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Catalog Data

Creator:
Lamb, Rose  Search this
Names:
Deland, Margaret Wade Campbell, 1857-1945  Search this
Fiske, John  Search this
Hart, Albert Bushnell, 1854-1943  Search this
Hunt, William Morris, 1824-1879  Search this
Lamb, Aimée, 1893-1989  Search this
Noyes, Alfred, 1880-1958  Search this
Pyle, Howard, 1853-1911  Search this
Ritchie, Anne Thackeray, 1837-1919  Search this
Sterner, Albert, 1863-1946  Search this
Turner, Ross, 1847-1915  Search this
Woodbury, Charles H. (Charles Herbert), 1864-1940  Search this
Extent:
0.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Oil paintings
Sketchbooks
Watercolor paintings
Photographs
Charcoal drawings
Date:
circa 1870-1961
bulk 1870-1900
Summary:
The papers of Boston area portrait painter Rose Lamb date from circa 1870 to 1961, with the bulk of the material dating from circa 1870 to 1900, and measure 0.8 linear feet. The collection contains a diploma; letters from artists, writers, historians, and others, including nine letters from former teacher and friend William Morris Hunt; photographs of unidentified people and artwork by Lamb; and original artwork, including a sketchbook, charcoal drawings, watercolors, and two oil paintings.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of Boston area portrait painter and drawing instructor Rose Lamb date from circa 1870 to 1961, with the bulk of the material dating from circa 1870 to 1900, and measure 0.8 linear feet. The collection contains a diploma; letters from artists, writers, historians, and others, including nine letters from former teacher and friend William Morris Hunt; photographs of unidentified people and artwork by Lamb; and original artwork, including a sketchbook from circa 1870, charcoal drawings, two watercolors, and two oil paintings. Artwork depicts landscapes, children, and other figure studies. Correspondence within the the collection includes 19 letters from artists, such as Albert Sterner, Ross Turner, Howard Pyle, and Charles H. Woodbury; writers Anne Thackeray Ritchie, Margaret Deland, and Alfred Noyes; and historians John Fiske and Albert Bushnell Hart. Also found are nine letters from former teacher and friend William Morris Hunt. Eight of his letters describe in detail his work on the painting of murals in the Capitol building in Albany, New York, and one letter discusses his painting of portraits in North Easton, Massachusetts. Also among the correspondence are four letters to Aimée Lamb, Rose's niece.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 4 series: Missing Title Series 1: Diploma, 1881 (Box 1, OV 3; 1 folder) Series 2: Correspondence, 1878-1914, 1952-1961 (Box 1; 5 folders) Series 3: Photographs, circa late 1800s (Boxes 1-2; 0.2 linear feet) Series 4: Artwork, circa 1870-late 1800s (Box 1-2, OV 3; 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Rose Lamb (1843-1927) was a portrait painter and drawing instructor of Boston, Massachusetts. Lamb was born in Boston to a prominent family and was a student of William Morris Hunt and Helen Knowlton during the 1870s. Though she did not exhibit often during her lifetime, she was a successful portraitist specializing in portraits of children. Lamb was an active member of Boston society, befriending many artists, writers, and other cultural figures, and her portraits were in great demand among prominent Boston families. She traveled to Europe in 1881, 1890, and 1914, perhaps taking art classes while there in 1881. In 1884, and possibly later, she assisted George Bartlett as a drawing instructor at the South Boston School of Art. In 1900 she suffered a severe illness and stopped painting. For the remainder of her life she instead pursued travel and social activities. Rose Lamb died in 1927.
Related Material:
Also available at the Archives of American Art are the Aimée Lamb (niece of Rose Lamb) papers, 1888-1991. Original letters to Rose Lamb from Mary Cassatt and Childe Hassam are available at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Provenance:
This collection was donated by Aimée and Rosamond Lamb, nieces of Rose Lamb in installments, primarily from 1980 to 1985. They donated the nine letters to Lamb from William Morris Hunt in 1976.
Restrictions:
Use of the original papers 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:
Art teachers -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Portrait painters -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Genre/Form:
Oil paintings
Sketchbooks
Watercolor paintings
Photographs
Charcoal drawings
Citation:
Rose Lamb papers, circa 1870-1961, bulk circa 1870-1900. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.lambrose
See more items in:
Rose Lamb papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw989ce8f83-9cbd-4f70-b31c-19c222a9825a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-lambrose