Archives Scrapbooks

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Fogg Art Museum Scrapbooks, January 1950-April 1951

ARCH.2003.31, Rendition: 804227

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

This image displays a vintage newspaper clipping, mounted on a slightly larger piece of paper from the New England Newsclip Agency, Inc., which served as a clipping service for newspapers.


Header Information (from the agency's paper):

  • Agency: New England Newsclip Agency, Inc.
  • Address: Box 2078, Boston 6
  • Phone: HAncock 6-9297
  • Target Newspaper: Times (e) — likely referring to the Pawtucket-Central Falls Times or a similar local paper.
  • Location: PAWTUCKET - CENTRAL FALLS, R. I. (Rhode Island)
  • Political Affiliation: Indep. Republican (Independent Republican)
  • Circulation: 36,208
  • Date Stamped: JUN 9 1950 — indicating when the clipping was processed or sent out.

News Article: “Thomas Whittemore Passes Suddenly”

This is the main clipping itself, dated June 9, 1950. It reports the sudden death of Thomas Whittemore, age 79.

The article details:

  • Recent Honor: Whittemore had been honored by Brown University the previous Monday (June 5, 1950) with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
  • Cause & Place of Death: He died suddenly in Washington, D.C., while traveling to meet with John Foster Dulles, then Republican foreign affairs adviser (later U.S. Secretary of State).
  • Professional Background:
    • A noted Harvard authority on Byzantine art.
    • Native of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
    • Director of the Byzantine Institute in Boston.
  • Possible Purpose of Trip: Associates suggested he may have been going to discuss with Dulles the institute's important work in Turkey, particularly their efforts in uncovering the Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia) mosaics in Istanbul.

Visual Details:

  • The clipping is aged, with a slightly yellowed, beige tone.
  • There are faint red pencil markings (a line under “Harvard authority on Byzantine art” and a small red arrow at the bottom right), likely highlighting or annotating key points.
  • The original newspaper text is typewritten in a classic serif font typical of mid-20th-century newspapers.
  • The article is clipped neatly, with the agency’s header paper visible above it. The edges show slight wear and tear.

Historical Significance:

Thomas Whittemore (1871–1950) was a real and influential figure in art history and cultural preservation, especially known for his work restoring the Byzantine mosaics at Hagia Sophia. His sudden death while en route to meet John Foster Dulles — a major political figure — underscores the importance of his work and its relevance to U.S. foreign policy and cultural diplomacy at the time.

The clipping is a preserved artifact capturing the moment of his unexpected passing and his legacy as a scholar and cultural emissary.


In summary, this image is a historical newspaper clipping from June 9, 1950, reporting the sudden death of Byzantine art scholar Thomas Whittemore, and it also shows the distribution record from a regional news clipping service based in Boston.

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

The image appears to be a photograph of a clipped newspaper article dated June 9, 1950, from the New England Newsclip Agency, Inc. The clipping is from the "Times (e)" in Pawtucket-Central Falls, Rhode Island, which is described as an Independent Republican newspaper with a circulation of 36,208. The article is titled "Thomas Whittemore Passes Suddenly" and discusses the death of Thomas Whittemore, a 79-year-old Harvard authority on Byzantine art. The article mentions that Whittemore died suddenly in Washington, D.C., while on his way to confer with John Foster Dulles, the Republican foreign affairs adviser. Whittemore had recently received an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters from Brown University. The article also notes that Whittemore was a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the director of the Byzantine Institute in Boston. It further mentions that Whittemore was at the State Department when he became ill and that he might have planned to discuss the important work the institute had been doing in Turkey, particularly in uncovering the Aya Sofya mosaics in Istanbul. The clipping is marked with some red pencil annotations, possibly for reference or highlighting specific parts of the article.

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

This image is a newspaper clipping from the "Times (e)" newspaper, dated June 9, 1950, and distributed by the New England Newsclip Agency, Inc. The clipping is from Pawtucket-Central Falls, R.I., an Independent Republican publication with a circulation of 36,208.

The headline reads "Thomas Whittemore Passes Suddenly." The article announces the death of Thomas Whittemore, a 79-year-old Harvard authority on Byzantine art. Whittemore had been honored by Brown University with an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters the previous Monday. He died suddenly in Washington, D.C., while on his way to confer with John Foster Dulles, a Republican foreign affairs adviser.

Whittemore was a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the director of the Byzantine Institute in Boston. At the time of his death, he was at the State Department. It was speculated that he might have planned to discuss the important work the institute had been doing in Turkey, specifically in uncovering the Aya Sofya mosaics in Istanbul.

The article is marked with a red line underlining the word "Harvard," and there are some handwritten markings on the clipping.

Amazon, amazon.nova-pro-v1:0

The image shows a newspaper clipping that is placed on a gray surface. The clipping is a piece of paper with a red line on the right side. The clipping is titled "Thomas Whittemore Passes Suddenly." The clipping contains a news article about Thomas Whittemore, who was honored by Brown University last Monday. He died suddenly in Washington, D.C., yesterday while on his way to confer with John Foster Dulles, Republican foreign affairs adviser. He was given an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters by Brown.

Amazon, amazon.nova-lite-v1:0

The image is a scanned copy of a newspaper clipping from the Pawtucket-Central Falls, R.I. Times. The clipping is dated June 9, 1950. The headline reads "Thomas Whittemore Passes Suddenly." The article discusses the sudden death of Thomas Whittemore, a 79-year-old Harvard authority on Byzantine art and director of the Byzantine Institute in Boston. Whittemore had recently been honored by Brown University with an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters. He was traveling to Washington, D.C. to confer with John Foster Dulles, a Republican foreign affairs adviser, when he passed away. The article mentions that Whittemore was at the State Department when he was stricken, and it is speculated that he may have been planning to discuss the institute's work in Turkey with Dulles.

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

The image shows a newspaper clipping from the New England Newsclip Agency, Inc., dated June 9, 1950. The clipping is from the Times of Pawtucket-Central Falls, Rhode Island, an independent Republican newspaper with a circulation of 36,208.

The headline reads: "Thomas Whittemore Passes Suddenly." The article reports that Thomas Whittemore, aged 79, passed away suddenly in Washington, D.C., on the day before the article was published. Whittemore was a distinguished figure, having been honored by Brown University the previous Monday. He was a noted Harvard authority on Byzantine art and had been awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by Brown University.

The article provides further details about Whittemore's background and affiliations:

  • He was a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  • He served as the director of the Byzantine Institute in Boston, Massachusetts.
  • At the time of his death, he was in the State Department.
  • He was on his way to meet with John Foster Dulles, the Republican foreign affairs adviser, to discuss the institute's work in Turkey, specifically the uncovering of the Aya Sofya mosaics in Istanbul.

The clipping is presented in a clean, typed format, with the text clearly legible. The top portion of the clipping includes the newspaper's header information, while the main body contains the obituary. The overall tone is formal and informative, typical of news reporting from that era.

OpenAI, gpt-4

This image shows a newspaper clipping from an organization called "New England Newsclip Agency, Inc." based in Boston. The header provides the address and contact number of the agency.

The newspaper snippet is from the "Pawtucket-Central Falls Times," an independent Republican publication in Rhode Island, dated June 9, 1950, and reports a circulation of 36,208.

The article is titled "Thomas Whittemore Passes Suddenly." The piece discusses the sudden passing of Thomas Whittemore, aged 79, who had just been honored by Brown University with an honorary degree. Whittemore passed away in Washington, D.C., while he was on his way to confer with John Foster Dulles, who was a Republican adviser on foreign affairs. The article notes that Whittemore was an acknowledged expert on Byzantine art and the director of the Byzantine Institute in Boston. His associates speculated he may have been planning to speak with Dulles about the significant work his institute had done in Turkey, particularly regarding the uncovering of the Aya Sofya mosaics in Istanbul.

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

The image shows a newspaper clipping dated June 9, 1950, by the New England Newsclip Agency. The article is from the "Pawtucket-Central Falls Times" in Rhode Island, titled "`Thomas Whittemore Passes Suddenly."

The body of the article reports the death of Thomas Whittemore, aged 79. He had been honored with a doctorate of humane letters by Brown University a few days prior. Whittemore was a noted authority on Byzantine art and directed the Byzantine Institute in Boston. He passed away suddenly in Washington, D.C., en route to meet John Foster Dulles, a Republican foreign affairs adviser, at the State Department. The article highlights Whittemore's significant contributions, including his work uncovering mosaics at the Aya Sofya in Istanbul, Turkey.

The clipping is affixed with a header indicating the newspaper's circulation and independence as a Republican publication.

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

This is a clipped newspaper article from the New England Newsclip Agency, Inc., dated June 9, 1950. It is from the "Times (e) Pawtucket-Central Falls, R.I." Independent Republican with a circulation of 36,208.

The headline reads: "Thomas Whittemore Passes Suddenly."

The article reports the sudden death of Thomas Whittemore, aged 79, who was honored by Brown University recently and died suddenly in Washington, D.C., while on his way to confer with John Foster Dulles, Republican foreign affairs adviser. Whittemore was noted as a Harvard authority on Byzantine art and had received an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters from Brown University.

He was a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and director of the Byzantine Institute in Boston. At the time of his death, he was at the State Department. Whittemore was likely planning to discuss the institute's work in Turkey, specifically the uncovering of the Aya Sofya mosaics in Istanbul. The text is marked with some red pencil or pen marks, including underlining and a partial circular mark at the top and bottom corners.

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

  • A pair of small newspaper clippings mounted on a light gray background.
  • Top clipping: from Times (e) Pawtucket-Central Falls, R.I., an Independent Republican paper (circ. 36,208). It has a date stamp “JUN 9 1950” in light blue and the header includes the New England Newsclip Agency address.
  • Bottom clipping: a obituary-style article with the headline “Thomas Whittemore Passes Suddenly.” It describes Thomas Whittemore, 79, dying in Washington, D.C., while en route to confer with John Foster Dulles, and notes his prominence as a Harvard authority on Byzantine art, his honorary degree from Brown, and his role as director of the Byzantine Institute in Boston. It mentions his origins in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and his work in uncovering Aya Sofya mosaics in Istanbul. There are red markings along the edges of the clipping.