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Reynolda House Museum of American Art Records

Finding Aid & Inventory

In 1967, under the direction of Barbara Babcock Millhouse, Reynolda House became a public museum collection of American art and is a nonprofit institution dedicated to the arts and education. Collection materials include invitations, emails, newsletters, programs, promotional items, and reports.

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Biographical and Historical Note

Richard Joshua Reynolds, founder of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, established his own tobacco factory in Winston, North Carolina, in 1875. He married Katharine Smith in 1905, and they had four children, R. J. Junior, Mary Katharine, Nancy Susan, and Zachary Smith.

Katharine Smith Reynolds is credited with the planning of a self-sufficient estate, Reynolda, just outside the city limits of Winston. Katharine created a 60-room bungalow for her family, with gardens, a lake, a school, a model farm, and a village to house workers. The Reynolds family relocated to Reynolda from town in December 1917. Katharine operated the estate until her death in 1924.

In 1934, Mary Reynolds Babcock acquired the estate. In 1965, after Mary's death, her husband Charles Babcock established Reynolda House as a non-profit institution dedicated to the arts and education. In 1967, under the direction of Mary and Charles' daughter Barbara Babcock Millhouse, Reynolda House became a public museum collection of American art. The collections also include decorative arts and archival objects. Reynolda House and Wake Forest University were formally affiliated in 2002. This affiliation has made possible more cultural, academic, campus life, and administrative collaboration than already existed.

Collection Overview

The Reynolda House Museum of American Art records document programs and events hosted by the museum, some in partnership with WFU organizations and academic departments. Materials include invitations, emails, newsletters, programs, promotional items, and reports.

Collection Inventory

  • Annual reports  (1972-1980) box 1 folder 18
  • Annual reports  (1981-1988) box 1 folder 15
  • Course information booklets  (2006 spring, fall) box 1 folder 8
  • Events calendar   (2006 March-June) box 1 folder 21
  • Exhibit cards (circa 2015) box 1 folder 7
  • Five Row historical marker unveiling invitation  (2016 May 14) box 1 folder 6
  • "The Global Homer: Odyssey in the Context of Diaspora" symposium, honoring Romare Bearden, program  (2012 October 27) box 1 folder 1
  • "Grant Wood and the American Farm" exhibit materials  (2016 September-December) box 1 folder 2
  • "Hopper to Polluck" exhibition program (2019) box 1 folder 14
  • "J. C. Leyendecker and His World" timeline pamphlet   (2019 August-December) box 1 folder 20
  • Newsletters  (1996 March-April) box 1 folder 3
  • Newsletter emails  (2017-2018) box 1 folder 4-5
  • Newsletter emails   (2019-2020) box 1 folder 9
  • "PhotoFall" campus photography exhibits card  (2018) box 1 folder 10
  • Program guide  (2019 spring, summer) box 1 folder 13
  • "Reynolds at Home," WCVE-TV film reel  (1970 June) box 2 reel 1
  • Reynolda Revealed mobile app flier (circa 2018) box 1 folder 12
  • Reynolda Summer Adventures brochure  (2019) box 1 folder 11
  • Symposium and academic materials  (circa 1990-1995) box 1 folder 16
  • Three One-Acts by William Butler Yeats program, WFU Irish Festival event  (2001) box 1 folder 19
  • Two-year report  (1992-1994) box 1 folder 17

Summary Information

Repository
Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives
Title
Affiliated Organizations. Reynolda House Museum of American Art Records
ID
RG51.2
Date [inclusive]
Quantity
1 document box, 1 oversize document box
Extent
1.42  Linear Feet

Administrative Information

Publication Information
Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, 2019
Revision Description
Revised by Anne Jones, new materials added, 2023
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for use. 
Copyright Notice
The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. 
Preferred Citation
Affiliated Organizations. Reynolda House Museum of American Art Records (RG51.2), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. 

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