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Inventory of the Lewis R. Gibbes Papers, 1800s-1893, 1937
Inventory of the Lewis R. Gibbes Papers, 1800s-1893, 1937
Descriptive Summary
| Abstract: | Papers of Lewis R. Gibbes, Professor of mathematics, astronomy, and physics at the College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, from 1838-1892. Papers include materials relating to Gibbes' studies in France, assorted obituaries, eulogies, and memorials, his published papers and newspaper articles (collected into several scrapbooks) on his scientific work and other topics, assorted Elliott Society of Natural History materials, astronomical charts and calculations, assorted cartes de visites, cabinet cards, and daguerreotype images of prominent scientific personages, including a daguerreotype of the Swiss-American biologist and geologist Louis Agassiz as well as a carte de visite of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, assorted prints collected by Gibbes, and correspondence including drafts of letters from Gibbes to C. S. Sargent at the Arnold Arboretum in Brookline, Massachusetts. |
| Title: | Lewis R. Gibbes papers |
| Creator: | Gibbes, Lewis Reeves, 1810-1894 |
| Date(s): | 1800s-1893, 1937 |
| Extent: | 4.35 linear feet (5 document boxes, 1 slim document box, 1 artifact box, 9 oversize paper folders, 1 volume) |
| Repository: | Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries 66 George Street Charleston, SC 29424 Phone: (843) 953-8016 Fax: (843) 953-6319 URL: http://archives.library.cofc.edu |
| Call Number: | Mss 0020 |
| Language of Material: | Materials in English and French |
Biographical Note
Lewis R. Gibbes (1810-1894) was the Professor of mathematics, astronomy, and physics at the College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, from 1837 to 1892. Gibbes studied medicine in the United States and in Paris and was the author of numerous journal articles on astronomy, natural history, and related subjects. He studied the classification of chemical elements, invented scientific instruments, and served as an officer of the Elliott Society of Natural History for thirty years.
Collection Overview
Biographical materials, writings, materials relating to the Elliott Society of Science and Art, astronomical charts, specimens, prints, and other assorted papers of Lewis R. Gibbes, Professor of mathematics, astronomy, and physics at the College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, from 1838-1892. Biographical materials include assorted class notes, pamphlets, miscellaneous receipts for room and board, and other ephemera relating to Gibbes' studies in France. Also included is a glass plate negative portrait of Gibbes, assorted obituaries, eulogies and memorials on his death, and a typescript for the play "Lewis Gibbes: A Legend for Tomorrow," written by Emmett Robinson for the centennial anniversary of the College of Charleston. Gibbes' writings make up a majority of the papers and consist of published papers and newspaper articles (collected into several scrapbooks) on his scientific work, natural history, inventions, mathematics, science, astronomy, natural history, poetry, local events, the Great Comet of 1861, and the Civil War for assorted newspapers and scientific journals including the Charleston Mercury, the Charleston Daily Courier, and the Proceedings of the Elliott Society of Natural History of Charleston, South Carolina. The are also assorted Elliott Society of Natural History materials including a handwritten membership list, handwritten reports of the corresponding secretary, foreign science society memberships, issues of the Proceedings of the Elliott Society of Natural History of Charleston, South Carolina, a broadside re reorganization, and a notice of meeting. Astronomical charts and calculations consist of a number of charts diagramming the parallel of declination, time, and other calculations of total and partial eclipses of the sun and moon, including additional calculations on the verso of each, as well as assorted miscellaneous calculations. There are also assorted cartes de visites, cabinet cards, and daguerreotype images of prominent physicians, naturalists, botanists, biologists, geologists, and astronomers including a daguerreotype of the Swiss-American biologist and geologist Louis Agassiz and a carte de visite of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Prints collected by Gibbes include assorted images of French aristocracy, physicians, politicians, generals, and artists as well as prints of the Turkish-Armenian and Crimean wars, assorted maps of France (including several street maps of Paris), the Neva river, the Black Sea, and North America. There are also prints of assorted European and American locales including images of Wales, United Kingdom, and Paris, France. Correspondence consists of drafts of two letters (1890 July 14 and December 6) from Gibbes to C. S. Sargent at the Arnold Arboretum in Brookline, Massachusetts, stating that Gibbes is sending Sargent papers for publication. Gibbes also asks Sargent for plant specimens. Also included is a volume containing copies of letters in French with an index. Copies of letters are to family members and others in Charleston, South Carolina, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Havana, Cuba, Paris, France, and elsewhere.
Collection Arrangement
Materials are described at the folder level.
Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person, family, or organization, by topical subject, by place, and by types of material.Names
- Gibbes, Lewis Reeves, 1810-1894
- College of Charleston--Faculty
- Elliott Society of Science & Art--Records and correspondence
- Agassiz, Louis, 1807-1873--Photographs
- Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870--Photographs
- Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927--Correspondence
Subjects
- College teachers--South Carolina--Charleston
- Astronomy--Research
- Biology--Research
- Botany--Research
- Geology--Research
- Natural history--Societies, etc.
- Astronomy--Observations
- Astronomy--Charts, diagrams, etc.
Types of Material
- Writings (documents)
- Black-and-white prints (prints on paper)
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Scrapbooks
- Charts (graphic documents)
- Letters (correspondence)
- Journals
- Receipts (financial records)
- Printed ephemera
- Notes
- Pamphlets
- Cartes-de-visite (card photographs)
- Cabinet photographs
- Daguerreotypes (photographs)
- Glass plate negatives
Related Resources
Related Material
Related materials in Special Collections include 8 microfilm reels of the Lewis R. Gibbes papers (Mss 17,327). Originals are held by the Library of Congress.
Separated Material
The pamphlet Constitution and By-Laws of the Elliott Society of Natural History of Charleston, S.C.: As Adopted by the Society in Convention, February, 1857, the Proceedings of the Elliott Society of Natural History of Charleston, South Carolina, volumes 1 and 2, and A Catalogue of the Phoenogamous Plants, of Columbia, S.C. and Its Vicintity have been removed and cataloged separately.
Inventory
Biographical materials, 1834-1937
Writings, 1834-1890
Elliott Society of Science and Art, 1850s-1889, 1937
Astronomical charts and calculations, 1878-1891
Photographs, circa 1845, 1870s-1880s
Images of John Perkins Barratt, Alvan Wentworth Chapman, Robert E. Lee, and John Torrey.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Copyright Notice
The nature of the College of Charleston's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. Special Collections claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Lewis R. Gibbes papers, College of Charleston Libraries, Charleston, SC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
The volume "Paris Illustrated" was donated in 1941 by Sarah P. Gibbes and Anna Gibbes.
Processing Information
Originally processed by Special Collections Staff, date unknown.
Reprocessed by Joshua Minor, May 2016
Encoded by Joshua Minor, July 2016.
Reviewed, edited, and uploaded by Joshua Minor, July 2016.
