Ladies' Advisory Committee Photograph Album
Dublin Core
Title
Ladies' Advisory Committee Photograph Album
Subject
Photograph albums
Williamsburg (Va.) - Photographs
Williamsburg (Va.) - Buildings, structures, etc.
Description
Album of restoration progress photographs compiled as a commemorative gift for members of the Ladies' Advisory Committee
While an all-male Advisory Committee of Architects periodically visited Williamsburg to critique the progress of architectural restoration work in the 1930s, a group of female counterparts also played a role in guiding the decision making process, particularly in regards to interior décor and furnishings. One strategy the architectural team adopted to give area residents a voice and a sense of involvement in the project was to support the creation of a Ladies Advisory Committee. Overseen by interior decoration consultant Susan Higginson Nash, the only woman working in the architects’ office, the committee consisted of women from Williamsburg, Richmond, and surrounding counties, many of whom lived in historic houses themselves. George and May Coleman of Williamsburg served as liaisons between Nash and local women, making initial overtures and paving the way for formal introductions
Susan Higginson Nash submitted a final list of Ladies Advisory Committee members on October 2, 1930. The group included the following sub-divisions, each with their own chairman: 1) Williamsburg Ladies chaired by Mrs. George Coleman; 2) Ladies from Neighboring Plantations chaired by Mrs. Otway Byrd; 3) Richmond Ladies chaired by Mrs. E.M. Crutchfield with Governor John Pollard’s wife serving as honorary chairman; and 4) the Richmond Junior League chaired by Elizabeth Cocke.
As a reciprocal gesture to thank the committee members for their efforts, the Williamsburg Holding Corporation presented each member with an album of restoration progress photographs at their November 2, 1932 meeting. One of these albums now resides in the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library as a visual record of the enthusiastic contributions of the Ladies Advisory Committee. It encompasses photographs of the different buildings the group toured and discussed, ranging from the Wren Building to Merchants Square and Market Square Tavern.
While an all-male Advisory Committee of Architects periodically visited Williamsburg to critique the progress of architectural restoration work in the 1930s, a group of female counterparts also played a role in guiding the decision making process, particularly in regards to interior décor and furnishings. One strategy the architectural team adopted to give area residents a voice and a sense of involvement in the project was to support the creation of a Ladies Advisory Committee. Overseen by interior decoration consultant Susan Higginson Nash, the only woman working in the architects’ office, the committee consisted of women from Williamsburg, Richmond, and surrounding counties, many of whom lived in historic houses themselves. George and May Coleman of Williamsburg served as liaisons between Nash and local women, making initial overtures and paving the way for formal introductions
Susan Higginson Nash submitted a final list of Ladies Advisory Committee members on October 2, 1930. The group included the following sub-divisions, each with their own chairman: 1) Williamsburg Ladies chaired by Mrs. George Coleman; 2) Ladies from Neighboring Plantations chaired by Mrs. Otway Byrd; 3) Richmond Ladies chaired by Mrs. E.M. Crutchfield with Governor John Pollard’s wife serving as honorary chairman; and 4) the Richmond Junior League chaired by Elizabeth Cocke.
As a reciprocal gesture to thank the committee members for their efforts, the Williamsburg Holding Corporation presented each member with an album of restoration progress photographs at their November 2, 1932 meeting. One of these albums now resides in the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library as a visual record of the enthusiastic contributions of the Ladies Advisory Committee. It encompasses photographs of the different buildings the group toured and discussed, ranging from the Wren Building to Merchants Square and Market Square Tavern.
Creator
Williamsburg Holding Corporation
Date
1932
Collection Items
