Skip to main content

George Muse Clothing Company photographs

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.VIS467

Scope and Contents

This collection contains images of the George Muse Clothing Company on Whitehall Street and Peachtree Street. Included are building exteriors and interiors of store departments, such as the custom tailoring and lingerie department, as well as advertisements from catalogs and store displays. There are also photographs of staff, including tailors Lewis Hutcheson (1881-1965) and J. W. Appel, as well as five company presidents: George Muse; William Wooten Orr (1869-1927); James H. Alexander (1872-1947); Oby Brewer (1893-1971); and William F. Clark.

Dates

  • 1895-1962, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

This material is protected by copyright law. (Title 17, U.S. Code) Permission for use must be cleared through the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Licensing agreement may be required.

Biographical / Historical

George Muse (1854-1917) founded the George Muse Clothing Company in 1879. The department store operated first at 38 Whitehall Street, then at 3-5-7 Whitehall Street, before moving into the newly constructed Muse Building on Peachtree Street in 1921 under the leadership of Muse’s third president, William Wooten Orr (1869-1927). George Muse Clothing Company remained there until 1992 when the building was converted into loft apartments.

Extent

26 black and white photographic print(s)

Language

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by titles supplied by staff. Control numbers are intentionally out of order to maintain alphabetical order.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

This collection contains digital material that is available at: https://album.atlantahistorycenter.com/digital/collection/p17222coll37

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1979

Bias in Description

As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information. We choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not accurately convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. In working with this collection, we often re-use language used by the former owners of the material. This language provides context but often includes bias and prejudices reflective of the time in which it was created. The Kenan Research Center’s work is ongoing to implement reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete.

Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or descriptions, please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.

Processing Information

This collection was processed in 2024.

Title
George Muse Clothing Company photographs
Subtitle
ahc.VIS467
Author
Kate Daly
Date
October 2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040