The papers of Cincinnati art historian, museum director, and Audubon and Peale scholar, Edward H. Dwight (1919-1981), measure 20.4 linear feet and date from 1821-2001, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950-1979. Dwight's papers include biographical material, writings by Dwight, and research files on John James Audubon, Raphaelle Peale, and others, documenting Dwight's extensive contribution to the study of American painting, particularly naturalist, portrait, and still-life painting.
There is a 1.8 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection that includes Peale research material consiting of a catalog; correspondence, including letters related to Raphael Peale an C.C. Seller's miniatures; photographs, negatives and transparencies; printed material; catalog and accessioning informatino reagaring works of art; and writings by Dwight. Materials date from circa 1930-2001.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Cincinnati art historian, museum director, and Audubon and Peale scholar, Edward H. Dwight (1919-1981), measure 20.4 linear feet and date from 1821-2001, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950-1979. Dwight's papers include biographical material, writings by Dwight, and research files on John James Audubon, Raphaelle Peale, and others, documenting Dwight's extensive contribution to the study of American painting, particularly naturalist, portrait, and still life painting.
Dwight's biographical material includes two address books, a calendar, a small amount of personal correspondence including letters and postcards from Schomer and Ruth Lichtner, and printed material documenting his work as a museum curator and director.
Writings and notes include correspondence about Dwight's writings, drafts and typescripts of articles on Audubon and other artists, and lecture notes.
The bulk of the collection comprises Dwight's research material on Audubon and includes correspondence related to his research with scholars, collectors, publications, museums, and libraries, including: the American Museum of Natural History, the Audubon Society, the Cincinnati Historical Society, the Louisiana State Museum, Annie R. coffin, Waldemar H. Fries, John Francis McDermott, and the collections of G. Edmund Gifford, Jr., Paul F. Laning, and Morris Tyler.
Copies of Audubon's correspondence, including letters from Audubon's father-in-law, Benjamin Bakewell, son Victor G. Audubon, and grandchildren, form a substantial portion of Dwight's research files. Notes and card files reflecting Dwight's research by categories such as life event, activity, geographical area, and subject of study, further illuminate his research and provide cross references to the Audubon letters and other material.
Data compiled and supplemented with reproductions of Audubon's artwork forms another substantial portion of Dwight's research, and provides detailed information about individual Audubon works and works attributed to him.
Dwight's subject files on Audubon house collated research on individuals, subjects, and events that intersected with Audubon's life and work, as well as Audubon research from other sources and scholars. They include copies of documents, such as the journal of Audubon collaborator John G Bell, and a scrapbook of granddaughter, Maria Audubon; documents relating to Audubon collaborators such as John Bachman and Maria Martin; material related to collections of Audubon's work; and information concerning editions of his prints, such as the Havell Edition, engraved and hand-colored by the firm of Robert Havell Sr. and Jr. in the 1830s.
Printed material used by Dwight in his research includes original American newspapers, from states including New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, dating from 1821 to the 1870s, which include articles on Audubon, as well as later magazines, journals, catalogs, and news clippings on Audubon. A small number of photographs, slide transparencies, and negatives of Audubon's artwork can be found at the end of the series.
Dwight's research material on Raphaelle Peale, Charles Willson Peale, Rembrandt Peale, James Peale, and other Peale family members, includes correspondence requesting and responding to requests for information; material collated by subject on Peale collectors, family history, miniatures, portraits, silhouettes, still lifes, and other subjects; and photographs of artwork.
Other research files document Dwight's interest in other artists such as Aaron H. Corwine, Robert S. Duncanson, and artists from the Cincinnati area in general. They include catalogs of data compiled on individual works of art, subject files, notes and index card files, printed material, and photographs of artwork. Of special note are eleven issues of John Held, Jr.'s, mail art correspondence sent to Dwight by the Mohammed Center for Restricted Communications.
There is a 1.8 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection that includes Peale research material consiting of a catalog; correspondence, including letters related to Raphael Peale an C.C. Seller's miniatures; photographs, negatives and transparencies; printed material; catalog and accessioning informatino reagaring works of art; and writings by Dwight. Materials date from circa 1930-2001.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as six series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1944-1980 (8 folders; Box 1, OV 20)
Series 2: Writings and Notes, 1954-circa 1979 (0.9 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 3: Audubon Research Material, 1821-circa 1979 (13 linear feet; Boxes 1-14, OVs 20-23)
Series 4: Peale Research Material, circa 1930-2001 (1.9 linear feet; Boxes 14-16)
Series 5: Other Research, 1881-1980 (2.7 linear feet; Boxes 16-19)
Series 6: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1930-2001 (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 24-26)
Biographical / Historical:
Cincinnati art historian and museum director, Edward H. Dwight (1919-1981), conducted extensive research on American painting, in particular the works of John James Audubon, Charles Willson Peale, and Raphaelle Peale. He was also credited with rediscovering the Cincinnati artist, Aaron H. Corwine.
Dwight attended Yale and Cornell Universities, and studied art at the Cincinnati Art Academy and the School of Fine Arts of Washington University, St. Louis. From 1946 he held posts, including curator of American Art, at the Cincinnati Art Museum, until becoming director of the Milwaukee Art Center in 1955. In 1962 he left Milwaukee to direct the Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute Museum of Art, where he remained until the end of his career. He was the author of numerous articles for publications including Antiques, Audubon, Art in America, The Art Gallery, The Art Quarterly, and Canadian Art, and lectured widely on contemporary art, Spanish painting, and American painting.
In 1955 Dwight published the article "Aaron Houghton Corwine: Cincinnati Artist" in Antiques magazine. With this, and the exhibition, Rediscoveries in American Painting (1955), which he launched at the Cincinnati Art Museum, Dwight revived interest in this all but forgotten painter.
Dwight wrote many scholarly articles on Audubon's life and work throughout his career, in addition to writing catalogs for, and curating, exhibitions of Audubon's work. In 1960 he was awarded a $7,500 fellowship from the Ford foundation to pursue a reevaluation of Audubon, and to reexamine some long-held assumptions and exagerrations about Audubon's life and personality. He focused primarily on the artist-naturalist's original drawings and paintings, especially portraits and pictures of birds, animal life, and insects. Dwight was awarded an additional fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1973, to continue his research on Audubon.
Dwight was an accomplished photographer and his work was included in at least eight exhibitions from 1951 to 1972, including two one-man exhibitions at Louisiana State University (1952), and Weyhe Gallery (1972).
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. 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.
Ca. 850 pages of selected art related excerpts from Sill's diaries. The diaries date from 1832 to 1854 and document his own painting activities, his association with the Artists and Amateurs Association, Artists' Fund Society, and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He gives his reactions to the work of other artists as seen in exhibitions in Philadelphia and New York, especially at the National Academy of Design, as well as in private collections. He writes about panoramas shown in Philadelphia, purchases of works of art for himself and others, commissions to artists to paint pictures for him, etc. In particular he writes frequently of his friend, the collector and patron Edward L. Carey, and of Carey's collection. He often mentions John Sartain, James R. Lambdin, Peter F. Rothermel, Daniel Huntington, Thomas Sully, William H. Furness, Emanuel Leutze, George L. Saunders, Samuel B. Waugh, Paul Weber, William J. Hubard, Monachesi, and John Neagle. He tells of the founding and subsequent activities of the Art-Union of Philadelphia; the sale of Joshua Shaw's paintings and his misfortunes; the work and ill natured personality of William Page; meeting with and a drawing and description of John J. Audubon; a controversy between Robert W. Weir and Samuel F. B. Morse about who will paint the Mayflower Compact; V. G. Audubon's efforts to get subscribers for his father's book; and Bowen's lithographic shop.
He characterizes Edward Watmough and William E. Winner.
Biographical / Historical:
Collector, amateur painter; Philadelphia, Pa.
Provenance:
Microfilmed for the Archives of American Art in 1955 by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Diaries donated to the Society by Edward Madiera.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
The microfilmed American Philosophical Society selected records contain art related letters; committee reports; registrar's and curators' records; pamphlets; and exhibition catalogs from the archives of the American Philosophical Society. Many of the letters are to the Society's secretary and librarian John Vaughan; a few are to the Society's presidents Thomas Jefferson and Peter S. Du Ponceau, and officials John K. Kane and J. Peter Lesley. Among the correspondents are Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin West, Charles Willson Peale, Jacob Perkins, Philip Tidyman, Charles B. Lawrence, John Trumbull, Thomas Sully, Joseph Delaplaine, Robert Patterson, John Quincy Adams, Titian Ramsay Peale, Rembrandt Peale, Joel Roberts Poinsett, Victor G. Audubon, and Robert Fulton.
Also included are copies of the registrar's cards for portraits and busts owned by the Society, arranged alphabetically by sitter; "Preliminary Notes, Biographical Sketches, and Memoranda chronologically arranged, for insertion in the Curator's Catalog of Portraits, Busts, and Bas-Reliefs in the Collection of the American Philosophical Society. Illustrated by photographs taken from the originals by Mrs. Julius A. Sachese, member APS"; circa 25 exhibition catalogs and pamphlets (1811-1840) for exhibitions of the Society of Artists of the United States, Columbian Society of Artists, Artists' Fund Society, Artists' and Amateurs' Association, and for works by Thomas Sully, Gilbert Stuart, Benjamin Robert Haydon, Joseph Delaplaine, and others; and newspaper clippings (1917) about the controversy surrounding portraits by Albert Rosenthal hung in Independence Hall (reel P36, frames 372-401).
Biographical / Historical:
The American Philosophical Society (founded 1743) is a scholarly organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded by Benjamin Franklin, the American Philosophical Society "promotes useful knowledge" through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and community outreach.
Related Materials:
The American Philosophical Society holds the American Philosophical Society archives, 1743-1984.
Provenance:
Microfilmed for the Archives of American Art, 1955. The letters are mainly American Philosophical Society records, but many were pulled from ASP's Misc. Mss. and various other collections, and microfilmed in no apparent order. Descriptive cards microfilmed with each letter indicate location of originals.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Topic:
Portraits -- Private collections -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
1.2 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 4 reels))
0.5 Linear feet (Addition)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1931-1948
Scope and Contents:
Records kept by Adams while Director of the New York State Museum in Albany, mainly relating to his efforts to build the museum's collections. Included are correspondence, notes, printed materials and photographs.
REELS 110-112: Included are files on: the WPA art program, American Artists Congress, and other political art organizations; the Edward Lamson Henry collection, including Elizabeth McCausland's galley sheets of her manuscript on Henry, photos of paintings, comments on her manuscript, and correspondence about other Henry paintings; the sons of John James Audubon, Victor and John Woodhouse; the acquisition of the Thomas Halliday Folk Art Collection, purchased for the Museum by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller; Berenice Abbott's photograph projects, including correspondence with Abbott; the formation of the American Art Research Council; war emergency plans; Anna Hyatt Huntington's gift of her sculpture to the museum, and letters from Lewis Hine, Ralph Pearson, Harry Stone, Albert Duveen, Hermon MacNeil and others.
REEL 1817 (fr. 279-282, 1097-1098) AND SCANNED: Three photographs of Indian painter Albert Martinez Castador (Albert Looking Elk), showing him painting, and on a horse; and one of Joseph Henry Sharp painting in his studio, ca. 1912. Photographers unknown.
REEL 1817 One copy print of a photo of Edward Lansom Henry, previously microfilmed under Photos of Artists II, and since been scanned and returned to the Adams collections.
UNMICROFILMED: Publications relating to the WPA, including: Federal Art Centers of New York; Murals for the Community; Art as a Function of Government: A Survey; The WPA Federal Art Project: A Summary of Activities and Accomplishments; Index of American Design; Five-Boro Directory, Art Teaching Division; Art in Democracy; Index of Research Projects: Volume I; and Federal Sponsored Community Art Centers. Also included are a letter from Samuel H. Friedman to Adams regarding a request for some pamphlets; a press release, December 30, 1938 from the WPA Federal Art Project; and a clipping of an article by Emily Genauer regarding the WPA, August 6, 1938.
ADDITION: Original photographs of Adams, including two taken by Berenice Abbott, 1940s, and eight by Dorian (Dorothy) Keyha, 1949; and files, clippings and correspondence, some of it to Adams' daughter, Harriet, related to Abbott.
Biographical / Historical:
Museum director, scientist (ecology). Director of the New York State Museum from 1926-1943.
Provenance:
Donated by Charles Adams' daughter Harriet Dyer Adams, 1971 and 1998. The 3 photographs on reel 1817, formerly microfilmed with AAA's Photographs of Artists Collection II, were scanned in 2004 and returned to the papers.
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.
1 Microfilm reel (16 items on partial microfilm reel)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilm reels
Date:
1836-1840
Scope and Contents:
This microfilm collection consists of letters to Samuel G. Morton from Victor and John James Audubon.
Biographical / Historical:
Samuel G. Morton (1799-1851) was a physician, anatomy professor, naturalist, and physical anthropologist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is most known for his work, Crania Americana, which was widely accepted and endorsed by pro-slavery advocates.
John James Audubon (1785-1851) was an ornithologist, naturalist, painter, and illustrator. His work, The Birds of America was originally published as a four-volume elephant folio with 435 hand-colored plates of life-size depictions of individual bird species. The accompanying text was published separately in five volumes as Ornithological Biography.
Victor Audubon (1809-1862) was John James Audubon's son. Along with his brother, John Woodhouse Audubon, he assisted his father with the production and sale of The Birds of America and The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. Audubon continued to manage the business aspects of his father's work after John James Audubon's death.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the microfilmed Victor Audubon letters to John L. Le Conte, 1852, and the microfilmed John James Audubon and Audubon family letters, circa 1783-1845. The American Philosophical Society holds the Samuel George Morton papers, 1819-1850.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1955 by the American Philosophical Society.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
LeConte, John L. (John Lawrence), 1825-1883 Search this
Extent:
1 Microfilm reel (3 items on partial microfilm reel)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilm reels
Date:
1852
Scope and Contents:
This microfilm collection contains letters from Victor Audobon to John Lawrence LeConte concerning Audubon's father, John James Audubon.
Biographical / Historical:
Victor Audubon (1809-1862) was a painter and the son of illustrator and naturalist John James Audubon. Along with his brother, John Woodhouse Audubon, he assisted his father with the production and sale of The Birds of America and The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. Audubon continued to manage the business aspects of his father's work after John James Audubon's death.
John L. LeConte (1825-1883) was an entomologist, an active member of the American Philosophical Society, and a founding member of the American Entomological Society.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the microfilmed letters to Samuel G. Morton from Victor and John James Audubon, 1836-1840, and the microfilmed John James Audubon and Audubon family letters, [circa 1783-1845]. Yale University Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library holds the Victor Gifford Audubon collection, 1845-1859. The American Philosophical Society holds the John James Audubon Papers, 1821-1845; the John L. (John Lawrence) LeConte papers, 1812-1897; and the LeConte family papers, 1827-1901.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming by the American Philosophical Society for the Archives of American Art, 1955. Selected from ASP's John Lawrence LeConte papers.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this