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George Frederick Jewett Naval History Collection, 1900-1956

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Jewett, George Frederick, 1896-1956.
Title
George Frederick Jewett Naval History Collection
Dates
1900-1956 (inclusive)
Quantity
10 Linear Feet of Shelf Space, (17 boxes), (Approximately 8000 items)
Collection Number
Cage 61 (collection)
Summary
George Frederick Jewett, a Spokane lumber executive and former naval officer, spent approximately 35 years amassing this collection of naval literature, photographs and models. This collection contains photographs and models of ships dated from approximately 1900-1945. The vessels and other naval subjects depicted date from the 1870s to the 1940s (roughly, the battleship period).
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for on-site research use.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

George Frederick Jewett (1896-1956), Spokane lumber executive and former naval officer, spent approximately 35 years amassing this collection of naval literature, photographs and models. While a student at Harvard University, Jewett began acquiring photographs, mostly from commercial sources, of the ships of the world's navies. He also began collecting waterline models, primarily of German ships. When he ended his collecting effort around 1950, he had accumulated approximately 7500 photographs and 200 models. Jewett collected photographs or models of about four-fifths of the major naval craft constructed during this era.

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Content Description

George Frederick Jewett (1896-1956), Spokane lumber executive and former naval officer, spent approximately 35 years amassing this collection of naval literature, photographs and models. While these photographs and models date from approximately 1900-1945, the vessels and other naval subjects depicted date from the 1870s to the 1940s (roughly, the battleship period). Jewett collected photographs or models of about four-fifths of the major naval craft constructed during this era. He also collected many pictures of crews, shore installations, machinery and naval maneuvers. The definitions used for types of ship are roughly those used in the individual navies and vary somewhat from nation to nation.

This collection is described in "The George F. Jewett Naval Collection," The Record (newsletter of the Friends of the Washington State University Libraries), vol. 19 (1958), pages 6-10.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

Selected images and photographs of models in this collection are available in the Jewett Naval History Collection digital exhibit

Restrictions on Use

The items in this collection vary widely in physical condition. Reproduction is available for items in good condition on a case-by-case basis.

Preferred Citation

[Item Description] George Frederick Jewett Naval History Collection, 1900-1956 (Cage 61)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in three series: 1. Photographs; 2. Correspondence; 3. Models; and 4. Printed Materials.

Series 1, Photographs, consists mainly of images of ships. These include postcards and photographic prints. Subseries 1.1 consists of postcards and small format photographs. These are arranged alphabetically by the nationality of the ship, with the "minor naval powers" grouped together in a separate sequence at the beginning of the subseries. For each of the major naval powers the materials are further categorized by ship type and/or ship name. Subseries 1.2 consists of larger photographs, arranged alphabetically by nationality. Subseries 1.3 includes scrapbooks, maps, and other images.

Series 2, Correspondence, is in Jewett's original arrangement.

Series 3, Models, is arranged by nationality.

Series 4, Printed Material, retains its original arrangement.

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated to the Washington State University Libraries by Mrs. George Jewett after her husband's death in 1956.

Processing Note

This collection was processed in 1973 by Lawrence Stark; additional processing and preservation of the collection were done in 2005 by Mark Gottschalk as a graduate fellowship project funded by the George Frederick Jewett Foundation.

Separated Materials

George Frederick Jewett also donated approximately 360 books on naval history and naval affairs including partial sets of Brassy's Naval Annual (1886-1949) and Jane's Fighting Ships (1904-1955). These materials are housed in MASC, and have been designated for separate cataloging.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Naval history, Modern -- 20th century -- Archives.
  • Naval history, Modern -- 20th century -- Photographs.
  • Ship models -- Specimens.

Corporate Names

  • Air University (U.S.)
  • France. Marine -- Photographs.
  • Germany. Kriegsmarine -- Photographs.
  • Germany. Reichsmarine -- Photographs.
  • Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Photographs.
  • Italy. Marina -- Photographs.
  • United States. Navy -- History.

Finding aid prepared by Lawrence Stark.
2016

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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