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Rockwell Kent papers, circa 1840-1993, bulk 1935-1961

Creator:
Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this
Subject:
Wildenstein, Felix  Search this
Phillips, Duncan  Search this
Hays, Lee  Search this
Untermeyer, Louis  Search this
Zigrosser, Carl  Search this
Robeson, Paul  Search this
DuBois, W.E.B. (William Edward Burghardt)  Search this
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano)  Search this
Ruggles, Carl  Search this
Stefansson, Vilhjalmur  Search this
Nearing, Helen  Search this
Nearing, Scott  Search this
Pach, Walter  Search this
Rasmussen, Knud  Search this
Reeves, Ruth  Search this
Seeger, Pete  Search this
Daniel, Charles  Search this
Cleland, T. M. (Thomas Maitland)  Search this
Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen)  Search this
Chamberlain, J. E.  Search this
Boyesen, Bayard  Search this
Chase, William Merritt  Search this
Freuchen, Peter  Search this
Gellert, Hugo  Search this
Gottlieb, Harry  Search this
Hartley, Marsden  Search this
FitzGerald, James  Search this
Keller, Charles  Search this
Miller, Kenneth Hayes  Search this
Henri, Robert  Search this
Jones, Dan Burne  Search this
United American Artists  Search this
United Office and Professional Workers of America  Search this
United Scenic Artists  Search this
National Farmers' Union (U.S.)  Search this
National Maritime Union of America  Search this
American Artists' Congress  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Artists League of America  Search this
Citizens' Committee for Government Arts Projects  Search this
Farmers Union of the New York Milk Shed  Search this
Federal Art Project  Search this
Federal Writers' Project  Search this
Macbeth Gallery  Search this
International Workers Order  Search this
Type:
Poems
Sketches
Business records
Photographs
Drawings
Citation:
Rockwell Kent papers, circa 1840-1993, bulk 1935-1961. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Designers -- New York (State)  Search this
Mural painting and decoration  Search this
Politics and culture  Search this
Authors -- New York  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States -- Political aspects  Search this
Dairy farms  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Illustrators -- New York (State)  Search this
Illustration of books  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Art and war  Search this
Commercial art  Search this
World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9557
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211757
AAA_collcode_kentrock
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211757
Online Media:

Holger Cahill papers, 1910-1993, bulk 1910-1960

Creator:
Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this
Subject:
Brown, Samuel Joseph  Search this
De Rivera, José Ruiz  Search this
Hopkins, Harry Lloyd  Search this
Halpert, Edith Gregor  Search this
Abbott, Berenice  Search this
Rowan, Edward Beatty  Search this
Scaravaglione, Concetta  Search this
Speck, Walter  Search this
Ward, Lynd  Search this
Weisenborn, Rudolph  Search this
Morris, Carl  Search this
Segal, George  Search this
Olds, Elizabeth  Search this
Roosevelt, Eleanor  Search this
Knaths, Karl  Search this
Miller, Dorothy Canning  Search this
American Federation of Arts  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Cartoonists Guild  Search this
Federal Art Project (U.S.)  Search this
Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)  Search this
Federal Music Project (U.S.)  Search this
Index of American Design  Search this
American Council of Learned Societies  Search this
New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Shakers  Search this
American Artists' Congress  Search this
United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this
The Design Laboratory (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Treasury Relief Art Project  Search this
United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this
Type:
Prints
Government records
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Slides (photographs)
Photograph albums
Drawings
Place:
United States -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945
United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945
Citation:
Holger Cahill papers, 1910-1993, bulk 1910-1960. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Federal aid to the public welfare  Search this
Art and state  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this
Public officers  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6730
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208855
AAA_collcode_cahiholg
Theme:
New Deal
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208855
Online Media:

Art Front, volume 10

Creator:
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Printed Materials
Date:
1936 February
Citation:
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.). Art Front, volume 10, 1936 February. Harold Baumbach papers, 1934-1976. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)22478
See more items in:
Harold Baumbach papers, 1934-1976
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_22478

Rockwell Kent papers

Creator:
Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this
Names:
American Artists' Congress  Search this
Artists League of America  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Citizens' Committee for Government Arts Projects  Search this
Farmers Union of the New York Milk Shed  Search this
Federal Art Project  Search this
Federal Writers' Project  Search this
International Workers Order  Search this
Macbeth Gallery  Search this
National Farmers' Union (U.S.)  Search this
National Maritime Union of America  Search this
United American Artists  Search this
United Office and Professional Workers of America  Search this
United Scenic Artists  Search this
Boyesen, Bayard  Search this
Chamberlain, J. E.  Search this
Chase, William Merritt, 1849-1916  Search this
Cleland, T. M. (Thomas Maitland), 1880-1964  Search this
Daniel, Charles, 1878-1971  Search this
Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen), 1862-1928  Search this
DuBois, W.E.B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963  Search this
Fitzgerald, James, 1899-1971  Search this
Freuchen, Peter, 1886-1957  Search this
Gellert, Hugo, 1892-1985  Search this
Gottlieb, Harry, 1895-  Search this
Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this
Hays, Lee, 1914-1981  Search this
Henri, Robert, 1865-1929  Search this
Jones, Dan Burne  Search this
Keller, Charles, 1914-2006  Search this
Miller, Kenneth Hayes, 1876-1952  Search this
Nearing, Helen  Search this
Nearing, Scott, 1883-1983  Search this
Pach, Walter, 1883-1958  Search this
Phillips, Duncan, 1886-1966  Search this
Rasmussen, Knud, 1879-1933  Search this
Reeves, Ruth, 1892-1966  Search this
Robeson, Paul, 1898-1976  Search this
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945  Search this
Ruggles, Carl, 1876-1971  Search this
Seeger, Pete, 1919-2014  Search this
Stefansson, Vilhjalmur, 1879-1962  Search this
Untermeyer, Louis, 1885-1977  Search this
Wildenstein, Felix, 1883-1952  Search this
Zigrosser, Carl, 1891-  Search this
Extent:
88 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Poems
Sketches
Business records
Photographs
Drawings
Date:
circa 1840-1993
bulk 1935-1961
Summary:
The Rockwell Kent papers measure 88.0 linear feet and date from circa 1840 to 1993 with the bulk of the collection dating from 1935 to 1961. The collection provides comprehensive coverage of Kent's career as a painter, illustrator, designer, writer, lecturer, traveler, political activist, and dairy farmer.
Scope and Content Note:
The Rockwell Kent papers measure 88 linear feet and date from circa 1840 to 1993 with the bulk of the collection dating from 1935 to 1961. The collection provides comprehensive coverage of Kent's career as a painter, illustrator, designer, writer, lecturer, traveler, political activist, and dairy farmer.

Circumstances surrounding the acquisition of the papers are highlighted in an article by Garnett McCoy ("The Rockwell Kent Papers," in the Archives of American Art Journal, 12, no. 1 [January 1972]: 1-9), recommended reading for researchers interested in the collection. The collection is remarkably complete, for in the mid 1920s Kent began keeping carbon copies of all outgoing letters, eventually employing a secretary (who became his third wife and continued her office duties for the remainder of Kent's life).

Series 1: Alphabetical Files contain Kent's personal and professional correspondence, along with business records of the dairy farm and associated enterprises; also included are printed matter on a wide variety of topics and promotional literature relating to organizations and causes of interest to him. Voluminous correspondence with his three wives, five children, and other relatives, as well as with literally hundreds of friends, both lifelong and of brief duration, illuminates Kent's private life and contributes to understanding of his complex character. Among the many correspondents of note are: his art teachers William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri, and Kenneth Hayes Miller; fellow artists Tom Cleland, Arthur B. Davies, James Fitzgerald, Hugo Gellert, Harry Gottleib, Marsden Hartley, Charles Keller, and Ruth Reeves; collectors Duncan Phillips and Dan Burne Jones; critics J. E. Chamberlain and Walter Pach; and dealers Charles Daniel, Felix Wildenstein, and Macbeth Galleries. Kent corresponded with such diverse people as Arctic explorers Peter Freuchen, Knud Rasmussen, and Vilhjalmar Steffanson; composer Carl Ruggles and songwriters Lee Hays and Pete Seeger; civil rights pioneers Paul Robeson and Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois; writers Bayard Boyesen, Scott and Helen Nearing, and Louis Untermeyer; and art historian and print curator Carl Zigrosser.

Kent's interest and involvement in the labor movement are reflected in correspondence with officials and members of a wide variety and large number of unions and related organizations, among them: the Farmers' Educational and Cooperative Union of America, Farmers' Union of the New York Milk Shed, International Workers Order, National Maritime Union, and United Office and Professional Workers of America. Of special interest is his participation, often in leadership roles, in various attempts to organize artists. Files on the American Artists' Congress, Artists League of America, The Artists Union, United American Artists, and United Scenic Artists contain particularly valuable material on the movement.

A supporter of New Deal efforts to aid artists, Kent was actively interested in the various programs and often was critical of their limitations; he advocated continuing federal aid to artists after the Depression abated. The Kent papers include correspondence with the Federal Arts Project, Federal Fine Arts Project, Federal Writers Project, and the War Department, as well as correspondence with the Citizens' Committee for Government Art Projects and President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the subject.

Kent's professional correspondence documents exhibitions, sales, consignments, and reproduction of prints and paintings. He kept meticulous records of his advertising commissions and illustration work. Detailed correspondence with publishers and printers indicates Kent's involvement in the technical aspects of production and provides a good overview of the publishing industry during the mid-twentieth century.

Business records of Asgaard Farm include records of the dairy and transfer of ownership to its employees, tax and employee information, and documents concerning several related business ventures such as distributor ships for grain, feed, and farm implements.

Series 2: Writings consists of notes, drafts, and completed manuscripts by Rockwell Kent, mainly articles, statements, speeches, poems, introductions, and reviews. The Kent Collection given to Friendship House, Moscow, in 1960, was augmented later by a set of his publications and the illustrated manuscripts of many of his monographs. Also included are a small number of manuscripts by other authors.

Series 3: Artwork consists mainly of drawings and sketches by Kent; also included are works on paper by other artists, many of whom are unidentified, and by children.

Series 4: Printed Matter consists of clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, brochures, broadsides, programs, and newsletters. These include items by and about Kent and his family, as well as articles written and/or illustrated by him, and reviews of his books. There is also material on a variety of subjects and causes of interest to him. Additional printed matter is included among the alphabetical files, mainly as attachments to correspondence.

Series 5: Miscellaneous includes biographical material, legal documents, and memorabilia. Artifacts received with papers include textile samples, a silk scarf, dinnerware, ice bucket, and rubber stamp, all featuring designs by Rockwell Kent. Also with this series are a variety of documents including a phrenological analysis of an ancestor, lists of supplies for expeditions, a hand-drawn map of an unidentified place, and technical notes regarding art materials and techniques.

Series 6: Photographs includes photographs of Kent, his family and friends, travel, and art number that over one thousand. Also included here are several albums of family and travel photographs.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into six series. Series 1 is arranged alphabetically. The arrangement of the remaining series is explained in each series description. Note that sealed materials that became available in 2000 were microfilmed separately on reels 5740-5741, but have integrated into this finding aid.

Missing Title

Series 1: Alphabetical Files, circa 1900-1971, undated (Reels 5153-5249, 5256, 5740-5741)

Series 2: Writings, 1906-1978, undated (Reels 5249-5252, 5741)

Series 3: Art Work, 1910-1972, undated (Reels 5252, 5741)

Series 4: Printed Matter, 1905-1993, undated (Reels 5252-5254)

Series 5: Miscellaneous, 1859-1969, undated (Reels 5254, 5741)

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1840-1970, undated (Reels 5254-5255, 5741)
Biographical Note:
Rockwell Kent (1882-1971), an energetic and multitalented man, pursued many interests and careers during his very long and active life. At various times he was an architect, draftsman, carpenter, unskilled laborer, painter, illustrator, printmaker, commercial artist, designer, traveler/explorer, writer, professional lecturer, dairy farmer, and political activist.

While studying architecture at Columbia University, Kent enrolled in William Merritt Chase's summer school at Shinnecock Hills, Long Island. He then redirected his career ambitions toward painting and continued to study with Chase in New York. Kent spent a summer working and living with Abbott H. Thayer in Dublin, New Hampshire, and attended the New York School of Art, where Robert Henri and Kenneth Hayes Miller were his teachers.

Critically and financially, Kent was a successful artist. He was very well known for his illustration work--particularly limited editions of the classics, bookplates, and Christmas cards. He was a prolific printmaker, and his prints and paintings were acquired by many major museums and private collectors. During the post-World War II era, Kent's political sympathies resulted in the loss of commissions, and his adherence to artistic conservatism and outspoken opposition to modern art led to disfavor within art circles. After many years of declining reputation in this country and unsuccessful attempts to find a home for the Kent Collection, Kent gave his unsold paintings--the majority of his oeuvre--to the Soviet Union, where he continued to be immensely popular.

An avid traveler, Kent was especially fascinated by remote, Arctic lands and often stayed for extended periods of time to paint, write, and become acquainted with the local inhabitants. Between 1918 and 1935, he wrote and illustrated several popular books about his experiences in Alaska, Tierra del Fuego, and Greenland. In the 1930s and 1940s, Kent was much in demand as a lecturer, making several nationwide tours under the management of a professional lecture bureau; he spoke mainly about his travels, but among his standard lectures were some on "art for the people."

In 1927, Kent purchased Asgaard Farm at AuSable Forks, New York, in the Adirondacks, where he lived for the remainder of his life, operating a modern dairy farm on a modest scale for many years.

As a young man, Kent met Rufus Weeks, became committed to social justice, and joined the Socialist Party. Throughout his life, he supported left-wing causes and was a member or officer of many organizations promoting world peace and harmonious relations with the Soviet Union, civil rights, civil liberties, antifascism, and organized labor. Kent was frequently featured as a celebrity sponsor or speaker at fund-raising events for these causes. In 1948, he ran unsuccessfully as the American Labor Party's candidate for Congress. Kent's unpopular political views eventually led to the dissolution of his dairy business, resulted in a summons to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee, and prompted the U.S. State Department to deny him a passport, an action that subsequently was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Kent wrote two autobiographies, This Is My Own (1940) and It's Me, O Lord (1955). In 1969, he was the subject of an oral history interview conducted by Paul Cummings for the Archives of American Art.
Provenance:
In 1969, Rockwell Kent donated his papers to the Archives of American Art; textile samples were received in 1979, and his widow gave additional papers in 1971 and 1996. Letters to Rockwell Kent from wives Frances and Sally, sealed during Sally Kent Gorton's lifetime, became available for research after her death in 2000, and further material was donated to the Archives of American Art in 2001 by the Estate of Sally Kent [Shirley Johnstone] Gorton.
Restrictions:
The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not microfilmed or digitized requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State)  Search this
Topic:
Designers -- New York (State)  Search this
Mural painting and decoration  Search this
Politics and culture  Search this
Authors -- New York  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States -- Political aspects  Search this
Dairy farms  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Illustrators -- New York (State)  Search this
Illustration of books  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Art and war  Search this
Commercial art  Search this
World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war  Search this
Function:
Labor unions
Genre/Form:
Poems
Sketches
Business records
Photographs
Drawings
Citation:
Rockwell Kent papers, circa 1840-1993, bulk 1935-1961. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.kentrock
See more items in:
Rockwell Kent papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97edd9940-eb61-4562-9583-def2da778b6a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-kentrock

Oral history interview with Boris Gorelick, 1964 May 20

Interviewee:
Gorelick, Boris, 1912-  Search this
Interviewer:
McGlynn, Betty Lochrie Hoag  Search this
Subject:
Gorky, Arshile  Search this
Shahn, Ben  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Federal Art Project  Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
American Artists' Congress  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Boris Gorelick, 1964 May 20. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art front  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Mural painting and decoration  Search this
Designers -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
Architecture & Design  Search this
New Deal  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12336
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213492
AAA_collcode_goreli64
Theme:
Architecture & Design
New Deal
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213492

Oral history interview with Isamu Noguchi, 1973 Nov. 7-Dec. 26

Interviewee:
Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988  Search this
Interviewer:
Cummings, Paul  Search this
Subject:
It?, Michio  Search this
Barnard, George Grey  Search this
Becker, John Bruere  Search this
Borglum, Gutzon  Search this
Brancusi, Constantin  Search this
Breton, André  Search this
Brummer, Joseph  Search this
Cahill, Holger  Search this
Calder, Alexander  Search this
Calder, Alexander Stirling  Search this
Collier, John, Jr.  Search this
Covarrubias, Miguel  Search this
Davis, Stuart  Search this
De Kooning, Willem  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel  Search this
Egan, Charles  Search this
Fraser, James Earle  Search this
Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster)  Search this
Gorky, Arshile  Search this
Graham, John  Search this
Graham, Martha  Search this
Gregory, Peter Ronald  Search this
Guston, Philip  Search this
Hare, David  Search this
Hasegawa, Sabur?  Search this
Hopkins, Harry Lloyd  Search this
Kahn, Louis I.  Search this
Kantor, Morris  Search this
Kline, Franz  Search this
Knoll, Hans  Search this
Léger, Fernand  Search this
Levy, Julien  Search this
McMahon, Audrey  Search this
Moore, Henry, 1898-1986  Search this
Neumann, J. B. (Jsrael Ber)  Search this
Price, Edison A.  Search this
Raymond, Antonin  Search this
Reynal, Jeanne  Search this
Rivera, Diego  Search this
Ruellan, Andre?e  Search this
Ruotolo, Onorio  Search this
Schoen, Eugene  Search this
Shoji, Sadao  Search this
Stieglitz, Alfred  Search this
Taniguchi, Yoshir?  Search this
Ward, Eleanor  Search this
Zorach, William  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Bollingen Foundation  Search this
Brummer Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Japanese American Citizens' League  Search this
Leonardo da Vinci Art School  Search this
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill  Search this
UNESCO  Search this
Japanese American Citizens' League  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Place:
Japan -- Description and Travel
Italy -- description and travel
Egypt -- description and travel
India -- description and travel
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Isamu Noguchi, 1973 Nov. 7-Dec. 26. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Asian American art  Search this
Asian American artists  Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Sculpture, American  Search this
Gardens, Japanese  Search this
Japanese American art  Search this
Japanese American artists  Search this
Asian American sculptors  Search this
Theme:
Asian American  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)11906
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)216546
AAA_collcode_noguch73
Theme:
Asian American
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_216546
Online Media:

Art Front, 1934-1937

Creator:
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Subject:
Baron, Herman  Search this
Citation:
Art Front, 1934-1937. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Art and state  Search this
Federal aid to public welfare  Search this
Art publishing  Search this
Theme:
Art organizations  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)5779
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208618
AAA_collcode_artiunio2
Theme:
Art organizations
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208618

Lou Block papers, 1936-1938

Creator:
Block, Lou, 1895-1969  Search this
Federal Art Project (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Subject:
Index of American Design  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
American Artists' Congress  Search this
Place:
United States -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945
Citation:
Lou Block papers, 1936-1938. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
New Deal, 1933-1939 -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Federal aid to the arts -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art and state -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Federal aid to public welfare -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Mural painting and decoration, American  Search this
African American artists  Search this
Theme:
African American  Search this
New Deal  Search this
Patronage  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6746
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208871
AAA_collcode_bloclou
Theme:
African American
New Deal
Patronage
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208871

Harry Gottlieb papers, 1910-1982

Creator:
Gottlieb, Harry, 1895-1992  Search this
Summit Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Subject:
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo  Search this
Solman, Joseph  Search this
Kent, Rockwell  Search this
American Society of Painters, Sculptors and Gravers  Search this
Artists Equity Association  Search this
Artists League of America  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
New York WPA Artists, Inc.  Search this
American Artists' Congress  Search this
Citation:
Harry Gottlieb papers, 1910-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art front  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States -- Political aspects  Search this
Screen process printing  Search this
Serigraphy -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Trade-unions and the arts -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Prints -- Technique  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)7190
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209327
AAA_collcode_gottharr
Theme:
Diaries
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209327

Sid Gotcliffe papers, 1935-1969

Creator:
Gotcliffe, Sid, 1899-1969  Search this
Subject:
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Citation:
Sid Gotcliffe papers, 1935-1969. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)8248
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210419
AAA_collcode_gotcsid
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210419

Gerald Monroe research material on the American Artists' Congress, the Artists' Union, and the WPA, [ca. 1930-1971]

Creator:
Monroe, Gerald, 1926-  Search this
Subject:
Marantz, Irving  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this
American Artists' Congress  Search this
Citation:
Gerald Monroe research material on the American Artists' Congress, the Artists' Union, and the WPA, [ca. 1930-1971]. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States -- Political aspects  Search this
Trade unions and the arts -- United States  Search this
Painting, American  Search this
Theme:
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9075
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211268
AAA_collcode_monrgerp
Theme:
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211268

Daniel Koerner papers, 1902-1972

Creator:
Koerner, Daniel V., 1909-1977  Search this
Subject:
Watson, Morris  Search this
Barr, Norman  Search this
Koerner, Daniel  Search this
Kent, Rockwell  Search this
Merrill, Lewis  Search this
Artists' Conference of the Americas (1939 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Artists League of America  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Federal Art Project  Search this
Federal Arts Bill  Search this
International Artists Organization  Search this
United American Artists  Search this
United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this
Citation:
Daniel Koerner papers, 1902-1972. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Caricatures and cartoons  Search this
Art and state  Search this
Trade unions and the arts -- United States  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9157
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211351
AAA_collcode_koerdani
Theme:
New Deal
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211351

Anne Bowen Parsons collection of interviews on art, 1967-1968

Creator:
Parsons, Anne Bowen  Search this
Subject:
Baker, Mildred  Search this
Barnet, Will  Search this
Benson, Emanuel  Search this
Brooks, James  Search this
Burlin, Paul  Search this
Cavallon, Giorgio  Search this
De Kooning, Willem  Search this
Ernst, Jimmy  Search this
Geist, Sidney  Search this
Gottlieb, Adolph  Search this
Greene, Balcomb  Search this
Gwathmey, Robert  Search this
Hacker, Seymour  Search this
Holty, Carl  Search this
Holtzman, Harry  Search this
Kadish, Reuben  Search this
Krasner, Lee  Search this
Lasker, Joe  Search this
Lassaw, Ibram  Search this
Levine, Jack  Search this
Marca-Relli, Conrad  Search this
McNeil, George  Search this
Miller, Dorothy Canning  Search this
Morris, George L. K.  Search this
Nakian, Reuben  Search this
Pavia, Philip  Search this
Schanker, Louis  Search this
Shahn, Ben  Search this
Stamos, Theodoros  Search this
Thaw, Eugene Victor  Search this
Tworkov, Jack  Search this
Vicente, Esteban  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Federal Art Project  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Citation:
Anne Bowen Parsons collection of interviews on art, 1967-1968. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art and state  Search this
Museum curators -- Interviews  Search this
Museum directors -- Interviews  Search this
Printmakers -- Interviews  Search this
Publishers -- Interviews  Search this
Sculptors -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6198
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)216478
AAA_collcode_parsanne
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_216478

Oral history interview with Bernarda Bryson Shahn, 1983 April 29

Interviewee:
Bryson, Bernarda, 1903-2004  Search this
Interviewer:
Kirwin, Liza, 1957-  Search this
Subject:
Shahn, Ben  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
John Reed Club  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Bernarda Bryson Shahn, 1983 April 29. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art front  Search this
Art, Modern  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)11655
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212312
AAA_collcode_shahn83
Theme:
Women
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212312
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Edward Landon, 1975 Apr. 17-May 28

Interviewee:
Landon, Edward August, 1911-1984  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F  Search this
Subject:
Abbott, Berenice  Search this
Bridgman, George Brant  Search this
Dove, Arthur Garfield  Search this
Gottlieb, Harry  Search this
Hartley, Dennis  Search this
Hughes, Marian  Search this
Lozowick, Louis  Search this
Mark, Henry  Search this
Marin, John  Search this
Mauer, Alfred  Search this
McCausland, Elizabeth  Search this
O'Keeffe, Georgia  Search this
Olds, Elizabeth  Search this
Perry, Marvo  Search this
Rebay, Hilla  Search this
Rogers, William T.  Search this
Sabbath, Bernie  Search this
Stieglitz, Alfred  Search this
Stein, Gertrude  Search this
Strand, Paul  Search this
Weber, Max  Search this
Federal art project (Mass.)  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
National Serigraph Society  Search this
American Artists' Congress  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Edward Landon, 1975 Apr. 17-May 28. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Printmakers -- Vermont -- Weston -- Interviews  Search this
Printing -- Technique  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12109
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212814
AAA_collcode_landon75
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212814
Online Media:

Oral history interview with John Opper, 1968 Sept. 9-1969 Jan 3

Interviewee:
Opper, John, 1908-1994  Search this
Interviewer:
Sandler, Irving, 1925-  Search this
Subject:
Mondrian, Piet  Search this
Hofmann, Hans  Search this
Cleveland School of Art  Search this
United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this
American Abstract Artists  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with John Opper, 1968 Sept. 9-1969 Jan 3. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art front  Search this
Art, American  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Art -- Philosophy  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12476
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212964
AAA_collcode_opper68
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212964

Oral history interview with Charles Henry Alston, 1965 September 28

Interviewee:
Alston, Charles Henry, 1907-1977  Search this
Interviewer:
Phillips, Harlan B., 1920-1979,  Search this
Subject:
Block, Lou  Search this
Davis, Stuart  Search this
Dlugoszewski, Lucia  Search this
Halpert, Edith Gregor  Search this
Lawrence, Jacob  Search this
Pachano, Ernest  Search this
Schmoo, Aaron Ben  Search this
Diller, Burgoyne  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (N.Y.)  Search this
Harlem Artists Guild  Search this
Public Works of Art Project  Search this
United States. Federal Emergency Relief Administration  Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Charles Henry Alston, 1965 September 28. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
African American artists  Search this
Theme:
African American  Search this
New Deal  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)11482
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213759
AAA_collcode_alston65
Theme:
African American
New Deal
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213759

Oral history interview with Esther Dick Gottlieb, 1981 Oct. 22

Interviewee:
Gottlieb, Esther Dick  Search this
Interviewer:
Tuchman, Phyllis  Search this
Subject:
Avery, Milton  Search this
Gottlieb, Adolph  Search this
Graham, John  Search this
Newman, Barnett  Search this
Rothko, Mark  Search this
Tschacbasov, Nahum  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this
Mark Rothko and His Times Oral History Project  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Esther Dick Gottlieb, 1981 Oct. 22. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Philadelphia Ten (Group of artists)  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13073
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215630
AAA_collcode_gottli81
Theme:
Women
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_215630

Holger Cahill papers

Creator:
Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this
Names:
American Artists' Congress  Search this
American Council of Learned Societies  Search this
American Federation of Arts  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Cartoonists Guild  Search this
Federal Art Project (U.S.)  Search this
Federal Music Project (U.S.)  Search this
Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)  Search this
Index of American Design  Search this
New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Shakers  Search this
The Design Laboratory (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Treasury Relief Art Project  Search this
United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this
United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this
Abbott, Berenice, 1898-1991  Search this
Brown, Samuel Joseph, 1907-1994  Search this
De Rivera, José Ruiz, 1904-1985  Search this
Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this
Hopkins, Harry Lloyd, 1890-1946  Search this
Knaths, Karl, 1891-1971  Search this
Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003  Search this
Morris, Carl, 1911-1993  Search this
Olds, Elizabeth, 1896-1991  Search this
Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962  Search this
Rowan, Edward Beatty, 1898-1946  Search this
Scaravaglione, Concetta, 1900-1975  Search this
Segal, George, 1924-2000  Search this
Speck, Walter, 1895-  Search this
Ward, Lynd, 1905-1985  Search this
Weisenborn, Rudolph, b. 1881  Search this
Extent:
15.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Prints
Government records
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Slides (photographs)
Photograph albums
Drawings
Place:
United States -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945
United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945
Date:
1910-1993
bulk 1910-1960
Summary:
The papers of Holger Cahill (1887-1960) date from 1910 to 1993, with the bulk of the material dating from 1910-1960, and measure 15.8 linear feet. The collection offers researchers fairly comprehensive documentation of Cahill's directorship of the Works Progress/Projects Administration's (WPA) Federal Art Project (FAP) in addition to series documenting his work as a writer and art critic. Material includes correspondence, reports, artist files, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of Holger Cahill (1887-1960) date from 1910 to 1993, bulk 1910-1960, and measure 15.8 linear feet. The collection offers researchers fairly comprehensive documentation of Cahill's directorship of the FAP in addition to series documenting his work as a writer and art critic. FAP records include national and state administrative reports, records of community art centers, photographic documentation of state activities, artist files, divisional records about teaching, crafts, murals, and poster work, files concerning the Index of American Design, scrapbooks, and printed material.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into nine series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material and Personal Papers, 1931-1988 (Box 1; 19 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence Files, 1922-1979, 1993 (Boxes 1-2; 1.5 linear ft.)

Series 3: Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project, 1934-1970 (Boxes 2-14, 18, MMs009; 10.75 linear ft.)

Series 4: Writings, Lectures and Speeches, 1916-1960 (Boxes 14-15, 18; 1.0 linear ft.)

Series 5: Minutes of Meetings and Panel Discussions, Non-FAP, 1939-1947 (Box 15; 5 folders)

Series 6: Notes and Research Material, 1935-1970 (Boxes 15-16; 0.25 linear ft.)

Series 7: Artwork, undated (Boxes 16, 18; 2 folders)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1910-1985 (Boxes 16-17; 1.8 linear ft.)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1917-1960 (Box 17; 6 folders)
Biographical Note:
Holger Cahill was born Sveinn Kristjan Bjarnarson in Iceland in a small valley near the Arctic Circle, on January 13, 1887. His parents, Bjorn Jonson and Vigdis Bjarnadottir, immigrated to the United States from Iceland sometime later in the 1880s. In 1904, his father deserted the family, forcing Sveinn to be separated from his mother and sister to work on a farm in North Dakota. He ran away and wandered from job to job until settling in an orphanage in western Canada, where he attended school and became a voracious reader.

As a young man, he worked at many different jobs and attended night school. While working on a freighter, he visited Hong Kong, beginning his life-long interest in the Orient. Returning to New York City, he eventually became a newspaper reporter, continued his studies at New York University, and changed his name to Edgar Holger Cahill. In 1919 he married Katherine Gridley of Detroit. Their daughter, Jane Ann, was born in 1922, but the couple divorced in 1927.

Cahill met John Sloan circa 1920, and they shared a residence. Cahill also wrote publicity (until 1928) for the Society of Independent Artists, through which he made many friends in the arts. From 1922 to 1931, he worked under John Cotton Dana at the Newark Museum, where he received his basic experience in museum work, organizing the first large exhibitions of folk art.

From 1932 to 1935, he was the director of exhibitions for the Museum of Modern Art. In 1935, Cahill was appointed director of the Works Progress/Projects Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project (FAP), until its end in June 1943. In 1938, Cahill organized a countrywide exhibition "American Art Today" for the New York World's Fair. He also married MoMa curator Dorothy Canning Miller in that year.

Profane Earth, Cahill's first novel, was published in 1927, followed by monographs on Pop Hart and Max Weber, miscellaneous short stories, and a biography of Frederick Townsend Ward, entitled A Yankee Adventurer: The Story of Ward and the Taiping Rebellion. Following the end of the Federal Art Project, Cahill wrote two novels, Look South to the Polar Star (1947) and The Shadow of My Hand (1956).

Holger Cahill died in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in July 1960.
Provenance:
The Holger Cahill papers were donated to the Archives of American Art through a series of gifts by Cahill's widow, Dorothy C. Miller, between 1964 and 1995.
Restrictions:
The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art website.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Arts administrators  Search this
Topic:
Federal aid to the public welfare  Search this
Art and state  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this
Public officers  Search this
Genre/Form:
Prints
Government records
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Slides (photographs)
Photograph albums
Drawings
Citation:
Holger Cahill papers, 1910-1993, bulk 1910-1960. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.cahiholg
See more items in:
Holger Cahill papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93d4a8dc7-a7be-470b-8216-ae763d3bc9e2
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-cahiholg

Oral history interview with Charles Henry Alston

Interviewee:
Alston, Charles Henry, 1907-1977  Search this
Interviewer:
Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-1979  Search this
Creator:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Names:
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (N.Y.)  Search this
Harlem Artists Guild  Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Public Works of Art Project  Search this
United States. Federal Emergency Relief Administration  Search this
Block, Lou, 1895-1969  Search this
Davis, Stuart, 1892-1964  Search this
Diller, Burgoyne, 1906-1965  Search this
Dlugoszewski, Lucia, 1931-2000  Search this
Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this
Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000  Search this
Pachano, Ernest  Search this
Schmoo, Aaron Ben  Search this
Extent:
39 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1965 September 28
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Charles Alston conducted 1965 September 28, by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project.
Alston speaks of his work as an art director of a community camp and as director of a boys' club in Harlem; the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) and his involvement; the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and his involvement in it; his membership in the Harlem Artists Guild; his contribution to WPA Federal Art Project murals at Harlem Hospital; mural versus easel painting; problems with the Artists Union; and camaraderie among FAP artists. He recalls Lou Block, Stuart Davis, Burgoyne Diller, Edith Halpert, Jacob Lawrence, Ernest Pachano, Aaron Ben Schmoo, and others, and describes his associations with musicians including Billie Holliday, Duke Ellington and Chick Webb.
Biographical / Historical:
Charles Henry Alston (1907-1977) was an African American painter and mural painter in New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 24 minutes.
Provenance:
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
African American artists  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.alston65
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91958a872-ee7a-44df-99fb-71bbecdd432e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-alston65
Online Media:

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