Ralph Emerson Carpenter, Jr., (1910-2009) was born on October 6, 1906, in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and was a descendant of William Carpenter (1610-1685) who, with Roger Williams and others, founded Providence in 1636. Carpenter attended Cornell University and graduated in 1931 with a degree in mechanical engineering, after which he moved to New York City where he worked in insurance and investment banking from 1931 to 1958. In 1958, he became partner of Reynolds Securities, retiring as a senior vice president in 1978. Following his retirement, Carpenter joined Christie’s auction house as a senior American decorative arts consultant, a position he held for thirty years.
Throughout his entire business career, Carpenter was passionate about antiques and preserving historical buildings. He was particularly interested in American colonial furniture, decorative arts, English silver, and Dutch paintings. One of his earliest projects was the construction of his home, Mowbra Hall, in Scarsdale, New York, which was built by assembling eighteenth-century materials and furnishings. Following this endeavor and his first visit to Newport at the end of World War II, Carpenter began his avocation in architectural and historic preservation when he directed the refurbishing and furnishing of Hunter House, one of American’s colonial treasures, for the newly formed Preservation Society of Newport County. The success of this project led to others, allowing Carpenter to be actively involved in the restoration of some of Newport’s defining structures such as the White Horse Tavern, Trinity Church, the Colony House, the Brick Market, and the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. He also directed the preservation and furnishings of Longfellow’s Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
The work Carpenter accomplished during the restoration of the Hunter House and his appreciation for furniture made by Newport’s Townsend and Goddard families inspired the 1953 publication of his book, The Arts and Crafts of Newport, Rhode Island, 1640-1820. This volume was one of the first books to focus on America’s colonial cabinetmakers as equals of their European counterparts. It also asserted that Newport was home to some of the most sophisticated and refined furniture due to the works of the Townsend and Goddard families. Carpenter also wrote articles for various magazines on antiques-related subjects and served as a lecturer at various organizations.
Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., participated in various clubs and associations. He was a member of the American Antiquarian Society, Walpole Society, Society of the Cincinnati, Newport Country Club, and the Abraham Redwood Society among others. He also served on a number of boards and committees including the National Trust for Historic Preservation Society, Preservation Society of Newport County, Hunter House, Trinity Church Landmark Preservation Fund, and the Foundation for Newport. In 1992, he founded the Newport Symposium, a yearly gathering of experts in many fields of art and decoration. Carpenter also established the Society of Philosophes in 1997, which was a financial support group for the Preservation Society of Newport Country. One of his last projects was his effort to organize the John Clarke Society with the primary mission of collecting and disseminating information relating to John Clarke (1609-1676), one of the founders of Newport and the author of the 1663 Rhode Island Charter.
Carpenter was a major supporter of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum for a number of years, serving as both a board and committee member. He helped raise funds for the Library’s restoration, renovation, and expansion project (1997-2005) and was also instrumental in the publishing of Newport: A Lively Experiment 1630-1969. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the Redwood as well as historic preservation in Newport, the second floor meeting room in the Library was named in his honor. The Carpenter Room also houses the Ralph and Roberta Carpenter collection, the Carpenters’ personal library of more than 900 titles on preservation, decorative and fine arts, architecture, and American history.
Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., married Cynthia Ramsey in 1932, and the couple had one daughter, Cynthia Linton, before their marriage ended in divorce. Carpenter married Roberta Lowy in 1978, and the couple enjoyed many years in Newport before Mr. Carpenter died on February 2, 2009, at the age of ninety-nine.
Access is open to members and researchers at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum; however, materials concerning the Redwood Library and Athenaeum and the Newport: a lively experiment 1639-1969 publication, and materials related to certain institutions are restricted until further notice. Please inquire with the Reference Staff for more information.
This collection is owned by the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Special Collections Librarian of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., papers, RLC.Ms.002, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
The Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., papers consists of correspondence, greeting cards, invitations, reports, financial records, speeches, architectural drawings, clippings, notes, articles, manuscript drafts, personal records, research materials, photographs, oral histories, and scrapbooks regarding the career, avocations, and interests of Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr. Of particular significance is his involvement in various historical preservation endeavors throughout Newport and his passion for early colonial furniture and other decorative arts. Also included are materials regarding Carpenter’s participation and establishment of various scholarly associations such as the Newport Symposium, Society of Philosophes, and the Walpole Society. Some items regarding other members of the Carpenter family are also found within this collection.
This collection is arranged into the following series and subseries:
Gift of Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr.: 2006 Nov 17, 2006 Nov 29, 2007 Jan 1, 2007 Feb 23, 2007 Apr 9, 2008 May 13, and 2008 Aug 18.
Upon arrival at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum, these records were placed into archival record boxes with labels identifying the general contents of each. In 2014, similar materials were grouped together, placed within archival folders, and arranged among six series.
This series is arranged in alphabetical order and includes incoming and outgoing correspondence found within two separate subseries. Greeting cards, invitations, and some photographs enclosed with letters are also found within this series.
The first subseries, dedicated to Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., consists of his correspondence with family and friends, business associates, and antiques dealers and colleagues and generally concerns his involvement in various associations, historical preservation projects, and antiques hunting.
The second subseries includes correspondence addressed to both Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., and one of his wives. Also included are letters received individually by Cynthia Carpenter and Roberta Carpenter as well as various greeting cards and invitations received by the Carpenters.
This series, arranged in alphabetical order, contains financial records, correspondence, reports, proposals, clippings, drafts, and notes directly related to various activities and organizations that Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr. was participated in throughout his life. These series documents his involvement in the restoration of the Hunter House, Trinity Church, and Brick Market in Newport as well as the construction of Mowbra Hall, his home in Scarsdale, NY. Also included is memorabilia and records from various vacations and trips he undertook for both personal enjoyment and with organizations he was associated with such as Christie’s, the Society of Philosophes, and the Walpole Society. His efforts to establish the Newport Symposium and the John Clarke Society can also be found here as well as his involvement with the publishing of Newport: a lively experiment 1639-1969 for the Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
This series is arranged in alphabetical order and concerns Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr. and other members of the Carpenter family.
This series, arranged alphabetically, is comprised of articles (photocopies and originals), photocopies of manuscripts, notes, and other ephemera that was most likely consulted by Carpenter while preparing various lectures and speeches, his own articles and books, and as background information for other projects in which he was involved.
This series is further divided into three subseries: photographs, sound recordings, and video recordings, all of which are arranged in alphabetical order.
Photographs also include negatives, glass plate negatives, framed photographs, photograph albums and slides.
Sound recordings are comprised of twenty audiocassette tapes and one compact disc with Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr. speaking.
There is one unidentified film and one video cassette recording of Carpenter receiving the H. F. DuPont award in 1999.
Scrapbooks are arranged in alphabetical order by their creator and then by chronological order. These scrapbooks contain clippings, correspondence, photographs, travel memorabilia, and other ephemera kept by Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr. and his father, Ralph E. Carpenter.