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Catalog Data

Creator:
Peto, John Frederick, 1854-1907  Search this
Subject:
Frankenstein, Alfred Victor  Search this
Harnett, William Michael  Search this
Smiley, Helen Peto  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
2.1 Linear feet
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 5 series: Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1870s-1983 (Box 1, OV 5; 9 folders) Series 2: Correspondence, 1862-1983 (Box 1; 4 folders) Series 3: Printed Material, 1880-1983 (Box 1, OV 5; 11 folders) Series 4: Photographs, circa 1850-1980 (Box 2-7, OV 5; 1.3 linear feet) Series 5: Artwork, circa late 1800s (Box 4; 1 folder)
Access Note / Rights:
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.
Summary:
The papers of still life artist John Frederick Peto and his family date from circa 1850 to 1983 and measure 2.1 linear feet. Within the papers are scattered biographical materials, a few letters to and from Peto, and his daughter Helen Peto Smiley's correspondence with galleries, scholars, and others concerning Peto's artwork. Also found are news clippings, exhibition catalogs, and other printed material, photographs and glass plate negatives of Peto, his family, and his artwork, and one small oil sketch fragment. Much of the collection documents the mid-twentieth century renewed interest in Peto's artwork.
Citation:
John Frederick Peto and Peto family papers, 1850-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The papers of John Frederick Peto and the Peto family in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2006, and total 665 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:
John Frederick Peto (1854-1907) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Thomas Hope Peto and Catherine Peto. He was raised by his mother's family, the Hamms, and lived with them until his marriage. Little is known about his early life; he was listed as a painter in the Philadelphia City Directory in 1876 and was enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1878. During this time he also became friends with fellow artist William Harnett and was greatly influenced by Harnett's trompe l'oeil still life paintings. During the 1880s Peto maintained a studio and exhibited several works at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts annual exhibition. Like Harnett, he painted trompe l'oeil still life paintings, most notably, rack-looking structures or shelves that depicted a variety of items, many of them autobiographical. Peto also lived briefly in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he met Christine Pearl Smith, and they were married in 1889. He received very little recognition for his paintings in Philadelphia, and in 1889 he and his wife moved to Island Heights, New Jersey so that he could make money playing the cornet at religious revivals held there. In 1893 they had a daughter Helen. Though he lost interest in the professional art world and fell into obscurity, Peto continued painting and sold many works to the local drug store and business people, until his death in 1907.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 2004 by Gregory Bejarano, John Frederick Peto's great-grandson.
Digitization Note:
The papers of John Frederick Peto and the Peto family in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2007. The papers have been scanned in their entirety, and total 665 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Trompe l'oeil painting  Search this
Painters -- New Jersey  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)11165
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)249574
AAA_collcode_petojohn
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_249574