George Cameron Stone
Encyclopedia
George Cameron Stone was a well-known American arms collector
and author as well as an American
mining engineer
and metallurgist
. He authored a glossary of the antique weapons of the world that remains one of the most comprehensive works ever written on the subject.
During World War I (World War I
), Stone served the U.S. government as head of the Non-Ferrous Metals section of the War Industries Board
(WIB). He retired in 1929 at the age of 70. In 1935, a few months prior to his death, Stone was awarded the prestigious James Douglas Medal for his achievements in the field of non-ferrous metallurgy.
Stone must have thought rather early about the publication of an arms and armor glossary as his correspondence with the director of the Peabody Museum in Salem (now: Peabody Essex Museum
), Massachusetts, Lawrence Jenkins
(1872–1961) demonstrates as Stone requests images on a variety of Asian arrows. Stone is furthermore assisted and supported by the respective curators of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, Bashford Dean
(1867–1928) and Dean's successor, Stephen V. Grancsay (1897–1980). Grancsay assisted Stone especially with regard to European weaponry.
At the time of his death, Stones collection of more than 5.000 items - all of which were stored or displayed in his house at W. 11th Street in New York. Stone bequeathed approximately 3.500 items to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of which 360 (non-oriental) items were transferred to the Peabody Museum. Stone also bequeathed over 1.400 Japanese sword mountings
to the Cooper Union Museum (now: Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian) in New York, including 600 tsuba.
, who is known to have provided Stones good friend Carl Otto von Kienbusch with collectibles. Oldman's practice was to send interesting items to the collectors who then chose an item and returned the remainder to Oldman.
Due to the position Stone held with the Zinc Company, he was required to frequently travel throughout the world. Stone used this opportunity to visit arms dealers whenever possible in search for new items for his collection:
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
and author as well as an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mining engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and metallurgist
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
. He authored a glossary of the antique weapons of the world that remains one of the most comprehensive works ever written on the subject.
Biography
George Cameron Stone graduated in 1879 with a Ph.B. (Bachelor of Philosophy) from the Columbia University School of Mines. In 1880, Stone became a member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers (AIME). By 1882, Stone was employed as a mining engineer at the New Jersey Zinc and Iron Company. He was later promoted to chief engineer and chief metallurgist. Stone developed and held eight patents relating to the industrial application of metallurgy and published more than 50 articles on the subject as well. In 1912, he became secretary of board of directors with the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, later on he served as a member of the board an as treasurer.During World War I (World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
), Stone served the U.S. government as head of the Non-Ferrous Metals section of the War Industries Board
War Industries Board
The War Industries Board was a United States government agency established on July 28, 1917, during World War I, to coordinate the purchase of war supplies. The organization encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency and urged them to eliminate waste by...
(WIB). He retired in 1929 at the age of 70. In 1935, a few months prior to his death, Stone was awarded the prestigious James Douglas Medal for his achievements in the field of non-ferrous metallurgy.
Collection of Arms and Armor
Early on in his childhood, Stone began to show an interest in weapons. He acquired the first item with which he started his collection at an auction in New York - a Persian gun - shortly after graduation. His first published article on weapons in the Magazine of Antique Firearms (1911–1912) was about a set of rifles, one of which is likely to be said Persian gun.Stone must have thought rather early about the publication of an arms and armor glossary as his correspondence with the director of the Peabody Museum in Salem (now: Peabody Essex Museum
Peabody Essex Museum
The Peabody Essex Museum , originally the Peabody Museum of Salem and the Essex Institute, in Salem, Massachusetts is the oldest continuously operating museum in the United States, and holds one of the major collections of Asian art in the US; its total holdings include about 1.3 million pieces, as...
), Massachusetts, Lawrence Jenkins
Lawrence Jenkins
Lawrence L. "Larry" Jenkins is a former B-17 co-pilot during World War II who spent over ten months as a prisoner of war. His exploits were chronicled, along with those of his friend and fellow POW Jack Curtis, in the 2007 book, Eagles' Wings, An Uncommon Story of World War II, by Andrew...
(1872–1961) demonstrates as Stone requests images on a variety of Asian arrows. Stone is furthermore assisted and supported by the respective curators of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, Bashford Dean
Bashford Dean
Bashford Dean was an American zoologist, specializing in ichthyology, and at the same time an expert in medieval armor. He is the only person to have held concurrent positions at the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he was Honorary Curator of Arms and...
(1867–1928) and Dean's successor, Stephen V. Grancsay (1897–1980). Grancsay assisted Stone especially with regard to European weaponry.
At the time of his death, Stones collection of more than 5.000 items - all of which were stored or displayed in his house at W. 11th Street in New York. Stone bequeathed approximately 3.500 items to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of which 360 (non-oriental) items were transferred to the Peabody Museum. Stone also bequeathed over 1.400 Japanese sword mountings
Koshirae
refers to the mountings of a Japanese sword when the sword blade is being worn by its owner, whereas the shirasaya is a wooden saya and tsuka that the sword blade is stored in when not being used.-Description:...
to the Cooper Union Museum (now: Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian) in New York, including 600 tsuba.
Acquisition of Arms and Armor
Stones main source of items for his collection was most like the English dealer of tribal art and ethnographic materials William Ockelford OldmanWilliam Ockelford Oldman
William Ockelford Oldman was a British collector and dealer of ethnographic art and European arms and armour. His business W.O. Oldman, Ethnographical Specimens, London was mostly active between the late 1890s and 1913....
, who is known to have provided Stones good friend Carl Otto von Kienbusch with collectibles. Oldman's practice was to send interesting items to the collectors who then chose an item and returned the remainder to Oldman.
Due to the position Stone held with the Zinc Company, he was required to frequently travel throughout the world. Stone used this opportunity to visit arms dealers whenever possible in search for new items for his collection:
- 1918: Honolulu, SamoaSamoaSamoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, Pago Pago, RarotongaRarotongaRarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 , out of the country's total population of 19,569.The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga...
, Newzealand, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... - 1919: EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, accompanied by Otto von Kienbusch and his wife Mildred Clarke Pressinger von Kienbusch (1887–1968) - 1928: North Afrika (Marrakesh, FèsFESFES or Fes may refer to:* Fes or Fez, a city in Morocco* FES , a human gene that encodes the feline sarcoma oncogene enzyme* FES , a fictional singer from Chaos;Head anime series and alias of Yui Sakakibara for her songs from Chaos;Head and Steins;Gate anime series* Flywheel energy storage, an...
, AlgiersAlgiers' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, TunisTunisTunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
, CairoCairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
), TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
(ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
), GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
), ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, FlorenceFlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
), stopping in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on his way home - 1932: Constantinople (Turkey) und CorinthCorinthCorinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
(Greece)
Publications
- 1911: Early Flintlocks. Magazine of Antique Firearms, Vol. II (1) .
- 1934: A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times: Together with Some Closely Related Subjects. Portland, Maine: Southwork Press.