The collection is arranged into 8 series: Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1920-1968 (Box 1; 10 folders) Series 2: Correspondence, 1919-1982 (Boxes 1-4; 3.75 linear feet) Series 3: Writings, circa 1920-1971 (Boxes 4-5; 0.25 linear feet) Series 4: Financial Records, 1936-1965 (Box 5; 0.5 linear feet) Series 5: Printed Materials, circa 1915-1987 (Boxes 5-6; 1.2 linear feet) Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1912-1968(Boxes 6-7; 0.5 linear feet) Series 7: Artwork, circa 1920-1945 (Box 6; 3 folders) Series 8: Photographs, circa 1912-1961 (Boxes 6 and 8; 7 folders)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of originals requires an appointment.
Summary:
The papers of printmaker and painter Adolf Dehn measure 6.6 linear feet and date from 1912-1987. The collection contains extensive correspondence, as well as writings, exhibition announcements, catalogs, clippings, invoices, receipts, legal documents, scrapbooks, artwork, and photographs. There is also scattered correspondence of Virginia Dehn, mostly concerning her husband Adolf Dehn.
Citation:
Adolf Dehn papers, 1912-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
Materials lent for microfilming are available on 35mm microfilm reels 287 and 2938-2939 at the Archives of American Art and through interlibrary loan.
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.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming. Reel 287 contains printed materials, including exhibition announcements, catalogs, magazines, and newspaper and magazine clippings. After filming, these materials were transferred to the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library. Reels 2938-2939 include 750 letters from Adolf Dehn to various family members. This material was returned to the lender and is not described in the collection container inventory.
Biography Note:
Adolf Dehn (1895-1968) was well-known for his drawings, lithographs and watercolors which satirically chronicled the social and political milieu of his times, as well as poetic landscapes, many of which depicted the rolling hills and farmlands of his native Midwest. Although he worked mostly in New York, Dehn also spent substantial time traveling and working in Europe, the Middle East, South America, and the American mid-west.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The Adolf Dehn papers were donated in several installments from 1966 to 1985 by Adolf Dehn and his wife Virginia. Dehn's sisters, Viola Dehn Tiala and Olivia Dehn Mitchell, separately donated additional materials in 1971 and 1972. Olivia Dehn Mitchell also loaned the Archives letters from Adolf in 1983 for microfilming. Finally in 1989, Lillian Morrison, a friend and editor, donated a published book of Mura Dehn's poetry and a four page draft of a letter signed by Adolf Dehn.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001