The Oyen collection consists of an EXHIBIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL, DESIGNS AND SKETCHES, PHOTOGRAPHS, BUSINESS RECORDS, and FAMILY PAPERS.
In the first box of the collection is a copy of the EXHIBIT CATALOG prepared by Joan Rausch for a 1979 exhibit about Oyen at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Her research and curation form the basis for the arrangement of the archival collection. As part of her exhibit preparation Rausch inventoried all of the known Oyen designs and photographs and assigned them D (for design) or P (for photograph) numbers. These numbers were then used to identify and describe material in the printed catalog. This system continues in the archival collection so that the exhibit catalog can aid research use. Because Rausch's system did not group drawings and sketches in any way, several indexes which sort the designs and photographs by project name, building type, and location are appended to this finding aid. Many drawings in the collection are unidentified or only tentatively identified, and it is expected that further research will allow for corrections and revision of the index table. This information is stored on a disc at the La Crosse ARC, and researchers are urged to share information with the staff so that updated tables can be generated.
DESIGNS AND SKETCHES produced by Oyen and his firm are the bulk of the collection. They suggest both the high quantity of the firm's work and its influence in interior design in the Midwest at the turn of the 20th century. In addition, Oyen's design process is documented not only through the presence of finished watercolor and oil presentation designs, but also by numerous ink and pencil cartoons, rough sketches, working drawings, transfer sketches, stencils, and other materials that were used to generate and refine artistic concepts and then to transfer the designs to the working surface. The designs are arranged by size and then by D number.
The index table that is appended to the register was created to help researchers navigate through the large number of unidentified items in the collection. In addition to the ID number, project name, project location, style, type of drawing, artist, and building type, the table often includes information on motifs, devices, and other characteristics which may help the researcher identify related designs. For example, many courthouse designs can be partially identified through the inclusion of county initials in a seal or logo. When matched with the representation of a state seal in the design, the initials sometimes identify the location. However, Oyen also reused designs and the presence of these clues may not be conclusive.
PHOTOGRAPHS in the collection were also inventoried by Rausch for the 1979 exhibit. However, when the Historical Society received the collection in the years 1992-1995, only a portion of the photographs to which she had assigned numbers were received. The current collection consists of original and copy prints of murals and finished projects, portraits, and exterior views of Oyen's stores in La Crosse. It is presumed that the copy prints were made for the 1979 exhibit. Unfortunately, the originals were not found when the collection was processed. Information about the photographs is included in the index table.
The BUSINESS RECORDS document a great deal about how the Oyen firm operated, although records of this type are not complete. While there is useful information about some projects, others are completely undocumented. In general, projects dating from 1894 to 1914 are best represented. The business records include correspondence, an estimating file, financial records, and general papers.
The business correspondence includes letters arranged in a chronological file and others in an alphabetical subject file. Except for the 1912-1915 period, the chronological files are fragmentary and incomplete. The subject files are similarly deficient, unquestionably representing only a portion of the business correspondence that once existed. Nevertheless, there are several notable files in that category. One of the most complete concerns Oyen's involvement in the decoration of the Rosebud County Courthouse in Forsyth, Montana. In this case, Oyen was one of several contractors subjected to protracted litigation in order to receive payment. Also interesting is the firm's "Public Works" file. This category illustrates the methods Oyen used to develop his public sector business. This section also includes a chart probably prepared in l908 in order to expand his public clientele. It contains a useful list of public works projects on which Oyen had worked up to that time.
The estimating file is arranged by chronological periods, primarily covering the years from 1894 to 1909. After 1909, the estimating work is represented only by miscellaneous specifications, some prepared by Oyen and some prepared by others. Although Oyen assigned different names to the estimating files over time, the contents remain essentially consistent. Included are alphabetically-arranged estimates with figures broken down by room, narrative specifications about the design concept, and some correspondence. Of the miscellaneous specifications (some of which represent unsuccessful bids), the most interesting are the detailed estimates submitted for the South Dakota State Capitol and the specifications for the La Crosse City Hall.
The financial files include invoices, a day book, a disbursement ledger, and miscellaneous bills and receipts. None of these record types is complete. Research on Oyen's overall financial status is unlikely as a consequence, but the files do contain useful information on other aspects of the business. The invoices from Oyen suppliers are complete for the 1920s (the period of the firm's residential work) and they are arranged alphabetically by vendor name. The invoice files contain information on the range of wholesalers that Oyen patronized and some information on style, color, and prices of merchandise in question. Occasionally files are accompanied by correspondence. Unfortunately, only a few invoices identify Oyen's client. The day books, which cover the late 1920s, contain customer names and basic information on the purchase and the price for showroom sales. Other volumes describe customers, but identify their purchases only by general category. The account ledgers identify Oyen's customers from 1907 to 1933 and their account balances, but contain no detail regarding the purchase.
The general business papers include a variety of documentation: address books, advertising issued by the Oyen firm (this is best for the firm's early years), sample forms and stationery, brochures issued with the company name, catalogs, and memoranda books. The memo books are best for the period 1893 to 1902. They include client names together with notes on room dimensions and costs. In some cases, there are rough diagrams and sketches. Unfortunately, the project is seldom identified here either by name or location. Also included is a special scrapbook of wallpaper advertising sold by various companies and an assortment of brochures and catalogues received by Oyen. Again this file is only a small portion of the total received, but there are a few items of interest. Of special interest are two catalogs from the Architectural Department of Rookwood Pottery. Some of the catalogs contain fabric samples. The alphabetical illustration file contains photocopied magazine clippings collected as a reference file for the company artists. Coupled with the periodical titles noted on the processor's separation sheet (available on paper only), these sources provide an indication of the company's professional and artistic sources.
The fragmentary FAMILY PAPERS primarily document Leighton, Harold, and Emma Oyen, although there is also material here about Odin Oyen and about Leighton's children. About Emma there is an unpublished novel and publications of two La Crosse organizations to which she belonged: the 20th Century Club and the First Congregational Church. Harold is documented by a high school yearbook and a diary he kept as a young teenager. Also included are a few unidentified photographs thought to be family members.
