Scope and Content Note
The papers of George Frederick Kunz (1856-1932) span the years 1783-1930, with the bulk of the material dating from 1890 to 1922. The collection covers some aspects of Kunz’s career as a gemologist and geologist. There is a primary focus on the mineralogy of Russia and Kunz’s trip to Russia in 1891, his involvement with the American Museum of Safety (renamed the Safety Institute of America), and his work on the geology of the Hudson River in relation to bridge and tunnel construction in New York. The papers are primarily in English with some material in Russian, German, and French.
The majority of the collection includes clippings, correspondence, maps, notes, photographs, printed matter, and typescripts relating to Russia and the mineralogy of Russia, including Kunz's trip to the Ural Mountains region in 1891. He was sent by Tiffany and Company to Russia to study the country's lapidary work and report on the precious stones found in the region. Also noteworthy are land papers of the Volga-Ural Region from 1783 to 1785.
Another substantive portion of the papers relate to Kunz's activities as a member of the Board of Trustees and chair of the Plan and Scope Committee of the American Museum of Safety. Also documented is the museum’s mission to educate and ensure the health, safety, and welfare of industrial workers and to help advance the science of industry. Correspondents include William Howe Tolman and Arthur Williams.
The collection also contains correspondence, research material, and a typescript of an appendix Kunz wrote about the bridges, geology, and tunnels of the Hudson River in New York, New York. Correspondents include Robert Grier Cooke, James F. Fielder, McDougall Hawkes, Henry Barnard Kümmel, W. G. McAdoo, the New York Department of Bridges, the New York Department of Docks and Ferries, Arthur J. O'Keeffe, Martin Saxe, and William Sulzer.