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Merton Elliott architecture and mortuary art photograph collection, approximately 1850-1900

Overview of the Collection

Collector
Elliott, Merton
Title
Merton Elliott architecture and mortuary art photograph collection
Dates
approximately 1850-1900 (inclusive)
Quantity
78 photographic prints (2 boxes, 4 folders) ; various sizes
Collection Number
PH1233
Summary
Largely photographs of tombs, cemeteries and mortuary art, with a few architecture drawings and maps, bulk related to the historic Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio, along with a series of photographs by Francis Frith and an Edouard Baldus print of Place de la Concorde in Paris
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries’ Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Eugene Merton Elliott was born on September 11, 1910 in Santa Fe, Kansas to Ernest Henry and Myrtle McCoy Elliott. He graduated from Stanford University in 1932 with his Bachelor's degree. After receiving his law degree from Washburn University in 1935, he practiced law in Tacoma, Washington until 1947. Elliott married Marjorie Pierce on December 20, 1933. He died on March 3, 2007 in Tacoma, Washington. Elliott collected and donated all materials in collection.

The historic Spring Grove Cemetery is located in Troy, Cincinnati, Ohio and is, to this day, considered a leader in cemetery design. In 1844, the Cincinnati Horticultural Society formed a cemetery association in order to address the growing opinion that their cemeteries appeared rundown and discomforting to grieving families as a result of the cholera epidemic. Headed by former Chief Justice and Secretary of Treasury, Salmon P. Chase (January 13, 1808-May 7, 1873), the cemetery association began researching proper location and design. The group traveled to many notable cemeteries along the East Coast and Europe to collected ideas. Chase and his colleagues, Nathaniel Wright, Timothy Walker and James Hall, constructed the charter on December 1st and by September 1st of the following year, the first internment was created. Robert Buchanan (1797-1879) was the Spring Grove Cemetery President from 1845 to 1879, proceeded by Henry Probasco Esquire (1820-1902) from 1879 to 1902. Adolph Strauch (1822-1883) was the Spring Grove Cemetery landscape gardener and Superintendent from 1854 to 1883 followed by William Salway (1841-1925) from 1883 to 1925.

Photographs contained in the "Francis Frith & Co. Series" were collected by Francis Frith. Francis Frith (1822-1898) was a British photographer and photograph collector. It has been noted that these images were most likely photographed by Frith's traveling employees, William Johnson and William Henderson. Most of the images are from Frith's India series.

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Content Description

Photographs of tombs, cemeteries and mortuary art, including sculptures and monuments, along with a few maps and architectural plans, bulk relating to the historic Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati; a group of Francis Frith photographs of tombs and other views in India and Pakistan; albumen prints of the Emperor Josephus II monument and a fountain at Schonbrunn in Vienna; a photograph of a portrait of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and an albumen print of the Place de la Concorde in Paris by Edouard Baldus.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Donor: Merton Elliott, December 27, 1983.

Processing Note

Processed by Libby Hopfauf; 2014; Stefanie Terasaki, 2015. Processing completed 2015.

Accession PH2008-020. 44 more photographs were located and added to the collection in 2009.

Separated Materials

These photographs were part of a larger donation which included lithographs, engravings, plans and photographs of European and American architecture, landscape architecture and mortuary art. These materials are probably located with the miscellaneous materials in theRare Book collection.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)

Personal Names

  • Frith, Francis, 1822-1898 (photographer)

Corporate Names

  • Spring Grove Cemetery (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Elliott, Merton, 1910-2007 (collector)


2012 (Last modified: 9/2/2021)

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