Charles Over Cornelius papers, 1921-1932

Summary Information

Abstract

Charles Over Cornelius (1890-1937) was an Amerian architect who served as the Associate Curator of American Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1925-1931. The bulk of his papers are photographs, postcards and glass negatives of houses and furniture, some of which Cornelius used in his writings or for restoring colonial or pre-Civil War properties for clients.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is made up of two series:

• Series I: Professional Papers
• Series II: Personal Papers

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Description

Scope and Content

The Charles Over Cornelius papers are in two series. Series I documents his professional life as an architect and associate curator of American Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Series II is made up of personal papers. Much of the material is undated, although some catalogs and correspondence are dated 1931-1932, around the time he resigned from The Met in February of 1931. The professional folders include manuscripts of his first book, "Furniture Masterpieces of Duncan Phyfe," and more writings on Phyfe that were possibly used in the exhibition and the catalog. There are architectural drawings from an alteration and a restoration project that Cornelius worked on. There are a few pages of notes in several of his mostly blank, pocket-sized notebooks. The bulk of his papers are photographs, postcards and glass negatives of houses and furniture, some of which he used in his books and others for restoring colonial or pre-Civil War properties for his clients. There are vendor communications and invoices that dealt with his restoration work. In his personal papers, there are almost 90 letters from his sister, mother, and brother-in-law sent mostly between 1921 and 1930.

The Cornelius papers were separated from the donated papers of Arthur C. and Mariam Y. Holden. Arthur C. Holden was a principal in the architectural firm of Holden, McLaughlin & Associates where Cornelius was an architect in the latter part of his career.

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Using the Collection

Access Restrictions

 The bulk of this collection is stored in Columbia University Libraries' off-site storage facility. Materials will be recalled by request. This collection is available for use by appointment in the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. For further information and to make an appointment, please call (212) 854-4110 or email avery-drawings@libraries.cul.columbia.edu.

Restrictions on Use

Columbia University is providing access to the materials in the Library's collections solely for noncommercial educational and research purposes. The unauthorized use, including, but not limited to, publication of the materials without the prior written permission of Columbia University is strictly prohibited. All inquiries regarding permission to publish should be submitted in writing to the Director, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. For additional guidance, see Columbia University Libraries' publication policy.

In addition to permission from Columbia University, permission of the copyright owner (if not Columbia University) and/or any holder of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) may also be required for reproduction, publication, distributions, and other uses. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of any item and securing any necessary permissions rests with the persons desiring to publish the item. Columbia University makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the materials or their fitness for a particular purpose.

Preferred Citation

Charles Over Cornelius papers, 1921-1932, Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.

For Further Information

For more information about using the collections and conducting research in the Department of Drawings & Archives, please see our FAQ.

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About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries. Avery Architecture and Fine Arts Library. Department of Drawings and Archives; machine readable finding aid created by Columbia University Libraries Digital Library Program Division

Processing Information

This collection was processed by R. Brenessa Rovere (Library Intern) under the supervision of Shelley Hayreh, Avery Archivist, in 2012.

Machine readable finding aid generated from MARC-AMC source via XSLT conversion December 18, 2012 Finding aid written in English.

2012-12-18 File created.

CLIO ID: 10077696 View CLIO record

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Index Terms

The names and terms listed below are represented in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a consortial/union catalog offered by OCLC that allows users to search the holdings of multiple archives and libraries.

All links open new windows.

Subjects

Heading	CUL Archives: Portal	CUL Collections: CLIO	Nat'l / Int'l Archives: ArchiveGRID

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.).--American Wing.

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CLIO

ArchiveGRID

Phyfe, Duncan, 1768-1854.

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CLIO

ArchiveGRID

Architecture--Conservation and restoration.

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CLIO

ArchiveGRID

Decoration and ornament.

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CLIO

ArchiveGRID

Interior decoration--United States.

Portal

CLIO

ArchiveGRID

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History / Biographical Note

History

Charles Over Cornelius (1890-1937) was born in Sewickley, PA and died in Irvington-on Hudson, NY. Cornelius received his B.A. from Princeton in 1913, and his B.S. from MIT in 1916. That same year, he entered the architectural practice of Frank A. Colby in New York. In 1917, he was hired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and became an Assistant Curator in the Department of Decorative Arts in 1918. In 1925, he was appointed Associate Curator of American Art. While at The Met, he consulted with clients on their private collections. He resigned from The Met in February, 1931, and around that time was an associate in the architectural practice of Holden, McLaughlin & Associates in New York.

In 1922, he curated "Furniture from the Workshop of Duncan Phyfe," the first exhibit at The Met devoted to one cabinetmaker. For the exhibit, Cornelius wrote "Furniture Masterpieces of Duncan Phyfe." In 1924, R. T. H. Halsey and Cornelius wrote, "A Handbook of the American Wing," a publication of The Met about the American Wing building which is devoted entirely to American art of the colonial, revolutionary, and early republican periods. In 1926, Cornelius wrote, "Early American Furniture," and contribute to, "Mahogany, Antique and Modern: a Study of its History and Use in the Decorative Arts."

Among Cornelius's known architectural projects includes the renovation of Dey House in Wayne, NJ, which served as Washington's headquarters during 1780. Prior to that project, he received the commission to design a library at Blair House in Washington, D.C. in 1920.

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