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Catalog Data

Creator:
Vonnoh, Bessie Potter, 1872-1955  Search this
Subject:
Raffaëlli, Jean François  Search this
Carter, Charles M.  Search this
French, Daniel Chester  Search this
Taft, Lorado  Search this
Vonnoh, Robert William, 1858-1933  Search this
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
3.1 Linear feet
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 5 series: Series 1: Biographical Material, 1922-1955 (Box 1; 5 folders) Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1863-1985 (Box 1; 11 folders) Series 3: Photographs, circa 1860-1950 (Box 1-2; 0.4 linear feet) Series 4: Printed Material, 1901-1991 (Box 2; 9 folders) Series 5: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1875-1991 (Boxes 3-5; 2.3 linear feet)
Access Note / Rights:
This bulk of the collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Thi 2022 addition to this collection is temporarily closed to researchers due to archival processing. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Summary:
The papers of sculptor Bessie Potter Vonnoh measure 3.1 linear feet and date from circa 1860 to 1991, with the bulk of material dating from 1890 to 1955. The scattered papers document the personal life and career of Bessie Potter Vonnoh, and, to a lesser degree, her husband, painter Robert William Vonnoh. Found within the papers are Vonnoh family correspondence, including letters between Bessie and Robert, and professional and personal correspondence, primarily Bessie's. The collection also contains scattered biographical materials, photographs of the Vonnohs, a photograph album, photographs of artwork, clippings, exhibition catalogs, and other printed material. There is a 2.3 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2022 that includes typescripts of Vonnoh's journals; scrapbooks; photographs of Vonnoh, works of art and events and photograph albums; letters to Vonnoh; exhibition catalogs and other printed material; and biographical material including marriage certificate and Last Will and Testament. Materials date from circa 1875-1991.
Citation:
Bessie Potter Vonnoh papers, circa 1860-1991, bulk 1890-1955. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
A portion of the Bessie Potter Vonnoh papers in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2007, and total 731 images.
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:
Bessie Potter Vonnoh (1872-1955) was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Alexander and Mary McKenney Potter. In 1874, after the death of her father, her family moved to Chicago. Also at this time, she suffered from a series of illnesses that she did not recover from until she was ten. In school she enjoyed clay-modeling class and decided at an early age that she wanted to be a sculptor. Beginning in 1890 she studied with Lorado Taft at the Art Institute of Chicago and later became one of his assistants (known as the "White Rabbits") for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. She was also given her own commission for the Illinois building at the fair. After this success, Vonnoh opened her own studio in Chicago and made plaster figurines of society women, friends, and their children. She visited New York and took her first trip to Paris in 1895, visiting the studios of many eminent sculptors such as Auguste Rodin. Her work was influenced by the American Impressionist movement, depicted in one of her most famous works, Young Mother. This piece was exhibited in the National Sculpture Society exhibition of 1898 and led to several public sculpture commissions.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 1995 by Lulette Jenness Thompson, a cousin of Bessie Potter Vonnoh and in 2022 by Kerry Oliver-Smith, who received the collection from his father, Waren McKenney, a second cousin of Vonnoh.
Digitization Note:
The papers of Bessie Potter Vonnoh in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2007. The papers have been scanned in their entirety, and total 731 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Artist couples  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Landscape painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6601
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215911
AAA_collcode_vonnbess
Theme:
Women
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_215911