John Bivins papers, 1964-ca.1991.

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John Bivins papers, 1964-ca.1991.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/463296726

A collection of drawings, photographs, and papers drawn, acquired, or written by John Bivins, the noted gunstocker, carver, and expert in Southern decorative arts. Of particular note is a typed draft of his book "The Art of the Fire-lock," together with the many photos taken to illustrate the book, many showing the steps in crafting a gun by hand. The collection also includes a script entitled "Authenticating Antique Furniture," for a show produced and directed by John Bivins and William Connell, and a copy of Bivin's college thesis about North Carolina guns. The drawings reflect Bivin's career not only as a maker of gunstocks but also as a wood carver in general. Drawings of early rifles were doubtless used as inspiration for his own creations. Drawings of St. Michael's Church (Charleston, S.C.), Gunston Hall (Va.), the Cornwallis House in Wilmington, N.C., a mirror for a Brewton House (of which there are two in Charleston), and others, were from projects on which Bivins worked.

4 boxes, 6 folders, and 8 rolls : ill.

Winterthur Library

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SNAC Resource ID: 7563085

Winterthur Library

Related Entities

There are 4 Entities related to this resource.

Gunston Hall (Fairfax County, Va.)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6dp4x3g (corporateBody)

Gunston Hall is an 18th-century Georgian mansion near the Potomac River in Mason Neck, Virginia, United States. Built between 1755 and 1759 as the main residence and headquarters of a 5,500-acre (22 km²) forced-labor farm, the house was the home of the United States Founding Father George Mason....

St. Michael's Episcopal Church (Charleston, S.C.)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6fv2nrz (corporateBody)

Burgwin-Wright Houes (Wilmington, N.C.)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6rg1rrt (corporateBody)

Bivins, John, 1940-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62n7b7x (person)

John Franklin Bivins, Jr., was a carver, maker of gunstocks, lecturer, author, museum employee, and consultant in early Southern decorative arts. His father collected antiques, including old muskets and rifles, and John became interested in repairing them so they could be used again. . In 1968, he began work at Old Salem. On the side, he made and carved gunstocks. He became director of publications for the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) and began to lecture on antiques. Eventua...