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Catalog Data

Creator:
Aitken, Robert Ingersoll, 1878-1949  Search this
Subject:
Ward, De Witt  Search this
Roosevelt, Theodore  Search this
Wheeler, Benjamin  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
0.5 Linear feet
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series. Series 1: Robert Aitken Papers, circa 1900-1960
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original materials requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D. C. Research Center.
Summary:
The papers of California-born sculptor Robert Aitken measure 0.5 linear feet and date from circa 1900-1960. The collection primarily consists of photographs of Aitken in his studio and photographs of his sculpture including fountain figures, mausouleum doors, medallions, refliefs, and portrait busts. Also found is a photograph of Theodore Roosevelt at the dedication of the Navy Monument in Union Square, San Francisco, in 1902. The collection also includes one 1904 letter from Benjamin Wheeler to Robert Aitken thanking Aitken for a bust of George Washington, and scattered clippings and postcards reproducing works of art by Aitken.
Citation:
Robert Aitken papers, circa 1900-1960. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
This collection is also available on 35 mm microfilm reel 1027. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Funding:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
Use Note:
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.
Biography Note:
Noted sculptor Robert Aitken (1878-1949) was born in San Francisco, California, and taught at the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art from 1901-1904. He studied in Paris in 1897 and from 1904-1907, and then settled in New York City where he spent most of his career teaching at the National Academy of Design.
He completed numerous sculpture commissions including portrait busts, medallions and coins, reliefs, and fountain figures. His works include the "Fountain of Earth" for San Francisco's Panama Pacific Exposition, the Navy Monument in San Francisco's Union Square, doors for the Greenhut and John W. Gates Mausoleums in New York, several military sculptures at West Point, and Guardian Figures at the National Archives building and the West Pediment of the United States Supreme Court building, both in Washington D. C.
Aitken was a member of the National Academy of Design, the National Arts Club, the National Institute of Arts and Letters, the National Sculpture Society and the New York Architectural League.
Language Note:
Collection is in English.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art by the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in November 1973.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Monuments -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Monuments -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Sculptors  Search this
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)7157
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209291
AAA_collcode_aitkrobe
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209291