Letters, writings, business records, and printed materials.
Genealogical and biographical data; correspondence (and transcripts) with Colonel Thomas Aspinwall, members of the Astor family, Elizabeth Caton, Felicia Hemans, Washington Irving, Aaron Vail, Mary Caton Patterson Wellesley, West's sister Jane Woods, and others; letters to West's neice Aduella Price Bryant and to Laura Simpson, requesting biographical and genealogical information on West, and research notes by Bryant on West's correspondents; West's account of his visit with Lord Byron in 1822; and a yearbook belonging to Felicia Hemans.
Lists compiled in 1929 and 1961 of West's paintings and portraits; excerpts from William L. Stone's book HISTORY OF NEW YORK CITY and biographies of West's contemporaries in England; clippings on West's portraits, his genealogy, and the history of Nashville, Tenn.; and miscellany.
Biographical / Historical:
Portrait and figure painter; London, England and New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
Donated 1983 by Gertrude M. Meissner, a descendent of West.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Letters and documents of 19th century Americans, outstanding in literature and the arts.
Correspondents include: Washington Allston, Alexander Anderson, John Audubon, Samuel P. Avery, John Warner Barber, Mathew B. Brady, John Casilear, Vincent Colyer, Christopher P. Cranch, Felix O. C. Darley, Daniel P. Huntington, Washington Irving, James J. Jarves, Charles Lanman, Charles Leslie,Benjamin Lossing, Samuel F. B. Morse, Rembrandt Peale, Thomas B. Read, Thomas A. Richards, Thomas B. Thorpe, William D. Washington, and Benjamin West.
Biographical / Historical:
Editor; New York City. Edited, with his brother George, Literary World, 1847, and published a journal with him, 1848-1853. Also, edited CYCLOPAEDIA OF AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1855.
Provenance:
Microfilmed 1956 by the Archives of American Art with other art-related papers in the Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library. Included in the microfilming project were selected papers of the Art Division and the Prints Division.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
