Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka Collection

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Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka Collection

Circa 1850-1940

https://archivesspace.cmog.org/repositories/3/resources/21

The Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka Collection represents the work of father and son glassmakers in Germany who created hundreds of botanical and marine invertebrate study models in the late 1800s and early 1900s, supplying institutions all over the world. Materials in the collection date from the mid-1800s to the 1920s. The collection is arranged in three series: Series I. Drawings, Series II. Business and Series III. Personal. This collection includes over 900 working drawings and presentation sketches of marine invertebrates and botanicals in watercolor, pen, ink and crayon on heavy paper. The collection also includes a few personal sketchbooks that belonged to the Blaschkas. Business related items include order and account books, drawings of finished models, reports on models, business cards and correspondence, and hundreds of typed labels with the scientific names of marine invertebrates. The personal papers in the collection include birth and death certificates, sympathy cards, articles and clippings, and correspondence, as well as family photographs and three photograph albums. Additionally, there are published travel guides, souvenir books and dictionaries in various languages, used by the Blaschkas. The materials in the collection are comprehensive, demonstrating a large body of the Blaschkas’ work over many years. Business-related materials show the details of the Blaschka business, and where and how they marketed the models. Blaschka family history is also well-represented by personal papers and photographs. Both botanical and marine invertebrate drawings are available digitally and on microfilm.

43.2 Linear Feet (13 Hollinger boxes, 1 half Hollinger box, 2 records cartons, 7 card file boxes, and 26 flat boxes)

eng, Latn

Corning Museum of Glass. Rakow Research Library

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 11665519

Corning Museum of Glass. Rakow Research Library

Related Entities

There are 2 Entities related to this resource.

Blaschka, Rudolf, 1857-1939

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6wm2zpd (person)

Rudolf Blaschka; born in Böhmisch-Aicha, Bohemia on June 17, 1857; moved to Dresden with his family in 1863; along with his father, Leopold Blaschka, he created thousands of glass models of invertebrate animals for institutions around the world; they created plant models for the Botanical Museum at Harvard from 1886 until Leopold died in 1895; Rudolf continued to create glass models for the Botanical Museum until his death on May 1, 1939...

Blaschka, Leopold, 1822-1895

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6230d47 (person)

Leopold Blaschka was born in Bohemia in 1822 to a family of glassblowers. He began making glass models for museums in the mid-19th century, and, along with his son Rudolf, spent the rest of his career creating beautiful glass flowers, plants, and marine life. The largest collection of Blaschka glass botanicals is owned by Harvard University; however, Cornell University also has a substantial collection (mainly composed of marine invertebrates). Leopold Blaschka died in 1895....