American architect Thomas Hastings (1860-1929) was partner in the famed Beaux-Arts firm Carrère and Hastings, which designed the New York Public Library's flagship building on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. After Hastings' death in 1929 the Library received his collection of scrapbooks, consisting of 44 loose-leaf binders filled with illustrated clippings depicting various architectural structures and components. Each volume is thematically organized (staircases, domes, monuments) with images dating predominantly from the 19th and early 20th centuries, illustrating a wide range of architectural periods and styles.
