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Oregon State University
Special Collections and Archives
Research Center

Maud Wilson Papers, 1917-1965View associated digital content.

Predominant Dates: 1935-1954

The Maud Wilson Papers consist of publications detailing her research as a Professor of Home Economics at Oregon Agricultural College, research materials used to support and inform her instruction, and photographs. Wilson was the first faculty member at Oregon Agricultural College to conduct research full-time in Home Economics. Specializing in the study of housing design, Wilson also served as head of Home Economics for the Agricultural Experiment Station.

The folders comprising Series 1, Biographical Material and Correspondence, and the photographs comprising Series 6, Photographs, have been digitized and are available upon request. Digital versions of many of Wilson's publications can be found online in ScholarsArchive. Two items from box-folder 2.7 in Series 3 - The Mother as Teacher, from Mother Training and Home Management by Alice Loomis, and The Relationship Between Housing Standards and Mental Health by Raymond F. Sletto - have been digitized and are available upon request.

ID: MSS WilsonM
Extent: 4.85 cubic feet
More Extent Information
Scope and Content Notes
Biographical / Historical Notes
Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.
Arrangement
Preferred Citation: Maud Wilson Papers (MSS WilsonM), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
Acquisition Note: The materials were transferred to the Library by the Oregon State University Department of Human Development and Family Science.
Acquired: 2001.
Languages of Materials
Other

Container List

Series 1: Biographical Material and Correspondence, 1926-1965 Add to Shelf

Series 1 is comprised of biographical material and correspondence. The “biographical essays” include a biographical sketch written by Wilson’s sister Susan, and a document written by Wilson – Research in Home Economics – that details the motivations and methods of the various research projects undertaken by Wilson while at Oregon Agricultural College. The three pieces of correspondence in this series refer to research articles loaned by Wilson to the correspondent.

The folders comprising this series have been digitized and are available upon request.

Box-Folder 1.1: Biographical essays, 1965 Add to Shelf
The contents of this folder have been digitized and are available upon request.
Box-Folder 1.2: Correspondence, 1926-1927 Add to Shelf
The contents of this folder have been digitized and are available upon request.
Series 2: Publications, 1929-1951 Add to Shelf
Series 2 is comprised of publications written by Wilson between 1929 and 1951, and published in or by Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletins, U.S. Department of Agriculture Farmers’ Bulletins, the Federal Cooperative Extension Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Home Economics, and the Kitchen Reporter (published by Detroit company, Kelvinator). Topics covered in the publications include household storage, time management patterns of rural homemakers, farm home construction planning and standards, working surface height standards, and housing requirements of U.S. farm families. A selection of these publications have been bound into two volumes also included in the collection. Also included is Wilson’s Master’s thesis, “Time Spent in Meal Preparation in Private Households.” Digitized versions of several of Wilson's publications, including her Master's thesis, can be found online in ScholarsArchive.
Box-Folder 1.3: Time Spent in Meal Preparation in Private Households, 1931 Add to Shelf
Master's thesis, copy 1. A digital copy of Wilson's Masters thesis can be found in ScholarsArchive.
Box-Folder 1.4: Time Spent in Meal Preparation in Private Households, 1931 Add to Shelf
Master's thesis, copy 2. A digital copy of Wilson's Masters thesis can be found in ScholarsArchive.
Box-Folder 1.5: 1929 Add to Shelf
The publication in this folder, Use of Time by Oregon Farm Homemakers, has been digitized and is available online.
Box-Folder 1.6: 1930-1937 Add to Shelf
The following publications in this folder are available digitally: Planning the Willamette Valley Farmhouse for Family Needs(1933), Farm Kitchen Planning (1937), Standards for Working-surface Heights and Other Space Units of the Dwelling (1937). Additional publications: The Farm Homemaker's Job (1930), Closets and Other Storage Arrangements for the Farm Home (1934), Planning Equipment for Mrs. Average (1937).
Box-Folder 1.7: 1938-1939 Add to Shelf
The following publications in this folder are available digitally: The Willamette Valley Farm Kitchen (1938), Planning the Kitchen (1939). Additional publications: Housing Requirements of Farm Families in the United States.
Box-Folder 1.8: 1940-1947 Add to Shelf
The following publications in this folder are available digitally: House Planning Ideas of Oregon Rural Women (1940), A Set of Utensils for the Farm Kitchen (1940), Closets and Storage Spaces (1940), Standards for Kitchen Utensils (1943) Patterns for Kitchen Cabinets (1947), Considerations in Planning Kitchen Cabinets (1947). Additional publications: Plans for Oregon Farm and Acreage Homes: a Handbook for Extension Workers (1945).
Box-Folder 2.1: Housing [bound publications], 1929-1940 Add to Shelf
Publications bound into this volume include: Use of Time by Oregon Farm Homemakers (1929), Planning the Willamette Valley Farmhouse for Family Needs(1933), Standards for Working-surface Heights and Other Space Units of the Dwelling (1937), The Willamette Valley Farm Kitchen (1938), Planning the Kitchen (1939), Housing Requirements of Farm Families in the United States (1939), House Planning Ideas of Oregon Rural Women (1940), A Set of Utensils for the Farm Kitchen (1940), Closets and Storage Spaces (1940).
Box-Folder 2.2: Housing [bound publications], 1929-1940 Add to Shelf
Publications bound into this volume include: Use of Time by Oregon Farm Homemakers (1929), Planning the Willamette Valley Farmhouse for Family Needs(1933), Standards for Working-surface Heights and Other Space Units of the Dwelling (1937), Farm Kitchen Planning (1937), The Willamette Valley Farm Kitchen (1938), Planning the Kitchen (1939), House Planning Ideas of Oregon Rural Women (1940), A Set of Utensils for the Farm Kitchen (1940), Closets and Storage Spaces (1940).
Box-Folder 2.3: 1950-1951 Add to Shelf
The following publications in this folder are available digitally: A Guide for the Kitchen Planner (1950). Additional publications: Choice-making and the House (1951, published by Kelvinator Kitchen, Detroit, Michigan).
Series 3: Teaching Material, 1917-1957 Add to Shelf

Series 3, Teaching Materials, is primarily comprised of clippings, article reprints, and draft manuscripts used in the instruction of Household Administration courses House Planning in Relation to Function (HAd 435) and Management Problems in Home-Community Relations (HAd 445). Also included are an OAC Household Account Book, and an OAC Student Account Book; both books are blank, but both have A. Grace Johnson’s name on the cover.

Two items from box-folder 2.7 in this series - The Mother as Teacher, from Mother Training and Home Management by Alice Loomis, and The Relationship Between Housing Standards and Mental Health by Raymond F. Sletto - have been digitized and are available upon request.

Box-Folder 2.4: O.A.C. Household Account Book, 1917 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.5: O.A.C. Student Account Book, 1924 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.6: Lecture 1: Families and Houses [1], 1924-1951 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.7: Lecture 1: Families and Houses [2], 1924-1951 Add to Shelf
Two items from this folder - The Mother as Teacher, from Mother Training and Home Management by Alice Loomis, and The Relationship Between Housing Standards and Mental Health by Raymond F. Sletto - have been digitized and are available upon request.
Box-Folder 3.1: Lecture 2: Dwelling and Community, 1937-1948 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.2: Lecture 3: Functions and Requirements [1], 1917-1957 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.3: Lecture 3: Functions and Requirements [2], 1917-1957 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.4: Lecture 3: Functions and Requirements [3], 1917-1957 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.5: Lecture 4: Utilization of Space [1], 1941-1952 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.6: Lecture 4: Utilization of Space [2], 1941-1952 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.1: Lecture 4: Utilization of Space [3], 1941-1952 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.2: Lecture 5: Structure, 1945-1951 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.3: Lecture 6: Furnishings, 1935-1954 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.4: Lecture 7: Utilization of Site, 1921-1947 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.5: Lecture 8: House Planning [1], 1920-1954 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.6: Lecture 8: House Planning [2], 1920-1954 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.1: Lecture 9: Home Building, 1945-1954 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.2: Lecture 10: Evaluation of Attributes, 1945 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.3: Lecture 11: Research, 1932-1950 Add to Shelf
Series 4: Reports, 1925-1950 Add to Shelf
Included in Series 4, Reports, is Wilson’s complete report of the Purnell study, “Present Use of Time in Households and by Homemakers, 1925-1930.” Also included is a Report of the Housing Committee of the Home Economics Research section of the Association of Land Grant Colleges and Universities, in which the scope of the committee and a review of work being done by Home Economists is discussed. Of special interest is Wilson’s 1945 field study report, “Use of Electricity in Oregon Rural Homes.” Digitized versions of several of Wilson's publications can be found online in ScholarsArchive.
Box-Folder 5.4: Magazine Space Study, undated Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.5: Present Use of Time in Households and by Homemakers: Complete Report of the Purnell Study, vol. 1, part 1, 1925-1930 Add to Shelf
A digitized version can be found here.
Box-Folder 5.6: Present Use of Time in Households and by Homemakers: Complete Report of the Purnell Study, vol. 1, part 2, 1925-1930 Add to Shelf
A digitized version can be found here.
Box-Folder 5.7: Present Use of Time in Households and by Homemakers: Complete Report of the Purnell Study, vol. 2, parts 3-4, 1925-1930 Add to Shelf
A digitized version can be found here.
Box-Folder 5.8: Present Use of Time in Households and by Homemakers: Complete Report of the Purnell Study, vol. 2, parts 5-6 and appendix, 1925-1930 Add to Shelf
A digitized version can be found here.
Box-Folder 6.2: Use of Electricity in Oregon Rural Homes, 1945 Add to Shelf
Includes correspondence, press releases, training meeting schedule, and outline of survey.
Box-Folder 6.3: Use of Electricity in Oregon Rural Homes: Report of 1945 Field Study, 1945 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 6.4: Use of Electricity in Oregon Rural Homes: Report of 1945 Field Study [statistical tables, 1-107], 1945 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 6.5: Use of Electricity in Oregon Rural Homes: Report of 1945 Field Study [statistical tables, 107-218], 1945 Add to Shelf
Series 5: Photographs, circa 1935 Add to Shelf

The 71 black and white photographs that comprise Series 5 were taken by Wilson, and feature what appear to be the kitchens, and other assorted storage spaces, in more than five different homes. The photographs appear to have been intended to illustrate different types and configurations of storage in each space, and many were included in the publication Considerations in Planning Kitchen Cabinets (Oregon State Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin #445, November 1947. The students and houses portrayed in these images are unidentified.

The photographs in this series have been digitized and are available upon request.

Box-Folder 6.6: Household storage, circa 1935 Add to Shelf
The photographs in this folder have been digitized and are available upon request.
Series 6: Bibliographic cards, circa 1925-1950 Add to Shelf

Series 6 is comprised of bibliographic cards kept by Wilson in her role as Home Economics research faculty at Oregon State, and to facilitate her Master's thesis research. The cards are primarily concerned with home planning and construction.

Boxes 07 through 09 contain cards kept by Wilson while working on her Master's thesis with the University of Chicago, and include topical subdivisions such as Children and the Home, Economics of the Household, Electricity, Farm Operations, Foreign Housing, Household Management, Model Housing, and Rural Housing. A directory is included in Box 07.

Boxes 10 through 15 contain bibliographic cards dating to circa 1937, and are primarily concerned with determining and planning the various space needs of a dwelling. The cards are alpha-numerically arranged in a system of Wilson's own devising, and include subject divisions for: A. Plans and Planning; B. Space Units of the Dwelling; C. Building Practices; D. Requirements; E. Conditioning Factors; F. Housing Standards; G. Housing - General; H. Application; I. Sources of Information; J. Research Methods and Technique; K. Results of O.S.C. Studies; M. Regional Requirements; N. Inventory of Books; and O. Construction Det., Selected Items.