Special Collections
Milton S. Eisenhower Library
The Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland 21218
410-516-8348

Hoff (J.H. van't) 1852-1911

Papers (1837-1924)

Ms. 74

Size:          5 document boxes; 2 portfolios
               (3 linear feet)

Processed:     July 1986
By:            Cynthia H. Requardt

Provenance:    The papers were donated by van't Hoff's daughter
               Aleida van't Hoff Snyder before 1971.

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

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

                     J. H. van't Hoff Papers
                             Ms. 74

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.

Biographical Sketch

     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.

Scope and Content Note

     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).

                         CONTAINER LIST

Box 1     [Mees?] autograph cards 1837-38
          Jenny [Mees] van't Hoff drawings
          photographs of J.H. van't Hoff
          van't Hoff family correspondence 1879-1910
          [J.H. van't Hoff] play 1878
          J.H. van't Hoff poetry
          J.H. van't Hoff daybooks [journals] 1905-1910

Box 2     incoming letters 1887-1927 (Svante Arrhenius)
          incoming letters book I 1875-96
          incoming letters book II 1886
          incoming letters book III 1887
          incoming letters book V 1895
          incoming letters 1895-96
          incoming letters 1899
          incoming letters 1901
          correspondence re:  Chicago lectures 1901
          lecture notes 1901
          journal ("Amerika I") 1901
          newspaper clippings 1901
          printed material 1901
          lecture 1906 "Die Thermochemie"

Box 3     accomplishments, diplomas (a - y) 1853-71
          accomplishments, diplomas (1 - 38) 1873-86
          accomplishments, diplomas (41-85) 1887-95
          awards, honors (2-18) 1895-96
          awards, honors (22-28) 1897
          awards, honors (30-50) 1898
          awards, honors (53-68) 1899
          awards, honors (70-81) 1900
          awards, honors (83-103) 1901
          awards, honors (105 -119) 1902
          awards, honors (121-131) 1903
          awards, honors (133-142) 1904
          awards, honors (144-50) 1905
          awards, honors (151-161) 1906
          awards, honors (163-169) 1907
          awards, honors (170-184?) 1908
          awards, honors (185-193) 1909
          awards, honors (194-205) 1910
          awards, honors (206-218) 1911
Box 4     publications by van't Hoff 1884-1912, n.d.
          newspaper clippings
          obituaries 1911

Box 5     obituaries 1911
          writings about van't Hoff 1900-24, n.d.

Portfolio 1    pencil drawing of rooftops signed
               "J.H. van'thoff 1864"
               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)

               2 photographs of awards, medals presented to van't
               Hoff
               3 photographs of van't Hoff
               1 photograph of robe of Academy of Wissenschaften
               award #209

Portfolio 2    1895 diploma #85
               1901 awards, honors #96
               1902 awards, honors #107
               1904 awards, honors #140
               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

                        SUBJECT HEADINGS

Basaraw, A.
Berthelot, M.
chemistry - history
Cohen, J.
Conrat, Max
Engelmann, R.
Fischer, Emil
Fleury, Louis
Herrman, F.
Hoff, Jacobus Henricus van't
Hoff, Johanna [Mees] van't
LeChatelier, H.
Ostwald, W.
Place, J.
Planck, M.
Snyder, Aleida [van't Hoff]
Spring, W.
stereochemistry
Torrey, Joseph, Jr.
Wurz, W.