Marcia Goldberg Papers, 1811-2005

The papers of Marcia Goldberg pertain mostly to her research and publications on art history, particularly the portraits of 19th century artist H. Alonzo Pease (d.1881). Goldberg created two volumes that extensively document Pease’s portraits of prominent figures in Oberlin’s early history. The collection also contains photographs of many of these paintings. There is a wealth of information pertaining to H. Alonzo Pease, his life, his family, and his work.

The collection does not contain many personal papers of Marcia Goldberg. The one exception is the folder on the “Ban the Can” Campaign in Oberlin in 1984, which successfully persuaded Oberlin voters to uphold the ban on non-returnable beverage containers in November 1984. The bulk of the collection, however, is composed of Goldberg’s professional interests, including information on exhibitions, publications, and projects. In addition to her work on H. Alonzo Pease, Goldberg also completed research on the works of Samuel Waldo (d. 1861) and William Jewett (d. 1874), who like Pease, painted a portrait of Charles G. Finney (d. 1875).

In her capacity as a research associate with the Oberlin College Archives and later as an Affiliate Scholar at Oberlin, Marcia Goldberg contributed greatly to the understanding of 19th century painting and Oberlin history.

The papers are arranged in the following record series: 1. Files relating to H. Alonzo Pease; 2. Clippings; 3. Miscellaneous; 4. Writings; 5. Photographs; and 6. Talks.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series 1. Files relating to H. Alonzo Pease, c. 1811-1936, 1948-95, n.d. (19 folders, 2 binders)

This series consists of Marcia Goldberg’s research on the life and works of H. Alonzo Pease. Included are her notes and correspondence, 1979-95; two binders on Pease’s Portraits, 1842-81, including several of Oberlin College’s early presidents, Asa Mahan, Charles G. Finney, James H. Fairchild, plus prominent professor Rev. John Morgan.

Many of the documents Goldberg compiled in her research, now contained in this series, are photocopies or transcriptions of much earlier records. The dates of the original documents are placed in parentheses.

Series 2. Clippings, 1980, 1997 (2 folders)

This series contains clippings on the Andrew Foster portrait discovered in a New York City trash heap. Goldberg identified the painting as a Waldo and Jewett. The other file relates to the exhibition of 19th century portraiture titled “Ancestors,” which Goldberg curated at the Allen Memorial Art Museum in 1980.

Series 3. Miscellaneous, 1984-85, 1992 (4 folders)

Included in this series are the records of the Oberlin City Ban the Can Committee, 1984; the lecture notes from a talk on the Finney Portraits at Oberlin, 1992; information related to a Winter Term project directed by Goldberg in 1980 that concerned the restoration of antique frames for 19th century portraits, and materials from an exhibit on the Oberlin class of 1880 held in May 1980 in the Goodrich Room in Mudd Center.

Series 4. Writings, 1976-99 [span] (6 folders)

This series is divided into three subseries: 1. Writings by Marcia Goldberg; 2. Co-authored writings; and, 3. Writings by other authors. Goldberg’s published works frequently drew on local resources to cover a variety of topics related to art history and Oberlin history. Subseries 2 contains the reflections of the Oberlin College China Tour 1979, including those of Sam and Marcia Goldberg.

Series 5. Photographs, 1980, 1985 (2 folders)

This series includes photographs of Goldberg’s 1985 exhibition “The Art of the Silhouette” on display in the Oberlin College Archives, as well as a portrait of the Chandler Family. The additional photographs donated by Marcia Goldberg in 2000 were placed in the files of each individual in the photograph collection (RG 32).

Series 6. Talks, 2005

Consists of a transcript of a talk given by Marcia Goldberg titled “Adelia Field Johnston.” The talk was presented on Women’s Equality Day on August 27, 2005 at the Oberlin Inn.