Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with C. Jane and Jeffrey Camp, 1987 December 2-1988 January 15. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Virginia -- Richmond -- Interviews Search this
8 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 5 reels))
5.4 Linear feet (Addition)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1969-[ca. 1990]
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence, photographs, slides, files, consigment of works of art to Cavin-Morris, Inc., and an account book for works of art by Howard Finster and Miles B. Carpenter, printed material concerning the Camp's interest and business in American folk art.
REELS 4067-4070: Correspondence with dealers, artists, and others, including Miles B. Carpenter, S.L. Jones, Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., Randall and Shari (Cavin) Morris, Phyllis Kind, Carl Hammer, Robert Bishop, Susan Hankla, Victor Musgrave, Roger Cardinal, Gregg Blasdel, Edwin Shelton, Elsa Weiner, and John Beardsley; files on artists Howard Finster, S.L. Jones, Carpenter, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Nellie Mae Rowe, Uncle Jack Dey, Lanier Meaders, Leslie J. Payne, Patsy Billups, and others; photographs of Miles Carpenter, his wood sculpture, and his family, and autobiographical writings by Carpenter; printed material on the American Folk Art Company; clippings, articles, exhibition catalogs, and other printed material about American folk art; and ca. 2,000 photographs of folk art.
REEL 4080: Ca. 50 letters from Howard Finster to Jeffrey Camp; writings by Finster; Camp's notes on Finster; price lists of works by Finster; receipts; and a letter from Camp's lawyer concerning Finster.
UNMICROFILMED: Slides, 1973-1983, of works of art and artists including Patsy Billups, Miles B. Carpenter, Howard Finster, Russell Gillespie, Charles T. Gleason, S.L. Jones, Sister Gertrude Morgan and Leslie J. Payne taken by Camp.
ADDITION: Papers, received in 1999, are primarily a donation of the material previously lent and microfilmed on reels 4067-4070, although some additional material was also donated. The addition most likely does not include material on reel 4080 relating to Howard Finster.
Biographical / Historical:
Folk art dealers, collectors; Richmond, Va. Owned and managed the American Folk Art Company, 1972-1976, Richmond and Tappahannock, Virginia, whose stock included paintings and sculpture by self-taught artists Howard Finster, Miles B. Carpenter, S.L. Jones, Leslie J. Payne, Russell Gillespie and others. The Camps are recognized as key figures in the folk art market of the 1970s.
Provenance:
Papers on reels 4067-4070, and 4080 were lent for microfilming 1987 by Jeffrey and C. Jane Camp. The collection of slides was copied by the Archives. In 1999, the Camps donated much of the material previously lent on reels 4067-4070, as well as some additional papers.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
An interview of C. Jane and Jeffrey Camp conducted 1987 Dec. 2-1988 Jan. 15, by Liza Kirwin, for the Archives of American Art.
The Camps speak of their family backgrounds and education; Jeffrey's training in public relations; his first wife Emily; opening their store, the American Folk Art Company, in Richmond, Va., in 1972; their early inventory; Emily's role and personality as business partner; the ethics of art dealing; meeting and marrying his second wife, C. Jane Simpson; representing woodcarver Miles B. Carpenter; Jane's role in the American Folk Art Company; dealers, including Randall and Shari Morris, Phyllis Kind, and Jay Johnson in New York, Judith Alexander in Atlanta, and Carl Hammer in Chicago; emotions felt when acquiring objects; their private collection; advice received from Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., Michael Hall, and Phyllis Kind about working with artists; discovering and learning about folk art; collecting trips with Hemphill and others; dealings and falling out with Howard Finster; and publications of the American Folk Art Company; specific pieces of art collected and sold; and changing prices in the folk art market.
Biographical / Historical:
C. Jane Camp (1953- ) and Jeffrey Camp (1944- ) are folk art collectors from Richmond, Va. and Ross Shire, Scotland
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
This interview is access restricted; written permission required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Virginia -- Richmond -- Interviews Search this
