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Catalog Data

Creator:
Rossiter, Thomas Prichard, 1818-1871  Search this
Names:
Archipenko, Alexander, 1887-1964  Search this
Beaux, Cecilia, 1855-1942  Search this
Beckwith, J. Carroll (James Carroll), 1852-1917  Search this
Bevan, Edith Rossiter  Search this
Birch, Reginald Bathurst, 1856-1943  Search this
Cadwalader-Guild, Emma Marie, 1843-1911?  Search this
Castaigne, Andre  Search this
Coffin, William A. (William Anderson), 1855-1925  Search this
Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851  Search this
Cory, Fanny Y.  Search this
Cox, Kenyon, 1856-1919  Search this
Craig, Frank, 1874-1918  Search this
French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931  Search this
Gibson, Charles Dana, 1867-1944  Search this
Hambidge, Jay, 1867-1924  Search this
Hunt, William Morris, 1824-1879  Search this
Hutt, Henry, b. 1875  Search this
Jay, John, 1817-1894  Search this
Keller, A. J.  Search this
Kensett, John Frederick, 1816-1872  Search this
Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this
Kimball, Fiske, 1888-1955  Search this
Low, Will Hicok, 1853-1932  Search this
Melchers, Gari, 1860-1932  Search this
Morris, William, 1834-1896  Search this
Morse, Samuel Finley Breese, 1791-1872  Search this
Mowbray, H. Siddons (Harry Siddons), 1858-1928  Search this
Newell, Peter, 1862-1924  Search this
Nicholls, Rhoda Holmes  Search this
Peabody, George, 1795-1869  Search this
Pearson, Ralph M., 1883-1958  Search this
Remington, Frederic, 1861-1909  Search this
Rossiter, Ehrick Kensett, 1854-1941  Search this
Rossiter, Thomas Prichard, 1818-1871  Search this
Sartain, William, 1843-1924  Search this
Scott-Moncrieff, David  Search this
Soglow, Otto, 1900-1975  Search this
Tack, Augustus Vincent, 1870-1949  Search this
Tryon, Dwight William, 1849-1925  Search this
Whitmore, Elizabeth  Search this
Extent:
0.5 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketches
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Date:
1840-1961
Summary:
The Thomas Prichard Rossiter and Rossiter Family papers measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1840 to 1961. Included are letters to painter Thomas Prichard Rossiter and letters to his son, architect Ehrick Kensett Rossiter, documenting their friendships with many artists and Thomas Prichard Rossiter's sketchbook and loose sketches. Edith Rossiter Bevan's papers include her writings on her grandfather, Thomas Prichard Rossiter; a scrapbook; photographs of the Rossiter family; notes by Bevan; news clippings; and other printed material. Also found is Bevan's collection of artists' letters.
Scope and Content Note:
The Thomas Prichard Rossiter and Rossiter Family papers measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1840 to 1961. Included are letters to painter Thomas Prichard Rossiter and letters to his son, architect Ehrick Kensett Rossiter, documenting their friendships with many artists. Notable letters are from James Fenimore Cooper, William Morris Hunt, John Jay, J. F. Kensett, William H. Morris, Samuel F. B. Morse, George Peabody, Cecelia Beaux, William A. Coffin, Daniel Chester French, Will H. Low, Gari Melchers, William Sartain, Augustus Vincent Tack, Dwight Tryon, and many others. The collection contains Thomas Prichard Rossiter's sketchbook drawn while living in Italy in 1943, and three other sketches including a portrait of his family. Also found are letters to Edith Rossiter Bevan and her writings on her grandfather, Thomas Prichard Rossiter, including a biography and checklist of his paintings. Bevan also compiled a scrapbook on his career and family history which includes drawings by Rossiter, photographs of the Rossiter family and his artwork, notes by Bevan, news clippings, and other printed material. A collection of Edith Rossiter Bevan's artists' letters is found within the papers. Letters are from Alexander Archipenko, J. Carroll Beckwith, Reginald Birch, Emma M. Cadwalader-Guild, Andre Castaigne, Fanny Cory, Kenyon Cox, Frank Craig, Charles Dana Gibson, Jay Hambridge, Henry Hutt, A. J. Keller, Rockwell Kent, Fiske Kimball, David Scott Moncrieff, H. Siddons Mowbray, Peter Newell, Rhoda Holmes Nicholls, Ralph M. Pearson, Frederic Remington, Otto Soglow, and Elizabeth Whitmore.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 2 series: Missing Title Series 1: Thomas Prichard Rossiter and Rossiter Family Papers, 1840-1961 (Box 1-2; 0.4 linear feet) Series 2: Edith Rossiter Bevan Collection of Artists' Letters, circa 1891-1939, 1951 (Box 1; 2 folders)
Biographical Note:
Thomas Prichard Rossiter (1818-1871) was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He first learned painting as an apprentice for a Mr. John Boyd, and also studied with Nathaniel Jocelyn. In 1838 he exhibited two paintings at the National Academy of Design, and in 1939 moved to New York City and opened a studio. In 1840, Rossiter traveled to Europe with Asher B. Durand, John Kensett, and John Casilaer, and while there visited Rome with Thomas Cole. He decided to stay in Italy until 1846 when he moved to New York City and shared a studio with Kensett and Louis Lang. During this period he relied on portrait painting for his income, but also painted historical and religious paintings. In 1851 Rossiter married Anna Ehrick Parmly and they toured Europe in 1853. They settled in Paris where Anna gave birth to twins Ehrick Kensett and Charlotte. Rossiter exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1855. Anna died shortly after the birth of their daughter Anna, and the family moved back to New York. For a brief period of time Rossiter had an art gallery, exhibiting his work and the work of his friends. In 1860 he married Mary (Mollie) Sterling and moved his family to Cold Spring, New York on the Hudson River. He continued to paint portraits, historical, and religious paintings, and exhibited at the National Academy of Design and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, until his death in 1871. Ehrick Kensett Rossiter (1854-1941), named after his father's friend John Frederick Kensett, attended Cornell University and became an architect in New York as part of the firm Rossiter & Muller. He was a member of the Architectural League, United States Public Architects' League, and trustee of the American Fine Arts Society. In 1877 he married Mary Heath and they had three sons and a daughter. Their daughter Edith Rossiter Bevan was a historian and avid collector of historical autographs.
Related Material:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is a Thomas Prichard Rossiter letter to Elias Beirs dated January 12, 1840.
Provenance:
A portion of the collection was donated in 1957 by Edith Rossiter Bevan, daughter of Ehrick Kensett Rossiter, and granddaughter of Thomas Prichard Rossiter. Additional material was donated in 2007 by Patti Rossiter Ravenscroft, Rossiter's Great Great Granddaughter.
Restrictions:
Use of 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:
Painters -- New York (State)  Search this
Topic:
Architects -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketches
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Thomas Prichard Rossiter and Rossiter Family papers, 1840-1957. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.rossthom
See more items in:
Thomas Prichard Rossiter and Rossiter Family papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw972b743d7-b65e-4f8f-adad-58b96811325f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-rossthom