Collection inventory

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Table of Contents

Overview of the Collection

Organization History

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Arrangement of the Collection

Restrictions

Subject and Genre Headings

Related Material

Administrative Information

Inventory

1875-1900

1900-1925

1925-1950

1950-1975

1975-2000

2000-2025

Membership letters

Memorabilia

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Portfolio Club Records

An inventory of its records at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection
Creator: Portfolio Club (Syracuse, N.Y.)
Title: Portfolio Club Records
Inclusive Dates: 1875-2023
Quantity: 20 linear ft.
Abstract: Official records, historical files (clippings, correspondence); and publications, including programs and commemorative literature which documents the history of the organization. Official records include constitution and by-laws, minutes of meetings, etc.
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

Organization History

The Portfolio Club is a women's organization that was founded in 1875 in Syracuse, New York.

"...Women had little opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with other women except for an occasional tea, sewing group or church gathering.
"Responding to the plight of women in her day, Mary Dana Hicks, an art teacher in the Syracuse City Schools, attended a women's congress in 1875. Miss Hicks and her young art students were impressed by the speeches of such leading feminists as Mary Livermore, Mary Redfield Bagg, and Julia Ward Howe.
"Most impressive...was the appeal for women to organize into club groups and pursue whatever study or cause they considered important.
"Shortly after … a group of nine young high school girls met in October, 1875 … and formed a sketching club. The Portfolio Club, as it was called, was said to be one of the first women's clubs in Syracuse and one of the first in the nation. Although it was called the Portfolio Club because of the original study of art, it became more of a general interest club. Topics for study are assigned by the club president each year."
(Patricia Corbett, Syracuse Herald Journal, September 26, 1975)

Consisting of about 30 members, the club meets regularly from the first Monday in October to the second Monday in April. Each year new members are recommended and their admission to the club is voted upon by the current membership. Occasionally honorary members have also been selected. Club meetings are held at the homes of members or at local venues. A general topic, chosen by the President at the beginning of the program season, is broken down into a specific assignment for members to research and present on a designated date. Ranging over broad fields of interest, yearly topics have covered economics, religion, world culture, music, art, and science. Often characterized by inventive graphic design, which reflects the changing topics through decades of meeting seasons, programs document the club's officers and membership as well as the meeting schedules and their venues. The club is still active.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Portfolio Club Records comprises the historical files of the Syracuse, New York women's club. Beginning with the 1888-1889 program year, the meetings of the Portfolio Club have centered around an annual theme.

Arranged chronologically, the collection consists of the Club's incorporation papers, constitution and by-laws, clippings, correspondence, examination questions, memorial tributes, minutes, notes on lectures, annual programs, photographs, and some published material relating to the Club's history. Early minutes from the 1875 to 1884 are not among the Portfolio Club Records.

Membership letters contains nomination letters, resignation letters, and requests for change to Associate Member status.

Memorabilia includes historical items and memorabilia related to the club but not part of the official records: photographs, clippings, material generated for an exhibit on the Portfolio Club in 2008, obituaries and memorial tributes, and so on.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Material is arranged in chronological order, apart from the supplemental material which is arranged alphabetically.

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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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Related Material

The 8mm film has been digitized.

See also the Ida H. Bond Papers (Ida Bond was a club member for many years in the early 1900s) and the Polly Koerner Papers (Polly was a member in the 1980s-2000s).

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Subject Headings

Corporate Bodies

Portfolio Club (Syracuse, N.Y.)

Subjects

Women -- New York (State) -- Syracuse.
Women -- Non-formal education.
Women -- Societies and clubs.

Places

Syracuse (N.Y.) -- History.
Syracuse (N.Y.) -- Intellectual life.
Syracuse (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs.

Genres and Forms

8mm (photographic film size)
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Essays.
Film reels.
Minutes (administrative records)
Photographs.
Programs (documents)
Sound recordings.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Portfolio Club Records,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Portfolio Club and various club members.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: PRB
Date: April 1999
Revision history: Mar 2004 - unspecified revisions (-); 2 Nov 2005 - EAD file created (MRR); 20 Nov 2006 - minor corrections (MRC); 28 May 2008 - additions (MRC); Jul 2009 - Bond, exhibit additions (MRC); Jul 2012 - additions to 2011 (MRC); 16 Sep 2013 - additions (MRC); 10 Sep 2014 - additions (MRC); 9 Aug 2017 - material from past two seasons, historical items, memorabilia, presidents' agendas in numerous years, etc. (MRC); Feb 2019 - additions for 2017-2018 season (MRC); Jul 2023 - additions for 2018-2022 seasons, and to memorabilia (MRC); Mar 2024 - additions for 2022-2023 season and a few items of memorabilia (MRC)

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Inventory

Note on alternate formats:

The 8mm film has been digitized.

1875-1900
Box 1 1878
Certificate of incorporation (original and photocopy)
Box 1 1883
Examination questions
Financial records and publicity for lecture by Francis Seymour Hayden, January 25, 1883
Box 1 1884-1885
Correspondence
Examination questions
Box 1 1884-1885,1890-1891
Lecture notes (Louise A. Stearns)
Box 1 1884-1886
Lecture notes (Mary E. Duguid)
Box 1 1887
Fire insurance policy
Box 1 1887-1890
Lecture notes and records of dues paid
Box 1 1888-1891
Lecture notes (Mary F. Hasbrouck)
Box 1 1888-1889 Russia
Clippings
Examination questions
Box 1 1889-1890 French History
Examination questions
Program booklet
Box 1 1890-1891 Spain
Program booklet
Box 1 1891-1892 North America
Program booklet
Box 1 1892-1893 England
Program booklet
Box 1 1893-1894 Studies in the History and Literature of Scotland
Examination questions
Program booklet
Box 1 1894-1895 Rambles and Sketches in Holland
Program booklet
Box 1 1895-1896 Under Our Own Root Tree - A Century of American Living and Thinking
Minutes of meetings with clippings
Program booklet
Box 2 1896
Afternoons with Ceramics by Francis Hopkins Hooker
Copyright certificate for Afternoons with Ceramics
Box 2 1896-1897 Foot-Prints of the Old Masters
Program booklet
Box 2 1897-1898 Nineteenth Century in Profile
Correspondence
Program booklet
Box 2 1898 (?) "A New Chapter in American History," author unknown
Box 2 1898-1899 Hellenic Gleanings
Program booklet
Box 2 1899-1900 The Sunrise Empire: Japan
Program booklet
1900-1925
See also the Ida Bond Papers (1900-1928); Ida Bond was a member of the Portfolio Club for many years.
Box 2 1900-1901 Popular Questions of the Day
Program booklet
Box 2 1901 (?) Notes on the history of the Portfolio Club (Helen Hudson Hood)
Box 2 1901-1902 Lines of Thought in the Victorian Era
Program booklet
Box 3 1902-1903 India of Today
Program booklet
Box 3 1903-1904 Round the World Tour
Annual report
Program booklet
Box 3 1904-1905 Germany in the Nineteenth Century
Examination questions
Program booklet
Box 3 1905-1906 Woman in History, Literature, and Art
Program booklet
Box 3 1906-1907 The Empire State
Program booklet
Box 3 1907-1908 New York: Sights and Insights
Program booklet
Box 3 1908-1909 Present Day Problems
Program booklet
Box 3 1909-1910 Canada
Program booklet
Box 3 1910-1911 The South
Program booklet
Box 3 1911-1912 American Republics South of the United States
Program booklet
Box 4 1912-1913 Egypt and Civic Problems of Today
Program booklet
Box 4 1913-1914 The Bible: The World's Greatest Classic
Program booklet
Box 4 1914-1915 Epochs and Epoch Makers of Christianity
Program booklet
Box 4 1915-1916 Great American Achievements
Program booklet
Box 4 1916-1917 The Development of International Relations of Europe
Program booklet
Box 4 1917-1918 Westward Ho!
Program booklet
Box 4 1918-1919 American Art Museums
Correspondence
Program booklet
Box 4 1919-1920 New Problems in Democracy
Program booklet
Box 4 1920-1921 Greater New York
Program booklet
Box 4 1921-1922 A Study in Health
Program booklet
Box 4 1922-1923 Glimpses into Many Lands through Travel, Literature, and History
Program booklet
Box 4 1923-1924 China and the Chinese
Program booklet
Box 4 1924-1925 Survey of a Quarter Century
Program booklet
1925-1950
Box 5 1925-1926 Yesterday and Today: A Year of Retrospect and Outlook
Correspondence
Program booklet
Box 5 1926 The Portfolio Club: Our Fifty Years 1875-1925
Box 5 1926-1927 Contemporary Literature
Program booklet
Box 5 1927-1928 Italian Art with Kindred Subjects
Memorial tribute "To Mrs. Mary Dana Hicks Prang" by Grace A. Johnson
Program booklet
Box 5 1928-1929 The Romance of Rivers
Program booklet
Box 5 1929-1930 Leaders of American Thought
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 5 1930-1931 Our Heritage: A Study of Early American History in Relation to Present-day Problems
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 5 1931-1932 What Price Progress: A Study of Current American Problems
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 5 1932-1933 What Men Live By
Clippings
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 5 1933-1934 This New Leisure
Correspondence
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 6 1934-1935 Africa in the Twentieth Century
Clippings
Correspondence
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 6 1935-1936 Journeys on the Hobby Horse
See also Portfolio 60th Birthday Party [home movie].
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Portfolio 60th Birthday Party [home movie] film overview and 35mm negatives
Box 6 1936-1937 These United States: Foundations and Functions of Government with Allied Subjects
Correspondence
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 6 1937-1938 Mankind Fares as the Pioneer Dares
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 6 1938-1939 The Development of the English Novel
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 6 1939-1940 American Exports
Minutes of meetings
Photograph "Portfolio Club Christmas Play" (1939) by Preston Mitchell
Program booklet
Box 7 1940-1941 New Horizons in Living
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 7 1941-1942 Western Hemisphere
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 7 1942-1943 The Constant Goal
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 7 1943-1944 Peace-Times in War-Times
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 7 1944-1945 Golden Ages in the Development of Our Country
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 7 1945 The Portfolio Club: Our Ten Years 1935-1945 by Louise K. French
Box 7 1945-1946 Russia - 'The Great Fact'
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 7 1946-1947 China
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 7 1947-1948 Significant Trends in American Life and Thought
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 7 1948-1949 Music Hath Charms
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 7 1949-1950 Let Freedom Ring
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
1950-1975
Box 7 1950-1951 This Is Our Century, What Shall We Make of It?
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 7 1951-1952 The International Pattern
Annual report
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 7 1952-1953 The American Woman: The Feminine Side of a Masculine Civilization
Annual report
Clippings
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 8 1953-1954 The World Around Us
Correspondence
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 8 1954-1955 Great Books
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 8 1955-1956 Men of Religion
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 8 1956-1957 The Theatre - A Living Art
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 8 1957-1958 The Flowering of Our Prose Masters: A Literary Renaissance
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 8 1958-1959 The Indians of the Americas
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 8 1959-1960 Profiles of Our Present Day Janus
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 8 1960-1961 Africa in the Modern World
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 8 1961-1962 The World Within: A Study of Human Personality
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 8 1962-1963 What Is Art?
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 8 1963-1964 Italy
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 8 1964-1965 Saints & Sinners
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 9 1965-1966 The Opera... A Mirror of Its Time
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 9 1966-1967 A Potpourri of Art Forms
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 9 1967-1968 Classical Greece - Our Heritage
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 9 1968-1996 Financial records
Box 9 1968-1969 Some Enchanted Islands
Correspondence
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 9 1969-1970 Communication: The Most Important Business of Man and Beast
Minutes of meetings (incomplete)
Program booklet
Box 9 1970-1971 Change in the Twentieth Century or Questions Portfolians Ask in a Turbulent Period of History
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 9 1971-1972 The Restless Emerald
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Box 9 1972-1973 New York - Our State: People, Places, and Happenings of Interest to Its History
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Program presentations: Feb. 19 - "Pioneer Years of Syracuse University"
Box 9 1973-1974 Israel
Program booklet
Minutes of meetings, president's agendas
Correspondence
Program presentations: Feb. 18 - "Economic, Cultural, and Governmental Achievements of Israel"
Box 9 1974-1975 Portfolio: Retrospect and Expectation
President's agendas, annual report
Minutes of meetings
Photograph
Program booklet
Box 10 1975 One Hundredth Birthday Party
Clippings
Correspondence
Guest book
"Portfolio Club: A Goodly Heritage 1875-1975"
Program booklet
1975-2000
Box 10 1975-1976 Parapsychology
Program booklet
Minutes of meetings, annual report
Correspondence
Box 10 1976-1977 People Make the Difference
Minutes of meetings
Program booklet
Program presentations: Feb. 28 - "Mary McLeod Bethune"
Box 10 1977-1978 Ethnicity in America - The Challenge of Diversity
Program booklet
Minutes of meetings, annual report
Correspondence
Box 10 1978-1979 Humor in American Literature: The Most Elusive of the Arts
Program booklet
Minutes of meetings
Box 10 1979-1980 Contemporary American Religious Movements: New Vessels for the Ancient Wisdom
Program booklet, president's introduction
Minutes of meetings
Correspondence
Program presentations: Mar. 17 - "Unification Church"
Box 10 1980-1981 Profiles of the Oriental Mind: China and Japan
Program booklet, president's introduction
Minutes of meetings, annual report
Correspondence
Box 11 1981-1982 Around the World in Eighty Ways
Program booklet
Minutes of meetings
Correspondence
Box 11 1982-1983 The Political History of Canada Seen through the Lives of Its Prime Ministers
Program booklet, president's introduction
Minutes of meetings
Correspondence
Notes
Oversize 2 1982-1983 The Political History of Canada Seen through the Lives of Its Prime Ministers (cont.)
Pastel portrait of John D. MacDonald, by Betty Maltby
Box 11 1983-1984 Courageous People and Their Adventures
Program booklet
Minutes of meetings
Box 11 1984-1985 The World of Islam
Program booklet
Box 11 1985-1986 Quality of Life in the 21st Century: A 2020 Vision
Program booklet, president's introduction
Minutes of meetings
Correspondence
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 7 - Family Life
  • Oct. 21 - Work Places
  • Nov. 4 - Health Care
  • Nov. 18 - Education
  • Dec. 2 - The Older Americans
  • Jan. 20 - Housing
  • Feb. 3 - Cities
  • Feb. 17 - Environment
  • Mar. 3 - Societal Dropouts
  • Mar. 17 - Leisure Time
  • Apr. l 7 - Communication
Box 11 1986-1987 Middle America: A Mosaic of Peoples, Places, and Cultures
Program booklet, president's intro
Minutes of meetings, president's agendas
Correspondence
Box 11 1987-1988 Great Rivers of the World: Their Contribution to Our Cultural Heritage
Program booklet, president's introduction
Annual report
Correspondence
Box 12 1988-1989 The Designing of America: An Evolutionary Process of History, the Architecture of Society, Man's Ingenuity as the Driving Force
Program booklet, president's intro
Correspondence
Box 12 1989-1990 Creators of Art in America
Program booklet, president's intro
President's agendas
Box 12 1990-1991 Environmental Citizenship: Some Insights; Some Issues; Some Ideas
Program booklet
President's agendas
Guest Day Committee report
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 1 - A Native American Speaks
  • Oct. 15 - Form & Pattern; Time & Rhythm
  • Nov. 19 - Migration
  • Feb. 4 - Endangered Species
  • Feb. 18 - The Land - Conservation; Restoration
  • Mar. 4 - Environmental Study: Teaching Our Youth
  • Mar. 18 - International Solutions; Joint Initiatives
Box 12 1991-1992 Legendary Faces, Legendary Places: Legend as Man's Link with the Past
Program booklet, president's intro
President's agendas
(portfolio_002) audio tape "First Meeting 1991-92"
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 21 - Princess Elissa - Founder of Carthage
  • Nov. 4 - King Minos of Crete
  • Nov. 18 - The Search for Troy
  • Dec. 2 - Atlantis, the Fantasy Island
  • Dec. 16 - A Legendary Christmas
  • Jan. 20 - Babylon the Great
  • Feb. 8 - Brendan the Navigator
  • Mar. 2 - Boudissa, the Warrior Queen
  • Mar. 16 - The Romance of Arthur
Box 12 1992-1993 Resetting the American Table
Program booklet, president's introduction
President's agendas
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 5 - Revisiting the Basics
  • Oct. 19 - Food Habits Around the World
  • Dec. 7 - Safe at the Plate
  • Dec. 21 - Critique - Cookbooks, Recipes
  • Feb. 1 - Veggies
  • Feb. 15 - Minerals Women Need Most
  • Mar. 1 - Grandma Called It Roughage
  • Mar. 15 - Feeding the Kids Isn't Easy
  • Apr. 5 - Flowering Delights, Lawn Food, Herbs and Spices
Box 13 1993-1994 Reforming Our Health Care Delivery System
Program booklet
President's introduction and notes
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 4 - Our Present Health Care Delivery System
  • Oct. 18 - Payors for Health Care Delivery
  • Nov. 15 - Providers of Health Care
  • Dec. 6 - Long Term Care
  • Dec. 20 - Celebrating Good Health
  • Jan. 17 - The Right to Die
  • Feb. 21 - Jane and John Q. Public's Relationship to the New System
  • Mar. 7 - The Role of Medicines in Health Care
  • Mar. 21 - Is Managed Competition the Route to Go?
  • Apr. 4 - The Projected U.S. Health Care Reform Plan
Box 13 1994-1995 Selected Operatic Women Characters, Are They Our Sisters?
Program booklet
President's introduction and notes
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 3 - Lucia
  • Oct. 17 - Gilda
  • Nov. 7 - Violetta
  • Nov. 21 - Selika
  • Dec. 5 - Carmen
  • Feb. 6 - Nedda
  • Mar. 20 - Princess Turandot
  • Apr. 3 - Bess
Box 13 1995-1996 The Pacific Rim"
Program booklet
President's introduction and notes
Program presentations:
  • Nov. 20 - Thailand
  • Dec. 4 - Vietnam
  • Oct. 2 - Indonesia
  • Mar. 18 - China
  • Apr. 1 - Japan
Box 13 1996-1997 Ten Trials of the Century: Was Justice Served?
Program booklet
Correspondence
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 7 - Sacco & Vanzetti
  • Oct. 21 - Scopes - Monkey Trial
  • Nov. 4 - The Lindberg Kidnapping Case
  • Nov. 18 - The Nuremberg Trial
  • Dec 2 - The Rosenberg Case
  • Jan. - The Sheppard Trial
  • Feb. 3 - The Chicago Seven Cospiracy Trial
  • Feb 17 - The Trial of Patty Hearst
  • Mar 3 - The Charles Manson trial
  • Mar. 17 - The O.J. Simpson Trial
  • Apr. 7 - Summary of Findings and Conclusion to the Study
Box 13-14 1997-1998 Through the Eyes of a Child
Program booklet
President's introduction, notes, report
Corresponding secretary files
Minutes of meetings
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 6 - History of Children's Literature
  • Oct. 20 - Artists and Their Illustrations
  • Nov. 3 - Picture Books
  • Nov. 17 - Traditional Literature
  • Dec. 15 - Christmas - The Legend of St. Nicholas and the Christmas Story
  • Jan. 19 - Children's Poetry
  • Feb. 2 - Contemporary Realistic Fiction
  • Mar. 2 - Multicultural Children's Literature
  • Mar. 16 - Nonfiction: Biographies, Informational Books
  • Apr. 6 - Award Books / Censorship
Box 14 1998-1999 The New Global Economy (12 folders)
Program booklet
President's introduction
Correspondence (including poem by Betty Maltby)
Historian's report
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 5 - History of Economics
  • Oct. 19 - Unplanned Forces Which Led to a New System
  • Nov. 2 - The International Monetary Fund
  • Nov. 16 - The European Union
  • Dec. 7 - Regional Alliances: Cultural Complications
  • Dec. 21 - Portfolio Christmas Program
  • Jan. 18 - Asia: a Single Nation & Trading Bloc
  • Feb. 1 - Implications for the Future of Education and Work
  • Mar. 1 - Global Consumerism
  • Mar. 15 - The Biggest Global Business of All
  • Apr. 5 - Short-Term Predictions, Long-Term Implications
Box 14 1999-2000 The Nations 2000 (12 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes
Historian's report
Correspondence
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 4 - Pre-History
  • Oct. 18 - Contact History 1492-1974
  • Nov. 1 - Science, Math, Health
  • Nov. 15 - Education
  • Dec. 6 - Economics and Gambling
  • Dec. 21 - Portfolio Christmas Program
  • Jan. 17 - Culture: Arts, Religion, Environment
  • Feb. 21 - Government
  • Mar. 6 - An Indian Woman
  • Mar. 20 - The Iroquois Nation to 1974
  • Apr. 3 - The Oneida Indian Land Claim: Long-term Implications
2000-2025
Box 14-15 2000-2001 A Celebration of Women
Program booklet
Minutes of meetings
Historian's file
Correspondence
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 2 - A Celebration - 125 Years
  • Oct. 16 - The Ceramics Collection at the Everson Museum
  • Nov. 6 - Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)
  • Nov. 20 - Margaret Sanger (1879-1966); Marie Curie (1867-1934
  • Dec. 4 - Golda Meir (1898-1978)
  • Dec. 18 - Celebrating Christmas
  • Jan. 15 - Women of Words
  • Feb. 5 - Women Who Focus on Life
  • Feb. 19 - The Medieval Women
  • Mar. 5 - Women in Law
  • Apr. 2 - Mother Teresa (1910-1997)
Box 15 2001-2002 Angels, Goddesses, and Witches (14 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes of meetings
Historian's report
Correspondence
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 1 - Heralding the Angels
  • Oct. 15 - Angels in America
  • Nov. 5 - Angels in the Information Age
  • Nov. 19 - Poles Apart: Empirical Angels at the Fin de Siècle
  • Dec. 3 - The Great Goddess
  • Dec. 19 - A Celebration of the Season with Angels
  • Jan. 21 - The Goddesses Within
  • Feb. 18 - The Double Helix
  • Mar. 4 - The History of Witchcraft
  • Mar. 18 - Ritual Belief: Theory and Practice
  • Apr. 1 - The Witches Among Us
Box 15 2002-2003 Understanding the Brain: History and Mystery Revealed (16 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes of meetings
Historian's report; invocation by Mary Ten Eyck
Correspondence
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 7 - Early Explorers of the Nervous System
  • Oct. 21 - Nineteenth Century Researchers of the Brain
  • Nov. 4 - The Twentieth Century: An Explosion of Knowledge
  • Nov. 18 - Steven Pinker's 'The Language Instinct'
  • Dec. 2 - The Five Senses: Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch & Taste
  • Dec. 16 - A Christmas Portfolio Program of Song, Dance, and Verse
  • Jan. 20 - The Emotions
  • Feb. 3 - Memory
  • Feb. 17 - 'To Sleep? Perchance to Dream...' Sigmund Freud and the State of Psychoanalysis
  • Mar. 3 - Reassessing Psychiatry in the 21st Century: Treating the Dysfunctional Mind
  • Mar. 17 - Intelligence
  • Apr. 7 - Consciousness and the Mind/Brain Controversy
  • Apr. 28 - President's luncheon
Box 17 2003-2004 Seeking Peace (3 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes of meetings
Historian's report
Correspondence
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 6 - Hiroshima and Nagasaki
  • Oct. 20 - South Africa
  • Nov. 3 - The Cold War
  • Nov. 17 - The Middle East
  • Dec. 1 - Jerusalem
  • Dec. 15 - Let There Be Peace
  • Jan. 19 - Northern Ireland: The Troubles
  • Feb. 2 - 'The Peace Movement
  • Feb. 17 - The Nobel Peace Prize
  • Mar. 1 - The Peace Corps
  • Mar. 15 - The United Nations
  • Apr. 5 - A Reflection
  • Apr. 26 - President's luncheon
Box 17 2004-2005 The World of Music (4 folders)
Program booklet, president's introduction
Historian's report
Minutes of meetings
Program presentations, includes CD of musical exerpts:
  • Oct. 4 - The Early Roots of Music (no representations exist)
  • Oct. 18 - Medieval Music
  • Nov. 1 - Music of the Renaissance
  • Nov. 15 - Music of the Far East
  • Dec. 6 - African Music
  • Dec. 20 - Christmas program (guest performers Laura Enslin and Sar Shalom Strong)
  • Jan. 17 - Early Music of Black America
  • Feb. 7 - 'Great Symphonies and their Conductors
  • Feb. 21 - Rock and Roll
  • Mar. 7 - Music of the Baroque Era
  • Mar. 21 - Protest and Folk Music
  • Apr. 4 - Hip Hop and Rap
  • Apr. 18(25) - President's luncheon
Box 17 2005-2006 Trading: From the Silk Road to the Electronic Highway (4 folders)
Program booklet (includes list of presidents back to the 1970s, and projected presidents through 2024)
Historian's report
Minutes of meetings
Correspondence
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 3 - The Silk Road
  • Oct. 17 - Traders on the Sea
  • Nov. 7 - The Human Trade
  • Nov. 21 - Trade Passages
  • Dec. 5 - Great Trades
  • Dec. 19 - Trading of Gifts
  • Jan. 16 - Trading Sites
  • Feb. 6 - Famous Traders
  • Feb. 20 - Emerging Markets of Trade
  • Mar. 6 - Trading Instruments / Trading Regulation
  • Mar. 20 - The Electronic Highway
  • Apr. 3 - The Psychology of Trading Up
  • Apr. 18 - President's luncheon
Box 18 2006-2007 I am Woman — Who am I? (2 folders)
Program booklet
Historian's report
Minutes
Correspondence (including Dianna Winslow)
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 2 - Menses, Menopause and More...The Physical
  • Oct. 16 - The Fountain of Youth: Life Begins at 60
  • Nov. 6- A Woman's Health
  • Nov. 20 - Women and Leadership in Government and Business
  • Dec. 4 - Women as Role Models: Fashion, Media, Entertainment, Sports
  • Dec. 18 - Motherhood: A Celebration of Mothers, Mothering, and Mary
  • Jan. 15 - Mother-Daughter Relationships
  • Feb. 5 - Women Empowering Women in our World
  • Feb. 19 - Women and Philanthropy
  • Mar. 5 - Women in the Workplace
  • Mar. 19 - People, Places, and Things Which Inspire Us
  • Apr. 2 - This & That: Hints, Tips, Wives' Tales, Discoveries and Advice
  • Apr. 17 - President's luncheon
Box 18 2007-2008 Nature's Voice: Humankind's Standpoint (4 folders)
Program booklet
Historian's report
Minutes
Correspondence
Photographs from Christmas party
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 1 - Forefathers and Foremothers of the Modern Environmental Movement
  • Oct. 15 - Early Government Intervention and Environmental Organizations
  • Nov. 5 - Endangered Species
  • Nov. 19 - Clean Water
  • Dec. 3 - Clean Air: Thank You for Not Smoking
  • Dec. 17 - In the Bleak Midwinter: Nature from the Standpoint of Faith Groups
  • Jan. 21 - China: Is the Standpoint Different?
  • Feb. 4 - American's Throwaway Culture: How We Deal With Our Garbage
  • Feb. 18 - What Happened to Onondaga Lake?
  • Mar. 3 - A Brief History of Alternative Fuel Sources: What Lies Ahead
  • Mar. 17 - Recent Changes in our Environment: What's CO2 Got to Do With It?
  • Apr. 7 - So Where Do We Go From Here: The Economics of Going Green
  • Apr. 21 - President's luncheon
Box 18-19 2008-2009 Collecting: Museums and Otherwise (4 folders)
Program booklet
Historian's report
Minutes
Treasurer's report
Correspondence
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 6 - The Smithsonian
  • Oct. 20 - Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Nov. 3 - Specialty Collections
  • Nov. 17 - Preserving Early America
  • Dec. 1 - Commemorating Tragedy
  • Dec. 15 - Collecting Christmas
  • Jan. 19 - Everson Museum of Art
  • Feb. 2 - Roadside Attractions
  • Feb. 16 - What Portfolians Collect (see also Oversize 8, next)
  • Mar. 2 - Curator vs Hoarder
  • Mar. 16 - Museum Architecture: Art or Fortress?
  • Apr. 6 - CNY's Specialty Collections
  • Apr. 21 - President's luncheon
Oversize 8 2008-2009 Collecting: Museums and Otherwise
Feb. 16 - What Portfolians Collect - 3-ring binder with original photographs, 2 copies
Box 19 2009-2010 Our Supreme Court (5 folders)
Program booklet
Historian's report
Minutes
Correspondence and notes
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 5 - Framing the Judicial Branch
  • Oct. 19 - John Marshall
  • Nov. 2 - Roger Taney
  • Nov. 16 - The Supreme Court in Wartime
  • Dec. 7 - Troubles for the White House
  • Dec. 21 - The Process / Holiday Celebration
  • Jan. 18 - The Dirty Dozen
  • Feb. 1 - The Nine
  • Feb. 15 - The 2000 Election
  • Mar. 1 - The Oneida Indian Claim
  • Mar. 15 - The Current Court
  • Apr. 1 - Where Do We Go From Here?
  • Apr. 19 - President's luncheon
Box 19-20 2010-2011 Wonders of the World (6 folders)
Program booklet
President's notes (president Jean Graham died during her Portfolio Year; her notes are preserved here)
Historian's report
Minutes
Correspondence (see also President's notes, above)
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 4 - Pyramidal Wonders
  • Oct. 18 - Circular Wonders
  • Nov. 1 - Linear Wonders
  • Nov. 15 - Monumental Wonders
  • Dec. 6 - Statuary Wonders
  • Dec. 20 - Sacred Wonders / Holiday celebration
  • Jan. 17 - Residential Wonders
  • Feb. 7 - Graphic Wonders
  • Feb. 21 - Flowing Wonders
  • Mar. 7 - Frozen Wonders
  • Mar. 21 - Expansive Wonders
  • Apr. 4 - Endangered Wonders
  • Apr. 20 - President's luncheon
Box 20 2011-2012 American Utopias (5 folders)
Program booklet
Historian's report
Minutes
Correspondence
Program presentations:
  • Oct. 3 - The Shakers
  • Oct. 17 - The Harmony Society
  • Nov. 7 - Nashoba
  • Nov. 21 - Brook Farm
  • Dec. 5 - The North American Phalanx
  • Dec. 19 - Holiday celebration: Community
  • Jan. 16 - The Oneida Community
  • Feb. 6 - The Roycroft Community
  • Feb. 20 - The Hutterites
  • Mar. 5 - The Peace Mission Movement
  • Mar. 19 - Twin Oaks Community
  • Apr. 2 - Ecovillage at Ithaca
  • Apr. 16 - President's luncheon
Box 20 2012-2013 Symbolism (5 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes
Brief bios of current members
Correspondence
Papers:
  • Oct 1 - Symbols in everyday life
  • Oct 15 - Symbolism in our Capitol
  • Nov 15 - Symbols of the dance
  • Nov 19 - The Golden Ratio
  • Dec 3 - Animal symbolism
  • Dec 17 - Symbols of Christmas
  • Jan 21 - Literary symbology
  • Feb 4 - Symbolism of food
  • Feb 18 - Color and art symbolism
  • Mar 4 - Witchcraft
  • Mar 18 - Lost symbols
  • Apr 1 - Trademarks
  • Apr 15 - President's luncheon
Box 21 2013-2014 Exploring Poseidon's Realm (5 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes
Correspondence
Historian's report and handouts
Papers:
  • Oct 7 - A miscellany of curiosities
  • Oct 21 - Salt: The only rock we eat
  • Nov 4 - Bon voyage!
  • Nov 18 (Guest Day) - A mermaid's tears
  • Dec 2 - Sailing under the black flag
  • Dec 16 - holiday celebration
  • Jan 20 - Seward's icebox is melting
  • Feb 3 - Pillars of light
  • Feb 17 - The power and glory of waves
  • Mar 3 - Flotsam and jetsam
  • Mar 17 - Delicacies of the sea
  • Apr 7 - The empty ocean
  • Apr 21 - President's luncheon
Box 21 2014-2015 The Future of the 1980s (8 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes
Correspondence
Historians
Biographical research on early members (Ella Wyman Brewer, Ellen Fairchild)
Constitution and bylaws, revised
Papers:
  • Oct 6 - Water, water everywhere
  • Oct 20 - Chernobyl
  • Nov 3 - Merry go round of marriage
  • Nov 17 (Guest Day) - The Human Genome Project
  • Dec 8 - Bhopal [Union Carbide disaster]
  • Dec 15 - Holiday celebration
  • Jan 19 - Give me some space [space program]
  • Feb 2 - HIV/AIDS
  • Feb 16 - Video Games
  • Mar 2 - The day of five billion [overpopulation]
  • Mar 16 - Protests
  • Apr 6 - Millennials
  • Apr - President's luncheon
Box 21-22 2015-2016 Innovation (6 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes
Correspondence
Biographical research on early members (Eloise Holden Nottingham; Sarah, Miriam and Alice Gardner)
Papers:
  • Oct 5 - Mining essential metals
  • Oct 19 - The sublimity of color
  • Nov 2 (Guest Day) - Nothing to wear?
  • Dec 7 - Giving structures pizazz
  • Dec 21 - Holiday celebration
  • Jan 18 - Silicon
  • Feb 16 - Put on your hard hats
  • Mar 7 - Rubber
  • Apr 4 - Replaceable you
  • Apr 18 - President's luncheon
Box 22 2016-2017 The Culture of Cuisine (7 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes and president's notes
Correspondence
Historians' file
Treasurer's report
Papers:
  • Oct 13 - Food: Trajectory
  • Oct 17 - China: A culinary cosmos
  • Nov 7 - Rituals and traditions of food
  • Dec 5 - Holiday celebration
  • Jan 16 - Italian cuisine
  • Feb 6 - Culture of cuisine in South America
  • Feb 20 - Cuisine of Africa
  • Mar 7 - Globalization and food
  • Apr 3 - The culture of cuisine in France
  • Apr 17 - President's luncheon
Box 22, 24 2017-2018 The Renaissance and its Echoes in the Modern World (6 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes
Correspondence
Historians' file
Miscellany - technology survey, information on early members Mrs A.F. (Annie Deming) Beard and Mrs. Frank (Helen Augusta Goodwin) Beard
Papers:
  • Oct 2 - The prequel
  • Oct 16 - Art and architecture
  • Nov 6 - Politics and society
  • Dec 4 - Religion
  • Dec 18 - Holiday gathering
  • Jan 15 - Literature
  • Feb 8 - Women's work
  • Mar 5 - Science, exploration and globalization
  • Apr 2 - Echoes of the Renaissance
  • Apr 16 - President's luncheon
Box 24 2018-2019 The Canadian Difference (6 folders)
Program booklet, including president's presentation of topic
Minutes
Correspondence
Historians' file
Papers:
  • Oct 1 - Landforms, waterways, and the fur trade
  • Oct 15 - French Canada
  • Nov 5 - Art and culture of the Pacific Northwest
  • Dec 3 - Canada: An American refuge
  • Dec 17 - Holiday gathering - Aboriginal religion and the Huron Carol
  • Jan 21 - Nunavut and the far north
  • Feb 4 - UNESCO World Heritage sites of the Canadian maritimes
  • Mar 4 - Multiculturalism and immigration
  • Apr 1 - Canadian social and political culture
  • Apr 15 - President's luncheon/presentation of next year's topic
Box 24 2019-2020 The Bill of Rights (6 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes
Correspondence
Historians' file
Papers:
  • Oct 7 - Why did the Constitution need a bill of rights?
  • Oct 21 - The First Amendment: Freedom of religion
  • Nov 4 - The First Amendment: Freedom of speech, press, assembly, and petition
  • Nov 18 - The Second Amendment: The right to keep and bear arms
  • Dec 2 - Holiday gathering
  • Jan 20 - The Fourth Amendment: Unreasonable search and seizure
  • Feb 3 - The Fifth Amendent
  • Mar 16 - The Sixth Amendment
  • Apr 6 - The Eighth Amendment: Cruel and unusual punishment, excessive bail
  • Apr 20 - President's luncheon/presentation of next year's topic
Box 24-25 2020-2021 The Story of Language - an all-virtual year due to the Covid-19 pandemic (8 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes
Correspondence
Historians' file, including flash drive with photos, files, etc. (portfolio_003)
Covid reflections - members' thoughts on the pandemic year
Virtual hostess materials
Papers:
  • Oct 5 - The language family tree
  • Oct 19 - Learning language
  • Nov 2 - Dead languages
  • Nov 16 - Constructed languages
  • Dec 18 - Holiday gathering: Language of The King James Bible
  • Jan 18 - Performative language
  • Feb 15 - Jargon, argot, and cant
  • Mar 15 - Doublespeak and euphemisms
  • Apr 5 - Puns
  • Apr 19 - President's luncheon/presentation of next year's topic
Box 25 2021-2022 Pandemics (6 folders)
Program booklet
Minutes
Correspondence
Historians' file
Papers:
  • Oct 4 - Antonine plague
  • Oct 18 - Plague of Justinian
  • Nov 1 - HIV/AIDS
  • Nov 15 - Spanish flu
  • Dec 13 - Holiday gathering - The future of pandemics
  • Jan 17 - Cholera
  • Feb 21 - Measles
  • Mar 21 - Smallpox
  • Apr 4 - Black death
  • Apr 18 - President's luncheon/presentation of next year's topic
Box 25, 27 2022-2023 The Roaring 20's 76 folders
Program booklet
Minutes and president's notes
Correspondence
Papers:
  • Oct 3 - Prohibition
  • Oct 17 - Business
  • Nov 7 - Science and technology
  • Nov 21 - Mass media
  • Dec 5 - Sports, games, and fads
  • Jan 16 - Immigrants
  • Feb 20 - Black Americans
  • Mar 20 - Music, literature, and the arts
  • Apr 3 - Women
  • Apr 17 - President's luncheon/presentation of next year's topic
Photographs
Miscellaneous - "intro" card for the Club, developed by Membership Committee; survey on Dec holiday gathering
Membership letters
Box 16 Nomination letters (2 folders)
Box 16 Associate status letters
Box 16 Resignation letters
Memorabilia
Oversize 4 Attendance log 1968-1985
Oversize 4 Binder for minutes - one large, one small, both embossed with "Portfolio Club" in gold
Box 16 Christmas carol booklets - various versions used through the years at the Club's holiday gatherings
Oversize 1 Clipping, "The Families of Early Syracuse," about Mary Dana Hicks Prang
Box 16 Clippings 1899-1900, 1975-2023, undated - about the club and various members (3 folders)
Oversize 1 Collages from club's 125th anniversary luncheon 2000
Box 16 Constitution and by-laws 1939, 1956, 1966-1967, 1976, 2000, 2011
Oversize 1 Exhibit material 2008 - gathered or produced for the exhibit on the Portfolio Club; clippings, photographs, research material, etc.
Oversize 1 Group photo of club members 2008
Box 16 The Knickerbocker Children
Box 16 Obituaries and memories (alphabetical) (3 folders)
Oversize 3 Photo-collage from annual meeting 2006
Box 16 Photographs 2006, 2008 - includes digital photos on CD (portfolio_004)
Plates, printing
Box 23 Plates for early versions of booklet - individual small lead plates mounted on wood blocks; mostly simple designs
Box 16 Plates for club invitation - metal plate, gothic-style lettering, "The Portfolio Club / requests the pleasure of"
Portfolio Club histories
See also Notes on the history of the Portfolio Club (Helen Hudson Hood).
Box 26 "Portfolio Club: Our Fifty Years, 1875-1925" 1926
Box 26 "Portfolio Club: Our Ten Years" 1935, 1945 - two editions, each covering a ten-year span
Box 8 "The Portfolio Club 1945-1955: The Years of Search" by Preston Settle Mitchell 1955
Box 26 "Portfolio Club: A Goodly Heritage" 2000 - originally written in 1975; includes updates from Mary Ten Eyck and Bette Maltby
Box 26 "Portfolio Club: A Refuge of Friendship and Learning" Fall 1991 - from the Syracuse University Courier, Vol. XXVI, No. 2
Reel Portfolio 60th Birthday Party [home movie] October 28, 1935 - recording of club members arriving at home of Mrs Henry Phillips (16mm film; running time 3:10) (ID#: portfolio_001)
See also 1935-1936 year for film overview and negatives.
Note on alternate formats: This film has been digitized.
Oversize 7 Program booklets, extra 1936-1937, 1970-2009
Oversize 5 Scrapbook [1], 100th Anniversary 1975
Oversize 6 Scrapbook [2], 100th Anniversary 1975
Oversize 6 Scrapbook [3] - clippings and photographs, no date given
Box 26 "A Touch of Tiffany" by Dorothy K. White
Box 26 Miscellaneous - letterhead, Christmas songbooks, undated correspondence, succession lists, etc.

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