The papers of Timothy Casper measure 3.4 linear feet and date from 1943-1981, with bulk dates from 1950-1969. The papers document Casper's career and life which was cut short when he died from a car crash at age twenty-one. Included are biographical material; correspondence between Casper and his mother Elise Casper Ott, and from Elise to others regarding Timothy's artistsic legacy; writings; exhibition files; personal business records; printed material; photographic material and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Timothy Casper measure 3.4 linear feet and date from 1943-1981, with bulk dates from 1950-1969. The papers document Casper's career and life which was cut short when he died from a car crash at age twenty-one. Included are biographical material; correspondence; writings; exhibition files; personal business records; printed material; photographic material and artwork. Biographical material includes Casper's birth and baptism certificates, his social security card, materials related to Casper's education and resumes and biographic summaries. Correspondence contains letters from Timothy Casper to his mother Elise Ott Casper, and from Elise to others regarding Timothy's artistsic legacy. Writing by Timothy Casper include a diary, an eight grade essay on monoprinting, travel notes and a draft of an New York University course schedule. Writings by others include teacher feedback notes, an annotated list of Casper's artwork, writings related to the planning and publishing of a book on Timothy Casper including a introduction outline, lists of artworks to be featured and correspondence. Exhibition files document six memorial exhibitions of Casper's work. Items include guest and address lists, agendas, writings, invoices, artwork insurance policies, correspondence and printed material. Personal business records include Timothy Casper's estate papers and life insurance documentation, alphabetized artwork title cards with corresponding loan and sale information and an invoice for napkins from Casper's printing business "Casper Studios". Printed Material includes exhibition flyers and newspaper clippings, primarily related to Casper's memorial exhibitions; a copy of Timothy F. Casper 1943-1964 a retrospective book on the life and career of Casper; a program for an elementary school play Casper participated in; brochures for different museums; New York University Graduate School bulletin publications; postcards from different locations in Washington D.C and miscellanea. Photographic material contains portraits of Timothy Casper as a child as well as photographs of his artwork. Also found are three family photo albums of the Caspers, their family and various places they visited, along with a photo album of Casper attending Woodcraft summer camp. Artwork consists of seven sketchbooks, loose and matted sketches, paintings, etching and linocut prints, a woven basket and bracelets. Also found is an extensive amount of Timothy Casper's childhood artwork including drawings, paintings, a molded plaster sculpture and a ceramic monogram.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as eight series
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1943-1966 (0.3 Linear feet Box 1, OV 5)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1943-1981 (1 Linear foot Box 1-2)
Series 3: Writings, 1953-1969 (0.2 Linear feet Box 2)
Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1965-1967 (0.2 Linear feet Box 2)
Series 5: Personal Business, 1956-1967 (0.4 Linear feet Box 2-3)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1956-1960 (0.1 Linear feet Box 3)
Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1943-1965 (0.4 Linear feet Box 3)
Series 8: Artwork, circa 1945-1964 (0.9 Linear feet Box 3- 4, OV 6)
Biographical / Historical:
Timothy Casper (1943-1964) was a printmaker and draftsman from Milwaukee, Wisconsin whose artistic ability was recognized at a young age by artist and professor Gerald Landt, leading to Casper enrolling in special art classes at the Milwaukee Art Institute in 1953. From there Casper continued studying art throughout high school at the Putney School in Vermont, going on to start his bachelor's degree in art history at New York University in 1962. During his short life Casper managed to travel across Europe and the East Coast of the United States, visiting art museums and historical landmarks, including a fateful trip to Paris in 1964 where Casper died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident. After his death, his mother Elise Ott Casper organized a series of memorial exhibitions across the United States as well as at the Galerie Wolfgang Gurlitt in Munich, Germany.
Provenance:
Bequest of Elise Ott Casper, mother of Tim Casper, in 1998.
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.
Occupation:
Draftsmen (artists) -- Wisconsin -- Milwaukee Search this
Timothy Casper papers, 1943-1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
