Barney Studio House (Washington, D.C.) Search this
National Collection of Fine Arts (U.S.) Search this
Smithsonian Institution Office of Public Affairs Search this
Physical description:
Gelatin silver prints; 10 x 8;
Type:
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
1906
Circa 1906-1907
Notes:
Featured in the "Torch," March 1978.
Alice Pike Barney (1857-1931), art patron and painter, is best remembered for her efforts to transform Washington, D.C. into the nation's cultural capital during the first quarter of the twentieth century. Alice Pike Barney's home during her residence in Washington, The Barney Studio House, by architect Waddy B. Wood, provided a gathering place for the District's fledgling artists' community. There Barney entertained the likes of Franklin Roosevelt, Sarah Bernhardt, President Taft, and visiting avant-garde artists with elaborate performances of her countless plays, mime dramas, ballets, and musical productions. Barney convinced Congress to fund the building of the National Sylvan Theater on the grounds of the Washington Monument in 1916. Alice's daughters, Natalie Pike Barney (1876-1972), and Laura Clifford Dreyfuss-Barney (1879-1974), gave Studio House to the Smithsonian Institution for use as an arts and cultural center. The building initially housed offices and visiting scholars and guests. After renovation in 1980, Studio House was opened to the public for tours and entertainment events, including re-stagings of several of Alice Barney's plays. In March 1995, the Smithsonian approved the sale of Barney Studio House, the proceeds to go toward the endowment fund for its Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Summary:
Alice Pike Barney (1857-1931) photographed in the Barney Studio House, Washington, D.C., with her pastel portrait of James Abbott McNeill Whistler. The photograph was shown in the "Where Shadows Live: Alice Pike Barney and Her Friends" exhibition at the National Collection of Fine Arts, now known as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, January 20, 1978 through May 21, 1978.
Cite as:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 371, Box 02, Folder: March 1978, Image No. 96-1367
Repository Loc.:
Smithsonian Institution Archives Capital Gallery, Suite 3000, MRC 507; 600 Maryland Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20024-2520
No access restrictions Many of SIA's holdings are located off-site, and advance notice is recommended to consult a collection. Please email the SIA Reference Team at osiaref@si.edu
