Papers of B. Preston Clark, Carnegie Museum of Natural History Archives
Inventoried by Kristina Kiper, May 1999 and Marie Corrado, 2001,
and processed by Kristin Justham, summer 2007
Collection Number:
1999-1
Inclusive Dates: 1911-1943
Extent:
8.4 linear feet
Repository:
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Library
4400 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Email: cmnhlib@carnegiemnh.org
Abstract:
B. Preston Clark was an avid collector of the Sphingidae family of Lepidoptera,
commonly known as hawk moths. He also collected prints, plates, and books about this
family of moths. Dating from 1911 to 1943, the Papers of B. Preston Clark reflect his
efforts to establish relationships with field correspondents, other collectors and
institutions, and to build a collection of Sphingidae unsurpassed in its completeness. The
collection also chronicles the development of his relationship with the Carnegie Museum
of Natural History and the level of influence he was able to obtain with the directors of
the museum over the years.
Acquisition Information:
A portion of the correspondence in Series I was acquired in 1928. The remaining portion
of this series was most likely acquired along with the final donation of Clark’s specimen
collection to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) on August 19, 1941
(accession number 12,720). The correspondence comprising Series II is believed to have
been acquired along with the bulk of Clark’s specimen collection, though it is not known
under what circumstances it became separated from the rest of the correspondence. It was
transferred to the archives from John Rawlins in the CMNH Section of Invertebrate
Zoology in 2001. Series III, transferred to the archives in 1999, may have originated in
departmental or administrative files, as it deals largely with the delivery of Clark’s
collection following his death.
Preferred Citation:
Papers of B. Preston Clark, Carnegie Museum of Natural History Archives, 1999-1
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Access Restrictions:
The collections of the museum shall be available for examination and study by any
qualified individual under the normal museum security procedures and other special
procedures established by the section for the protection of the specific collection.
Copyright:
Property rights reside with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. For information
about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Museum Archivist at the
address above.
Alternate Format:
Partial access to Series I is available through an Access database, which provides item
level indexing to the contents of Folders 2-15, covering the period from February 16,
1916 to March 15, 1919. For Series II, an Access database provides item level
information to the 2111 items in this collection, which cover the period from 1911
through 1917. Individual items may be searched by date or by the names of sender and
recipient. Additionally, a list of correspondents, most of who collected for Clark, is
available though an Access database which covers correspondents in both Series I and II.
Although many correspondents signed their name using initials, when a full name is
known, it is used in the database.
History:
Benjamin Preston Clark, known as B. Preston Clark, was born on October 8, 1860. Clark,
who graduated from Amherst in 1881, married Josephine F. on January 21, 1890. They
settled in Boston, Massachusetts, and had three sons, Preston, Jr. (d. 1930), Allen (b. ca.
1896) and Francis (b. ca. 1900), and one daughter, Katherine Harding née Clark.
Later in life, Clark became an avid collector of the Sphingidae family of Lepidoptera,
commonly known as hawk moths. He began amassing his collection of moths around
1912, about the time he started the correspondence files. He also collected prints, plates,
and books about this family of moths. Clark spent a great deal of time and money in his
effort to leave a vast collection of moths and knowledge to science. To this end, he
established relationships within the scientific community and was a member of numerous
entomological societies, often publishing articles through them. He also made donations
of money and specimens to a number of museums in the United States and several
foreign countries, including the Zoological Museum at Tring, the Chicago Field Museum,
the Hill Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History.
At the peak of his collecting, Clark had more than 600 field collectors working for him.
He financed collecting trips through arrangements with institutions and other collectors,
while also personally financing expeditions to add specimens to his collection. In order to
secure new collectors, Clark made use of his extensive connections with scientific
institutions and religious organizations. He frequently wrote to localities abroad,
contacting the American Consul or government entomologist, in an attempt to find local
collectors. In cases where he was unable to acquire specimens from the field, Clark
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endeavored to exchange or purchase specimens from scientific institutions and other
collectors.
Clark was employed by the U. S. Smelting Company and later by the Plymouth Cordage
Company. Throughout World War I he worked for the federal government, serving on
the Food Administration Board.
During his lifetime, Clark was recognized for his contributions to the scientific
community. He was appointed an honorary curator of the Carnegie Section of
Entomology in June 1926 and a research associate in the entomology department of The
Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia in 1938. On June 13, 1928, the University
of Pittsburgh conferred upon Clark an honorary Doctor of Science degree. He died on
January 11, 1939.
Scope and Content Note:
The B. Preston Clark collection spans almost all of Clark’s extensive collecting history
and provides a complete record of the collecting habits of one of the preeminent
entomologists of the twentieth century. It is comprised mostly of Correspondence, though
items such as invoices, photographs, newspaper clippings, drawings, retailers’ lists of
inventories, Clark’s ever-changing lists of desiderata, and maps are interspersed
throughout.
Information concerning prices paid for specimens, areas from which they were obtained,
details about Clark’s field collectors, best practices for collecting specimens, and his
dealings with major scientific institutions, among many other topics, is contained in the
correspondence. The bulk of the correspondence consists of letters to and from field
collectors, contacts and personal friends at institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution
and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, retailers of entomological specimens, and
scientific supply companies. A fair part of the correspondence is also comprised of
Clark’s attempts to employ foreign collectors by contacting various government
entomologists, American consuls, and religious associations. Exchanges, both attempted
and successful, with various institutions and collectors are also detailed throughout the
correspondence. The communication between Clark and Karl Jordan, curator of the
Zoological Museum at Tring, illustrates Clark’s reliance on Jordan’s assistance in
determining specimens.
Details concerning Clark’s purchase of the Rudolf Mell, Adolf Huwe, and Charles
Oberthür Sphingidae collections are found in Clark’s correspondence. In 1921 he is able
to obtain the Mell collection, with the exception of some items deposited in the Tring and
Berlin museums, for $830.57. That following year, Clark purchased the Huwe collection
consisting of 2,800 specimens for $1,800. Shortly after Oberthür’s death in 1924, Clark
acquired his friend’s collection of approximately 14,000 specimens, including all of the
Boisduval and Guenee types, for $7,000.
Clark's wide range of correspondence also offers a perspective on the time period. Topics
involving politics, World War I, local strikes, and other business and social issues are
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discussed. Though Clark’s collecting slows during the war due to hostilities and his
involvement in the war effort, after its conclusion he vigorously renews his quest to
employ new collectors and reconnect with old contacts. These attempts intensify in the
mid- to late 1920s, during which time he frequently expresses his desire to compile a
complete collection of this family of moths.
It is also in the correspondence that Clark’s influence at the Carnegie and with its
directors, W. J. Holland and later Douglas Stewart, concerning the installation of Andrey
N. Avinoff in the Section of Entomology and later as director of the museum can be seen.
In 1921, Clark recommends Avinoff for the position of curator of entomology collections
at the Carnegie. He first mentions that the eventual transfer of his collection to the
Carnegie museum might be tied into Avinoff obtaining a position there in 1922.
Throughout his correspondence with members of the Carnegie, he makes it clear that he
believes Avinoff is the man who is most capable of carrying on his work. Beginning in
1923, he states to his contacts at the Carnegie and to other correspondents that if the
Carnegie retains Avinoff, his collection will go there.
His support of Avinoff continues during Avinoff’s inability to commit to the museum.
When Avinoff was forced to turn down a position with the Carnegie in 1923 due to
personal reasons, Clark suggested to then director Douglas Stewart that Avinoff be made
an honorary collaborator in the Section of Entomology. Stewart honored Clark’s request
by making Avinoff an honorary research assistant. Avinoff returned to the museum in
1924 as an associate curator of entomology, a position he had to resign from in 1925,
again due to personal reasons. After his departure, Avinoff is given the honorary title of
research associate in the Section of Entomology, and eventually returns to the Carnegie in
1926 as director of the museum.
Shortly after Avinoff is hired by the Carnegie in 1924, Clark writes to him that he has
made a codicil in his will leaving his Sphingidae to the Carnegie Museum, with all the
books, drawings, etc., that go with them. An abundance of correspondence relating to the
matter of Clark’s gift to the museum exists in the collection. Additionally, there is good
documentation of Clark’s transfer of his specimens, library, correspondence, and so on, to
the Carnegie, beginning in 1925. In a signed copy of Clark’s deed of gift to the Carnegie,
dated December 18, 1937 (found in Series I, Folder 98), Clark details the terms of his gift
to the museum, stating that it is subject to Avinoff being director of the Carnegie
Museum at the time of Clark’s death.
Though the earliest items in the collection are from 1911, the amount of correspondence
from 1911 to 1913 is minimal and is only found in Series II. A small quantity of letters
are in foreign languages, predominantly French, German, and Spanish, many of which
Clark had translated into English. Occasionally a letter not written by or addressed to
Clark appears in the files. With the exception of Folder 1 in Box 1, the collection is
arranged chronologically, though the ordering is not precise, as letters from another
month or year are frequently found in different folders. Also, the dates on the folders do
not indicate the bulk dates, as if there were a few letters from one or more months, those
months were included in the date range. Additionally, the last five folders in Series I and
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all of Series II are arranged in reverse chronological order, with the earliest dates at the
back of the file. The material has been re-foldered and acidic documents have been
isolated by acid-free paper.
While much of the material in Series III deals with correspondence
between Clark and Carnegie Museum staff during Clark’s lifetime, it also
includes correspondence received after his death. Another significant
collection of correspondence in this series is that between Clark, Henry
Skinner of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and David
Harrower over the ownership and publication of a new sphinx moth,
originally published as Kloneus babayaga, Skinner, and subsequently
described as Oberthurion harroverii, B.P. Clark.
Series I. Correspondence (1915-1943)
Scope and Content Note:
The last five file folders of Series I contain material added by the Carnegie staff as the
record group was closed and the names of the folders reflect those appearing on the
folders originally. These folders consist mostly of correspondence between Clark and
staff of the Carnegie, including Holland, Stewart, and Avinoff and entomologist Hugo
Kahl. Also included are letters to and from Clark’s wife and son, which were written after
Clark’s death and include information about the transfer of ownership and details of
packing the collection and shipping it to Pittsburgh from Boston. Typed transcripts
accompany some of Mrs. Clark’s letters. Other correspondence in this series is between
the Carnegie and field collectors as well as other museums, which are attempting to reacquire specimens they had given to Clark on long-term loan. Much of the
correspondence between Clark and the Carnegie is duplicated in Clark’s correspondence
files.
Box 1
Folder 01
Folder 02
Folder 03
Folder 04
Folder 05
Folder 06
Folder 07
Folder 08
Folder 09
Folder 10
Folder 11
Folder 12
Folder 13
Folder 14
Series I
Correspondence, February 1921-June 1923
Correspondence, February 1916-March 1916
Correspondence, April 1916-May 1916
Correspondence, May 1916-June 1916
Correspondence, February 1917-April 1917
Correspondence, April 1917-July 1917
Correspondence, July 1917-November 1917
Correspondence, November 1917-February 1918
Correspondence, February 1918-March 1918
Correspondence, March 1918-April 1918
Correspondence, April 1918-June 1918
Correspondence, June 1918-September 1918
Correspondence, August 1918-November 1918
Correspondence, October 1918-January 1919
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Folder 15
Folder 16
Folder 17
Folder 18
Correspondence, December 1918-March 1919
Correspondence, March 1919-April 1919
Correspondence, April 1919-May 1919
Correspondence, June 1919
Box 2
Folder 19
Folder 20
Folder 21
Folder 22
Folder 23
Folder 24
Folder 25
Folder 26
Folder 27
Folder 28
Folder 29
Folder 30
Folder 31
Folder 32
Folder 33
Folder 34
Folder 35
Series I (continued)
Correspondence, May 1919-July 1919
Correspondence, July 1919-September 1919
Correspondence, July 1919-November 1919
Correspondence, October 1919-January 1920
Correspondence, November 1919-February 1920
Correspondence, February-March 1920
Correspondence, February 1920-April 1920
Correspondence, March 1920-June 1920
Correspondence, June 1920-August 1920
Correspondence, July 1920-August 1920
Correspondence, August 1920-October 1920
Correspondence, October 1920-December 1920
Correspondence, December 1920-January 1921
Correspondence, January 1921-March 1921
Correspondence, March 1921-April 1921
Correspondence, April 1921-May 1921
Correspondence, May 1921-June 1921
Box 3
Folder 36
Folder 37
Folder 38
Folder 39
Folder 40
Folder 41
Folder 42
Folder 43
Folder 44
Folder 45
Folder 46
Folder 47
Folder 48
Folder 49
Folder 50
Folder 51
Folder 52
Folder 53
Series I (continued)
Correspondence, June 1921-July 1921
Correspondence, July 1921-August 1921
Correspondence, August 1921-October 1921
Correspondence, October 1921-December 1921
Correspondence, December 1921-January 1922
Correspondence, January 1922-February 1922
Correspondence, February 1922-March1922
Correspondence, March 1922-April 1922
Correspondence, April 1922-June 1922
Correspondence, May 1922-July 1922
Correspondence, August 1922-October 1922
Correspondence, October 1922-January 1923
Correspondence, January 1923-February 1923
Correspondence, March 1923-May 1923
Correspondence, April 1923-August 1923
Correspondence, July 1923-December 1923
Correspondence, December 1923-March 1924
Correspondence, January 1924-June 1924
Box 4
Folder 54
Series I (continued)
Correspondence, May 1924-September 1924
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Folder 55
Folder 56
Folder 57
Folder 58
Folder 59
Folder 60
Folder 61
Folder 62
Folder 63
Folder 64
Folder 65
Folder 66
Folder 67
Folder 68
Folder 69
Folder 70
Folder 71
Folder 72
Folder 73
Folder 74
Correspondence, August 1924-February 1925
Correspondence, February 1925-April 1925
Scope Content Note: Two receipts for loans between Clark and the
Carnegie for the Oberthür, Huwe, and Mell collections, dated May 1,
1925, are located at the back of the folder.
Correspondence, March 1925-June 1925
Correspondence, July 1925-December 1925
Correspondence, January 1926-May 1926
Correspondence, March 1926-June 1926
Correspondence, June 1926-November 1926
Correspondence, October 1926-March 1927
Correspondence, February 1927-May 1927
Correspondence, April 1927-July 1927
Correspondence, July 1927-October 1927
Correspondence, September 1927-December 1927
Correspondence, December 1927-April 1928
Correspondence, April 1928-August 1928
Correspondence, June 1928-January 1929
Correspondence, January 1929-October 1929
Correspondence, August 1929-March 1930
Correspondence, March 1930-May 1930
Correspondence, May 1930-October 1930
Correspondence, September 1930-February 1931
Box 5
Folder 75
Folder 76
Folder 77
Folder 78
Folder 79
Folder 80
Folder 81
Folder 82
Folder 83
Folder 84
Folder 85
Folder 86
Folder 87
Folder 88
Folder 89
Folder 90
Folder 91
Folder 92
Folder 93
Folder 94
Series I (continued)
Correspondence, January 1931-May 1931
Correspondence, April 1931-July 1931
Correspondence, July 1931-December 1931
Correspondence, December 1931-May 1932
Correspondence, May 1932-December 1932
Correspondence, January 1933-December 1933
Correspondence, January 1934-April 1934
Correspondence, April 1934-August 1934
Correspondence, August 1934-January 1935
Correspondence, February 1935-April 1935
Correspondence, May 1935-October 1935
Correspondence, November 1935-February 1936
Correspondence, February 1936-May 1936
Correspondence, May 1936-October 1936
Correspondence, October 1936-March 1937
Correspondence, March 1937-May 1937
Correspondence, May 1937-October 1937
Correspondence, October 1937-March 1938
Correspondence, March 1938-July 1938
Correspondence, July 1938-November 1938
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Box 6
Folder 95
Folder 96
Folder 97
Folder 98
Folder 99
Series I (continued)
B. Preston Clark Correspondence, April 1929-February 1920
W. J. Holland Correspondence, May 1929-April 1920
Mrs. B. Preston Clark Correspondence, September 1943-January 1939
Scope Content Note: In an undated Mrs. Clark writes to Avinoff asking
him for assistance with a chapter of a biographical sketch she is writing of
her husband for his children and grandchildren. She comments that she
needs some help with the correct scientific terms in the chapter she has
written about his Sphingidae. In a letter dated September 27, 1943,
Avinoff replies to Mrs. Clark that he would appreciate being shown her
manuscript before its publication. However, no biography of Clark was
found in the collection.
Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1939
B. Preston Clark Correspondence, November 1938-January 1930
Series II. Correspondence (1911-1917)
Scope and Content Note:
Series II was transferred to the archives in 2001, after it was discovered in the Section of
Invertebrate Zoology of the museum. At that time, it was maintained as a separate
collection, but after the entire Clark collection was processed in 2007, it was determined
that this box was originally part of his correspondence and should be reintegrated with
the rest of the material. Due to the chronological ordering of both sets of Correspondence,
it was decided to incorporate this set as a second series. This series is arranged
alphabetically by the correspondent’s last name or by the name of the institution for
which the individual writing the letter works. Letters written by Clark are filed under the
name of the person to whom he is writing. However, in some instances, the filing of
letters does not appear to follow either method.
Box 6
Folder 01
Folder 02
Folder 03
Folder 04
Folder 05
Folder 06
Folder 07
Folder 08
Folder 09
Folder 10
Folder 11
Folder 12
Folder 13
Folder 14
Folder 15
Series II
Correspondence A, February 1917-November 1913
Correspondence B, February 1917-November 1913
Correspondence C, February 1917-January 1914
Correspondence D, February 1918-March 1914
Correspondence E, February 1917-March 1914
Correspondence F, February 1917-January 1912
Correspondence G, January 1917-March 1913
Correspondence H, February 1917-April 1914
Correspondence (undesignated), 1916 and 1917
Correspondence I, February 1917-November 1916
Correspondence J, January 1917-October 1911
Correspondence K, February 1917-February 1914
Correspondence L, February 1917-July 1914
Correspondence M, February 1917-March 1914
Correspondence N, February 1917-February 1914
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Folder 16
Folder 17
Folder 18
Folder 19
Folder 20
Folder 21
Correspondence O, February 1917-July 1914
Correspondence P, February 1917-March 1914
Correspondence Q, November 1915-October 1914
Correspondence R, February 1917-February 1914
Correspondence S, February 1917-November 1913
Correspondence T, January 1917-April 1913
Box 7
Folder 22
Folder 23
Folder 24
Folder 25
Folder 26
Series II (continued)
Correspondence U, December 1915-February 1914
Correspondence V, January 1917-April 1915
Correspondence (undesignated), September 1916-February 1914
Correspondence W, February 1917-April 1913
Correspondence Z, September 1916-October 1915
Scope Content Note: The majority of the correspondence in this file seems
like it would be more appropriately filed under J or Z.
Series III. Correspondence (1917-1939)
Scope and Content Note:
This material was transferred from the Invertebrate Zoology Department of the Carnegie
Museum of Natural History on 3 March 1999, by John Rawlins. While much of the
material deals with correspondence between Clark and Carnegie Museum staff during
Clark’s lifetime, it also includes correspondence received after his death. Another
significant collection of correspondence is that between Clark, Henry Skinner of the
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and David Harrower over the ownership
and publication of a new sphinx moth, originally published as Kloneus babayaga,
Skinner.
Box 7
Series II I. Correspondence 1917-1939
Folder 01
February 1917 – February 1939
Correspondence from B. Preston Clark to staff at Carnegie Museum,
primarily Hugo Kahl, but including W.J. Holland and Andrey Avinoff.
Includes several letters from Mrs. Josephine Clark, following B. Preston
Clark’s death on 12 January 1939, regarding packing and shipping the
collection from Boston to Pittsburgh.
Folder 02
1922-1929.
Correspondence between Clark, Henry Skinner (Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia) and David E. Harrower over ownership and
publication of a new sphinx moth, originally published as Kloneus
babayaga, Skinner and subsequently described as Oberthurion harroverii,
B.P. Clark.
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Folder 03
1939
Letters received slightly before and after Clark’s death, some apparently
annotated by Josephine Clark. Removed from envelope marked “Late
correspondence of B.P. Clark, source post mortem by A.Avinoff.”
Folder 04
Undated
Ring-bound notebook, including typescript, annotated illustrations from
various journal publications
Folder 05
1923-1939
Various notes dealing with specimen loans made to Clark. Includes
overview of Clark’s specimen collection, dated 1939.
Removed from envelope marked “Letters and notes pertaining to the Clark
Collection of Sphingidae.”
Folder 06
Undated
Various lists of specimens and notes on the specimen collection of B.
Preston Clark.
Removed from envelope marked “Card Index Sphingidae”
Folder 07
Undated
Manuscript list headed “Supplement a la Collection Sphingidae.”
Removed from envelope marked “List of Sphingidae from C. Höfer,
Rennes, France sent to Dr. Clark.”
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