The collection is arranged into eight series. Series 1: Correspondence, 1940-2005 (1.4 linear feet; Boxes 1-2) Series 2: Writings, circa 1959-1979 (0.1 linear feet; Box 2) Series 3: Professional Activity Files, 1948-2010 (2.7 linear feet; Boxes 2-4, FC 23-24) Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1962-2004 (2.2 linear feet; Boxes 5-7) Series 5: Printed Material, 1941-2008 (1.9 linear feet; Boxes 7-9, 15) Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1935-1979 (0.7 linear feet; Box 9, 15-16) Series 7: Artwork, circa 1937 (2.1 linear feet; Box 9, 12-14, OV 17-22) Series 8: Photographic Material, 1936-2001 (2.2 linear feet; Boxes 10-11, 14-15)
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 audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Summary:
The papers of Bernard Langlais measure 13.3 linear feet and date from circa 1925 to 2010. The papers document Langlais' career as a painter and sculptor through correspondence with friends, colleagues, and art institutions and organizations; writings; exhibition records, video recordings about Langlais, resumes, and other professional activity files; appraisals, invoices, inventories, and other personal business records; newspaper and magazine clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and press releases; as well as scrapbooks, drawings, sketchbooks, and photographic material of Langlais and his artwork.
Citation:
Bernard Langlais papers, circa 1925-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reels 859-860 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
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:
Video recording "Noon Exercise: Bernard Langlais" is publication restricted. Authorization to quote or reproduce for purposes of publication requires written permission from WCBB-TV, Lewiston, Maine. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Bernard Langlais conducted by Robert Brown on February 21, 1973.
Biography Note:
Bernard Langlais (1921-1977) was a sculptor and painter in Cushing, Maine. Langlais was born in Old Town, Maine. He attended the Corcoran School of Art, moved to New York, and became a close friend of many of the rising New York artists. Tiring of the New York competitive art scene, he returned to Maine, abandoned abstract painting, and achieved considerable success with monumental wooden outdoor sculpture.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The bulk of the collection was donated 2015 by Colby College Museum of Art via Paige Doore, Curricular Registrar, who received the papers as a bequest from Helen Langlais. Papers on reels 859-860 were lent for microfilming in 1974 by Langlais and subsequently donated in 1997 with additional papers by Helen Friend Langlais, Langlais' widow. One video recording, "Noon Exercise: Bernard Langlais" was donated in 1981 by WCBB-TV, Lewiston, ME via Harriet Passerman, Cultural Affairs Director.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
