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Arents Christmas Card Collection

A description of the collection at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Arents, George, 1875-1960.
Title: Arents Christmas Card Collection
Inclusive Dates: 1891-1974
Quantity: 2.25 linear ft.
Abstract: Collection of Christmas cards accumulated by George and Lena Arents, featuring notable figures from American arts and letters.
Language: English
Repository: Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

George Arents, Jr. (1875-1960) was an American businessman. He studied at Columbia University and received his master's degree from Syracuse University at the age of 57. His father and great-uncle were founders of the Allen & Ginter Tobacco Company, which later became the American Tobacco Company. In 1922 Arents became a director of the American Tobacco Company and from 1924 he was the treasurer of both the American Machine and Foundry and International Cigar Machinery. He was also a collector of books and other published material relating to tobacco. He and his wife Lena made substantial gifts to Syracuse University; in recognition of their generosity, the department of rare books and special collections at Bird Library was for many years known as the George Arents Research Library.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Arents Christmas Card Collection consists of an extensive collection of Christmas cards, most featuring important figures from American letters, sent by and to George and Lena Arents. Subjects include Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Algernon Swinburne, Gertrude Stein, Charles Dickens, and Henry David Thoreau. In some cases, the designer, typographer, and/or printer are given.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Subdivided into those sent by the Arentses and those sent to them. Within each series, items are arranged chronologically.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Arents, George, 1875-1960.
Arents, Lena.

Subjects

Authors, American.
Christmas cards -- Collectors and collecting.
Christmas cards -- Specimens.
Poets, American.

Genres and Forms

Christmas cards.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Arents Christmas Card Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of George and Lena Arents.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MRC
Date: 8 Nov 2010
Revision history: 30 Jan 2017 - minor corrections to box numbers and quantities (MRC); 10 Jan 2019 - added related material links (MRC)

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Inventory

Sent by the Arentses
Box 1 E. B. Browning, letter to Napoleon III re. Victor Hugo 1932 (2 copies)
Box 1 Edward Fitzgerald, "A Country Carol" 1937
Box 1 Dickens, Three Passages 1938? (5 copies)
Box 1 Longfellow, "The Arrow and the Song" 1939? (2 copies)
Box 1 Oliver Wendell Holmes, "Army Hymn" 1940 (5 copies)
Box 1 Story of the Hymn "America" 1941 (6 copies)
Box 1 Gibbons, "We Are Coming Father Abraham" 1942 (6 copies)
Box 1 Field, "How the Good Knight Attended upon... 1943 (5 copies)
Box 1 Samuel Fillmore Bennett, "The Sweet By and By" 1944 (6 copies)
Box 1 Field, "A Song of the Christmas Wind" 1945 (7 copies)
Box 1 Swinburne, "A New Year's Message to Joseph Mazziki" 1946
Box 1 Chesterton, "A Christmas Song for Three Guilds" 1947 (5 copies)
Box 2 Charles Norman, "A Season's Garland" 1948 (6 copies)
Box 2 Southwell, "The Nativity of Christ" 1949 (4 copies)
Box 2 Swinburne, "In Church" 1950 (2 copies)
Box 2 Swinburne "Beyond Church" 1951
Box 2 Jones, "From Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus" 1952 (5 copies)
Box 2 Henry van Dyke, "The Christmas Angel" 1953 (5 copies)
Box 2 Greenaway, A Christmas Letter 1954 (4 copies)
Box 2 Ben Buckhurst Chronicle, 1865 1955 (6 copies)
Box 2 Robert Cruikshank, Scenes from the Bible 1956
Box 2 Samuel McChord Crothers, "Miss Muffet's Christmas Party" 1957 (3 copies)
Box 2 Phillips Brooks, "A Christmas Carol" 1958 (7 copies)
Box 2 Christmas in the Days of Good Queen Bess 1959 (4 copies)
Sent by others
Box 3 Crothers, S.M. Miss Muffett's Christmas Party 1891
printed by Banning Press (St. Paul)
Box 3 Richmond, Grace. On Christmas Day in the Morning 1908
printed by Doubleday, Paige
Box 3 Calkins. E. On the Technique of Being Deaf. 1923
sent by Calkins, E.; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 3 "The Oriental and Captain Palmer" 1925
sent by Budd, Ralph; printed by McGill-Warner (St .Paul)
Box 3 Christmas Has Come Back Again 1925 (2 copies)
sent by Marchbanks; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 2 Wells, Gabriel, "Life Eternal" 1925
sent by Weiss, J.; designer/typographer Rogers, Bruce; printed by Rudge, William Edwin
Box 3 Morris, C, "The Toper's Apology" 1926 (2 copies)
sent by Marchbanks; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 3 Broun, Heywood, "A Shepherd" 1926
sent by Nelson, G.
Box 3 Wells, Gabriel, "Life Temporal" 1926
sent by Weiss, J.; designer/typographer Rogers, Bruce; printed by Rudge, William Edwin
Box 3 Holiday Greetings and Good Wishes 1927
sent by Marchbanks; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 3 Klitgaard, Kaj. Map of the Holy Land 1927
sent by Rudge, E; printed by Rudge, William Edwin
Box 3 Wells, Gabriel, "These Three," 1927
sent by Weiss, J.; designer/typographer Rogers, Bruce; printed by Rudge, William Edwin
Box 3 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 1930
sent by Marchbanks; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 3 "The Christmas Spirit" 1930
sent by Newton, A.E.; printed by Newton
Box 3 Hal Marchbanks Wishes You Chreeful Holidays 1931
sent by Marchbanks; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 3 "A Thomas Hardy Memorial" 1931
sent by Newton, A.E.; printed by Newton
Box 3 Ascot. 1933
sent by Newton, A.E.; printed by Newton
Box 3 Staffordshire 1935
sent by Newton, A.E.; printed by Newton
Box 3 "My Library" 1936
sent by Cheever, L; designer/typographer Rogers, Bruce; printed by Prairie Press
Box 3 "Pope, Poetry and Portrait" 1936
sent by Newton, A.E.; printed by Newton
Box 3 "A Book Collector? How Come? 1937
sent by Cheever, L; printed by Prairie Press
Box 3 De La Mare, W, "A Poem" 1937
sent by J, N?
Box 3 Moore, C, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" 1937
sent by Rendel, W; designer/typographer Gentry, Helen; printed by Rudge, William Edwin
Box 3 Warde,B.L, "The Shelter in Bedlam" 1937
sent by Warde, B.L.; printed by Clark, R.& R. Edinburgh
Box 3 "Schnitzelbank . . . Sketches by Fritz Kredel" 1938
sent by Cary, Melbert; designer/typographer Van Vechten, George; printed by Wooly Whale
Box 3 Baring-Gould, S, "Three Kings Rode from the Orient Land" 1938
sent by Drake, James; printed by Rudge, William E. Sons
Box 3 Jones, Dan Burne, "The Least of These," "The Eerie Incident" 1938
sent by Jones, Dan; designer/typographer Forgue, Norman W.; printed by Black Cat
Box 4 "George Dyer" 1938
sent by Newton, A.E.; printed by Newton
Box 4 "Like Unto . . " 1939
sent by Kraft, James L.
Box 4 "An Eighteenth Century Greeting . . . Thomas Bewick 1940
sent by Diamond, E; designer/typographer Diamond, Edouard; printed by Hyacinth Press
Box 4 Horace, "'The Country, That's the Place to Live!'" 1940
sent by Macy, George; designer/typographer Macy, Helen; printed by Walpole Printing
Box 4 Shapiro, "Christmas Tree" 1940
sent by Shapiro, Karl; printed by Hallmark
Box 4 Roosevelt, Eleanor, "Christmas, " Illus. Fritz Kredel. 1940
Box 4 "Allegory" 1941
sent by Vander Poel
Box 4 Winterich, John T, "Clio and My Aunt Bertha" 1942
sent by Marchbanks; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 4 "A Christmas Letter: Witches and Warlocks" 1943
sent by Biddle, Moncure; designer/typographer Gutekunst, Joseph; printed by Buchanan, George H.
Box 4 "Four Connecticut Wood Engravings" 1943
sent by Diamond, E; designer/typographer Diamond, Edouard; printed by Hyacinth Press
Box 4 Glover, Florida, "The First Christmas, " Illus. Susanne Suba 1943
designer/typographer Suba, Susanne; printed by Dutton
Box 4 "A Chrismas Letter: Jacques Callot 1944
sent by Biddle, Moncure; designer/typographer Gutekunst, Joseph; printed by Buchanan, George H.
Box 4 Moore, C. "The Night Before Christmas and The Night After Christmas" 1944
sent by Diamond, E.; designer/typographer Diamond, Edouard; printed by Hyacinth Press
Box 4 Christmas Greetings ("Collection of Other Men's Christmases") 1944
sent by Richey, F.O.
Box 4 Thoreau, "A Pig Tale" 1947
sent by Rogers, Bruce; designer/typographer Rogers, Bruce; printed by Rogers, Bruce
Box 4 Longfellow, "The Building of the Ship, " Engrv. Will Simmons 1948
sent by Diamond, E
Box 4 "Our Lady's Juggler, " Illus. Raymond Lufkin. 1951
sent by Lufkin, Raymond
Box 4 "Is There a Santa Claus?" 1952
sent by Diamond, E; designer/typographer Diamond, Edouard; printed by Hyacinth Press
Box 4 "Casey at the Bat" 1955
sent by Meyers, Eddie; designer/typographer Weiler, Joseph Francis; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 4 "Christmas Is Coming, " Illus. Lucina Wakefield. 1955
sent by Weiler, Betty; designer/typographer Weiler, Joseph Francis; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 4 Slaughter, L, "The New Northwest, " Orig. 1874. 1956
sent by Beineke, F.; printed by Yale University Press
Box 4 Van Dyke, Henry, "Who Owns the Mountains?" 1956 (4 copies)
sent by Wylie, Porter; designer/typographer Weiler, Joseph Francis; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 4 "Wonderful Narrative of Lieutenant Harrison" 1957
sent by Beineke, F.; printed by Yale University Press?
Box 4 Grayson, David, "A Day of Pleasant Bread" 1957 (2 copies)
sent by Weiler, Joseph; designer/typographer Weiler, Joseph Francis; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 5 "The 51st Chaper of Genesis: A Parable against Persecution" 1958 (2 copies)
sent by Duschnes, Phil
Box 5 "Th: Nast: The Man Who Made Santa Claus" 1958 (2 copies)
sent by Weiler, Joseph; designer/typographer Weiler, Joseph Francis; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 5 "Father Balthasar Visits the Sinaloa Missions, 1744-1745" 1959
sent by Beineke, F.
Box 5 Gould, John, "Ye Olde Fashioned Yule . . " 1959
sent by Wylie, Porter; designer/typographer Weiler, Joseph Francis; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 5 "'Old Rough and Ready' Speaks His Mind" 1960
sent by Beineke, F.; designer/typographer Rollins, Carl Purington; printed by Yale University Press
Box 5 Anthony, Edward, "A Firm Stand on Santa Claus" 1960 (2 copies)
sent by Marchbanks; designer/typographer Bernfried, Joseph; printed by Marchbanks Press
Box 5 Jefferson, Thomas, "The Education of an Explorer . . " 1961
sent by Beineke, F.; designer/typographer Rollins, Carl Purington; printed by Yale University Press
Box 5 Sandoz, Mari, "The Far Looker" 1962 (2 copies)
designer/typographer Sindin, Nedda; printed by Buffalo Head Press/James Carr
Box 5 "I Hear the Hogs in My Kitchen" 1962
sent by Beineke, F.; designer/typographer Rollins, Carl Purington; printed by Yale University Press
Box 5 Rand, Christopher, "The Holy Land at Christmastime" 1963
designer/typographer Begg, John; printed by Oxford UP/ Marbridge Printing
Box 5 Noel 1963 (to Wayne Yenawine) 1963
sent by Charlots, The
Box 4 Painting/print collage; poem by St. Francis 1963
sent by Neagoe, Anna; designer/typographer Neagoe, Anna
Box 5 Kennedy, J.F, "The Place of the Artist in Society" 1964
sent by Blumenthal, J.; printed by Spiral Press
Box 5 Shillito, Charles, "The Country Book-Club. A Poem" 1964
sent by Hall, G.K. ; printed by Stinehour Press/Meriden
Box 5 Heckscher, August, "A Plea for Books" 1966
sent by Blumenthal, J.; printed by Spiral Press
Box 5 Decker, Peter, "Westering into Ireland" 1967
sent by Patterson, Jerry
Box 5 Decker, Peter, "Westering into Scotland" 1968
sent by Patterson, Jerry
Box 5 Anonymous Greek fragment. 1970
sent by Walker, Ralph
Box 5 "Person & Place: A Canadian Garland" 1974
sent by Hall, G.K. ; printed by Stinehour Press/Meriden
Box 5 The Season's Greetings undated
sent by Angelo, Valenti; designer/typographer Angelo, Valenti
Box 5 Stein, Gertrud, "A Christmas Greeting" undated
sent by Sans Souci Pr; designer/typographer Ferguson, William; printed by Sans Souci/Willliam Young
Box 5 Season's Greetings "Little Iddens" undated
sent by Cohn, Marguerite

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