Elizabeth Cross Langmuir Papers, 1966-1985, undated

Collection

Identifier: E 64

Staff Only
Not requestable

Scope and Contents

The Elizabeth Cross Langmuir papers contains material related to her research on Ethiopia, and Ethiopian crosses and icons. It also contains material related to her collecting activities; some of the material is in what is believed to be Amharic. This collection has been divided into two series.

Series I. Research contains secondary source material collected by Elizabeth Langmuir during her work. It includes scholarly articles, newspapers and clippings, greeting cards, postcards, calendars, brochures, pamphlets, and some miscellaneous material. Topics collected by Langmuir include Ethiopian crosses and icons, general Ethopian history and current events, and African history.

Series II. Other contains research and other material. Included in this series are: photographs and negatives; subject files; notes and notebooks; exhibition information; object information, including provenance and purchase information; binders containing reference material and notes; and correspondence. The subject files were folders created by Langmuir, and are kept in their original order.

Dates

Creation: 1966-1985, undated, undated

Creator

Langmuir, Elizabeth Cross (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Biographical / Historical

Elizabeth Betsey Cross Langmuir was born around 1909, in Schenectady, New York (Ancestry). While working at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa in 1966, she was part of a team that undertook the "preservation, research, and cataloging of Ethiopian crosses and newly discovered icons long hidden in monasteries and churches" (Langmuir v). She went on to create her own collection, the Langmuir Collection, with a mission "to form a collection that might be shown and kept intact in the United States" (Langmuir v). This collection was exhibited at the Peabody Museum of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1978.

She was married to Charles R. Langmuir, and they lived in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Elizabeth died on March 26, 1991 (Ancestry).

Extent

4.29 Linear Feet (7 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Amharic

French

Dutch; Flemish

Additional Description

Abstract

Series List

SERIES I. Research

SERIES II. Other

Provenance

The books, pamphlets, and magazines were donated by Elizabeth Cross Langmuir and Charles Langmuir on June 4, 1980 (Acc 22,209). Books were added to the library's print collection.

Bibliography and Related Collections

Ancestry.com. U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2019.

Langmuir, Elizabeth Cross, Stanislaw Chojnack, and Peter Fetchko. Ethiopia, the Christian art of an African nation: the Langmuir Collection, Peabody Museum of Salem. Salem, Mass.: Peabody Museum of Salem, 1978.