Guide to the Blanche Harding Sewall Papers
Description Summary | ||
| Creator: | Sewall, Blanche Harding | |
| Title: | Blanche Harding Sewall Papers | |
| Dates: | 1847-1959 | |
| Abstract: | The collection consists of correspondence, college materials, pamphlets and programs, materials related to the construction of Sewall residence and the Sewall's Japan trip. The dates for this collection range from 1847 to 1959 with the bulk of the material ranging from 1935 to 1948. | |
| ID | MS 431 | |
| Extent: | 2 linear ft. (4 boxes) | |
| Repository: | Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, TX | |
Biographical Note
Blanche Harding Sewall (Mrs. Cleveland Sewall) was a native of Fort Worth, Texas and attended Rice Institute with the class of 1917. She was an artist, philanthropist and, as a patron of the arts, a founding member of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She organized a private foundation, the Library of Arts. At her husband's death in 1942, she assumed operations of his wholesale grocery company, Carson Sewall & Co. Marine Division. As a memorial to her husband, she donated funds for the construction of a building for the Rice campus, Sewall Hall. Mrs. Sewall died on May 28, 1973, in Houston. Funds from her estate provided for the Andrew Hays Buchanan Professorship and the Noah Harding Professorship at Rice. Andrew Hays Buchanan was her maternal grandfather, and Noah Harding was her paternal grandfather. The Sewall residence, designed by Ralph Adams Cram in the Mediterranean Renaissance style in 1925, was left to Rice University. Blanche Harding Sewall was awarded Rice's Gold Medal posthumously in 1973.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of correspondence, college materials, pamphlets and programs, materials related to the construction of the Sewall residence, and the Sewall's trip to Japan. The dates for this collection range from 1847 to 1959 with the bulk of the material ranging from 1935 to 1948.
Arrangement | ||
| The papers are arranged into four series. | ||
| Series I. Correspondence, 1913-1949, n.d. | ||
| Series II. Printed Matter, 1884-1936 | ||
| Series III. Japan Trip | ||
| Series IV. Sewall residence | ||
Arrangement | ||
| This collection is arranged in four boxes chronologically in Series I and Series IV, and alphabetically by topic in Series II and III. | ||
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
This material is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish from the Blanche Harding Sewall Papers must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.
Index Terms | ||
| Subjects (Persons) | ||
| Sewall, Blanche Harding--Correspondence. | ||
| Cram, Ralph Adams, 1863-1942. | ||
| Sewall family - Archives. | ||
| Subjects (Organizations) | ||
| Sewall House. | ||
| Garden Club of America. | ||
| Rice University - Alumni and Alumnae. | ||
| Subjects | ||
| Gardening - Societies, etc. | ||
| Clubs - Japan. | ||
| Gardening - Japan. | ||
| Philanthropists - Texas. | ||
| Places | ||
| Texas -- family and personal papers -- 20th century. | ||
| Japan -- Garden Club of America -- 20th century. | ||
| Document Types | ||
| Correspondence. | ||
| Photographs. | ||
| Postcards. | ||
| Souvenirs. | ||
| Pamphlets. | ||
| Drawings, layout. | ||
| Family papers. | ||
| Personal papers. | ||
Related Material
Additional information about Blanche Harding Sewall may be found in the following information files located in the Woodson Research Center: Blanche Harding Sewall; Sewall Hall; Sewall House; and Cleveland Sewall Hall dedication, 1971, photo album. |
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Blanche Harding Sewall Papers, MS 431, Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University
Acquisitions Information
The bulk of the materials were received in 1974 from Texas Commerce Bank, executor of Mrs. Sewall's estate. Additional materials were received in 1988.
Accruals
No future additions are expected for this material.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series II. Printed Matter, 1884-1936, n.d. | |||||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | College Materials 1884-1886 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Texas centennial 1936 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Misc. booklets, notes, etc. | ||||||||||||