Oral history interview with Virginia G. Davis, 1977 May 26
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Interviewee
- Davis, Virginia G. (Virginia Gilbert), 1911-1996
- Title
- Oral history interview with Virginia G. Davis
- Dates
- 1977 May 261977-05-261977-05-26
- Quantity
- 0.1 cubic feet, (1 audiocassette (57 min., 20 sec.))
- Collection Number
- SR 9554
- Summary
- Oral history interview with Virginia G. Davis conducted by Charles Digregorio on May 26, 1977. Davis discusses her family background and her work with Margery Hoffman Smith on interior design for Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, Oregon.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Digitization funded by the James F. Miller Endowment.
Biographical Note
Virginia Gilbert Davis, nee Virginia Beaumont Gilbert, was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1911. She attended Smith College, then returned to Portland during the Depression and worked with Margery Hoffman Smith on interior design for the newly constructed Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood. In 1940, she and Nelson Bennett Davis were married; they later had four children. She died in 1996.
Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Davis in her interview.
Other Descriptive Information
An incomplete transcript (16 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Content Description
This oral history interview with Virginia G. Davis was conducted by Charles Digregorio at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon on May 26, 1977, as part of the oral history program at the society's research library.
In this interview, Davis discusses her family background, particularly the life and career of her mother, Page Morris Gilbert, and talks about her early life in the Dunthorpe neighborhood of Portland. She also discusses the family background of her husband, Nelson Bennett Davis. She speaks about how their families were acquainted with prominent Portland families and about their involvement in the timber industry. She talks about the music career of her brother, Giles Gilbert, aka Gilles Guilbert, and closes the interview by discussing her work with Margery Hoffman Smith on interior design for Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood.
Use of the Collection
Alternative Forms Available
Audio available online in OHS Digital Collections.
Preferred Citation
Oral history interview with Virginia G. Davis, by Charles Digregorio, SR 9554, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of Virginia G. Davis. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/
Administrative Information
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Lumber trade--Northwest, Pacific
- Musicians--Oregon--Portland
- Women interior decorators--Oregon
Personal Names
- Davis, Virginia G. (Virginia Gilbert), 1911-1996
- Gilbert, Page M. (Page Morris), 1880-1974
- Guilbert, Gilles, 1905-
- Smith, Margery Hoffman, 1888-1981
Corporate Names
- Timberline Lodge (Mount Hood, Or.)
Geographical Names
- Dunthorpe (Portland, Or.)--History
- Portland (Or.)--Social life and customs--20th century
Form or Genre Terms
- interviews
- oral histories (literary works)
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Digregorio, Charles (interviewer)
