]> ms.74 Hoff (J.H. van't) 1852-1911 Papers 1837-1924 Ms. 74 Cynthia H. Requardt Special Collections, The Milton S. Eisenhower Library, The Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 USA Phone: (410) 516-8323
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Diwakar Bhandari Finding aid written in English Hoff (J.H. van't) 1852-1911 Papers 1837-1924 Ms. 74 Special CollectionsThe Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University Contact Information Special Collections The Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University 3400 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 (410) 516-8323 Cynthia H. Requardt July 1986 Diwakar Bhandari

©2003 The Johns Hopkins University

 Descriptive Summary Ms. 74 Hoff (J.H. van't) 1852-1911 Papers 1837-1924 Hoff, J. H. van't (Jacobus Henricus), 1852-1911 Johns Hopkins University. Special Collections 5 document boxes; 2 portfolios (3 linear feet) English This collection of papers is almost entirely in Dutch and has not been translated. This note is based on fragmentary notes left by Aleida van't Hoff Snyder while she was organizing the papers. The majority of the papers are those reflecting family affairs or honors accorded van't Hoff for his work. This collection does not contain his scientific or working papers except for notes of two lectures and copies of his published papers. The family papers are correspondence among van't Hoff his wife Johanna (Jenny) Francina [Mees] van't Hoff, and their daughter Aleida. The letters (1879-1910) have not been translated or organized. Mrs. Snyder placed the papers in order by date, and this arrangement has been retained. Van't Hoff kept a journal (labeled daybook) in which he made daily entries for the years 1905-1910. There is poetry by van't Hoff and a [play?] written in 1878, also included are some embroidered and painted autograph cards dated 1837-38. These may have belonged to a girl in the Mees family. There is a series of incoming letters from individuals outside van't Hoff's immediate family. Although untranslated, many appear to be congratulatory sent to van't Hoff on special occasions. The letters for 1887 (ca. 100 items) probably deal with van't Hoff's refusal of the newly created chair of Physical Chemistry at Leipzig. The letters of 1895 (ca. 30 items) discuss van't Hoff's decision to move to Berlin, and the letters of 1899 (ca. 100 items) appear to be congratulatory on the occasion of van't Hoff's twenty- fifth anniversary [of teaching?]. These letters are supplemented by a bound vellum certificate and a large photo album labeled "Magisto Discipuli 1874-1899." This has photographs of many [chemists], presumably those who worked with van't Hoff. The letters for 1901 (ca. 50 items) detail van't Hoff's trip to the United States to give lectures in Chicago and St. Louis. In addition there are lecture notes, a journal of his trip labeled "Amerika I", newspaper clippings, and other printed material from this trip. This series of incoming letters was sorted in several ways by Mrs. Snyder. Until the letters are translated, these arrangements have been retained. One group of letters was sorted into notebooks labeled I, II, III, and V. Notebook I spans the years 1871-94 and correspondents include A. Basaraw, J. Cohen, Louis Fleury, F. Herrmann, W. Spring, Joseph Torrey, Jr. and W. Wurz. Notebooks II and III deal with the years 1886-88 and frequent correspondents are M. Berthelot, Max Conrat, R. Engelmann, H. LeChatelier, W. Ostwald, and J. Place. Another grouping of letters (1895-96) includes letters from Emil Fischer and M. Planck. Van't Hoff's accomplishments and honors have been well documented in three separate series. Diplomas, certificates, awards, and letters of congratulation have been arranged and labeled probably by Mrs. Snyder. The earliest series (1852-71) of van't Hoff's accomplishments begins when he was an infant and is labeled a - y. This includes early drawings as well as school diplomas. The second series runs from 1873 until 1886 and is numbered 1 through 38. The third and largest series of awards and honors spans the period 1887-1911 and is numbered 2 through 218. The collection also includes a photograph of all the medals awarded to van't Hoff as well as 5 photographs of van't Hoff. The bound vellum certificate awarding the Nobel prize for chemistry is part of the collection, and there are also lithographs of the four Nobel winners of 1901 (vant't Hoff, Henri Dunant, Emil von Behring, and Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen). Administrative Information Provenance

The papers were probably donated by van't Hoff's daughter Aleida sometime before her death in 1971. Aleida van't Hoff was the wife of Dr. Charles D. Snyder a faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from this collection must be requested in writing from the Manuscripts Librarian, Milton S. Eisenhower Library, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Md. 21218.

 Preferred Citation

Hoff (J.H. van't) Papers Ms. 74 Special Collections Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University

Biographical Note

Jacobus Henricus (Henry) van't Hoff (1852-1911) was born in Rotterdam. He was a chemist who is credited with founding the science of stereochemistry, and in 1901 he was awarded the first Nobel Prize in chemistry. His career was spent entirely in Europe. He received his doctorate from the University of Utrecht in 1874, taught at the University of Amsterdam from 1877 until 1895, and moved to the University of Berlin in 1896 where he remained until his death.

Description of Series/Container List Container List Container List 5 boxes and 2 portfolios Box Contents 1 [Mees?] autograph cards, 1837-38 1 Jenny [Mees] van't Hoff drawings 1 photographs of J.H. van't Hoff 1 van't Hoff family correspondence, 1879-1910 1 [J.H. van't Hoff] play, 1878 1 J.H. van't Hoff poetry 1 J.H. van't Hoff daybooks [journals], 1905-1910 2 incoming letters, 1887-1927 (Svante Arrhenius) 2 incoming letters book I, 1875-96 2 incoming letters book II, 1886 2 incoming letters book III, 1887 2 incoming letters book V, 1895 2 incoming letters, 1895-96 2 incoming letters, 1899 2 incoming letters, 1901 2 correspondence re: Chicago lectures , 1901 2 lecture notes, 1901 2 journal ( Amerika I), 1901 2 newspaper clippings, 1901 2 printed material, 1901 2 lecture, 1906 Die Thermochemie 3 accomplishments, diplomas (a - y), 1853-71 3 accomplishments, diplomas (1 - 38), 1873-86 3 accomplishments, diplomas (41-85), 1887-95 3 awards, honors (2-18), 1895-96 3 awards, honors (22-28), 1897 3 awards, honors (30-50), 1898 3 awards, honors (53-68), 1899 3 awards, honors (70-81), 1900 3 awards, honors (83-103), 1901 3 awards, honors (105 -119), 1902 3 awards, honors (121-131), 1903 3 awards, honors (133-142), 1904 3 awards, honors (144-50), 1905 3 awards, honors (151-161), 1906 3 awards, honors (163-169), 1907 3 awards, honors (170-184?), 1908 3 awards, honors (185-193), 1909 3 awards, honors (194-205), 1910 3 awards, honors (206-218), 1911 4 publications by van't Hoff, 1884-1912, n.d. 4 newspaper clippings 4 obituaries, 1911 5 obituaries, 1911 5 writings about van't Hoff, 1900-24, n.d. Portfolio 1 pencil drawing of rooftops signed J.H. van'thoff 1864 Portfolio 1 lithographs of Nobel prize winners in 1901: Henri Dunant (Nobels fredpris) Emil von Behring (medicine) Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen (physics) Jackob Henrik van't Hoff (chemistry) Portfolio 1 2 photographs of awards, medals presented to van't Hoff Portfolio 1 3 photographs of van't Hoff Portfolio 1 1 photograph of robe of Academy of Wissenschaften award #209 Portfolio 2 1895 diploma #85 Portfolio 2 1901 awards, honors #96 Portfolio 2 1902 awards, honors #107 Portfolio 2 1904 awards, honors #140 Portfolio 2 De Prins no. 49 3 Juni 1904 with an article on van't Hoff Photograph album "Magistro Discipuli 1874-1899" 25th Anniversary Certificate, 1899 Nobel prize for Chemistry Certificate, 1901 vellum certificate, bound, , May 16, 1904