Archives Scrapbooks

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Fogg Art Museum Scrapbooks, January 1950-April 1951

ARCH.2003.31, Rendition: 804224

Qwen, qwen.qwen3-vl-235b-a22b

This image displays a vintage news clipping glued onto a larger, off-white card from the New England Newsclip Agency, Inc.

Here’s a detailed breakdown:


1. The Newsclip Agency Card

This serves as the backing for the clipping.

  • Header: “New England Newsclip Agency, Inc.” is printed at the top.
  • Address & Contact: Below the header, it lists:
    • “Box 2078, Boston 6”
    • “HAncock 6-9297” (an old phone number format, with “HAncock” likely referring to a phone exchange).
  • Publication Information: The card identifies the source of the clipping:
    • Title: Herald (e)
    • Location: MANCHESTER, Conn.
    • Political Affiliation: Republican
    • Circulation: Circ. 9,243
  • Date Stamp: A faint, gray, handwritten or stamped date “JUN 8 1950” is visible below the publication info, indicating when the clipping was likely processed or filed.

2. The Newspaper Clipping

This is a small, rectangular snippet of newsprint, glued to the bottom half of the agency card. The text is typed, characteristic of newspapers from that era.

  • Content: The clipping reports the sudden death of a notable academic.

Thomas Whittemore, 79, professor of archeology at Harvard University, drops dead in State department while on way to see John Foster Dulles, special adviser to secretary of state...

  • Markup: A red line is drawn under the name “Thomas Whittemore,” and another red line under “State department,” likely for emphasis or to highlight key information.

3. Overall Context

This is a professional news clipping service item from 1950. Newsclip agencies would monitor and collect relevant newspaper articles on behalf of clients (e.g., corporations, public figures, researchers) for archiving or PR purposes. The date stamp confirms the clipping was filed shortly after the event in June 1950.

Thomas Whittemore was a prominent American archaeologist and art historian; his death while en route to meet John Foster Dulles — a key figure in U.S. foreign policy — would have been newsworthy.


In summary, the image captures a historical artifact: a 1950 news clipping reporting the sudden death of Harvard archaeologist Thomas Whittemore, preserved and cataloged by a New England newsclip service.

Qwen, Qwen/Qwen2.5-VL-7B-Instruct

The image shows a news clipping from the Herald, dated June 8, 1950. The clipping is from the Manchester Republican newspaper, which had a circulation of 9,243. It is associated with the New England Newsclip Agency, Inc., located in Boston, with the phone number Hancock 6-9297.

The news headline reads: "Thomas Whitemore, 79, professor of archeology at Harvard University, drops dead in State department while on way to see John Foster Dulles, special adviser to secretary of state." The text is printed in black on a cream-colored background, and the date "JUN 8 1950" is handwritten in blue ink on the upper part of the clipping. The clipping appears to be part of a news service file, as indicated by the header and publisher information.

Qwen, Qwen/Qwen2.5-VL-72B-Instruct

This image shows a piece of paper with a news clipping attached to it. The paper is from the "New England Newsclip Agency, Inc." and includes contact information: "Box 2078, Boston 6" and a phone number "Hancock 6-9297." The news clipping is from the "Herald (e)" in Manchester, Connecticut, which is identified as a Republican publication with a circulation of 9,243. The date stamped on the paper is "JUN 8 1950."

The news clipping itself states: "Thomas Whittemore, 79, professor of archeology at Harvard University, drops dead in State department while on way to see John Foster Dulles, special adviser to secretary of state." The text "State department" is underlined in red.

Amazon, amazon.nova-pro-v1:0

The image depicts a piece of paper that appears to be a news clipping. The paper is white and has a rectangular shape. The clipping is from the "New England Newsclip Agency, Inc." and is dated June 8, 1950. It is addressed to "Herald (e) MANCHESTER, Conn. Republican Circ. 9,243."

The clipping contains a brief news report about the death of Thomas Whittemore, a professor of archeology at Harvard University. The report states that Whittemore, aged 79, died in the State Department while on his way to see John Foster Dulles, who was a special adviser to the Secretary of State at the time.

The text is printed in black ink and is centered on the clipping. The clipping appears to be a historical document, providing a snapshot of a news event from the past. The use of a news clipping agency suggests that the clipping was likely distributed to multiple newspapers or publications for reporting purposes.

Amazon, amazon.nova-lite-v1:0

A clipping from the Manchester Herald (e) in Manchester, Connecticut, dated June 8, 1950, is shown. The clipping features a headline about Thomas Whittemore, a 79-year-old professor of archaeology at Harvard University, who died in the State Department while on his way to meet with John Foster Dulles, a special adviser to the Secretary of State. The clipping has a red border on the left side and is placed on a gray background.

Amazon, us.amazon.nova-2-lite-v1:0

The image shows a news clipping or document from the New England Newsclip Agency, Inc., dated June 8, 1950. The document is labeled as coming from the Herald (e) in Manchester, Conn., and is part of the Republican newspaper with a circulation of 9,243.

The main text of the clipping reads:

"Thomas Whitte-more, 79, professor of archaeology at Harvard University, drops dead in State department while on way to see John Foster Dulles, special adviser to secretary of state."

The document appears to be a typed or printed news summary, likely used for archival or research purposes. The text is partially visible, with some words cut off or obscured, but the key details about the event are clear. The document is placed on a light gray background, and the text is presented in a clean, formal style typical of news clippings from the mid-20th century.

OpenAI, gpt-4

The image depicts a paper clipping from a news agency, specifically the New England Newsclip Agency, Inc. The header includes the agency's name, its location in Boston with a postal box number and an old-fashioned telephone number with an exchange name (Hancock) followed by the digit number 6-9297.

Below the agency's information, the source of the news clip is cited as coming from the Herald (e), located in Manchester, Connecticut. This source is identified as Republican with a circulation figure of 9,243. The date stamped on the clip is "JUN 8 1950."

The article clip underneath the header details an incident involving a person named Thomas Whittemore, 79, a professor of archaeology at Harvard University. The article states that he "drops dead in State department while on way to see John Foster Dulles, special adviser to secretary of state."

The news clip itself appears to be pasted on a grey background, and seems to be aged, as indicated by the discoloration on its edges and the typewriter font used in the text, typical of mid-20th century documents. The red markings around the phrase "State department" could be editorial marks or could have been added after the clipping was made.

OpenAI, gpt-4o-2024-11-20

The image shows a newspaper clipping from the Herald (e), published in Manchester, Connecticut, under the New England Newsclip Agency, Inc. The clipping is dated June 8, 1950. It appears to be an excerpt referring to Thomas Whitte— (name cut off), a 79-year-old professor of archeology at Harvard University. The article states he "dropped dead" in the U.S. State Department while on his way to meet John Foster Dulles, a special adviser to the Secretary of State.

OpenAI, gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14

The image shows a clipped newspaper excerpt from the New England Newsclip Agency, Inc., located in Boston. The clipping is addressed to the "Herald (e)" in Manchester, Connecticut, which is identified as a Republican publication with a circulation of 9,243. The date stamped on the clipping is June 8, 1950.

The news clipping itself contains a brief report stating that Thomas Whittemore, 79, professor of archeology at Harvard University, died suddenly at the State Department while on his way to see John Foster Dulles, a special adviser to the Secretary of State. The text is slightly cut off at the edges, but this is the essential information conveyed.

OpenAI, gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07

  • A small collage of newspaper clippings mounted on a light gray background.
  • The top piece is an off-white card from the New England Newsclip Agency, Inc. It includes:
    • The header: “New England Newsclip Agency, Inc.”
    • Address/phone: “Box 2078, Boston 6 • HANcock 6-9297”
    • A headline line: “Herald (e) MANCHESTER, Conn. Republican Circ. 9,243”
    • A blue stamp reading “JUN 8 1950”
  • Attached below is a narrow, orange-tinted clipping with black text. It appears to be a news snippet about a person named Thomas White (or Thomas White Moore) who, described as a professor of archaeology at Harvard University, drops dead in the State Department while on the way to see John Foster Dulles, a special adviser to the Secretary of State. There are small red markings on the right edge of this clipping.
  • Overall, it looks like a clipped news item prepared for reference, dated around 1950.