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Catalog Data

Creator:
Britton, James, 1878-1936  Search this
Subject:
Prendergast, Maurice Brazil  Search this
Fiske, Gertrude  Search this
Stieglitz, Alfred  Search this
Vonnoh, Robert William  Search this
Kent, Duncan Scott  Search this
Type:
Diaries
Sketches
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
4.5 Linear feet
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series: Series 1: Biographical Information, 1970-1984 (Box 1; 1 folder) Series 2: Business and Financial records, 1919-1933 (Box 1; 7 folders) Series 3: Correspondence, 1913-1945 (Box 1; 9 folders) Series 4: Diaries, 1918-1935 (Box 1-2; 1.5 linear feet) Series 5: Writings and Notes, circa 1910s-1931 (Box 2-3; 0.4 linear feet) Series 6: Artwork, circa 1920-1929 (Box 3; 5 folders) Series 7: Printed Material, 1910-1982 (Box 4; 0.4 linear feet) Series 8: Photographs, circa 1905-1930s (Box 4, OV 5; 3 folders) Series 9: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1920-1934 (Boxes 6-8; 1.6 linear feet)
Access Note / Rights:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Summary:
The papers of painter and writer James Britton measure 4.5 linear feet and date from circa 1905-1984, with the bulk of the material dating from circa 1905-1935. The bulk of the papers consist of 49 diaries dating from 1918-1935, plus notebooks of diary excerpts, that chronicle Britton's daily activities and include lists, illustrations, and drafts of correspondence. Additional papers include biographical information compiled by the Britton family; scattered business and financial records; correspondence, including copies of Britton's letters to the editors of the Hartford Courant and the Hartford Times ; additional writings and notes that include drafts and manuscripts of an autobiography, drafts of articles for his publication Art Opus , and other writings; sketches and a woodcut print; printed materials, including clippings of his published writings for Art Review International , Book Notes , and Opus ; and one photograph of Britton and of works of art.
Citation:
James Britton papers, circa 1905-1984, bulk 1905-1935. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
This site provides access to the papers of James Britton in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2010, and total 6872 images.
Materials that have not been digitized include photographs of works of art, duplicates, and some printed materials.
Funding:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
Use Note:
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.
Biography Note:
James Britton (1878-1936) was a portrait painter and writer active in Connecticut and New York. Britton wrote extensively about American art and artists and was the editor of his own publications Art Review International and Opus . Also, he was a member of the group of New York painters and sculptors known as The Eclectics.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Donated 1985 and 2020 by Barbara and Ursula Roberts Britton, granddaughters of James Britton. Additional material donated in 2022 by Barbara Britton.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the papers of James Britton in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2011. The papers have been scanned in their entirety, and total 6,872 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Art Collectors  Search this
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)7244
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209393
AAA_collcode_britjame
Theme:
Diaries
Art Collectors
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209393