The Louis Orr Collection contains a set of forty-eight prints of the original fifty-one print set (and one replacement print) made from etchings of North Carolina historical landmarks and architectural sites. The etchings were created from 1939 to 1952 by artist Louis Orr, a world-renown etcher, at the behest of North Carolina resident Robert Lee Humber who wanted to preserve North Carolina's heritage by providing the artwork to schools, colleges, public libraries and institutions throughout the state.
Louis Orr, born in Hartford, Connecticut, spent most of his career as a well-known etcher in Paris, France. He met Robert Lee Humber, who later led the effort to establish the North Carolina Museum of Art in 1947, in Paris during the 1930s. In 1939, at Humber's suggestion and underwritten by him, Orr began a project that lasted until 1952 during which he produced 51 etchings of historical landmarks and architectural sites found across North Carolina. Humber's thought was to preserve North Carolina's heritage by providing the artwork to schools, colleges, public libraries and institutions throughout the state. After completing this project, Orr returned to Paris where he continued his work until his death in 1966.
March 26, 2019 (unprocessed), 1.5 cubic feet; The Louis Orr Collection contains a set of forty-eight prints [of the original fifty-one print set] made from etchings of North Carolina historical landmarks and architectural sites. The etchings were created from 1939 to 1952 by artist Louis Orr, a world-renown etcher, at the behest of North Carolina resident Robert Lee Humber who wanted to preserve North Carolina's heritage by providing the artwork to schools, colleges, public libraries and institutions throughout the state. forty-eight prints of etchings. Signed by Louis Orr. Black & White. Matted. Original matted dimensions: 15.5" x 17". Print dimensions: 13.25" x 16". Transferred from Joyner Library, East Carolina University.
January 30, 2024, (unprocessed addition 1); Includes the print of the St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Edenton, North Carolina, etching created by Louis Orr which is one of the three missing prints from the Louis Orr Collection already held in the East Carolina Manuscript Collection. Also included is a second copy of the Leigh House near Edenton, North Carolina, print made from a Louis Orr etching. Purchased from Leland Little Auctions.
Transferred from J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University
Purchased from Leland Little Auctions
Encoded by Lindsay Flood, April 3, 2008
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