Overview
Howard T. Fisher (1903-1979) was Director of the Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis, Professor of City Planning, and Research Professor of Theoretical Cartography at Harvard University. The Papers of Howard T. Fisher contain correspondence, memoranda, reports, designs, photographs, data, and other papers from Fisher's professional work, including his time at the Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis and his architectural firm, Howard T. Fisher and Associates.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1929-1974
Creator
- Fisher, Howard T. (Person)
Researcher Access
Open for research with the following exceptions: Harvard University records are restricted for 50 years. Personnel and student records are closed for 80 years. Specific restrictions are noted at the series level. Requires review by archivist.
Extent
15.12 cubic feet (38 document boxes, 2 flat boxes, and 1 record carton)The Papers of Howard T. Fisher contain correspondence, memoranda, reports, designs, photographs, data, and other papers, mostly relating to SYMAP and the Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. The collection also includes architectural scrapbooks for the firm of Howard T. Fisher and Associates (circa 1947-1952); transcripts of mapping conferences Fisher directed; a publication entitled A Streamline Merchandising Program that will sell her a General House, published in 1936; and reprints, publications, and reference material. The collection contains three-dimensional objects including cardboard 4x4x4 cubes that illustrate principles of computer graphics and a Lincoln penny in plexiglass or glass. Much of the collection is concerned with data, data gathering, analysis, and presentation. A major concern is the coloring of computerized maps. Most of the material dates from circa 1965 to 1974, but also includes material from Fisher’s association with the American Institute of Architects (1949-1979) and his tenure as a lecturer in Urban and Regional Planning at the Technological Institute of Northwestern University (1957-1964).
Biographical Note on Howard T. Fisher
Howard Taylor Fisher (1903-1979) was Director of the Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis, Professor of City Planning, and Research Professor of Theoretical Cartography at Harvard University.
Fisher was born on October 30, 1903 in Chicago, Illinois to Walter Lowrie Fisher and Mabel Taylor and died on January 23, 1979. He received a Bachelor of Science from Harvard in 1926 and attended the Harvard University School of Architecture from 1926 to 1928. In 1932, Fisher founded General Houses, Inc., a company that specialized in steel prefabricated housing. In 1943, Fisher established his architectural firm, Howard T. Fisher and Associates. Fisher was a member of the American Institute of Architects from 1949 until his death in 1979. Fisher also traveled internationally, including extensive travel in Mexico and France and as a consultant through the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and the Inter-American Housing Center. Fisher and his wife, Marion Hall, edited a travel account, Life in Mexico: The letters of Fanny Calderón de la Barca, published in 1966.
In 1965, Fisher founded Harvard’s Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis, serving as its director until 1968. Fisher developed SYMAP (SYnagraphic MAPping), a computer program that produced sophisticated statistical maps inexpensively using line printers. The Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis contributed to the development of GIS (geographic information systems). Fisher was also a professor of city planning and theoretical cartography at Harvard University.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in six series. The collection follows the arrangement of call numbers given to series upon receipt at the Harvard University Archives.
- Correspondence and other papers, circa 1929-1974 (HUGFP 62.7)
- Architectural scrapbooks, circa 1947-1952 (HUGFP 62.45)
- Transcripts of mapping conferences, 1967, 1970 (HUGFP 62.50)
- SYMAP modules and three-dimensional square (HUGFP 62.80)
- Portfolio publication on prefabricated housing, 1936 (HUGFP 62.95)
- Reprints, pamphlets (HUGB F464.72)
Acquisition
Specific acquisition information is noted at the series level.
- Gift of Mrs. Howard Fisher, received 1981-09-15, accession 9288.
- Gift of Mrs. Howard Fisher, received 1981-10-29, accession 9321.
- Gift of Mrs. Howard Fisher, received 1981-10-29, accession 9322.
Processing Information
The finding aid was created by Erin Clauss in July 2020. Information in this finding aid was assembled from legacy paper inventories and container management data. Titles are transcribed, except those in square brackets. The collection was not re-examined.
The Fisher papers were received by the Archives in a fairly disordered state and in great bulk. An attempt was made to select only the more important papers for retention. The bulk of the papers retained have been arranged in a general alphabetical sequence.
Creator
- Fisher, Howard T. (Person)
- Title
- Fisher, Howard T. Papers of Howard T. Fisher, circa 1929-1974 : an inventory
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua62020
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
Pusey Library
Harvard Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2461
archives_reference@harvard.edu