Thaddeus "T. P." Giddings Photos, 1933 - 1944, 1939, 1940, 1947, 1952

Sub-Series

Staff Only

Scope and Contents note

From the Fonds:

Photography has always been important to the National Music Camp, and photos exist from the earliest years of the Camp. Beginning in circa 1944, a concerted effort was made each year to fully document camp life. A professional photographer was on site throughout the season, taking high quality, usually staged, photographs. These consisted of group shots of each of the camper cabins, and numerous individual shots of campers and instructors. These photos were developed on-site in the campus darkroom.

The campers at NMC were divided into age groups called Junior, Intermediate and High School. There was also a University contingent from the University of Michigan for many years. The sequence of negatives reflects these divisions. Two other typical divisions are General camp photos and Post-camp photos. General photos are often simply of the High Schoolers who constituted the majority of the campers at NMC, but also include more generic and candid shots of camp life. Post-camp indicates that camp had concluded, and these photos document the routines associated with closing down the camp for the summer.

When the Arts Academy began in the 1962-63 school year, the tradition of photography was continued, and similar high-quality shots were taken of the students. Theses are generally all numbered sequentially, and not divided into the four classes of Freshman, Sophomore, etc. It was around this time that the 4 x 5 large format was supplemented, and then supplanted, by the 120 film medium format, approximately 2.25" x 2.25".

Dates

1933 - 1944
1939
1940
1947
1952

Biographical / Historical

Thaddeus Philander Giddings was born February 19, 1869 and died March 4, 1954. Giddings spent his career as a supervisor of public school music, principally with the Minneapolis schools. He was known for the innovations he brought to public school music programs, including sight reading of music for all children and in-school piano classes. He co-founded the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan. Giddings was supervisor of music in Minneapolis public schools from 1910 until his retirement in 1942. In 1907, he was a founder, with Philip Hayden of the Music Supervisors (later, Educators) National Conference (MENC) and served as chairman of its executive committee. Giddings persuaded Joseph E. Maddy to become a music teacher and together they founded, in July of 1927, the National High School Orchestra Association in order to establish a summer music camp. They changed the name to the National High School Orchestra Camp Association. Giddings was vice president of NMC. Despite the successes, Maddy and the Camp experienced a series of crises at the end of the 1930's. Maddy's first marriage disintegrated, and he and Giddings battled over control of Interlochen. Meanwhile, Camp finances remained tight, and the expiration of Maddy's Carnegie grant at the university brought him into renewed conflict with the head of the University Musical Society. Finally, in 1939, NBC, given the growing commercial demand for air time, cancelled his nationwide instructional program. In 1937, Maddy divorced his first wife, Marie, who served as Interlochen's secretary. His remarriage a year later to his childhood friend, Fay Petit, a professional musician, restored happiness to his personal life, but the problem with Giddings remained. Facing imminent retirement from the Minneapolis school system, Giddings opposed Maddy over the choice of Camp director and university affiliation. In order to force a settlement, Tremaine, who supported Maddy, threatened to resign. The tactic worked; the crisis passed, and amiable relations were restored (lasting until Giddings' death in 1954). Giddings was a strict disciplinarian, who in the early days of the camp was affectionately referred to by students as "Old Stoneface."

Extent

54 Photographic Prints : 4 - 5" x 7" - b&w prints of Giddings posing for art class, students sketching with charcoal 4 - "8 x 10" - b&w prints (some flipped) of Giddings with 3 horn students 2 - 5" x 7" - b&w copies of above prints of Giddings and 3 horn students 1 - 4" x 7" - b&w copies of above prints of Giddings and 3 horn students 1 - 3.5" x 5.5" - postcard of Giddings and Dr. Joseph E. Maddy sitting on bench, Co-Founders of National Music Camp 4 - 5" x 7" - b&w print copies of above postcard of Giddings and Dr. Joseph E. Maddy 1 - 3" x 4" - b&w print of Giddings, smiling, wearing beret 1 - 8" x 10" - b&w copy of above print of Giddings, smiling, wearing beret 3 - 8" x 10" - b&w prints of Giddings sitting on steps leading to house 3 - 5" x 7" - b&w prints of Giddings sitting in chair, smiling at camera 1 - 4" x 5" - b&w copy of above prints of Giddings sitting in chair, smiling at camera 2 - 8" x 10" - b&w copies of above prints of Giddings sitting in chair, smiling at camera 1 - 7" x 11" - sepia tone print of Giddings at the head of Method's class 1 - 7" x 9" - b&w print of Giddings sitting on cabin porch, 1 foot in the sand 1 - 8" x 10" - b&w print of Giddings standing next to tree, wearing cardigan 1 - 8" x 10" - sepia tone headshot print of Giddings 1 - 8" x 10" - b&w print of Giddings, from the side, hands raised 1 - 8" x 10" - b&w print of Giddings, Dr. Joseph E. Maddy, with 2 unidentified men 1 - 8" x 10" - b&w print of Giddings playing harmonica, 2 young students sitting 1 - 8" x 10" - b&w print of Giddings correcting violin student 1 - 8" x 10" - b&w print of Giddings standing in classroom next to student wearing college football sweatshirt 1 - 8" x 10" - b&w print of Giddings and unidentified female teacher in choral class 1 - 8" x 10" - b&w print of Giddings and female percussion student 1 - 5" x 7" - b&w print of Giddings knitting 2 - 3" x 5" - b&w prints of Giddings standing on step, carrying tea set on his head 1 - 5" x 7" - b&w print of Giddings sitting with Dr. Joseph E. Maddy leaning over his shoulder 1 - 8" x 10" - b&w print of Giddings, Dr. Joseph E. Maddy, and 2 unidentified men going over blueprints 1 - 4" x 5" - b&w print of Giddings seated outside holding newborn (wearing his IAC badge) 1 - 4" x 5" - b&w print of Giddings talking with 2 girls, holding food plates 1 - 3.5" x 5.5" - b&w print of Giddings, Percy Grainger, and 2 unidentified people 1 - 2" x 3" - b&w print of Giddings, Howard Hanson, and unidentified man seated lake side 1 - 3.5" x 5" - b&w print of Giddings and unidentified man outside among trees (very dark) 2 - 3.5" x 5" - b&w prints of Giddings posed with trees in background 1- 2.5" x 2.5" - b&w print of Giddings seated, side-profile 1 - 2..5" x 2.5" - b&w print of Giddings seated with hat on lap 1 - 3" x 5" - b&w print of Giddings with hands on hips, hat in hand 1 - 4" x 6" - b&w print of Giddings standing with hat on head, hands in pockets 1 - 3.5" x 4.5" - b&w print of Giddings standing near car, wearing hat and cardigan 1 - 2.5" x 4.5" - b&w print of Giddings in cardigan and tie, hands behind back 1 - 2.5" x 3.5" - b&w print of Giddings in cardigan open

32 Photographic Prints (Giddings family photos, in envelope within folder) : 2 postcards 1 glass plate photo 29 photos

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Materials Specific Details

Negative numbers written on photos: 15, 61; 9x; 9, 2; 3; 70; 40 (1940); 18, 16; 32, 4, 16-E, 68 (1940); 1; 651580-4; 8; 6; 555; 7; #131, 235, #3 (1947); 26; 5, 612 (1952);

General

8" x 10" - prints of T. P. Giddings (far right) with 3 horn students (some are flipped with Giddings on the left) 3.5" x 5.5" - postcard of T. P. Giddings (left) and Dr. Joseph E. Maddy (right) sitting on bench, Co-Founders of National Music Camp 7" x 11" - sepia tone print of T. P. Giddings (far right, back to camera) at the head of Method's class 8" x 10" - print of T. P. Giddings (far right), Dr. Joseph E. Maddy (second right), with 2 unidentified men (far and second left) 8" x 10" - print of T. P. Giddings (right) correcting violin student (left) 8" x 10" - print of T. P. Giddings (right) standing in classroom next to student wearing college football sweatshirt (left) 8" x 10" - print of T. P. Giddings (left) and unidentified female (right) teacher in choral class 5" x 7" - print of T. P. Giddings (left) sitting with Dr. Joseph E. Maddy (right) leaning over his shoulder 8" x 10" - print of T. P. Giddings (standing, second left), Dr. Joseph E. Maddy(seated, second right), and 2 unidentified men (far left, far right) going over blueprints 4" x 5" - print of T. P. Giddings (center) talking with 2 girls, holding food plates 3.5" x 5.5" - print of T. P. Giddings (Second left), Percy Grainger( second right), and 2 unidentified people (far left & far right) 2" x 3" - print of T. P. Giddings (center), Howard Hanson (right), and unidentified man (left) seated lake side (Three Wise Men) 3.5" x 5" - print of T. P. Giddings (right) and unidentified man outside among trees (very dark)