Vinnie Ream and R. L. Hoxie Papers
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Vinnie Ream (1847-1914) and Richard Leveridge Hoxie (1844-1930) span the years 1853-1937, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1853-1914. They include correspondence, memoranda, commissions, biographical data, writings, scrapbooks, reports, notebooks, printed matter, and miscellaneous material. The focus is on Ream after she successfully competed for the commission to execute the statue of Abraham Lincoln that now stands in the rotunda of the United States Capitol. Other topics include racial conditions after the Civil War and social life in Washington, D.C., during Reconstruction.
A smaller portion of the collection focuses on Richard L. Hoxie and deals mainly with military and engineering matters, including Hoxie's Civil War service, participation in the Wheeler Expedition of 1872, and career in the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Of special importance are two notebooks he kept while on the Wheeler Expedition. Also in the collection is a map said to have been carried by William T. Sherman on his march to the sea during the Civil War.
Among the prominent correspondents are George Caleb Bingham, Elias A. Boudinot, Georg Morris Cohen Brandes, Olivia Briggs, Ezra Cornell, Elizabeth Bacon Custer, Jubal Anderson Early, G. P. A. Healey, Joaquin Miller, Crosby Stuart Noyes, Albert Pike, David D. Porter, James S. Rollins, Edmund G. Ross, Alexander Robey Shepherd, William T. Sherman, Thaddeus Stevens, and Daniel W. Voorhees.
Dates
- Creation: 1853-1937
- Creation: Majority of material found within ( 1853-1914)
Language of Materials
Collection material in English
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Vinnie Ream and R. L. Hoxie are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Vinnie Ream and R. L. Hoxie is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Biographical Note
Vinnie Ream
- 1847, Sept. 25
- Born, Madison, Wis.
- circa 1861
- Attended Christian College, Columbia, Mo.
- 1862
- Clerkship, United States Post Office Department, Washington, D.C.
- 1866
- Contracted for statue of Abraham Lincoln
- 1871
- Statue of Abraham Lincoln unveiled
- 1875
- Contracted for statue of David Glasgow Farragut
- 1878
- Married Richard L. Hoxie, Lieutenant, U. S. Army
- 1914, Nov.
- Died, Washington, D.C.
R. L. Hoxie
- 1844, Aug. 7
- Born, New York, N.Y.
- 1861 - 1864
- Bugler, private, and corporal, First Iowa Cavalry
- 1864
- Cadet, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.
- 1868
- Second lieutenant, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- 1878
- Married Vinnie Ream (died 1914)
- 1895
- Major, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- 1898 - 1907
- Member and Engineer Secretary, U.S. Light-House Board, Washington, D.C.
- 1907
- Colonel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- 1908
- Retired as brigadier general
- 1917
- Married May Ruth Norcross
- 1930, Apr. 30
- Died, Miami, Fla.
Extent
2,500 items
9 containers
2 oversize
6 linear feet
5 microfilm reels
Abstract
Sculptor Vinnie Ream and her husband, army officer and engineer Richard L. Hoxie. Correspondence, memoranda, commissions, essays, poetry by Vinnie Ream and Albert Pike, reports, notebooks, biographical data, scrapbooks, clippings, printed material, and memorabilia pertaining chiefly to Ream's work following her commission to execute the statue of Abraham Lincoln now standing in the United States Capitol rotunda.
Catalog Record
Provenance
The papers of Vinnie Ream, sculptor, and R. L. Hoxie, army officer and engineer, were deposited in the Library of Congress by Ruth Norcross Hoxie in 1923 and converted to a gift in 1930. Further gifts and a purchase were received between 1945 and 1986.
Microfilm
A microfilm edition of part of these papers is available on five reels. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the microfilm edition.
Transfers
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Architectural drawings and some photographs have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. A broadside has been transferred to the Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Sheet music has been transferred to the Music Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Vinnie Ream and R. L. Hoxie Papers.
Processing History
The papers of Ream and Hoxie were processed in 1964 and revised and expanded in 1985 and l994. The finding aid was revised in 2007.
Source
- Ream, Vinnie, 1847-1914 (Creator, Person)
- Hoxie, R. L. (Richard Leveridge), 1844-1930 (Creator, Person)
Subject
- Bingham, George Caleb, 1811-1879--Correspondence. (Person)
- Boudinot, Elias A.--Correspondence. (Person)
- Brandes, Georg, 1842-1927--Correspondence. (Person)
- Briggs, Olivia--Correspondence. (Person)
- Cornell, Ezra, 1807-1874--Correspondence. (Person)
- Custer, Elizabeth Bacon, 1842-1933--Correspondence. (Person)
- Early, Jubal Anderson, 1816-1894--Correspondence. (Person)
- Healy, G. P. A. (George Peter Alexander), 1813-1894--Correspondence. (Person)
- Hoxie, R. L. (Richard Leveridge), 1844-1930. Vinnie Ream and R.L. Hoxie papers. 1853-1937. (Person)
- Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Statues. (Person)
- Miller, Joaquin, 1837-1913--Correspondence. (Person)
- Noyes, Crosby Stuart, 1825-1908--Correspondence. (Person)
- Pike, Albert, 1809-1891--Correspondence. (Person)
- Porter, David D. (David Dixon), 1813-1891--Correspondence. (Person)
- Ream, Vinnie, 1847-1914. (Person)
- Rollins, James S. (James Sidney), 1812-1888--Correspondence. (Person)
- Ross, Edmund G. (Edmund Gibson), 1826-1907--Correspondence. (Person)
- Shepherd, Alexander Robey, 1835-1902--Correspondence. (Person)
- Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891--Correspondence. (Person)
- Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891. (Person)
- Stevens, Thaddeus, 1792-1868--Correspondence. (Person)
- Voorhees, Daniel W. (Daniel Wolsey), 1827-1897--Correspondence. (Person)
- Wheeler, George M. (George Montague), 1842-1905. (Person)
- Geographical Surveys West of the 100th Meridian (U.S.) (Organization)
- United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.) (Organization)
- United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. (Organization)
- Title
- Vinnie Ream and R. L. Hoxie Papers
- Subtitle
- A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress
- Author
- Prepared by David MathisenRevised and expanded by Brian McGuire
- Date
- 2007
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Part of the Manuscript Division Repository
Manuscript Reading Room
101 Independence Ave, SE
James Madison Building, LM 101
Washington, DC 20540-4683
(202) 707-5387