The papers of Philadelphia painter Arthur B. Carles measure 0.92 linear feet and date from 1912 to 1983. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, writings and notes, personal business records, printed materials, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Philadelphia painter Arthur B. Carles measure 0.92 linear feet and date from 1912 to 1983. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, writings and notes, personal business records, printed materials, and photographs.
Correspondence is found for Carles and his wife Caroline Robinson Carles and includes letters from Sarah Baker, R. Sturgis Ingersoll, Henry McCarter, John Marin, Leopold Seyffert, Maurice Speiser, Carroll and Henry Tyson, and Franklin Watkins, among others. One diary contains brief entries. Additional writings are by Carles and Perry Ottenberg. Photographs are of Carles, his studio, family and friends, exhibitions, and works of art.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 1 series. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
Missing Title
Series 1: Arthur B. Carles papers, 1912-1983 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1-2, MGP 3)
Biographical / Historical:
Arthur B. Carles (1882-1952) was a painter and art instructor active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Born in 1882 in Philadelphia, Arthur B. Carles studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1900-1907. There he studied with Thomas Pollock Anshutz, Hugh Breckenridge, Henry McCarter, Cecilia Beaux, and William Merritt Chase. Carles traveled to France in 1907 and stayed until 1910, becoming close friends with John Marin and Eduard Steichen. He displayed his work in the Salon d'Automne of 1908.
Upon Carles' return to Philadelphia, he accepted a position at the Pennsylvania Academy as an instructor of French and American modernism. In 1910 his work was included in the "Younger American Painters" show held at Alfred Stieglitz's New York gallery, 291. Also, Stieglitz gave Carles his first one-man show in 1912. Carles exhibited at the Armory Show of 1913.
Arthur Carles had one daughter, painter Mercedes Matter. He married Carolina Robinson as his second wife in 1972. Later in life, he suffered from alcoholism and had a stroke in 1941 that left him unable to paint. Carles died in 1952.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels 1052 and 4270-4273) including correspondence, writings and notes, business material, artwork, photographs, and business records. Loaned materials were returned to the lenders and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
A portion of the Arthur B. Carles collection was loaned for microfilming by Steven Casamassima in 1976. Sara F. Swanson and Perry Ottenberg, Philadelphia collectors, donated papers in 1985 and Ottenberg lent additional material for microfilming in 1989.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Painting, Abstract -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Genre/Form:
Diaries
Photographs
Citation:
Arthur B. Carles papers, 1912-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation of American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
