Search Results

Creator:

Whitney, Gertrude Vanderbilt, 1875-1942  Search this

Names:

American Ambulance Field Hospital (Juilly, France)  Search this

Greenwich House (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this

Whitney Studio Club  Search this

Cushing, Howard Gardiner, 1869-1916  Search this

De Meyer, Adolf, Baron, 1868-1949  Search this

Miller, Flora Whitney  Search this

Strelecki, Jean de, count  Search this

Watson, Forbes, 1880-1960  Search this

Whitney, Harry Payne, 1872-1930  Search this

Extent:

36.1 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Lithographs

Photographs

Interviews

Sketchbooks

Diaries

Scrapbooks

Blueprints

Sketches

Date:

1851-1975

bulk 1888-1942

Summary:

The Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers measure approximately 36.1 linear feet and date from 1851 to 1975, with the bulk of the material dating from 1888 to 1942. The collection documents the life and work of the art patron and sculptor, especially her promotion of American art and artists, her philanthropy and war relief work, her commissions for memorial sculpture, and her creative writing. Papers include correspondence, journals, writings, project files, scrapbooks, photographs, artwork, printed material, two sound recordings, and miscellaneous personal papers.

Scope and Content Note:

The Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers measure approximately 36.1 linear feet and date from 1851 to 1975, with the bulk of the material dating from 1888 to 1942. The collection documents the life and work of the art patron and sculptor, especially her promotion of American art and artists, her philanthropy and war relief work, her commissions for memorial sculpture, and her creative writing. Papers include correspondence, journals, writings, project files, scrapbooks, photographs, artwork, printed material, two sound recordings, and miscellaneous personal papers.

Material relating to more personal aspects of Whitney's life include school papers, a paper doll book dating from her childhood, financial material, interviews, awards and honorary degrees, address and telephone books, committee files, and other items. Correspondence consists of incoming and outgoing letters concerning both personal and professional matters, including her patronage of the arts and sponsorship of artists, her sculpture commissions and exhibitions, and her war relief work and other philantrophic activities. Also found are family correspondence and correspondence received by the Flora Whitney Miller and the Whitney Museum of American Art after Whitney's death. Journals include personal ones that she kept periodically from the time she was a child to near the end of her life, in which she recorded her travels, her impressions of people, her experiences with friends, and her thoughts on art, among other topics; and social ones, in which she recorded dinners and dances attended, and people invited to different social gatherings, and in which she collected invitations received and accepted.

Scattered files can be found that relate to the Whitney Studio Club and the Whitney Museum of American Art, consisting of notebooks, catalogs, a financial report, and other material. Files relating to Whitney's own sculpture projects are more extensive and consist of correspondence, contracts, printed material, notes, financial material for proposed and completed commissions for fountains, memorials, and monuments. The Whitney Museum of American Art, rather than Whitney herself, seems to have kept these files. Files relating to Whitney's philanthropic activities span from the time just before to just after the First World War and consist of correspondence, minutes, reports, and printed material stemming from her contributions to charities and war relief organizations, her sponsorship of the war hospital in Juilly, France, and her support of the Greenwich House Social Settlement.

Whitney's writings include extensive drafts, and handwritten and typed manuscripts and copies of novels, plays, and stories, as well as some autobiographical and early writings, notes and writings on art, and clippings of published writings, documenting her principle means of creative expression towards the end of her life. Also found are some writings by others. Scrapbooks consist of clippings, photographs, letters and other material, compiled by Whitney, Flora Whitney Miller, and possibly others, documenting Whitney's public life, her sculpture commissions and exhibitions, exhibitions at the Whitney Studio, the war hospital in Juilly, France, the death of Harry Payne Whitney in 1930, and the sickness and death of Whitney in 1942.

Photographs include ones of the Whitney and Vanderbilt families, ones of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (including portraits taken by Baron Adolf de Meyer and Count Jean de Strelecki), ones of various Vanderbilt and Whitney residences and of Whitney's studios, ones of Whitney's sculpture exhibitions as well as exhibitions at her studio, and ones of her sculptures, as well as some miscellaneous and unidentified ones. Artwork consists of sketchbooks and sketches by Whitney (including sketches for sculptures) and artwork by others (including a sketchbook of Howard Cushing's containing a sketch of her and albums of World War I lithographs) collected by Whitney. Also found amongst the collection are printed material (clippings, exhibition catalogs, programs, and publications) and blueprints (including drawings for Whitney's studio on MacDougal Alley and various of her sculptures).

Arrangement:

The Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers are arranged into twelve series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Miscellaneous Personal Papers, 1888-1947, 1975 (Boxes 1-3, 33-34, OV 42; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1889-1949, 1959 (Boxes 3-9; 6 linear feet)

Series 3: Journals, circa 1886-1939 (Boxes 9-12, 33; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Whitney Studio Club and Whitney Museum of American Art Files, 1921-1943 (Box 12; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 5: Sculpture Files, 1900-1960 (bulk 1909-1942) (Boxes 12-15; 3 linear feet)

Series 6: Philanthropy Files, 1902-1923 (bulk 1915-1920) (Boxes 15-17; 2 linear feet)

Series 7: Writings, 1889-1942, 1974 (Boxes 17-26; 10 linear feet)

Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1893-1942 (Boxes 26-27, 33, 35; 1.5 linear feet)

Series 9: Printed Material, 1859-1942 (Boxes 27-28, 36; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 10: Photographs, 1862-1942 (Boxes 28-32, 36-41, OV 43-51; 6.4 linear feet)

Series 11: Artwork, 1871-1930s (Boxes 32, 41, OV 52-54; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 12: Blueprints, 1913-1945 (OV 55; 0.1 linear feet)

Biographical/Historical note:

New York art patron and sculptor, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942), was the eldest daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt, and founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Whitney was born January 9, 1875 in New York City, the. She was educated by private tutors and attended Brearley School in New York. From the time she was a young girl, she kept journals of her travels and impressions of the people she met, and engaged in creative pursuits such as sketching and writing stories. In 1896, she was married to Harry Payne Whitney. They had three children, Flora, Cornelius, and Barbara.

In 1900, Whitney began to study sculpture under Hendrik Christian Anderson, and then under James Fraser. Later, she studied with Andrew O'Connor in Paris. From the time she started studying sculpture, her interest in art grew, as did her particular concern for American art and artists. In 1907, she organized an art exhibition at the Colony Club, which included several contemporary American paintings. She also opened a studio on MacDougal Alley, which became known as the Whitney Studio and was a place where shows and prize competitions were held. (She also had other studios in Westbury, Long Island and Paris, France.) Over the years, her patronage of art included buying work, commissioning it, sponsoring it, exhibiting it, and financially supporting artists in America and abroad. From 1911 on, she was aided in her work by Juliana Force, who started out as Whitney's secretary, was responsible for art exhibitions at the Whitney Studio, and became the first director of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

The first recognition Whitney received for her sculpture came in 1908 when a project on which she had collaborated (with Grosvenor Atterbury and Hugo Ballin) won a prize for best design from the Architectural League of New York. The following year she received a commission to do a fountain sculpture for the Pan-American Building in Washington, D. C. She went on to do numerous other commissioned works over the next several decades, including: a fountain for the New Arlington Hotel in Washington D.C. (the design of which was reproduced in various sizes and materials, one cast being submitted to the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition where it won a bronze medal and a later cast being installed on the campus of McGill University, Montreal, Canada in 1930); the Titanic Memorial (designed in 1913 and erected in 1930); the Buffalo Bill Memorial (1924) in Cody, Wyoming; the Columbus Memorial (1929) in Port of Palos, Spain; the Peter Stuyvesant statue in Stuyvesant Square (1939); and The Spirit of Flight (1939) for the New York World's Fair. In 1916, she had her first one-man show at the Whitney Studio, another at the Newport Art Association, and a retrospective at the San Francisco Art Association Palace of Fine Arts. A traveling exhibition in the Midwest followed in 1918.

During the First World War, Whitney was involved with numerous war relief activities, most notably establishing and supporting a hospital in Juilly, France. She made several trips to France during the war, keeping a journal and eventually publishing a piece on the hospital in several newspapers. Her sculpture during this period was largely focused on war themes. In 1919, she exhibited some of these works at the Whitney Studio in a show called "Impressions of War." In the years after the war, she was also commissioned to do several war memorials, including the Washington Heights War Memorial (1922) and the St. Nazaire Memorial (1926) commemmorating the landing of the American Expeditionary Force in France in 1917.

In 1918, Whitney opened the Whitney Studio Club, which served as pioneering organization for American art, putting on exhibition programs and offering social space and recreational amenities to its members (one point numbering over four hundred artists living in New York). She planned an "Overseas Exhibition" of American art, which traveled to Paris and other European cities in 1920-1921, and had her own shows in Paris and London in 1921. In 1928, the Whitney Studio Club was transformed into an art gallery, known as the Whitney Studio Galleries and directed by Juliana Force, which eventually became the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1931.

Whitney pursued creative writing throughout her life, but beginning in the 1930s writing became her principle means of creative expression. Over the years, she produced numerous manuscripts for stories, novels, and play. One novel, Walking the Dusk, was published in 1932 under the pseudonym L. J. Webb. Beginning in 1940, Whitney took a "Professional Writing" course at Columbia University with Helen Hull, which resulted in the production of numerous short stories. In 1941, she collaborated with Ronald Bodley to adapt one of her stories as a play and attempted to get it produced, although unsuccessfully.

In 1934, Whitney was involved in a custody battle for her niece, Gloria Vanderbilt (daughter of her late brother, Reginald Vanderbilt and his wife, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt). In an agreement reached by the court, custody was awarded to Whitney and visitation rights to Gloria's mother. Litigation continued in the ensuing years.

In 1935, Whitney established the World's Fair Five Organization, with Juliana Force and four architects, to work on preparing a plan for the site of the 1939 New York World's Fair at Flushing Meadow, although the fair's own Board of Design ended up coming up with its own plan.

Whitney continued her work in sculpture, writing, art patronage, and philanthropy throughout the remaining years of her life. She died on April 18, 1942.

Related Archival Materials note:

Related material found in the Archives includes Research Material on Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney compiled by Flora Miller Irving and the Whitney Museum of American Art artists' files and records, available on microfilm only (originals are located in the Whitney Museum of American Art). Also found in the Archives of American Art's Miscellaneous Exhibition Catalog Collection are a bundle of Whitney Studio Club and Mrs. H. P. Whitney's Studio catalogs and announcements.

Provenance:

The Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers were donated in 1981 and 1991 by Whitney's granddaughter, Flora Miller Irving.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Rights:

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.

Occupation:

Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Philanthropists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Art patrons -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

World War, 1914-1918  Search this

Genre/Form:

Lithographs

Photographs

Interviews

Sketchbooks

Diaries

Scrapbooks

Blueprints

Sketches

Citation:

Whitney Museum of American Art, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Papers, 1851-1975 (bulk 1888-1942). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

Identifier:

AAA.whitgert

See more items in:

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9db113d72-cc31-4974-85fe-3e99c53dd62e

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-whitgert

Creator:

Poor, Henry Varnum, 1887-1970  Search this

Names:

Montross Gallery  Search this

Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture  Search this

Benton, William, 1900-1973  Search this

Biddle, George, 1885-1973  Search this

Billing, Jules  Search this

Burchfield, Charles Ephraim, 1893-1967  Search this

Caniff, Milton Arthur, 1907-1988  Search this

Ciardi, John, 1916-  Search this

Czebotar, Theodore  Search this

Deming, MacDonald  Search this

Dickson, Harold E., 1900-  Search this

Dorn, Marion, 1896-1964  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this

Esherick, Wharton  Search this

Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973  Search this

Garrett, Alice Warder  Search this

Houseman, John, 1902-1988  Search this

Marston, Muktuk  Search this

Meredith, Burgess, 1907-1997  Search this

Mumford, Lewis, 1895-1990  Search this

Padro, Isabel  Search this

Poor, Anne, 1918-  Search this

Poor, Bessie Breuer  Search this

Poor, Eva  Search this

Poor, Josephine Graham  Search this

Poor, Josephine Lydia  Search this

Poor, Peter  Search this

Sargent, Elizabeth S.  Search this

Smith, David, 1906-1965  Search this

Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968  Search this

Watson, Ernest William, 1884-1969  Search this

Extent:

12.9 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Motion pictures (visual works)

Diaries

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Date:

1873-2001

bulk 1904-1970

Summary:

The papers of Henry Varnum Poor measure 12.9 linear feet and date from 1873-2001, with the bulk from the period 1904-1970. Correspondence, writings, artwork, printed material and photographs document Poor's work as a painter, muralist, ceramic artist and potter, architect, designer, writer, war artist, educator and a co-founder of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Also found is extensive information about the design and construction of Crow House, his home in New City, New York, commissions for other architectural projects, and his personal life.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Henry Varnum Poor measure 12.9 linear feet and date from 1873-2001, with the bulk from the period 1904-1970. Correspondence, writings, artwork, printed material and photographs document Poor's work as a painter, muralist, ceramic artist and potter, architect, designer, writer, war artist, educator and a co-founder of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Also found is extensive information about the design and construction of Crow House, his home in New City, New York, commissions for other architectural projects, and his personal life.

Henry Varnum Poor's correspondence documents his personal, family, and professional life. Correspondents include family and friends, among them George Biddle, Charles Burchfield, John Ciardi, Marion V. Dorn (who became his second wife), Philip Evergood, Lewis Mumford, John Steinbeck, David Smith, and Mrs. John Work (Alice) Garrett. Among other correspondents are galleries, museums, schools, organizations, fans, former students, and acquaintances from his military service and travels. Family correspondence consists of Henry's letters to his parents, letters to his parents written by his wife, and letters among other family members.

Among the writings by Henry Varnum Poor are manuscripts of his two published books, An Artist Sees Alaska and A Book of Pottery: From Mud to Immortality. as well as the text of "Painting is Being Talked to Death," published in the first issue of Reality: A Journal of Artists' Opinions, April 1953, and manuscripts of other articles. There are also film scripts, two journals, notes and notebooks, lists, speeches, and writings by others, including M. R. ("Muktuk") Marston's account of Poor rescuing an Eskimo, and Bessie Breuer Poor's recollections of The Montross Gallery.

Subject files include those on the Advisory Committee on Art, American Designers' Gallery, Inc., William Benton, Harold Dickson, Reality: A Journal of Artists' Opinions Sales, and War Posters. There are numerous administrative files for the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.

Artwork by Henry Varnum Poor consists mainly of loose drawings and sketches and 45 sketchbooks of studies for paintings, murals, and pottery. There is work done in France, 1918-1919, and while working as a war correspondent in Alaska in 1943. There are commissioned illustrations and some intended for his monograph, A Book of Pottery: From Mud to Immortality. Also found are a small number of watercolors and prints. Work by other artists consist of Anne Poor's drawings of her father's hands used for the Lincoln figure in The Land Grant Frescoes and interior views of Crow House by Ernest Watson.

Documentation of Poor's architectural projects consists of drawings and prints relating to houses designed and built for Jules Billing, MacDonald Deming, John Houseman, Burgess Meredith, Isabel Padro, and Elizabeth S. Sargent. Also found is similar material for the new studio Poor built in 1957 on the grounds of Crow House.

Miscellaneous records include family memorabilia and two motion picture films, Painting a True Fresco, and The Land Grant Murals at Pennsylvania State College.

Printed material includes articles about or mentioning Poor, some of his pottery reference books, family history, a catalog of kilns, and the program of a 1949 Pennsylvania State College theater production titled Poor Mr. Varnum. Exhibition catalogs and announcements survive for some of Poor's shows; catalogs of other artists' shows include one for Theodore Czebotar containing an introductory statement by Henry Varnum Poor. Also found is a copy of The Army at War: A Graphic Record by American Artists, for which Poor served as an advisor. There are reproductions of illustrations for An Artist Sees Alaska and Ethan Frome, and two Associated American Artists greeting cards reproducing work by Poor.

Photographs are of Henry Varnum Poor's architectural work, artwork, people, places, and miscellaneous subjects. This series also contains negatives, slides, and transparencies. Images of architectural work include exterior and interior views of many projects; Poor's home, Crow House, predominates. Photographs of artwork by Poor are of drawings, fresco and ceramic tile murals, paintings, pottery and ceramic art. People appearing in photographs include Henry Varnum Poor, family members, friends, clients, juries, students, and various groups. Among the individuals portrayed are Milton Caniff, Marcel Duchamp, Wharton Esherick, M. R. ("Muktuk") Marston, and Burgess Meredith. Among the family members are Bessie Breuer Poor, Marion Dorn Poor, Anne Poor, Eva Poor, Josephine Graham Poor, Josephine Lydia Poor, Peter Poor, and unidentified relatives. Photographs of places include many illustrating village life in Alaska that were taken by Poor during World War II. Other places recorded are French and California landscapes, and family homes in Kansas. Miscellaneous subjects are exhibition installation views, scenes of Kentucky farms, and a photograph of Poor's notes on glazes.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 9 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1919-1987 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1, OV 18)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1873-1985 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1944-1974 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 2-3)

Series 4: Subject Files, 1928-1975 (0.8 linear feet; Box 3, OV 23)

Series 5: Artwork, circa 1890s-circa 1961 (3.5 linear feet; Boxes 4-6, 9-10, OV 19-22)

Series 6: Architectural Projects, circa 1940-1966 (0.7 linear feet; Box 6, OV 24-26, RD 14-17)

Series 7: Miscellaneous Records, 1882-1967 (Boxes 6, 11, FC 30-31; 0.5 linear ft.)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1881-2001 (1.2 linear feet; Boxes 6-7, 11, OV 27-29)

Series 9: Photographs, 1893-1984 (2.3 linear feet; Boxes 7-8, 12-13)

Biographical Note:

Henry Varnum Poor (1888-1970), best known as a potter, ceramic artist, and a co-founder of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, was also an architect, painter, muralist, designer, educator, and writer who lived and worked in New City, New York.

A native of Chapman, Kansas, Henry Varnum Poor moved with his family to Kansas City when his grain merchant father became a member of the Kansas Board of Trade. From a young age he showed artistic talent and spent as much time as possible - including school hours - drawing. When a school supervisor suggested that Henry leave school to study at the Art Institute of Chicago, the family disagreed. Instead, he enrolled in the Kansas City Manual Training High School where he delighted in learning skills such as carpentry, forge work, and mechanical drawing. In 1905, he moved with his older brother and sister to Palo Alto, California and completed high school there. Because Poor was expected to join the family business, he enrolled at Stanford University as an economics major, but much to his father's disappointment and displeasure, soon left the economics department and became an art major.

Immediately after graduation in 1910, Poor and his major professor at Stanford, Arthur B. Clark, took a summer bicycling tour to look at art in London, France, Italy, and Holland. As Poor had saved enough money to remain in London after the summer was over, he enrolled in the Slade School of Art and also studied under Walter Sickert at the London County Council Night School. After seeing an exhibition of Post-Impressionism at the Grafton Galleries in London, Poor was so impressed that he went to Paris and enrolled in the Académie Julian. While in Paris, Poor met Clifford Addams, a former apprentice of Whistler; soon he was working in Addams' studio learning Whistler's palette and techniques.

In the fall of 1911, Poor returned to Stanford University's art department on a one-year teaching assignment. During that academic year, his first one-man show was held at the university's Old Studio gallery. He married Lena Wiltz and moved back to Kansas to manage the family farm and prepare for another exhibition. Their daughter, Josephine Lydia Poor, was born the following year. Poor returned to Stanford in September 1913 as assistant professor of graphic arts, remaining until the department closed three years later. During this period, Poor began to exhibit more frequently in group shows in other areas of the country, and had his first solo exhibition at a commercial gallery (Helgesen Gallery, San Francisco). In 1916, Poor joined the faculty of the San Francisco Art Association. He and his wife separated in 1917 and were divorced the following year. Poor began sharing his San Francisco studio with Marion Dorn.

During World War I, Poor was drafted into the U. S. Army, and in 1918 went to France with the 115th Regiment of Engineers. He spent his spare time drawing; soon officers were commissioning portraits, and Poor was appointed the regimental artist. He also served as an interpreter for his company. Discharged from the Army in early 1919, Poor spent the spring painting in Paris. He then returned to San Francisco and married Marion Dorn.

Once Poor realized that earning a living as a painter would be extremely difficult in California, he and his new wife moved to New York in the autumn of 1919. They were looking for a place to live when influential book and art dealer Mary Mowbray-Clarke of the Sunwise Turn Bookshop in Manhattan suggested New City in Rockland County, New York as good place for artists. In January of 1920, the Poors purchased property on South Mountain Road in New City. The skills he acquired at the Kansas City Manual Training High School were of immediate use as Poor designed and constructed "Crow House" with the assistance of a local teenager. Influenced by the farmhouses he had seen in France, it was made of local sandstone and featured steep gables, rough plaster, chestnut beams and floors, and incorporated many hand-crafted details. Poor designed and built most of their furniture, too. Before the end of the year, he and Marion were able to move into the house, though it remained a work in progress for many years. Additions were constructed. Over time, gardens were designed and planted, and outbuildings - a kiln and pottery, work room, garage, and new studio - appeared on the property.

In 1925, two years after his divorce from Marion Dorn, Poor married Bessie Freedman Breuer (1893-1975), an editor, short story writer, and novelist. Soon after, he adopted her young daughter, Anne (1918-2002), an artist who served as his assistant on many important mural commissions. Their son, Peter (b. 1926) became a television producer. Crow House remained in the family until its sale in 2006. In order to prevent its demolition, Crow House was then purchased by the neighboring town of Ramapo, New York in 2007.

Between 1935 and 1966 Poor designed and oversaw construction of a number of houses, several of them situated not far from Crow House on South Mountain Road. Poor's designs, noted for their simplicity, featured modern materials and incorporated his ceramic tiles. Among his important commissions were houses for Maxwell Anderson, Jules Billig, Milton Caniff, MacDonald Deming, and John Houseman.

Poor's first exhibition of paintings in New York City was at Kevorkian Galleries in 1920, and sales were so disappointing that he turned his attention to ceramics. His first pottery show, held at Bel Maison Gallery in Wanamaker's department store in 1921, was very successful. He quickly developed a wide reputation, participated in shows throughout the country, and won awards. He was a founder of the short-lived American Designers' Gallery, and the tile bathroom he showed at the group's first exposition was critically acclaimed. Poor was represented by Montross Gallery as both a painter and potter. When Montross Gallery closed upon its owner's death in 1932, Poor moved to the Frank K. M. Rehn Gallery.

Even though Poor's pottery and ceramic work was in the forefront, he continued to paint. His work was acquired by a number of museums, and the Limited Editions Club commissioned him to illustrate their republications of Ethan Frome, The Scarlet Letter, and The Call of the Wild.

Poor's first work in true fresco was shown in a 1932 mural exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Between 1935 and 1949 he was commissioned to produce several murals in fresco for Section of Fine Arts projects at the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior, The Land Grant Frescoes at Pennsylvania State College, and a mural for the Louisville Courier-Journal. Ceramic tile mural commissions included: the Klingenstein Pavilion, Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York City; Travelers Insurance Co., Boston; the Fresno Post Office, California; and Hillson Memorial Gallery, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, Mass.

As a member of the War Artists' Unit, Poor was a "war correspondent" with the rank of major in World War II, and for several months in 1943 was stationed in Alaska. An Artist Sees Alaska, drawing on Poor's observations and experiences, was published in 1945. A Book of Pottery: From Mud to Immortality, his second book, was published in 1958. It remains a standard text on the subject. While on the faculty of Columbia University in the 1950s, Poor and other artists opposed to the growing influence of Abstract Expressionism formed the Reality Group with Poor the head of its editorial committee. Their magazine, Reality: A Journal of Artists' Opinions, first appeared in 1953 featuring "Painting is Being Talked to Death" by Poor as its lead article. Two more issues were published in 1954 and 1955.

Along with Willard Cummings, Sidney Simon, and Charles Cuttler, in 1946 Henry Varnum Poor helped to establish the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, Maine. He served as its first president. Poor and his daughter, Anne, were active members of the Board of Trustees and were instructors for many years. The summer of 1961 was Henry Varnum Poor's last as a full-time teacher, though he continued to spend summers at Skowhegan.

Henry Varnum Poor exhibited widely and received many awards, among them prizes at the Carnegie Institute, Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Architectural League of New York. Poor was appointed to the United States Commission of Fine Arts by President Roosevelt in 1941 and served a five year term. He was elected a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1943. The National Academy of Design named him an Associate Artist in 1954 and an Academician in 1963. He became a trustee of the American Craftsman's Council in 1956. The work of Henry Vernum Poor is represented in the permanent collections of many American museums including the Cleveland Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Addison Gallery of American Art, and Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts.

Henry Varnum Poor died at home in New City, New York, December 8, 1970.

Related Material:

An oral history interview with Henry Varnum Poor was conducted by Harlan Phillips for the Archives of American Art in 1964.

Provenance:

Gift of Henry Varnum Poor's son, Peter V. Poor, in 2007. A smaller portion was loaned to the Archives in 1973 by Anne Poor for microfilming and returned to the lender; this material was included in the 2007 gift.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information. Use of audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.

Rights:

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.

Occupation:

War artists  Search this

Educators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Ceramicists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Designers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Architects -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

World War, 1914-1918  Search this

Pottery -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Genre/Form:

Motion pictures (visual works)

Diaries

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Citation:

Henry Varnum Poor papers, 1873-2001, bulk 1904-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

Identifier:

AAA.poorhenr

See more items in:

Henry Varnum Poor papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96265d653-098f-4ccc-abed-0bc649c50516

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-poorhenr

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (008 in x 006 in mounted on 010 in x 007 in)

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Place:

South Africa

Date:

1890

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.06060531

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint on paper mount in album

Place:

South Africa -- Natal Colony -- Durban

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Africa: So Africa: Gen: Pinnick Colln: Album #1 06060531, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Africa / South Africa / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw34e7e73f6-8bf2-404b-9d2d-35023753c108

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref14589

Creator:

Caney, B. W.  Search this

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (008 in x 006 in mounted on 010 in x 007 in)

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Place:

South Africa

Date:

1905

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.06060534

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint on paper mount in album

Place:

South Africa -- Natal Colony -- Durban/Gardner Street

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Africa: So Africa: Gen: Pinnick Colln: Album #1 06060534, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Africa / South Africa / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw35d4a0133-a102-4133-84cc-22272dc262b3

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref14592

Creator:

Caney, B. W.  Search this

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (008 in x 006 in mounted on 010 in x 007 in)

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Place:

South Africa

Date:

1905

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.06060536

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint on paper mount in album

Place:

South Africa -- Natal Colony -- Durban/Gardner Street

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Africa: So Africa: Gen: Pinnick Colln: Album #1 06060536, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Africa / South Africa / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3fd89bf5c-1c42-46d2-a4bc-cefb776f2178

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref14594

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (008 in x 006 in mounted on 010 in x 007 in)

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Place:

South Africa

Date:

undated

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.06060542

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint on paper mount in album

Place:

South Africa -- Natal Colony -- Pietermaritzburg

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Africa: So Africa: Gen: Pinnick Colln: Album #1 06060542, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Africa / South Africa / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw37787e81b-f203-42dc-bce7-a41a7c188a08

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref14600

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (012 in x 010 in mounted on 012 in x 010 in)

Culture:

Marrakech Arabs  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

undated

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04069100

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint on cardboard mount

Place:

Morocco -- Marrakech

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Mid East: Morocco: NM 268921: Willis: 4 04069100, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Middle East / Morocco / Unspecified

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3e05169c2-8478-4aa3-818c-bdf9c71b51b3

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref1687

Creator:

Rouget, Bernard  Search this

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (006 in x 004 in mounted on 006 in x 004 in)

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1952

Scope and Contents:

Group in Costume with Pottery Goods; Veiled Woman Walking Near Man and Boys with Scales, Weighing Eggs; Aged Man Near Table with Brass Samovar (Tea Maker) and Bicycle Near Plaster-Covered and Brick Houses

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04071200

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint on postcard

Place:

Morocco -- Meknes

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Mid East: Morocco: NM 268921: Willis:Postcard 04071200, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Middle East / Morocco / Unspecified

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3cd11631d-4443-482e-b09d-3ab9fd634797

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref1708

Creator:

A. Duperly & Son  Search this

Collector:

British Royal Commission  Search this

Names:

Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904: Saint Louis, Mo.)  Search this

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (009 in x 007 in mounted on 004 in x 009 in)

Culture:

Jamaica  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1904

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04259200

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint on Unstandard card

Place:

Jamaica -- British West Indies -- Bog Walk/Hat Bridge/Pedro River

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE So Amer: Jamaica: General: NM 44418 04259200, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / South America / Jamaica / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw386565ed6-664c-4a4b-963a-4e5c13c6205e

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref3023

Creator:

Brennan Studios  Search this

Collector:

British Royal Commission  Search this

Names:

Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904: Saint Louis, Mo.)  Search this

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (009 in x 008 in mounted on 015 in x 009 in)

Culture:

Jamaica  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

1904

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04260200

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint on Unstandard card

Place:

Jamaica -- British West Indies -- Kingston

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE So Amer: Jamaica: General: NM 44418 04260200, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / South America / Jamaica / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3f44e3401-c6a5-4556-9303-1ef5017f6b1c

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref3033

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (006 in x 004 in)

Culture:

Japanese  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

undated

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04718200

Local Note:

Hand-colored photoprint on postcard in album

Place:

Japan -- Honshu Island/Yokohama/Bashamichi Street

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Asia: Japan: General: Martyn Colln 04718200, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Asia / Japan / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw34f29fb9f-d04f-4f9b-9125-8ef56d3c6430

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref7866

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (006 in x 004 in)

Culture:

Japanese  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

undated

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04718700

Local Note:

Hand-colored photoprint on postcard in album

Place:

Japan -- Honshu Island/Yokohama/Theater Street

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Asia: Japan: General: Martyn Colln 04718700, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Asia / Japan / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3a78100ae-8eb7-4420-8ad0-49b74efd31fe

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref7871

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (012 in x 010 in)

Culture:

Malays  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

undated

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04792600

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

Malaya -- Malacca -- Malacca

Federation of Malaya -- Malacca -- Malacca

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Asia: Malaya: General: Govt Exhibit 04792600, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Asia / Malaya / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw35ef6cc96-7d20-41a9-9b35-34b2e063ffdf

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref8598

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (012 in x 010 in)

Culture:

Malays  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

undated

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04793100

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

Malaya -- Pahang -- Kuantan

Federation of Malaya -- Pahang -- Kuantan

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Asia: Malaya: General: Govt Exhibit 04793100, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Asia / Malaya / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw381a60681-5620-4b96-b62d-76c5c9dc0e9b

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref8603

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (012 in x 010 in)

Culture:

Malays  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

undated

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04793400

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

Malaya ? -- Selangor -- Kuala Lumpur

Federation of Malaya ? -- Selangor -- Kuala Lumpur

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Asia: Malaya: General: Govt Exhibit 04793400, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Asia / Malaya / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3b0ef4e55-6747-41d8-a6e6-021ea6353d67

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref8606

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (012 in x 010 in)

Culture:

Malays  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

undated

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04793500

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

Malaya ? -- Selangor -- Kuala Lumpur

Federation of Malaya ? -- Selangor -- Kuala Lumpur

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Asia: Malaya: General: Govt Exhibit 04793500, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Asia / Malaya / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw35bf2608c-3ba4-48ff-8c52-74d473953c29

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref8607

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (012 in x 010 in)

Culture:

Malays  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

undated

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04793900

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

Malaya ? -- Selangor

Federation of Malaya ? -- Selangor

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Asia: Malaya: General: Govt Exhibit 04793900, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Asia / Malaya / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw33d92f0db-8134-45d6-808c-1f69fd2ce79a

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref8611

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (012 in x 010 in)

Culture:

Malays  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

undated

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04794000

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

Malaya ? -- Johore -- Keluang

Federation of Malaya ? -- Johore -- Keluang

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Asia: Malaya: General: Govt Exhibit 04794000, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Asia / Malaya / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw394d09ae3-543a-4482-b0ff-f8313a30a367

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref8612

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (012 in x 010 in)

Culture:

Malays  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

undated

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04794100

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

Malaya ? -- Johore -- Muar

Federation of Malaya ? -- Johore -- Muar

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Asia: Malaya: General: Govt Exhibit 04794100, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Asia / Malaya / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3da934e7a-6d0e-46b3-9da1-193ea4ab8145

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref8613

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology. Division of Ethnology  Search this

Extent:

1 Photographic print (012 in x 010 in)

Culture:

Malays  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Photographs

Date:

undated

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.04794200

Local Note:

Black and white photoprint

Place:

Malaya ? -- Johore -- Muar

Federation of Malaya ? -- Johore -- Muar

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 97 DOE Asia: Malaya: General: Govt Exhibit 04794200, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1

Division of Ethnology photograph collection 1 / Asia / Malaya / Gen

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3a64b1463-3566-4068-8bd6-b271c2be15f2

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-97-ref8614