Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Search Results

Collections Search Center
246 documents - page 1 of 13

Shirley Gorelick papers

Topic:
Sister Chapel (Art installation)
Creator:
Gorelick, Shirley, 1924-2000  Search this
Names:
Central Hall Gallery (Port Washington, N.Y.)  Search this
Soho 20 (Gallery)  Search this
Gorelick, Leonard  Search this
Extent:
4.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Date:
1939-2008
2016
bulk 1939-1980s
Summary:
The papers of painter Shirley Gorelick measure 4.8 linear feet and date from 1939-2008, 2016, with the bulk of the material dating from 1939-1980s. The collection documents Gorelick's life and career through biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, scattered writings, professional files recording her involvement with art collectives and galleries owned and/or run by women, printed and photographic material, and nine sketchbooks and loose sketches.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter Shirley Gorelick measure 4.8 linear feet and date from 1939-2008, 2016, with the bulk of the material dating from 1939-1980s. The collection documents Gorelick's life and career through biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, scattered writings, professional files recording her involvement with art collectives and galleries owned and/or run by women, printed and photographic material, and nine sketchbooks and loose sketches.

Biographical material includes resumes and some early employment and education records. Personal correspondence primarily records the first years of Gorelick's marriage and provides insight into her early career through detailed correspondence with her husband, Leonard Gorelick. Professional correspondence is with multiple art galleries, organizations, and institutions primarily relating to exhibitions, pricing of her artwork, sales, and press reviews of her work, including by Lawrence Alloway who corresponded with Gorelick.

Scant writings include artists statements and notes as well as two papers Gorelick wrote as a student.

Professional files include price lists and an inventory of Gorelick's fine art collection, and also document her involvement with SOHO 20 and Central Hall Gallery and her contribution to The Sister Chapel installation.

Printed material documents Gorelick's extensive exhibition history through announcements, catalogs, and press reviews of her solo and group exhibitions and related awards.

Gorelick's sketchbooks comprise 9 volumes with some additional loose sketches enclosed, primarily containing figure studies in pencil. The series also includes an etching and a pencil study.

Photographic material provides what appears to be a comprehensive catalog of Gorelick's artwork from the 1960s through the 1980s, including slides and photos of many of her paintings, intaglio prints, and silverpoint drawings, as well as some of the models Gorelick worked with repeatedly. Also found are photos of Gorelick including portraits, studio photos, and photos of her with friends, colleagues, and family, and of Gorelick at events including exhibition openings and installations.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as seven series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1942-2000 (Box 1; 7 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1939-1994 (Box 1; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1942-circa 1980s (Box 1; 4 folders)

Series 4: Professional Files, circa 1960-1996, 2016 (Box 1; 7 folders)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1940s-2008 (Boxes 2-3, OV 7; 1.8 linear feet)

Series 6: Sketchbooks, circa 1960s-circa 1980s (Boxes 2, 6; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 7: Photographic Material, 1960s-1990s (Boxes 3-5; 1.7 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
New York and Washington, D.C. painter Shirley Gorelick (1924-2000) is known primarily for her large-scale portraits in acrylic. Gorelick described her work as "psychological portraiture," that depicted couples and families through an intimate and empathic lens.

Gorelick was born Shirley Fishman in Brooklyn, New York. Her education involved studying with Chaim Gross, Moses Soyer, and Raphael Soyer, and then with Serge Chermayeff at Brooklyn College where she earned her B. A. in 1944. Gorelick subsequently earned an M. A. at Teachers College, Columbia University, briefly attended the Hans Hofmann School of Art in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and also studied with Betty Holliday in Port Washington, Long Island. In 1944 Gorelick married Leonard Gorelick, a dentist with a passion for art and science.

Gorelick's early work was influenced by Cubism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism, but she ultimately gravitated towards realistic, figurative portraits painted from photographs and direct observation. While working primarily in acrylic, she was also known for her silverpoint drawings and intaglio prints. Working with middle-aged couples and family groups repeatedly in the 1970s and 1980s, Gorelick's work explores the psychological state of her subjects as they directly engage the viewer.

In 1973, Gorelick was a founding member of Central Hall Gallery, a cooperative run by all women artists in Port Washington. She also had six solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows at SOHO 20, the second all-women artist-run exhibition space in New York City. She was one of thirteen women artists who collaborated on The Sister Chapel, painting a nine-foot portrait of Frida Kahlo for the installation which premiered at P.S. 1 in Long Island City in 1976.

Gorelick's work was widely exhibited, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, and she is represented in the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Provincetown Art Association and Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Brooklyn Museum, among others.

Gorelick died in Washington D.C. in 2000.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art in 2021 and 2022 by Jamie Gorelick, Shirley Gorelick's daughter.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Portrait painters -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Topic:
Women painters  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Citation:
Shirley Gorelick papers, 1939-2008, 2016. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.goreshir
See more items in:
Shirley Gorelick papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw998fcf57a-8666-49f7-8cad-cc18eb68362f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-goreshir
Online Media:

Anna Margaretta Archambault selected papers

Creator:
Archambault, Anna Margaretta, 1856-1956  Search this
Extent:
2 Microfilm reels (partial microfilm reels)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilm reels
Date:
circa 1880-1946
Scope and Contents:
The microfilmed Anna Margaretta Archambault selected papers contain correspondence and papers relating primarily to Archambault's work in miniatures. Omitted from microfilming are photographs of Archambault's sitters and models.
Biographical / Historical:
Anna Margaretta Archambault (1856-1956) was a portrait painter, miniaturist, author, and educator in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is also known for editing the book A guide book of art, architecture, and historic interests in Pennsylvania, published in 1924.
Provenance:
Microfilmed by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for the Archives of American Art, 1955. Donated to the HSP by Anna Archambault, 1933-1946.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Miniature painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia  Search this
Portrait painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia  Search this
Educators -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia  Search this
Authors -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia  Search this
Topic:
Miniature painting  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women authors  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.archanna
See more items in:
Anna Margaretta Archambault selected papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91bbd2ce0-63af-4db2-af31-f801b42678fd
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-archanna

Edward W. D. Hamilton papers

Creator:
Hamilton, Edward W. D. (Edward Wilbur Dean), 1864-1943  Search this
Extent:
0.11 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1876-1943
Summary:
The papers of painter Edward W. D. Hamilton date from 1876-1943 and measure 0.11 linear feet. The collection provides scattered documentation of Hamilton's career through an 1876 diploma from grammar school, an 1882 award for "Best Set of Works" from the Normal Art School, Boston, Massachusetts, a resume, a 1942 letter of appreciation from the Alumni of the Massachusetts School of Art, a photograph of art students, and printed material including a 1929 exhibition catalog and news clippings, including an obituary.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter Edward W. D. Hamilton date from 1876-1943 and measure 0.11 linear feet. The collection provides scattered documentation of Hamilton's career through an 1876 diploma from grammar school, an 1882 award for "Best Set of Works" from the Normal Art School, Boston, Massachusetts, a resume, a 1942 letter of appreciation from the Alumni of the Massachusetts School of Art, a photograph of art students, and printed material including a 1929 exhibition catalog and news clippings, including an obituary.
Arrangement:
Because of the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Edward W. D. Hamilton (1864-1943) was a portrait painter active in Barton and Kingston, Massachusetts and an educator who taught at the Massachusetts School of Art, Boston. His year of birth is also given as 1862.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Elizabeth Risdon, niece of Edward Hamilton, in 1981 and 1982.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Painters -- Massachusetts  Search this
Educators -- Massachusetts  Search this
Portrait painters -- Massachusetts  Search this
Citation:
Edward W. D. Hamilton papers, 1876-1943. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.hamiedwa
See more items in:
Edward W. D. Hamilton papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw95de7b980-b907-472f-b067-adacb606a065
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-hamiedwa
Online Media:

Anthony Candido papers

Creator:
Candido, Anthony, 1924-  Search this
Names:
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art  Search this
Meehan, Nancy  Search this
Extent:
14 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Diaries
Drawings
Interviews
Sketchbooks
Date:
1950-2015
bulk 1957-1970
Summary:
The papers of architect and painter Anthony Candido measure 14.0 linear feet and date from 1950-2015. Included are biographical material; correspondence with artists; teaching files from Cooper Union, School of Architecture; annotated sketchbooks and drawings; exhibition files; photographs of architecture, and paintings of Candido's wife, choreographer Nancy Meehan.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of architect and painter Anthony Candido measure 14.0 linear feet and date from 1950-2015. Included are biographical material; correspondence with artists; teaching files from Cooper Union, School of Architecture; annotated sketchbooks and drawings; exhibition files; photographs of architecture, and paintings of Candido's wife, choreographer Nancy Meehan.

This collection documents Candido's career as an educator, artist and architect through biographical material, including Candido's CV, artist bio, and a transcript from a Cooper Union faculty interview; professional and personal correspondence with friends, educators, and artists including letters from Lillian Kiesler, Christopher Wilmarth, and Sol LeWitt; journals documenting Candido's artistic process and personal life; writings including lectures, notes, poems, drafts, and a play script; exhibition files that document Candido's work shown at various museums and galleries; project files from Roosevelt field, the 1969 World Exposition, and Toronto City Square; class lists; notes; lectures; course descriptions; clippings; exhibition catalogs, posters, and announcements; Nancy Meehan Dance Company flyers, posters, and pamphlets; annotated sketchbooks; travel sketchbooks; loose sketches; drawings; paintings on paper; and photographs of Candido and Nancy Meehan, his artwork, and his studio.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 10 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1992, 2002 (0.1 linear feet, Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1957-2013 (0.4 linear feet, Box 1)

Series 3: Diaries and Journals, 1963-2014 (0.7 linear feet, Box 1-2)

Series 4: Writings, circa 1956-1997 (0.5 linear feet, Box 2, OV 24)

Series 5: Exhibition Files, 1945-2010 (0.6 linear feet, Box 2-3)

Series 6: Project Files, 1954-2015 (0.1 linear feet, Box 3)

Series 7: Teaching Files, 1959-1966 (0.1 linear feet, Box 3)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1956-2015 (0.5 linear feet, Box 3, 11, OV 25)

Series 9: Artwork, 1950-2013 (9.50 linear feet, Box 3-18, OV 26)

Series 10: Photographic Material, 1955-2007 (0.5 linear feet, Box 10)
Biographical / Historical:
Anthony Candido (1924-) is an architect, painter and educator in New York, New York.

Candido attended the Illinois Institute of Technology where he studied architecture and planning and began teaching at Cooper Union in 1959. There he introduced the Block Project to his Architectonics class, which was derived from his still life paintings of his painter's table. Candido's artwork was often shown at and The Arthur A. Houghton Jr. Gallery of The Cooper Union. His monograph, "Tony Candido: Night Drawings 1956" was published by The Cooper Union School of Architecture in 1993.

Candido's broad range of experience in painting and architecture can be seen throughout his career. From 1954-1957 Candido worked for I.M. Pei as a designer where he designed a glass umbrella for Roosevelt Field and the first published design for the GSA Buildings. In 1969 he traveled to Japan for Davis & Brody to supervise the design and construction of the U.S. Pavilion, at EXPO '70. Candido's works have been included in numerous exhibitions around the world including the Canadian Center for Architecture, Montreal, Galerie de L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Lorient, France, and the International Design Forum, Asahikawa, Japan. Candido has also exhibited works at various New York galleries, including the Painting Center, Betty Parsons Gallery, St. Mark's Church on the Bowery, and the Area Gallery. Projects of note included The Existence Paintings, The Seated Man, The Standing Man, and The Heads (large and small). He has also been an artist in residence with the Nancy Meehan Dance Company since 1970.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Anthony Candido conducted by Paul Cummings, October 7, 1970.
Provenance:
Donated by Anthony Candido in 2019. A portion of the sketches and sketchbooks included with the donation were loaned for microfilming in 1970-1971.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
The donor has retained all intellectual property rights, including copyright, that they may own.
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.
Occupation:
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Architects  Search this
Genre/Form:
Diaries
Drawings
Interviews
Sketchbooks
Citation:
Anthony Candido papers, 1950-2015. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.candanth
See more items in:
Anthony Candido papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw906d76e2e-9633-411a-996d-9b02c6bc4ad2
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-candanth
Online Media:

Percy Ives papers

Creator:
Ives, Percy L. (Percival L.), 1864-1928  Search this
Names:
Detroit Museum of Art. School  Search this
Extent:
1.4 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Diaries
Sketchbooks
Date:
circa 1890-1994
bulk circa 1890-circa 1930
Summary:
The papers of Detroit portrait painter Percy Ives (1864-1928), measure 1.4 linear feet and date from circa 1890-1994, with the bulk of the material dating from circa 1890-circa 1930. Two hundred and fifty-eight glass plate negatives of sitters, models, and artwork by Ives form the bulk of the collection. Additional papers include two 1923 letters, a folder of notes, news clippings, sketches, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Detroit portrait painter Percy Ives (1864-1928), measure 1.4 linear feet and date from circa 1890-1994, with the bulk of the material dating from circa 1890-circa 1930. Two hundred and fifty-eight glass plate negatives of sitters, models, and artwork by Ives form the bulk of the collection. Additional papers include two 1923 letters, a folder of notes, news clippings, sketches, and photographs.

Letters include one to "The Oil and Colour Man" from "The Dweller in the Cave of Winds," and an IOU from A. W. "Gus" Ives to Percy Ives.

Notes include seven index cards with notes on "nibbles" and sales of paintings; and notes about Ives made in 1936 by James Parker's father. News clippings include four 1940 issues of a newspaper column, "We Old Timers," about Ives and his family.

Artwork consists of fifty-eight pencil sketches which have been mounted on the pages of a photograph album.

Thirty-seven photographs, most of them mounted on paper, include two which appear to be of Ives in his studio. The other photographs are of the interior and exterior of a house, an unidentified woman, farm scenes, and other outdoor scenes. There are also two photographs of paintings by Ives, including a self portrait.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of the collection, the papers are arranged as one series.

Series 1: Percy Ives Papers, (1.4 linear feet; Boxes 1-4)
Biographical / Historical:
Portrait painter and dean of the Detroit Museum of Art School, Percy Ives (1864-1928) was the son of artist Lewis Thomas Ives; father and son were considered to be among the most notable Detroit artists of the latter part of the nineteenth century.

Ives studied initially with his father, and subsequently attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in the early-1880s, and the Academié Julian and École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1884 to 1890. He exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1887 and 1893, and at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

After returning to the United States, Ives settled in Detroit where his father had a studio, and painted portraits, often of prominent men of Michigan, as well as a number of people outside the state including Grover Cleveland and Walt Whitman. Notable examples of his portraiture hang in many of the county and state buildings of Michigan.

Ives was a member of several Detroit artist associations, such as the Scarab Club, served as incorporator, trustee, and treasurer of the Detroit Museum of Art before it became the Detroit Institute of Arts, was appointed dean of the museum school in 1896, and designed the seal of the institute.

Ives died suddenly in 1928 at the age of 63.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel 593) including two diaries, 1885-1887 and 1903-1907, three albums containing photographs of family and friends, a book of illustrations of commercial signs painted by Ives, and fifteen loose sketches. Loaned materials were returned to the Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library in Detroit, Michigan and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
The Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library gave the Archives of American Art Percy Ives' sketches and glass plate negatives in 1956-1957 and lent material for microfilming in 1973. James B. Parker, whose father, Dr. Albert Russell Parker, purchased Ives's desk with the items intact, donated additional material in 1994.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Portrait painters -- Michigan -- Detroit  Search this
Arts administrators -- Michigan -- Detroit  Search this
Topic:
Artists' studios--Photographs  Search this
Arts administrators--Michigan--Detroit  Search this
Genre/Form:
Diaries
Sketchbooks
Citation:
Percy Ives papers, circa 1890-1994, bulk circa 1890-circa 1930. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.ivesperc
See more items in:
Percy Ives papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw98b271e3c-7eb5-4445-97a2-6e3cff70776c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ivesperc
Online Media:

Buell Mullen papers

Creator:
Mullen, Buell (1901-1986)  Search this
Extent:
0.4 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1942-1982
Summary:
The papers of muralist Buell Mullen measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1942 to 1982. Found are scattered biographical material, professional correspondence, information on mixing epoxy resins, printed material, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of muralist Buell Mullen measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1942 to 1982. Found are scattered biographical material, professional correspondence, information on mixing epoxy resins, printed material, and photographs.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Buell Mullen (1901-1986) was a muralist and portrait painter active in New York City and Chicago, Illinois. She developed a process for painting on stainless steel.

Buell Mullen was born Frances Vedder Buell in Chicago, Illinois. Drawn to its ability to reflect light, Mullen developed a technique combining etching and acid treatments to ensure oil paintings adhere to stainless steel. Her first work on stainless steel was a portrait of General John J. Pershing. Later, she produced a portrait of President Dwight Eisenhower. She completed many murals for steel companies, colleges, and institutions around the Great Lakes region. Also, she served as a United States representative to UNESCO.

Buell married J. Bernard Mullen and together they had two sons. Mullen died in Chicago, Illinois in 1986.
Provenance:
Buell Mullen donated her papers to the Archives of American Art in 1982.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women muralists  Search this
Citation:
Buell Mullen papers, 1942-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.mullbuel
See more items in:
Buell Mullen papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw900b620c0-6460-4173-9aaf-48e84e208775
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-mullbuel
Online Media:

Elizabeth Piutti-Barth papers

Creator:
Piutti-Barth, Elizabeth, 1872-1959  Search this
Extent:
0.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1875-1953
Summary:
The papers of Boston-based portrait painter Elizabeth Piutti-Barth measure 0.2 linear feet and date from circa 1975 to 1953. Found is a lecture, printed material, and photographs of Piutti-Barth, her family, friends, subjects, homes and studios, and works of art.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Boston-based portrait painter Elizabeth Piutti-Barth measure 0.2 linear feet and date from circa 1975 to 1953. Found is a lecture, printed material, and photographs of Piutti-Barth, her family, friends, subjects, homes and studios, and works of art.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Elizabeth Piutti-Barth (1872-1959) was a portrait painter in Boston, Massachusetts.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Erica Cawley, the daughter of Elizabeth Piutt-Barth, in 1982.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Portrait painters -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Citation:
Elizabeth Piutti-Barth papers, circa 1875-1953, in the Archives of American Art.
Identifier:
AAA.piuteliz
See more items in:
Elizabeth Piutti-Barth papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw914aa5f95-0d85-4068-bdf7-7a8c4473847a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-piuteliz

Pietro Pezzati papers

Creator:
Pezzati, Pietro, 1902-1993  Search this
Names:
Hopkinson, Charles, 1869-1962  Search this
Extent:
2.3 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 2 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Place:
South America
Date:
1913-1982
Scope and Contents:
Letters, some from Charles Hopkinson; sketchbooks, sketches, and other art work; lecture notes; and printed material.
REEL 107: Letters received, 1926-1966, mostly from Charles Hopkinson; photographs of Pezzati; and catalogs.
REEL 3483: A letter to Pezzati from Hopkinson; four small oils, two small watercolors (1950's), a self-portrait by Hopkinson, and a reproduction of his work. (Microfilm title: Charles Hopkinson papers)
UNMICROFILMED: Letters received; sketchbooks and sketches of landscapes and portraits, mostly done while Pezzati traveled through South America; figure studies by Pezzati and others demonstrating the principles of "dynamic symmetry" as taught by Howard Giles in the 1920's, and related sketches done in 1934 by Pezzati of the Ted Shawn dance group; lecture notes on portraiture; photographs of Pezzati and his work; clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, reproductions of paintings, and other printed material.
Biographical / Historical:
Portrait and landscape painter; Boston, Mass. Born in Boston, attended the Child-Walker School of Art, and was a student and friend of Charles Hopkinson.
Other Title:
Charles Hopkinson papers (microfilm reel 3483 title)
Provenance:
Donated 1971-1983 by Pietro Pezzati.
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.
Occupation:
Portrait painters  Search this
Landscape painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Identifier:
AAA.pezzpiet
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ee16f7c7-28a1-4ee5-8444-41d5ffd4e264
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-pezzpiet

Alexander Robertson James papers

Creator:
James, Alexander, 1890-1946  Search this
Names:
James, Frederika Paine  Search this
Extent:
3.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Drawings
Date:
circa 1885-1986
Summary:
The Alexander Robertson James papers measure 3.9 linear feet and date from circa 1885-1986. They illustrate his career through biographical materials, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed and photographic materials, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The Alexander Robertson James papers measure 3.9 linear feet and date from circa 1885-1986. Biographical materials include several passports for Alexander and Frederika James, a marriage certificate, and a family genealogy. Correspondence is to and from James and is with family and professional colleagues. Writings include several diaries by James, his mother, and Frederika, as well as a notebook containing descriptions of his gesso technique, Frederika's notes on her husband's paintings, and an account of the family's time in Paris. Personal business records consist of James' name change application and certificates and his last will and testament, as well as files regarding commissions, various exhibitions, and multiple expense legers. Also included are art valuations by an insurance company and records of art sales.

Printed material contains exhibition catalogs, various art publications, and news clippings. Photographic material includes photographs of James and his family, his studio, and his artwork, as well as a photograph album of William James and other family members. There are also two albums of exhibition photographs, and photographs of two sketches, one by John Singer Sargent and one by Barry Faulkner. Artwork includes various loose sketches, five sketchbooks, an oil portrait of James' father, three watercolors of Giverny, France, three pigment studies, and sketches of James.
Arrangement:
This collection consists of seven series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1916-1937 (.1 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1893-1983 (1.7 Linear feet: Boxes 1-2)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1907-1955 (.2 Linear feet: Box 2)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1912-1978 (.8 Linear feet: Box 3)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1916-1986 (.1 Linear feet: Box 3)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1885-1986 (.5 Linear feet: Boxes 3-5)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1897-1940 (.5 Linear feet: Boxes 4-6)
Biographical / Historical:
Alexander Robertson James (1890-1946) was a painter who worked primarily in Dublin, New Hampshire.

James was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts as Francis Temple Tweedy James to philosopher William James and was the nephew of noted writer Henry James. He studied at the Boston Museum School under Frank W. Benson, before marrying Frederika Paine in 1916 and moving to California. While in California James was met with many portrait commissions, however after two years he moved to Dublin, New Hampshire under the suggestion of his mentor Abbot Thayer in 1918. In 1925 he had his name officially changed to Alexander Robertson James. Later in life he dropped the Robertson and became Alexander James.

During the depression, the family moved to Paris, France in 1929 before moving again to the suburb of Ville d'Avrey. In 1930, the family returned to Dublin and in 1931 James took a reprieve of one year to live in Richmond, New Hampshire to paint portraits. From 1930 to 1937, James focused on portrait painting and his most famous works include George de Forest Brush and Portrait of a Professor. James remained in Richmond, where his wife and three children visited on weekends, until returning to Dublin in 1942. In the last years of his life, he built a studio behind his Dublin home which was completed in 1945. James would die soon after.

James is also well known for his impressionist inspired landscapes and genre scenes and was a long time exhibitor at the Art Institute of Chicago as well as the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. He was a member of the Century Association and today his works can be seen at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Fine Art in Missouri.

Alexander Robertson James died of a heart attack on February 26, 1946.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also hold, on microfilm reel 3828 only, a bound volume containing thirty-seven letters from William James to his youngest son, Alexander James, one letter from his mother, Alice Howe Gibbens James, and eleven postcards.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel 4195) including original letters from William James (1842-1910) to Alexander James. Loaned materials were returned to the donor and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
A bound volume containing thirty-seven letters from William James to his youngest son, Alexander James, one letter from his mother, Alice Howe Gibbens James, and eleven postcards were lent for microfilming by Michael James, the son of Alexander James, and returned in 1986. The bulk of the microfilmed material and additional papers were donated in 1986 by Michael James.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce materials on reel 3828 requires written permission from Alexander R. James, Glandore, County Cork, Ireland. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Occupation:
Portrait painters  Search this
Painters -- New Hampshire  Search this
Topic:
Gesso  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Drawings
Citation:
Alexander Robertson James papers, circa 1885-1986, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.jamealex
See more items in:
Alexander Robertson James papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f0e03857-3c9f-4b1a-bdac-779ce0446042
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-jamealex

Marcella Comès (Winslow) papers

Creator:
Winslow, Marcella Comès  Search this
Names:
Adams, Léonie, 1899-  Search this
Bishop, Elizabeth, 1911-1979  Search this
Chapin, Katherine Garrison, 1890-1977  Search this
D'Arcy, Martin Cyril, 1888-1976  Search this
De la Mare, Walter, 1873-1956  Search this
Devlin, Denis, 1908-1959  Search this
Eberhart, Richard, 1904-2005  Search this
Frost, Robert, 1874-1963  Search this
Gordon, Caroline, 1895-  Search this
Hodgson, Ralph, 1871-1962  Search this
Jiménez, Juan Ramón, 1881-1958  Search this
Lowell, Robert, 1917-1977  Search this
Masson, Leon, 1911-  Search this
Porter, Katherine Anne, 1890-1980  Search this
Pound, Ezra, 1885-1972  Search this
Rothenstein, John, Sir, 1901-  Search this
Rothenstein, William, Sir, 1872-1945  Search this
Saint-John Perse, 1887-1975  Search this
Shapiro, Karl Jay, 1913-  Search this
Tate, Allen, 1899-  Search this
Van Doren, Mark, 1894-1972  Search this
Warren, Robert Penn, 1905-  Search this
Welty, Eudora, 1909-2001  Search this
Weygandt, Cornelius, 1871-1957  Search this
Winslow, Anne Goodwin  Search this
Extent:
1,202 Items ((partially microfilmed on 2 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1915-1982 [and undated]
Scope and Contents:
Files related to Washington, D.C. art activities; photographs; scrapbook; and guestbook.
REELS 2424-2425: Scrapbook on Comès' sitters Leonie Adams, Elizabeth Bishop, Katherine Garrison Chapin, Martin D' Arcy, Walter de la Mare, Denis Devlin, Richard Eberhart, Robert Frost, Caroline Gordon, Ralph Hodgson, Juan Ramon Jimenez, Robert Lowell, Katherine Anne Porter, Ezra Pound, St. John Perse, Sir John Rothenstein, Karl Shapiro, Allen Tate, Mark Van Doren, Robert Penn Warren, Eudora Welty, Cornelius Weygandt and Anne Goodwin Winslow, containing letters, clippings, book reviews, photos of sitters and Comès' portraits. Also included are photos of Comès and printed material relating to her.
REEL 2424, frames 3-243: A guest book, containing signatures, comments, sketches, photographs, clippings, and letters from artists, poets, writers, and other guests of Comès, including Walter de la Mare, Robert Frost, Leon Masson, Katherine Anne Porter, Sir John Rothenstein and Sir William Rothenstein, Allen Tate, Robert Penn Warren, Eudora Welty, and others. Also included are photographs of Comès and her family.
UNMICROFILMED: Artist, dealer, institution, and subject files containing letters, exhibition catalogs and announcements, clippings, photographs, and other printed materials relating to Washington, D.C. art activities. Included are: files on artists Caroline Van Hook Bean, Ruby Grady, Jacob Kainen, Frank Wright, and others; files on the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Foundry, the Studio Gallery, and other galleries; subject files on the Art Barn, the D.C. chapter of the Artists Equity Association including membership lists and address labels, 1970-1972, the Art in the Embassies Program, the Conference on Artists and Taxes, 1977, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Society of Arts and Letters, the Federal Government and the art, including material on bills and hearings, 1973-1977, the Washington art community, women and the arts, art materials hazards, includes published works by Joy Luke Turner, and crafts.
Also included are a paper "Government Sponsorship of the Arts under the WPA and Ceta," by Martha Malles, 1978; clippings, with reviews by John Canady and others; photographs, undated and 1971-1973, of Marcella Comès, Art Barn happenings, including 45 slides, 1974, and Artists Equity Association, Washington chapter, exhibitions; a published reference directory of Washington art, WASHINGTON TODAY, 1967; and one 16mm amateur film circa 1974.
Biographical / Historical:
Portrait painter, photographer; Washington, D.C. b. 1905. d. July 6, 2000. Married name Mrs. Randolph Winslow. Trained at the Carnegie School of Fine Arts and privately in Europe. Comès played an active part in the local D.C. art community; as a member of the Women's Commission of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, president of the D.C. chapter of Artists Equity Association, 1969-1971, and as the national vice-president, 1971-1973. Comès was the ex-officio portraitist to the Poetry Chair at the Library of Congress.
Provenance:
Lent and donated 1982 by Marcella Comes.
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.
Occupation:
Painters -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Photographers -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Poets -- United States  Search this
Portrait painters -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.winsmarc
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b26660ed-6fff-4672-8382-6a1241bcb938
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-winsmarc

William Page and Page Family papers

Creator:
Page, William, 1811-1885  Search this
Names:
National Academy of Design (U.S.)  Search this
Beecher, Henry Ward, 1813-1887  Search this
Beecher, Thomas Kinnicut, 1824-1900  Search this
Briggs, Charles F. (Charles Frederick), 1804-1877  Search this
Curtis, George William, 1824-1892  Search this
Cushman, Charlotte, 1816-1876  Search this
Fenton, Rueben  Search this
Garrison, William Lloyd, 1805-1879  Search this
Hicks, Thomas, 1823-1890  Search this
Lowell, James Russell, 1819-1891  Search this
O'Donovan, William Rudolph, 1844-1920  Search this
Olmstead, Bertha  Search this
Olmstead, Mary  Search this
Page, Sophia Stevens, 1827-1892  Search this
Page, William, 1811-1885  Search this
Perry, E. W. (Enoch Wood), 1831-1915  Search this
Phillips, Wendell, 1811-1884  Search this
Scranton, William Walker  Search this
Shaw, Francis George, 1809-1882  Search this
Stark, William, 1825-1873  Search this
Sumner, Charles, 1811-1874  Search this
Tilton, Theodore, 1835-1907  Search this
Wilmarth, Lemuel Everett, 1835-1918  Search this
Extent:
11.06 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Sketches
Poems
Drawings
Diaries
Date:
1815-1947
bulk 1843-1892
Summary:
The papers of the portraitist and art theorist William Page and the Page family measure 11.06 linear feet and date from 1815 to 1947, bulk 1843-1892. In addition to the papers of William Page, the papers include documents related to Page's wife's career as a writer and records documenting their personal lives and the lives of their family members. Types of documents found include personal documents and artifacts, correspondence, essays, lectures, diaries, poems, notes and notebooks, financial records, legal records, published works, clippings, catalogs, photographs, and artwork.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of the painter William Page and the Page family measure 11.06 linear feet and date from 1815 to 1947, with the bulk of papers dating from 1843 to 1892. Papers contain records related to the life and career of William Page, president of the National Academy of Design from 1871 to 1873 and prominent portraitist and art theorist of his day. Also found are records related to his wife's career as a writer and records documenting their personal lives and the lives of their family members. Types of documents found include personal documents and artifacts, correspondence, essays, lectures, diaries, poems, notes and notebooks, financial records, legal records, published works, clippings, catalogs, photographs, and artwork.

Correspondence includes the personal and professional correspondence of William and Sophia Page, and their parents, siblings, and children. Significant correspondents include Thomas Hicks, Enoch Wood Perry, William Stark, Theodore Tilton, Lemuel Wilmarth, Wendell Phillips, William Walker Scranton, Francis G. Shaw; James Russell Lowell, Charles Frederick Briggs, George W. Curtis, Charlotte Cushman, Thomas K. Beecher, Mary Olmsted, and Bertha Olmsted.

Writings include the essays and lectures of William Page, as written by him and revised by Sophia Page in the late 1870s, as well as Sophia's writings as a columnist in Europe in the 1850s. Notes, notebooks, diaries, and poems are also found. Personal Business Records include business records related to the sale and exhibition of artwork as well as financial and legal documents. A small number of memoranda and documents related to Page's work at the National Academy of Design are also found. Printed Materials include exhibition catalogs, published works by William and Sophia Page, and clippings and articles about Page.

Photographs consist mainly of portraits, most of them mounted cabinet photographs or cartes-des-visites, some of which appear to have been used as studies for Page's painted portraits. Among those pictured are William Page, James Russell Lowell, Henry Ward Beecher, Reuben Fenton, Wendell Phillips, Charles Sumner, William R. O'Donovan, and William Lloyd Garrison. Many of the photographic portraits are unidentified. Artwork includes sketches, drawings, prints, and a small number of notes made by Page in the course of painting portraits.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 7 series. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials and Artifacts, 1847-1917 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1815-1942 (Boxes 1-4, 9-10; 3.2 linear feet)

Series 3: Notes and Writings, 1839-1888, 1949 (Boxes 4-5, OV 10; 1.3 linear feet)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1848-1932 (Boxes 5 and 9; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 5: Printed Materials, 1845-1938 (Boxes 5-7, 9, OV 11; 1.6 linear feet)

Series 6: Photographs, 1845-1947 (Boxes 7-9, OV 12, MGP 5-6; 1.4 linear feet)

Series 7: Artwork, 1856-1874 (Box 8, OV 13-16, rolled documents 17-19; 0.6 linear feet and 3 rolled documents)
Biographical Note:
The painter William Page was born in 1811 in Albany, NY. He attended public schools in New York City, and after working briefly in the law firm of Frederick de Peyster, was placed in the studio of the painter/engraver James Herring in 1825, where he received his first formal art training. He took classes at the National Academy of Design the year it was formed, in 1826, under Samuel F.B. Morse, and in 1827 he was awarded one of the National Academy's first annual student prizes.

Page joined the Presbyterian church and attended Phillips Academy and Amherst with the intention of becoming a minister, but his artistic ability won out, and by 1830 he was painting commissioned portraits in Albany, Rochester, and New York. He married Lavinia Twibill in 1833, and they had three daughters between 1834 and 1839. He joined the American Academy and served on its board of directors in 1835. He exhibited at the American Academy, the National Academy of Design, the Boston Athenaeum, and other venues throughout the 1830s. Favorable reviews brought steady portrait commissions, including John Quincy Adams and the New York governor William L. Marcy. He was made a full member of the National Academy in 1837.

In the 1840s, Page's reputation and maturity as a painter grew. His first wife left him around 1840, and in 1843 he married Sarah Dougherty. The couple moved to Albany, Boston, and back to New York seeking portrait commissions and patronage. He became friends with the poet James Russell Lowell and the writer and publisher Charles Frederick Briggs, two writers and editors who helped to promote his artwork in Boston and New York and published his theoretical writings. In 1844, Lowell dedicated his first published book of poetry to Page, and the following year, Briggs published a series of articles by Page in the Broadway Journal, entitled "The Art of the Use of Color in Imitation in Painting." The series described Page's arduous experiments with color and glazes, and his ideas about correspondences between spirituality and the natural world as expressed in art.

In 1850, Page traveled to Florence, Italy, where he painted several copies of the works of Titian in the galleries of the Uffizi and Pitti palaces, studying his use of color and further developing his own experimental techniques. He became friends with the sculptor Hiram Powers, who introduced him to the writings of Emmanuel Swedenborg, a Christian metaphysician whose ideas fueled Page's interest in the spiritual aspects of art. In 1852, Page moved to Rome, a city with an international artists' community and a strong market for art. Page found a loyal following in Rome's large circle of American ex-patriates, including the sculptors Thomas Crawford and Harriet Hosmer, the actress Charlotte Cushman, and the poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, all of whom sat for portraits by Page.

In 1854, Page's second wife left him amidst public scandal, and he sank deep in debt to his bankers at Packenham and Hooker, an English firm that by 1856 had a lien on all the paintings in his studio. That same year Page met Sophia Stevens Hitchcock, an American widow traveling in Rome with Bertha Olmsted, Frederick Law Olmsted's sister. Hitchcock was from Barnet, Vermont and came to Europe after her first husband died in 1852 after only a year of marriage. She traveled to England and Paris, where she wrote regular columns on local customs and events for the New York Tribune that were published under the by-line "An American Woman in Paris." She and Page met in Rome in 1856, and in October 1857, after Page traveled back the United States to obtain a divorce from Sarah Dougherty, he and Sophia married.

The couple stayed in Rome until 1860. His wife's three brothers, all businessmen, helped to promote his artwork in Europe and America. Page's paintings of this period include several Venus subjects, one of which was championed by his most loyal patrons, who raised $3000 by subscription to buy the painting for the Boston Athenaeum. A later Venus painting was rejected from the Paris salon for indecency, a controversy that was later leveraged for publicity in a touring exhibition in the United States.

The Pages returned to the United States in 1860 and settled in Tottenville, New York. They had six children between 1858 and 1870. Page had a studio at Eagleswood, NJ, and later in the Studio Building on 10th Street in Manhattan, where he held a large exhibition in 1867. In the 1860s, he painted a self-portrait and a companion portrait of Sophia set in Rome, as well as a series of civil war heroes including Robert Gould Shaw, Winfield Scott, and David Farragut. Photographs played a consistent part in Page's technique of portraiture, and he is known to have worked with the photographer Matthew Brady, who attended art classes early on with Page, as well as the photographers Sarony and Charles Williamson, who taught classes on drawing from enlarged photo-transparencies. Brady photographs taken for Page include David Farragut and Reuben Fenton.

Page lectured frequently on Titian and Venetian art, a subject in which he was considered an expert, and on painting technique and his philosophical ideas about nature, art, and spirituality. In 1871, Page was elected the president of the National Academy of Design, a post he held until 1873, but his poor health following a collapse in 1872 limited his accomplishments in office. Despite these limitations, he continued to paint, including portraits of General Grant, an idealized portrait of the president based on early photographs and Charles Sumner. He also became interested in portraiture of William Shakespeare around this time, and his studies resulted in a book, Shakespeare's Portraits, a bust based on existing portraiture, and a full-length portrait entitled "Shakespeare Reading," based on Page's measurements of a supposed death mask in Darmstadt, Germany, which he went to inspect against the advice of his doctor in 1874.

In 1877, another collapse left Page incapacitated for the remainder of his life. Sophia Page tried editing and publishing his writings and lectures, but with little success. Page died in 1885. A life marked by personal scandal ended the same, when two of his daughters from his first marriage contested his will, tying up his estate in a lengthy and public probate trial. Their suit was dismissed in 1889, and Sophia Page died in 1892.

This biography relies heavily on Joshua Taylor's William Page: The American Titian (1957).
Separated Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds materials lent for microfilming (reel 1091) including letters from Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, Lydia Maria Child, Charlotte Cushman, James Russell Lowell, Charles A. Dana, and others. Lent material was returned to the donor and is This material is not described in the container listing of this finding aid.
Provenance:
A portion of the collection was donated to the Archives of American Art by Mrs. Lesslie S. (Pauline Page) Howell, William Page's grandaughter, in 1963. William S. Page, Pauline Page Howell's nephew, donated additional papers in 1964 and 1973. Pauline Page Howell and William S. Page also loaned a group of letters to the Archives in 1964 which were microfilmed on reel 1091 and then returned to the donors. Mrs. Howell's son, William Page Howell, donated material in 1980.

Letters of Charles F. Briggs to James Russell Lowell (Series 2.2) were a part of Pauline Page Howell's 1963 donation to the Archives of American Art. They had been given to Mrs. Howell by Charlotte Briggs, daughter of Charles F. Briggs, because of her father's lifelong friendship with William Page. Letters from Lowell to Briggs are in the James Russell Lowell papers in Houghton Library at Harvard University.
Restrictions:
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
Rights:
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.
Topic:
Works of art  Search this
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Portrait painting -- 19th century -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Sketches
Poems
Drawings
Diaries
Citation:
William Page and Page Family papers, 1815-1947, bulk 1843-1892. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.pagewill
See more items in:
William Page and Page Family papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw98de7b472-afbe-4b16-bbf1-c573fb9dcac6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-pagewill
Online Media:

Emmet family papers

Creator:
Emmet family  Search this
Names:
Berkshire Museum  Search this
Danforth Museum  Search this
World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)  Search this
Beaux, Cecilia, 1855-1942  Search this
Casals, Pablo, 1876-1973  Search this
De Glehn, Jane Erin Emmet, 1873-1961  Search this
De Glehn, Wilfrid-Gabriel, 1870-1951  Search this
Doyle, Nancy  Search this
Emmet, Julia Colt Pierson, 1829-1908  Search this
Emmet, Lydia Field, 1866-1952  Search this
Emmet, Robert, 1778-1803  Search this
Fontanne, Lynn  Search this
James, Henry, 1843-1916  Search this
La Farge, Bancel, 1865-1938  Search this
Lunt, Alfred  Search this
MacMonnies, Frederick William, 1863-1937  Search this
Metcalfe, Susy  Search this
Millay, Edna St. Vincent, 1892-1950  Search this
Monod, Lucien  Search this
Morgan, Elizabeth Emmet, d. 1934  Search this
Ormond, Violet Sargent  Search this
Quilter, Roger, 1877-1953  Search this
Rand, Ellen Emmet, 1875-1941  Search this
Saint-Gaudens, Augustus, 1848-1907  Search this
Sargent, Emily, 1857-  Search this
Sargent, John Singer, 1856-1925  Search this
Sherwood, Robert E. (Robert Emmet), 1896-1955  Search this
Sherwood, Rosamond, 1899-  Search this
Sherwood, Rosina Emmet, 1854-1948  Search this
White, Stanford, 1853-1906  Search this
Extent:
9.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Video recordings
Drawings
Diaries
Sound recordings
Date:
1792-1989
bulk 1851-1989
Summary:
The Emmet Family papers document the lives and careers of two generations of the Emmet family from New Rochelle, New York and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, whose artistic talents flourished during the later 19th through the mid-20th centuries. The collection dates from 1792 to 1989, with the bulk of the material dating from 1851-1989, and measures 9.1 linear feet. Through biographical material, two diaries, correspondence, writings and notes, exhibition files, business records, printed material, two scrapbooks, artwork, and photographs of family, friends, exhibitions, and artwork, the papers provide both a rich overview and detailed insights into the daily lives, relationships, and careers of many members of the family. The collection focuses in particular on sisters Lydia Field Emmet, Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn, and Rosina Emmet Sherwood, their mother, Julia Colt Pierson Emmet, and their cousin Ellen Gertrude "Bay" Emmet, all noted painters and illustrators.
Scope and Content Note:
The Emmet Family papers document the lives and careers of two generations of the Emmet family from New Rochelle, New York and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The collection dates from 1792 to 1989, with the bulk of the material dating from 1851-1989, and measures 9.1 linear feet. Through biographical material, two diaries, correspondence, writings and notes, exhibition files, business records, printed material, two scrapbooks, artwork, and photographs of family, friends, exhibitions, and artwork, the papers provide both a rich overview and detailed insights into the daily lives, relationships, and careers of many members of the family. The collection focuses in particular on sisters Lydia Field Emmet, Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn, and Rosina Emmet Sherwood, their mother, Julia Colt Pierson Emmet, and their cousin Ellen Gertrude "Bay" Emmet, all noted painters and illustrators, whose artistic talents flourished during the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries.

Biographical material consists of family trees and family histories; individual biographical accounts, award certificates, and documentation for Julia Colt Pierson Emmet, Rosina Emmet Sherwood, Lydia Field Emmet, Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn, and Wilfrid de Glehn; a diary titled "Sedgemere Diary" containing drawings and entries primarily by Rosina Emmet Sherwood, and a smaller diary which mentions Rosina's son, future playwright Robert Sherwood; a documentary by Nancy B. Doyle on two VHS videocassettes, entitled The Emmets: Portrait of a Family; and artifacts comprising a rear-view optical device and locks of hair from an early nineteenth century generation of the Emmet family.

Correspondence forms the bulk of the collection and illustrates the interaction between members of this large and influential family and their colleagues and friends, offering a wide-ranging view of life in the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries, and through two World Wars. The series consists of letters between family members, primarily Julia Colt Pierson Emmet and her daughters, as well as cousins Henry James, Ellen "Bay" Emmet Rand, and Rosamond Sherwood, and friends Cecilia Beaux, Louis Bancel LaFarge, Frederick MacMonnies, Lucien Monod, Roger Quilter, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Emily and John Singer-Sargent, Violet Sargent Ormond, and Stanford White. Topics include experiences of the Emmets while studying art in Paris, Rosina's presentation at Queen Victoria's court, Lydia's work at the Columbia Exposition, Jane's marriage to Wilfrid de Glehn and her friendship with John Singer Sargent, portrait painting activities, the troubles of their friend Susy Metcalfe in her marriage to Pablo Casals, and the activities of Rosina's son, playwright Robert Emmet Sherwood, and friends Alfred Lund and Lynn Fontanne.

Writings and notes consist of scattered manuscripts and poems by family members, two notebooks, one identified as belonging to Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn, and typescripts about Wilfrid de Glehn following his death. Also found is a book, Out of Town, written and illustrated by Rosina Emmet Sherwood, and Edna St Vincent Millay's poem "Autum Daybreak" written in Millay's handwriting.

Exhibition files document an exhibition held at the Berkshire Museum/Danforth Museum in Pittsfield/Farmingham, Massachusetts in 1982 entitled The Emmets: A Family of Women Painters, and include two audio cassettes of recordings from the "Art for Lunch" series at the Berkshire Museum discussing the exhibition.

Business records include account books belonging to Lydia Field Emmet and Rosina Emmet Sherwood, both of which document income from artwork and other sources, and expenses; a contract for the reproduction of Lydia Field Emmet's artwork; and a document concerning ownership of property, possibly of Emmet family ancestors.

Printed Material consists of clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and reproductions of artwork by Emmet family members and others.

Two scrapbooks contain a combination of drawings, primarily by Rosina Emmet Sherwood, reproductions of artwork, and photographs.

Artwork includes drawings and sketchbooks by Julia Colt Pierson Emmet, Rosina Emmet Sherwood, Lydia Field Emmet, Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn Ellen Emmet Rand, and other Emmet relatives, illustrating the early development of their talent.

Photographs are of family members, including Julia Colt Pierson Emmet and William Jenkins Emmet, their daughters Lydia Field Emmet, Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn and husband Wilfrid de Glehn, Rosina Emmet Sherwood and husband Arthur Murray Sherwood, and Robert Emmet Sherwood as a young man. Also found are photos of friends Richard Harding Davis, Frederick MacMonnies, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens; a series of photographs of the installation at Arden Galleries, New York (1936) for the exhibition Paintings, Drawings and Sculptures by Five Generations of the Emmet Family; and photographs of artwork by Emmet family members.
Arrangement:
The Emmet family papers are arranged as nine series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1855-1988 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 1, 10, OV 12)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1792-1985 (6.2 linear feet; Boxes 1-7)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1870s-1981 (11 folders; Box 7)

Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1947-1983 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 7-8)

Series 5: Business Records, circa 1799-1945 (7 folders; Box 8)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1872-1989 (0.35 linear feet; Boxes 8, 10)

Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1870-1890 (0.2 linear feet; Boxes 8, 10)

Series 8: Artwork, circa 1850-circa 1920 (0.35 linear feet; Boxes 8, 10)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1870s-circa 1950s (1 linear foot; Boxes 8-9, 11)
Biographical Note:
The Emmet family, descended from patriot Thomas Addis Emmet, brother of Irish martyr Robert Emmet, counts many physicians, lawyers, and writers (including cousin Henry James) among its ranks. Although evidence of artistic talent existed in several previous generations, it flourished during the later 19th through the mid-20th centuries in the professional portraiture of sisters Rosina Emmet Sherwood, Lydia Field Emmet, Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn, and their cousin Ellen "Bay" Emmet Rand.

The eldest daughter of Julia Colt Pierson Emmet (1829-1908), herself a talented illustrator who had studied under Daniel Huntington, Rosina "Posie" Emmet (1854-1948) studied under William Merritt Chase at his Tenth Street Studio in New York and under Robert-Fleury at the Academie Julian in Paris. Before her marriage to Arthur Murray Sherwood in 1887, Rosina established a studio in New York and continued to submit illustrations to various publications. During her marriage, she slowed her creative activities, until financial reverses dictated her return to her career around the turn of the 20th century. Her daughter Rosamond Sherwood (1899-1990) was also a portrait painter. Her son, Robert Emmet Sherwood (1896-1955) became a four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright.

Lydia Field Emmet (1866-1952) studied under Collin, Bouguereau, MacMonnies, and Robert-Fleury at the Academie Julian. Upon her return to New York, Lydia continued her studies under Chase, Kenyon Cox, H. Siddons Mowbray, and Robert Reid at the Art Students League, as well as at Chase's Shinnecock Summer School of Art. She established her portrait studio in New York City and began spending summers at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where she built her home, "Strawberry Hill," in 1905. Best known for her portraits of children, Lydia's subjects were members of the socially prominent families of New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.

The youngest sister, Jane Erin Emmet (1873-1961), also studied with Chase in New York, and in Paris. In 1904, she married British landscape painter Wilfrid Von Glehn, who had visited the United States with his friend John Singer Sargent. (The Von Glehns' surname was changed to De Glehn, in 1919.) Settling in London, Jane continued her painting, befriended many artists and composers, and accompanied her husband and Sargent on several art-related journeys through Europe.

The Emmet sisters' cousin, Ellen Gertrude "Bay" Emmet (1875-1941), studied in New York at the Art Students League and under Frederick MacMonnies in Paris, becoming a National Academician in 1934. She married William Blanchard Rand in 1911 and settled in Salisbury, Connecticut. After the stock market crash of 1929, Bay's portraits of prominent society figures provided most of her family's income.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel 4544) including one scrapbook, compiled by Rosina Emmet Sherwood, consisting of portrait sketches, drawings of her dogs, genre scenes, travel views, and photographs of travels, friends, actors, and the ship "Scythia,". Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
In 1988-1991, the bulk of the Emmet family papers were donated by Rosamond Sherwood, daughter of Rosina Emmet Sherwood (via Katharine Emmet Bramwell of New York), by Rosamond Sherwood's estate (via F. Douglas Cochrane, executor, from Boston), and by Rosamond's nieces, Virginia Sherwood and Julia Shipway. Additionally, one scrapbook was lent for microfilming in 1990 and subsequently donated by Mrs. Earl Maize. Douglas Cochrane then loaned another scrapbook for microfilming (reel 4344) in 1991 which was returned to Mrs. Earl Maize.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Painters -- England -- London  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching -- France -- Paris  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Painting, American -- New York (State)  Search this
Illustrators -- New York (State)  Search this
Playwrights  Search this
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Singers  Search this
World War, 1914-1918  Search this
World War, 1939-1945  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Video recordings
Drawings
Diaries
Sound recordings
Citation:
Emmet family papers, 1792-1989 (bulk 1851-1989). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.emmefami
See more items in:
Emmet family papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d9921791-cc0b-425c-810b-1da218cafcec
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-emmefami
Online Media:

Lilly Martin Spencer papers

Creator:
Spencer, Lilly Martin, 1822-1902  Search this
Names:
Sorosis (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Avery, Samuel Putnam, 1822-1904  Search this
Ingersoll, Robert Green, 1833-1899  Search this
Sartain, John, 1808-1897  Search this
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady, 1815-1902  Search this
Extent:
0.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1828-1966
Summary:
The papers of portrait and genre painter Lilly Martin Spencer, measure 0.9 linear feet and date from 1828-1966. The collection includes biographical material, scattered lists, notes, receipts, and legal documents relating to Spencer's life and work, Spencer's business and family correspondence, printed material, a lithograph, photographs of Spencer and others, and photographs of Spencer's artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of portrait and genre painter Lilly Martin Spencer, measure 0.9 linear feet and date from 1828-1966. The collection includes biographical material, scattered lists, notes, receipts, and legal documents relating to Spencer's life and work, Spencer's business and family correspondence, printed material, a lithograph, photographs of Spencer and others, and photos of Spencer's artwork.

The collection documents Spencer's popularity and success as a painter, her involvement with art associations and civic organizations such as Sorosis, and her personal life as a wife, mother, and breadwinner through correspondence with family, artists including John Sartain and Benjamin John Lossing, dealers including Samuel Putnam Avery, writers and editors such as Robert Green Ingersoll and Fannie Raymond Bitter, and social activists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as four series:

Series 1: Biographical Material and Other Papers, 1853-1959 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1, OV 3)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1828-1966 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 3: Printed Material, 1857-1961 (0.2 linear feet; Box 2, OV 3)

Series 4: Photographs, circa 1890-circa 1950 (0.1 linear feet; Box 2)
Biographical / Historical:
New York and Ohio painter Lilly Martin Spencer (1822-1902) was known for her popular portrait paintings and humorous domestic genre scenes.

Spencer was born Angelique Marie Martin in England to French parents, Giles and Angelique Martin, who were followers of the French social critic Charles Fournier. The family came to New York in 1830, moved to Marietta, Ohio, in 1833 and, in 1845, co-founded the communal settlement, Trumbull Phalanx, near Braceville, Ohio. In 1848, after her marriage to Benjamin Spencer at the age of 22, Spencer returned to New York. She achieved much success as a painter and was the main breadwinner for her family while giving birth to thirteen children, seven of whom survived to adulthood. The family moved several times, to Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Newark, New Jersey; and Highlands and Poughkeepsie, New York.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also has microfilm (reel 132) of the Martin family papers and Campus Martius Museum records regarding Lilly Martin Spencer. Originals are located at the Campus Martius Museum, Ohio Historical Society.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming on reel 131 including family history; biographical material; circa 50 photographs of Spencer and her paintings; M.A. thesis, "Lilly Martin Spencer: American Painter of the Nineteenth Century," by Ann Byrd Schumer; articles about Spencer's life and work, 1959; and a list of paintings owned by her granddaughter, Lillian Spencer Gates. Loaned materials were returned to the donor and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art in 1971 by Lillian Spencer Gates, Spencer's granddaughter.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Portrait painters -- New York (State)  Search this
Genre painters -- New York (State)  Search this
Genre painters -- Ohio  Search this
Portrait painters -- Ohio  Search this
Topic:
Women painters  Search this
Citation:
Lilly Martin Spencer papers, 1828-1966. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.spenlill
See more items in:
Lilly Martin Spencer papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90b43f11d-b791-4088-b553-de592c2f9c68
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-spenlill
Online Media:

George Gershwin painting portrait of Arnold Schoenberg

Subject:
Gershwin, George  Search this
Schoenberg, Arnold  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Date:
ca. 1934
Citation:
George Gershwin painting portrait of Arnold Schoenberg, ca. 1934. Henry Botkin papers, circa 1927-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Musicians  Search this
Portrait painters  Search this
Portraits  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)8360
See more items in:
Henry Botkin papers, circa 1927-1982
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_8360
Online Media:

John White Alexander papers

Creator:
Alexander, John White, 1856-1915  Search this
Names:
MacDowell Club of New York  Search this
Abbey, Edwin Austin, 1852-1911  Search this
Alexander, Elizabeth A., d. 1947  Search this
Carnegie, Andrew, 1835-1919  Search this
Chase, William Merritt, 1849-1916  Search this
Gibson, Charles Dana, 1867-1944  Search this
James, Henry, 1843-1916  Search this
La Farge, John, 1835-1910  Search this
Levy, Florence N. (Florence Nightingale), 1870-1947  Search this
Millet, Francis Davis, 1846-1912  Search this
Remington, Frederic, 1861-1909  Search this
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 1850-1894  Search this
Whistler, James McNeill, 1834-1903  Search this
Extent:
11.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Awards
Interviews
Photographs
Sketchbooks
Scrapbooks
Medals
Date:
1775-1968
bulk 1870-1915
Summary:
The papers of the painter, muralist, and illustrator John White Alexander measure 11.9 linear feet and date from 1775 to 1968, with the bulk of materials dating from 1870 to 1915. Papers document Alexander's artistic career and many connections to figures in the art world through biographical documentation, correspondence (some illustrated), writings, 14 sketchbooks, additonal artwork and loose sketches, scrapbooks, photographs, awards and medals, artifacts, and other records. Also found is a souvenir engraving of a Mark Twain self-portrait.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of the painter, muralist, and illustrator John White Alexander measure 11.9 linear feet and date from 1775 to 1968, with the bulk of materials dating from 1870 to 1915. Papers document Alexander's artistic career and many connections to figures in the art world through biographical documentation, correspondence (some illustrated), writings, 14 sketchbooks, additonal artwork and loose sketches, scrapbooks, photographs, awards and medals, artifacts, and other records. Also found is a souvenir engraving of a Mark Twain self-portrait.

Biographical Information includes multiple essays related to Alexander, his family, and others in his circle. Also found is an extensive oral history of Alexander's wife Elizabeth conducted in 1928. Correspondence includes letters written by Alexander to his family from New York and Europe at the start of his career, and later letters from fellow artists, art world leaders, and portrait sitters of Alexander's. Significant correspondents include Charles Dana Gibson, Florence Levy, Frederick Remington, Robert Louis Stevenson, Henry James, John La Farge, Francis Davis Millet, and Andrew Carnegie. Correspondence includes some small sketches as enclosures and illustrated letters.

Certificates and records related to Alexander's career are found in Associations and Memberships, Legal and Financial Records, and Notes and Writings, which contain documentation of Alexander's paintings and exhibitions. Scattered documentation of Alexander's memberships in various arts association exists for the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Academy in Rome, the National Academy of Design, the Onteora Club in New York, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Germany, the Ministère de L'Instruction Publique et des Beaux-Arts, the Union Internationale des Beaux Arts et des Lettres, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Notes and Writings include speeches written by Alexander, short stories and essays written by his wife, and articles by various authors about Alexander. Extensive documentation of the planning and construction of the Alexander Memorial Studio by the MacDowell Club is found, along with other awards, medals, and memorial resolutions adopted by arts organizations after Alexander's death.

Artwork includes fourteen sketchbooks with sketches related to Alexander's commercial illustration and cartooning, murals, paintings, and travels. Dozens of loose drawings and sketches are also found, along with two volumes and several dozen loose reproductions of artwork, among which are found fine prints by named printmakers. Many sketches are also interspersed throughout the correspondence. Eight Scrapbooks contain mostly clippings, but also scattered letters, exhbition catalogs, announcements, invitations, and photographs related to Alexander's career between 1877 and 1915. Additional Exhibition Catalogs and later clippings, as well as clippings related to the career of his wife and other subjects, are found in Printed Materials.

Photographs include many portraits of Alexander taken by accomplished photographers such as Zaida Ben-Yusuf, Aimé Dupont, Curtis Bell, Elizabeth Buehrmann, and several signed Miss Huggins, who may have been Estelle Huntington Huggins, a New York painter and photographer. Portraits of others include Alexander's friends William Merritt Chase and Edward Austin Abbey. Also found are photographs of groups, juries, family, friends, and studios in New York, Paris, and New Jersey, and a handful of scenic photographs of Polling, Bavaria, where Alexander had an early studio. A large number of photographs of works of art are found, many with annotations. Among the photographs of murals are a small collection of snapshots of the Carnegie Institute murals in progress. Miscellaneous artifacts include a palette, several printing plates, and an inscribed souvenir engraving of a self-portrait caricature of Mark Twain.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 11 series. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Information, circa 1887-1968 (Box 1, OV 23; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1870-1942 (Box 1; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Associations and Memberships, circa 1897-1918 (Box 1; 2 folders)

Series 4: Legal and Financial Records, 1775, 1896-1923 (Box 1; 5 folders)

Series 5: Notes and Writings, circa 1875-1943 (Boxes 1-2; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 6: Awards and Memorials, circa 1870-1944 (Box 2, OV 24; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1875-1915 (Boxes 2-3, 6, 14-16, OV 23; 1.5 linear feet)

Series 8: Scrapbooks, circa 1877-1915 (Boxes 17-22; 1.8 linear feet)

Series 9: Printed Materials, circa 1891-1945 (Boxes 3-4, OV 23; 1.5 linear feet)

Series 10: Photographs, circa 1870-1915 (Boxes 4-8, MGP 1-2, OV 25-43, RD 44-45; 4.2 linear feet)

Series 11: Artifacts, circa 1899-1915 (Box 6, artifact cabinet; 0.4 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
John White Alexander was born in 1856 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. He was orphaned at age five and taken in by relatives of limited means. When Alexander left school and began working at a telegraph company, the company's vice-president, former civil war Colonel Edward Jay Allen, took an interest in his welfare. Allen became his legal guardian, brought him into the Allen household, and saw that he finished Pittsburgh High School. At eighteen, he moved to New York City and was hired by Harper and Brothers as an office boy in the art department. He was soon promoted to apprentice illustrator under staff artists such as Edwin A. Abbey and Charles Reinhart. During his time at Harpers, Alexander was sent out on assignment to illustrate events such as the Philadelphia Centennial celebration in 1876 and the Pittsburgh Railroad Strike in 1877, which erupted in violence.

Alexander carefully saved money from his illustration work and traveled to Europe in 1877 for further art training. He first enrolled in the Royal Art Academy of Munich, Germany, but soon moved to the village of Polling, where a colony of American artists was at its peak in the late 1870s. Alexander established a painting studio there and stayed for about a year. Despite his absence from the Munich Academy, he won the medal of the drawing class for 1878, the first of many honors. While in Polling, he became acquainted with J. Frank Currier, Frank Duveneck, William Merritt Chase, and other regular visitors to the colony. He later shared a studio and taught a painting class in Florence with Duveneck and traveled to Venice, where he met James Abbott McNeill Whistler.

Alexander returned to New York in 1881 and resumed his commercial artwork for Harpers and Century. Harpers sent him down the Mississippi river to complete a series of sketches. He also began to receive commissions for portraits, and in the 1880s painted Charles Dewitt Bridgman, a daughter of one of the Harper brothers, Parke Godwin, Thurlow Weed, Walt Whitman, and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Alexander met his wife Elizabeth, whose maiden name was also Alexander, through her father, James W. Alexander, who was sometimes mistaken for the artist. Elizabeth and John White Alexander married in 1887 and had a son, James, in 1888.

Alexander and his family sailed for France in 1890, where they became a part of the lively literary and artistic scene in Paris at the time. Among their many contacts there were Puvis de Chavannes, Auguste Rodin, and Whistler, who arrived in Paris shortly thereafter. Alexander absorbed the new aesthetic ideas around him such as those of the symbolists and the decorative style of art nouveau. Critics often note how such ideas are reflected in his boldly composed paintings of women from this period, who titles drew attention to the sensual and natural elements of the paintings. His first exhibition in Paris was three paintings at the Société Nationale des Beaux Arts in 1893, and by 1895 he has become a full member of the Société.

Independent and secession artist societies emerged throughout Europe during this period, and Alexander exhibited with several of them, including the Société Nouvelle in Paris, the Munich Secession, and the Vienna Secession. He was also elected an honorary member of the Royal Society of Belgian Artists and the Royal Society of British Painters in London. His exhibited works sold well, and his influence began to be felt back in the United States. Andrew Carnegie and John Beatty of the Carnegie Institute consulted closely with Alexander in the planning and execution of the first Carnegie International Exhibitions. Alexander also became active in supporting younger American artists who wanted to exhibit in Europe, a stance which resulted in his resignation from the Society of American Artists in Paris, which he felt had become a barrier to younger artists. His promotion of American art became an central aspect of his career for the remainder of his life, most visibly through his presidency of the National Academy of Design from 1909 until shortly before his death in 1915. He also served frequently on juries for high-profile exhibitions, and was a trustee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, and the national Institute of Arts and Letters. Around 1912, he helped to form the School Art League in New York, which provided art instruction to high school students.

Alexander returned to the United States nearly every summer while based in Paris, and among his commissioned paintings were murals for the newly-constructed Library of Congress, completed around 1896. In 1901, the Alexanders returned to New York permanently. The demand for portraits continued, and he had his first solo exhibition at the Durand-Ruel Galleries in 1902. Around 1905 he received a commission for murals at the new Carnegie Institute building in Pittsburgh for the astounding sum of $175,000. He created 48 panels there through 1908. During this period, the Alexanders spent summers in Onteora, New York, where Alexander painted his well-known "Sunlight" paintings. There they became friends and collaborators with the actress Maude Adams, with Alexander designing lighting and stage sets, and Elizabeth Alexander designing costumes for Adams' productions such as Peter Pan, the Maid of Orleans, and Chanticleer. The couple became known for their "theatricals" or tableaux, staged at the MacDowell Club and elsewhere, and Elizabeth Alexander continued her design career when her husband died in 1915.

Alexander left several commissions unfinished upon his death at age 59, including murals in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Elizabeth Alexander held a memorial exhibition at Arden Galleries a few months after his death, and a larger memorial exhibition was held by the Carnegie Institute in 1916. Alexander won dozens of awards for artwork in his lifetime, including the Lippincott Prize at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1899, the Gold Medal of Honor at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, the Gold Medal at the Panama Pacific Exposition of 1901, and the Medal of the First Class at the Carnegie Institute International Exhibition in 1911. In 1923, the Alexander Memorial Studio was built at the MacDowell colony in New Hampshire to honor his memory.
Provenance:
Papers were donated in 1978 and 1981 by Irina Reed, Alexander's granddaughter and in 2017 by Elizabeth Reed, Alexander's great grandaughter.
Restrictions:
Use of the original papers requires an appointment. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.
Rights:
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.
Topic:
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Portrait painting -- 20th century  Search this
Portrait painting -- 19th century  Search this
Illustrators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Portrait painting, American  Search this
Genre/Form:
Awards
Interviews
Photographs
Sketchbooks
Scrapbooks
Medals
Citation:
John White Alexander papers, 1775-1968, bulk 1870-1915. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.alexjohn
See more items in:
John White Alexander papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw917c89625-97e2-4dce-a5e6-4cbf6627b78e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-alexjohn
Online Media:

George Catlin papers

Creator:
Catlin, George, 1796-1872  Search this
Names:
Clay, Henry, 1777-1852  Search this
Seward, William Henry, 1801-1872  Search this
Sully, Thomas, 1783-1872  Search this
Extent:
2.3 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photogravures
Date:
undated
1821-1904
Summary:
The collection comprises 2.3 feet of papers concerning George Catlin's creation and promotion of his famed "Indian Gallery" of paintings, drawings, and artifacts of North American Indians. Dating from 1821 through 1904, with one item dated 1946, the papers include letters, notebooks and journals, receipt books and loose receipts, printed materials, and other documentation. The bulk of the collection focuses on Catlin's efforts to promote the sale of his gallery to the United States government through tours, including London and Paris, and petitions to various governments to purchase the Gallery. Among the rare printed catalogs and petitions in the collection are exhibition catalogs for the U.S., London, and Paris tours, the earliest dating from 1837. Letters and other documents include letters dating from the 1830s from Henry Clay, Thomas Sully, and William Henry Seward commending Catlin's work, as well as Catlin family correspondence and papers dating from 1821 through the 1870s.
Scope and Contents note:
The collection comprises 2.3 feet of papers concerning George Catlin's creation and promotion of his famed "Indian Gallery" of paintings, drawings, and artifacts of North American Indians. Dating from 1821 through 1904, with one item dated 1946, the papers include letters, notebooks and journals, receipt books and loose receipts, printed materials, and other documentation. The bulk of the collection focuses on Catlin's efforts to promote the sale of his gallery to the United States government through tours, including London and Paris, and petitions to various governments to purchase the Gallery. Among the rare printed catalogs and petitions in the collection are exhibition catalogs for the U.S., London, and Paris tours, the earliest dating from 1837. Letters and other documents include letters dating from the 1830s from Henry Clay, Thomas Sully, and William Henry Seward commending Catlin's work, as well as Catlin family correspondence and papers dating from 1821 through the 1870s.

Of particular interest in the collection are letters to and from Catlin, including two written by Catlin during his early travels to the west in the 1830s. Other letters include ones from Henry Clay, John Adams Dix, Ralph Randolph Gurley, James Hall, William Henry Seward, Thomas Sully (illustrated), and Baron Friederich von Humbolt, among others. Most wish Catlin well and offer support in his endeavors to sell his collection.

Also found within the collection are several notebooks and notes describing Native American ceremonies, name translations, customs, and other information pertinent to Catlin's catalog, two volume book, and exhibitions of the "Indian Gallery." There are also numerous loose receipts and account and receipt books documenting the 1840s London and Paris venues of the "Indian Gallery" exhibition. The collection also houses printed catalogs for the exhibitions, including a rare 1837 catalog for the first show in New York.

Additional materials include certificates of authenticity testifying to the authenticity of Catlin's paintings from life of Native American sitters, announcements relating to exhibition openings, printed memorials and petitions to Congress, printed letters of support, envelopes and name cards, and handwritten tickets to Catlin lectures. Also found are a handwritten journal of Theodore B. Catlin, photogravures of Catlin, obituaries for Catlin, and printed reviews of the exhibitions.
Arrangement note:
The George Catlin papers are arranged into five series based primarily on document type. Within each series, materials are arranged in chronological order.

Missing Title

Series 1: Correspondence, 1821-1885 (Boxes 1, 6; Reel 5824; 12 folders)

Series 2: Writings, 1825-circa 1872 (Boxes 1, 6; Reel 5824; 9 folders)

Series 3: Financial Records, 1826-1848 (Boxes 2, 6; Reels 5824-5825; 13 folders, 3 bound volumes)

Series 4: Catalogs, 1837-1871 (Boxes 3-5; Reel 5825; 1 linear foot)

Series 5: Ephemera and Miscellaneous Printed Material, 1832-1904, 1946 (Boxes 5-6, OV 7; Reel 5825; 14 folders)
Biographical/Historical note:
George Catlin was born in 1796 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Although trained as a lawyer, Catlin quit his law practice and moved to Philadelphia in 1823 to begin a career as a portrait painter. He gained membership in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1824, but his career in formal portraiture met with little success. In 1830, Catlin embarked upon his lifetime achievement of documenting the lives, customs, and culture of the declining native American population of the Plains. He spent the next six years traveling, drawing, painting, and writing about the Plains Indians. By 1837, he had amassed enough documentation to hold a major exhibition in New York of Catlin's Indian Gallery of Portraits, Landscapes, Manners and Customs, Costumes, etc. The same exhibition, with an added live show, traveled to London in 1842 and Paris in 1845, where it was met with rave reviews.

Catlin spent the remainder of his life gathering support for the sale of the Indian Gallery to the U.S. Congress. Between 1841 and 1842, at his own expense, Catlin wrote and published his two volume set Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American Indians. He also wrote numerous petitions and "memorials" to Congress, often including statements from national and international reputable supporters, such as Daniel Webster, General Lewis Cass, the Joint Committee on the Library (of Congress), and the American Ambassador to France. The Smithsonian Institution's first Secretary Joseph Henry strongly supported congressional acquisition of Catlin's work and even provided Catlin with a small studio in the Castle building. All of the appeals to the government for the purchase of the collection were, in the end, unsuccessful and Catlin died almost penniless in 1872.
Related Archival Materials note:
The Archives holds several related collections of differing provenances related to George Catlin, including a small collection of manuscripts and drawings microfilmed on reel 1191 related to Catlin's work in marine art and documentation. A microfilmed loan of circa 500 items is also available on reel 3277 of letters between Catlin and Sir Thomas Phillipps, 1840-1860, writings by Catlin and material on Catlin's Indian Gallery, including clippings, catalogs, handbills, invitations, drawings and portrait sketches of native Americans, and printed material; a watercolor sketchbook; a list of paintings; and miscellany. Also found within the Archives is one undated letter microfilmed on reel D8 from Catlin, and a collection of art historian William Truettner's research papers on George Catlin.
Provenance:
The papers of George Catlin were transferred to the Archives of American Art by the Library of the Smithsonian's National Collection of Fine Arts, now the Smithsonian's American Art Museum. Accession records indicate that the papers were once maintained by the Smithsonian's Bureau of Ethnology and were probably part of the orginal 1879 acquisition of Catlin's Indian Gallery by the Smithsonian. Businessman Joseph Harrison rescued the "Indian Gallery" from Catlin's creditors in the 1850s and stored the collection in a Philadelphia warehouse, where it suffered damage from at least two fires before Harrison's widow donated the collection to the Smithsonian.
Restrictions:
A digitized version of the microfilm of this collection is available online via the Archives of American Art website.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Portrait painters  Search this
Painters  Search this
Illustrators  Search this
Ethnological painters  Search this
Topic:
Miniature painters  Search this
Indians of North America -- Portraits  Search this
Ethnological illustrators  Search this
Art and race  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photogravures
Citation:
George Catlin papers, 1821-1946. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.catlgeor
See more items in:
George Catlin papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw901da216a-4af5-4fb1-921e-380885df19ae
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-catlgeor
Online Media:

William Valentine Schevill papers

Creator:
Schevill, William Valentine, 1864-1951  Search this
Names:
Schevill, Ferdinand, 1868-1954 -- Portraits  Search this
Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930  Search this
Extent:
5.3 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
[ca. 1880-1935]
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence; art work, consisting of sketches (including a pencil sketch of Ferdinand Schevill), sketchbooks, drawings, and oil sketches on board; lists of works kept by his wife, Elizabeth Meier Schevill; exhibition announcements; clippings; photographs of Schevill, his family, his work, and his studio/living quarters in Munich, Germany; reference photographs; and printed material. Included in the correspondence is a note from President Taft and a telegram from Princess Irene of Prussia.
Biographical / Historical:
Portrait painter; Cincinnati, Oh., St. Louis, Mo., New York, N.Y., and Munich, Germany. The original spelling of the family name was Schwill. Among Schevill's important sitters are Prince Henry of Prussia, Schevill's brother, the historian Ferdinand Schevill, and President William Howard Taft.
Provenance:
Donated 1996 by Barbara Lawrence (Mrs. William E.) Schevill, daughter-in-law of William V. Schevill and in 1998 by Peter Lawrence, a grandson.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Portrait painters -- Ohio -- Cincinnati  Search this
Portrait painters -- Germany -- Munich  Search this
Function:
Artists' studios -- Germany
Identifier:
AAA.schewill
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e944233b-bb01-4f94-9be9-2749ce9a989d
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-schewill

Laurence B. Goodrich research material relating to Frederick R. Spencer

Creator:
Goodrich, Laurence B., d. 1967  Search this
Names:
Spencer, Frederick R., 1806-1875  Search this
Extent:
0.6 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1962-1967
Scope and Contents:
Subject files generated by Goodrich in the course of writing a book (never published) and compiling an exhibition catalog for the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, N.Y., on painter Frederick R. Spencer. Files contain biographical data, primarily from printed sources; correspondence between Goodrich and galleries, historical societies, individuals, and surviving Spencer family members concerning the Spencer family genealogy, and the provenance of Spencer's paintings; the files on Spencer's paintings contain photographs, correspondence, and data on portrait subjects, and a few original Spencer letters.
Biographical / Historical:
Art historian; New York state. Dr. Goodrich was a professor at State University of New York at Oneonta. Frederick R. Spencer (occasional spelling: Spenser) was a painter and portraitist based in New York City. He became a member of the National Academy in 1838.
Provenance:
The donor, Mrs. W. J. [Vivian G.] Schmidt, Jr., is the daughter of Dr. Laurence Goodrich, and gave the collection in accordance with her mother's wishes. Goodrich died before completing the works on Spencer. The exhibition catalog was finished by the staff at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art historians -- New York (State)  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.goodlaur
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a1ca774d-50de-46d5-adcc-98422679aa96
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-goodlaur

Orland Campbell papers

Creator:
Campbell, Orland, 1890-1972  Search this
Names:
Campbell, Courtney, 1887-1960  Search this
Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826  Search this
Stuart, Gilbert, 1755-1828  Search this
Extent:
3.7 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Scrapbooks
Date:
1843-1977
Scope and Contents:
Papers of Orland Campbell pertain to Campbell's career as a portrait artist and to a Gilbert Stuart portrait of Thomas Jefferson, owned, authenticated, and restored by Orland and his brother, Courtney Campbell. Includes:
biographical material, obituaries and condolences, business correspondence, ca. 1920-1970, subject files, research notes, tyescripts, sketchbooks and sketches, family papers, financial material, photographs of Campbell and works of art, thirteen scrapbooks, two books, and miscellany.
Biographical / Historical:
Portrait painter.
Provenance:
Donated 1980 by Mrs. Elizabeth Wilson, widow of Orland Campbell.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Portrait painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Scrapbooks
Identifier:
AAA.camporla
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b45b5146-c4c3-4317-94b6-61440429938f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-camporla

Mabel Hatt papers

Creator:
Hatt, Mabel K., 1885?-1971  Search this
Extent:
0.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1910-1969
Summary:
The scattered papers of portrait painter Mabel Hatt measure 0.8 linear feet and date from circa 1910 to 1969. Found are artworks, biographical material, correspondence, photographs of works of art, and printed material.
Scope and Contents:
The scattered papers of portrait painter Mabel Hatt measure 0.8 linear feet and date from circa 1910 to 1969. Found are artworks, biographical material, correspondence, photographs of works of art, and printed material.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Mabel Hatt (1885-1971) was a portrait painter in New York City, New York. She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and was the daughter of artist Arthur Hatt. She studied at the Pratt Institute and the National Academy of Design and painted Eleanor Roosevelt and James M. Lundy among many others.
Provenance:
Don Haagen, the son of Mabel Hatt Haagen, donated his mother's papers to the Archives of American Art in 1971.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.hattmabe
See more items in:
Mabel Hatt papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9417f8e61-07a4-4339-99fb-0404ec3e5830
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-hattmabe

Modify Your Search







or


Narrow By