Sarah Cordelia Mellon and Alan Magee Scaife Wedding Album, 1909 - 1927
- Repository
- ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Title
- Sarah Cordelia Mellon and Alan Magee Scaife Wedding Album
- Creator
- Johnston, Ralph W.
- Collection Number
- AIS.2021.02
- Extent
- 33 items
- Date
- 1909-1927
- Abstract
- Sarah Cordelia Mellon and Alan Magee Scaife were married on November 16, 1927, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This photograph album, bound with leather covers, contains twenty-six silver gelatin prints which are mounted on paper, as well as a title page that indicates that the album and photographs were created by Ralph W. Johnston of Trinity Court Studios of Pittsburgh. Images depict the surroundings and setting where the wedding took place. The images do not include many individuals, rather they show the pavilion that was built on the Richard Beatty Mellon Estate for the wedding celebration, some interiors of East Liberty Presbyterian Church, and some interiors of the Mellon residence. Accompanying the album were four loose items: a mounted photograph of Thomas and Sarah Mellon with their children (c1909); a group photograph of participants in the Founder's Day event held on October 13, 1927, at the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh; a photographic proof print of the Mellon-Scaife Wedding Party by Bachrach Studios; and a signed print of Harrods (London).
- Language
- English .
- Publisher
- ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Address
- University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Access Restrictions
No Restrictions
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from James Cummins Booksellers of New York in April 2021.
Biographical Notes
Sarah Cordelia Mellon (1903-1965) and Alan Magee Scaife (1900-1958) were married on November 16, 1927, at East Liberty Presbyterian Church (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Their families hosted a formal reception for wedding guests in a pavilion that was constructed for the occasion on the property of the bride's family estate, located at 6500 Fifth Avenue (Shadyside neighborhood), in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The ceremony and celebration received national press coverage as a lavish affair with the construction of the pavilion estimated to cost of $100,000. The ceremony took place at the church where the Mellons were members and was officiated by its senior minister, Rev. Dr. Stuart Nye Hutchison. By 1927, East Liberty Presbyterian Church was in its fourth building which was designed by Longfellow & Alden in 1886-1887 as a Romanesque structure with a sanctuary featuring ornate trusses on the interior. Included in this photograph album are two images of the interior of the sanctuary of this building, which was demolished in 1931, to make way for the fifth building, a Gothic structure constructed between 1931-1935, funded by Sarah Mellon Scaife's parents.
The Mellon-Scaife wedding party included a wide circle of friends and family, including: Walton Scully; Thomas M. Jones III; Mrs. Carnes Weeks of New York; Anna Kneval Childs Woolfolk; A. Rex Flinn; "Posey" Reed Denby (Mrs. Charles Denby, Jr.) of Philadelphia; Moorhead B. Holland; Margaret Carnegie Perkins Laughlin; Eleanor Chalfant Cooper (Maid of Honor); James Verner Scaife, Jr. (Best Man); Ellen Douglas Lloyd (Mrs. Austin) Dunham of Hartford, Conn.; Olga Linhume (Mrs. C. A.) Griscom III of Philadelphia; Malcolm McGiffin; Thomas Symington of Baltimore; Richard King Mellon; Margaret Shoemaker Weeks; John H. Ricketson III; Paul Mellon of Washington, DC; Benjamin Franklin Jones III; Dr. Carnes Weeks of New York; and Lawrence L. Jones of Louisville.
Sarah Cordelia Mellon was the daughter of Richard Beatty Mellon (1858–1933) and Jennie Taylor King (1870-1938) and named for her maternal grandmother Sarah Cordelia "Sadie" Smith King (1846-1911). Both of her grandfathers were natives of Ireland and immigrated to the United States with their families at an early age. Her fraternal grandfather, Judge Thomas Mellon (1813-1908), was the founder of Mellon Bank and a financial backer of numerous business enterprises. These ventures established the Mellon family as one of the wealthiest American families in the early 20th century and set the stage for his many sons to continue to build a family fortune that would extend across several generations. Her maternal grandfather, Alexander King (1819-1890), was initially a merchant in Pittsburgh who became a dealer in soda ash which was essential in the manufacturing of glass. King later founded his own glass manufacturing company located on Pittsburgh's South Side.
Sarah Mellon Scaife was known to have been a very private individual during her married life. She was an early member and president of the Junior League of Pittsburgh and later a member of the Fox Chapel Hunt Club, Pittsburgh Golf Club, Allegheny Country Club, Twentieth Century Club, and the Rolling Rock Club. Outside of her club memberships there is little evidence of her public activities.
Alan Magee Scaife was the son of James Verner Scaife, Sr. (1868-1930) and Mary Magee (1874-1963). He was the fifth-generation head of the Scaife Company of Pittsburgh, which began as manufacturers of tin plate in 1801. Eventually, the company would include manufacturing of copper and iron products, which supplied the growing steamboat industry with a variety of metal goods that vessels required, including cook stoves, funnels, portable forges, copper pipe, kitchenware, decorative chimneys, and lifeboats. During the Second World War, they would transform their manufacturing operation, supplying the war department with mortar-shells. The Scaife Company was founded in Pittsburgh by Alan Scaife's 2x great grandfather, Jeffrey Scaife (1781-1847) an English immigrant, and was succeed by William Borrett Scaife (1812-1876), then Charles Cooke Scaife (1844-1915), and James Verner Scaife, Sr. (1868-1930). At the time of the death of James V. Scaife, Sr., Alan Scaife's brother, James V. Scaife, Jr. (1903-1953) became President of the company, until he entered the U. S. Navy during the Second World War. Alan Magee Scaife became the head of the family business following his brother's enlistment.
Alan Magee Scaife's great-grandfather, James Verner (1818-1901), the son of Irish immigrants, was one of the founding partners in public transportation in Pittsburgh and Allegheny City in the 19th century, organizing omnibus lines running between the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railway stations. He would later create the Citizens' Passenger Railway, where he served as president for twenty-one years. He was also one of the founding partners in the Pittsburgh Forge & Iron Company in Allegheny City.
Alan Magee Scaife's maternal family was also from a well-known and prosperous lineage in Pittsburgh. Magee Hospital in Pittsburgh was named in memory of his great grandmother Elizabeth Steel Magee (1814-1889), by his grand uncle, Christopher L. Magee (1848-1901), a well-known Republican Party leader. His great grandfather, John Jones Gillespie (1813-1886), established an art gallery in Pittsburgh in 1832, which continues into the 21st century.
In addition to his leadership at the Scaife Company, Alan Magee Scaife would fill many roles in business, civic, and cultural institutions in the region throughout his lifetime. He led the Board of Directors for Magee Hospital, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Coal Company; was vice president of Gulf Oil Corporation; was a trustee of the Mellon Institute and the Carnegie Hero Fund; and a director of the Air Reduction Company, A. M. Byers Company, Mellon National Bank, Consolidation Coal Company, the Women's Hospital, and the Hospital Service Association of Pittsburgh.. Following World War II, Alan Magee Scaife was among the early members of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development which spearheaded the urban redevelopment program that would guide the city and region's business and economic direction for decades to come. The Scaife family would make Ligonier, Pennsylvania their primary residence where Alan Magee Scaife was active in the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce. His social memberships included the Pittsburgh Club and the Rolling Rock Club.
Alan Magee Scaife was a 1920 graduate of Yale University, although his higher education was interrupted by serving in the U. S. Naval Reserves during the First World War.In 1942, he joined the Office of Strategic Services and was commissioned a Major in the U. S. Army, later promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. He was stationed in Washington DC and served two tours of duty in the European Theatre of Operations. For his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal from the US Army, Legion of Honor, Grade of Chevalier (Knight) and the Croix de Guerre from the French government. He returned to Pittsburgh in 1946.
In 1960, the University of Pittsburgh named the newly constructed health sciences building, located behind Presbyterian Hospital along Terrance and Lothrop Streets in Oakland, "Alan Magee Scaife Hall of Health Professions." At the time of its dedication, the building was home to the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, and Pharmacy. The dedication plaque that was placed on June 7, 1960, reads, "Alan Magee Scaife Hall of Health Professions -- Dedicated in Memory of Alan Magee Scaife -- Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh -- Civic Leader, Industrialist, Humanitarian, Philanthropist, whose vision and leadership inspired significant advances in medical research, teaching, and patient care at the University of Pittsburgh Health Center, to the Benefit of all people."
Likewise, in 1962, Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) named a newly constructed building located off Frew Street across from Schenley Park the Alan Magee Scaife Hall of Engineering, which contained part of the College of Engineering including the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 2022, Carnegie Mellon removed the building and is constructing a larger new Alan Magee Scaife Hall of Engineering which will reconfigure the entrance toward the engineering quad of the campus.
On December 23, 1941, Sarah Mellon Scaife created a trust ". . . exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes, with particular consideration to encourage and fostering research in medical science for the common good of mankind . . ." The trustees of the Sarah Mellon Scaife Foundation were Alan M. Scaife (her spouse), Richard K. Mellon (her brother), the Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, the Dean of the Medical School at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Director of the Mellon Institute for Industrial Research. Prior to her death in 1965, the Foundation funded many research and civic projects, which included post-doctoral fellowships and research on viruses, diabetes, dermatology, industrial hygiene, arthritis, mental health, home healthcare, child welfare and recreation. Some of the high-profile projects included funding of Jonas Salk's polio research and laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh, establishing a Children's Zoo within the Pittsburgh Zoo at Highland Park, and the creation of Mellon Square Park in downtown Pittsburgh. The foundation was primarily created to fund projects within the Pittsburgh region.
In 1974, the Foundation and the Scaife Family funded the expansion of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Oakland by building the Sarah Scaife Gallery, which more than doubled the museum's exhibition gallery space. The expansion was necessary due to the growth of the permanent collection under the influence of the 5th Director of the Museum of Art, Leon Arkus (director from 1968-1980). The Sarah Scaife Gallery recognizes Sarah Mellon Scaife's art collecting and contributions throughout her lifetime to fine arts in the region. In 1984, 1994, and 2003, the Gallery went through renovations and redesign to meet the continuing needs of the Museum of Art.
The Scaifes were the parents of two children: Cordelia Scaife May (1928-2005) and Richard Mellon Scaife (1932-2014).
Ralph Waldo Johnston (1876-1962), owner of Trinity Court Studios in Pittsburgh, was the photographer of the Mellon-Scaife Wedding Album and the Carnegie Institute's Founder's Day group image. Johnston has been referred to as the "Dean of Pittsburgh portrait photography." A native of Ohio, he and his brother Earl Johnston (1879-1929) moved to the Pittsburgh area in the 1890s and established a photographic studio in 1893. By 1917, he was the sole owner of the business and renamed it "Trinity Court Studio." Johnston was a prolific photographer and many of his images are preserved in archival repositories throughout the Pittsburgh region. In addition to portraiture, he also photographed many architectural structures such as dwellings, office buildings, and retail facilities. According to his December 11, 1962, obituary in the Pittsburgh Press, "He was the first Pittsburgh photographer to use flash bulbs, first to make panoramic pictures by joining negatives, and in 1905 the first to make a color picture." RWJ retired from active business in 1947. However, his two sons, Carl Truman Johnston (1902-1951) and Roy Burns Johnston (1905-1973) also worked as photographers, although Roy would eventually become an advertising executive at National Steel Company in Pittsburgh. A daughter, Mary E. Johnston Lewis Bidwell (1905-1993), would also work in her father's studio as a painter, colorizing images. She would eventually become a portrait painter in Pittsburgh.
Preferred Citation
Sarah Cordelia Mellon and Alan Magee Scaife Wedding Album, 1909-1927, AIS.2021.02, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Processing Information
Processed by David R. Grinnell, May, 2023
Related Materials
Publications:
Denton, Frank Richard.The Mellons of Pittsburgh. New York: Newcomen Society of England, American Branch, 1948.
Hersh, Burton.The Mellon Family : a Fortune in History. New York: Morrow, 1978.
Koskoff, David E. The Mellons : the Chronicle of America's Richest Family. New York: Crowell, 1978.
Mellon, William Larimer, and Boyden Sparkes. Judge Mellon's Sons. Pittsburgh: Priv. Print., 1948.
Scaife, Alan Magee. Scaife Company, 1802-1952, Oldest Manufacturing Firm West of the Alleghenies; Father to Son for Five Generations. New York: Newcomen Society in North America, 1952.
Scaife, Alan Magee, and Sarah Cordelia Mellon Scaife. Travelog : Notes of a Trip through Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Europe, January-April, 1950. Pittsburgh, Pa: Alan M. Scaife, 1950.
Schoyer, William T., and Maxine Schoyer. Scaife Company and the Scaife Family, 1802-1952 : a History of the Oldest Manufacturing Company West of the Alleghenies Under Five Generations. Pittsburgh, 1952.
Archives and Manuscripts:
Carl T. Schofer Diaries, 1897-1918, AIS.2019.10, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Carl Truman Johnston Photograph Collection, 1930-1940s, AIS.2013.08, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, John Gabbert Bowman, Administrative Files, 1921-1945, UA.2.10.1921-1945, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, Rufus Henry Fitzgerald, Administrative Files, 1945-1955, UA.2.10.1945-1955, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, Edward H. Litchfield, Administrative Files, 1956-1965, UA.2.10.1956-1965, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Gulf Oil Corporation, Stock and Bond Sales Records, 1968-1972, AIS.2017.09, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Jonas Salk Papers, 1943-1995, UA.90.F89.1, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System.
Max A. Lauffer Papers, 1915-2013, UA.90.F99, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Pittsburgh Club Records, 1880-1995, AIS.1971.09, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
University of Pittsburgh Van de Graaff Accelerator Records, 1947-1974, UA.90.8.29.1, University Archives, University of Pittsburgh Library System
William Wallace Booth Papers, 1922-1973, AIS.1973.23, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Trinity Court Studio Photographs, 1861-1944, PSS 0044, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center
Scope and Contents
This collection includes a single photographic album, including several laid in items. The images in the album represent the spaces created and utilized to celebrate the marriage of Sarah Cordelia Mellon (1903-1965) and Alan Magee Scaife (1900-1958), who were married on November 16, 1927, at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. The images represent the union of two of Pittsburgh's wealthiest industrial families. It also documents a definitive, but fleeting, moment in the history of the Richard Beatty Mellon mansion and its grounds at 6500 Fifth Avenue in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It was reported in newspaper articles that the temporary pavilion cost approximately $100,000 to construct. The bulk of the images document the elaborately decorated spaces and the rooms where the lavish wedding gifts were held. Apart from a few images, very few people are shown, which provides some evidence that the photographs were captured just before or following the celebration.
Included are twenty-six images created by the Pittsburgh photographer, Ralph W. Johnston of Trinity Court Studio that depict the exterior and interior images of the Mellon Estate, the temporary pavilion constructed for the wedding reception, and interior images of the East Liberty Presbyterian Church. An additional three images that were laid into the album depict various group photographs where Mellon family members are included.
Subjects
- Scaife, Sarah Cordelia Mellon -- Marriage
- Scaife, Alan Magee, 1900 -- Marriage
- Photograph albums
- Wedding albums
- Weddings
- Wedding decorations