Guide to the Jehu Dewitt Paulson Papers, 1922 - 1972

Collection Number MC 56

NCSU Libraries logo

Collection Information
Abstract:

This collection documents Jehu Dewitt Paulson's career as an artist and educator and contains drawings, paintings, prints, plates, photographs and illustrations for published and unpublished manuscripts. The Personal files include Paulson's application for a Guggenheim Fellowship (1934), photographs of Paulson and his family, certificates of memberships to various societies and fraternities, a curriculum vitae, and notes from his college years. The North Carolina State College series includes class notes, a partial history of the Department of Architecture, course materials and notes on the appreciation of paintings. The Building Images subseries contains photographs, pencil sketches and plates of various campus buildings, including Memorial Tower, Primrose Hall, and Pullen Hall. Files of picture clippings on varied subjects (architecture, bridge building, interiors, landscaping, murals, paintings and sculpture, etc.) comprise another series. The Writings, Research and Inventions series contains identifications of paintings (by painter and subject), correspondence regarding the identification process, and published writings, including The Exterior Form of the Solitary Atom (1952), and unpublished manuscripts ("Appreciation of Painting," "Escape from Atlantis," and "People Makers, a Fantasy of Evolution"). Among the inventions are plans for an elevated storage tower and for an improved internal combustion rotary motor. Also included in this series are subject files of picture clippings on varied subjects (architecture, bridge building, interiors, landscaping, murals, paintings and sculpture, etc.). The Paintings, Sketches, Drawings, and Designs series comprise a good representation of Paulson's original artwork.

Jehu Dewitt Paulson (1893 - 1972), an artist and educator, served on the faculty of the Department of Architecture at North Carolina State College from 1925 to 1961.

Contact Information:
Special Collections Research Center
NCSU Libraries
Campus Box 7111
Raleigh, North Carolina
27695-7111 USA
Phone: (919) 515-2273
Fax: (919) 513-1787
URL: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/
Web Contact Form
Processed by
Edith Woodcock, 1997
Encoded by
Linda Sellars, 2005

Descriptive Summary

Repository

North Carolina State University Libraries, Special Collections Research Center

Creator

Paulson, Jehu Dewitt, 1893 - 1972

Title

Jehu Dewitt Paulson Papers, 1922 - 1972

Call Number

MC 56

Extent

2 linear feet, 4 boxes

Location

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff.

Language of Material

English

Information for Users

Restrictions to Access

This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.
Acquisitions Information

Gift of Mr. James Devlin, February 24, 1972; Gift of Mrs. Stanley Ballenger, April 21 and 28, 1972
Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Jehu Dewitt Paulson Papers, MC 56, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Copyright Notice

The nature of the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NCSU Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Processing Information

Processed by Edith Woodcock, 1997

Encoded by Linda Sellars, 2005

Biographical Note

December 20, 1893 Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa (At some point in his childhood he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he attended public school.)
1911 - 1913 Attended Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania
1913 - 1914 Completed Business Course at Meadville Commercial College, Meadville, Pennsylvania
1914 - 1915 Attended Yale College, New Haven, Connecticut
1915 - 1918 Employed as a stenographer and statistical draftsman for the Winchester Repeating Arms Co.
1918 Became a statistical draftsman for the Ordnance Department of the U.S. War Department
1918 - 1919 Served in the U.S. Army with Infantry in France as a private, first class
1919 - 1921 Employed as a statistician with the U.S. Rubber Company
1921 - 1924 Employed as clerk at Witlock's Book Store, New Haven, Connecticut while in school
1920 - 1924 Attended Yale School of Fine Arts, New Haven, Connecticut; Earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in mural decorating and painting (1924)
1924 - 1925 Employed as a commercial artist for Witlock's Book Store, New Haven, Connecticut
1925 - 1960 Employed by North Carolina State College, Raleigh, North Carolina as a professor of architecture and drawing. During his tenure he often did artwork for the college, including the NCS emblem on the floor at the entrance of Reynolds Coliseum. He retired in 1961.
1941 Certified to practice architecture in North Carolina
1943 Initiated into Sigma Chi Fraternity at North Carolina State University
1946 Designed set of six North Carolina State University commemorative plates which were sold by the Alumni Association
February 13, 1972 Died in Raleigh, North Carolina; Survived by his son George W. Paulson, daughter Mrs. Pat McManus, and six grandchildren

Scope and Content Note


This collection documents Jehu Dewitt Paulson's career as an artist and educator and contains drawings, paintings, prints, plates, photographs and illustrations for published and unpublished manuscripts. The Personal files include Paulson's application for a Guggenheim Fellowship (1934), photographs of Paulson and his family, certificates of memberships to various societies and fraternities, a curriculum vitae, and notes from his college years. The North Carolina State College series includes class notes, a partial history of the Department of architecture, course materials and notes on the appreciation of paintings. The Building Images subseries contains photographs, pencil sketches and plates of various campus buildings, including Memorial Tower, Primrose Hall, and Pullen Hall. Files of picture clippings on varied subjects (architecture, bridge building, interiors, landscaping, murals, paintings and sculpture, etc.) comprise another series. The Writings, Research and Inventions series contains identifications of paintings (by painter and subject), correspondence regarding the identification process, and published writings, including The Exterior Form of the Solitary Atom (1952), and unpublished manuscripts ("Appreciation of Painting," "Escape from Atlantis," and "People Makers, a Fantasy of Evolution"). Among the inventions are plans for an elevated storage tower and for an improved internal combustion rotary motor. The Paintings, Sketches, Drawings, and Designs series comprise a good representation of Paulson's original artwork. For Howard M. Ellis's drawings from Paulson's Elements of Design Class (1926-1927), see North Carolina State University Library Manuscript Collection 175.

Organization of the Collection


The collection is divided into five series: Personal; North Carolina State College; Picture Clippings; Research, Writings, and Inventions; and Paintings, Drawings, Sketches, and Designs.

Online Catalog Terms

Personal Name:

  • Paulson, Jehu Dewitt, 1893 - 1972

Corporate Name:

  • North Carolina State University

Geographic Name:

  • Raleigh, North Carolina

Subject Terms:

  • Architectural design
  • Architectural drawing
  • Art
  • Art--Reproduction
  • Art--Slides
  • Atomic structure
  • Atomic orbitals
  • Atoms--Models
  • Decoration and ornament
  • Drawing
  • Drawing--Private collections
  • Drawing--Study and teaching
  • Figure painting
  • Inventions
  • Map drawing
  • Painting
  • Painting, American--North Carolina
  • Painting--Private collections
  • Painting--Reproduction
  • Pen drawing
  • Pencil drawing
  • Periodic law
  • Universities and colleges--Faculty
  • Universities and colleges in art
  • Watercolor painting

Genre:

  • Artists' preparatory drawings
  • Artists' writings
  • Drawings
  • Paintings, American
  • Scientific illustrations
  • Small art works

Occupations:

  • Architects--North Carolina
  • Art teachers
  • Artists--North Carolina
  • Artists as architects
  • Artists as authors
  • Artists as teachers
  • Authors, American--North Carolina
  • Designers--North Carolina
  • Inventors--North Carolina
  • Painters--North Carolina
  • Science writers

Detailed Description of the Collection


  • MC 56 Series 1:Personal Papers


    0.5 linear feet, 27 folders

    This series consists of various personal photographs, certificates, and correspondence, including a statement answering to charges of insubordination at North Carolina State. This series also contains Paulson's art history notebook compiled from lectures at Yale School of Fine Arts.

    • Personal (Correspondence, Certificates) [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 1]
    • Art History Notebook: Introduction and Overview of Ancient - 15th Century Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 2]
    • Art History Notebook: Egyptian and Assyrian Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 3]
    • Art History Notebook: Greek Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 4]
    • Art History Notebook: Italian (Roman) Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 5]
    • Art History Notebook: Italian (Medieval Mosaics) [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 6]
    • Art History Notebook: Italian Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 7]
    • Art History Notebook: Italian Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 8]
    • Art History Notebook: Italian Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 9]
    • Art History Notebook: Italian Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 10]
    • Art History Notebook: Italian Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 11]
    • Art History Notebook: Netherlands [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 12]
    • Art History Notebook: Italian Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 13]
    • Art History Notebook: Italian Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 14]
    • Art History Notebook: Overview of 16th-19th Century Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 15]
    • Art History Notebook: Italian Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 16]
    • Art History Notebook: Flemish, Dutch Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 17]
    • Art History Notebook: Dutch Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 18]
    • Art History Notebook: German Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 19]
    • Art History Notebook: French Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 20]
    • Art History Notebook: French Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 21]
    • Art History Notebook: Spanish Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 22]
    • Art History Notebook: English Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 23]
    • Art History Notebook: American Art [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 24]
    • Photograph of Paulson (Housed in Photograph Collection, People, Faculty, Box 9) [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 25]
    • Photograph of Paulson, his wife, and son, George (Housed in Photograph Collection, People, Faculty, Box 9) [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 26]
    • Certificate to Practice Architecture in North Carolina, 1941 [MC 56 Flat File 27]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]


  • MC 56 Series 2:North Carolina State College


    71 folders

    The material in this series relates directly to North Carolina State College. It includes a report of Paulson's trip through several northern states in connection with the development of fine arts courses for North Carolina State. Also housed in this series are lecture notes, textbook outlines, and worksheets used in courses taught by Paulson. Finally the series contains a series of sketches and photographs of North Carolina State campus buildings. Some of these drawings were used for the set of commemorative plates sold by the North Carolina State University Alumni Association in 1946.


    • MC 56 Series 2.1: Report of trip North,

      1 folder
      • Report of trip North in regards to the development of fine arts courses for North Carolina State College [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 28]

    • MC 56 Series 2.2: Materials Used in Courses Taught,

      8 folders
      • Color Change Chart [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 29]
      • "Design of What?" [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 30]
      • Notes and Textbook Outlines for Courses [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 31]
      • Architecture 100: Pencil Sketching [MC 56 Box 1, Folder 32]
      • Architecture 106: Decorative Drawing [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 1]
      • Anatomy Drawings [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 2]
      • The University Prints, Boston [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 3]
      • Prints and Tracings [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 4]

    • MC 56 Series 2.3: Building Images,

      43 folders
      • Bagwell, Berry, and Becton (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Residence Halls) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 5]
      • Barns (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Barns) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 6]
      • Barns (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Barns) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 7]
      • Brooks Hall, sketch [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 8]
      • Brooks Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Hill (Now Brooks) Exterior, Hill Library) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 9]
      • Chancellor's Residence, sketch [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 10]
      • Chancellor's Residence (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Chancellor's Residence) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 11]
      • Daniels Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Daniels) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 12]
      • Holladay Hall, plate design [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 13]
      • Holladay Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Holladay 1921 - 1950) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 14]
      • Holladay Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Holladay 1921 - 1950) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 15]
      • Holladay Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Holladay 1921 - 1950) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 16]
      • Holladay Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Holladay 1889 - 1920) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 17]
      • Leazar Hall, sketch [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 18]
      • Leazar Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Leazar [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 19]
      • Memorial Tower, sketch [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 20]
      • Memorial Tower, watercolor, 10" X 13" [MC 56 Flat File 21]
      • Nineteen Eleven Building, sketch [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 22]
      • Owen Hall, plate design [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 23]
      • Page Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Page) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 24]
      • Page Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Page) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 25]
      • Patterson Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Patterson) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 26]
      • Peele Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Peele) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 27]
      • Peele Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Peele) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 28]
      • Peele, Pullen, and Tompkins Halls, sketch, 11" X 15" [MC 56 Flat File 29]
      • Polk Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Polk) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 30]
      • Power House, sketch [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 31]
      • Power House (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Power House) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 32]
      • Primrose Hall, sketches and plate design [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 33]
      • Primrose Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Primrose) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 34]
      • Pullen Hall [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 35]
      • Pullen Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Pullen) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 36]
      • Reynolds Coliseum, William Neal [MC 56 Flat File 37]
      • Ricks Hall, sketch [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 38]
      • Ricks Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Ricks) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 39]
      • Ricks Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Ricks) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 40]
      • Thompson Hall, sketch [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 41]
      • Thompson Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Thompson) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 42]
      • Thompson Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Thompson) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 43]
      • Tompkins Hall (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Tompkins) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 44]
      • Watauga Hall, plate design [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 45]
      • Zoology (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Zoology) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 46]
      • Zoology (Housed in Photograph Collection, Buildings, Zoology) [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 47]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]


  • MC 56 Series 3:Picture Clippings


    24 folders

    This series consists of pictures clipped from print media. The files are arranged alphabetically by subject. Some of these subjects are: costumes, furniture, interiors, landscapes, lettering, men, paintings, sculpture, and women. Whether Paulson used these files as references for his teaching or his creative work is unclear.

    • Architecture [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 48]
    • Bridge Building [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 49]
    • Ceramics [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 50]
    • Costumes, period [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 51]
    • Furniture, modern and period [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 52]
    • Groups, figures [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 53]
    • Interiors, modern [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 54]
    • Interiors, period [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 55]
    • Landscapes [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 56]
    • Lettering [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 57]
    • Men [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 58]
    • Mountains [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 59]
    • Mural Paintings [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 60]
    • Ornament [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 61]
    • Outdoors [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 62]
    • Paintings, American [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 63]
    • Paintings, English [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 64]
    • Paintings, Flemish, Dutch, German [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 65]
    • Paintings, Italian [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 66]
    • Paintings, Spanish, French [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 67]
    • Sculpture [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 68]
    • Ships, Boats, Marine Scenes [MC 56 Box 2, Folder 69]
    • Textiles, Decorative Designs [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 1]
    • Women [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 2]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]


  • MC 56 Series 4:Research, Writings, and Inventions


    43 folders

    The research files deal largely with research involving the identification of some well-known paintings. In particular he believed that Adoration of the Kings, usually attributed to Botticelli, was really painted by Leonardo da Vinci. His writings consist of manuscripts covering the areas of art, science, and fiction. Included are The Forms of the Elementary Atoms and the Periodic Law and The Exterior Form of the Solitary Atom with its accompanying plastic electron orbital models of the elementary atoms. This series also contains correspondence, paperwork, and patent applications for Paulson's inventions. These inventions were: an elevated storage tower, a container, a stool, an improved internal combustion rotary motor, and a trypent star structural form.


    • MC 56 Series 4.1: Research,

      20 folders
      • Research in Progress [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 3]
      • Correspondence Regarding Identification of Paintings (1933 - 1934) [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 4]
      • Adoration of the Kings, Botticelli [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 5]
      • "La Belle Ferroniere," Da Vinci (an essay by Paulson) [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 6]
      • "Leonardo da Vinci: His Madonna with the Lamb" [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 7]
      • People Makers: A Fantasy of Evolution, by Jehu D. Paulson and Patricia McManus, unpublished manuscript, Chapters 1 - 3, with miniature illustrations [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 8]
      • People Makers, Chapters 4 - 6 [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 9]
      • People Makers, Chapters 7 - 9 [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 10]
      • People Makers, Chapters 10 - 12 [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 11]
      • People Makers, Chapters 13 - 15 [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 12]
      • People Makers, Chapters 16 - 18 [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 13]
      • People Makers, Chapters 19 - 20 [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 14]
      • The Exterior Form of the Solitary Atom, 1952 (for 14 pen and ink illustrations, 15" X 19", see flat file; for plastic electron orbital models of the elementary atoms, see museum items) [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 15]
      • The Forms of the Elementary Atoms and the Periodic Law, 1955 [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 16]
      • The Forms of the Elementary Atoms and the Periodic Law, 1956 [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 17]
      • Appreciation of Painting (Textbook), unpublished manuscript [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 18]
      • Appreciation of Painting (?), Information about artists and paintings [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 19]
      • Appreciation of Painting (?), Plates for book [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 20]
      • Appreciation of Painting (?), Plates for book [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 21]
      • Appreciation of Painting (?), Plates for book [MC 56 Box 3, Folder 22]

    • MC 56 Series 4.2: Writings,

      10 folders
      • Escape from Atlantis (earlier version), pp. 1-45 [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 1]
      • Escape from Atlantis (earlier version), pp. 46-90 [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 2]
      • Research, Writings, and Inventions [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 4]
      • Escape from Atlantis (earlier version), pp. 91-135 [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 3]
      • Escape from Atlantis (earlier version), pp. 136-182 [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 4]
      • Escape from Atlantis (later version), pp. 1-50 [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 5]
      • Escape from Atlantis (later version), pp. 51-100 [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 6]
      • Escape from Atlantis (later version), pp. 101-150 [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 7]
      • Escape from Atlantis (later version), pp. 151-199 [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 8]
      • "Simple Measured Perspective" [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 9]
      • Notes for Future Writings [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 10]

    • MC 56 Series 4.3: Inventions,

      5 folders
      • Elevated Storage Tower, 1959-61 [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 11]
      • Container, 1961 [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 12]
      • Stool, 1962 [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 13]
      • Improved Internal Combustion Rotary Motor, 1972 [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 14]
      • Trypent Star Structural Form, n.d. [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 15]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]


  • MC 56 Series 5:Paintings, Drawings, Sketches, and Designs


    8 folders

    Examples of Paulson's original artwork make up this series. The mediums used include oil, watercolor, pencil, and pen and ink. The works vary in size and subject matter. The full size paintings used to illustrate his book The People Makers are located in this series. Of particular note in this series is a booklet about North Carolina signed by Governor Scott.

    • Watercolors [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 16]
    • Plate Designs [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 17]
    • Lettering [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 18]
    • Booklet about North Carolina, signed by Governor W. Kerr Scott [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 19]
    • Maps and Architectural Drawings [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 20]
    • Logo Designs [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 21]
    • Drawings and Sketches [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 22]
    • Photographic Color Slides [MC 56 Box 4, Folder 23]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]