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John Henry and Anna Botsford Comstock papers

 Collection
Identifier: 21-23-25

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

Includes personal correspondence of Anna Botsford and Henry John (later John Henry) Comstock, 1859-1923; professional correspondence (1878-1926) documenting John Henry Comstock's influence in the development of entomology departments in colleges throughout the United States; publications by or about the Comstocks; lecture and field notes; certificates and awards; typescript draft of an autobiography by Anna Comstock, published posthumously as THE COMSTOCKS OF CORNELL: JOHN HENRY AND ANNA BOTSFORD COMSTOCK edited by Glenn W. Herrick and Ruby Green Smith, 1953; Botsford and Comstock family photographs; Anna Botsford diaries (1870-71, 1874-75) and poem; a scrapbook relating to the Botsford family, Phebe Irish Botsford, and Anna Botsford Comstock; materials concerning wood engraving; photographs and sketches (pen and ink and pencil) of insects by Anna Comstock used in Comstock Press publications; glass lantern slides used in Anna Comstock's nature study classes; wood block; engraving tools; and wood engravings of plants, insects, and nature scenes by Anna Botsford Comstock.

NATURE SONGS AND STORIES, by Katherine Creighton, illustrated by Anna Comstock, Comstock Publishing Company, 1914, autographed by Creighton and Comstock.

Woodcuts and drawings by others, presented to the Comstocks.

Bound manuscript "Jottings - Spiders," probably written by John Henry Comstock for Jennie Bartlett. Also, samples of various printing and engraving techniques, probably collected by Anna Botsford Comstock.

Photocopy of typescript letter from Henry Comstock to Charles Darwin regarding Comstock's report on cotton insects (June 4, 1880).

Dates

  • 1833-1955,-1874-1931 (bulk)

Creator

Language of Materials

Collection material in English

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

John Henry Comstock was a professor of entomology at Cornell University. Anna Botsford Comstock was a professor of nature studies and a wood engraver specializing in scientific illustration.

Extent

7 cubic feet. (7 cubic feet.)

Abstract

Includes personal correspondence of Anna Botsford and Henry John professional correspondence; publications by or about the Comstocks; lecture and field notes; certificates and awards; typescript draft of an autobiography by Anna Comstock, published posthumously as The Comstocks of Cornell: John Henry Comstock and Anna Botsford Comstock; Botsford and Comstock family photographs; Anna Botsford diaries and poem; a scrapbook relating to the Botsford family, Phebe Irish Botsford, and Anna Botsford Comstock; materials concerning wood engraving; photographs and sketches (pen and ink and pencil).

Physical Description

Correspondence, engravings, watercolors, photographs, slides, published materials, clippings, and notes.

Status
Completed
Author
Compiled by RMC Staff
Date
July 2007
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Revision Statements

  • 12/07/2018: This resource was modified by the ArchivesSpace Preprocessor developed by the Harvard Library (https://github.com/harvard-library/archivesspace-preprocessor)

Repository Details

Part of the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections Repository

Contact:
2B Carl A. Kroch Library
Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14853
607-255-3530
607-255-9524 (Fax)