Alfred Joseph Frueh. Alfred Joseph Frueh to Giuliette Fanciulli, 1913 January 10. Alfred J. Frueh papers, circa 1880-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Alfred Joseph Frueh. Alfred Frueh Christmas card to Adelaide Lawson, 1921 Dec. 24. Wood and Adelaide Lawson Gaylor papers, circa 1849-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Alfred Joseph Frueh. Alfred Frueh Christmas card to Mr. and Mrs. Wood Gaylor, 1938 Dec. 20. Wood and Adelaide Lawson Gaylor papers, circa 1849-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Alfred Joseph Frueh. Christmas card from Alfred Frueh to Wood Gaylor, Between 1921 and 1945. Wood and Adelaide Lawson Gaylor papers, circa 1849-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Group of caricaturists drawing portraits of Conrado Massaguer, 1934. Abril Lamarque papers, 1883-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of caricaturist and illustrator Alfred J. Frueh measure 7.7 linear feet and 3.18 GB and date from circa 1880-2010. These papers consist of biographical information, including a sound recording of reminiscences about Frueh by his children; correspondence that includes many illustrated letters and greeting cards; notes and writings; numerous caricature sketches, cartoons, and 25 sketchbooks by Frueh; printed and digital material; and photographs of Frueh and his artwork. There is a 2.3 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated 2020 that includes bound and unbound scrapbooks and loose newspaper and magazine clippings of caricatures by Frueh from the New Yorker and other publications, circa 1920-1940.
Scope and Contents note:
The papers of caricaturist and illustrator Alfred J. Frueh measure 7.7 linear feet and 3.18 GB and date from circa 1880-2010. These papers consist of biographical information, including a sound recording of reminiscences about Frueh by his children; correspondence that includes many illustrated letters and greeting cards; notes and writings; numerous caricature sketches, cartoons, and 25 sketchbooks by Frueh; printed and digital material; and photographs of Frueh and his artwork.There is a 2.3 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated 2020 that includes bound and unbound scrapbooks and loose newspaper and magazine clippings of caricatures by Frueh from the New Yorker and other publications, circa 1920-1940.
Biographical materials include birth, marriage, and death certificates, biographical notes, employment contracts, obituaries, and legal papers concerning patents and license agreements for toy animals and sheet material sculpture. Also included is a 1993 sound recording of Frueh's children reminiscing about their father.
Correspondence consists mainly of incoming letters with a small number of interfiled replies drafted by Frueh. Most of Frueh's surviving outgoing letters are addressed to Giuliette Fanciulli (whom he married in 1913), her parents, and his sister Minnie Frueh. Many of the letters to Giuliette and other family members are illustrated. Also included are a large number of greeting cards (mainly Christmas cards) containing original artwork, from friends, artists, writers, and colleagues. The correspondence concerns both personal and career matters. Notable correspondents are: George Gershwin, Robert Henri, Mr. and Mrs. Elie Nadelman, Eugene O'Neil, Walter and Magda Pach, New Yorker editor Harold Ross, and Alfred Stieglitz. Other letters document Frueh's interest in nut and fruit trees.
Among the notes and writings by Frueh are notes of ideas for art work, lists of caricature sketches, lists of plays and their casts, and 8 address books kept by Alfred and Giuliette Frueh and by Giuliette and her mother. Also included are 6 notebooks of miscellaneous jottings. Notes and writings by other authors consist of lists of caricature sketches, a poem by an unknown writer, and 13 short stories by "Joe" with 6 illustrations by Frueh.
Artwork by Frueh comprises the largest series. It consists mainly of caricature sketches, mostly theatrical, but some political, with a few of himself, his wife Giuliette, and their personal friends. In addition, there are various sketches, drawings, designs, prints, watercolors, cartoons, book covers, greeting cards, paper sculptures, pop-ups, and cut-outs. Also included are patterns for greeting cards, lamp bases and a shade, magic squares, paper sculptures, sheet material sculptures, toy animals, and wallpaper. There are also 25 sketchbooks, a digital slideshow presentation of 1600 images from the sketchbooks, and 3 caricatures of Frueh drawn by other artists.
Among the printed material are articles by and about Frueh; book covers and book jackets, magazine covers, invitations, announcements, and a program cover designed by Frueh; caricatures, cartoons, and illustrations by Frueh; exhibition catalogs and announcements of Frueh's solo and group shows; and miscellaneous printed material.
Photographs consist of a studio portrait and informal snapshots of Alfred Frueh and a photograph of his daughter Barbara as a young child. Photographs of art work by Frueh include images of his caricatures, lamp bases, paper sculptures, and toy animals.
Arrangement note:
The collection is arranged into seven series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1909-1993 (Box 1; 8 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1909-1968 (Boxes 1-2, 12, OV 7; 1.3 linear feet)
Series 3: Notes and Writings, circa 1912-1963 (Box 2; 10 folders)
Series 4: Artwork, circa 1906-2010 (Boxes 2-4, 6, 12, OV 8-9; 1.8 linear feet, ER01; 3.18 GB)
Series 5: Printed Material, 1904-1986 (Boxes 4-5, 6, OV 10-11; 0.8 linear feet)
Series 6: Photographs, circa 1880-1967 (Boxes 5, 12; 12 folders)
Series 7: Unprocessed Addition circa 1920-1940 (Boxes 13-17; 2.3 linear feet)
Biographical/Historical note:
Alfred J. Frueh (1880-1968) worked primarily in New York and was best known for his caricatures of theater personalities that appeared in The New Yorker from 1925 through 1962. In addition, he was a cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and designer of children's furniture, toys, pop-ups, and cut-outs.
Upon graduation from the Lima Business College in his native Lima, Ohio, Al Frueh (pronounced "free") began farming and working in his father's brewery. He moved to St. Louis to live with relatives, and from 1904-1908 worked in the art department of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Frueh's 1907 cartoon of Fritzi Scheff, published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, so outraged the music-hall star that her St. Louis performance was cancelled and the attendant publicity made Frueh a celebrity.
Frueh traveled to Paris, London, Rome, Munich, Berlin, and Madrid in 1908 and 1909. During this period, he studied at various art schools in Paris, receiving instruction from Theophile Steinlen, Lucien Simon, Naudin, and Henri Matisse. Upon his return to the United States, Frueh settled in New York City. His tenure at The World was interrupted by a return trip to Europe lasting from late 1912 until late 1914. While abroad, he married Giuliette Fanciulli, whom he had met in New York. He remained with The World for another ten years, also producing other work for publication and exhibition. With a young family, Frueh wanted a less hectic life and decided to switch from a daily publication to a weekly one. Thus began his affiliation with a newly established periodical, The New Yorker. Frueh's work appeared in its 1925 debut issue until his retirement in 1962. Mostly he contributed caricatures for the theater section, but he also produced cover designs, illustrations, and on occasion wrote brief pieces for the "Talk of the Town" and "Notes and Comments" sections. In 1926, Frueh moved his family to a farm in Sharon, Connecticut, where he seriously pursued a longstanding hobby of growing fruit and nut trees.
Alfred J. Frueh died in Sharon, Connecticut, in 1968, after a long illness.
Provenance:
The Alfred J. Frueh papers were the gift of his children, Barbara Frueh Bornemann, Alfred J. Frueh, Jr., and Robert Frueh, in 1993 and 1997. An addition of 25 sketchbooks, scrapbooks, and other materials were given by his grandson Stephen Bornemann in 2011, 2018, and 2020.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
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:
Caricaturists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Cartoonists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Brown, Vanessa (Oversized material housed in Box 6, F1)
Bryant, Michael
Brynner, Yul
Buckmaster, John
Buloff, Joseph
Bunnage, Avis (see also "The Hostage")
Burns, David
Burton, Norma
Burton, Richard
Calder, King
Calder, Senator
Calloway, Cab
Cameron, Mitchell (see Dunnock, Mildred, with Mitchell Cameron and Arthur Kennedy)
Cantor, Eddie
Caraway, Senator of Arkansas
Carey, Joyce
Carnovsky, Morris
Carradine, John
Carroll, Leo
Caruso, Enrico
Casamajor, Louis, M.D.
Cassilly, Richard
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Cornell, Katharine (Oversized material housed in Box 6, F1)
Coularis, George
Cowan, Jerome
Coward, Noel
Cowl, Jane
Crews, Laura Hope
Croy, Homer
Culver, Roland
Cummings, Vicki
Curtis, Senator of Kansas
Cushman, Nancy
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
"A Death in the Family" (Colleen Dewhurst, Arthur Hill, and Aline McMahon)
Decker, Albert
Decker, Albert and Paul Scofield
Dee, Ruby
Delysia, Alice
Denby, Edwin, Former Secretary of the Navy (Teapot Dome/Fall-Sinclair Oil Trial)
Denton, Crahan
Derr, Richard
Desky, Donald
Desmond, Johnny
Dewhurst, Colleen (see also "A Death in the Family")
De Wild, Brandon
De Wolf, Billy
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Di Luca, Dino and Shirley Booth (see also Booth, Shirley)
Ditrichstein, Leo
Dixon, Jean
Dohoney, Robert (Teapot Dome/Fall-Sinclair Oil Trial)
Donahue, Jack
Douglas, Melvyn
Douglass, Stephen
Dowling, Eddie
Dowling, Eddie and Laurette Taylor
Drake, Alfred
Dranem
Draper, Ruth
Dressler, Marie
Drew, John
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Dunnock, Mildred, with Mitchell Cameron and Arthur Kennedy
Durant, Jack
Durante, Jimmy
Eames, Clair
Edeson, Robert
Eldridge, Florence
Eltinge, Julian
Emerson, Faye (Oversized material housed in Box 6, F1)
Emery, John
Emhardt, Robert
Enesco
Epsine
Erickson, Leif
Evans, Maurice
Evans, Michael
Evelyn, Judith
Ewell, Tom
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Fitzgerald, Walter (see Fisk, Minnie Maddern and Walter Fitzgerald)
Flanders, Michael
Flemying, Robert
Fletcher, Bramwell
Fonda, Henry
Fontanne, Lynn (see also Lunt, Alfred and Lynn Fontanne)
Forbes, Meriel
Ford, Paul and Wynn Miller
Ford, Ruth
Forsythe, John
Fox, Harry
Foy, Eddie
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Hartman, Paul (Oversized material housed in Box 6, F1)
Hayes, Helen (see also Portman, Eric and Helen Hayes)
Hayes, William
Heckart, Eileen
Heflin, Van
Heining, Violet
Helmore, Tom
Henderson, Florence
Hepburn, Audrey
Hepburn, Katherine
Hert, Alvin T., of Kentucky
Hewer, John
Hewitt, Alan
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Holden, Peter (see Digges, Dudley and Peter Holden)
Holliday, Judy
Holm, Celeste
Homolka, Oscar (Oversized material housed in Box 6, F1)
Hooker, Elon H.
Hope, Bob
Horne, Lena
"The Hostage" (Avis Bunnage, Alfred Lynch, Celia Salkeld, and Maxwell Shaw)
Howard, Eugene ("Willie")
Howard, John
Howard, Leslie
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Hunter, Kim (see also Tandy, Jessica with Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, and Kim Hunter)
Hurst, Fanny
Hyman, Earle
Ingram, Ralph
Itow, Michio
Ives, Burl
Jaffe
Jessel, Patricia
Johan, Zita
Johnson, Hiram
Johnson, Richard
Johnson, William
Jones, Henry
Joslyn, Allyn
Karlan, Michael
Karloff, Boris
Kaye, Danny
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
