REELS 4675-4677: Twenty-six diaries (1919-1981) and 3 notebooks with sketches, relating to European travel (1928-l930). There are no diaries for 1921-1928. The diaries were begun in Paris to record ideas and concepts relating to painting. They were later expanded to include reflections and thoughts about people, and they also reflect Gammell's strong interest in Jungian psychology and opera. He often used code names for people chosen from Biblical, mythological, or foreign language sources.
ADDITION: Papers, 1883-1956, comprised mainly of writings, the bulk relating to French academic painting, including 2 annotated typescripts of his Twilight of Painting (published 1946), with photo transparencies of Henri Regnault's "Automedon" for its cover. Other writings relate to Francis Thompson' poem "The Hound of Heaven" with illustrations based on a mural series by Gammell, ca. 1955-56; and to his colleague and teacher William MacGregor Paxton, "William Paxton and the End of an Epoch," (unpublished), ca. 1941-45. Also found are photographs of the Jean Léon Gérome atelier, Paris, 1883 (mounted) and of Dennis Miller Bunker.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, writer; Boston, Mass. Studied with Boston School painter William MacGregor Paxton. In 1946, Gammell's Twilight of Painting: an Analysis of Recent Trends to Serve in a Period of Reconstruction, was published. In addition to being a prolific writer, he was an allegorical painter; his major works incorporated classical, religious, imaginative, and contemporary cultural elements. A series of paintings based on Francis Thompson's poem, "Hound of Heaven" are considered to be some of his most important works. His biography of painter Dennis Miller Bunker was published in 1953.
Provenance:
Diaries and notebooks on reels 4675-4677 were lent for microfilming 1991 by Elizabeth Hunter, goddaughter of R.H. Ives Gammell. She donated additional papers 1998. Additions from Hunter are expected.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
