Libraries
Identity elements
Reference code
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1955-2016 (Creation)
Extent
40.00 Boxes
Post-Fire Oversize Extent:
Box 25 (16.5 x 20.5): 509S: 19/2/2
Name of creator
Biographical history
Born in 1945, Robert Simonsen is a life long resident of Kansas. He received an undergraduate degree in history/political science from Washburn University in 1976.
Simonsen joined the U.S. Army in 1966 and achieved the rank of Seargent-Major in the medical field. He retired after 31 years of combined active and reserve service.
Since elementary school, collecting photographs autographed by political leaders in the United States has been an avocation of Simonsen's. While serving in Vietnam in 1969-70, he began collecting in earnest and expanded his focus to include political and military figures from the United States and countries throughout the world. The collection contains over 7,500 portrait photographs signed by political and military leaders from approximately 75 countries, including the United States.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The Robert Simonsen Photograph Collection contains autographed photographs divided into 4 series: U. S. Political, U. S. Military, U. S. Protectorates, and International Leaders. The collection is split fairly evenly between the United States and International photographs, with the majority of the U. S. photographs residing in the Political series. Many of the autographs include an inscription and/or an accompanying letter. Unidentified individuals are first within each section.
The United States Political series is divided into three subseries: States, Ambassadors, and Federal Agencies. The States are arranged alphabetically with the individuals sorted alphabetically by name under their political division: House of Representatives, Senate, and State Officials. This is followed by United States Ambassadors arranged alphabetically within various year ranges, and United States Federal Agencies sorted alphabetically by specific department then arranged alphabetically by name.
The United States Military series is divided into four subseries by branch: Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines. Within each branch the names are alphabetized under rank. Some ranks are entered multiple times under various year ranges.
The photographs in the United States Protectorates series are alphabetized under the specific place: Micronesia, Palau, Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Trust Territory of the Pacific, Guam, and Marshall Islands.
The International Leaders series is sorted alphabetically by country. Some countries have all the individuals sorted alphabetically within a single grouping, while other countries will further divide the photographs into political and military subgroups. For example, the photographs for Argentina are all grouped together, while Australia is broken into 14 subgroups.
System of arrangement
This collection is arranged into 4 series: 1) United States Political, 1955-1990; 2) United States Military, 1956-1993; 3) United States Protectorates, 1959-1990; and 4) International Leaders: Political and Military, 1968-1991.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
No access restriction: All materials open for research.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Alternative finding aid found here: https://web.archive.org/web/20210602162359/http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/sc_rev/findaids/pc1993-10.php
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
This collection received three (3) accession numbers:
P1993.10
P2005.05
P2006.07
Immediate source of acquisition
Acqusition Source: Robert Simonsen
Acqusition Method: Donation
Acqusition Date: 19930601
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Boxes 36-40 received in 2017
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
General note
See disaster recovery note in accession record P2005.20.
Specialized notes
- Citation: Preferred Citation: [Item title], [item date], Robert Simonsen Photograph Collection, Box [number], Folder [number or title], Morse Department of Special Collections, Kansas State University Libraries.
Alternative identifier(s)
Archon Collection ID
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Sources used
Archivist's note
Processing Info: This collection was processed by several individuals over the years.
Publication Date: 2017-02-21