Source files contain printed material, primarily newspaper clippings, and photographs relating to topics depicted by Shahn in his artwork, including children, dust, farming, houses, mines and miners, slums, war and workers. File titles are those used by Shahn.
Of particular note are the file for "Children" which includes one of the clippings Shahn used as a source for Girl Skipping Rope (1943); scattered photographic prints by FSA and OWI photographers including Shahn and Jack Delano, Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, Russell Lee, Carl Mydans, Marion Post Wolcott, Arthur Rothstein, and John Vachon; files for "Steel Country," which include prints of photographs taken by Shahn on assignment to Ohio as a photographer for the Historical Section of the Resettlement Administration; and a group of photographs of Louis Armstrong's 1956 visit to the Gold Coast.
Arrangement note:
Files are arranged alphabetically by subject. The bulk of this series has been scanned with the exception of large groups of news clippings.
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Ben Shahn papers, 1879-1990, bulk 1933-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
