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In Our Hands: Chinese Painting Conservators in US Museums

Creator:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this
Type:
Interviews
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2023-07-19T15:39:45.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
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FreerSackler
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel:
FreerSackler
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-8u8x_bN4Cs

Curator's Cut | A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur

Creator:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2023-04-26T15:15:28.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
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FreerSackler
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel:
FreerSackler
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_5f2xuVkVCMc

Trading in Japonisme: The French Obsession with Japanese Art

Creator:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2017-05-17T11:16:50.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
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FreerSackler
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel:
FreerSackler
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_lh68WIiTBXI

Look & Listen: Korean Art and Music of Family Devotion

Creator:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this
Type:
Lectures
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2021-02-19T00:00:11.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
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FreerSackler
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel:
FreerSackler
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_x1aOjtWJd6U

The Bodhisattva Fugen (Fugen Bosatsu)

Medium:
Ink, color, gold, and silver on silk
Dimensions:
H x W (image): 155.9 x 83.3 cm (61 3/8 x 32 13/16 in)
Type:
Painting
Origin:
Japan
Date:
12th century
Period:
Heian period
Topic:
Buddhism  Search this
elephant  Search this
Heian period (794 - 1185)  Search this
Japan  Search this
halo  Search this
throne  Search this
Fugen  Search this
anjali mudra  Search this
kakemono  Search this
Japanese Art  Search this
Credit Line:
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Accession Number:
F1963.6
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Related Online Resources:
Google Cultural Institute
See more items in:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye31a38d05b-8911-42dc-949d-8121c074e973
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:fsg_F1963.6
Online Media:

Arrival of the groom at the palace, folio from a Ramayana

Medium:
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions:
H x W (image): 31.7 × 48 cm (12 1/2 × 18 7/8 in)
H x W (sheet): 34 × 50 cm (13 3/8 × 19 11/16 in)
Type:
Painting
Origin:
Mandi, Himachal Pradesh state, India
Date:
ca. 1640-1650
Topic:
Ramayana  Search this
horse  Search this
elephant  Search this
marriage  Search this
palace  Search this
India  Search this
South Asian and Himalayan Art  Search this
Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection  Search this
Credit Line:
Purchase from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Accession Number:
F2017.13.1
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3b9d91046-d7b5-4637-91e5-e67d2bffe663
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:fsg_F2017.13.1

Wedding ceremony, folio from a Ramayana

Artist:
Attributed to the Early Mandi Master (active ca. 1635-1660)  Search this
Medium:
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions:
H x W (image): 31.2 × 47.5 cm (12 5/16 × 18 11/16 in)
H x W (sheet): 33.6 × 49.5 cm (13 1/4 × 19 1/2 in)
Type:
Painting
Origin:
Mandi, Himachal Pradesh state, India
Date:
ca. 1640-1650
Topic:
Ramayana  Search this
elephant  Search this
marriage  Search this
palace  Search this
India  Search this
South Asian and Himalayan Art  Search this
Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection  Search this
Credit Line:
Purchase from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Accession Number:
F2017.13.2
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye332ed3419-bbac-4328-9607-049c6d5bdf46
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:fsg_F2017.13.2

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Chinese Painting Conservation Workshop (Part 2)

Creator:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this
Type:
Conversations and talks
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2021-11-03T16:55:30.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
See more by:
FreerSackler
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel:
FreerSackler
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_8V9rHImu008

East Asian Painting Conservation: Perspectives on Education, Research, and Practice - Day 1

Creator:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this
Type:
Symposia
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2022-08-04T17:12:17.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
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FreerSackler
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel:
FreerSackler
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_Sgrluwhmm_Q

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Chinese Painting Conservation Workshop (Part 1)

Creator:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this
Type:
Conversations and talks
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2021-11-03T16:54:54.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
See more by:
FreerSackler
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel:
FreerSackler
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_vqjP6zcVohs

East Asian Painting Conservation: Perspectives on Education, Research, and Practice - Day 2

Creator:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this
Type:
Symposia
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2022-08-04T17:12:19.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
See more by:
FreerSackler
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel:
FreerSackler
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_IOlPfsORkoo

Miracle, Mountain, Museum: Curator Sonya Mace on Revealing Krishna

Creator:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this
Type:
Lectures
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2022-08-24T20:13:08.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
See more by:
FreerSackler
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel:
FreerSackler
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_pJUHQH6_HM4

Charles Lang Freer Papers

Creator:
Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this
Extent:
131 Linear feet (29 architectural drawings)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Diaries
Financial records
Correspondence
Photographs
Place:
China
Syria
Egypt
India
London (England)
Japan
Boston (Mass.)
Detroit (Mich.)
Washington (D.C.)
Kandy (Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka
Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka)
Date:
1876-1931
Summary:
The personal papers of Charles Lang Freer, the industrialist and art collector who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. The papers include correspondence, diaries, art inventories, scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeil Whistler and other press clippings, and photographs.
Scope Content:
The personal papers of Charles Lang Freer, the industrialist and art collector who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. The papers include correspondence, diaries, art inventories, scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeil Whistler and other press clippings, financial material, architectural drawings, and photographs.

Correspondence, circa 1860-1921, includes Freer's correspondence, 1876-1920, with artists, dealers, collectors, museums, and public figures; letterpress books contain copies of Freer's outgoing letters, 1892-1910; correspondence collected by Freer of James McNeill Whistler, and his wife Beatrix, 186?-1909, with Lady Colin Campbell, Thomas R. Way, Alexander Reid, Whistler's mother, Mrs. George W. Whistler, and others; correspondence of Whistler collector Richard A. Canfield, 1904-1913, regarding works in Canfield's collection; and correspondence of Freer's assistant, Katharine Nash Rhoades, 1920-1921, soliciting Freer's letters from his associates, and regarding the settlement of his estate.

Also included are twenty-nine pocket diaries, 1889-1890, 1892-1898, 1900-1919, recording daily activities, people and places visited, observations, and comments; a diary kept by Freer's caretaker, Joseph Stephens Warring, recording daily activities at Freer's Detroit home, 1907-1910. Inventories, n.d. and 1901-1921, of American, European, and Asian art in Freer's collection, often including provenance information; vouchers, 1884-1919, documenting his purchases; five volumes of scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeill Whistler, 1888-1931, labeled "Various," "Peacock Room," "Death, etc.," "Paris, etc.," and "Boston...London" ; three volumes of newsclippings, 1900-1930, concerning Freer and the opening of the Freer Gallery of Art.

Correspondence regarding Freer's gift and bequest to the Smithsonian Institution, 1902-1916; and photographs, ca. 1880-1930, of Freer, including portraits by Alvin Langdon Coburn and Edward Steichen, Freer with others, Freer in Cairo, China and Japan, Freer's death mask, and his memorial service, Kyoto, 1930; photographs of artists and others, including Thomas Dewing, Ernest Fenollosa, Katharine Rhoades taken by Alfred Stieglitz, Rosalind B. Philip, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Abbott H. Thayer, Dwight Tryon, and Whistler; and photographs relating to Whistler, including art works depicting him, grave and memorial monuments, works of art, the Peacock Room, and Whistler's memorial exhibition at the Copley Society.
Organization of the Papers:
This collection is organized into twelve series.

Series 1: Genealogical and Biographical Data

Series 2: Correspondence

Series 3: Diaries

Series 4: Freer Colleague Materials

Series 5: Art Inventories

Series 6: Financial Materials

Series 7: Exhibition Loan Files

Series 8: Biblical Manuscripts and Gold Treasure Files

Series 9: American School of Archaeology in China

Series 10: Printed Material

Series 11: Outsize Material

Series 12: Photographs
Biographical Note:
1854 February 25 -- Born in Kingston, New York

1873 -- Appointed accountant and paymaster of New York, Kingston and Syracuse Railroad by Frank J. Hecker (1846-1927)

1876 -- Moves to Indiana to work, with Hecker, for the Detroit and Eel River and Illinois Railroad

1880 -- Moves to Detroit, participates in organization of the Peninsular Car Works with Hecker

1883 -- Becomes vice president and secretary of Peninsular Car Company when it succeeds Peninsular Car Works

1883 -- Begins collecting European prints

1884 -- Peninsular Car Company constructs plant on Ferry Avenue

1887 -- Meets Howard Mansfield (1849-1938)

1887 -- Acquires proofs of 26 etchings, Venice, Second Series(1886), by James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

1887 -- Purchases a small Japanese fan attributed to Ogata Korin(1658-1715)

1887 -- Buys land on Ferry Avenue

1889 -- Meets Frederick Stuart Church (1826-1900) and Dwight William Tryon (1849-1925) in New York

1890 -- Commissions Wilson Eyre (1858-1944) to design house on Ferry Avenue, Detroit, Michigan

1890 -- On first trip to London, meets James McNeill Whistler(1834-1903)

1892 -- Moves to Ferry Avenue house

1892 -- Tryon and Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) undertake decoration of reception rooms

1893 -- Lends American paintings to World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago

1893 -- Purchases first piece of Chinese art, a small painting of white herons by an anonymous Ming dynasty (1368-1644) artist

1894 -- Begins yearlong trip around the world, which includes visit to the Whistlers in Paris and first trip to Asia, stopping in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, China, and Japan

1896 -- Meets Matsuki Bunkyo (1867-1940) in Boston

1899 -- Takes part in consolidation of railroad-car building companies then retires from active business

1900 -- Attends Exposition International Universelle in Paris

1900 -- Buys villa in Capri with Thomas S. Jerome

1901 -- Meets Siegfried Bing (1838-1905) in Paris and Ernest Fenollosa(1853-1908), who visits Freer in Detroit

1902 -- Meets Dikran Kelekian (1868-1951)

1902 -- Spends summer in Britain building Whistler collection

1902 -- Views Whistler's, Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room

1904 -- Purchases Whistler's Peacock Room

1904 -- Offers his art collections and funds to build a museum in which to house them to the Smithsonian Institution

1905 -- Smithsonian committee visits Freer in Detroit

1906 -- United States government formally accepts Freer's gift on January 24

1906 -- Freer signs Deed of Gift to Smithsonian Institution on May 5

1907 -- On second tour of Asia, meets Hara Tomitaro 1868-1939) in Yokohama, Japan

1908 -- Takes third trip to Asia, specifically to West Asia to study Rakka ware

1909 -- Tours Europe to study art museums

1909 -- On fourth trip to Asia, attends memorial ceremony for Fenollosa (d.1908 September) at Miidera, Japan, and meets Duanfang (1861-1911) in China

1910 -- On last trip to Asia, visits Longmen Buddhist caves in China

1911 -- Suffers stroke

1912 -- Lends selection of objects for exhibition at Smithsonian Institution

1913 -- Meets Eugene (1875-1957) and Agnes E. (1887-1970) Meyer

1913 -- Commissions Charles Adams Platt (1861-1933) to design museum building in Washington

1914 -- Meets Katharine Nash Rhoades (1885-1965) in Detroit

1915 -- Settles in New York City

1915 -- Site of future Freer Gallery of Art is determined

1916 -- Platt's plans for Freer Gallery are approved by Smithsonian Regents and Commission of Fine Arts and ground is broken in September

1918 -- After falling ill in Detroit, Freer travels to New York for treatment

1918 -- Work on the museum building is delayed by the war

1919 -- Freer appends codicil to will permitting acquisitions of Asian, Egyptian, and Near Eastern (West Asian) art

1919 -- Dies in New York City on 25 September and is buried in Kingston, New York

1919 -- Construction of Freer Gallery completed

1920 -- John Ellerton Lodge (1876-1942) is appointed director of the Freer Gallery

1923 -- Freer Gallery opens to the public on May 9

1930 -- Memorial ceremony for Freer is held at Koetsuji, Kyoto

Charles Lang Freer was an American industrialist who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. He was a well-known collector of Asian art, and strongly supported the synthesis of Eastern art and Western art. One of his most famous acquisitions was James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room.
Index:
Index to cross-referenced correspondents in the series Charles Lang Freer correspondence

Beal, Junius E. -- See: -- Warring, Joseph Stephens

Black, George M. -- See: -- Saint-Gaudens, Augustus

Board of Education (Kingston, New York) See: Michael, M. J.

Bonner, Campbell See: University of Michigan

Boughton, George H. See: Yardley, F. C.

British Museum See: Binyon, Laurence; Hobson, R. L.

Brown, Harold H. See: Art Association of Indianapolis

Buchner, Evelyn B. See: Knoedler, M., and Company

Buckholder, C. H. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Butler, S. B. See: Unidentified correspondents

Carnegie Institute See: Balken, Edward Duff; Harshe, Robert B.

Carpenter, Newton H. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Caulkins, Horace James See: Pewabic Pottery

Chao, Shih-chin See: Gunn, Chu Su

Chicago & North Western Railway Co. See: Hughett, Marvin

Clark, Charles Upson See: Clark, Arthur B.

Cleveland Museum of Art See: Whiting, Frederic Allen

Columbia University See: Braun, W. A.; Gottheil, Richard; Hirth, Friederich

Commission of Fine Arts See: Moore, Charles

Corcoran Gallery of Art See: Minnigerode, C. Powell

Crocker, Anna B. See: Portland Art Association

Dannenberg, D. E. See: Karlbeck, Orvar

De Menoncal, Beatrice See: Lien, Hui Ch'ing Collection

De Ricci, Seymour See: Ricci, Seymour de

Defnet, William A., Mrs., See: Franke, Ida M.

DeMotte See: Vigouroux, J.

Detroit Institute of Arts See: Detroit Museum of Art

Detroit Publishing Company See: Livingstone, W. A.

Detroit School of Design See: George Hamilton; Stevens, Henry

DeVinne Press See: Peters, Samuel T.; Witherspoon, A. S.

Dyrenforth, P. C. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Eddy, Arthur J. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Eggers, George Williams See: Art Institute of Chicago

Farr, Daniel H. See: Robinson and Farr

Farrand School (Detroit) See: Yendall, Edith

Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago) See: Laufer, Berthold

Flagg, Frederick J. See: Allen, Horace N.

Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University See: Forbes, Edward; Pope, Arthur Upham; Sachs, Paul J.

French, M. R. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Fu, Lan-ya See: Pang, Lai-ch'en

Fujii, Yoshio See: Yoshio, Fujii

Gerrity, Thomas See: Knoedler, M., and Company

Goupil Gallery See: Marchant, William

Gray, William J. See: Barr, Eva

Great Lakes Engineering Works See: Hoyt, H. W.

Grolier Club See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Heinemann, W. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Holden, Edward S. See: West Point, U. S. Military Academy

Hudson, J. L. See: Weber, William C.

Hutchins, Harry B. See: University of Michigan

Hutchins, Charles L. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Kelekian, H. G. See: Kelekian, Dikran G.

Kent, H. W. See: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Lee, Kee Son See: Li, Chi-ch'un

Levy, John See: Schneider, A. K.

Library of Congress See: Rice, Richard A.; Wright, Helen

Louvre (Paris, France) See: Midgeon, Gaston

Matsuki, Z. See: Matsuki, Kihachiro

McKim, Mead and White See: White, Stanford

Mills, A. L., Colonel See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus

Miner, Luella See: Lien, Hui Ch'ing Collection

Minneapolis Institute of Arts See: Breck, Joseph; Van Derlip, John R.

Monif, R. Khan See: Rathbun, Richard

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston See: Lodge, John Ellerton

Naser, Katen & Nahass See: Katen, K.

Nordlinger, Marie, Miss See: Meyer-Riefstahl, Marie

Panama Pacific International Exposition See: Moore, Charles C.; Trask, John E. D.

Peabody Museum See: Morse, Edward Sylvester

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts See: Trask, John E. D.

Perry, Mary Chase, Miss., See: Pewabic Pottery

Philip, Ronald M. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Pope, G. D. See: Barr, Eva

Reinhart, A. G. See: Gottschalk, E.

Reitz, Sigisbert Chrétien Bosch See: Bosch-Reitz, Sigisbert Chrétien

Rutgers College See: Van Dyke, John C.

Saint-Gaudens, Augusta H. See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus

Saint-Gaudens, Homer See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus

Samurai Shokai See: Nomura, Yozo

San Francisco Art Association See: Laurvik, J. Nilsen

Scribner's, Charles, Sons See: Van Dyke, John C.

Shaw, Wilfred B. See: University of Michigan

Shirae, S. Z. See: Yamanaka and Company

Smith College See: Clark, Arthur B.

Smithsonian Institution See: Holmes, William Henry; Rathbun, Richard; Ravenel, Walcott, Charles D.

Society of Arts and Crafts (Detroit) See: Plumb, Helen

Societe des Beaux-Arts See: Reid, Alexander

Stevens, George W. See: Toledo Museum of Art

Stratton, Mary Chase Perry See: Pewabic Pottery

Tanaka, Kichijiro See: Yamanaka and Company

Tuttle, William F. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Union Trust Company (Detroit) See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

United States Military Academy See: West Point, U. S. Military Academy

University of Chicago See: Zug, George Breed

University of Pennsylvania, Univ. Mus. See: Gordon, George Bryon

Ushikubo, D. J. R. See: Yamanaka and Company

Wallis & Son See: Barr, Eva; Thompson, C. Croal Ward, Clarence See: Oberlin College

Warren, Edward K. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Warring, Stephen See: Warring, Joseph Stephens

Watkin, Williams R. T. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Watson, Margaret, Miss See: Parker, Margaret Watson

Whistler, Anna See: Stanton, Anna Whistler

Whiting, Almon C. See: Toledo Museum of Art

Williams College See: Rice, Richard A

Wright, F. G. See: Orbach and Company

Yatsuhashi, H. See: Yamanaka and Company
Index to cross-referenced correspondence in the series Whistler correspondence

Bell, William See: Unidentified correspondents

Brown, Ernest See: Painter Etchers' Society, Committee

Cowen, John T. See subseries: Charles Lang Freer Correspondence

Ford, Sheridan See: Reid, Alexander

Haden, Francis Seymour See: Painter Etchers' Society, Committee

Haden, Francis Seymour, Lady See: Haden, Deborah Whistler

Leighton, Frederick, Baron See: Campbell, Lady Colin

Moore, Albert See: Reid, Alexander

Morley, Charles See: Pall Mall Gazette

Morris, Harrison S. See: Reid, Alexander

Pennell, Joseph See: Miscellaneous typescripts

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts See: Reid, Alexander

Prange, F. G. See: Reid, Alexander

Societe des Beaux-Arts See: Reid, Alexander

Society of Portrait Painters See: Reid, Alexander

Stevens Fine Art See: Reid, Alexander

Studd, Arthur See: Miscellaneous typescripts

[Vanderbilt?], George, Mrs. See: George, Mrs.

Whistler, William McNeill, Mrs. See: Whistler, Nellie

Whistler Memorial Committee See: Miscellaneous typescripts
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art microfilmed portions of the Freer papers in 1992. The microfilm is available at the Archives of American Art's Washington D.C. office, the Freer Gallery of Art Library, and through interlibrary loan.
Provenance:
Gift of the Estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Architecture -- Asia  Search this
Genre/Form:
Diaries
Financial records
Correspondence
Photographs
Citation:
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Identifier:
FSA.A.01
See more items in:
Charles Lang Freer Papers
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3f1a0e3e0-630c-48d4-ba28-485946b1d615
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-fsa-a-01
Online Media:

Barbara W. Blackmun papers

Creator:
Blackmun, Barbara Winston  Search this
Extent:
7.25 Linear feet (11 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Place:
Africa, West
Nigeria
Benin (Nigeria)
Date:
1979 - 2012
Summary:
Barbara Winston Blackmun was a scholar of African art history who conducted pioneering research into the art and history of the Aken'ni Elao, or carved tusks from the royal altars of Benin, Nigeria, as well as other Arican art. The collection contains Blackmun's notes, photographs, research data, correspondence, and writings and talks.
Scope and Contents:
The Barbara W. Blackmun papers primarily document Blackmun's dissertation research into the carved altar tusks of Benin, Nigeria. Series 1: Research, includes tusk data files, charts, data and analysis on motifs and types, photographs, and correspondence. Also included is volume 1 of Blackmun's dissertation, "The iconography of carved altar tusks from Benin, Nigeria" and files related to the appendices (Volumes 2 and 3). Though the bulk of the material relates to the tusk research, there are files on other Nigerian art forms as well, such as bronzes, terracottas, and other carved ivory objects held in museums and collections wordwide.

Series 2: Writings and talks, are working files containing manuscripts and drafts, photographs and illustrations, correspondence, and notes for published articles as well as for lectures and talks given.

Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in two series: 1. Research; and 2. Writings and talks.
Biographical Note:
Barbara Winston Blackmun was a scholar of African art who conducted pioneering research into the art and history of Aken'ni Elao, the carved tusks from the royal altars of Benin, Nigeria.

Born in 1928 in Merced, California, Blackmun grew up in US national parks where her father managed camps for the Civilian Conservation Corps. She graduated from UCLA in 1949 with a BFA and a teaching certificate, and taught art, music, and drama at a public school in Trona, California. There she met and married Rupert Blackmun, a professor of industrial arts. The couple had three children.

In 1964, Rupert was asked to help build a polytechnic college in Malawi. The family spent five years there, with Blackmun teaching at both the polytechnic college as well as at the University of Malawi. There, Blackmun developed her interest in African art, conducting research into Maravi mask traditions. Upon returning to the United States in 1969, Blackmun enrolled at Arizona State University, earning her MA in art history in 1971. Following this, the Blackmuns moved to San Diego, where Blackmun joined the faculty at San Diego Mesa College.

In 1978 Blackmun enrolled in a PhD program in African art history at UCLA, and spent the summers of 1978 and 1979 working with Frank Willett at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow. In 1981-1982, funded by a Fulbright award, Blackmun conducted field research in Benin City, Nigeria, interviewing members of the Igbesanmwan ivory carvers guild and others as she learned about the motifs carved into altar tusks.

Blackmun received her PhD in 1984, based on her study of the Benin altar tusks. Her work was significant for its examination of over 130 tusks held in museums and collections worldwide, and for her early use of computer analysis of the motifs depicted on the tusks. Blackmun continued research into tusks over the years, as well as other Nigerian art forms, including bronzes, terracottas, and other carved ivory objects.

From 1988 to 1990 Blackmun served as the director of the San Diego Museum of Man, overseeing the renovation of the museum's Africa gallery. In 2003, she founded the African Art Collection at San Diego Mesa College, curating numerous exhibits. She retired from San Diego Mesa College in 2010, but continued to remain active, lecturing, publishing, and consulting on African art history. Blackman died in 2018.

Sources consulted

"Obituary: Barbara Winston Blackmun," https://networks.h-net.org/node/12834/discussions/2439735/obituary-barbara-winston-blackmun (accessed April 2, 2024)

Ezra, Kate. "Barbara Winston Blackmun, 1928-1918." African Art Vol. 52, No. 1, Spring 2019, pp. 11-13

Chronology

1928 -- Born on June 29

1949 -- Receives AB in fine art and teaching certificate from UCLA

1964-1969 -- In Malawi with family, teaching at Malawi Polytechnic College and the University of Malawi

1971 -- Receives MA in art history from Arizona State University Joins faculty at San Diego Mesa College

1978 -- Starts PhD program in African art history at UCLA

Summers, 1978 and 1979 -- Works with Frank Willett at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow, UK

1981-1982 -- Field research in Benin City, Nigeria

1984 -- Receives PhD

1988-1990 -- Serves as director of the San Diego Museum of Man

2003 -- Founds the African art collection at San Diego Mesa College

2010 -- Retires from San Diego Mesa College

2018 -- Dies on July 6
Historical note:
Aken'ni Elao, or carved altar tusks of Benin, Nigeria, are carved elephant tusks featuring scenes representing rituals and other activities of the Oba (traditional ruler of the Edo people), and were made as a historical record of events in the Kindom of Benin. The tusks were placed on the ancestral altars or shrines of the Oba, fitted into a pedestal in the shape of a head, made of bronze or brass.
Related Materials:
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art holds the Barbara Blackmun Collection of photographic slides.

All three volumes of Blackmun's dissertation are held in the Library at the National Museum of African Art.
Provenance:
Received from Monica Blackmun Visonà in 2016.
Restrictions:
Access to the Barbara W. Blackmun papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Art -- History  Search this
Art, African  Search this
Citation:
Barbara W. Blackmun papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NAA.2016-30
See more items in:
Barbara W. Blackmun papers
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw35258afd6-25be-4664-916d-d6cc733a2f45
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-naa-2016-30

Tusk 31 (Cleveland Museum of Art)

Collection Creator:
Blackmun, Barbara Winston  Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 3
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
undated
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Barbara W. Blackmun papers requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Barbara W. Blackmun papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
See more items in:
Barbara W. Blackmun papers
Barbara W. Blackmun papers / Series 1: Research / Dissertation research on Benin altar tusks / Tusk research files
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw306056077-052a-481b-8ea9-ad16344bc2c6
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-naa-2016-30-ref27

Inside the Jazz Age: New Discoveries in what Made American Style in the 1920s

Creator:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2017-04-19T23:58:57.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Design  Search this
See more by:
cooperhewitt
Data Source:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
YouTube Channel:
cooperhewitt
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_wM0eDPSXOOI

The Table Is Set

Artist:
Max Ernst, French, b. Brühl, Germany, 1891–1976  Search this
Medium:
Bronze
Dimensions:
12 1/8 x 22 1/8 x 23 3/4 in., weight approx. 95 lb. (30.8 x 56.2 x 60.3 cm, 43.1 kg)
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
(1944, cast 1954)
Credit Line:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966
Accession Number:
66.1808
See more items in:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Collection
School:
Surrealism (European)
On View:
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden (Washington, DC), 2nd Floor
Data Source:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/py24d24b5b9-2ca8-42b9-bc16-c406587e3c68
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:hmsg_66.1808

Pendour

Artist:
Barbara Hepworth, British, b. Wakefield, England, 1903–1975  Search this
Medium:
Wood and paint
Dimensions:
13 3/4 × 29 3/8 × 9 3/8 in. (34.9 × 74.5 × 23.8 cm)
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
(1947-1948)
Credit Line:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966
Accession Number:
66.2444
See more items in:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Collection
School:
British Modernist Sculpture
On View:
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden (Washington, DC), 2nd Floor
Data Source:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/py2ed441657-16cc-4a8e-9d31-7c5dc33453cc
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:hmsg_66.2444

Portrait of Egon Wellesz

Artist:
Oskar Kokoschka, British, b. Pochlarn, Austria, 1886–1980  Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
29 3/4 × 27 1/8 in. (75.5 × 68.9 cm)
Type:
Painting
Date:
(1911)
Credit Line:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Gift of the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, 1966
Accession Number:
66.2776
See more items in:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Collection
On View:
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden (Washington, DC), 2nd Floor
Data Source:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/py26e444f37-bc2c-4898-9110-2aa27887a4c2
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:hmsg_66.2776

Grandmother Michaud Seen against the Light

Artist:
Edouard Vuillard, French, b. Cuiseaux, 1868–1940  Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
25 5/8 x 21 1/4 in. (65 x 54 cm)
Type:
Painting
Date:
(1890)
Credit Line:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Gift of the Marion L. Ring Estate, 1987
Accession Number:
87.32
See more items in:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Collection
On View:
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden (Washington, DC), 2nd Floor
Data Source:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/py24cd36e2f-b41a-44de-9d81-1dc130fa72c0
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:hmsg_87.32

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