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Yasuo Kuniyoshi papers, 1906-2016, bulk 1920-1990

Creator:
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953  Search this
Type:
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Citation:
Yasuo Kuniyoshi papers, 1906-2016, bulk 1920-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Asian American art  Search this
Asian American artists  Search this
Political clubs  Search this
World War, 1939-1945 -- Japanese Americans  Search this
Japanese American art  Search this
Japanese American artists  Search this
Asian American painters  Search this
Asian American printmakers  Search this
Asian American photographers  Search this
Theme:
Asian American  Search this
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Photography  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9175
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211370
AAA_collcode_kuniyasu
Theme:
Asian American
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Photography
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211370
Online Media:

Frank Duveneck and Elizabeth Boott Duveneck papers, 1851-1972, bulk 1851-1919

Creator:
Duveneck, Frank, 1848-1919  Search this
Duveneck, Elizabeth Boott, Mrs.,, 1846-1888  Search this
Subject:
French, Daniel Chester  Search this
Duveneck, Josephine W. (Josephine Whitney)  Search this
Wessel, Bessie Hoover  Search this
Duveneck, Elizabeth Boott  Search this
Couper, William  Search this
Type:
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Citation:
Frank Duveneck and Elizabeth Boott Duveneck papers, 1851-1972, bulk 1851-1919. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Munich school of painting -- Influence  Search this
Painting, American  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 19th century -- United States  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9348
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211544
AAA_collcode_duvefran
Theme:
Diaries
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211544
Online Media:

John Steuart Curry and Curry family papers, 1848-1999

Creator:
Curry, John Steuart, 1897-1946  Search this
Subject:
Curry, Kathleen  Search this
Type:
Scrapbooks
Video recordings
Photographs
Sketches
Interviews
Citation:
John Steuart Curry and Curry family papers, 1848-1999. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Art -- Technique  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Regionalism  Search this
Muralists -- Wisconsin  Search this
Illustrators -- Wisconsin  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9459
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211657
AAA_collcode_currjohn
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211657
Online Media:

Yasushi Tanaka letters to Frederic C. Torrey, 1963, 1913-1924

Creator:
Tanaka, Yasushi, 1886-1941  Search this
Subject:
Butler, John Davidson  Search this
Cann, Louise Gebhard  Search this
Torrey, Frederic C.  Search this
Citation:
Yasushi Tanaka letters to Frederic C. Torrey, 1963, 1913-1924. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Asian American artists  Search this
Japanese American artists  Search this
Asian American painters  Search this
Theme:
Asian American  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)10832
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)214575
AAA_collcode_tanayasu
Theme:
Asian American
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_214575
Online Media:

Binney & Smith, Inc. Records

Creator:
Binney & Smith, Inc.  Search this
Names:
Binney, Edwin  Search this
Smith, Harold  Search this
Extent:
24 Cubic feet (64 boxes and 1 oversize folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Catalogs
Color charts
Annual reports
Price lists
Newsletters
Photographs
Date:
1897-1998
Summary:
Collection documents Binney & Smith, Inc. creators and manufacturers of Crayola crayons. Includes documentation on 20th century advertising, commercial packaging, commercial imagery, and retail merchandising: newsletters, annual reports, research and development records, color charts, advertising materials, and product information, including catalogs and price lists.
Scope and Contents:
The Binney & Smith Inc. Records, document twentieth century advertising, commercial packaging, commercial imagery, and retail merchandising. They are a major source for research on American consumer culture. This collection is divided into thirteen (13) series.

Series 1:Historical Background, 1956-1994 contains documentation on the corporate history of Binney & Smith, and general background on how crayons are made. The Story of the Rainbow (editions 1947, 1956, and 1961) provide corporate historical highglights and a history of the company. See also Series 5: Newsletters and Publications, 1948-1955 for information about the company.

Series 2: Executive Records, 1897-1995, consists of annual and corporate reports, by-laws, minutes, correspondence, annual reports, stockholder materials and the attempted merger of Binney & Smith by Cheeseborough-Ponds in the early 1970s and the Kellogg Co., ca. 1979.

Series 3: Financial, Sales, and Marketing Records, 1902-1990, consists primarily of sales information and statistics for crayons and other products. The correspondence, 1913-1931, includes documentation on monthly sales with explanations and analysis. Binney & Smith created comparative data on a yearly basis for products and salesmen. The salesmen data, 1919-1932, contains the amount of sales, expenses, percentages, time periods, and increases and decreases in business. Specific salesmen are cited in reports. All of the sales information should be consulted as there is considerable overlap.

Series 4: Employee/Personnel Records, 1917-1993, contains payroll rate books, employee reports and miscellaneous documentation. The payroll rate books include the names of employees and the rate at which they were paid per hour. In some instances it is noted if the employee left the company.

Series 5: Newsletters and Publications, 1948-1995, include newsletters and other publications produced by Binney & Smith, Inc. Arranged alphabetically, this series contains publications intended for both internal distribution such as the Rainbow Insider and external distribution such as the Art Educationist and Drawing Teacher. This series provides valuable information on the history of the company, how it operates, the types of products produced, and the employees. The Art Educationist, formerly known as the Drawing Teacher, which began publication in 1926, was a publication for art teachers that promoted the value of art in schools. It contains editorials, comments from teachers, and suggested art activities.

Series 6: Research and Development Records, 1905-1987, includes a wide variety of materials documenting the Research and Development Department. The bulk of the materials include crayon formulas. Other formulas for products such as chalk exist.

Series 7: Advertising and Marketing Records, 1918-1998, contains several subseries with the bulk of the material being documentation on labeling and packaging. The advertising accounts are arranged chronologically and then within each year, alphabetically by the name of the journal or magazine in which Binney & Smith advertised. The cards provide the name, address, date of contract, date of expiration, space allotted, rate, subject of the ad, and remarks if applicable. Information on distribution and "specials" is available for some years. The promotional materials consist of licensing information, press kits, and printed literature, particularly Promotional Plans which describe the details of each promotion offered for each product along with suggestions for merchandising activities.

Series 8: Catalogs, 1916-1995, and Series 9: Price Lists, 1916-1995, are arranged alphabetically by division within Binney & Smith, Inc. Both series provide documentation on the types of products available to the consumer and costs associated with each product.

Series 10: Product Information, 1918-1995, consists of printed literature on a variety of products produced by Binney & Smith, Inc. The series is arranged alphabetically. The product inventories, 1920-1925, are arranged by product number in sequential order. There are three distinct inventories--those arranged by product number (#1-#7026); those arranged alpha-numerically (#04-#04Y); and those arranged alphabetically.

Series 11: Competitors, 1918-1992, contains published catalogs and advertising of crayon competitors. There is a scrapbook of competitors advertising contains correspondence, product information, advertisements, and newspaper clippings for the American Crayon Co., Art Crayon Co., Botts Mfg., Eberhard Faber Co., Ferst Brothers, Joseph Dixon Crucible Co., Milton-Bradley Co., and National Crayon Co.

Series 12: Photographs and Scrapbooks, circa 1900s-1997, includes several subseries documenting buildings and office spaces,displays, employees and machinery, products, portraits, photo albums, and oversized. The oversized photographs contain some panoramic shots of Binney & Smith company "annual outings." The photograph albums consist of several albums including the Middletown Township Workshop, 1952, an art workshop sponsored by Binney & Smith, Inc. Three albums contain photographs of various construction and expansion projects from the 1960s to 1975. Of note is the photo album containing photographs and newspaper clippings from the 1959 California Pacific Crayon Company fire. Also, there are Binney & Smith company albums, 1949-1976, that document a variety of activities within the company. Each album was photographed by W. H. Milliken, Jr., and specified the location, date, and number of photographs in the album. The albums cover topics such as art shows, trade shows, suppers, dinner parties, office shots, employee anniversaries, and retirement parties. The scrapbooks span the years 1962-1975, and contain both newspaper clippings and some black and white photographs documenting various company activities and its employees.

Series 13: Audio-Visual Materials, circa 1980s-1998, contain two 1/2" VHS tapes documenting the 40th anniversary of the Crayola 64 box and Silly Putty.
Arrangement:
Series 1: Historical Background

Series 2: Executive Records, 1897-1995

Series 3: Financial, Sales, and Marketing Records, 1902-1990

Series 4: Employee/Personnel Records, 1917-1993

Series 5: Newsletters and Publications, 1948-1995

Series 6: Research and Development Records, 1905-1987

Series 7: Advertising and Promotional Records, 1918-1998

Series 8: Catalogs, 1916-1995

Series 9: Price Lists, 1916-1925

Series 10: Product Information, 1918-1925

Series 11: Competitors, 1918-1992

Series 12: Photographs and Scrapbooks, circa 1900s-1997

Series 13: Audiovisual Materials, circa 1980-1998.
Series 1: Historical Background, 1956-1990s

Series 2: Executive Records, 1897-1995

Series 3: Financial, Sales and Marketing Records, 1902-1990

Series 4: Employee and Personnel Records, 1917-1993

Series 5: Newsletters and Publications, 1948-1995

Series 6: Research and Development Records, 1905-1987

Series 7: Advertising and Promotional Records, 1918-1998

Series 8: Catalogs, 1916-1995

Series 9: Price Lists, 1916-1995

Series 10: Product Information, 1918-1995

Series 11: Competitors, 1918-1992

Series 12: Photographs and Scrapbooks, circa 1900s-1997

Series 13: Audio-Visual Materials, circa 1980-1998
Biographical / Historical:
In 1864, Joseph W. Binney (1836-1898), began a small chemical works in Peekskill, New York. He ground and packaged hardwood charcoal and manufactured small quantities of lamp black from whale oil. In 1880, he opened a New York City office taking on his nephew, C. Harold Smith (1860-1931) as a salesman. Later, Joseph Binney's son, Edwin Binney (1866-1934), joined the business. The organization was known as the Peekskill Chemical Co. Joseph W. Binney retired and in May 1885, Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith formed a partnership, Binney & Smith. Their early products included red oxide pigment used in barn paint and carbon for black tires. In 1900, the company began producing slate school pencils in its Easton, Pennsylvania mill. With the assistance of John Ketchum, the owner of a talc mine in North Carolina, Binney began combining old slate waste with cement and the talc supplied by Ketchum to produce slate pencils. Two years later, Binney & Smith introduced their white dustless blackboard chalk, "Au-Du-Septic" and in 1903, the company produced a box of eight crayons, which sold for a nickel. The word "Crayola" coined by Edwin Binney's wife, Alice, comes from "craie" the French word for chalk, and "ola," from oleaginous, meaning oily or pertaining to oil. Binney & Smith's best known product is Crayola crayons. However, its product line now includes: tempera, washable, and fabric paints, Liquitex acrylic paints, Magic Marker, chalk, clay, and Jazzy fashion and craft accessories. Binney & Smith acquired Silly Putty in 1977 and in 1984, became a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, Inc. Products are still manufactured in Easton, Pennsylvania (world headquarters), as well as Mexico, and Indonesia and are available in twelve languages. In 2007, the company changed its name to Crayola LLC.
Separated Materials:
Artifacts were donated to the National Museum of American History, Division of Cultural History (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) on November 18, 1997 and March 15, 1998. The artifacts consist of more than 150 objects, including 79 boxes of Crayola crayons from the 1900s to 1998; 24 boxes of chalk from the 1890s to 1998, 18 art kits; 10 sets of EDU-CARDS from the 1960s and 1970s; and 10 packages of Silly Putty from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Provenance:
This collection was donated to the National Museum of American History, Archives Center on November 18, 1997, by Binney & Smith through Patrick Morris. Additional materials were donated in March 1998, by Binney & Smith through Tracey Muldoon Moran and in February 2000 through Stacy Gabrielle.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Chalk -- 1910-2000  Search this
Crayons -- 1910-2000  Search this
Packaging -- 20th century  Search this
Paint -- 1910-2000  Search this
Genre/Form:
Catalogs -- 1910-2000
Color charts -- 1910-2000
Annual reports -- 20th century
Price lists
Newsletters -- 20th century
Photographs -- 20th century
Citation:
Binney & Smith, Inc., Records, 1897-1998, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0624
See more items in:
Binney & Smith, Inc. Records
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep83d89efad-4f9c-4716-a7f1-c91baf2fab5e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0624
Online Media:

“Lessons Learned from the Civil War” with Eleanor Jones Harvey - Summer Institutes Keynote Address

Creator:
Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this
Type:
Conversations and talks
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2014-09-17T20:12:40.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
See more by:
americanartmuseum
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
YouTube Channel:
americanartmuseum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_zOgNeomiRqM

Oral history interview with Constance Lebrun Crown and David Lebrun

Interviewee:
Crown, Constance Lebrun  Search this
Lebrun, David  Search this
Interviewer:
Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this
Names:
Baskin, Leonard, 1922-2000  Search this
Lebrun, Rico, 1900-1964  Search this
Warshaw, Howard  Search this
Extent:
64 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1974 November 23
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Constance Lebrun Crown and David Lebrun conducted 1974 November 23, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.
Constance Lebrun Crown and David Lebrun speak of Rico Lebrun; living in Mexico, Los Angeles, and New Haven, and traveling to Italy. Both speak of Lebrun's work methods, and daily habits; subject matter that inspired him; his mural paintings; and images of suffering in Lebrun's work. They recall Howard Warshaw and Leonard Baskin.
Biographical / Historical:
Constance Lebrun Crown (1916-2010) was the wife of the sculptor and painter Rico Lebrun (b. Naples, Italy, 1900, d. Malibu, California, 1964). David Lebrun is their son.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav file. Duration is 1 hr., 32 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art teachers -- California  Search this
Topic:
Sculptors  Search this
Italian American artists  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.crown74
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw95a78573e-5ddf-4d3e-8d4b-37938576641a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-crown74
Online Media:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers

Creator:
Parsons, Betty  Search this
Names:
Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this
Bess, Forrest, 1911-1977  Search this
Congdon, William, 1912-1998  Search this
Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this
Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this
Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this
Extent:
61.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Interviews
Video recordings
Drawings
Date:
1916-1991
bulk 1946-1983
Summary:
The Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers measure 61.1 linear feet and date from 1916 to 1991, with the bulk of the material dating from 1946-1983. Records provide extensive documentation of the gallery's operations from its inception in 1946 to its closing in 1983 and of the activities of Betty Parsons as one the leading art dealers of contemporary American Art in the latter half of the twentieth century, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists. Over one third of the of the collection is comprised of artists files containing correspondence, price lists, and printed materials. Additional correspondence is with galleries, dealers, art institutions, private collectors, and the media. Also found are exhibition files, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales records, stock inventories, personal financial records, and photographs. Betty Parsons's personal papers consist of early curatorial files, pocket diaries, personal correspondence, and evidence of her own artwork, including sketchbooks, and files documenting her personal art collection.
Scope and Content Note:
The Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers measure 61.1 linear feet and date from 1916 to 1991, with the bulk of the material dating from 1946-1983. Records provide extensive documentation of the gallery's operations from its inception in 1946 to its closing in 1983 and of the activities of Betty Parsons as one the leading art dealers of contemporary American Art in the latter half of the twentieth century, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists. Over one third of the of the collection is comprised of artists files containing correspondence, price lists, and printed materials. Additional correspondence is with galleries, dealers, art institutions, private collectors, and the media. Also found are exhibition files, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales records, stock inventories, personal financial records, and photographs. Betty Parsons's personal papers consist of early curatorial files, pocket diaries, personal correspondence, and evidence of her own artwork, including sketchbooks, and files documenting her personal art collection. Personal papers also include personal photographs.

Artists files, the largest and most extensive series, consist of a wide variety of documents, including biographical materials, correspondence with or related to the artist, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales and expense invoices, clippings, price lists, and photographs of the artist, exhibitions, and artwork. The files reflect Parsons's close personal relationships with certain artists, particularly Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, and Barnett Newman. Extensive documentation is also found for Forrest Bess, William Congdon, Paul Feeley, Thomas George, Alexander Liberman, Seymour Lipton, Richard Pousette-Dart, Jesse Reichek, and Jack Youngerman. Historians and researchers will find these files to be an invaluable resource both in tracing Betty Parsons's role in promoting Abstract Expressionism and researching individual artists.

Exhibition files primarily document the gallery's infrequent group or themed exhibitions. Of particular note are the files on The Ideographic Picture, which was organized by Barnett Newman and included his work, as well as that of Pietro Lazzari, Boris Margo, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Theodoros Stamos, and Clyfford Still. Price lists, artist biographies and exhibition schedules are housed in the general exhibition files. Loan exhibition files provide documentation of artwork borrowed by other galleries or institutions for exhibitions, as well as shows outside of the gallery that were organized by Betty Parsons. Also found are gallery exhibition guest books, and announcements and catalogs.

Gallery correspondence is primarily with galleries and dealers, museums, arts organizations, and collectors. Scattered letters from artists are also found, although the bulk of the artists' correspondence is filed in the Artists Files. Also found here are memoranda and letters between Betty Parsons and her staff that contain detailed information concerning Parsons's schedule and gallery activities. Similar correspondence is found amongst the correspondence files within the series Betty Parsons papers.

Appraisal and conservation files include correspondence, appraisal invoices, forms, and appraisal requests and other information from the Art Dealers Association of America, and conservation invoices and reports. The majority of the appraisal records contain information about the specific works of art, including artist, title, date, current owner and the estimated value at the time of the request. Conservation records document conservation treatments undertaken by outside conservators to gallery stock.

Sales, purchases, stock and inventory are well documented in the sales and inventory records. The records provide detailed information about individual sales, prices of individual pieces of artwork, consignments, and loans. Most sales records also include detailed information about the buyer and are a valuable resource for provenance research. Files documenting the general administration, routine business operations, and financial transactions (not individual sales) of the gallery are housed in the general business and financial records. These records include ledgers, receipts, tax records, and banking records. There is some limited information about works of art scattered amongst the receipts and in the "in/out slips" files. Legal records house general legal documents and those concerning specific lawsuits. Of particular note is the file detailing the lawsuit between Betty Parsons and Sidney Janis over the fifth floor of 24 West 57th Street.

The remainder of the collection consists of Betty Parsons's personal papers which document her career prior to opening her own gallery, her work as an artist, and her personal art collection.

Some information about Parsons's work prior to opening her own gallery is found in the early curatorial files she retained from her curatorial and administrative work at the Wakefield Gallery and the Mortimer Brandt Gallery. Clippings, correspondence, announcements, exhibition lists and exhibition files are found. For both positions, she kept only the exhibition files for a small group of exhibitions organized around a specific theme, the most notable being the exhibition of Pre-Columbian Sculpture at the Wakefield Gallery.

Biographical materials include copies of her biography, family genealogies, photographs of Parsons, interviews with Colette Roberts and WYNC radio, memberships, photographs, and ephemera, including a collection of programs and invitations from events that she attended. Throughout her life Parsons gave generously of her time to various cultural and charitable institutions and was awarded for her contributions. There are also a number of files that document her speaking engagements, her participation as a juror in numerous juried exhibitions, charitable work, and awards that she received.

Parsons's personal correspondence files reflect how deeply Parsons's life was intertwined with the gallery. There are letters from museum directors, dealers, artists seeking representation, and personal letters from artists with whom she had close personal relationships, most notably Larry Bigelow, Alexander Calder, William Condon, and Ad Reinhardt. There are also letters from the English artist Adge Baker, with whom Parsons was romantically involved. Correspondence also includes several files of postcards and Christmas cards.

Pocket diaries and engagement calendars, spanning from 1933-1981, record social engagements, meetings, vacations, and telephone numbers. Also found are circa two linear feet of notebooks and sketchbooks, many of which are annotated with addresses, poetry, journal entries, and other observations of people, places, and travels. Writings by others include writings about Betty Parsons or the Betty Parsons Gallery, such as Lawrence Alloway's unpublished typescript titled "An American Gallery" and other topics.

Printed material consists of exhibition announcements and catalogs, art magazines, and newspaper and magazine clippings about Betty Parsons, her family and acquaintances, artists, and other art related topics, coupled with a miscellaneous selection of clippings, and a video recording, on topics that presumably captured Parsons's attention.

Personal art work records document Betty Parsons's career as an artist through inventories, group and solo exhibitions files, price lists, appraisals, sales and consignment invoices. Photographs are primarily reproductions of her works of art, although there are scattered photographs of exhibition installations.

Betty Parsons's private art collection files document her extensive personal collection of art that included works by Jackson Pollock, Agnes Martin, Romare Bearden, Barnett Newman, and Mark Rothko, in addition to Amlash sculpture from ancient Persia and primitive sculpture from New Hebrides. These files include inventories, lists, exhibition records, sales and purchase invoices, and photographs. There are also files for donations and loans from Parsons's personal collection to museums and fund raising auctions for several non-profit institutions.

Finally, the personal financial records provide information about the Parsons's family finances and her personal financial success as an art dealer. In addition to her own investments, Parsons inherited shares in family investments through the estates of her parents, J. Fred Pierson, Jr. and Suzanne Miles Pierson, and younger sister, Emily Rayner. Real estate files include correspondence, utility bills, receipts, area maps, and land plots for houses in Sheepscot, Maine and St. Maartens, Netherlands Antilles. Tax returns, ledger worksheets, receipts, banking statements, deposit slips, and cancelled checks are among the other financial records.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as seven series. Many of the series are further divided into subseries.

Missing Title

Series 1: Artists Files, 1935-1983 (19.4 linear feet; Boxes 1-18, 51, 55-56, OVs 53, 65)

Series 2: Exhibition Files, 1941-1983 (2.9 linear feet; Boxes 18-21, 51, 55, OVs 54, 66)

Series 3: Correspondence Files, 1941-1983 (3.9 linear feet; Boxes 21-24, 52, 56)

Series 4: Appraisal Files, 1954-1983 (0.7 linear feet; Box 24)

Series 5: Sales and Inventory Records, 1946-1983 (3.9 linear feet; Boxes 25-28, 51)

Series 6: General Business and Financial Records, 1946-1983 (9.3 linear feet; Boxes 28-38, 51, 56)

Series 7: Betty Parsons Personal Papers, 1916-1991 (21 linear feet; Boxes 38-51, 55-64, OVs 65-67)
Historical Note:
Betty Parsons (1900-1982) was one of the leading art dealers in New York City specializing in modern art, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists, and an abstract painter and sculptor in her own right. She opened Betty Parsons Gallery in 1946 at 15 E. 57th St., later moving to 24 W. 57th St.

The history of the Betty Parsons Gallery is inextricably bound to the life and experiences of its founder. Betty Parsons was born Betty Bierne Pierson on January 31, 1900 in New York City. She enjoyed a privileged childhood, which included vacation homes in Newport and Palm Beach. Her only formal education was a five-year stint at the prestigious Chapin School from 1910-1915, where she met many of the women who would become life-long friends and supporters. In the spring of 1920, she married Schuyler Livingston Parsons from one of New York's oldest families. The marriage ended after only three years and the couple traveled to Paris where they could obtain a divorce on the grounds of incompatibility. She retained her married surname and purchased a house on the rue Boulard in Paris, where she remained for ten years, pursuing studies in painting and sculpture.

Financial constraints forced Parsons to return to the United States in 1933. She first traveled west to California, but it was her return to New York in 1935 that marked the start of her career as an art dealer. Her first opportunity to connect with the New York art world came after a successful exhibition of her watercolors at the Midtown Galleries where the owner, Alan Gruskin, noted Parson's faithful and wealthy group of supporters and offered her work installing exhibitions and selling paintings on commission. Her work for the Midtown Galleries led to a second position in the Park Avenue gallery of Mary Sullivan, one of the founders of the Museum of Modern Art. Here, Parsons learned the business of running a gallery. By 1940 Parsons was ready to take on more independent responsibility and agreed to manage a gallery within the Wakefield Bookshop. In this job, she exercised full curatorial control by selecting artists and organizing exhibitions. She championed then unknown contemporary American artists and the gallery's roster soon included Saul Steinberg, Hedda Sterne, Alfonso Ossorio, Joseph Cornell, Walter Murch, and Theodore Stamos. Although the majority of the exhibitions were solo shows, there were a few group shows and themed exhibitions, such as Love in Art (1941) and Ballet in Art (1942). Under Parson's direction, the gallery hosted an important exhibition of Pre-Columbian sculpture, curated by Barnett Newman.

When the owners of the Wakefield Bookshop decided to close the gallery late in 1944, Mortimer Brandt, a dealer who specialized in Old Master paintings and drawings, offered her a position as head of the newly created contemporary section of his gallery. Many of the artists who had shown with Parsons at the Wakefield Gallery followed her to her new gallery, where they were joined by Ad Reinhardt, Boris Mango, and Hans Hofmann. While the exhibitions garnered attention from the press and the interest of contemporary artists, the contemporary section was not a financial success and Brandt opted to close his gallery in 1946.

Using $1000 of her own money and an additional borrowed $4000, Parsons sublet the space that previously housed Mortimer Brandt's contemporary section, on the fifth floor of 15 East 57th Street, and opened the Betty Parsons Gallery.

In many respects the early years of the Betty Parsons Gallery were the most vital, as it was during the period of 1947-1951 that the gallery became linked with the Abstract Expressionists and the history of post-WWII American Art. In an unpublished history of the gallery, noted art critic Lawrence Alloway stated that the significance of the gallery's early exhibitions ranks with Durand-Ruel's Impressionists exhibitions or Kahnweiler's shows of the Cubists. Betty Parsons Gallery quickly became one of the most prestigious galleries in New York City associated with new American Art of all styles. Her close friend Barnett Newman organized the gallery's inaugural exhibition of Northwest Coast Indian Art and he soon began to exhibit his own work at the gallery. When Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century Gallery closed, Jackson Pollock, Clyfford Still, and Mark Rothko joined Parsons' growing stable of artists. Although Parsons continued to promote and exhibit many of the artists whom she had previously discovered, these four artists dominated this period. Newman, Pollock, Still, and Rothko worked closely together, holding themselves apart from the other artists somewhat. They were actively involved in the curatorial process and often hung their own shows. For these artists, the exhibition itself was an artistic act of creation.

Parsons provided a supportive environment and allowed her artists enormous freedom in planning and designing their exhibitions. She was not, however, an aggressive salesperson. During this early period the gallery ledgers document sales to an impressive array of museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as important collectors such as Edward Root and Duncan Phillips. Nevertheless, the art that the gallery promoted was not yet widely accepted. Sales were few, prices were low and the business would not turn a profit for several years. Meanwhile, there was mounting pressure from Pollock, Newman, Still, and Rothko to drop some of the other artists from Parsons' stable and focus all resources on them. They wanted to be promoted to a larger audience and have their work sold at higher prices, but Parsons enjoyed discovering new artists and did not want to be restricted in this endeavor. The year 1951 marks the last time that Pollock's drip paintings or the monumental works of Newman, Rothko or Still were shown at the Betty Parsons Gallery.

In the following years the Betty Parsons Gallery continued to attract a diverse group of talented artists. Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Tuttle, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jack Youngerman had their first New York exhibitions at the Betty Parsons Gallery. Parsons opened Section Eleven in 1958, a short-lived annex to the main gallery, so that she could promote younger, less well-known artists. It closed in 1960 due to the administrative difficulties in running two essentially separate galleries.

In 1962, Sidney Janis, another prominent art dealer, started proceedings to evict Parsons from the floor that they shared on 15 East 57th Street. The Betty Parsons Gallery moved to 24 West 57th Street in 1963, where it remained until it closed in 1983, following Parsons' death the preceding year. Throughout the gallery's history, Parsons continued to promote faithful artists such as Hedda Sterne and Saul Steinberg, who had been with her from the beginning and to seek out new talent, both for her main gallery and for other venues, such as the short-lived Parsons-Truman Gallery, which she opened in 1974 with former Parsons Gallery director Jock Truman to show works on paper by emerging artists.

In addition to being an art dealer, Betty Parsons was a respected artist and collector. With her connoisseur's eye and connections, Parsons amassed an impressive private collection of art. She bought her first piece while an art student in Paris in the 1920s, a small gouache by Zadkine, but did not begin acquiring works in earnest until she was established as an art dealer. Partial inventories of her personal collection show that the majority of her collection contained works by artists associated with the gallery. Mark Rothko, Hans Hofmann, Ad Reinhardt, Agnes Martin, and Kenzo Okada were among the artists represented. Many were gifts from the artists, such as an ink drawing by Jackson Pollock, inscribed "For Betty." Selections from her collection appeared in small museums across the United States, including a traveling exhibition organized by Fitch College, New York, in 1968. In her role as a promoter of contemporary American art, Parsons lent generously from her collection, particularly to the federal Art in the Embassies Program. Throughout her life she also donated works to a variety of museums, most notably, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark.

Parsons frequently claimed that her desire to pursue a career as an artist stemmed from a visit to the Armory Show when she was thirteen. In her late teens, after pressuring her father for art lessons, she studied with the sculptor Gutzon Burglum of Mount Rushmore fame. In Paris, she continued her studies first with Antoine Bourdelle, whose sculptures she had admired at the Armory Show, and later with Ossip Zadkine. The first exhibition of her work, figurative watercolors and sculptures, took place in Paris in 1927. As she matured as an artist, her art became more abstract. Her late works were painted wood sculptures that she pieced together from wood that she found near her studio in Long Island. Parsons's work was exhibited in more than thirty solo exhibitions, including, Betty Parsons; Paintings, Gouaches and Sculpture, 1955-1968, at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. During her lifetime, she would not allow her works to be shown in her own gallery. Shortly after she died of a stroke in 1982, In Memoriam, Betty Parsons: Late Sculptures, opened at the Betty Parsons Gallery.
Related Material:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are oral history interviews with Betty Parsons, June 4-9, 1969, by Paul Cummings, and June 11, 1981 by Gerald Silk.
Separated Material:
Some of the material originally loaned for microfilming in 1968 and 1969 was not included in later donations and can be viewed on microfilm reels N68/62-N68/74 and N69/105-N69/106. Loaned materials are not described in the container listing in this finding aid.
Provenance:
The gallery donated some records in 1974, many of which had been loaned earlier for microfilming. The bulk of the collection was donated in 1984 and 1986 by William Rayner and Christopher Schwabacher, executors of the Estate of Betty Parsons. Additional material was donated by William Rayner in 1998 and Christopher Schwabacher in 2017. Additional material was donated in 2018 by the Lee Hall estate via Carolyn Crozier and Deborah Jacobson, co-executors. Hall was Parsons's biographer and had the material in her possession at the time of Parsons's death. An additional photograph of Parons and Marie Carr Taylor by Henri Cartier-Bresson was donated in 2021 by Mary Carpenter, who inherited the photograph from her mother, Nan Thorton Jones, who received it as a gift from Taylor.
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.

Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
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:
Gallery owners -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women art dealers  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Abstract expressionist  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Interviews
Video recordings
Drawings
Citation:
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.parsbett
See more items in:
Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw956c1036f-b673-4dc1-8c1b-cde0bd641c60
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-parsbett
1 Page(s) matching your search term, top most relevant are shown: View entire project in transcription center
  • View Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers digital asset number 1
Online Media:

Barbara Aubin papers, circa 1949-2006

Creator:
Aubin, Barbara, 1928-2014  Search this
Subject:
Kucera, Kathryn  Search this
Art Institute of Chicago. School  Search this
Type:
Scrapbooks
Video recordings
Citation:
Barbara Aubin papers, circa 1949-2006. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)17365
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)381310
AAA_collcode_aubibarb
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_381310

Interview with Alton Pickens

Creator:
Pickens, Alton, 1917-1991  Search this
Fortess, Karl E. (Karl Eugene), 1907-1993  Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1976 April 17
Citation:
Alton Pickens and Karl E. (Karl Eugene) Fortess. Interview with Alton Pickens, 1976 April 17. Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)14035
See more items in:
Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_14035

Interview with Andrew Stasik

Creator:
Stasik, Andrew J., 1932-  Search this
Fortess, Karl E. (Karl Eugene), 1907-1993  Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1975 September 15
Citation:
Andrew J. Stasik and Karl E. (Karl Eugene) Fortess. Interview with Andrew Stasik, 1975 September 15. Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)14081
See more items in:
Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_14081

Interview with Joseph Solman

Creator:
Solman, Joseph, 1909-2008  Search this
Fortess, Karl E. (Karl Eugene), 1907-1993  Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1971 December 21
Citation:
Joseph Solman and Karl E. (Karl Eugene) Fortess. Interview with Joseph Solman, 1971 December 21. Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Painters  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)19618
See more items in:
Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_19618

Interview with Al Held

Creator:
Held, Al, 1928-2005  Search this
Fortess, Karl E. (Karl Eugene), 1907-1993  Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1975 July 11
Citation:
Al Held and Karl E. (Karl Eugene) Fortess. Interview with Al Held, 1975 July 11. Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Painters  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)19663
See more items in:
Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_19663

Vera Berdich papers

Creator:
Berdich, Vera, 1915-2003  Search this
Names:
Art Institute of Chicago  Search this
Art Institute of Chicago. School  Search this
Extent:
3 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Date:
circa 1912-1990
bulk 1947-1989
Summary:
The papers of Vera Berdich measure 3 linear feet and date from circa 1912-1990, with the bulk from 1947-1989. The papers document Berdich's career through biographical material; correspondence with friends, family, artists, universities, and galleries; writings which include sabattical notes and statements on printmaking; exhibition and professional files; financial records; printed materials, artwork; photographs and slides.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Vera Berdich measure 3 linear feet and date from circa 1912-1990, with the bulk from 1947-1989. The papers document Berdich's career as a printmaker and educator through biographical material such as resumes; personal correspondence consisting of letters, some of which are illustrated, from friends, colleagues, and family, including Barbara Aubin, Kathleen Blackshear, Whitney Halstead, Thomas Kapsalis, Kathryn Kucera, Denis Loy, Ethel Spears, Lynn Webster and Berdich's sisters and cousins; professional correspondence from galleries and museums including the Art Insitute of Chigago, the George Binet Gallery (N.Y.C.), the Yamada Gallery (Japan), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Illinois Arts Council. Writings include notes from her sabbatical in San Francisco and on various pieces of her artwork for an unnamed book project. Other writings by Berdich include statements on the printmaking techniques photo etching, clichés verres, and gum printing and a syllabus for an etching class. Writings by others include a transcript of a radio review of one of Berdich's exhibitions. Also found are exhibition files, professional files that document Berdich's involvement at different art institutions and organizations such the Art Institute of Chicago and it's affiliated college and personal business records. The papers also include printed material such as exhibition catalogs and newsclippings related to Berdich's exhibitions as well as select galleries, exhibitions and topics of interest such as women in the arts; four sketchbooks; and photographs of Berdich, her friends, family, other artists and works of art. A majority of the photographs are annotated on the back. Additionally, the series contains slides of Verdich's artwork over the years.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nine series

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1942-1983 (0.1 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1947-1989 (1.4 Linear feet: Box 1-2)

Series 3: Writings, 1960-1985 (0.1 Linear feet: Box 2)

Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1963-1982 (0.1 Linear feet: Box 2)

Series 5: Professional Files, 1946-1989 (0.2 Linear feet: Box 2)

Series 6: Personal Business, circa 1950-1990 (0.1 Linear feet: Box 2)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1943-1989 (0.7 Linear feet: Box 2-3)

Series 8: Artwork, 1957-1965 (0.1 Linear feet: Box 3)

Series 9: Photographic Material, circa 1912-1989 (0.4 Linear feet: Box 3)
Biographical / Historical:
Vera Berdich (1915–2003) was a printmaker and educator from Chicago, Illinois. Growing up, Berdich and her family moved frequently, often settling down in areas with a close proximity to nature which would go on to inspire Berdich's work. Following grammar school Berdich went on to study at the School of the Art Institute (SAIC) graduating with a BA in 1946. A year later Berdich was hired by SAIC, where she founded the printmaking department and continued teaching until she retired in 1979. As a professor, Berdich formed important relationships with fellow professors Kathleen Blackshear and Whitney Halstead.

Over the course of her career Berdich exhibited at galleries and museums throughout the United States and in Europe, such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1979 SAIC held a retrospective exhibition of her work. Her prints can be found in the collections of a number of institutions including the Library of Congress, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Provenance:
Donated 1992 by Vera Berdich.
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. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Art teachers -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Educators -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Printmakers -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Citation:
Vera Berdich Papers, circa 1912-1990, bulk 1947-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.berdvera
See more items in:
Vera Berdich papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93b3376aa-2ae1-4beb-9dfd-813a10fedf9d
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-berdvera

Interview with Elaine de Kooning

Creator:
De Kooning, Elaine, 1918-1989  Search this
Fortess, Karl E. (Karl Eugene), 1907-1993  Search this
Subject:
De Kooning, Elaine  Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1971 March 12
Citation:
Elaine De Kooning and Karl E. (Karl Eugene) Fortess. Interview with Elaine de Kooning, 1971 March 12. Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)16818
See more items in:
Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_16818

Interview with James Weeks

Creator:
Weeks, James, 1922-1998  Search this
Fortess, Karl E. (Karl Eugene), 1907-1993  Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1971 November 13
Citation:
James Weeks and Karl E. (Karl Eugene) Fortess. Interview with James Weeks, 1971 November 13. Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)22406
See more items in:
Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_22406

Interview with Philip Guston

Creator:
Guston, Philip, 1913-  Search this
Fortess, Karl E. (Karl Eugene), 1907-1993  Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1966 April 24
Citation:
Philip Guston and Karl E. (Karl Eugene) Fortess. Interview with Philip Guston, 1966 April 24. Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)21144
See more items in:
Karl E. Fortess interviews with artists, circa 1963-1985
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_21144

Beatrice S. Levy papers

Creator:
Levy, Beatrice S. (Beatrice Sophia), 1892-1974  Search this
Names:
Chicago Society of Artists  Search this
Chicago Society of Etchers  Search this
Extent:
4.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1890-1994
Summary:
The Beatrice S. Levy papers measure 4.2 linear feet and date from 1890-1994. The collection comprises biographical material that includes family and personal letters, awards and certificates, donation records, and biographical statements; 45 diaries and notes detailing Levy's daily life in and out of the studio; professional files consists of correspondence, business records, and files for the Chicago Society of Artists and Chicago Society of Etchers; printed materials include clippings relating to Art News and Levy's work, exhibition catalogs and announcements; photographs of Levy and friends, family and travel in 4 albums, as well as photographs used as source material; and artwork including portraits of friends, prints and sketches, and sketchbooks.
Scope and Contents:
The Beatrice S. Levy papers measure 4.2 linear feet and date from 1890-1994. The collection comprises biographical material that includes family and personal letters, awards and certificates, donation records, and biographical statements; 45 diaries and notes detailing Levy's daily life in and out of the studio; professional files consists of correspondence, business records, and files for the Chicago Society of Artists and Chicago Society of Etchers; printed materials include clippings relating to Art News and Levy's work, exhibition catalogs and announcements; photographs of Levy and friends, family and travel in 4 albums, as well as photographs used as source material; and artwork including portraits of friends, prints and sketches, and sketchbooks.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 6 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1910s-circa 1974 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1, OV 7)

Series 2: Diaries and Notes, circa 1906-1972 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 3: Professional Files, 1910s-1994 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1890-1985 (0.4 linear feet; Box 2)

Series 5: Photographic Material, 1894-circa 1950s (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 3, 6)

Series 6: Artwork, 1900s-1960s (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 4-6, OVs 8-9)
Biographical / Historical:
Beatrice S. Levy (1892-1974) was an etcher in Chicago, Ill. and La Jolla, Calif. Levy studied at the Art Institute of Chicago under Ralph Clarkson and with Charles W. Hawthorne in Provincetown, Massachusetts. She had a studio in Chicago's 57th Street Art Colony. Her work was exhibited at the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition (1915), the Century of Progress in Chicago (1933-1934), and the New York's World's Fair (1939). Levy was President of the Chicago Society of Artists, Supervisor of the Works Progress Administration Art Project Gallery, and Supervisor of the Easel Painting Division in 1936 for the Federal Art Project. In 1950 she moved to California, where she taught at the La Jolla Museum School of Arts and Crafts (1961-1962) and continued to exhibit her work.
Provenance:
The Beatrice S. Levy papers were donated in 2018 and 2023 by Heather Peck, granddaughter of Dorothy Stratton, a friend of Beatrice Levy. Material microfilmed on reel 4190 (frames 773-1023) was originally part of a larger collection of material given to the University of Louisville (Kentucky) by Samuel Steinfeld, a cousin of Beatrice Levy. The University of Louisville transferred this group of papers to the Art Institute of Chicago, who in turn donated them to the Archives of American Art in 1986. Samuel Steinfeld donated additional material on reel 4190 (frames 1024-1311) in 1986.
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:
Etchers -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Art teachers -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Engravers -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California  Search this
Citation:
Beatrice S. Levy papers, 1890-1994. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.levybeat
See more items in:
Beatrice S. Levy papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f8abb4e5-348f-43e9-b677-abc37752bfea
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-levybeat

Oral history interview with Georgia M. Jessup

Interviewee:
Jessup, Georgia Mills, 1926-2016  Search this
Names:
Carver Theater (Washington, DC)  Search this
Dale, Almore M., 1911-1984  Search this
Jessup, Georgia Mills, 1926-2016  Search this
Mayo, James E.  Search this
Prue, Alvin Eugene  Search this
Thomas, Larry Erskine  Search this
Collection Creator:
Anacostia Community Museum  Search this
Extent:
1 Sound cassette
Type:
Archival materials
Sound cassettes
Oral histories (document genres)
Place:
Anacostia (Washington, D.C.)
Date:
1991 July 24
Scope and Contents note:
Georgia Mills Jessup discusses how she came to serve as an artist-in-residence for the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now Anacostia Community Museum). She recalls how the museum became a central gathering point and source of pride for Anacostia neighborhood residents, how it provided historical exhibits and education that were locally relevant, and how it generally brought positive attention to the area. She describes John Kinard's leadership, devotion, and engagement with the neighborhood and the museum. She also describes how many of her artist friends appreciated the exhibition space and designers, and how many wanted to become involved in supporting or exhibiting artwork at the museum. The interview was recorded on July 17, 1991. There is background noise which muffles the audio at some points, but the interview can generally be heard clearly throughout the recording.

Exhibitions mentioned: The Rat: Man's Invited Affliction, Blacks in the Westward Movement.
Biographical / Historical:
Georgia Mills Jessup (1926-2016) was born in Washington DC. She earned a BA in art from Howard University in 1959, and an MFA from Catholic University of America in 1969. She became an art teacher and art administrator in DC public schools, and taught at Eliot Junior High School, Eastern and Western High Schools, and Sidwell Friends School. She held a solo show at The Potter's House in 1964 and became the first artist-in-residence for the Anacostia Community Museum in 1968. In the 1970s, she became Supervisor of Art for the DC public schools. She received awards from the Research Club of Washington, DC, the Urban League, and the American Red Cross. She passed away in Columbia, Maryland on December 24, 2016. 
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, which includes approximately 100 interviews of residents and influential people of the Anacostia area of Washington, DC.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Genre/Form:
Oral histories (document genres)
Collection Citation:
ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
ACMA.09-034, Item AV001619
See more items in:
ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project
Archival Repository:
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa78632c26b-ad6e-41d3-8444-22402eafb005
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-acma-09-034-ref181

Oral history interview with Joseph Falletta

Interviewee:
Falletta, Joseph  Search this
Names:
Brooklyn Museum of Art  Search this
Carver Theater (Washington, DC)  Search this
Pratt Institute  Search this
School of Visual Arts (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Falletta, Joseph  Search this
Ripley, S. Dillon (Sidney Dillon), 1913-2001  Search this
Collection Creator:
Anacostia Community Museum  Search this
Extent:
1 Sound cassette (original)
1 Sound cassette (copy)
Type:
Archival materials
Sound cassettes
Oral histories (document genres)
Place:
Anacostia (Washington, D.C.)
Date:
1991 July 22
Scope and Contents note:
Joseph Falletta describes the early days of the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now Anacostia Community Museum), where he served as an art teacher and exhibit designer. He recalls working to prepare the original site, the Carver Theater, for opening, and how the residents of the neighborhood came to know and trust the museum's leadership. He talks about the silk-screening and illustration classes he taught for inner city youth. He discusses the museum's relationship to the Smithsonian Institution in the early days, and the influence of the museum over time. 

The interview was conducted on July 22, 1991. The audio quality is clear throughout the recording.

Exhibition mentioned: The Rat: Man's Invited Affliction.
Biographical / Historical:
Joseph Falletta was an artist and teacher who worked for the Anacostia Community Museum from 1967 to 1969. He worked on exhibit design and taught silk-screening and illustration classes to inner city youth. 
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, which includes approximately 100 interviews of residents and influential people of the Anacostia area of Washington, DC.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Topic:
Vietnam War, 1961-1975  Search this
Genre/Form:
Oral histories (document genres)
Collection Citation:
ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
ACMA.09-034, Item AV001527, AV001678
See more items in:
ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project
Archival Repository:
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa70df97527-4a28-4494-8904-cd98fbcf7064
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-acma-09-034-ref31

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