George Davidson commonplace book and related materials, 1785-1984

The collection consists of a book of watercolor paintings, quotations, calligraphy, and other notations by George Davidson; and materials relating to Davidson's artwork, his biography, and his family genealogy. The first page of the book indicates that Davidson began working on it in 1785, and includes an admonition against stealing it. Some of the paintings depict sailing ships, while others depict landscapes, people, or other scenes. One of the last pages is signed by Davidson's son, George Davidson (known as G. Davidson), with the date July 7, 1811; the writings and paintings on the book's last pages may also have been made by Davidson's son. The collection also includes a handwritten document of the Davidson family genealogy, including a biographical sketch of George Davidson, written by G. Davidson in 1831.

Other artwork in the collection includes drawings on two small individual pages from a cash book and a ledger that Davidson kept in 1789, and black and white photocopies of other artwork by Davidson. Other materials in the collection consist of typescript copies of the writings in the book; typed and photocopied biographical and genealogical material, including a biographical sketch of Davidson, with examples of his artwork, from the book "Early Maritime Artists of the Pacific Northwest Coast, 1741-1841"; a photocopy of a 1971 Oregonian article about an exhibition of Davidson's artwork in Astoria, Oregon; and the April 20, 1959, issue of Life magazine, which includes examples of drawings by Davidson on page 79.