Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a botanical library and archive? In a word: lots! Within the archives, it’s our job to collect and preserve Longwood’s history—and with more than 2,500 boxes of institutional records, project files, correspondence, and personal papers; 15,000 architectural drawings, maps, and planting and display plans; 2,000 pieces of film, audio tape, and CDs; and an astounding more than 500,000 photographic prints, slides, and digital photos, among other items—it’s a big (and important) undertaking. Follow along as we take you behind the scenes of Longwood’s archives, including a typical day for the archives team and some collection highlights.
Longwood’s archives is home to both institutional records and special collections that provide a comprehensive history of the growth and development of Longwood Gardens. The collections contain archival material and manuscripts such as correspondence, photographs, planting plans, architectural drawings, maps, oral histories, illustrations, project files, recordings in several formats, and so much more. It is our responsibility to ensure that the records and material of historical value are preserved in Longwood's archive—forever!
From our archives: Portrait of Pierre S. du Pont by Savely Sorine (Russian, 1878-1953). Watercolor and gouache on paper. 1926. Photo by Becca Mathias.
What do we do in the archives? Each day is a little different, but acquisition, organization, description, preservation, access, research, and education of archival materials are our primary responsibilities. Some days this could mean digitizing and describing collections and other days it could be organizing and rehousing files into acid-free enclosures. On other days we may receive a reference question or research request from someone seeking out specific information about our history. This may be a staff horticulturist looking for the history of their section of the Gardens, a Marketing & Communications team member fact-checking a document for publication, or a Longwood student working on their classwork. If we have the information in the archive, we can pull the materials for the person to review. Other days, we’re settling into our new archives spaces in The Grove, recently opened as part of Longwood Reimagined.
Through it all, we work to ensure the material in the archive is not only preserved for future generations, but also accessible to Longwood staff and students.
Among our archival objects are 792 organ rolls produced by the Aeolian Organ Company from the collections of Pierre S. du Pont, Irèneè du Pont, and the Curtis Institute. Photo by Becca Mathias.
How do we determine what we keep in the archives? We rely on our collection policy. Once we decide to keep something, we get to work assessing its condition, performing any preservation or cleaning needs, and entering it into our collections management system so that we can easily find it later. Depending on the size of the collection and the condition in which it arrived, we may need to reorder the documents into folders of similar documents (either by date, type, or person). We describe the collection, the arrangement of materials, and other information about the creators or subject. Some of the collections are digitized, uploaded, and described for internal access.
Longwood Senior Archivist Connor Graham, photographed in the new archives space. Photo by Laurie Carrozzino.
What are some of our collection highlights? To us, there are many! Among our favorite are our Frank E. Geisler photographs. This recently processed collection contains photographs of Longwood Gardens taken in 1928 by Frank Edmund Geisler. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1867, Geisler worked as a photographer from 1886 until the 1920s, both independently and in partnerships with other photographers, and in several US cities. His specialties include society portraiture, theatrical photography, and architectural photography. In 1914 he was the first New York camera artist to receive credit for photographs in the pages of Vanity Fair. From 1922 to 1925 he worked solo as "F.E. Geisler."
One highlight from the Geisler collection is his image of the Exhibition Hall interior (left) that has been edited to remove the roof of the Conservatory (right).
Another archives highlight is our Landon Scarlett slide collection. In March 2024, the archives acquired an estimated 30,000 35mm slides from former Longwood Design Coordinator and Display Specialist Lucy Landon Scarlett, who worked at Longwood from 1969 through 1989. Highlights from this collection include images from the inspiration and construction of the Silver Garden, a trip to Brazil to visit Roberto Burle Marx (designer of the Cascade Garden), and various seasonal displays. This collection is set to be an upcoming processing and digitization project to make accessible images from this era of Longwood’s history.
Among our Lucy Landon Scarlett image collection is this photograph of the Silver Garden construction, taken by Scarlett in September 1988. Photo by Lucy Landon Scarlett.
Our archives is also home to each and every issue of the Longwood Chimes. First published in 1957 as an informal newsletter for staff, the Longwood Chimes now serves as a biannual Member publication. Throughout the decades, this publication has told our stories, shared our milestones, and reflected on our legacy—and its content helps us map the history of staff activities and institutional priorities for more than 65 years.
A scanned cover of Longwood Chimes Volume 1, Issue 5 from May 1957 (left). We recently published Longwood Chimes issue 309 earlier this year (right).
Today, our archives team is happily settling into our new home in The Grove, recently opened as part of Longwood Reimagined. Just as our day-to-day work is incredibly detailed, so was our move into The Grove, organizing and packing our thousands upon thousands of items, many of which went into offsite storage until the project’s completion. The new archives vault in The Grove features compact shelving, a fire suppression system, and climate controls. In addition, we now have a dedicated, climate-controlled cold storage room where we store film and other fragile material. These materials will be kept just above freezing and at a stable humidity level to slow their natural deterioration. Now, as we continue to settle into our new archives space—with a vault, cold storage, shelves, and many more features—we reflect on the depth of history in which we’re surrounded and find ourselves so pleased to be starting this new chapter.
Editor’s note: If you're interested in scheduling a research appointment or would like to learn more about our archival material, please email archives@longwoodgardens.org.
