The collection is arranged as 5 series: Series 1: Biographical Material, 1852-1906 (Box 1-2, OV 5; 8 folders) Series 2: Writings, 1880-1898 (Box 1; 5 folders) Series 3: Art Work, circa 1848 (Box 2; 1 folder) Series 4: Printed Material, 1873-1889 (Box 1-4; 0.7 linear feet) Series 5: Photographs, 1874-1932 (Box 1-2, OV 5; 8 folders)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Summary:
The papers of lithographer Louis Prang date from 1848 to 1932 and measure 1.2 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical material, writings, art work, card samples, printed material, and photographs.
Citation:
Louis Prang papers, 1848-1932. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
This collection was digitized in its entirety in 2014 and is available on the Archives of American Art's website.
Funding:
Funding for the 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 in the Archives of American Art is the Mary Margaret Sittig research material on Louis Prang.
Biography Note:
Louis Prang (1824-1909) of Boston, Massachusetts, was a lithographer and wood engraver, famous for his chromolithographic reproductions of major works of art as well as for a series of publications used for art education in public schools. Because his company was first to make commercially printed greeting cards available to the public, Prang is often referred to as the "father of the American Christmas Card."
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The Louis Prang papers were donated in 1989 by Thomas West Christopher, M.D., son of E. Wrightson Christopher who compiled the papers while he was a publisher of greeting cards. A photocopied letter and a sales book of samples were donated separately and have unknown provenances.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the papers of Louis Prang in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2015, and total 261 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
