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Summary:
Letters, 1940-1981, are primarily from ceramist Frans Wildenhain to Kitty and Hermann Fischer. Thirteen of the letters are illustrated. Also included are a watercolor sketch, undated; 3 clippings and an announcement for Wildenhain's pottery in Putten, Holland; and photographs, 1944-1975, of Wildenhain with his third wife Lili and Fischer's friend Helen Weynerowsky, and of 3 pots by Wildenhain.
Citation:
Kitty C. L. Fischer papers relating to Frans Wildenhain, 1940-1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
35mm microfilm reel 5257 available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Biography Note:
Kitty, a weaver, and Hermann Fischer, an architect, both of Holland, became acquainted with ceramist Frans Wildenhain as fellow students at the Bauhaus. They maintained their friendship throughout World War II via correspondence. Wildenhain established pottery workshops in Putten and Amsterdam, Holland before immigrating to the United States in 1947. After spending three years with the Pond Farm Workshops in Guerneville, California, he became an instructor at the School for American Craftsmen, Rochester Institute of Technology, N.Y. After his divorce from Marguerite Friedlaender Wildenhain in 1955, he was married to Marjorie McIlroy until her death in 1967. His third wife was Elisabeth (Lili) Wildenhain.
Language Note:
Fifty-four letters and an announcement are in Dutch. Forty-four letters are in German.
Provenance:
Donated 1981 by Kitty C. L. Fischer.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001