Keyser Brothers / The Iron Craftsmen collection (ARC 0011)
Scope and Contents
This collection includes materials related to Philadelphian wrought iron craftsmen and brothers, James Moore Bryant Keyser (1902-1977) and Howard Keyster III (1904-1980) of The Iron Craftsmen company.
The collection contains extensive reference material related to the Keyser brothers ironwork, including drawings and blueprints of entrances, gates, light fixtures, doors, fencing, hardware, railings, and assorted ecclesiastical, residential, and commercial material. There is miscellaneous correspondence material pertaining to business matters, including extensive communication with the T.B. Rayl and Co., a company which sold the Keyser brothers tools, hardware, etc. Additionally, there are various ephemeral materials and a June 1906 issue of The House Beautiful magazine.
The majority of this collection consists of drawings, blueprints, and other notes for residential, commercial, and ecclesiastical projects serviced by the Keyser brothers. There are several drawings, blueprints, and notes of correspondence pertaining to residential projects from the 1920s including entrance door designs for the R.T. Vanderbilt residence and wrought iron grill blueprints for the F. King Wainwright residence in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. There are additional drawings, blueprints, and correspondence for commercial and ecclesiastical projects including the Horn and Hardart Baking Co. Automat; Cheltenham High School in Wynncote, Pennsylvania; the York, Pennsylvania Y.M.C.A; the Green Hill Farms Hotel swimming pool in Overbrook, Pennsylvania; numerous churches and the Presbyterian Summer Camp recreation building in Island Heights, New Jersey.
Additionally, there are four iron works including an iron bar with “In Thanksgiving” engraved into the surface, tongs with concentric circle engravings, a medallion with “FA 1817” and a snake engravings, as well as a decorative four-pointed item. Further are three reference books; Ancient and Modern Ornaments (1887) by W.M. Melburn; The Old Colleges of Oxford, Their Architectural History Illustrated and Described (1912) by Aymer Vallance; and Die Renaissance in Italiene, Eine Sammlung der Werthvollsten Erhalten Monumente in Chronologischer Folge Geordnet (The Renaissance in Italy, a Collection of the Most Valuable Preserved Monuments Arranged in Chronological Order) (1886) by Alexander Schütz.
Dates
- Creation: c. 1886-1966
Biographical / Historical
This collection includes materials related to The Iron Craftsmen company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company was established by brothers James Moore Bryant Keyser (1902-1977) and Howard Keyster III (1904-1980). Howard Keyser apprenticed under master artist-blacksmith Samuel Yellin (1884-1940). The revival of ornamental iron working in the United States is largely attributed to Yellin’s work. Yellin and Howard Keyser are recognized together for their wrought ironwork at the National Cathedral of Washington D.C.
In 1928, the Keyser Brothers formed a partnership and specialized in residential, commercial, and ecclesiastical ornamental wrought ironwork; they worked together until 1938. Their forge was located at 4041 Ridge Avenue, Germantown, Philadelphia in an 1850s stone industrial complex which was later dismantled in 1971. Some of their most notable works are the Horn and Hardart Baking Co. Automat in Philadelphia and the Dodge Memorial Gates for Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. After the brothers ' partnership ended, Howard Keyser concentrated on pieces for industrial and church buildings around including Swarthmore College in Philadelphia and Fordham University in New York City, New York. In 1960, the Keyser Brothers joined hands again to create decorative architectural metalwork for the High Altar Gates in the Washington National Cathedral in Washington D.C.. Howard Keyser was a member of the Philadelphia Art Alliance and the National Cathedral Association.
Extent
2 Linear Feet (Box 1: reference and residential project files Box 2: commercial and ecclesiastical project files Box 3: mixed oversized materials Box 4: iron works )
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of The Keyser and The Wood Family.
Bibliography
Philadelphia Sketch Club. “Sections from catalogue of Philadelphia Sketch Club’s 150th Anniversary Kick-Off Exhibition, 150 Years and More: Celebrating the Philadelphia Sketch Club.” November, 2021. https://sketchclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/150th-Anniversary-Catalogue-PSC-History1.pdf#:~:text=Howard%20Keyser%20and%20his%20brother,metal%20works%20as%20Yellin's.
Van Atta, Burr. “Howard Keyser, ornamental ironworker.” The Philadelphia Inquierer, September 18, 1980. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-obituary-for-h/58326612/
- Title
- The Keyser Brothers Iron Craftsmen Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sarah, Megan Cross Schmitt, Claire Moyna
- Date
- April 2026
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the The Athenaeum of Philadelphia Repository
219 S. 6th St.
Philadelphia PA 19106 United States
215-925-2688
research@philaathenaeum.org
