Spears papers (ca. 0.5 ft.) include photographs of Spears and her work; writings about Spears; letters, 1935-1967; a file on the WPA; and travel notes. Blackshear's papers include: writings by and about Blackshear, including an unpublished manuscript by Blackshear, SURVEY OF ART, 1926, and an editor's proof of Helen Gardner's ART THROUGH THE AGES (3rd ed.); photographs of Blackshear and her work; travel diaries, 1920 and undated; ca. 80 sketches; a sketchbook; letters, 1925-1986; address books, 1947-1963 and undated; clippings, 1926-1967; exhibition announcements, 1929-1965; files on Gertrude Abercrombie, Alexander Archipenko, Florence Arquin, Helen Gardner, Whitney Halstead, Tom Kapsalis, Ray Yoshida, and others, containing letters, printed material, photographs of works of art, and personal photographs; and 2.0 ft. of notebooks on art.
Also included are 2.0 ft. of handmade Christmas cards to both Blackshear and Spears from Barbara Aubin, Fred Biesel, Frances Foy, Rockwell Kent, Ray Yoshida, and many others.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, lecturer, writer, educator; Chicago, Ill. As a graduate student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Blackshear worked as a teaching assistant under Helen Gardner and then continued to teach there for 35 years. She had a lifetime friendship with painter and instructor Ethel Spears.
Provenance:
Donated 1990 by William Terrell, Blackshears' nephew and executor.
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 original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The microfilmed Norman Bassett papers consist of files on Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, Rockwell Kent and Reginald Marsh containing correspondence and drafts of articles for special issues of Demcourier.
Biographical / Historical:
Norman Bassett (1891-1980) studied literature and art at the University of Wisconsin, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1914. In 1931 he bought the Democrat Printing Company and incorporated it as Demco Library Supplies, Inc. In 1932 Demco began publishing Demcourier, primarily an advertising journal, but one which also published a variety of articles, including a special series "American Authors as Printers." In 1935 Demcourier featured a Mark Twain centennial edition which proved popular, prompting Bassett to run regular issues featuring notable Americans. The first of these (1937) featured Rockwell Kent. Demcourier was discontinued in 1943. Bassett retired from Demco in 1972, and the company was sold to George Banta Company of Menasha, Wisconsin. Bassett became a director of Banta at that time.
Bassett retired from Demco in 1972, and the company was sold to George Banta Company of Menasha, Wisconsin. Bassett became a director of Banta at that time.
Related Materials:
The Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections holds the Norman Bassett Papers, 1932-1956.
Provenance:
The Norman Bassett papers were presented to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin by him in 1954 and 1974. Only a small portion of the papers were microfilmed by the Archives of American Art in 1985. A complete bound set of DEMCOURIER can be found in the Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Rights:
Authorization to quote or reproduce for the purposes of publication requires written permission from State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
