Van Norman, Clarendon, Jr., Collection of Lincoln and Illinois Ephemera, 1828-1967 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

The Clarendon Van Norman Jr. Collection consists of Illinois and Lincoln-related ephemera created between 1828 and 1967.

Clarendon Van Norman, Jr. (1930-2021) was born and raised in Galesburg, Illinois. He graduated from Julliard School in New York City in 1957 and earned a doctorate in education from Colombia University in 1965. Van Norman served as principal horn in the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra for two years and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for another two years. He then served in the Metropolitan Opera for twenty-eight years until his retirement in 1990. Later in life, he served on the Long Island Book Dealers Association, taught in his private horn studio, and helped with various church committees at the First Presbyterian Church in New York.

This collection contains Illinois broadsides and printed ephemera, primarily from the nineteenth century, including materials from the Pre-Civil War era such as prospectuses, periodicals, advertisements, newspaper clippings, tax lists, government documents, and financial records. Divided into subject categories, the items cover topics in Illinois history such as politics and government, construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and business transactions.

Van Norman also collected Abraham Lincoln ephemera, which document notable events such as Lincoln birthday celebrations and “The Lincoln-Douglas Debate Centennial Celebration” in Galesburg, Illinois. Several commemorative envelopes collected by Van Norman feature images and political cartoons of Abraham Lincoln, often including notable Lincoln quotes and sayings. (Other commemorative envelopes and Lincoln-related political cartoons can be found in IHLC MS 1045 – Lincoln Prints and Ephemera.) Included in the Abraham Lincoln Ephemera series are several publications on the study of Lincoln, in particular in music and law. Also in the collection are college commencement programs, religious sermons, circulars and pamphlets from fraternal organizations, correspondence, music scores from the nineteenth century, carrier addresses, and other printed works. 

Clarendon Van Norman, Jr. donated the collection to the University of Illinois Library in 2010. Additional material was acquired between 2010 and 2016, particularly in the fall of 2015 and spring of 2016.