The papers of painter, photographer, and filmmaker James Edward Davis measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1917-1970. They highlight Davis's career through biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed and photographic material, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The James Edward Davis papers measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1917-1970. Biographical materials consist of a resume, an interview with Davis, and certificates related to his career and schooling. Correspondence consists of letters between himself and his agent Rosalind Kossoff, Frank Lloyd Wright, John Marin Jr., and others. Writings includes notebooks pertaining to his many projects and personal business records are composed of documents relating to his career and his time spent in Princeton, New Jersey, as well as artwork appraisals. Printed material is made up of exhibition announcements and catalogs, news clippings, press releases, and other documents. Photographic materials include photographs from various film projects and exhibits, as well as personal photographs. Artwork consists of a group of sketches showing a figure in motion.
Arrangement:
This collection consists of seven series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1954-1966 (.1 Linear feet: Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1940-1969 (.6 Linear feet: Box 1)
Series 3: Writings, circa 1920-1960 (.8 Linear feet: Boxes 1 and 2)
Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1956-1967 (.1 Linear feet: Box 2)
Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1945-1969 (.2 Linear feet: Box 2)
Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1919-1970 1(.9 Linear feet: Boxes 2-5)
Series 7: Artwork, circa 1946 (.1 Linear feet: Box 5)
Biographical / Historical:
James Edward Davis (1901-1974) was a painter, photographer, and filmmaker who worked primarily in New Jersey. Born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Davis specialized in the abstract and surrealist styles and his artwork was heavily inspired by the zeitgeist of the 1920s. He graduated from Princeton University in 1923 and studied painting and sculpture in France with Andre Lhote for three years. Davis taught at multiple places during his career including Lawrenceville School (1933-1936), Princeton (1936-1942), and the Moholy-Nagy Institute of Design (1947). Davis is also known for his experimental abstract films that use mobile designs of transparent plastics and controlled illumination. His paintings have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, the Addison gallery, and the Princeton and Yale University Art Museums. He died in Princeton, New Jersey at the Princeton Medical Center at the age of 73 on September 20, 1974.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also hold an oral history interview with James Edward Davis conducted 1971, August 10 by Paul Cummings.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels N172, N68-86A, and N738) including sketches, designs, working papers related to Davis's art films, the John Marin letters, and drawings. Loaned materials were returned to the lender.
Provenance:
Sketches, designs, working papers related to Davis's art films, the John Marin letters, and drawings were lent for microfilming by James E. Davis in 1967 and 1968. Papers were donated in 1969 by James E. Davis and Rosalind Kossoff.
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:
Photographers -- New Jersey -- Princeton Search this
James Edward Davis papers, circa 1917-1970 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.
