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Burt Brown Barker papers, 1935-1938

Creator:
Barker, Burt Brown, 1873-1969  Search this
Subject:
Gannon, George H.  Search this
Glass, Carter  Search this
Lawrence, Ellis F. (Ellis Fuller)  Search this
Mish, Charlotte Roberta  Search this
Parker, Thomas Cleveland  Search this
Smith, Margery Hoffman  Search this
Baker, Jacob  Search this
Bartlett, Fred S. (Frederic Stewart)  Search this
Cahill, Holger  Search this
Danysh, Joseph A.  Search this
Edmonds, T. J.  Search this
Federal Art Center (Salem, Or.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Or.)  Search this
Federal Music Project (Or.)  Search this
Citation:
Burt Brown Barker papers, 1935-1938. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts -- United States  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Patronage  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)5856
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208696
AAA_collcode_barkburt
Theme:
New Deal
Patronage
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208696

Robert Bruce Inverarity papers, circa 1840s-1997

Creator:
Inverarity, Robert Bruce, 1909-1999  Search this
Subject:
Deutsch, Hilda  Search this
Ray, Man  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel  Search this
Graves, Morris  Search this
Morris, Carl  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Federal Art Project (Wash.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Or.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Utah)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Iowa)  Search this
Federal Art Project (N.Y.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Ill.)  Search this
Museum of International Folk Art (N.M.)  Search this
Type:
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Sketchbooks
Interviews
Photographs
Drawings
Place:
United States -- Economic conditions, 1918-1945 -- Washington (State)
Citation:
Robert Bruce Inverarity papers, circa 1840s-1997. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Puppet theater  Search this
New Deal, 1933-1939 -- Washington (State)  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Federal aid to the arts -- Washington (State)  Search this
Art and state -- Washington (State)  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6796
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208923
AAA_collcode_inverobe
Theme:
New Deal
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208923
Online Media:

Oregon Federal Art Project records, 1936-1939

Creator:
Federal Art Project (Or.)  Search this
Subject:
Hopkins, Harry Lloyd  Search this
United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this
United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this
Citation:
Oregon Federal Art Project records, 1936-1939. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
New Deal, 1933-1939 -- Oregon  Search this
Federal aid to the arts -- Oregon  Search this
Federal aid to the public welfare -- Oregon  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Patronage  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9803
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212241
AAA_collcode_fedeartp06
Theme:
New Deal
Patronage
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_212241

Robert Bruce Inverarity papers

Creator:
Inverarity, Robert Bruce, 1909-1999  Search this
Names:
Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Ill.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Iowa)  Search this
Federal Art Project (N.Y.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Or.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Utah)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Wash.)  Search this
Museum of International Folk Art (N.M.)  Search this
Deutsch, Hilda, 1911-  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968 -- Photographs  Search this
Graves, Morris, 1910-2001 -- Photographs  Search this
Morris, Carl, 1911-1993  Search this
Ray, Man, 1890-1976 -- Photographs  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Extent:
13.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Sketchbooks
Interviews
Photographs
Drawings
Place:
United States -- Economic conditions, 1918-1945 -- Washington (State)
Date:
circa 1840s-1997
Summary:
The papers of artist, photographer, museum director, anthropologist, and writer Robert Bruce Inverarity are dated circa 1840s-1997 and measure 12.7 linear feet. Biographical information, correspondence, writings and notes, subject files, art work, scrapbooks, sound recordings, printed material and photographs are found within the papers. They document Inverarity's work as Director of the Federal Art Project in Seattle and Director of the Art and Craft Project for the State of Washington, as well as his other professional work. Nineteenth century material consists of a Japanese print, printed material, and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of artist, photographer, museum director, anthropologist, and writer Robert Bruce Inverarity are dated circa 1840s-1997 and measure 13.8 linear feet. Biographical information, correspondence, writings and notes, subject files, art work, scrapbooks, sound recordings, printed material and photographs are found within the papers. They document Inverarity's work as Director of the Federal Art Project in Seattle and Director of the Art and Craft Project for the State of Washington, as well as his other professional work. Nineteenth century material consists of a Japanese print, printed material, and photographs.

Among the biographical information are awards and certificates, biographical and genealogical notes, and educational records. Correspondence concerns Inverarity's activities as Director of the WPA Federal Arts Project in Washington State, 1936-1941. Additional personal and professional correspondence, 1929-1993, documents his activities as a museum director, consultant, collector, and writer. Among the friends and colleagues with whom he corresponded are: Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning, Rockwell and Sally Kent, Stanton MacDonald-Wright, Wolfgang Palen, Juliet and Man Ray, Mark Tobey, Edward Weston, and various individuals associated with the WPA.

Manuscripts of a few of Inverarity's many articles on topics such as anthropology, museology, and information storage and retrieval are among his writings and notes. Also included are the manuscript of an unpublished book, Tobey Remembered, along with drafts, notes, correspondence, research materials, and photocopies of Tobey's letters to him and others. Other writings consist of book reviews, children's books, a catalog of the Inverarity Collection, and a copy of his 1946 master's thesis, "The Social-Economic Position of the American Artist." Several journals, 1928-1966, survive, including one that records his 1932 trip to study the Haida Indians of the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Subject files include general subjects such as "Folk Art" and "Preservation." Files on the museums where Inverarity was the director contain some official records as well as general information. Art work by Inverarity includes eight volumes of sketch books, 1928-1942, commercial work for Boeing, notes and drawings for book designs. Among the work by other artists are drawings, paintings and prints by friends. Of particular interest are display panels for a small exhibit on airbrush stencil prints produced by the Washington State WPA Federal Art Project. Other noteworthy items are pencil sketches and a watercolor by Mark Tobey, and prints by Hiroshige and Jan Matulka.

Five scrapbooks, 1928-1979, contain newspaper clippings, miscellaneous printed items, and a small number of photographs and letters. Three volumes document his career as an artist and museum director. One consists of biographical information and items designed by Inverarity, and another concerns publication and marketing of his monograph Art of the Northwest Coast Indians.

Sound recordings consist of interviews and conversations. An extensive interview with Inverarity about his life and career was conducted by Craig Gilborn in 1990. Bruce and Jane Inverarity in conversation with former colleague Ernie Johnson and his wife Helen about his departure from the Museum of International Folk Art were recorded in 1980. Also included is a 1981 conversation with Grace T. Stevenson containing references to Mark Tobey and Morris Graves.

Printed material includes many items about or produced by the WPA Federal Art Project. Among the items written by Inverarity are many articles on a wide variety of topics, his book Art of the Northwest Coast Indians, and two published portfolios. Printed material by other authors includes articles, books and reports about or mentioning Inverarity, and books designed or illustrated by him. Among the miscellaneous printed items are catalogs and brochures of the schools where Inverarity taught and studied, and a few ephemeral items designed by him.

Photographs are of art work, people, places, the Washington State WPA Federal Art Project, and miscellaneous subjects. All photographs known to be by Inverarity are clearly marked. Art work includes views of Inverarity's collection of his own work and that of other artists hanging in his home. Photographs of people include artists, friends, colleagues, and various groups. Of special interest are Inverarity's portraits of artists, among them Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Morris Graves, Hilaire Hiler, Rico Le Brun, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Man Ray, Dorothea Tanning, and Mark Tobey. Photographs of places include the museums where Inverarity was director, places in which he lived, and travel pictures. Of note are a large group of photographs (copy prints) taken in 1932 while studying the Haida Indians in British Columbia. Nineteenth century photographs of family homes, Europe, and South America may have been taken by his father. Photographs of the Washington State WPA Federal Arts Project are of individual works of art, exhibition installations, mosaic procedures and local art centers. Many, probably intended for display, are mounted in groups on large cardboard panels. Miscellaneous subjects include art photographs by Inverarity and the microreader he invented.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nine series. Correspondence is in chronological order, Biographical Information and Subject Files are arranged alphabetically by folder title. Other series have been organized into subseries and arrangement is as described in the Series Descriptions/Container List below. Unless noted otherwise, material within folders is arranged chronologically.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Information, 1934-1997, undated (Box 1, OV 18; 0.25 linear ft.)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1928-1993, undated (Box 1; 0.75 linear ft.)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, 1928-1993, undated, (Boxes 2-3; 1.5 linear ft.)

Series 4: Subject Files, 1938-1990, undated (Boxes 3-6, OV 19-20; 2.5 linear ft.)

Series 5: Art Work, circa 1840s-1969, undated (Boxes 6, 12, 16, OV 21; 1.3 linear ft.)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1928-1991, undated (Boxes 7-8; 1.1 linear ft.)

Series 7: Sound Recordings, 1980-1990 (Box 8; 3 folders)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1902-1995, undated (Boxes 8-13, OV 22; 3.4 linear ft.)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1870s-1990, undated (Boxes 11, 14-17, OV 23; 3.0 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Robert Bruce Inverarity (1909-1999) showed artistic leanings as a boy, and from an early age was fascinated by puppetry and Northwest Coast native culture. During much of his youth, Inverarity's family lived in Canada, but returned to their native Seattle when he was a teenager. After graduating from high school, he made a 500 mile journey on foot along the coasts of the Vancouver Islands, collecting Indian artifacts and studying the area's tribal legends.

He studied briefly with Mark Tobey in Seattle, where the two shared a studio; when Tobey departed for Chicago, Inverarity succeeded him as an art teacher at the Cornish School. He spent the next few years in California working as an artist, exhibiting, and occasionally teaching. From there, he moved to Vancouver where he was Director of the School of Creative Art. In 1932, Inverarity made a three month trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, for the purpose of studying the Haida Indians.

Upon his return to the United States in 1933, Inverarity joined the University of Washington Drama School as a puppetry instructor; in 1938 he published a highly regarded Manual of Puppetry. During 1936-37, he took a leave of absence from the university to assume the position of State Director of the Federal Art Project, where he remained until 1939. He then became State Director of the Art and Crafts Project (1939-1941). The U.S. Navy appointed Inverarity Chief of Design for Camouflage (1941-1943) and he later served as an Official Navy War Artist (1943-1945).

During his early years as a teacher and administrator, Inverarity continued making art and participated in a wide variety of exhibitions. He published a portfolio, 12 Photographs by R. B. Inverarity (1940). In the following year, Movable Masks and Figures of the North Pacific Coast Indians, a portfolio of his watercolors reproduced as silkscreen prints, appeared. Although Inverarity stopped exhibiting in 1941, he continued to produce art; notable work of this period includes photographic portraits of a number of artist friends (Max Ernst, Dorothea Tanning, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray).

After World War II, Inverarity completed his formal education. He earned a Bachelor's degree in art and anthropology from the University of Washington (1946), and then studied with Hilaire Hiler at Freemont University in Los Angeles, where he was awarded a Master's degree in fine arts (1947) and a Ph.D. (1948).

Inverarity began his museum career in 1949 when he was appointed the first director of the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a position that combined his interest in, and knowledge of, anthropology and art. While in Santa Fe, he published Art of the North West Coast Indians (1950). During his five year tenure as director, the museum participated in a pilot study for coding visual files, a project of the anthropological group, Human Resources Area Files, Inc. When Inverarity was dismissed from the Museum of International Folk Art in 1954, most of the staff resigned in protest, and the American Association of Museums investigated the situation.

Inverarity then became the first director of the Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, New York, where he remained for eleven years. In addition to planning the museum's building, and developing collections and programs, Inverarity continued his involvement with the visual files project of the Human Resources Area Files, Inc., studying information storage and retrieval, developing a "microreader," and publishing Visual Files Coding Index (1960). In addition, he published many articles on a variety of topics and was active in organizations for anthropologists and museum professionals.

After his 1965 departure from the Adirondack Museum, Inverarity went to California and worked as an illustrator and book designer at the University of California Press. He returned to the east coast in 1969 to assume the directorship of the Philadelphia Maritime Museum. During this period, he remained active in professional associations and traveled to study museums abroad. He retired in 1976 and moved to La Jolla, California.

Robert Bruce Inverarity died in 1999.
Separated Material:
Originals of most of the drawings and sketches loaned by Mr. Inverarity were returned to him after filming and were not subsequently donated. This material is available on 35 mm microfilm reel D/NDA/I, frames 392-409.
Provenance:
Robert Bruce Inverarity donated his papers to the Archives in several installments between 1965 and 1993. Additional papers were received from his estate in 1999. He also loaned a small number of additional drawings and sketches for microfilming which were returned to him. A few of these drawings were included with the papers he subsequently donated to the Archives of American Art.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use 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:
Arts administrators  Search this
Painters  Search this
Topic:
Puppet theater  Search this
New Deal, 1933-1939 -- Washington (State)  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Federal aid to the arts -- Washington (State)  Search this
Art and state -- Washington (State)  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Sketchbooks
Interviews
Photographs
Drawings
Citation:
Robert Bruce Inverarity papers, circa 1840s-1997. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.inverobe
See more items in:
Robert Bruce Inverarity papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9460b503e-0657-430a-9244-ead53bd5066f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-inverobe
Online Media:

Burt Brown Barker papers

Creator:
Barker, Burt Brown, 1873-1969  Search this
Names:
Federal Art Center (Salem, Or.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Or.)  Search this
Federal Music Project (Or.)  Search this
Baker, Jacob  Search this
Bartlett, Fred S. (Frederic Stewart), 1905-  Search this
Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this
Danysh, Joseph A., 1906-1982  Search this
Edmonds, T. J.  Search this
Gannon, George H.  Search this
Glass, Carter, 1858-1946  Search this
Lawrence, Ellis F. (Ellis Fuller), 1879-1946  Search this
Mish, Charlotte Roberta, 1903-  Search this
Parker, Thomas Cleveland, 1904-1967  Search this
Smith, Margery Hoffman, 1888-1981  Search this
Extent:
1 Microfilm reel (circa 860 items on 1 microfilm reel)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilm reels
Date:
1935-1938
Scope and Contents:
The microfilmed Burt Brown Barker papers contain Barker's correspondence as director of the Federal Art Project in Portland, Oregon; reports; memoranda; travel vouchers; lists of artists and art projects; minutes of the Oregon Federal Music Project; a typescript of an article, "The Federal Art Center, Salem, Oregon," and other writings; printed material; and miscellany. Correspondents include Jacob Baker, Frederic Stewart Bartlett, Holger Cahill, Joseph A. Danysh, T. J. Edmonds, George H. Gannon, Carter Glass, Ellis Fuller Lawrence, Charlotte Roberta Mish, Thomas Cleveland Parker, Margery Hoffman Smith, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Burt Brown Barker (1873-1969) was a lawyer and arts administrator in Portland, Oregon. He was director of the Federal Art Project in Portland, president of the Oregan Historical Society, the McLoughlin Memorial Association, and the Herbert Hoover Foundation of Oregon. He also played an active role in the restoration of the John Minthorn House and its transformation into a museum.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Oregon FAP records, 1936-1939.

Willamette University Archives and Special Collections holds the Burt Brown Barker papers, 1890-1935. The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library holds the Burt Brown Barker papers, 1885-1976.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1982 by Sarah Munro.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- Oregon -- Portland  Search this
Lawyers -- Oregon -- Portland  Search this
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts -- United States  Search this
Citation:
Burt Brown Barker papers, 1935-1938. Owned by Friends of Timberline. Microfilmed by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.barkburt
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw964ede97f-d226-42d5-8614-e3c0e14a1d4a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-barkburt

Oregon Federal Art Project records

Creator:
Federal Art Project (Or.)  Search this
Names:
United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this
United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this
Hopkins, Harry Lloyd, 1890-1946  Search this
Extent:
15 Items ((on partial microfilm reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1936-1939
Scope and Contents:
Typescript of a speech given by Harry Hopkins, FAP bulletins, reports, and some correspondence.
Biographical / Historical:
The Federal Art Project (FAP) fell under the jurisdiction of Federal Project No. 1 of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA was established in May 1935 specifically as a work relief program for the millions of individuals left unemployed during the Depression. Its name changed to the Work Projects Administration in 1939 when it fell under the administrative hand of the newly created Federal Works Agency. The FAP was created in August 1935 to aid unemployed artists, following the precedent set by the Public Works of Art Project and other Treasury department art relief projects. Holger Cahill was appointed director of the FAP and remained in that position throughout its existence. Harry Hopkins was the administrator for the WPA.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming by Margery Hoffman Smith.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Topic:
New Deal, 1933-1939 -- Oregon  Search this
Federal aid to the arts -- Oregon  Search this
Federal aid to the public welfare -- Oregon  Search this
Function:
Programs (organizations)
Agencies
Identifier:
AAA.fedeartp06
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91033c5a1-eeeb-448f-adec-dff6142ff767
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-fedeartp06

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