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Catalog Data

Creator:
Bransom, Paul, 1885-1979  Search this
Type:
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Illustrated letters
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
10.1 Linear feet
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 8 series: Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1862-1979 (Box 1, OV 12; 6 folders) Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1903-1984 (Box 1-5; 4.5 linear feet) Series 3: Notes and Writings, circa 1927-1973 (Box 5, OV 12; 0.2 linear feet) Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1912-1981 (Box 5; 0.3 linear feet) Series 5: Printed Materials, circa 1905-1985 (Boxes 6-7, OV 12; 1.5 linear feet) Series 6: Photographs, circa 1885-1976(Boxes 7-8, 10; 1.3 linear feet) Series 7: Scrapbooks, circa 1880s-1970s(Boxes 8 and 11; 0.5 linear feet) Series 8: Artwork, 1903-1976 (Boxes 8-9, OV 13-22; 1.7 linear feet)
Access Note / Rights:
The bulk of the collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not digitized requires an appointment.
Summary:
The papers of wildlife illustrator, painter, and cartoonist Paul Bransom measure 10.1 linear feet and date from 1862 to 1985. Almost half of the collection is comprised of Bransom's correspondence, which is particularly rich in documenting his early career as an illustrator, and his relationships with authors, art editors, and publishers from the 1900s to the 1940s. Correspondence also contains a wealth of cards, many of which bear reproductions or original artwork by his many artist friends. Also found in the papers are biographical essays, certificates and awards, memorabilia, writings and notes, business files, bibliographies, an artwork inventory, exhibition catalogs, clippings, printed illustrations, pamphlets, photographs, scrapbooks, and original artwork.
Citation:
Paul Bransom papers, 1862-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The papers of Paul Bransom were digitized in 2007 by the Archives of American Art, and total 11397 images.
Duplicates, copies, certain printed materials, personal items of limited research value, and certain items related to others have not been digitized, as noted in the container listing.
Portions of the collection lent for microfilming are available on 35 mm microfilm reel D254 at the Archives of American Art offices and for interlibrary loan.
Funding:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
Use Note:
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.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art holds the Helen Ireland Hays papers related to Paul Bransom, which contains 36 audio cassette recordings of Hays interviewing Bransom, among other materials. The Special Collections Division of the Stewart Library at Weber State College in Ogden, Utah holds the Paul Bransom Collection, a collection containing artwork, books from Bransom's personal library, manuscript material and photographs donated by Bransom in 1972 and 1974. The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of 17 items lent for microfilming (reel D254). Some of this material was later donated to the Archives, portions of which were then transferred to the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library and are available in their vertical file on Bransom. Loaned material is not described in this finding aid.
Biography Note:
Wildlife illustrator, painter, and cartoonist Paul Bransom was born in 1885 in Washington, D.C., and grew up sketching animals in his yard and at the National Zoo. He began work as a draftsman for the U.S. Patent Office at age 13, and went on to produce technical drawings for the Southern Railroad Co. and General Electric. He moved to New York City in 1903 and worked for the New York Evening Journal from 1904 to 1907, where he produced the comic "News from Bugville" and other cartoons. During this time, he befriended several New York artists in the cartoon trade, including James Swinnerton, Charles Sarka, T.S. Sullivant, Walt Kuhn, Rudy Dirks, and Gus Mager. He was a member of the Kit Kat Club and joined in their sketch classes and annual skelters. He sketched frequently at the New York Zoological Park, and was eventually invited by the director to use a room in the lion house as his studio. He married Grace Bond, an actress, in 1906.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The material on reel D254 was lent for microfilming in 1966, portions of which were subsequently donated along with additional papers by Bransom between 1972 and 1975, and by his nephew's wife, Althea Bond, in 1980. Mario Cesar Romero, identified by an AAA collector as the "Curator of the Bransom collection" and creator of an inventory of Bransom's artwork, donated additional materials to the Archives in 1983 and 1986, including printed materials, photographs, correspondence, records from the artwork inventory project, and scrapbooks. In 1985, James Zayicek donated 11 sketches and eight greeting cards via Helen Ireland Hays, a writer and a noted friend of Bransom's.
Digitization Note:
The papers of Paul Bransom were digitized in 2007 by the Archives of American Art. The bulk of the papers in the collection have been scanned in their entirety, and total 11,721 images. Types of materials that have not been digitized include duplicates, copies, certain printed materials, personal items of limited research value, and certain items related to others, as noted in the folder lists for each series.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Greeting cards  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Animals in art  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Magazine illustration  Search this
Animal painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art -- Economic aspects  Search this
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)8933
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211119
AAA_collcode_branpaul
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211119