TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary of the Collection
Biography of Frederick William Gookin family
Scope and Content of the Collection
Series 1: Correspondence, 1897-1922
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Inventory of the Gookin Family Papers, 1861-1922, bulk 1883-1921
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Kelly Kress, 2010. ©2010. |
Descriptive Summary of the Collection |
|
| Creator | Gookin, Frederick William |
| Title | Gookin Family Papers |
| Dates | 1861-1922 |
| Dates | bulk 1883-1921 |
| Extent | 4.6 linear feet (7 boxes and 1 oversize box) |
| Abstract | Family correspondence, including letters from Chicago banker, artist, calligrapher, and designer Frederick Gookin to his wife, Marie S. Gookin, 1897-1922, documenting Chicago friends, city life, and sports when Marie Gookin was away, as well as Frederick Gookin's activities while on business trips to New York. Also other family letters, diaries of Mary H. Gookin and her mother Elizabeth A. Gookin, 1864-1896, including one regarding daily attendance at the World's Columbian Exposition, and drawings, sketches and finished art work created by Frederick Gookin. |
| Language | Materials are in English. |
| Repository | Newberry Library, Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections |
| Collection Call Number | Midwest MS Gookin |
| Collection Stack Location | 3A 39 2 |
Administrative Information
Cite As
Gookin Family Papers, The Newberry Library, Chicago.
Provenance
Gift, Kathleen Van Deusen, 1985.
Processed by
Kelly Kress, 2010.
Acknowledgements
This inventory was created with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this inventory do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Access
The Gookin Family Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Gookin Family Papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
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Biography of Frederick William Gookin family
Chicago banker, calligrapher and designer.
Frederick W. Gookin (1853-1936) was born in Ludlow, Vermont, to Frederick Young Gookin and Elisabeth Patrick Gookin. He had one sister, Mary H. Gookin (1855-1915). The family later relocated to Joliet, Illinois, and then to Chicago in 1872. Frederick W. Gookin went to work as a banker, supporting his parents and sister, while at the same time cultivating an interest in calligraphy, design, and Japanese art. While he remained a banker, he also worked in commercial design, creating advertisements and illustrating publications for a variety of Chicago business and organizations. His interest and expertise in Japanese wood block prints led him to art appraisal and consultant work for collectors interested in Japanese art, which he also promoted through lectures and publications. Around 1903 he left banking to become a freelance art advisor, and was eventually appointed the first curator of the Clarence S. Buckingham Collection of Japanese prints at the Art Institute of Chicago. He was an early member of the Chicago Literary Club, and served as their secretary/treasurer from 1880-1920.
He married Marie Sieboth, of Utica, NY, in 1898. The couple had one daughter, Nathalie Clotilde Gookin, nicknamed "Girlie" (1901-1980).
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Scope and Content of the Collection
Materials related to banker and designer Frederick W. Gookin and his family, including correspondence, diaries, and artwork.
Correspondence is chiefly letters from Frederick W. Gookin to his wife Marie S. Gookin, documenting their courtship as well as his daily activities during business trips or while Marie Gookin was away. Letters describe Chicago friends, city activities, food, and weather, as well as details about his art world contacts during trips to New York. There are also letters from Marie S. Gookin to her sister Nathalie Kennedy, describing the family cats, vacations in Colorado, and a trip to Europe in 1914 during the outbreak of World War I.
The majority of the diaries belonged to Elisabeth A. Gookin, Frederick W. Gookin's mother, and chronicle her daily activities, including descriptions of the labor required to maintain the household, her health, and also her general attitude and emotional state. There is also is a detailed diary kept by Elisabeth Gookin of the family's twelve visits to the World's Columbian Exposition, and her travel diaries describing trips to Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. There are also diaries from Marie S. Gookin and Mary Gookin, Frederick W. Gookin's sister, and a few items related to the Gookin family and Frederick Gookin's membership in the Chicago Literary Club.
Artwork consists of Frederick W. Gookin's designs for A.C. McClurg, the Chicago Literary Club, and others, including commercial advertisements, bookplates and book covers. Frederick W. Gookin was an early member of the Chicago Literary Club, and designed their publications for over 20 years.
Narrative descriptions of the subject matter, types of material, and arrangement of each series are available through the Organization section of the finding aid.
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Organization
Papers are organized in the following series:
- Series 1: Correspondence, 1897-1922. Box(es) 1-4
- Series 2: Family Papers, 1861-1921. Box(es) 5-6
- Series 3: Artwork, 1883-1921. Box(es) 7
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Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Newberry Library's public catalog. Researchers desiring additional materials on a particular topic should search the catalog using these headings.
Names
- A.C. McClurg & Co.
- Chicago Literary Club
- Gookin, Elisabeth A. -- Diaries
- Gookin, Frederick William
Subjects
- Art, Japanese -- Collectors and collecting
- Boston (Mass.) -- Description and travel
- Calligraphy -- 1851-1900
- Calligraphy -- 1901-1950
- Chicago (Ill.) -- Social life and customs
- Commercial art -- Illinois -- Chicago
- Courtship -- 19th century -- Correspondence
- Courtship -- Middle West -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
- Designers -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources
- Diaries -- United States -- 1851-1900
- Drawings -- 1851-1900
- Drawings -- 1901-1950
- Europe -- Description and travel -- 1800-1918
- Husband and wife -- United States -- Correspondence
- Love letters -- United States -- 1851-1900
- Manuscripts, American -- Illinois -- Chicago
- New York (N.Y.) -- Description and travel
- Pets -- 1900-1920
- Sisters -- Correspondence
- Washington (D.C.)--Description and travel
- Women -- Diaries
- Women -- Domestic life -- United States -- 1880-1900
- Women travelers -- United States
- World War, 1914-1918
- World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)
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Other Finding Aids
See also Chicago Literary Club. Records, Midwest MS Chicago Literary Club.
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Container List
Series 1: Correspondence, 1897-1922 |
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| Primarily the letters of Frederick W. Gookin to his wife, Marie Sieboth Gookin, beginning with courtship letters and later detailing his daily activities during business trips or while Marie Gookin was away. Letters document Chicago friends, city activities, food, and weather, as well as details about his art world contacts during trips to New York. There are also letters from Marie S. Gookin to her sister Nathalie Kennedy, describing the family cats, vacations in Colorado, and a trip to Europe in 1914 during the outbreak of World War I. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by person. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, April 25-June 13, 1897 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, June 14-June 24, 1897 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, June 25-June 30, 1897 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, July 1-July 31, 1897 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, August 1-August 31, 1897 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Sept.-Oct., 1897 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Nov.-Dec., 1897 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Jan.-May, 1898 | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1900 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1901 | |||||||||
| 1 | 11 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1905 | |||||||||
| 1 | 12 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1906-1908 | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1909 | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1910 | |||||||||
| 2 | 15 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, April, 1911 | |||||||||
| 2 | 16 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Oct., 1911 | |||||||||
| 2 | 17 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Nov., 1911 | |||||||||
| 2 | 18 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Dec., 1911 | |||||||||
| 2 | 19 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1912 | |||||||||
| 2 | 20 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1913-1914 | |||||||||
| 2 | 21 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, May-Aug., 1915 | |||||||||
| 2 | 22 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Sept.-Oct., 1915 | |||||||||
| 3 | 23 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Feb., 1916 | |||||||||
| 3 | 24 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, April, 1916 | |||||||||
| 3 | 25 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Nov., 1916 | |||||||||
| 3 | 26 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Aug., 1917 | |||||||||
| 3 | 27 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Oct.-Nov., 1917 | |||||||||
| 3 | 28 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, May-June, 1918 | |||||||||
| 3 | 29 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Nov.-Dec., 1918 | |||||||||
| 3 | 30 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1920 | |||||||||
| 3 | 31 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Jan.-March, 1921 | |||||||||
| 3 | 32 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, Sept.-Nov., 1921 | |||||||||
| 3 | 33 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1922 | |||||||||
| 3 | 34 | Gookin, Frederick W. to Nathalie C. Gookin (Girlie), 1905, 1909 | |||||||||
| 3 | 35 | Gookin, Frederick W. - misc. incoming, 1920 | |||||||||
| 4 | 36 | Gookin, Marie Sieboth to Nathalie S. Kennedy, 1912 | |||||||||
| 4 | 37 | Gookin, Marie Sieboth to Nathalie S. Kennedy, 1913 | |||||||||
| 4 | 38 | Gookin, Marie Sieboth to Nathalie S. Kennedy, 1914, n.d. | |||||||||
| 4 | 39 | Gookin, Marie Sieboth to family, n.d. | |||||||||
| 4 | 40 | Gookin, Marie Sieboth - misc. incoming, 1911-1921, n.d. | |||||||||
| 4 | 41 | Gookin, Nathalie C. (Girlie) to Frederick W. & Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1915-1918 | |||||||||
| 4 | 42 | Gookin, Nathalie C. (Girlie) to Nathalie S. Kennedy, 1911 | |||||||||
| 4 | 43 | Kennedy, Nathalie S. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1911 | |||||||||
| 4 | 44 | Kennedy, Nathalie S. to Marie Sieboth Gookin, 1917-1920, n.d. | |||||||||
| 4 | 45 | Sieboth, Clotilde to family, 1909 | |||||||||
Series 2: Family Papers, 1861-1921 |
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| Primarily the diaries of Elisabeth A. Gookin, Frederick Gookin's mother, chronicling her daily activities. The diaries contain descriptions of the labor required to maintain the household, her health, and also her general attitude and emotional state. There is also is a detailed diary kept by Elisabeth Gookin of the family's twelve visits to the World's Columbian Exposition, and her travel diaries describing trips to Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. Also included is a daily diary kept by Mary Gookin, and Marie Sieboth's calendar containing a quotation for each day. There are a few items related to Frederick Gookin's membership in the Chicago Literary Club, and some miscellaneous items related to the Gookin family, including postcard photos of the neighborhood around Walton & State streets, where they lived. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by person. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 5 | 46 | Gookin, Elisabeth A. - diary, May, 1864-March, 1872 | |||||||||
| 5 | 47 | Gookin, Elisabeth A. - diary, April, 1872-June, 1880 | |||||||||
| 5 | 48 | Gookin, Elisabeth A. - diary, June, 1880-Dec., 1886 | |||||||||
| 5 | 49 | Gookin, Elisabeth A. - diaries, trips to Boston, New York, the east, 1885, 1887 | |||||||||
| 5 | 50 | Gookin, Elisabeth A. - diary, Jan., 1887-Dec. 1894 | |||||||||
| 6 | 51 | Gookin, Elisabeth A. - diary, World's Columbian Exposition, 1893 | |||||||||
| 6 | 52 | Gookin, Elisabeth A. - diary, Jan., 1895-June, 1895 | |||||||||
| 6 | 53 | Gookin, Frederick W. - Chicago Literary Club - attendance statistics chart (see oversize), 1905 | |||||||||
| 6 | 54 | Gookin, Frederick W. - Chicago Literary Club - honorary dinner & dues receipt, 1920-1921 | |||||||||
| 6 | 55 | Gookin, Frederick W. - childhood letters and artwork, 1861, n.d. | |||||||||
| 6 | 56 | Gookin, Marie Sieboth - calendar, 1885-1895 | |||||||||
| 6 | 57 | Gookin, Mary H. - diary, 1879-1882 | |||||||||
| 6 | 58 | Gookin, Nathalie C. (Girlie) - Chicago College Club tickets & invitation, 1921 | |||||||||
| 6 | 59 | Gookin family - genealogy book advertisement & order form, 1907 | |||||||||
| 6 | 60 | Gookin family - postcards, Walton Place & State Street, Washington Square Park, ca. 1890s | |||||||||
| 6 | 61 | Misc. clippings, 1915, 1918 | |||||||||
Series 3: Artwork, 1883-1921 |
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| Frederick Gookin's drawings, sketches and finished artwork for A.C. McClurg, the Chicago Literary Club, and others. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 7 | 62 | Advertisements & commercial work, n.d. | |||||||||
| 7 | 63 | A.C. McClurg & Co., 1888 | |||||||||
| 7 | 64 | A.C. McClurg & Co., 1890 | |||||||||
| 7 | 65 | A.C. McClurg & Co., 1891 | |||||||||
| 7 | 66 | A.C. McClurg & Co., 1892 | |||||||||
| 7 | 67 | A.C. McClurg & Co., 1893 | |||||||||
| 7 | 68 | A.C. McClurg & Co., 1896 | |||||||||
| 7 | 69 | A.C. McClurg & Co., 1900 | |||||||||
| 7 | 70 | A.C. McClurg & Co., 1901 | |||||||||
| 7 | 71 | A.C. McClurg & Co., 1908 | |||||||||
| 7 | 72 | A.C. McClurg & Co., n.d. | |||||||||
| 7 | 73 | Art Institute of Chicago - Certificate of Membership, ca. 1880s | |||||||||
| 7 | 74 | B.F. Shay, 1921? | |||||||||
| 7 | 75 | Book covers (see also oversize), n.d. | |||||||||
| 7 | 76 | Book plate, n.d. | |||||||||
| 7 | 77 | Chicago Literary Club, 1883 | |||||||||
| 7 | 78 | Chicago Literary Club, 1884 | |||||||||
| 7 | 79 | Chicago Literary Club, 1886-1887 | |||||||||
| 7 | 80 | Chicago Literary Club, 1887-1888 | |||||||||
| 7 | 81 | Chicago Literary Club, 1888-1889 | |||||||||
| 7 | 82 | Chicago Literary Club, 1889-1890 | |||||||||
| 7 | 83 | Chicago Literary Club, 1890-1891 | |||||||||
| 7 | 84 | Chicago Literary Club, 1891-1892 | |||||||||
| 7 | 85 | Chicago Literary Club, 1892-1893 | |||||||||
| 7 | 86 | Chicago Literary Club (see also oversize), 1894 | |||||||||
| 7 | 87 | Chicago Literary Club, 1894-1895 | |||||||||
| 7 | 88 | Chicago Literary Club (see also oversize), 1896 | |||||||||
| 7 | 89 | Chicago Literary Club (see also oversize), 1899-1900 | |||||||||
| 7 | 90 | Chicago Literary Club (see also oversize), 1896-1897 | |||||||||
| 7 | 91 | Chicago Literary Club, 1897-1898 | |||||||||
| 7 | 92 | Chicago Literary Club (see also oversize), 1898-1899 | |||||||||
| 7 | 93 | Chicago Literary Club, 1900-1901 | |||||||||
| 7 | 94 | Chicago Literary Club (see oversize), 1901-1902 | |||||||||
| 7 | 95 | Chicago Literary Club (see oversize), 1902-1903 | |||||||||
| 7 | 96 | Chicago Literary Club (see oversize), 1903-1904 | |||||||||
| 7 | 97 | Chicago Literary Club (see oversize), 1904-1905 | |||||||||
| 7 | 98 | Chicago Literary Club (see also oversize), 1905-1906 | |||||||||
| 7 | 99 | Chicago Literary Club (see oversize), 1906-1907 | |||||||||
| 7 | 100 | Chicago Literary Club, 1909 | |||||||||
| 7 | 101 | Chicago Literary Club (see also oversize), n.d. | |||||||||
| 7 | 102 | George M. Hill & Co., n.d. | |||||||||
| 7 | 103 | The MacMillan Company, n.d. | |||||||||
| 7 | 104 | Magnolia Library (see also oversize), n.d. | |||||||||
| 7 | 105 | The Sunset Club, 1893 | |||||||||
| 7 | 106 | University Club of Chicago, n.d. | |||||||||
| 7 | 107 | Miscellaneous, n.d. | |||||||||