Oliver Ingraham Lay, Charles Downing Lay, and Lay Family papers, 1789-2000, bulk 1870-1996

This subseries houses the diaries of Marian Wait Lay, Oliver Ingraham Lay, Laura Brown, and Annie Brown.

Oliver Ingraham Lay's diaries record daily events, as well as include references to Lay's commissioned works, exhibitions, and professional and social activities; also found are loose items, including clippings, an exhibition announcement, receipts, letters, and sketches. Entries also contain numerous references to Lay's colleagues, including Samuel Putnam Avery, Fidelia Bridges, Henry Kirke Brown, Thomas Hicks, Eastman Johnson, John Sartain, William Trost Richards, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Worthington Whittridge, and Alexander H. Wyant, among others. Four volumes of Annie Brown's diaries record her daily activities and personal observations about family members and friends; entries also contain references to Fidelia Bridges.