White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs
Encyclopedia
The White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs, subtitled "A Bi-Monthly Publication Suggesting the Architectural Use of White Pine and Its Availability Today as a Structural Wood", was a landmark publication of drawings, photographs and descriptions of early American
architecture. The series was launched in 1914 as an advertising campaign by the White Pine Bureau, a joint venture of the Northern Pine Manufacturer's Association of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan and the Associated White Pine Manufacturer's of Idaho. Architect Russell F. Whitehead was hired to supervise the series with Julian Buckly as photographer.
During the first ten years, the series was limited to the exterior details of residences constructed with Eastern white pine
, as suited its advertising purpose. Often the notable structures of a single village would be documented together in one issue. By 1920 the editor's collection of unpublished photographs became so extensive that Whitehead and his colleague Hubert Ripley invented the fictional town of Stotham, Massachusetts
to justify their use. The fiction went undiscovered until the late 1940s when Leicester Holland, head of the Library of Congress
' Department of Fine Arts related his inability to locate the town to Whitehead, eliciting an explanation of the subterfuge.
In 1924 the White Pine Bureau ceased its advertising campaign and Whitehead determined to continue the series independently, selling advertising space to Weyerhauser Forest Products
. He also modified the focus of the series, including documentation of churches and public buildings and the recording of interiors and millwork details He also expanded the geographic scope of the project, documenting buildings in the southern states, many of which had been framed with Southern pine
or Cypress
.
In 1932 the Monograph series became absorbed into the Pencil Points architectural journal as a regular feature. The documentation of historic structures with photographs and measured drawings complemented the "Comparative Details" feature which published construction details for contemporary projects. The Monograph series was ended abruptly in June 1940. Many of its contributors became involved in the Historic American Buildings Survey
.
Eagerly collected by architects and historians, the monographs have been re-issued in bound editions several times. In 1987 the National Historical Society of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
began publishing a series of hardbound books, the Architectural Treasures of Early America, drawn entirely from the White Pine Monographs. They reorganized the individual editions into geographic regions and re-set all the type in order to produce a consistent presentation. They were also able, in many cases, to make use of the original photographs which had been given to Weyerhauser by Whitehead's widow.
In 2006 the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association revived the title for a new series of publications documenting the production and use of Eastern White Pine lumber in construction.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architecture. The series was launched in 1914 as an advertising campaign by the White Pine Bureau, a joint venture of the Northern Pine Manufacturer's Association of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan and the Associated White Pine Manufacturer's of Idaho. Architect Russell F. Whitehead was hired to supervise the series with Julian Buckly as photographer.
During the first ten years, the series was limited to the exterior details of residences constructed with Eastern white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
, as suited its advertising purpose. Often the notable structures of a single village would be documented together in one issue. By 1920 the editor's collection of unpublished photographs became so extensive that Whitehead and his colleague Hubert Ripley invented the fictional town of Stotham, Massachusetts
Stotham, Massachusetts
Stotham is a fictitious town in Massachusetts, United States which was invented by the publishers of the White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs as the purported locale of a number of photographs of New England structures which had been edited out of earlier location-specific issues of the...
to justify their use. The fiction went undiscovered until the late 1940s when Leicester Holland, head of the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
' Department of Fine Arts related his inability to locate the town to Whitehead, eliciting an explanation of the subterfuge.
In 1924 the White Pine Bureau ceased its advertising campaign and Whitehead determined to continue the series independently, selling advertising space to Weyerhauser Forest Products
Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. It is the world's largest private sector owner of softwood timberland; and the second largest owner of United States timberland, behind Plum Creek Timber...
. He also modified the focus of the series, including documentation of churches and public buildings and the recording of interiors and millwork details He also expanded the geographic scope of the project, documenting buildings in the southern states, many of which had been framed with Southern pine
Longleaf Pine
Pinus palustris, commonly known as the Longleaf Pine, is a pine native to the southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from eastern Texas to southeast Virginia extending into northern and central Florida....
or Cypress
Taxodium
Taxodium is a genus of one to three species of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae...
.
In 1932 the Monograph series became absorbed into the Pencil Points architectural journal as a regular feature. The documentation of historic structures with photographs and measured drawings complemented the "Comparative Details" feature which published construction details for contemporary projects. The Monograph series was ended abruptly in June 1940. Many of its contributors became involved in the Historic American Buildings Survey
Historic American Buildings Survey
The Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
.
Eagerly collected by architects and historians, the monographs have been re-issued in bound editions several times. In 1987 the National Historical Society of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
began publishing a series of hardbound books, the Architectural Treasures of Early America, drawn entirely from the White Pine Monographs. They reorganized the individual editions into geographic regions and re-set all the type in order to produce a consistent presentation. They were also able, in many cases, to make use of the original photographs which had been given to Weyerhauser by Whitehead's widow.
In 2006 the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association revived the title for a new series of publications documenting the production and use of Eastern White Pine lumber in construction.
External links
- Revived monograph series at www.nelma.org