Archives and Manuscript Collections
Personal Papers
FREDERIC AUGUSTUS LUCAS PAPERS (1883-1927)
1 linear foot (3 boxes)
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Frederic Augustus Lucas (1852-1929), curator and naturalist, was born
in Plymouth, Massachusetts on March 25, 1852. In 1871 Lucas entered
Ward's Natural Science Establishment in Rochester, New York, where he remained
for eleven years working at taxidermy, osteology, and museum technique.
He began his curatorial career at the United States Natural Museum in 1882.
From 1904 to 1911 he was the curator-in-chief of the Museum of the Brooklyn
Institute of Arts and Sciences, and in 1911 he became the director of the
American Museum of Natural History in New York where he remained until
1923. From 1924 to 1929 he served as honorary director. He received an
honorary D.Sc. degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1909.
Lucas' work was mainly in the field of museum administration, the preparation
of museum material, and osteology. Throughout his career he belonged to
numerous professional societies and published many works on the anatomy
of birds, fossil vertebrates, and museum methods. He wrote two books Animals
of the Past (1901) and Animals before Man in North America (1902).
His autobiography, Fifty Years of Museum Work, was published in
1933 by the American Museum of Natural History and includes a bibliography
of Lucas' publications. He died in Flushing, New York on February 9, 1929.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The collection includes materials on the administrative operations at
the United States National Museum; and correspondence, memoranda, architectural
drawings, photographs, and postcards dealing with the design of museum
buildings.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series 1: Correspondence
Series 2: Subject Files
Series 3: United States National Museum
Series 4: Photographs
Series 5: Postcards
Series 1 Correspondence, 1902-1927
4.5 lin. in. Arranged alphabetically by institution.
Correspondence with museum personnel at thirty nine institutions, including
Alfred Rosenheim, architect for the addition to the Los Angeles Museum
of History, Science, and Art.
Series 2 Subject Files, 1908-1924
1 lin. in. Arranged alphabetically.
Six files on subjects relating to museum issues.
Series 3 United States National Museum, 1883-1909
and 1922-1923
2.25 lin. in. Arranged alphabetically.
Five files, relating to administrative issues, includes clippings and
correspondence.
Series 4 Photographs
2.5 lin. in.
Contains undated photographs of museum buildings and displays.
Series 5 Postcards
3 lin. in. Arranged geographically.
Pictures of museums worldwide.
RELATED COLLECTIONS
Brooklyn Museum Archives
Office of the Director, Records, 1896- [ongoing]
Franklin W. Hooper Correspondence, 1904-1906
American Museum of Natural History, Department of Library Services
Administrative Files, 1969-1968
Expeditions and Scientific Staff Records, Department of Mammology, 1885-[ca.
1970]
New York Zoological Society. Archives
Records of the Department of Tropical Research. Office of the Director
and General Associate, 1909-1947
Processed April 2000 by Natalie S. Brody under a grant
from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH PA-23141-98) and a
grant from the Harriet Ford Dickenson Foundation.
For more information and a complete description contact:
Susan Fraser, NYBG
Archivist
The LuEsther T. Mertz Library
The New York Botanical Garden
Bronx, NY 10458-5126
(718) 817-8879
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