G. Carson Baker's Cunningham Catalog
Introduction
We started this cataloging project in September, 2010, with the simple idea that we would sort out my great-grandfather's collection of drawings and photos, put like things together, and get them into 3-ring binders. Dad and I set up two tables and played "Concentration" to take our first pass. We sorted and matched and took a first pass at sequencing. Most fit into 8-1/2" x 11" sleeves; for the larger ones, we had to hunt for larger sleeves and ended up using art portfolios.
In early 2011, I was contacted through my Web site by both the DePaul organization and SWBR Architects regarding their interest in all things Cunningham. DePaul organization was beginning their planning phase of rehabbing one of the Cunningham factory buildings into apartments. Several emails later, we found ourselves invited to a meeting to discuss the project, and show DePaul and SWBR our collection. It was a wonderful meeting, we are excited about their project, and I'm sure that my grandmother would have loved to see the buildings brought back to life.
After that meeting we got back to work on our catalog. Our plan for our own project was to make a quick scan of each image, get the ID numbers into the file names, make a list, and that would be that. But it grew into more, with lots of passing back and forth, questions, digging through family history, digging for information online, identifying carriage types, printing and reviewing rough drafts, fussing with sequence, adding timelines, bios, other resources... and always, one more thing. Time to put the pencil down! Get this one printed, take a breath, and then we can start working on the NEXT edition.
The next edition will have some noticeable improvements. We have very little technical information about the models and key features of many of the vehicles, and hope to obtain and add that. The scans in this edition were quick (although there is nothing quick about 200+ scans), done on a home printer/scanner. Most of the original images are stunning in clarity and quality, and we'd like to improve the quality of the reproduction in the next edition. And then there are collections out there other than our own. We would like to explore those, learn from those, and use that information to better understand and explain our own treasure trove of Cunningham images.
Until then, we hope you find these pages of interest. Enjoy!
KEY
Many of the images have an identification number (either clearly visible on the front of the image, or stamped on the back), which we have documented as "JCS No." (James Cunningham, Son & Co.). It is not always clear to us if this indicates body number or has some other meaning within the company. At this time, we have not yet been able to cross-check those numbers with other resources, nor identify JCS Nos. for all of our images, but we are working towards that.
We have added our own collection catalog identification numbers, and each piece in our collection includes a "GCB" (G. Carson Baker) identification number.
Below each image in our catalog, you will see the following information, if available:
GCB = G. Carson Baker Collection number
Additional description
Signed by
Built for
Other manufacturer, Year (if known)
JCS No = Cunningham model number
Medium (photo, halftone, pen & ink)
Vehicle type