Portsmouth Athenaeum Finding Aids

Harris Family Papers, 1860 - ca. 1940 - MS078

Provenance: The main portion of the Harris Family Papers came to the Portsmouth Athenaeum in 2003 as a gift from Nancy Beck. A portion of the papers also came as a gift from Margaret Morrissey in 2004, these items are noted in the finding aid with an “[MM].” The Morrissey and Beck collections of Harris materials both came from the same original source, an antique dealer on Marcy Street, and were therefore incorporated into one collection. This collection was also combined with the former S550, which had additional Harris correspondence from the same period (1876-1911) as this collection. S550 was a gift from the Portsmouth Public Library in 1993. Items formerly in S550 are noted in the finding aid with an “[S550].”

Citation: Harris Family Papers (MS078), Portsmouth Athenaeum

Size: 5 Hollinger boxes (2 1/2 linear feet) and 1 oversize flat box

Access: No restrictions

Processed by: Susan Stowe Kindstedt in October 2004

Scope and Content

The Harris Family Papers cover a range from 1860 to ca. 1940. The earliest materials primarily cover the professional career of Robert Harris, with some personal family content in the form of letters to his wife Lucy. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence to and from Edith Harris while she is traveling in Europe. Letters discuss attractions she visits, lessons she is taking (art, music and foreign language). There are several diaries documenting travel and daily tasks. Some letters also detail her time with missionaries in Greece and several letters mention her interest in photography. The collection also contains artwork, most of which is unsigned, but is presumably by one or both of the Harris sisters. There is also a large collection of journals and individual journal articles. Those articles that were retained as part of the collection have some connection either to art in the Piscataqua region or to artists who are known to have influenced local artists. The Harris women were involved in several local art clubs and discussion groups. One journal cover has a circulation list of one of these clubs and lists the names of the Portsmouth women that shared the journal. The collection is a rich source for women’s history and travel during the Victorian period, as well as women’s art and art education. The collection also has valuable information about the life and civil engineering career of Robert Harris.

Biographical Notes

Mary Aubin Harris (1864-1952) was born in San Francisco, California on December 18, 1864. Mary was the first child of Lucy Woodward (Kimball) and Robert Lewis Harris. The family traveled a great deal due to Robert Harris’s career as a civil engineer working on railroads and bridges throughout the country. In 1900 Mary made Portsmouth her permanent home, residing at 43 Austin Street. An active artist, Mary attended the Packer Collegiate Institute of Art in Brooklyn, as well as schools on Cape Cod and other areas of the country. Mary died in Portsmouth in 1952. There is additional information about Mary Harris in the Portsmouth Athenaeum curatorial artist files.

Edith Kimball Harris (1868-after 1952) was the second child of Lucy Woodward (Kimball) and Robert Harris and was born in Vallejo, California in 1868. Edith spent time in Europe during 1890 and 1891, including Germany, Switzerland and Greece. While in Europe Edith studied art, visited numerous museums, took lessons (foreign language) and spent some time with a missionary in Greece. Edith returned to live in Portsmouth with her sister and died sometime after 1952.

Robert Harris (1834-1896) was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1834 and went on to study civil engineering in Boston. Robert went west in 1852 working for the railroads and from 1860 to 1871 he worked in San Francisco. He also spent time working on railroads in Hondurus during the 1850s. His work brought him all over the country and as a result he moved often sometimes bringing his family with him and sometimes leaving them in Portsmouth. Robert Harris married Lucy Woodward Kimball in 1864 and died in 1896. There is additional biographical and career information for Robert Harris in Box 5 Folder 4.

Related Materials

See also the Harris Family Photograph Collection (P36). These photographs were separated from this collection for cataloging. This collection includes the former collection of S550, which contained additional Harris materials.

Series Listing

I. Correspondence

II. Diaries and bound volumes

III. Pamphlets

A. Journal

B. Exhibit Catalogs

C. Art Class Pamphlets

D. Articles

E. Miscellaneous and Fragments

IV. School Papers and Artwork

V. Robert Harris

VI. Miscellaneous

Appendix – Books separated from the collection

I. Correspondence

Letters from 1890 and 1891 discuss Edith Harris’s trip to Europe, including stops in Greece, Germany, and Italy. Edith’s writing usually included description of site seeing, food, language lessons (usually German), and visiting museums, gardens, and churches. After 1891, the letters include correspondence from Edith’s friends who are still abroad and from Robert Harris while he is in various other parts of the country for his work as a civil engineer working on the railroads. Robert Harris spends time in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Orleans. In the later 1890s and through the early 1900s, the letters discuss Mary and Edith’s art careers, including teaching lessons.
In 1911, the focus of the letters shifts to Harriet McEwen Kimball sister of Lucy (Kimball) Harris. Harriet Kimball is a poet and letters often discuss publication arrangements and permissions.

BOX 1

Folder 1 Correspondence before 1890

1866 Sept. 6 Elle[?] Whipple to Robert Harris
Financial matters, investment decisions
1868 Jan. 20 Unknown, Portsmouth to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [MM]
Mentions baby care
1869 Oct. 18 Allen Reed, New York to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [MM]
1872 ca. Edith Harris, Portsmouth to Robert Harris, New York [S550]
Family matters and daily activities, including school lessons
1876 Jan. 16 Frank [?], Brooklyn to Lizzie [?]
Discussion of difficult financial times
[Unsure how this letter and the correspondence relate to the rest of the collection.]
1877 April 1 Robert Harris, St. Cloud, Minnesota to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [MM]
Travel and observations, including economic hardship in the West
1822 April 13 Robert Harris
Confirmation of arrival in Mexico
1822 Nov. 30 J.E. Wikie [?] to Robert Harris
Living arrangements for Robert Harris’s mother [?]
1884 May 25 Mary M.W. (Conner) Harris to Mary Harris
Family matters and reflections on faith
1884 Aug. 13 Edith or Mary Harris, Portland, Oregon to Lucy [Kimball] Harris [MM]
Travel in the West, description of Robert Harris’s work, shopping and site
seeing
1884 Aug. 13 Mary Harris, Portland, Oregon to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [MM]
Travel to the West to visit Robert Harris
1885 July 3 John Barnes to W.H. [?] Barnes
Letter of introduction for Robert Harris while he is in San Francisco
1887 Aug. 21 Robert Harris to Edith Harris
Robert is in Duluth, Minnesota, letter discusses traveling and being away
from the family.
1887 Sept. 25 Robert Harris, Duluth, Minnesota to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [MM]
1887 Sept. 27 Robert Harris, Duluth, Minnesota to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [MM]
1887 Dec. 21 Charlie --- to Robert Harris [MM]
1888 Nov. 5 Lucy M. Harris
List of silver in the vault at the New Hampshire National Bank.
1889 April 16 Mary Harris, Germany to Edith Harris
Learning to speak German, living conditions and daily life while visiting
Germany
1889 July 15 Invitation to the wedding of Jeanie Austin Gerrish and John Pickard
1889 July 15 Announcement for the wedding above
1889 Nov. 10 [Written in German]

Folder 2 Correspondence January to April 1890

1890 Jan. 5 Edith Harris, Greece to Robert Harris
Excavations in Greece near Hadrian’s Arch, including a Roman bath,
palace, and mosaics; living expenses while in Greece and financial matters
1890 Jan. 5 Edith Harris, Greece to Mary Harris
Poetry and travel in Greece
1890 Jan. 11 Edith Harris, Greece to Mary Harris
Attended a lecture given by a German archaeologist includes general
Discussion about archaeology in Greece
1890 Jan. 12 Edith Harris, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
[fragment]
1890 Feb. 4 Unknown [correspondence in German]

Folder 3 Correspondence May to June 1890

1890 May 4 Unknown, Mobile, Alabama
[fragment] Describes a voyage from Philadelphia to Mobile with a stop in
and description of Havana, Cuba.
1890 June 1 Edith Harris to Mary Harris, Lucy (Kimball) Harris, and Robert Harris
Description of voyage at sea on the Steamship Teutonic
1890 June 8 ---Gerrish and Edith Harris, London to Harriet Kimball
Travel through Great Britain, gardens, paintings, sight seeing in Stratford-on-
Avon, including Holy Trinity Church, at the residence of the Duke of
Westminster, and in London
1890 June 13 Edith Harris, London, England to Mary Harris, Lucy (Kimball) Harris, and
Robert Harris
Description of the London police and a visit to the Tower of London and the
crown jewels
1890 June 15 Edith Harris, Berlin, Germany
Travel to Germany
1890 June 22 Edith Harris, Berlin, Germany to Mary Harris
Visit to a museum with discussion of art
1890 June 29 Edith Harris, Berlin, Germany to Mary Harris
Visit with a German family, manner of dress, children, missionary work,
an orphanage.

Folder 4 Correspondence July to August 1890

1890 July 7 Edith Harris, Berlin, Germany to Robert Harris
Travel and visiting Germany
1890 July 22 Edith Harris, Dresden, Germany to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Discussion of German lessons, household furnishings, and gardens
1890 Aug. 24 Edith Harris, Geneva, Switzerland to Mary Harris
Shopping, sending home souvenirs, living conditions, and the health of
Robert Harris.
1890 Aug. 31 Edith Harris, Geneva, Switzerland to Robert Harris
Shopping, sending home souvenirs, and taking photographs with a “Kodak.”

Folder 5 Correspondence September 1890

1890 Sept. 4 Edith Harris, Geneva, Switzerland to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Travel plans
1890 Sept. 4 Susan H. Martin to Cyrus ---
Weddings and receptions in Portsmouth for Mrs. H. Goodall and Edwin C.
Blaisdell and Clara L. French (married 9/3/1890).
1890 Sept. 14 Edith Harris, Geneva, Switzerland to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Discussion of lessons and travel also of the death of Ned Highbee in
Portsmouth; Edith requests that her mother take $1 from her bank account
to give to the “poor and sick” in Portsmouth
1890 Sept. 18 Edith Harris, Lyons, France, descriptions and drawings of stained glass
Windows, architecture, travel to Marseilles, a visit to a Catholic church, and
the countryside of France.
1890 Sept. 28 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Travel to Marseilles, France, shopping and sightseeing.
1890 Sept. 28 Edith Harris, Athena, Greece to Robert Harris
Travel and news from friends at home

Folder 6 Correspondence October 1890

1890 Oct. 5 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Mary Harris
Discussion of a friend, Jessie, who is very sick and also of Robert Harris
looking for work
1890 Oct. 12 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy Harris
Illness during travel, living conditions and the family that Edith is staying
with in Greece.
1890 Oct. 13 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Mary Harris
Travel and missing Portsmouth
1890 Oct. 24 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Mary Harris
Death of Edith and Mary’s friend, Jessie and gifts Edith received from friends
and family.
1890 Oct. 31 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy Harris
German lessons and daily activities.
1890 Oct. 31 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Robert Harris

Folder 7 Correspondence November 1890

1890 Nov. 2 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Robert Harris
Financial arrangements for travel, travel and history
1890 Nov. 7 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Mary Harris
Wedding of Mary Lawrence (in Haverhill) and food in Germany.
1890 Nov. 10 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Mary Harris
Fashion and descriptions of the royal family.
1890 Nov. 16 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy Harris
1890 Nov. 23 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Robert Harris
Customs procedures in Greece, shipping new travel clothes from the US to
Greece.
1890 Nov. 24 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Sarah Kittridge, Haverhill, Massachusetts
Methods of communication, sightseeing, churches in Greece
1890 Nov. 28 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Robert Harris
Subscribing to art magazines in Greece.

Folder 8 Correspondence December 1890

1890 Dec. 5 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Robert Harris
1890 Dec. 5 Sophia E. McCarter [?] to Mary Harris
1890 Dec. 7 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Robert Harris
Launching of the USS Maine and Greeley coming to Portsmouth
1890 Dec. 14 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Travel and lessons
1890 Dec. 15 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Robert Harris
1890 Dec. 18 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Mary Harris
Food in Greece
1890 Dec. 21 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Robert Harris
Travel and going to church in Greece
1890 Dec. 28 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Christmas celebrations and gift exchanging in Greece
1890 Dec. 29 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Mary Harris
Lessons
1890 Dec. 29 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Robert Harris
Christmas gifts

Folder 9 Correspondence January to February 1891

1891 Jan. 1 Robert Harris to Edith Harris
Bible verse: Numbers VI, 24-26
1891 Jan. 18 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Robert Harris
Photography and photographic equipment
1891 Jan. 20 Carrie [?], Athens, Greece to Sarah [?]
Illness and medical treatment received in Greece
1891 Dec. 28 [content is German]
1891 Feb. 8 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Game playing and recreation while in Greece, news of an ice storm in
Portsmouth
1891 Feb. 9 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Travel, including a visit to a museum
1891 Feb. 9 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Travel, weather, and lessons
1891 Feb. 12 Unknown to Edith Harris
Poetry
1891 Feb. 16 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Robert Harris
1891 Feb. 16 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Travel, including an illustrative sketch
1891 Feb. 22 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Food and lessons
1891 Feb. 23 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Mary Harris
News from Portsmouth and wishing she was home

Folder 10 Correspondence March 1891

1891 March 1 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Travel to Switzerland and daily activities
1891 March 4 Mary Harris, Portsmouth to Edith Harris
Snowstorms and transportation in Portsmouth (sleighs), returning from a
trip to New Orleans (description of the city)
1891 March 6 Edith Harris to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Visit to the Erectheion, Parthenon, and the Acropolis
1891 March 8 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Mary Harris
Fire at the Post Office in Portsmouth
1891 March 12 Mary D. Parker to Edith Harris
Poetry
1891 March 15 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Mary Harris
1891 March 19 Lucy (Kimball) Harris to Edith Harris
1891 March 22 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Gifts sent to Edith from family in Portsmouth, lessons and travel

Folder 11 Correspondence April 1891

1891 April 5 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
[fragment]
1891 April 19 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
1891 April 23 Flora C. White to Edith Harris
Poetry

Folder 12 Correspondence May 1891

1891 May 3 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Mary Harris
Food and travel
1891 May 3 Edith Harris, Athens, Greece to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
News from friends at home, walking in the mountains in Greece
1891 May 8 Edith Harris to Harris Family
Travel in Europe (leaving Athens)
1891 May 17 Edith Harris to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Travel to Pompeii, having to purchase new clothes
1891 May 18 Edith Harris, Naples, Italy to Robert Harris
Birthday greeting, sending photographs home, food in Italy
1891 May 24 Edith Harris, Rome, Italy to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Living arrangements while in Italy, sightseeing

Folder 13 Correspondence June 1891

1891 June 28 Edith Harris, Munich, Germany to Lucy (Kimball) Harris

Folder 14 Correspondence July 1891

1891 July 5 Edith Harris, Munich, Germany to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Trees in Germany, visiting museums and gardens
1891 July 11 Edith Harris, Munich, Germany to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
1891 July 21 Edith Harris, Munich, Germany to Lucy (Kimball ) Harris
1891 July 26 Edith Harris, Munich, Germany to Mary Harris
Looking forward to returning home in September
1891 July 26 Edith Harris, Munich, Germany to Robert Harris
1891 July 30 Phillip [?] to Edith Harris
Poetry

Folder 15 Correspondence August 1891

1891 Aug. 13 [?] Robinson
Poetry
1891 Aug. 16 Edith Harris, Germany to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Birthday greetings, travel, and sightseeing
1891 Aug. 20 Georgia Stearns Harris to Edith Harris
Poetry
1891 Aug. 23 Caroline P. Gerrish to Edith Harris
1891 Aug. 27 Sophia C. McCarter to Edith Harris
Poetry

Folder 16 Correspondence September – October 1891

1891 Sept. 4 Caroline P. Gerrish to Edith Harris
Travel in Germany (Edith has now returned to Portsmouth)
1891 Sept. 10 Frances G. Davenport to Edith Harris
Poetry
1891 Sept. 10 Robert Harris, New York to Edith Harris
Travel expenses and family matters
1891 Sept. 21 Louisa --- to Sarah Kittredge, Haverhill
Travel in Germany
1891 Oct. 8 Alice R. Young to Edith Harris
Greetings from home
1891 Oct. 15 Marie [?] Bond to Edith Harris
Poetry
1891 Oct. 25 Robert Harris, New York to Edith and Mary Harris
Children and education (GAR)

Folder 17 Correspondence November – December 1891

1891 Nov. 19 Celia [?] Hobson to Edith Harris
Poetry
1891 Nov. 22 Unknown, Munich to Edith Harris
1891 Nov. 23 Unknown, Munich to Edith Harris
1891 Dec. 7 E.C. Stedman, New York to Mary Harris [MM]
1891 Dec 15 E.C. Stedman, New York to Capt. Thomas A. Harris [MM]
1891 Dec. 27 Caroline Gerrish, Munich to Sarah Kittredge
1891 Dec. 28 Jeanie --- to Unknown
[letter in German]
1891 Dec. 28 Caroline P. Gerrish, Munich to Edith Harris
1891 Emma Potter to Edith Harris
[illegible – written in German]

Folder 18 Correspondence January – February 1892

1892 Jan. 5 E.C. Stedman, New York to Capt. Harris [MM]
1892 Jan. 8 Caroline P. Gerrish, Munich to Sarah Kittredge
1892 Jan. 12 Unknown
[letter in German]
1892 Jan. 28 Robert Harris to Edith Harris and Mary Harris
Family history
1892 Feb. 11 Caroline P. Gerrish, Munich to Sarah Kittredge
1892 Feb. 14 Caroline P. Gerrish, Munich to Mary Harris
1892 Feb. 27 M.K. Kalopothakes, Athens, Greece to ?Edith Harris
Description of an attack on a Protestant church (mission) in Greece
1892 Feb. 28 Robert Harris, Brooklyn to Edith Harris [MM]

Folder 19 Correspondence March – December 1892

1892 March 6 John Pickard, Munich, Germany to M.K. Kalopothakes
Calling on the people of Portsmouth to help the Protestant missionary
cause that was attacked in Greece
1892 March 13 Caroline P. Gerrish, Muncih to Edith Harris
1892 June Caroline P. Gerrish, Munich to Edith Harris
1892 July 17 Theodore Harris, Boston to Edith Harris
1892 Aug. 13 Caroline P. Gerrish, London to Edith Harris
Travel and sightseeing
1892 Dec. 19 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris
1892 Dec. 28 M.K. Kalopothakes, Athens, Greece to ?Edith Harris
1892 Dec. 28 Invitation to the wedding of Emma Josephine Potter and Carleton Lewis
Brownson

Folder 20 Correspondence 1894

1893 Jan. 29 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris
Living arrangements in New York, daily activities, and family matters
1893 Jan. 29 Robert Harris, New York to Edith Harris
1893 Feb. 6 Katherine [?], Portsmouth to Mary Harris
From a child, wishing that Mary would begin to feel better
1893 April 7 Lucy (Kimball) Harris, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to Edith and Mary Harris
1893 April 21 Lucy (Kimball) Harris, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to Mary Harris
1893 April 22 Lucy (Kimball) Harris, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to Mary Harris
1893 April 23 Lucy (Kimball) Harris, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to Mary Harris
1893 April 25 Lucy (Kimball) Harris, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to Edith Harris
1893 April 30 Lucy (Kimball) Harris, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to Mary Harris
1893 May 21 Robert Harris, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania to Mary Harris
1893 Aug. 7 Lizzie H. Perry, Westminster Park, NY to Mary Harris
School friend of Mary Harris
1893 Aug. 22 Estella H. Lovering, Brooklyn to Mary Harris
1893 Dec. 17 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris

Folder 21 Correspondence 1894

1894 March 4 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris
1894 March 15 Death announcement for Isabella Ambrose Kennedy Moffat
1894 May 8 Lucy (Kimball) Harris, Providence to Mary Harris
Daily activities, including painting
1894 June 10 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris and Edith Harris
1894 June 21 Robert Harris, New York to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
1894 June 21 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris
1894 Dec. 16 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris
1894 Dec. 19 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris
Mary’s art

Folder 22 Correspondence 1895

1895 Theodore Harris, Boston to Edith Harris
1895 Jan. 15 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris
Calling on Louis C. Tiffany at his factory
1895 March 4 Unknown to Mary Harris
List of art supplies, including paper, charcoal, crayons, and pencils
1895 April 21 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris
1895 July 14 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris
1895 July 31 Unknown
1895 Sept. 20 Robert Harris, New York to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
1895 Sept. 22 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris [MM]
Unusually high temperatures
1895 Dec. 15 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris

Folder 23 Correspondence 1896

1896 Jan. 26 Robert Harris, New York to Edith Harris and Mary Harris [S550]
Daily activities while in New York
1896 March 22 Robert Harris, New York to Mary Harris
1896 April 10 Mary Harris, New York to Edith Harris and Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Visit to New York to see Robert Harris, travel and sightseeing
1896 April 10 Robert Harris, New York to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
1896 July 1 W.DH Washington, The Hydraulic Construction Company, New York to
Robert Harris
1896 Oct. 4 Mary Harris, New York to Edith Harris and Lucy (Kimball) Harris
1896 Oct. 6 Lucy (Kimball) Harris, Portsmouth to Mary Harris
1896 Oct. 6 Sarah Kittredge, Haverhill to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [MM]
Condolences after the death of Robert Harris
1896 Oct. 15 T.W. Snow to Lucy (Kimball) Harris
Death of Robert Harris and offering assistance in his affairs
1896 Nov. 18 Helen Thayer, Portsmouth to Mary Harris
Helen Thayer (wife of North Church minister) is offering condolences and
assistance after hearing about the passing of Robert Harris

Folder 24 Correspondence 1897-1909

1897 April 20 Frances Davenport, London to Edith Harris
1897 April 29 Theodore Harris to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [MM]
Financial matters
1900 Nov. 24 Unknown to Edith Harris [MM]
1901 April 23 P.R. Carleton to Edith Harris
1902 Dec. 29 P.R. Carleton to Edith Harris [MM]
1903 July 29 H. Hawgood [?], Los Angeles, California to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [MM]
Financial matters, perhaps a pension of Robert Harris
1905 Feb. 12 Lucy (Kimball) Harris to Mary Harris
Valentine greetings
1905 Feb. 17 Lucy (Kimball) Harris, Portsmouth to Mary Harris
Daily activities, including illness in Portsmouth, cooking, and looking for
a maid to hire, mentions the Tryon family, perhaps whom Mary is staying
with
1905 April 5 Lucy (Kimball) Harris, Portsmouth to Mary Harris
Hiring a maid for their Portsmouth home
1906 Jan. 12 Unknown
1907 Lucy (Kimball) Harris to Mary Harris
1907 March 3 Lucy (Kimball) Harris to Mary Harris
1909 May 25 Lucy (Kimball) Harris, Portsmouth to Mary Harris [MM]
Financial matters and decorating the Portsmouth house (painting and
plastering)
1909 Nov. 24 City Art Museum, St Louis, Missouri to Mary Harris
Regarding an invitation to come to Portsmouth

BOX 1A

Folder 1 Correspondence 1911-1930

1911 April 11 Mary Harris, Warwick, Bermuda to Edith Harris [S550]
Travel to Bermuda with Mary’s friend, Anne, including discussion of art
lessons and painting while in Bermuda
1911 April 2 Mary Harris, Warwick, Bermuda to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [S550]
Travel and sites in Bermuda with friend Anne
1911 June Unknown [MM]
Permission for Harriet McEwen Kimball to use the Missionary Processional
poems
1911 Sept.14 R.W. Johnson to Harriet McEwen Kimball [MM]
Permission to publish poems
1911 Oct. 11 Mary Harris to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [S550]
1911 Oct. 16 Mary Harris to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [S550]
1911 Oct. 20 Mary Harris to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [S550]
1911 Oct. 25 Little, Brown &Co. to Harriet McEwen Kimball [MM]
Agreement concerning publication of poetry
1911 Oct. 29 Mary Harris to Lucy (Kimball) Harris [S550]
1911 Nov. 17 Little, Brown & Co. to Harriet McEwen Kimball [MM]
Republication of Harriet’s book due to crooked margins
1912 Jan. 10 Little, Brown & Co. to Harriet McEwen Kimball [MM]
Agreement concerning publication of poetry
1912 Jan. 13 Eva Schmidt to Edith or Mary Harris
Mother has died, and she will no longer be able to take drawing lessons,
she will be moving to New York
1912 April 11 Frank W. Bayley, Boston to Mary Harris
Mary’s pictures have been placed on display at the Copley Gallery in Boston
1912 June 22 Harriet Joor, Ada, South Dakota to Mary Harris
Painting, cooking, surrounding in South Dakota
1912 Dec. 16 Mary Potter, Farmington, Connecticut to Edith or Mary Harris
1912 Palm Sunday Poem (author uncertain)
1913 April 5 Albert Getchell to Mary Harris
Getchell is a physician and letter discusses medical issues
1913 July 8 Young Women’s Christian Association of New York to Mary Harris
Regarding looking for a job as a designer
1913 Dec. 31 Catherine Stanley to Mary Harris [MM]
1915 Feb. 1 [?] Harris to [?]
1917 July 1 Walter Webb to Mary Harris [MM]
1917 Sept. 29 Lucy (Kimball) Harris to Josephine Fitts Prescott and Mary Elizabeth Prescott
Thanks for a gift apparently related to the town of Kensington
1921 Sept. 14 E. Irene Clark to Mary or Edith Harris [MM]
1922 Nov. 16 William Macbeth to Mary Harris
Regarding her subscription to Art Notes magazine
1929 June 4 Edith Harris, Portsmouth to Mary Harris
Death of Flinders [?], possibly a child living with the Harris family
1929 Dec. 11 Unknown, Old Orchard Beach, Maine
1930 Jan. 27 Edith L.G. Clark to Mary or Edith Harris [MM]
1933 June 15 W. Hinckle Smith (Bryn Mawr, PA) to G.S. Ramsburg (South Eliot, MA)
Request for plants sent by mail
1936 May 19 Doris Seiler (The Montclair Art Museum) to Mary Harris
Regarding scheduled of art exhibits

Folder 2 Undated Correspondence [MM]

Folder 3 Undated Correspondence and Fragments

Folder 4 Undated Correspondence and Fragments

Folder 5 Letter covers [MM]

Folder 6 Greeting cards

1921 Christmas Card Margaret and Lester Hornby
1922 Christmas Card Helen McCarthy
1923 Christmas Card Lucy (Kimball) Harris
1927 Christmas Card Emma C. Freman
Christmas Card Irma Kohn
Christmas Card Margaret and Lester Hornby
Christmas Card Margery, Daniel, and Edmund C. Tarbell
Christmas Card Pickard
Christmas Card S.G. Wentworth
Christmas Card Helen Thayer
Christmas Card unknown
Christmas Card unknown
Christmas Card unknown
Christmas Card [illegible] Ellma Todd [?]
Christmas Card Mr. and Mrs. Albert Nicholson Garrett
Easter Card Belle to Jessie
Easter Card from H.A.D.
Thanksgiving Card [illegible]

II. DIARIES AND BOUND VOLUMES

BOX 2

1858 Robert Harris journal (Boston)

1859 Robert Harris journal (Boston)

1860 Robert Harris journal

1863 Robert Harris journal (San Francisco)

1864 Robert Harris journal (San Francisco)

1865 Robert Harris journal

1872 Robert Harris journal

1873 Robert Harris journal (Michigan)

1877 Robert Harris journal

1878 Robert Harris journal

1879 Robert Harris journal

Undated Robert Harris embossed journal (blank)

1896 Mary Harris journal

1897 Mary Harris journal

1905-1906 Account Book

1913 Date book

1920 Date book

Undated Cashbook

Undated “The New Catechism”
Transcriptions of quotations and lessons

1908 Horace L. Rowe journal

III. PAMPHLETS

A. Journals

BOX 3

Folder 1 Journals American Magazine of Art – Art Digest

The American Magazine of Art, Vol. XV, No. 3, March 1924.

Art Digest, Vol. II, No. 13, April 1, 1928.

Art Digest, Vol. VII, No. 17, June 1, 1933.
Advertisements for art schools in New York.

Art Digest, Vol. XIII, No. 7, January 1, 1939.
Article about Robert Henri (teacher of the Harris girls).

Folder 2 Journals Art Notes

Art notes (Macbeth Gallery), No. 78, November 1923
Reference to Sclofield.
Art Notes (Macbeth Gallery), No. 85, June 1927.
Reference to Childe Hassam.

Art Notes (Macbeth Gallery), No. 87, November 1929.
Reference to Childe Hassam and Henri (p.1590).

Arts and Decoration, Vol. 2, No. 1, November 1911.
Reference to Robert Reed (paper cover by Harris).

El Palacio, Vol. XXIV, No. 25, June 23, 1928.
Article discusses Taos who had a connection with Harris friend and artist, Susan Ricker
Knox.

Folder 3 Journals Hunt

Hunt, William. Talk on Art, Second Series, Houghton Mifflin and Company, Boston, 1888.
Hunt was very involved at Isles of Shoals, which is where he died.

Folder 4 Journals International Studio

The International Studio, Vol. XXXIII, No. 131, January 1908.
Advertisements for china painting classes.

Folder 5 Journals Motif

Motif, A Magazine of the Three Arts, Vol. 2, No. 1, May 1923.
Poetry by Caroline Gerrish Pickard on page fourteen.

Folder 6 Journals Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin, Vol. XVII, No. 104, December 1919.

Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin, Vol. XVIII, No. 105, February 1920.

Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin, Vol. XIX, No. 116, December 1921.

Museum of Fine Arts, Bulletin of the, Vol. XXIV, No. 141, February 1926.

Museum of Fine Arts, Bulletin of the, Vol. XXVII, No. 165, February 1930.

Museum of Fine Arts, Bulletin of the, Vol. XXXIII, No. 199, October 1935.

Museum of Fine Arts, Bulletin of the, Vol. XXXIV, No. 201, February 1936.

Museum of Fine Arts, Bulletin of the, Vol. XXXIV, No. 205, October 1936.

Folder 7 Journals New England Magazine

The New England Magazine, Vol. VIII, No. 2, April 1893.
Articles reference artists with Piscataqua connections such as Edmund Tarbell and Benjamin
Kimball.

B. Exhibit Catalogs

BOX 3

Folder 8 Exhibit Catalogs American Painting

American Painting and Sculpture, 1932-1933, The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Folder 9 Exhibit Catalogs Catalog of Paintings

Catalog of Paintings by Joaquin Sorolla Y Bastida, February 8 to March 8, 1909, The Hispanic
Society of America.
Artists include those who influenced Portsmouth artist, Susan Ricker Knox.

Folder 10 Exhibit Catalogs Contemporary – Exhibitions

Contemporary American Painters, October 28 to December 9, 1928, The Corcoran Gallery,
Washington, D.C.

Exhibition of Oils, Water-Colors, Drawings and Prints by James McNeil Whistler, April 24 to
May 13, 1934, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Exhibition of Paintings, Water Colors, and Etchings by Frank Brangwyn, R.A., March 9 to
March 21, 1925, Robert C. Vose Galleries, Boston.

Exhibitions of Paintings and Pastels by Mary Cassatt, 1935, Durand-Ruel Galleries, New York.

Exhibitions for October 1931 at The Currier Gallery of Art, Manchester, NH.

Folder 11 Exhibit Catalogs Important – Pastels

An Important Exhibition of the Latest Works of Mary L. Macomber, March 3 to March 15, 1913,
Messrs. R.C. & N.M. Vose Gallery, Boston.

The Museum of Versailles Catalogue of the Paintings, Statues, and Artistic Decorations, 1877,
Paris.
Catalog during Harris European tour.

New York Society of Painters Annual Exhibition 1935, October 23 to November 5, 1935, Fine
Arts Building, New York.

Pastels of Flowers by Laura Coombs Hills, November to December 8, 1928, Copley Gallery.
Boston.
The Harris’s had paintings on display at the Copley Gallery.

Folder 12 Exhibit Catalogs Retrospective
Retrospective Exhibition of Important Works of John Singer Sargent, February 23 to March
22, 1924, Grand Central Art Galleries, New York.

Folder 13 Exhibit Catalogs Robert Henri

Robert Henri Memorial Exhibition, 1931, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Folder 14 Exhibit Catalogs Saint Gaudens – Twelfth

Saint Gaudens Memorial Exhibit, 1908, New York.

Third Annual Exhibition of the Piscataqua Sketch Club, August 21 to 24, 1895, Portsmouth,
NH.

The Twelfth Exhibition of Contemporary American Oil Paintings, November 30, 1930 to
January 11, 1931, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

C. Art Class Pamphlets

BOX 4

Folder 1

Cape Cod School of Art, Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Folder 2

Browne, George Elmer, The Browne Art Class, Provincetown, Massachusetts, 1928.
Edith Harris attended Browne’s classes.

Packer Collegiate Institute Alumni Bulletin

D. Articles

The following articles were bound in paper with Mary Aubin Harris written in ink at the top of the paper binding. Most of the articles do not have bibliographical information other than author and title.

BOX 4

Folder 3 Articles Balfour – Blashfield

Balfour, Arthur James, Thinking Dogs, with illustrations by Carton Moor-Park

Blashfield, Edwin Howland, Mural Painting in America

Folder 4 Articles Brinton

Brinton, Christian, German Painting of Today
Brinton, Christian, Jacques-Emile Blanche

Brinton, Christian, Russia’s Greatest Painter – Ilia Repin (Scribner’s Magazine, Vol. XL, No. 5,
November 1906).

Brinton, Christian, William Orpen, A New British Painter

Folder 5 Articles Cortissoz

Cortissoz, Royal, Abbey’s Last Mural Paintings (Scribner’s Magazine, Vol. LI, No. 1, January
1912).

Cortissoz, Royal, John S. Sargent (Scribner’s Magazine, Vol. XXXIV, No. 5, November 1903).

Folder 6 Articles Cox

Cox, Kenyon, American Art and the Metropolitan Museum

Cox, Kenyon, The Art of Winslow Homer

Cox, Kenyon, The Classic Spirit in Painting; Design; The Subject in Art

Cox, Kenyon, Hans Holbein

Folder 7 Articles Daingerfield – King

Daingerfield, Elliott, George Inness

Eaton, Walter Pichard, Rivers

Fowler, Frank, The Portraiture of Ingres (Scribner’s Magazine, Vol. XLV, No. 6, June 1909).

Halsey, R.T.H., Malbone and His Miniatures

Keppel, Frederick, Piranesi, Etcher and Architect

King, Pauline, Abbott H. Thayer – His Paintings

Folder 8 Articles Levy – Page

Levy, Clifton Harby, James Tissot and His Work

Lucas, Edward Verall, Vermeer of Delft

Marquand, Allan, A Search for Della Robbia Monuments in Italy

Morton, Rosalie Slaughter, A Buried Civilization of Ceylon Polonnarua and Dambulla

Page, Thomas Nelson, The Stable of the Inn (Scribner’s Magazine, Vol. LII, No. 6, December
1912).
References to Zorn.

Folder 9 Articles Smith – Whelpley

Smith, F. Hopkinson, The Man in the High-Water Boots (Scribner’s Magazine, Vol. XLI, No. 6,
June 1907).

Urrabieta, Daniel Vierge, The Father of Modern Illustration

Walton, William, An Alliance of Architecture and Sculpture

Walton, William, Eastman Johnson, Painter

Weitenkampf, Frank, Some Women Etchers
Importance reference for female etchers.

Whelpley, James Davenport, The Commercial Strength of Great Britain (The Century Magazine,
Vol. LXXXII, No. 2, June 1911).

Folder 10 Articles [No author]

A Decorative Painting by Robert Blum (Scribner’s Magazine, Vol. XIX, No. 1, January 1896).

The Field of Art

A Painter of Men and Ideas

Thomas Couture (The Century Magazine, Vol. XLIV, No. 1, May 1892).

E. Miscellaneous and Fragments

BOX 4

Folder 11 Miscellaneous

Dow, Arthur W., Composition, Baker and Taylor, New York, 1900.
Art instruction book, inscription for Mary Harris.

Folder 12 Miscellaneous

Elder, Paul, Happiness, Paul Elder and Company, San Francisco, 1903.

Examples of Modern Tendencies

George Grey Barnard’s Cloisters, April 29, 1915.

Weir, Irene, Great Artists, The Perry Pictures Company, Boston, 1898.

Whistler, J. McNeil, Ten O’Clock, New York, ca. 1885.

Folders 13 and 14 Fragments

Article fragments, including Frank W. Benson, Henri, Carl N. Werntz, and Ignacio Zuloaga
(influenced Susan Ricker Knox).

Review Club book sign out sheet, including numerous Portsmouth names.

Typed lists of books and paintings.

IV. School Papers and Artwork

BOX 4

Folder 15 School Papers Ledger

Folder 16 School Papers Poetry and essays (loose materials)

Folder 17 School Papers Miscellaneous and fragments

BOX 5

Folders 1, 2, and 3 Artwork

Sketches, primarily of people
*See also oversized box.

V. Robert Harris

BOX 5

Folder 4 Robert Harris

Materials related to Robert Harris and his career as an engineer, including a great deal of biographical information.