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Catalog Data

Creator:
Wood, Beatrice, 1893-1998  Search this
Subject:
Arensberg, Walter  Search this
Arensberg, Louise S. (Louise Stevenson)  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel  Search this
Hoag, Stephen Asa  Search this
John Waller, Fine Ceramics (Firm : Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this
Zachary Waller Gallery (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this
Garth Clark Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Diaries
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Drawings
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
32.5 Linear feet
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 12 series: Series 1: Biographical Material, 1924-1993 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet) Series 2: Correspondence, 1910-1998 (Box 1-8; 7.7 linear feet) Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1909-1988 (Box 9-11, 26, OV 31; 3.5 linear feet) Series 4: Notes and Writings, circa 1912-1997 (Box 11-16, 27; 5.5 linear feet) Series 5: Diaries, 1915-1998 (Box 17-20; 4 linear feet) Series 6: Glaze Books, circa 1930-1997 (Box 21-22, 27-30; 2.5 linear feet) Series 7: Printed Material, 1940-1997 (Box 23, OV 31; 1.1 linear feet) Series 8: Photographic Material, 1913-1997 (Box 24, 30; 1 linear foot) Series 9: Artwork, 1917-1991 (Box 24-25, 30; 0.5 linear feet) Series 10: Stephen Hoag papers, 1906-1960 (Box 25; 0.3 linear feet) Series 11: Esther Rosencranz papers, 1894-1959 (Box 25; 0.1 linear feet) Series 12: Unprocessed Addition, 1908 circa 1996 (Box 32-36, OV 37; Box 38-43; 5.9 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.
The unprocessed addtion to this collection is currently closed for processing and digitization. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Summary:
The papers of California ceramicist Beatrice Wood measure 32.5 linear feet and date from 1906 to 1998, with the bulk dating from 1930-1990. There is extensive correspondence with gallery owners, fellow artists, clients, friends, and family. The collection also contains biograpical materials, personal business records, writings, printed materials, photographs, and works of art. Of particular interest are the 28 diaries that Wood maintained from 1916 until her death in 1998 and 42 glazing formula notebooks dating from 1934-1997. Also found are documents of Steven Hoag and Esther Rosencranz, her husband and aunt respectively, that consist of correspondence, business records, and photographs given to the Archives of American Art as part of the Beatrice Wood papers. There is a 5.9 linear foot unprocessed addition donated in 2022 and in 2023 that includes address books, biographical material, artwork including sketchbooks and two sketches of Henri-Pierre Roche by Wood, scrapbooks, personal business records, printed material, personal and professional correspondence, notebooks and journals by Wood, writings by Wood, personal photographs, glaze recipes, and one pin "Beato for President". Also included are Beatrice Wood's scrapbooks and photograph albums. Four scrapbooks include scrapbook B, 1940-1955; scrapbook F, 1945; Wood's inspirational scrapbook, circa 1940s; and a scrapbook from the 1960s. Eight photograph albums include photograph album #1, 1908; photograph album #2 (Steve Hoag) 1911-1917; photograph album of Wood with friends and fellow theosophists, 1920s-1940s; photograph album #6 of Wood, others, events, 1920s-1960; Wood's pottery photograph album, 1955; photograph album I-3 (Indian trip) 1972; photograph album I-4, photographs for the 33rd wife of the Maharajah, undated; and photograph album # I-5 (India) compiled 1973. Also included are photographs of people, places and events in India, undated. Materials in this addition date from 1908-1996.
Citation:
Beatrice Wood papers, 1894-1998, bulk 1930-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2011 and is available on the Archives of American Art's website. Personal tax returns, duplicate materials, and slides have not been scanned. Exhibition catalogs, published monographs, and miscellaneous printed material have had their covers and relevant pages scanned. Business papers of Wood's husband Stephen Hoag and papers created by Wood's aunt Esther Rosencratz were not scanned.
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.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art holds two oral history interviews with Beatrice Wood completed by Paul Karlstrom in 1976 and 1992.
Biography Note:
Beatrice Wood (1893-1998) was a ceramicist, painter, and writer who relocated to Ojai, California in 1948.
Language Note:
Collection is in English. Some records are in French.
Provenance:
Beatrice Wood donated her papers in several accretions between 1976 and 2002. Additional material was donated by Francis Naumann in 1993 and the Beatrice Wood Personal Property Trust in 1999. Material from a 1977 loan was included in Wood's later donations. Additional papers were donated in 2022 by the Oceanside Museum of Art and by Wood's former studio manager, David VanGilder, in memory of his husband, Kevin Carey Settles. A final donation of Wood's scrapbooks and photograph albums was made in 2023 by the Beatrice Wood CEnter for the Arts via Kevin Wallace, Director.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the papers of Beatrice Wood in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2016. The papers have been scanned in their entirety, and total 51,425 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women ceramicists  Search this
Scrapbooks  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women authors  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Women  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9363
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211559
AAA_collcode_woodbeat
Theme:
Diaries
Women
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211559