The papers of painter, collector, lecturer, and writer Michael M. Engel Sr. measure 2.7 linear feet and date from circa 1920-1994. They illustrate Engel's career and achievements through correspondence, subject files, personal business records, printed material and scrapbooks, photographic material, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The Michael M. Engel papers measure 2.7 linear feet and date from circa 1920-1994 and describe his career. Correspondence is to and from the Audubon Artists, M. Grumbacher Incorporated, Florida Southern College regarding Engel's time as Chancellor, and with Andrew and N.C. Wyeth and others. Subject files covers various famous artists and their activities and lives including Michael Grumbacher, Engel's wife Mary Black Diller, and camouflage and its usage, creation, and history. Personal business records consist of materials and drafts for Engel's two magazine columns The Bright Palette and Do You Know That? and Engel's collection of autographs from various notable figures. Printed material includes exhibition catalogs for the Audubon Artists exhibitions including a ½" video reel, various articles about Engel and his work, and other exhibition catalogs and announcements. Scrapbooks contain notes and other materials surrounding events attended by Engel including Pennsylvania's National Art Week (1936) a federal art project, and the Florida International Art Exhibition at Grand Central Galleries (1952). Photographic material contains slides of people including Engel and others from his artistic community, photographs of Engel's palette collection, artwork, and demonstration pieces. Artwork includes a folder of sketches by Engel.
Arrangement:
This collection consists of seven series.
Series 1: Correspondence, circa 1934-1969 (.5 Linear feet: Box 1)
Series 2: Subject Files, circa 1925-1991 (.5 Linear feet: Box 1)
Series 3: Personal Business Records, circa 1935-1952 (.2 Linear feet: Box 2)
Series 4: Printed Material, circa 1933-1994 (.8 Linear feet: Box 2)
Series 5: Scrapbooks, circa 1920-1942 (.4 Linear feet: Boxes 3-4)
Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1930-1958 (.2 Linear feet: Boxes 3-4)
Series 7: Artwork, circa 1920-1950 (.1 Linear feet: Box 3)
Biographical / Historical:
Michael M. Engel Sr. (1896-1969) was a painter, collector, lecturer, and writer based in New York City. He worked as a public relations director for M. Grumbacher Incorporated, as an artist, and as a contributor to magazines such as Art Digest writing articles including two of his repeat columns titled Do You Know That? and The Bright Palette. Engel also helped to found the Audubon Artists in 1940 alongside such figures as Andrew Wyeth and Frederick Whitaker. Some of Engel's well known hobbies were collecting autographs from notable artists and other figures and collecting painting palettes. Engel died at the age of 75 on April 27, 1969.
Provenance:
The Michael M. Engel papers were donated in 1975 by Mary Black Diller, Engel's widow, and in 1994-1995 by their son Michael.
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. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References 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 -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Autographs -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Michael M. Engel papers, circa 1920-1994, 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.
