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William B. Osgood Field Papers, 1610-1952

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Creator

Field, William B. Osgood.

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division

Extent

  • 112 linear feet (274 boxes, 1 map case folder).

Access Restrictions

Restricted access; Manuscripts and Archives Division; Permit must be requested at the division indicated.

Diaries (1910-1933) of Marjorie Field Wilde and her correspondence with her husband, Helm George Wilde, are closed until 2026.

Scope/Contents Note

The William B. Osgood Field papers consist of family, personal, and office correspondence; financial documents; diaries; genealogical records; school and college memorabilia; photographs; and ephemera recording his and his family's commercial, philanthropic and social activities, chiefly between the years 1897 and 1934. While the papers of William B. Osgood Field form the bulk of the collection, other family members are well-represented, including his mother Augusta, his wife Lila, his sister Mary, his uncle Osgood, and his sons and daughters. The collection documents Field's education in Dresden, Germany; his business, legal and real estate affairs; his military service during World War I; his collecting interests, particularly concerning rare books, book illustration and caricatures, coins and collectibles;his support of numerous charitable and cultural organizations; and his interest in angling and hunting, shared by his wife Lila. Also reflected are family members' schooling, extensive travels, residence abroad, intellectual and political interests, social activities, and military service of family members and friends during World War II. Also present are correspondence and other materials from prominent Europeans and Americans in contact with Field family members, including authors, activists, artists, musicians, singers, and political figures. Examples include letters and manuscript sheet music of Leopold Stokowski in the papers of Mary Pearsall Field, and original work by Edward Lear, Ernest Henry Griset, John Leech and William Francklyn Paris collected by William B. Osgood Field. The collection contains genealogical and other materials concerning members of their allied families of Bowne, Osgood, Sloane and Vanderbilt; and household documentation concerning WilliamB.Osgood Field's homes in New York City, Mohegan Lake, N.Y., and Lenox, Mass.; and Osgood Field's residence in Rome.

Biographical/Historical Note

William Bradhurst Osgood Field (1870-1949) and his family were prominent members of society in New York City and Lenox, Massachusetts during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Field was an engineer and businessman who served in the U.S. Army's Military Intelligence Division during World War I. His interests also defined him as an avid book collector, gentleman farmer, philanthropist, andsportsman. Field sat on the boards of many charitable andcommercial organizations, and was a member of over twenty clubs and societies, notably serving as president of the Grolier Club.

Controlled Access Terms

  • Field, William B. Osgood.
  • Griset, Ernest Henry, 1844-1907.
  • Lear, Edward, 1812-1888.
  • Leech, John, 1817-1864.
  • Paris, William Francklyn, 1871-1954.
  • Boone family.
  • Field family.
  • Osgood family.
  • Sloan family.
  • Vanderbilt family.
  • New Theatre (New York, N.Y.)
  • Charities -- Massachusetts.
  • Charities -- New York (State)
  • Collectors and collecting -- United States.
  • Genealogy.
  • Hunting and fishing clubs -- North America.
  • World War, 1914-1918 -- Photography.
  • World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American.
  • Architectural drawings.
  • Diaries.
  • Financial records.
  • Photographs.
  • Posters.
  • Scrapbooks.
  • Sheet music.
  • Sketches.

Additional Creator Names

  • Eames, Emma, 1865-1952.
  • Farrar, Geraldine, 1882-1967.
  • Field, Augusta Currie Bradhurst.
  • Field, Frederick Vanderbilt, 1905-
  • Field, Lila Vanderbilt Sloane.
  • Field, Mary Augusta.
  • Field, Mary Pearsall.
  • Field, Osgood.
  • Field, William O. (William Osgood), 1904-
  • Stokowski, Leopold, 1882-1977.
  • Vanderbilt, George Washington, 1862-1914.
  • Wilde, Marjorie Field.

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