Matti Kaups papers

Collection

Identifier: IHRC1196

Staff Only

Abstract

The Kaups papers (65 linear ft.) consist of correspondence and research notes and resources relating to his extensive work on documenting ethnic community structures and landscape adaptation patterns of Finnish Americans and other immigrants, particularly in the Midwestern region. Also included are interview notes, articles, reviews, audio tapes, maps, and print materials. His collected and self-produced photographs and slides comprise an unparalleled visual record of dwellings and facilities recast by immigrant cultures in America.

Dates

1960

Language of Materials

English, Finnish

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS

Open for use in the Elmer L. Andersen Library reading room.

OWNERSHIP & LITERARY RIGHTS

This collection may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law.

For further information regarding the copyright, please contact the IHRCA.

HISTORICAL SKETCH

Matti E. Kaups, born in Estonia, served as professor of cultural geography and ethnology at the University of Minnesota at Duluth and a member of the Scandinavian Studies Department, University of Minnesota Twin Cities. He was regarded as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on ethnic vernacular architecture. Published works include The American Backwoods Frontier: An Ethnic and Ecological Interpretation co-authored with Terry Jordan (1989); The Finnish Experience in the Western Great Lakes Region: New Perspectives, co-authored with Michael Karni and Douglas Ollila (1975); Shifting Vinland: Tradition and Myth (1970); and his 1966 dissertation Suuri Länsi: or, The Finnish Discovery of America (University of Minnesota). Kaups also collaborated on two short videos, “They Came from Sweden” (1996) and “The Finnish Sauna in North America” (1996).