This collection contains the correspondence between Launt Thompson (1883-September 1894) and his three children, a son, Lancelot C. Thompson, and two daughters, Mariette and Florence ”Flossy” Thompson, mostly in the form of letters addressed to Thompson from his children dating from 1880 to 1888. Along with these letters, the collection contains a series of drawings addressed to Thompson from his children dating from the same period, as well as “Mental Photographs” (a list of hypothetical questions which the children answered) dating from 1886. The collection also contains a letter, dated February 24, 1883 from a man named Bayard addressed to Launt Thompson regarding Thompson’s sculpture, Admiral Samuel Francis DuPont, (1884) located in Wilmington, Delaware.

Mary Palmer Calverley Byrne-Ivy (1870- ) was a singer, pianist and voice teacher. Mary's father was Charles Calverley, an artist who served as an assistant to Erastus Dow Palmer for a time in Albany, New York.

The Meadows collection is comprised of documents, papers, and photographs collected by the families that owned The Meadows mansion in Cazenovia, NY. These families include The Ledyards, The Hubbards, and The Oakmans, providing a snapshot of the personal life of an upper class family during the mid 1800s to the 1950s. Please see the scope and content note for a more in depth description of the collection.

Walter Launt Palmer (1854-1932) was born in Albany, New York, and became a prominent landscape painter. This collection includes diaries, correspondence, personal papers, studio books, and photographs.

Will Hicok Low (1853-1932) was born in Albany, New York, and became an artist, muralist, and writer. This collection includes correspondence, personal papers, photographs, and reproductions of his work.