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Arents Postcard Collection

An inventoryof the collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 10 Jan 2019

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.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Arents Postcard Collection consists of several hundred Postcards collected and/or sent by George and Lena Arents during their travels in Europe, possibly as part of their Grand Tour or possibly at other times. Most are from European countries but there are a few from other regions, including South America and the Middle East. The vast majority of the postcards were evidently bought as souvenirs and are unused, but a few were sent to friends and family in Syracuse. These contain brief notes from the Arentses about their travels.

The collection also contains a few folders of Non-postcard items, including clippings, handwritten notes, black-and-white photographs, and stamps.

Arrangement of the Collection

Postcards are arranged alphabetically by country and, within that, by city. Non-postcard items are arranged alphabetically by type of material.

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.

Related Material

See also the Arents Grand Tour Collection and the Arents Christmas Card Collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

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

Subjects

Voyages and travels.

Places

Europe -- Description and travel.
Middle East -- Description and travel.
South America -- Description and travel.

Genres and Forms

Clippings (information artifacts)
Photographs.
Postage stamps.
Postcards.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Arents Postcard Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of George and Lena Arents.

Table of Contents

Postcards

Non-postcard items

Inventory