Scope and Content Note
The papers of Laura Newbold Wood Roper (1911-2003) span the years 1822-1982 (bulk dates 1871-1895 and 1948-1952) and include original papers of Frederick Law Olmsted and the firm Olmsted Associates . Olmsted's son, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., also a landscape architect and longtime principal of Olmsted Associates, sanctioned Roper's efforts and provided her many of the items which make up this collection from his family and office files. An earlier group of material collected by Roper was given to the Library of Congress in 1975 and incorporated into the Frederick Law Olmsted Papers at that time. The Roper Papers also include her correspondence, research notes, and related material and are organized into the following series: Frederick Law Olmsted, Olmsted Associates, Indexes to Correspondence, and Microfilm.
The Frederick Law Olmsted series relates to the older Olmsted and his work and consists chiefly of correspondence, reports, newspaper clippings, and related information. It is organized by subject and concerns city planning, expositions, capitols, parks, Olmsted's business partners, and his writings. The series also includes scattered correspondence with Theodora Kimball Hubbard, a bibliographer who researched Olmsted in the 1920s.
Correspondence and reports of Olmsted Associates comprise the second series. Although some of the correspondence is original, there are also copies or research findings prepared for Roper's use by Stella D. Obst, longtime secretary to Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. Correspondents include John Charles Olmsted, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and Charles Eliot. Topics include civic projects and the firm's work. There is also much biographical information about the Olmsteds, circa 1898-1954.
The third series contains indexes to the correspondence in the Frederick Law Olmsted Papers compiled by Roper for her biography of Olmsted. The cards include an abstract of each letter indexed and are grouped into a chronological index, a subject index, correspondent, and an author and recipient index. Categories and subcategories of the subject index are generally filed alphabetically and have been listed at the end of this finding aid as an appendix.
The Microfilm series reproduces the card indexes, although with some omissions, and inconsistencies in the filming sequence. It also includes a card file which no longer exists in textual format containing transcripts, excerpts, and notes from newspaper and magazine articles, the journal of Olmsted’s father, John Olmsted (1791-1873), and correspondence.