Pfahler, 1978

File — Box: 3, Folder: 19

Scope and Contents

From the Series: This collection of the records of the Mütter Museum span the years 1892 through 2015, although the bulk of the material dates from 1988 through 2007. The records document the past exhibits displayed in the Museum, “Only One Man Died” and “The Medical World of Benjamin Franklin;”; grant funded projects, including the 2011 Quay Brothers film and the Museum Assessment Program (1994 to1995 and 2004 to 2006); portrait appraisals and acknowledgment letters; press clippings; and special projects, including wet specimen conservation in 1987, as well as various projects about the Hyrtl skull collection.

The collection is divided into twelve series. Many of the folder titles were taken from the original folders.

Series I: Curators' papers and presentations contains two presentation given by the current (as of 2019) curator of the Museum, Anna Dhody.

Series II: Ella Wade typescripts contains several typescripts of (former) curator Ella Wade’s articles, including those written for Philadelphia Medicine.

Series III: Exhibits comprises the bulk of the collection, dating from 1978 through 2005. Photocopies of labels for older (pre-1990s) exhibits are included in this collection, as well as undated labels for permanent exhibits in the Museum, such as Chang and Eng, the teratology collection, and the wax model collections. This series also holds floor plans and scripts for the 2003 exhibit, "Only One Man Died," and information relating to the 2005 exhibit, "The Medical World of Benjamin Franklin," and its installation in London. Researchers will also find a variety of brochures and rack cards, mostly dating from 2104 through 2017, as well as lists of Museum exhibits, dating from 1987 through 1995.

Series IV: Friends of the Mütter Museum contains information on the membership program for the years 2001 through 2013. Researchers should note not every year is represented.

Series V: Grants dates from 1993 to 2009 and holds information relating to several grants funded by the Conservation Center for Arts and Historic Artifacts, including funding for fluid preservation in 1994 and a preservation needs assessment in 1993.

Series VI: Gretchen Worden datebooks contains several datebooks, which belonged to the (former) Museum curator, Gretchen. The datebooks represent years from 1978 to 2003, although not all years are represented.

Series VII: Herb Garden dates from 1975 to 2003, and consists of information relating the Benjamin Rush medicinal garden, including the garden naming project in 2001 and lists of herbs planted.

Series VIII: Museum Assessment Program is comprised of application materials, grant files, meeting minutes and correspondence, and self-study assessment materials for both iterations of the Colleges participation in the program, first in 1994 to 1995, and again in 2004 to 2006.

Series IX: Portraits dates from 1892 to 2006, although the gaps between dates are quite large. Letters acknowledging donations or purchases of portraits from 1892 through 1968 make up the first subseries, while appraisals for insurance purposes date from 1936 through 2001, and make up the third subseries. Also included in Series IX are files relating to several thefts, including the theft of two oil portraits in 1994.

Series X: Press contains clippings, mostly of articles in magazine, about the Museum for the years 1997 to 2003. Of note is the DVD of television appearances by former curator Gretchen Worden and mentions of the Museum in other television programs.

Series XI: Records of the Director span the years 1992 to 2015, and include more funded grant projects, especially the 2011 Quay Brothers film, "Through the Weeping Glass," which featured the College's collections and was funded by the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative. This series also holds information relating to the reorganization of the F. C. Wood Institute for the History of Medicine in the 1990s and early 2000s, as well as a list of travel grant recipients for fiscal year 2006-2007.

Series XII: Special Projects documents special projects of the Museum for the years 1991 through 2012, including numerous projects about the Hyrtl skulls, such as re-labelling as well as CT scans of the objects; the specimen conservation project of 1987, and the reorganization and re-labelling of the tumor room gallery in 2006.