The Collection is arranged as eight series. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers. Series 1: Correspondence, 1912-1968 (0.4 Linear feet: Box 1) Series 2: Writings, circa 1868-1966 (1.1 Linear feet: Box 1-2) Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1948-1949 (1 Folder: Box 2) Series 4: Personal Business, 1943-1964 (6 Folders: Box 2) Series 5: Printed Material, 1902-1971 (0.5 Linear feet: Box 2) Series 6: Scrapbooks, circa 1868-1954 (0.5 Linear feet: Box 3) Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1852-1965 (0.4 Linear feet: Box 3-4, MGP4) Series 8: Artwork, circa 1939-1950 (2 Folders: Box 4)
Access Note / Rights:
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 Reference Services for more information.
Summary:
The papers of Betty Carpenter measure 2.8 linear feet and date from circa 1867-1971, with the bulk from 1927-1963. The papers document Betty Carpenter's extensive research of John Orne Johnson (J.O.J) Frost and George E. Lothrop, the primitive style painters whose work she collected. Included are: drafts, notes and manuscripts of Carpenter's unpublished book on Frost; primary source material including letters from Frost to his grandchildren, copies of articles by Frost; photographs of Frost, his family and paintings; scrapbooks compiled by Carpenter and Frost, respectively; exhibition catalogs; printed material such as newspaper clippings on Frost and his hometown Marblehead, Massachusetts; notes on George E. Lothrop and photographs of his paintings.
Citation:
Betty Carpenter papers, circa 1867-1971, bulk 1927-1963. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Funding:
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.
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:
Betty Carpenter, was an art historian, biographer and collector from Massachusetts. Her collection comprised the work of Massachusetts folk artists John Orne Johnson and George E. Lothrop. In 1943 Carpenter and her husband began collecting Frost's work from his son Frank Frost. From there Mrs. Carpenter developed friendships with Frost's family and in 1948 she helped arrange an exhibition of Frost's work (along with George Lothrop's) at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Donated 1972 by Peter Carpenter.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
