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Start Over Collection Records of the Oaks (SC-01), 1894/1995 Level Collection
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Records of the Oaks (SC-01), 1894/1995

6.25 Linear Feet 5 boxes; 76 folders
This collection documents a portion of the life of Lizzie Edmund Boyd and the history of her home, The Oaks, during her ownership from 1927 until the transfer of ownership to the VMFA in 1975. In addition, the lives of several of her family members, namely James Boyd Phillips and Asa Phillips, can be seen through official military documents, tax forms, bank records and personal correspondence, offering a glimpse into their time serving in WWII and assimilation back into society after the war's end. The contents of the collection can perhaps be best summarized in a portion from a memo from Records Manager Jennie Runnels to Director Katherine Lee on April 7, 1995: "Dr. Brownell believes these [papers] would be an exciting topic and important to recovering Richmond's rich architectural history. The boxes contain drawings of the gardens surrounding the Oaks and possibly reference sources used for their redesign, in addition to receipts and invoices pertaining to alterations of the house that took place during Miss Boyd's lifetime. The material documents not only the social and cultural fabric of Richmond's past but also the history of a home that is important to the Virginia Museum."
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Records of the Oaks (SC-01), 1894/1995 6.25 Linear Feet 5 boxes; 76 folders

This collection documents a portion of the life of Lizzie Edmund Boyd and the history of her home, The Oaks, during her ownership from 1927 until the transfer of ownership to the VMFA in 1975. In addition, the lives of several of her family members, namely James Boyd Phillips and Asa Phillips, can be seen through official military documents, tax forms, bank records and personal correspondence, offering a glimpse into their time serving in WWII and assimilation back into society after the war's end. The contents of the collection can perhaps be best summarized in a portion from a memo from Records Manager Jennie Runnels to Director Katherine Lee on April 7, 1995: "Dr. Brownell believes these [papers] would be an exciting topic and important to recovering Richmond's rich architectural history. The boxes contain drawings of the gardens surrounding the Oaks and possibly reference sources used for their redesign, in addition to receipts and invoices pertaining to alterations of the house that took place during Miss Boyd's lifetime. The material documents not only the social and cultural fabric of Richmond's past but also the history of a home that is important to the Virginia Museum."

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