Main content

Ernest Cushing Richardson Collection of Papal Seals

Notifications

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Richardson

Ernest Cushing Richardson (1860-1939) was an American librarian, theologian and scholar who made significant contributions to the field of American librarianship. He was the University Librarian for Princeton University from 1890 to 1925, and during his tenure invented a new cataloging system that was specific to the Princeton library, often called the "Princeton system" or the "Richardson system". In 1925, Richardson became consultant to the Library of Congress. He died in Switzerland in 1939.

Richardson

Ernest Cushing Richardson (1860-1939) was an American librarian, theologian and scholar who made significant contributions to the field of American librarianship. He was the University Librarian for Princeton University from 1890 to 1925, and during his tenure invented a new cataloging system that was specific to the Princeton library, often called the "Princeton system" or the "Richardson system". In 1925, Richardson became consultant to the Library of Congress. He died in Switzerland in 1939.

This collection consists of twelve papal seals, including seals for Pope Paul III and Pope Urban VIII. Papal seals were made of lead instead of sealing wax. They were attached to the bottom of documents by chords and called bullas, which caused papal documents to be referred to as papal bulls. The seals were collected by Ernest Cushing Richardson, a former University Librarian.

Gift of Ernest Cushing Richardson (AM 2017-142).

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

This collection was processed by Chloe Pfendler in April 2017. Finding aid written by Chloe Pfendler in April 2017.

No materials were separated from the collection during 2017 processing.

Publisher
Manuscripts Division
Finding Aid Author
Chloe Pfendler
Finding Aid Date
2017
Access Restrictions

Open for research.

Use Restrictions

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Collection Inventory

Pope Leo XII, 1878-1903. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Pope Clement X, 1670-1676. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Pope Clement XI, 1700-1721. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Pope Pius IV, 1559-1565. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Pope Pius IX, 1846-1878. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Pope Innocent VIII, 1484-1492. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Pope Paul III, 1534-1549. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Pope Urban VIII (1 of 2), 1623-1644. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Pope Urban VIII (2 of 2), 1623-1644. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Pope Sixtus V (1 of 2), 1585-1590. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Pope Sixtus V (2 of 2), 1585-1590. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Pope Benedict XIV, 1740-1758. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Print, Suggest