Thomas Mott Shaw Drawings, approximately 1928-1938

Access and use

Location of collection:
Colonial Williamsburg
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
P.O. Box 1776
Williamsburg, VA 23187
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Douglas Mayo
Phone: (757) 565-8521
Phone: (757) 565-8520
Fax: (757) 565-8528
Restrictions:

Collection is open to research.

Terms of access:

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permisson must be obtained from the Special Collections Librarian, and the holder of the copyright, if not the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library at Colonial Williamsburg.

Preferred citation:

Thomas Mott Shaw drawings, Accession # MS 1945.4, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Summary

Extent:
34 items
Creator:
Shaw, Thomas Mott
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Thomas Mott Shaw drawings, Accession # MS 1945.4, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of thirty-four graphite and mixed media sketches drawn by architect Thomas Mott Shaw during the restoration of Williamsburg from the late 1920s through 1938, depicting various architectural exteriors and interiors of historic buildings in and around Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area. Two of the sketches depict African Americans involved in the work of the restoration. It is not known why these sketches were created whether for inhouse use or external purposes by Perry Shaw and Hepburn, for Colonial Williamsburg's staff or other interested parties, or perhaps even for Shaw's own personal use.

Biographical / historical:

Thomas Mott Shaw is best known as one of the founding partners and principal architects of the prominent Boston architectural firm Perry, Shaw and Hepburn which designed, planned and supervised the restoration of Williamsburg, Virginia. Born in 1878 in Newport, Rhode Island, Shaw received a Bachelor's degree from Harvard in 1900 and continued his education at the atelier of Jean-Louis Pascal at the ècole des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1900 to 1905. He began his career in Boston, working for the architect Guy Lowell before opening his own business. Shaw served with the United States Army in France during World War I. Following the war, Shaw partnered with fellow architect Andrew H. Hepburn. William Graves Perry joined the firm in 1923 and it was this firm which was hired to restore Williamsburg to its 18th century appearance.

Acquisition information:
Purchase, 1945.
Arrangement:

Generally arranged alphabetically by drawing.

Physical description:
.