Field, William B. Osgood

William B. Osgood Field (1870-1949) was an avid book collector and philanthropist. He wrote and published a number of books concerning his collecting interests, including Edward Lear on my shelves, John Leech on my shelves, and others. Field also collected illustrations by British illustrator Ernest Henry Griset (1844-1907). Between 1928-1934, Field and his assistant, Jane Quinby (1901- ), began a project for a book, Ernest Griset on my shelves, but it was never published. [Source: Finding aid for the William B. Osgood Field Papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.]

From the description of William B. Osgood Field papers for Ernest Griset on my shelves, 1932-1937. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 612890757

William Bradhurst Osgood Field and his family were prominent members of New York City and Lenox, Massachusetts society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Field was an avid book collector, gentleman farmer, and philanthropist who sat on the boards of many organizations, both commercial and charitable, and was a member of over twenty clubs and societies. He and his family divided the year between the family's three homes: 645 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, High Lawn in Lenox, Massachusetts, and Westfield in Mohegan Lake, N.Y.

His mother, Augusta Currie Bradhurst Field, and his sister, Mary Pearsall Field, were society women who traveled throughout Europe and entertained at their homes in New York City and Mohegan Lake. Mary maintained an extensive correspondence with friends and family. Lila Vanderbilt Sloane Field, his wife, was a great-granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Like her husband, Lila was involved in a number of charitable organizations and was an accomplished sportswoman.

William and Lila were the parents of four children. Their older son, William Osgood Field, became a noted glaciologist. Frederick Vanderbilt Field, their younger son, became a member of the Communist movement and the author of a number of books about Asia's economy in the 1930s. Marjorie Lila and Mary Augusta were their two daughters. Marjorie and her husband H. George Wilde took over the High Lawn estate and turned it into one of the region's top dairy farms.

William's paternal uncle, Osgood Field, was a prominent member of London and Rome society in the second half of the 19th century. He conducted the family's business in London and undertook extensive research into the history of the Field family. He published his results as The Fields of Sowerby near Halifax, England, and of Flushing, New York in 1895.

From the guide to the William B. Osgood Field papers, 1610-1952, n.d, 1897-1934, (The New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division.)

William B. Osgood Field (1870-1949) was an avid book collector and philanthropist. He wrote and published a number of books concerning his collecting interests, including Edward Lear on my shelves, John Leech on my shelves, and others. Field also collected illustrations by British illustrator Ernest Henry Griset (1844-1907). Between 1928-1934, Field and his assistant, Jane Quinby (1901- ), began a project for a book, Ernest Griset on my shelves. The printing process was begun with Willy Wiegand of the Bremer Presse, but it was never published.

Source: Finding aid for the William B. Osgood Field Papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.

From the guide to the William B. Osgood Field papers for, Ernest Griset on my shelves, ca. 1932-1937., (Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)