While the Northern Virginia weather has been busy deciding if it wants to officially commit to Spring, your SCRC processing team has been busy working on more new and updated finding aids! As usual, all of the following collections are available for use in the Special Collections Research Center and the finding aids are available on our website (or use the links included below).
Edwin W. Lynch panoramic photographs, C0520
Collection processed by Meghan Glasbrenner
Three panoramic photographs, two of Edwin Lynch and members of the Virginia House of Delegates and one of Helen Lynch and other students in front of Lee-Jackson High School in Fairfax County, Virginia. Edwin Williams Lynch was born in Annandale, Virginia on January 11, 1913. In 1936 he married Helen Mae Webb (born on November 16, 1916) and served as Fairfax County delegate to the Virginia General Assembly from 1945-1947 and again from 1949-1954. Edwin also served as a George Mason University Foundation trustee and helped found the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR), now known as the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Edwin passed away on March 17, 2004 at the age of 91. Helen passed away at the age of 89 on June 18, 2006. They are both buried in Fairfax County’s Annandale United Methodist Church Cemetery.
The two Virginia House of Delegates photographs feature members posing together in the House of Delegates Chamber inside the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia on January 24, 1950 and January 30, 1952 and are attributed to Foster Studio. The photograph of students in front of Lee-Jackson High School has a handwritten inscription on the back that reads “Taken February 14, 1931” and a stamp in the bottom right corner reading “Rideout, 525 11th Street, Washington, D.C.,” possibly indicating the photograph was taken by H.H. Rideout. Edwin and Helen Lynch are not clearly labeled in their respective photographs.
Front side of Fredericksburg Rail Road pass issued by Confederate States of America, War Department, C0433
Fredericksburg Rail Road pass issued by Confederate States of America, War Department, C0433
Collection processed by Meghan Glasbrenner
A Fredericksburg Rail Road pass from the Confederate States of America, War Department, granting a Confederate soldier permission to travel to Ashland, Virginia. The pass is double-sided, with one side containing a printed template for travel information with blanks filled in identifying the month and day of issue (May 22) in 1864, the name of the soldier being granted travel permission, the permitted destination of travel (Ashland, Virginia), and is signed by the Confederate Provost Marshall (Isaac H. Carrington). The other side contains printed text affirming obedience to the Confederacy in the soldier’s travels and is signed and dated by the soldier being granted travel permission. The soldier’s name is visible, but not entirely legible as written on both sides.
Chartered in 1834, the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad Company began train service from Richmond in 1836 and was extended north to Fredericksburg in 1837. By 1861, Virginia had the most extensive rail system in the South and the lines in and around Fredericksburg played an active role in the Civil War, with lines north of the city under Union control and lines south of the city under control of the Confederacy. The extent and efficiency of the railroads allowed for larger and more rapid troop movements across the state and determined the locations of a number of major battles. The collapse and general disrepair of the Southern railroads that developed by 1864, including those in Virginia, contributed to the Confederacy’s defeat.
“Official New York Subway Map and Guide”, C0431
Collection processed by Meghan Glasbrenner
“Official New York Subway Map and Guide,” 1961 edition. When unfolded, one side shows an annotated map of the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn with corresponding legends marking the various subway train lines and “Places to Visit” throughout the three boroughs. The other side includes three sections of text, the top labeled “The New York City Transit System: Its Past and Present,” the middle labeled “Subway Guide to the City’s Sights” and “Facts About the New York Subways,” and the bottom containing Train Service tables, as well as the title page for when the map is folded.
Until 1940, the New York City subway system was separated into three companies: the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Company (BMT), and the Independent Subway System (IND). Even after all three companies were officially unified, changes to passenger-facing signage and wayfinding information progressed much more slowly. In 1957, graphic designer George Salomon submitted a proposal to the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) titled “Out of the Labyrinth.” This proposal outlined several of the issues related to the sudden merging of the three companies and offered solutions to assist passengers, both local New Yorkers and tourists, in navigating the subway system more easily. In 1958, the NYCTA used Salomon’s suggestions in their redesigned subway map, the first in the city’s history to use a Beckian grid, a style named after Harry Beck who standardized the London Underground map, and featured eye-catching colors to distinguish operational routes in the three separate service divisions (IRT, BMT, and IND). This map design was used throughout the 1960s before being officially replaced with Massimo Vignelli’s design between 1972-1978 and Michael Hertz’s design in 1979, which remains largely the version still in use of as 2024.
Ouch! My Poor Body pack by Monica Johnson, 2018 and Control Your Child by Monica McKelvey Johnson, 2021, C0518
Riding For Two by Monica Johnson, 2017 and Let Go, Let Gaia by Caroline Paquita/Kern, February 2017, C0518
Paper Cuts zine and small press collection, C0518
Collection processed by Amanda Menjivar
This collection contains zines and DIY publications by or in collaboration with Paper Cuts, a zine publishing platform and podcast founded by Christopher Kardambikis, Associate Professor and Director of Studio Art at George Mason University and described as “an exploration of the contemporary world of zines and DIY publishing.” Kardambikis received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University and Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, San Diego. Kardambikis currently serves as Associate Professor and Director of Studio Art at George Mason University’s School of Art. Some of the materials were collected by Kardambikis and published/created by entities other than Paper Cuts.
Zines are small, handmade publications, usually self-published with limited runs. The subjects covered by zines run the gamut of humanity’s interests, as anyone can be a “zinester.” Zines often include art, poetry, and the personal interests and experiences of the zinester, or author. Zines are “DIY” by nature, and are usually only available in limited quantities.
Panoramic photograph of the U.S. Department of State staff, C0432
Collection processed by Meghan Glasbrenner
A black and white panoramic photograph of the U.S. Department of State staff taken by the Post Photo Service. The staff members are standing on the steps of the old State Department building (now the Eisenhower Executive Office Building). Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes is standing in the center front of the group, holding his hat in his right hand at his side. The date the photograph was taken, October 18, 1922, is stamped across the bottom center of the image in white text and the Post Photo Service’s copyright marking is stamped on the front bottom right of the image and the top left corner of the back includes a stamp with the name and address of the organization.
General John Ruggles as he was preparing to leave Vietnam, circa 1961, C0332
General John Ruggles Military Assistance Advisory Group Vietnam photographs, C0332
Additional processing completed and finding aid updated by Meghan Glasbrenner
Photographs, including two photo albums, pertaining to the career of General John Ruggles in Vietnam circa 1960-1962. Major General John F. Ruggles (1908-1999), a graduate of West Point and a career military officer who served with the 22nd Infantry Regiment in Europe during the Second World War, was the Deputy Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) in Vietnam from 1959-1961 (1-22infantry.org, “John F. Ruggles”). The first scrapbook commemorates General Ruggles’ farewell visit to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam’s II Corps headquarters in Pleiku, Vietnam and contains photos of Ruggles interacting with Vietnamese officers and soldiers. The second scrapbook, presented to General Ruggles by Colonel Dang-Van-Son, the Commanding Officer of the Vietnam NCO Academy at Nha Trang, largely contains photos of Vietnamese Non-Commissioned Officers in training, as well as a visit by General Ruggles. The remaining photographs show General Ruggles interacting with Vietnamese officers and soldiers as well as photos of Vietnamese civilians, MAAG officers, and South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and Lieutenant General Samuel Williams. Many photographs have handwritten inscriptions on the back, some on attached sticky notes. The collection also includes a single letter written to Ruggles, a certificate, and a list of Vietnamese contacts.
“Revolutionary People’s Constitutional Convention – Resolutions and Declarations” by the Black Panther Party, C0435
Collection processed by Meghan Glasbrenner
Printed document written by the Black Panther Party (BPP) titled “Revolutionary People’s Constitutional Convention – Resolutions and Declarations” intended for use at the planned November 1970 convention in Washington, D.C. The document consists of a title page (letter-sized paper), two typed pages of content (legal-sized paper, one double-sided), and a photocopied double-sided map of the streets of Washington, D.C., with intended sites for the RPCC listed and marked on one side. The document outlines the need for “oppressed communities” to unite in their shared views to fight against “bureaucratic capitalism” and formulate a new U.S. Constitution.
The Revolutionary People’s Constitutional Convention (RPCC) was a conference organized by the BPP during the organization’s peak influence with the goal of drafting a new U.S. Constitution and unifying disparate factions of the New Left revolutionary groups, such as the Black Power Movement, Asian American Movement, Chicano Movement, American Indian Movement, Anti-war movement, Women’s Liberation movement, and Gay Liberation movement. It is estimated that between 5,000-15,000 members of these groups attended a plenary session of the RPCC in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from September 4-7, 1970. Attendees worked together to draft “Resolutions and Declarations” with the intention of reconvening in Washington, D.C. in two months, from November 27-29, to adopt a common platform and ratify the new Constitution. However, the D.C. convention was plagued with difficulties, including local authorities refusing to grant permits to the group and financial barriers from intended venue locations, such as Howard University. Ultimately, the convention did not occur as intended, with only a rock concert being held on November 27 in Meridian Hill Park and some informal gatherings and speeches occurring in churches over the remaining days. No future plans for finalizing the new Constitution or formalizing the New Left common platform ever materialized.
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