Call Number:

CPP 10/013-01

Repository:

Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Extent:

.7 linear feet (2 boxes)

Language:

English

Date:

1935-1973 (inclusive)

Creator:

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Committee on Collections

Form:

Annual reports, Deeds, Financial records, and Minutes

Abstract:

The Committee on College Collections of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia was established in 1935. According to the 1935 by-laws of the College of Physicians, the committee, which reported to Council, had "general supervision over and care for such objects in the ownership or custody of the College" and was responsible for their "preservation, exhibition, and use". In addition, the committee recommended an individual to serve as the Custodian of the College Collections. The committee, consisting of three appointed members, held its first meeting on 25 January 1935.

The Committee on College Collections was created to care for objects belonging to the College proper, not the Mutter Museum, such as medals, badges, paintings, photographs, statues, busts, and the items displayed in the Abbe Cabinet. The committee was responsible for the preservation, repair, exhibition, loan, and cataloging of these objects. In addition, the committee prepared deeds of gift, handled insurance matters, and decided where objects would be placed in the College building. Another aspect of the committee's responsibilities was to examine all items presented to the College of Physicians and recommend to Council whether the items should be accepted or donated to a more suitable institution.

Over the years, the Committee on College Collections worked closely with the Committee on the Mutter Museum; by 1939, the same Fellows served on both committees. The committees shared letterhead and held their meetings on the same day, but officially remained separate, with each preparing its own minutes and reports. In 1990, the functions of both committees were assumed by the Committee on Program.

This collection, spanning ]935 to 1973, consists of minut~s from the monthly meetings of the Committee on College Collections of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, which document the committee's activities over a forty-year period. ]n addition to minutes, the collection includes copies of the committee's annual reports, deed of gift forms, and financial information.

The minutes of the Committee on College Collections contain information on the responsibilities and activities undertaken by the committee since its establishment in 1935. The minutes reveal that in the first few years of its existence, the committee concentrated on defining its duties, drafting deed of gift forms, and cataloging items already owned by the College. The minutes from later years contain lists of new accessions and their donors, recommendations to Council about accepting or refusing items offered to the College, and reports on the repair, cleaning, or loaning of items, especially paintings, belonging to the College.

The minutes contain copies of the committee's annual reports, which provide a list of accessions and a summary of the committee's activities for the year. Also present are annual financial statements, which reveal how the committee spent its annually appropriated funds. The minutes also reflect the cooperation between the Committee on College Collections and the Committee on the Mutter Museum; on occasion, miriutes or reports of the Committee on the Mutter Museum are interfiled with the minutes and reports of the Committee on College Collections.

The minutes of the Committee on College Collections were originally housed in five loose-leaf binders. The binders were disbound, but the volume divisions have been preserved in the finding aid. Loose pages, consisting of deed of gift forms and financial reports, were contained in Volumes 2 and 3.