Jesup Correspondence-A., 1881-1883

The Jesup Wood Hall Papers consist of departmental correspondence regarding the acquisition, preparation, exhibition, and research of North American woods. Also present are department records of maintenance scheduled and conducted, plans for future acquisitions, and financial records including pricing on wood specimens obtained, departmental salaries, artistic services, exhibit budgets and estimates. The majority of material is correspondence, but advertisements and brochures, handwritten lists and diagrams, publications, telegrams, receipts, photographs, and physical specimens appear as well.

The Jesup Wood Hall Papers contain inquiries from the scientific community and general public. The majority of inquiries from the scientific community relate to acquiring specimens, photographs, slides, or employment opportunities within the museum. Inquiries from the general public typically concern the identification of a certain specimen. The specimen is sometimes included in photographic or physical form. In many instances a specimen is referenced but the specimen is not present.

The American Museum of Natural History contributed largely to the scientific community in both knowledge and resources, and some of the museum’s contributions are reflected in these letters. Correspondence is with individuals, academic institutions, natural history museums and botanic gardens, the United States Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and other governmental offices, including the United States Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. These letters contain insight into ecology and forestry research, knowledge, and concerns from 1880-1950.

In the Jesup and Dickerson correspondence (1880-1920), letters are filed almost exclusively alphabetically. Later papers (1938-1953) are predominantly organized by topical significance.