The Finlay B. Matheson collection includes more than 2,411 photographs; 112 maps, surveys, and architectural plans; and 13 books related to William John Matheson and his immediate family. Estate documents and other documents containing historical and biographical information pertaining to the Matheson family and their various business ventures can also be found within this collection, as well as drawings, postcards, and some of the first aerial view photographs of Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove, the Miami River, and the Florida Keys. Florida's landscape during the early 20th century is captured throughout the various albums and scrapbooks and attests to a more leisurely lifestyle before the advent of skyscrapers and multi-lane highways. Furthermore, the collection provides an in-depth glimpse into the burgeoning social life of early inhabitants who gathered at the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club.
The Evelyn Frink Scrapbook documents the activities of the Miami Beach garden clubs that led to the construction of the Miami Beach Garden Center and Conservatory. The clippings, photographs, reports, speeches and correspondence capture Mrs. Frink’s work as chairman of the Garden Center Committee from its inception to the inauguration of the garden center and conservatory.
This collection contains scrapbooks, loose prints, and photo albums of Canada, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Miami, Miami Beach, and other countries in South America and the Caribbean.
