The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2022.
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.
Summary:
The scattered papers of art and music patron and educator Olive Thompson Cowell measure 0.5 linear feet and date from circa 1940 to 1982. Found are biographical materials including sound recordings, a photo album and snapshots, and files on artists including Claire Falkenstein, Trude Guermonprez, and Frans and Marguerite Wildenhain.
Citation:
Olive Thompson Cowell papers, circa 1940-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Funding:
Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
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.
Biography Note:
Olive Thompson Cowell (1887-1984) was an arts and music patron and educator in San Francisco, California. Cowell attended Barnard College and worked as an educator in California. Later she received an MA from the University of California, Berkeley. She founded the international relations department at San Francisco State University, where she taught until 1956. Married to Henry Clayton Blackwood Cowell, she was the stepmother to pianist Henry Cowell.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Donated 1994 and 1998 by Alan W. Ford, who inherited and resided in Cowell's home and received the papers from Cowell. He destroyed all other Cowell papers at her request. Ford subsequently resided in a house designed by architect Lilian Bridgman, and donated a group of Bridgman's papers as well; these are cataloged separately.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
