MS-250
THE MARILYN HUGHEY PHILLIS COLLECTION
INTRODUCTION
The Marilyn Hughey Phillis Collection was accessioned into the Piqua Public Library Archives and Special Collections on August 16, 2016 as a gift from Ms. Phillis through the auspices of Mr. Paul Gutmann of the law firm of McCulloch, Felger, Fite and Gutmann. The collection is housed in a single metal edged 17” x 21” x 3” Gaylord box containing 30 files. The collection is made up of pen and ink drawings by Ms. Phillis, most of which were done in the 1970’s. The ownership and rights to these materials have been transferred by Deed of Gift to the Piqua Public Library and there are no known restrictions on their use.
The collection consists of a series of pen and ink drawings of architectural features and details; three drawings of the Mills Brothers Circus and several drawings of buildings and landscapes. Many of the drawings were done for the book Historic Piqua: An Architectural Survey. The book was published in 1976 as the result of a research project by the Piqua Branch of the American Association of University Women. The collection was processed by Gary Meek in September 2016.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The Marilyn Hughey Phillis Collection is divided into the following four series:
SERIES I: Architectural Features and Details – Box 1, Files 1-21
SERIES II: The Mills Brothers Circus – Box 1, Files 22-24
SERIES III: Buildings and Landscapes – Box 1, Files 25-29
SERIES IV: Miscellaneous – Box 1, File 30
CONTAINER LIST
BOX 1
SERIES I: Architectural Features and Details
File
1 Window detail – Foreman – Johnston House – 1856 – at 518 Caldwell. A 3½” x 5½” pen and ink drawing matted to 7 ¼” x 9 ½.” The drawing is of a shutter attached to a nine over nine window.
2 Iron Hitching Post – 515 North Wayne Street – this iron hitching post with cast sculptured vine and grape design is a handsome example of what skilled craftsmen could do with utilitarian items. This drawing was used as the “I” in Index in Historic Piqua. A 3” x 7” pen and ink drawing matted to 8” x 12”.
3 Carriage Step and Hitching Post – 413 West High Street. A 10” x 9” pen and ink drawing.
4 Chimney Detail – Francis Morrow House, 1853 – 400 Caldwell and Richard Miller House, 1855 – 208 North Downing. A 3 ¼” x 4 ½” pen and ink drawing matted to 9 ¼” x 11”.
5 Early Chimney – a chimney such as this is found in many early Piqua homes. Such a chimney is located at the rear of the house on 528 North Main Street – the Henry Kitchen House, 1822. A 3 ¼” x 4 ½” pen and ink drawing matted to 7 ¼” x 9 ½”
6 Carriage Step – Richard Miller House, 1855 – 208 North Downing. A 3 ½” x 6” pen and ink drawing matted to 12” x 10”.
7 Window Detail – Muchmore-Garnsey-Orr House, 1852-1874 – 515 North Downing Street. A 3 ½” x 5 ¼” pen and ink drawing matted to 9 ½” x 11 ¾”.
8 Window Detail – 312 North Downing Street. A 4” x 5 ½” pen and ink drawing matted to 10” x 12”.
9 Porch Trim Detail – 621 Broadway – variations of this style are seen in many areas of Piqua. A 5” x 7 ½” pen and ink drawing matted to 10” x 12 ½”
10 Double Chimney – 401 West High Street – c. 1870. A 3 ½” x 4” pen and ink drawing matted to 10 ½” x 11 ½”.
11 Cornice Bracket – Richard Miller House, 1855 – 208 North Downing Street. A 3 ¾” x 4 ¾” pen and ink drawing matted to 10 ¾” x 12 ¾”.
12 Porch Detail – 312 North Downing Street. A 5 ¾” x 6” pen and ink drawing matted to 12 ¾” x 14”.
13 Balcony Detail – C. C. Barnett House, 1868 – 700 Caldwell – notice the oversized dormer window with coupled brackets and balcony. A 6” x 8 ¼” pen and ink drawing matted to 12” x 15”.
14 Porch Pillar – Carry Barber House, c. 1890 – 324 West Greene Street. A 4 ¼” x 8 ½” pen and ink drawing matted to 11 ¼” x 15 ½”.
15 Window Detail – 501 Caldwell. A 6 ½” x 7 ¼” pen and ink drawing matted to 12 ½” x 14”.
16 Rose Window – R. P. Spiker House, c. 1872 – 419 North Wayne Street. A 5 ¼” x 5 ¼” pen and ink drawing matted to 11 ¼” x 11 ¾”.
17 Decorated Ceramic Flues – Nettleship-Sniff House, c. 1845 – 420 North Downing Street. A 3 ¾” x 5 ¾” pen and ink drawing matted to 10 ¾” x 13 ½”
18 Wrought Iron Fence Detail – Gordon-Yager House, 1843 – 333 West Greene Street. A 8” x 5 ½” pen and ink drawing matted to 14” x 12”.
19 Front Entrance – John Butler House, 1847 – 325 Riverside Drive. One of Piqua’s finest early front entrances, fluted ionic columns flank natural finish door with carved and mounted decorative features. A 6” x 7” pen and ink drawing matted to 12” x 13 ½”.
20 Turret Detail – Samuel Zollinger House, c. 1884 – 502 Caldwell. Iron cresting tops the black pyramidal roof of a corner tower with its roofed small dormer featuring a circular window, red brick sparkles in the house below. A 4 ½” x 8” pen and ink drawing matted to 10 ½” x 15”.
21 Chimney Detail – Richard Miller House, 1855 – 208 North Downing Street. A 3” x 5 ½” pen and ink drawing matted to 11” x 14”.
SERIES II: The Mills Brothers Circus
File
22 Mills Brothers Circus – tearing down or putting up the tent. The drawing shows a little boy and a little girl seated on the ground watching the workers. A man, probably a circus worker, is looking over their shoulder. A 6” x 5” pen and ink drawing matted to 10” x 9”.
23 Mills Brothers Circus Band – the drawing shows four musicians, a drummer, a trombone player, a tuba player and a clarinet player. Behind the musicians is a tiger jumping through a hoop. A 4 ¾” x 5 ½” pen and ink drawing matted to 9 ¾” x 11”.
24 Mills Brothers Circus – the drawing shows three performing elephants with a lady sitting on the trunk of the lead elephant. A 7 ¾” x 6” pen and ink drawing matted to 12 ¼” x 10 ¾”.
SERIES III: Buildings and Landscapes
File
25 Shaker Meeting House – showing doors for men and women – this drawing was part of “The World of Shaker” series, summer 1974. A 3 ¾” x 5” pen and ink drawing matted to 9 ¼” x 10 ¾”.
26 Belle Vernon Creamery, High Street, Middlefield, Ohio – influence for this drawing and references used to make this drawing are [1] old postal card owned by Mrs. A. S. Cisney, Garrettsville, Ohio; [2] Lake Shore Electric by Harry Christiansen; [3] This Fabulous Century, 1900-1910 by Time Life Books. A 6” x 4 ¼” pen and ink drawing matted to 12” x 10 ½”.
27 Rocky River Train Station. A 8” x 5 ½” pen and ink drawing matted to 13” x 11”.
28 The John Keyt House (now gone), 1824 – 706 North Wayne. The drawing was copyrighted by the artist in 1976. A 4 ½” x 3” pen and ink drawing matted to 12” x 11 ½”.
29 Piqua, Ohio in 1846 – Piqua in 1846 as seen by Henry Howe from the East bank of the Miami. Pictured are the Old Middle Bridge and brothers, Henry and Bill Espy. The drawing is based on a Henry Howe etching which appeared in Howe’s History of Ohio. The original pen and ink drawing by Mrs. Phyllis was turned into a limited edition print. 200 of the prints were made and each print was numbered. This file contains print numbers 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 128 and 131. The print is 11 ¾” x 7” and is printed on 11 ½” x 16” paper.
SERIES IV: Miscellaneous
File
30 River Port Era, 1812-1835 – early Piqua craftsmen included carpenters, house builders, barrel makers, furniture makers, and linseed oil manufacturers. This drawing is of a carpenters hammer and a hand saw and was used on page 7 of Historic Piqua: An Architectural Survey on the page entitled “River Port, 1812-1835.” A 3” x 1 1/8” pen and ink drawing matted to 10 ½” x 7”.