Search Results

Creator:

Archives of American Art  Search this

Names:

Archives of American Art  Search this

O'Doherty, Brian  Search this

Extent:

1 Film reel (Original (20 min.), sd., col., 16mm.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Film reels

Date:

circa 1960

Scope and Contents:

Narrator Brian O'Doherty discusses the role the Archives of American Art plays in art historical research through a selection of historical documents which he describes, including a letters, photographs, a sketchbook, diary, and oral history interviews. Dr. Harlan Phillips and E.P. Richardson appear briefly to discuss the Archives.

Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):

Detroit : The Jam Handy Organization, [ca. 1960].

General:

Presented by the Archives of American Art.

Provenance:

Transferred from 16 mm motion picture film to videocassette (VHS) in 1992. Videocassette was later digitized.

Topic:

Art, American -- Study and teaching  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.archiv100

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw903443c57-490e-49a0-9efc-b39373164713

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-archiv100

Creator:

Sheets, Millard Owen, 1907-1989  Search this

Subject:

Millard Sheets & Associates Designs  Search this

Sheets, Mary Baskerville  Search this

Dalzell Hatfield Galleries  Search this

Type:

Slides (photographs)

Photographs

Citation:

Millard Sheets papers, circa 1907-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Art -- California  Search this

Art and society  Search this

Horses -- Breeding  Search this

Watercolorists -- California  Search this

Muralists -- California  Search this

Art -- Philosophy  Search this

Designers -- California  Search this

Theme:

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)10956

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)214738

AAA_collcode_sheemill

Theme:

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_214738

Creator:

Sheets, Millard, 1907-1989  Search this

Names:

Dalzell Hatfield Galleries  Search this

Millard Sheets & Associates Designs  Search this

Sheets, Mary Baskerville  Search this

Extent:

27.6 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Photographs

Date:

circa 1907-2000

Summary:

The Millard Sheets papers comprise 27.6 linear feet of material dating from circa 1907 to 2000 with bulk dates spanning 1956 to 1981. The collection documents Sheets's career as a designer, painter, and muralist, and his personal and professional interests through correspondence, writings, lectures, printed material, drawings, slides, photographs, and ephemera. A small addition donated 2018 by Carolyn Owen-Toole, Sheet's daughter. There is a 4.6 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated 2018 that includes writings; sketchbooks and sketches; photographs and negatives of works of art, images of Millard Sheets and others including family; printed material, including two scrapbooks; and scattered correspondence regarding Sheet's projects.

Scope and Content Note:

The personal papers of Millard Sheets (1907-1990) measure 27.6 linear feet and date from circa 1907-2000, with bulk dates of 1956-1981. The collection reflects Sheets's career as a designer, painter, and muralist, as well as his other personal and professional interests, through correspondence, writings, lectures, clippings, blueprints, drawings, slides, photographs, and ephemera.

The Project Files comprise the largest group of materials in the collection and document design work undertaken by Sheets through his company Millard Sheets & Associates Designs. Sheets and his associates produced concept drawings and blueprints and supervised the construction for a wide range of design projects that ranged in scale from architectural plans for private residences to bid proposals for shopping malls and financial institutions located in California and the Southwest.

Sheets designed interior and exterior plans for over forty Home Savings and Loan bank branches in California. The distinctive modular design which Sheets created and then customized by integrating interior and exterior art elements that highlighted local historical events or natural features became synonymous with the image of Home Savings and Loan. Sheets also teamed up with the architect Edward Durrell Stone to produce a proposal for the Capitol Mall Project, an urban renewal project for the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Sacramento. Researchers will find correspondence, job costs and billing statements, and notes that trace the development of these and other building construction projects. In some instances the documents are supplemented by blueprints, photographs, and/or drawings of the project, but in many cases, visual documentation is missing.

The Project Files also document work done by Millard Sheets on public projects such as the Family of Man mural in the Los Angeles City Hall Annex, a mosaic dome in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C., and the Word of Life mural at the University of Notre Dame, Ind., along with numerous other murals and mosaics created for private individuals and corporations.

The Correspondence Series primarily reflects the interaction between Sheets and his clients, colleagues, and personal acquaintances. These files will prove valuable to researchers who are interested in the way that Sheets's beliefs about the role of art in everyday life impacted the way he conducted business and managed both large and small design projects. The correspondence also reflects Sheets's interest in popular American culture, travel, political issues of the day, and art collecting.

The Membership Files document the wide variety of interests that Sheets maintained through active membership in associations and organizations. The material in this series consists primarily of correspondence, minutes of meetings, and notes which Sheets created or used as he served as a board member or trustee on a number of organizational boards, such as the California Institute of the Arts, the Claremont Colleges, Virginia Steele Scott Foundation, Webb School of California, and Goodwill Industries of Southern California.

Also found in this series is material that documents his interest and participation in various recreational and professional organizations. Sheets maintained a long association with the Economic Roundtable, a group of businessmen who met regularly to give presentations and share discussion on contemporary political and social issues. Sheets was a frequent speaker and his talks given at the Economic Roundtables can be found in Lectures and Speeches, a subseries of the Writings Series.

Included in the Millard Sheets & Associates Designs, Inc. series are records that reflect the day-to-day operations of Sheets's design firm. Found here are chronological copies of correspondence that were sent out, files Sheets maintained on various independent contractors that the design firm frequently used, resumes and letters of recommendation that Sheets received regarding potential employees, as well as records relating to the cost and maintenance of Sheets's office building.

The Teaching and Workshop Files document the instructional activities undertaken by Sheets throughout his career in the arts. Although Sheets became pivotal in establishing a regionally recognized art department at Scripps College in Claremont, California, the files that reflect his academic position there are limited in scope and depth. Researchers will find more substantive the files that he maintained on the numerous art demonstrations and paintings workshops that he conducted privately throughout his career. Sheets traveled extensively around the world through his teaching activities and the files in this series track his path.

Closely related to the Teaching and Workshop Files is the Painting Trips series. The material in these files document Sheets's service as an American Specialist in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the USIS, Department of State. Sheets served two times as a cultural arts representative in Turkey in 1960 and in the former USSR in 1961. Sheets also made numerous trips to South East Asia, which had proved an area of fascination for him since his experiences as a war correspondent in Burma and India in World War II. The files in this series document his painting trips to Tahiti, the Pacific Ocean Rim, and Hawaii. Also found are files that detail his painting activities in Mexico.

The Exhibition Files reflect the records that Sheets maintained regarding his participation in art exhibitions, as well as his files on art shows that he personally directed or organized for public or private groups or organizations. Although Sheets exhibited his work predominantly in the West and Southwest, the files in this series demonstrate that he exhibited both nationally and internationally as well.

Also found within the records for this series are files relating to Sheets's representation of his artwork through established galleries and art agents. The Dalziel Hatfield Galleries of Los Angeles, California, served as his primary agent for most of his painting career. Correspondence between Sheets and the Hatfields provide insight into Sheets's development into a regionally and nationally significant watercolorist and painter. The files relating to the Kennedy Galleries in New York and the Circle Gallery in Chicago reflect Sheets's efforts to maintain a national presence in the arts community.

The Jury Files document Sheets's involvement as a juror in regional, as well, as national shows. The files reveal the great variety of professional watercolor and painting exhibitions in which Sheets participated as either a jury panelist or solo judge.

The Writings Files provide an excellent source for researchers interested in Sheets's philosophical beliefs about the relationship between art and everyday life. His articles, lectures, and speeches predominantly address the role of the artist, the relationships that exist between artists and the community, and the role that art can play in making a fuller, more productive life. Also found in the files of this series are articles written by others about Sheets.

The Biographical Material series provides a short introduction to Millard Sheets. The files consist of the calendars maintained by Sheets and his wife and staff, which were used to coordinate his many commitments and appointments. Also found in the files of this series are family chronologies that were created by Mary Baskerville Sheets. Medical records and resumes provide personal information about Sheets's background and health. A small file of military memorabilia provides information about Sheets's contributions to the war effort in World War II.

The Printed Matter series documents family activities and personalities through publicity clippings. Also found are exhibition catalogs and announcements that Sheets saved regarding other artists. Miscellaneous interests and activities of Sheets are found through magazine articles, brochures, and flyers.

The Photographs series includes photographic documentation for Sheets's artwork, horses, and major projects. A small group of photographs of Sheets are also in this series.

The files in the Artwork series include original drawings by Mary Baskerville Sheets and Millard Sheets.

There is a 4.6 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated 2018 that includes writings; sketchbooks and sketches; photographs and negatives of works of art, images of Millard Sheets and others including family; printed material, including two scrapbooks; and scattered correspondence regarding Sheet's projects.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into fifteen series. Small series, such as Biographical Material are generally based on type of document. Larger series, such as Correspondence or Project Files, are arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent or project. General correspondence has been made into its own series, but other series or subseries may also contain some correspondence. Within particular series, materials have been further divided into subseries which represent particular aspects of the project or event. For example, the Writings Series is further divided into subseries of books and articles, eulogies, and lectures and speeches. An outline listing series and subseries titles and dates follows.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1907-1982, undated (boxes 1-2; 1.25 linear ft.)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1929-1990, undated (boxes 2-4; 2.75 linear ft.)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1933-1980, undated (boxes 5-6; 1.25 linear ft.)

Series 4: Membership Files, 1946-1982, undated (boxes 6-8; 2.5 linear ft.)

Series 5: Millard Sheets & Associates Designs, 1934-1982, undated (boxes 8-9; 1.0 linear ft.)

Series 6: Project Files, 1956-1981, undated (boxes 9-18; 8.25 linear ft.)

Series 7: Teaching and Workshop Files, 1932-1982 (box 18; 0.5 linear ft.)

Series 8: Painting Trips, 1959-1980, undated (box 18; 16 folders)

Series 9: Exhibition Files, 1932-1937, 1951-1988, undated (box 19; 0.75 linear ft.)

Series 10: Jury Files, 1941-1982 (boxes 19-20; 42 folders)

Series 11: Writings, 1936-1988, undated (boxes 20-22; 2.5 linear ft.)

Series 12: Printed Matter, 1936-1922, undated (boxes 22-23; 20 folders)

Series 13: Photographs, 1934-1983, undated (box 23; 17 folders)

Series 14: Artwork, circa 1929, undated (box 23; 2 folders)

Series 15: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1930-2000 (boxes 24, 26-30, OV25: 4.6 linear ft.)

Biographical Note:

"Your painting is a measure of your mind"-Millard Sheets

Millard Sheets, as one of the founding members of the "California Scene Painters," exerted a lasting influence upon subsequent generations of Western painters. He and the small group of painters who worked in California during the 1930s and 1940s, developed a new style of watercolor painting that was at the forefront of the American watercolor movement of the time, and that later gave rise to a subsequent generation of painters who became known as the California Regionalist school.

Sheets was born in Pomona, California on June 24, 1907. His mother died in childbirth, and his father, John Sheets, unprepared to raise a baby alone, sent Millard to Pomona, California to be raised by his maternal grandparents, Lewis and Emma Owen. Sheets's grandfather proved to be a guiding force in his life, and when Sheets's father remarried and offered Millard the opportunity to return to the Sheets household, Millard chose instead to remain with his grandparents.

Sheets's love of horses can be directly traced back to his childhood years spent living at his grandfather's horse ranch. Millard rode his first horse when he was three years old. Throughout his life, Sheets returned to the theme of horses in his paintings, as well as maintaining a private stable of horses, and raising and breeding racehorses.

His interest in art also began in childhood. When he was still a young boy, his two maternal aunts encouraged him to play with crayons and pencils. Sheets took his first painting lesson from a neighbor at the age of seven, and by 1919 he had already submitted artwork to the copy division of the Los Angeles County Fair fine arts show competition. He submitted a drawing he had copied of a tinted photograph of Lake KIlarney, California. Sheets won first prize in his division.

It was through this competition that Millard met Theodore B. Modra, a Polish artist who had retired to the Pomona area. After giving Sheets a lecture on the evils of copying art, Modra offered to give him art lessons.

Sheets continued to pursue his interest in art and enrolled in the Choinard School of Art in Los Angeles, California. By the time that he graduated in 1929, Sheets had also managed to come to the attention of Dalzell and Ruth Hatfield of the Dalzell Hatfield Galleries in Los Angeles, California. The Hatfields were one of the most influential art dealers in Southern California, and that same year, they sponsored Sheets in his first one-man exhibition in 1929. The exhibition brought Sheets to the attention of Western Coast art critics and launched Sheets on his painting career.

In 1929 Sheets also learned that he had won second place in the annual Edgar B. Davis art competition held in San Antonio, Texas. The award came with a cash prize and Sheets made plans to travel to Europe to study and paint. Shortly before his departure, however, he met an art student, Mary Baskerville, and they began a whirlwind romance. With Baskerville's enthusiastic support for European plans, and with her promise that she would wait for him, Sheets departed for New York and then Europe.

While overseas during 1929 and 1930, Sheets studied under Dorfinant, a master printer in Paris. Through his work at this studio workshop, he met Henri Matisse.

Five months after Millard returned to the California in 1930, Sheets and Mary Baskerville married. Sheets worked as the director of the Fine Arts Exhibition of the Los Angeles County Fair. In 1932 Sheets returned to school to study art and humanities at Scripps College in Claremont, California. After graduating from Scripps, school officials approached Sheets with an offer to set up a separate fine arts program and asked him to chair the new department. This was the beginning of a twenty year association with the school. In 1938, he also became the Director of Art at Claremont Graduate School.

Sheets left the school during the years of World War II to serve as a war-time artist and journalist for Life magazine, and from 1943-1944 was stationed on the Burma-India Front. His experiences in Asia appeared to affect him deeply. In contrast to his earlier works which featured backgrounds with neutral tones and brilliant shades that highlighted and punctuated the compositions, the paintings from the wartime featured somber tones. Sheets remarked of this time:

During the fighting and the time I spent in the C-B-1 theater, I was too shaken and intellectually stunned to do any complete paintings. I made many, many sketches, though, as well as a real effort to remember each scene that particularly affected me. Then, once I returned to America, I painted frantically, for months, exorcising demons. [Lovoos, Janice and Edmund F. Penney, Millard Sheets: One-Man Renaissance, Northland Press, Flagstaff, AZ, 1984]

Sheets returned from the war in 1944 and resumed his position at Scripps College until 1955 when he was approached by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and asked to overhaul the fledgling Los Angeles County Art Institute. Sheets accepted the position and spent the next five years reshaping the mission and format of the school, renaming it the Otis Art Institute. In the years after Sheets left the directorship, the school eventually became part of the Parson's School of Design on the West Coast.

In 1953 Sheets founded the Millard Sheets Designs company. He hired between twenty-five and thirty artisans for large projects, with Susan Hertel, a former student of his, serving as his assistant in all the operations of the design studio. The working staff included engineers, registered architects, draftsmen, and artists, and the projects that the firm produced included murals, mosaics, stained glass, and sculpture for private homes and public and commercial businesses.

The design studio completed several major architectural projects throughout the late 1950s through the mid 1970s, including the design and construction of Cal Aero, a flight training school for the US Air Force, the National American Insurance Company offices for the California financier, Howard Ahmanson, Ahmanson Bank and Trust Company in Beverly Hills, many Home Savings and Loan Association Buildings, private residences, and the Scottish Rite Memorial Temples in Los Angeles and San Francisco, among many other projects.

Sheets also designed and completed mural and mosiac work for numerous public buildings in the Los Angeles area, as well as across the nation. Many of the murals and mosiacs were for those buildings designed by his firm while others were done as independent commissions.

In 1968 Sheets first proposed the murals he designed for the Los Angeles City Hall. His design was approved and he was awarded a commission to complete The Family of Man murals over the two main entrances to the Los Angeles City Hall. The murals were completed in 1971 and installed in 1972. Sheets also designed mosiacs and murals for the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, the Library at Notre Dame University, the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Los Angeles, several Home Savings and Loan Association buildings in the Los Angeles area, the Detroit Public Library, and the Dome of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.

During the early 1960s Sheets participated in the American Specialist Program of the US Department of State. His first assignment was to Turkey in 1960, where he served as a visiting artist. The following year he went to the USSR in the same capacity.

During the early to mid 1950s Sheets became involved with Columbia Pictures and was technical advisor and production designer for a few years.

Millard Sheets was a member of the National Watercolor Society, the American Watercolor Society, the National Academy of Design, the Society of Motion Picture Art Directors, and the Century Association. Sheets actively promoted his own work and was a businessman, an active and prolific artist, instructor, and designer. Millard Sheets died on March 31, 1989 in Gualala, California.

Separated Materials:

The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reels LA 10) including a biographical sketch, career resume, and a list of sheets' work prepared in 1964. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.

Provenance:

Millard Sheets lent material for microfilming in 1965. Mary B. Sheets, Millard's widow, donated the papers to the Archives of American Art in 1992. Carolyn Owen-Toole, Sheet's daughter, gave a small addition of material in 2018.

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.

Topic:

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Art -- California  Search this

Art and society  Search this

Horses -- Breeding  Search this

Watercolorists -- California  Search this

Muralists -- California  Search this

Art -- Philosophy  Search this

Designers -- California  Search this

Genre/Form:

Slides (photographs)

Photographs

Citation:

Millard Sheets papers, circa 1907-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.sheemill

See more items in:

Millard Sheets papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw978141c20-c1e5-41ff-aa5d-6603f62f526f

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-sheemill

Artist:

Larry Rivers, 17 Aug 1923 - 14 Aug 2002  Search this

Sitter:

Larry Rivers, 17 Aug 1923 - 14 Aug 2002  Search this

Medium:

Pencil and colored chalk

Dimensions:

72.4 x 53.3 cm (28 1/2 x 21" ), Accurate

Type:

Drawing

Date:

1953

Topic:

Self-portrait  Search this

Larry Rivers: Male  Search this

Larry Rivers: Visual Arts\Artist\Sculptor  Search this

Larry Rivers: Military and Intelligence\Soldier  Search this

Larry Rivers: Visual Arts\Artist\Painter  Search this

Larry Rivers: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor  Search this

Larry Rivers: Performing Arts\Performing arts director\Film director  Search this

Larry Rivers: Performing Arts\Filmmaker  Search this

Larry Rivers: Visual Arts\Artist\Abstract Expressionist  Search this

Larry Rivers: Literature\Writer\Screenwriter  Search this

Larry Rivers: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Horn player\Saxophonist  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Art Institute of Chicago

Object number:

1966.33 AIC

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm45ae62e10-c9c5-4ea7-bc6f-5a35ed466381

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_1966.33_AIC

Creator:

Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this

Type:

Symposia

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2017-10-20T20:25:31.000Z

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_yNmK-UAdEZw

Artist:

George Hurrell, 01 Jun 1904 - 17 May 1992  Search this

Sitter:

James Wong Howe, 28 Aug 1899 - 12 Jul 1976  Search this

Medium:

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions:

Image/Sheet/Mount: 33 × 25.5 cm (13 × 10 1/16")

Mat: 71.1 × 55.9 cm (28 × 22")

Type:

Photograph

Date:

1942

Topic:

Interior  Search this

Home Furnishings\Lighting Devices\Spot Light  Search this

Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie  Search this

James Wong Howe: Male  Search this

James Wong Howe: Performing Arts\Performing arts director\Film director  Search this

James Wong Howe: Performing Arts\Cinematographer  Search this

James Wong Howe: Oscar  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Object number:

NPG.89.191

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Exhibition:

Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell

On View:

NPG, South Gallery 120

Data Source:

National Portrait Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm46ed722aa-51d0-4ead-83a7-47c45ffd7122

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_NPG.89.191

Creator:

Archives of American Art  Search this

Subject:

O'Doherty, Brian  Search this

Archives of American Art  Search this

Citation:

For the Record [motion picture] / presenter, Archives of American Art; director, James Slayden; narrator, Brian O'Doherty, circa 1960. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art, American -- Study and teaching  Search this

Theme:

Art organizations  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)21882

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215592

AAA_collcode_archiv100

Theme:

Art organizations

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_215592

Creator:

National Museum of the American Indian  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2020-05-20T20:07:57.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Native Americans;American Indians  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianNMAI

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianNMAI

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_G7-6ES-qmrs

Creator:

National Museum of the American Indian  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2017-02-15T19:17:00.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Native Americans;American Indians  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianNMAI

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianNMAI

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_uyUX5sUOPlM

Artist:

Alphonse Mucha, 24 Jul 1860 - 14 Jul 1939  Search this

Sitter:

Jirí Mucha, 1915 - 1991  Search this

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

Stretcher: 182.9 × 165.1 cm (72 × 65")

Type:

Painting

Date:

c. 1922

Topic:

Printed Material\Book  Search this

Printed Material\Papers  Search this

Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Stool  Search this

Art implements\Paintbrush  Search this

Jirí Mucha: Visual Arts  Search this

Jirí Mucha: Male  Search this

Jirí Mucha: Literature\Writer  Search this

Jirí Mucha: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Lecturer  Search this

Jirí Mucha: Society and Social Change\Philanthropist\Patron of the arts  Search this

Jirí Mucha: Performing Arts\Performing arts director  Search this

Jirí Mucha: Education and Scholarship\Scholar\Translator  Search this

Jirí Mucha: Literature\Writer\Screenwriter  Search this

Jirí Mucha: Visual Arts\Art historian  Search this

Jirí Mucha: Visual Arts\Artist's model  Search this

Jirí Mucha: Journalism and Media\Journalist\Correspondent  Search this

Jirí Mucha: Military and Intelligence\Air Force\Officer\World War II  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Mucha Foundation/Trust

Object number:

CZ030012

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm41219531e-c376-465a-b9d9-b2bf86866c82

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_CZ030012

Performer:

Basie, Count, 1904-1984  Search this

Webster, Ben  Search this

Armstrong, Louis, 1901-1971  Search this

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Fitzgerald, Ella, 1917-1996  Search this

Goodman, Benny (Benjamin David), 1909-1986  Search this

Jamal, Ahmad, 1930-  Search this

Robinson, Bill, 1878-1949  Search this

Davis, Miles  Search this

Collector:

Smith, Ernie  Search this

Names:

Apollo Theatre (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Extent:

30 Cubic feet (352 film reels , 16 mm)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Motion pictures (visual works)

Place:

Harlem (New York, N.Y.) -- 20th century

Date:

1894-1979

Summary:

More than 300 reels of 16mm black and white and color film, silent and sound, fiction and documentary motion picture film documenting jazz and related musical performances, social and popular dance styles and performances, jazz musicians, performance locales, and documentation of African-American popular culture. A list of featured performers in the collection is shown below. The films are frequently compilations produced by Smith for lectures.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists of 352 reels of 16mm motion picture film. Most of the film is 16mm black and white and sound (composite optical track print), although a few titles are silent or in color. The collection is comprised of compilation reels created by Ernie Smith to accompany his lectures, topical compilation reels created by Ernie Smith, compilation reels created by the Archives Center, and single title reels. The Archives Center produced master and reference video copies using a wet-gate telecine film-to-tape transfer system. Titles were often combined to allow for increased ease of handling, storage, and duplication.

The collection is strongest in the areas of jazz dance styles including Lindy Hop and tap, overviews of jazz musical performers and styles; specific jazz musicians and performers including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Woody Herman, Artie Shaw, Bob Crosby, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Jack Teagarden as well as a wide range of female vocalists; and documentation of the New York jazz and club scene. The collection includes feature films and excerpts from feature films, Soundies and other film shorts, television kinescopes, and documentary films.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into one series and is not arranged in accordance with standard archival procedures. The breadth of the collection and the existence of so many multiple topic and/or performer compilation reels made it impossible to impose traditional archival series order. Therefore, each reel is described at the item level in the container list.

Biographical:

Ernest (Ernie) Smith began collecting jazz and jazz dance films during the mid-1950s. An Art Director for a New York advertising agency, Smith had a long-standing interest in jazz and jazz dance that began during his youth in Pittsburgh, Pa. Early on, Smith discovered that jazz music was best appreciated while dancing. He became an accomplished Lindy Hopper, frequenting both white and African American ballrooms.

His job at the advertising agency supported Smith's two passions - painting and jazz dance and music. Smith was also a film enthusiast so, in 1954, after taking a jazz class at the New School taught by Marshall Stearns, a leading jazz scholar, he began collecting examples of jazz and jazz dance on film. In the process of creating his film collection, Smith became one of the leading authorities on jazz and jazz dance films. He collaborated with Stearns on the 1964 book Jazz Dance, compiling the book's jazz dance film listing. He also wrote the extensive entry on jazz film for the 1988 edition of New Grove Dictionary of Jazz .

Smith built his film collection by identifying films of potential interest and acquiring them through trade and purchase. He created lecture reels on specific topics -- the history of jazz, social dance, tap dance, Duke Ellington, Lindy Hop -- and presented lecture/screenings nationally and internationally. He also provided footage for numerous documentaries and maintained active relationships with filmmakers, other film collectors, jazz scholars, the swing dance community, and musicians.

Ernie Smith donated his film collection to the Archives Center in 1993. He continues to lecture and participate in swing dance activities, but he devotes the majority of his time to painting and related artistic pursuits.

Provenance:

The Archives Center acquired the collection from Ernie Smith in 1993.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but the films are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

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:

Tap dancing -- 1930-1970  Search this

Motion pictures and music -- 1930-1970  Search this

Dancing in motion pictures, television, etc. -- 1930-1970  Search this

Television and music -- 1930-1970  Search this

Jazz -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Jazz musicians -- 1930-1970  Search this

Jazz dance -- 1930-1970  Search this

African Americans in the performing arts -- 1930-1970  Search this

Genre/Form:

Motion pictures (visual works) -- 20th century

Citation:

Ernie Smith Jazz Film Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

America's Jazz Heritage: A Partnership of the The Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and the Smithsonian Institution provided the funding to produce many of the video master and reference copies.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0491

See more items in:

Ernie Smith Jazz Film Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep85baeb0e0-8e94-4ce0-8c80-7f25800ee24a

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0491

Collection Creator:

Parsons, Betty  Search this

Container:

Box 4, Folder 34

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1948-1976

Collection 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.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.

See more items in:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers / Series 1: Artists Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw94192d274-9124-41f1-8a6e-4a58d47a779a

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-parsbett-ref113

Collection Creator:

Parsons, Betty  Search this

Container:

Box 15, Folder 7

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1965

Collection 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.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.

See more items in:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers / Series 1: Artists Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b3120a10-dd39-47ab-b721-8362e662a3a9

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-parsbett-ref467

Collection Creator:

Parsons, Betty  Search this

Extent:

(2 folders)

Container:

Box 17, Folder 11-12

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1947-1960, 1979, 1982

Collection 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.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.

See more items in:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers / Series 1: Artists Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e0dcc822-2d29-4f8f-9ffd-d2772aa0a361

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-parsbett-ref570

Art Director:

Fred Carter, born Duffield, VA 1911-died Clintwood, VA 1992  Search this

Sitter:

Jr. Martin Luther King  Search this

Medium:

carved and painted wood

Dimensions:

17 1/2 × 10 × 8 in. (44.5 × 25.4 × 20.3 cm)

Type:

Sculpture

Date:

1983

Topic:

Occupation\religion\clergy  Search this

Occupation\other\reformer  Search this

Portrait male  Search this

Credit Line:

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Fred Carter Family and Kohler Foundation, Inc.

Object number:

2023.49.2

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection

Department:

Painting and Sculpture

Data Source:

Smithsonian American Art Museum

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk78a5ca1b8-a9a4-4a07-a7ff-7db210552beb

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:saam_2023.49.2

Published by:

Playbill, American, founded 1884  Search this

Written by:

James Baldwin, American, 1924 - 1987  Search this

Printed by:

Unidentified  Search this

Edited by:

Blake Ross  Search this

Subject of:

Lorraine Hansberry, American, 1930 - 1965  Search this

Kenny Leon, American, born 1956  Search this

Denzel Washington, American, born 1954  Search this

LaTanya Richardson Jackson, American, born 1949  Search this

Sophie Okonedo, British, born 1968  Search this

Ethel Barrymore Theatre, American, founded 1928  Search this

Medium:

ink on paper with metal

Dimensions:

H x W x D (2015.64.14.1 Closed): 8 9/16 × 5 3/8 × 3/16 in. (21.7 × 13.7 × 0.5 cm)

H x W x D (2015.64.14.1 Open): 8 9/16 × 10 3/8 × 7/8 in. (21.7 × 26.3 × 2.2 cm)

H x W x D (2015.64.14.2 Closed): 9 × 4 1/4 (22.8 × 10.8 × 0.1 cm)

H x W x D (2015.64.14.2 Open): 9 × 12 5/8 × 1 in. (22.8 × 32 × 2.5 cm)

L x W (2015.64.14.3): 9 1/16 × 4 1/16 in. (23 × 10.3 cm)

Type:

theater programs

Date:

April 2014

Topic:

African American  Search this

Actors  Search this

Broadway Theatre  Search this

Domestic life  Search this

Drama (Theatre)  Search this

Families  Search this

Poverty  Search this

Race discrimination  Search this

Race relations  Search this

Segregation  Search this

Theatre companies  Search this

Tragedy (Theatre)  Search this

Urban life  Search this

Credit Line:

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Kathleen M. Kendrick

Object number:

2015.64.14.1-.3

Restrictions & Rights:

Playbill used by permission. All rights reserved, Playbill Inc

Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

See more items in:

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification:

Memorabilia and Ephemera

Data Source:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd56bcb8360-0dcf-45bb-baf3-3795638a0ac4

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmaahc_2015.64.14.1-.3

Recording artist:

Eddie Condon and his Orchestra  Search this

Manufacturer:

Decca  Search this

Physical Description:

paper (overall material)

ink (overall material)

shellac (overall material)

Measurements:

overall: 10 in; 25.4 cm

Object Name:

sound recording

Place made:

United States: New York, New York

Recording date:

1944

Release date:

1946

Related Publication:

Jazz Records 1942-1965, Vol. 3: Co - El

Credit Line:

Gift of Lucy C. Shain in memory of James Lewis Shain

ID Number:

1978.0670.542

Accession number:

1978.0670

Maker number:

23718

A-490

Catalog number:

1978.0670.542

See more items in:

Culture and the Arts: Entertainment

Music & Musical Instruments

Popular Entertainment

Family & Social Life

Jazz

Sound Recordings

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b3-3920-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_668182

Recording artist:

Eddy, Nelson  Search this

Eddy, Nelson  Search this

Manufacturer:

Columbia  Search this

Physical Description:

paper (overall material)

ink (overall material)

shellac (overall material)

Measurements:

overall: 10 in; 25.4 cm

Object Name:

sound recording

Place made:

United States

Release date:

1947

Related Publication:

Hopper, Sam. Columbia Masterworks 78rpm Album Discographies

Credit Line:

Gift of Asbeth Lee and Jack M. Eichner

ID Number:

1979.1023.097

Accession number:

1979.1023

Maker number:

17387-D

M-646

Catalog number:

1979.1023.097

See more items in:

Culture and the Arts: Entertainment

Music & Musical Instruments

Popular Entertainment

Family & Social Life

Religion

Sound Recordings

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a4-c541-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_668338

Artist:

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, born 16 Feb 1952  Search this

Sitter:

Dustin Lance Black, born 10 Jun 1974  Search this

Medium:

Inkjet print

Dimensions:

Image: 83.2 × 68.3 cm (32 3/4 × 26 7/8")

Sheet: 100.1 × 81.4 cm (39 7/16 × 32 1/16")

Type:

Photograph

Date:

2011 (printed 2023)

Topic:

Interior\Studio  Search this

Dustin Lance Black: Male  Search this

Dustin Lance Black: Performing Arts\Performing arts director\Film director  Search this

Dustin Lance Black: Performing Arts\Producer\Film producer  Search this

Dustin Lance Black: Literature\Writer\Screenwriter  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Ingrid and Catherine Pino Duran

Object number:

C/NPG.2023.59

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Location:

Currently not on view

Data Source:

National Portrait Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm43de77b0f-73b2-4196-9ad5-0b0ba4a85374

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_C_NPG.2023.59

Artist:

Unidentified Artist  Search this

Sitter:

David Lewelyn Wark Griffith, 22 Jan 1875 - 23 Jul 1948  Search this

Medium:

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions:

Image: 11.8 x 17 cm (4 5/8 x 6 11/16")

Sheet: 12.7 × 17.8 cm (5 × 7")

Mat: 45.7 × 35.6 cm (18 × 14")

Type:

Photograph

Date:

c. 1923

Topic:

Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair  Search this

Printed Material\Papers  Search this

Interior\Office  Search this

Home Furnishings\Furniture\Desk  Search this

Costume\Headgear\Hat\Fedora  Search this

Home Furnishings\Telephone  Search this

Costume\Outerwear\Coat  Search this

Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie  Search this

David Lewelyn Wark Griffith: Male  Search this

David Lewelyn Wark Griffith: Performing Arts\Performing arts director\Film director  Search this

David Lewelyn Wark Griffith: Performing Arts\Producer\Film producer  Search this

David Lewelyn Wark Griffith: Oscar  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Object number:

NPG.80.97

Restrictions & Rights:

CC0

See more items in:

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Location:

Currently not on view

Data Source:

National Portrait Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4718d7227-225b-4f8b-956e-c92ab3fa3113

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_NPG.80.97