loyal Knights of the Round Table
4 programs
Vivian Carkeek was a member of this fraternal organization. Two of the programs postdate Carkeek's death and announce the death and a eulogy to be delivered by Judge John A. Frater.
1934-1935

MiscellaneousReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
3/33
"Specifications for Garden walls, casino and pool for Thomas D. Stimson, Seattle, Washington" by architect Charles A. Platt, New York City
1930

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Carkeek Park (Seattle, Wash. : 1918-1926)
  • Mansions--Washington (State)--Seattle

Personal Names

  • Brenna, Paulo
  • Carkeek, Emily Gaskill, 1852-1926
  • Carkeek, Morgan J. (Morgan James), 1847-1931
  • Carkeek, Vivian M. (Vivian Morgan), 1879-1934
  • Plestcheeff, Theodor

Corporate Names

  • Seattle Historical Society
  • Museum of History & Industry (Seattle, Wash.)

Geographical Names

  • United States--Washington (State)--Seattle

Form or Genre Terms

  • Ephemera
  • Photographs