Gookin Family Papers, 1861-1922

Gift, Kathleen Van Deusen, 1985.

The Gookin Family Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).

The Gookin Family Papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.

Gookin Family Papers, The Newberry Library, Chicago.

Kelly Kress, 2010.

This inventory was created with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this inventory do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Chicago banker, calligrapher and designer.

Frederick W. Gookin (1853-1936) was born in Ludlow, Vermont, to Frederick Young Gookin and Elisabeth Patrick Gookin. He had one sister, Mary H. Gookin (1855-1915). The family later relocated to Joliet, Illinois, and then to Chicago in 1872. Frederick W. Gookin went to work as a banker, supporting his parents and sister, while at the same time cultivating an interest in calligraphy, design, and Japanese art. While he remained a banker, he also worked in commercial design, creating advertisements and illustrating publications for a variety of Chicago business and organizations. His interest and expertise in Japanese wood block prints led him to art appraisal and consultant work for collectors interested in Japanese art, which he also promoted through lectures and publications. Around 1903 he left banking to become a freelance art advisor, and was eventually appointed the first curator of the Clarence S. Buckingham Collection of Japanese prints at the Art Institute of Chicago. He was an early member of the Chicago Literary Club, and served as their secretary/treasurer from 1880-1920.

He married Marie Sieboth, of Utica, NY, in 1898. The couple had one daughter, Nathalie Clotilde Gookin, nicknamed "Girlie" (1901-1980).

Materials related to banker and designer Frederick W. Gookin and his family, including correspondence, diaries, and artwork.

Correspondence is chiefly letters from Frederick W. Gookin to his wife Marie S. Gookin, documenting their courtship as well as his daily activities during business trips or while Marie Gookin was away. Letters describe Chicago friends, city activities, food, and weather, as well as details about his art world contacts during trips to New York. There are also letters from Marie S. Gookin to her sister Nathalie Kennedy, describing the family cats, vacations in Colorado, and a trip to Europe in 1914 during the outbreak of World War I.

The majority of the diaries belonged to Elisabeth A. Gookin, Frederick W. Gookin's mother, and chronicle her daily activities, including descriptions of the labor required to maintain the household, her health, and also her general attitude and emotional state. There is also is a detailed diary kept by Elisabeth Gookin of the family's twelve visits to the World's Columbian Exposition, and her travel diaries describing trips to Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. There are also diaries from Marie S. Gookin and Mary Gookin, Frederick W. Gookin's sister, and a few items related to the Gookin family and Frederick Gookin's membership in the Chicago Literary Club.

Artwork consists of Frederick W. Gookin's designs for A.C. McClurg, the Chicago Literary Club, and others, including commercial advertisements, bookplates and book covers. Frederick W. Gookin was an early member of the Chicago Literary Club, and designed their publications for over 20 years.

Papers are organized in the following series:

Title Box Series 1: Correspondence, 1897-1922 Boxes 1-4 Series 2: Family papers, 1861-1921 Boxes 5-6 Series 3: Artwork, 1883-1921 Box 7

• Names
  • A.C. McClurg & Co.
  • Chicago Literary Club.
  • Gookin, Elisabeth A. -- Diaries
  • Gookin, Frederick William
• Subject
  • Art, Japanese -- Collectors and collecting
  • Arts
  • Chicago
  • Commercial art -- Illinois -- Chicago
  • Courtship -- 19th century -- Correspondence
  • Courtship -- Middle West -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
  • Family Papers
  • Husband and wife -- United States -- Correspondence
  • Manuscripts, American -- Illinois -- Chicago
  • Pets -- 1900-1920
  • Printing History and Book Arts
  • Sisters -- Correspondence
  • Women
  • Women -- Diaries
  • Women -- Domestic life -- United States -- 1880-1900
  • Women travelers -- United States
  • World War, 1914-1918
• Geographic Coverage
  • Boston (Mass.) -- Description and travel
  • Chicago (Ill.) -- Social life and customs
  • Europe -- Description and travel -- 1800-1918
  • New York (N.Y.) -- Description and travel
  • Washington (D.C.) -- Description and travel