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Oral history interview with Medora Clark, 1956 April 21-1957 March 10

Interviewee:
Clark, Medora  Search this
Interviewer:
Hunter, Margaret Truax  Search this
Subject:
Clark, Alson Skinner  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Medora Clark, 1956 April 21-1957 March 10. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12920
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)214173
AAA_collcode_clark56
Theme:
Women
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_214173

Alson Skinner Clark papers, 1870-1971, bulk 1890-1940

Creator:
Clark, Alson Skinner, 1876-1949  Search this
Subject:
Clark, Medora  Search this
Type:
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Diaries
Glass negatives
Citation:
Alson Skinner Clark papers, 1870-1971, bulk 1890-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Landscape painting  Search this
Mural painting and decoration, American  Search this
Painting, American  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9588
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211790
AAA_collcode_claralso
Theme:
Diaries
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211790
Online Media:

Alson Skinner Clark papers

Creator:
Clark, Alson Skinner, 1876-1949  Search this
Names:
Clark, Medora  Search this
Extent:
7.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Diaries
Glass negatives
Date:
1870-1971
bulk 1890-1940
Summary:
The papers of painter and muralist Alson Skinner Clark measure 7.2 linear feet and date from 1870 to 1971, with the bulk of the material from 1890 to 1940. Clark's career is documented through biographical material; correspondence with family, friends, galleries, and dealers; eleven diaries by the artist as well as 16 by his wife Medora Clark; stories and essays by Medora; financial records and business files of art and civilian concerns; assorted printed material including exhibition catalogs and announcements, maps, news clippings (singly and in scrapbooks), advertisements, and ephemera; and photographs of the artist, his friends and family, studio, travels, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter and muralist Alson Skinner Clark measure 7.2 linear feet and date from 1870 to 1971, with the bulk of the material from 1890 to 1940. Clark's career is documented through biographical material; correspondence with family, friends, galleries, and dealers; eleven diaries by the artist as well as 16 by his wife Medora Clark; stories and essays by Medora; financial records and business files of art and civilian concerns; assorted printed material including exhibition catalogs and announcements, maps, news clippings (singly and in scrapbooks), advertisements, and ephemera; and photographs of the artist, his friends and family, studio, travels, and artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1890-1958 (Box 1; 6 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1895-1962 (Boxes 1-2; 1.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Diaries, 1889-1922 (Boxes 2-4; 1.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Writings, circa 1900-1962 (Boxes 4-5; 0.9 linear feet)

Series 5: Personal Business Records, 1889-1930 (Boxes 5, 8; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1890-1971 (Boxes 5-6; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1910-1920 (Box 6; 2 folders)

Series 8: Photographs, circa 1885-1935 (Boxes 6, 8, 9; 1.6 linear feet)

Series 9: Scrapbooks, 1902-1955 (Boxes 7, 8; 0.5 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Alson Skinner Clark (1876-1949) was a painter and muralist who travelled and worked in Europe, Mexico, Canada, Panama, and the United States, ultimately settling in southern California.

Clark was born in Chicago, Illinois, and began training in 1891 at the age of 11 at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1896 he studied under William Merritt Chase at the Art Students' League of New York and briefly at the Chase School of Art before moving to Paris to train with James Abbott McNeill Whistler at the Academia Carmen in 1898. Alongside his wife, Medora (married 1902), Clark travelled extensively, painting the landscapes and urban activity of Chicago, New York, Quebec, France, Dalmatia, and Spain.

In 1913, Clark journeyed to Panama to document the construction of the canal, and in 1919, after serving as a military photographer in World War I, he settled in Pasadena, California, where he adopted the landscapes and colonial architecture of Mexico and the American West as subjects en plein air. It was during this time that Clark began to take on work as a muralist, accepting commissions from the local bank and theatre while also embarking on a teaching career at Occidental College and eventually the Stickney Memorial School of Fine Arts, where he served as director.
Provenance:
The 1897 diary, sales notebook, glass negatives, and albums of negatives were donated in 1986 by Joseph Moure, an art historian who purchased the material from occupants of Clark's former studio. The remainder was donated by Clark's son, Alson Clark, in 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1997 and by Clark's grandniece, Deborah Clark, in 2006.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Painters -- California  Search this
Topic:
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Landscape painting  Search this
Mural painting and decoration, American  Search this
Painting, American  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Diaries
Glass negatives
Citation:
Alson Skinner Clark papers, 1870-1962, bulk 1890-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.claralso
See more items in:
Alson Skinner Clark papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ab0503c4-e002-4440-93d7-65cdcdba910c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-claralso
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Medora Clark

Interviewee:
Clark, Medora  Search this
Interviewer:
Hunter, Margaret Truax  Search this
Names:
Clark, Alson Skinner, 1876-1949  Search this
Extent:
94 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1956 April 21-1957 March 10
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Medora Clark conducted 1956 April 21-1957 March 10, by Margaret Truax Hunter, for the Archives of American Art.
Clark speaks of the life and work of her husband, painter, and printmaker, Alson Skinner Clark.
Biographical / Historical:
Medora Clark is the wife of Alson Skinner Clark of Pasadena, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 32 min.
Provenance:
This interview was conducted in 1956, prior to the establishment of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.clark56
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw949ac75a1-6369-40d6-ad0a-853646f4836c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-clark56
Online Media:

Alson Skinner Clark letter to Medora Clark

Creator:
Clark, Alson Skinner, 1876-1949  Search this
Clark, Medora  Search this
Type:
Correspondence
Place:
Prague, Czechoslovakia
Date:
1912 Jan. 22
Citation:
Alson Skinner Clark. Alson Skinner Clark letter to Medora Clark, 1912 Jan. 22. Alson Skinner Clark papers, 1870-1971. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)8788
See more items in:
Alson Skinner Clark papers, 1870-1971, bulk 1890-1940
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_8788
Online Media:

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