American Society of Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Search this
New Society of Artists (New York, N.Y.) Search this
Type:
Watercolors
Sketches
Photographs
Prints
Sketchbooks
Illustrated letters
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
2.6 Linear feet
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 7 series: Series 1: Biographical Material, 1943-1975 (Box 1; 4 folders) Series 2: Correspondence, 1939-1983 (Box 1; 0.6 linear feet) Series 3: Organization Files, 1924-1937, 1951-1952 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet) Series 4: Writings & Notes, 1937-1960s (Box 1; 4 folders) Series 5: Printed Material, 1930-1979 (Box 2; 0.6 linear feet) Series 6: Photographs, 1914, circa 1920s-1975 (Box 2, OV 5; 0.2 linear feet) Series 7: Artwork, circa 1940s-1970s (Box 2-4, OV 5; 0.4 linear feet)
Access Note / Rights:
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
Summary:
The papers of realist painter Isabel Bishop date from 1914 to 1983 and measure 2.6 linear feet. The collection documents Bishop's painting career, her friendship with other artists, and her participation in several arts organizations. There are scattered biographical documents, correspondence with fellow artists such as Peggy Bacon, Warren Chappell, Edward Laning, and R. B. Kitaj, and with writers, curators, museums, galleries, arts organizations, and others. Also found are arts organization files, Bishop's writings about Warren Chappell and friend Reginald Marsh, notes, exhibition catalogs, news clippings, and other printed material, photographs of Bishop and her artwork, and photographs of Reginald and Felicia Marsh. Original artwork includes 8 sketchbooks, loose sketches, prints, and watercolor figure studies.
Citation:
Isabel Bishop papers, 1914-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The papers of Isabel Bishop in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2008 , and total 2150 images.
Funding:
Funding for the processing and digitization 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:
Also found at the Archives of American Art are three oral history interviews with Isabel Bishop, April 15, 1959, May 29, 1959, and November 12-December 11, 1987.
The Whitney Museum of American Art and Midtown Galleries loaned additional Bishop papers to the Archives for microfilming on reels NY59-4 and NY59-5. These items were returned to the lenders after microfilming and are not described in the container listing of this finding aid.
Biography Note:
Isabel Bishop (1902-1988) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to John Remsen Bishop and Anna Bartram Newbold Bishop. Shortly after her birth the family moved to Detroit, Michigan. As a child Bishop took art classes and had a growing interest in drawing. In 1918 at the age of 16 she left home and moved to New York City where she enrolled in the School of Applied Design for Women to be an illustrator. However, her real interest was in painting, not the graphic arts, and she enrolled in the Art Students League in 1920. There she studied with Kenneth Hayes Miller and Guy Pene du Bois and met many young artists, including Reginald Marsh and Edwin Dickinson, both of whom became close friends. She took classes until 1924 and rented a studio and living space on 14th Street in a neighborhood where many artists maintained studios at the time.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The collection was donated in several installments by Isabel Bishop from 1959 to 1983.
Digitization Note:
The papers of Isabel Bishop in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2008 . The bulk of the papers have been scanned and total 2,150 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001