Search Results

Creator:

Ankrum Gallery  Search this

Names:

Art Dealers Association of America  Search this

Black Arts Council (Washington, D.C.)  Search this

California Arts Council  Search this

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden  Search this

Krannert Art Museum  Search this

Laguna Art Museum (Laguna Beach, Calif.)  Search this

Paramount Pictures  Search this

San Diego Museum of Art  Search this

Staempfli Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Storm King Art Center  Search this

Almaraz, Carlos  Search this

Andrews, Benny, 1930-2006  Search this

Ankrum, Joan  Search this

Bauer, Richard, 1944-  Search this

Block, Irving  Search this

Broderson, Morris, 1928-2011  Search this

Caryl, Naomi  Search this

Casey, Bernie  Search this

Duveneck, Frank, 1848-1919  Search this

Feitelson, Lorser, 1898-1978  Search this

Groth, Bruno  Search this

Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this

Herschler, David  Search this

Hirsch, Joseph, 1910-1981  Search this

Hirshhorn, Olga  Search this

Homer, Jessie  Search this

Jackson, Suzanne, 1944-  Search this

Johnson, Buffie  Search this

Lundeberg, Helen, 1908-1999  Search this

Mesches, Arnold, 1923-  Search this

Miller, Henry, 1891-  Search this

Palm Springs Desert Museum  Search this

Schuler, Melvin  Search this

Secunda, Arthur  Search this

Shores, Kenneth, 1928-  Search this

Varda, Jean  Search this

Zev  Search this

Extent:

41.5 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Date:

circa 1900-circa 1990s

bulk 1960-1990

Summary:

The Ankrum Gallery records measure 41.5 linear feet and date from circa 1900 to circa 1990s, with the bulk of the records dating from 1960 to 1990. The papers include over 395 artists files, general gallery correspondence, project files, administrative records, exhibition files, collector and client files, financial material, printed material, 1 unbound scrapbook, and photographs. Also included are personal papers of gallery founder Joan Ankrum and her nephew, artist Morris Broderson.

Scope and Contents:

The Ankrum Gallery records measure 41.5 linear feet and date from circa 1900 to circa 1990s, with the bulk of the records dating from 1960 to 1990. The papers include over 395 artists files, general gallery correspondence, project files, administrative records, exhibition files, collector and client files, financial material, printed material, 1 unbound scrapbook, and photographs. Also included are personal papers of gallery founder Joan Ankrum and her nephew, artist Morris Broderson.

General correspondence is with artists, museums, collectors, and clients, and generally concerns sales, exhibitions, and consignments. Correspondents include Irving Block, Morris Broderson, Naomi Caryl, Suzanne Jackson, Joseph and Olga Hirshhorn, among many others. Correspondence is also found in the artists files and the collector/client files.

Project files document various events, benefits, and projects undertaken by the gallery, including a UNICEF benefit, "Up Against Hunger," the Exceptional Children's foundation, and the Young Art Patrons.

Administrative files document many activities of the gallery, such as the gallery's and Joan Ankrum's membership in the Black Arts Council, the California Arts Council, and the Art Dealers Association of California of which Joan Ankrum was a primary organizer. Also found are publicity files, a file on the history of the gallery, leases, floor plans, insurance documents, lists of graphics for sale, and other miscellany.

Exhbition files appear to be incomplete, but do include files for Huichol Indian's art, "The Art of African Peoples" (1973), "Five Contemporary Mexican Painters" (1977), Ethiopian Folk Painting (1978), San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild All Media Exhibition (1982), "25th Anniversary Exhibition" (1985), among several others.

Extensive artists' files include correspondence, price lists, photographs and slides,resumes and biographical material, and sales invoices. Files are found for Benny Andrews, Carlos Almaraz, Richard Bauer, Irving Block, Naomi Caryl, Bernie Casey, Frank Duveneck, Lorser Feitelson, Bruno Groth, David Herschler, Jessie Homer, Suzanne Jackson, Buffie Johnson, Samella Lewis, Helen Lundeberg, Arnold Mesches, Henry Miller, Melvin Schuler, Arthur Secunda, Ken Shores, Jean Varda, and Zev, among many others. The Pat Alexander and Andy Nelson files also contain motion picture film.

Collector and client files document the gallery's relationship with over 115 collectors, museums, and art centers. Files may include correspondence and sales records and are found for Edith Halpert, Olga and Joseph Hirshhorn and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Krannert Art Museum, Laguna Art Museum, Palm Spring Desert Museum, Paramount Pictures, San Diego Museum of Art, Staempfli Gallery, and Storm King Art Center, among many others.

Financial material documents sales through numbered invoices, consignments, loans, and insurance valuations. Printed material consists of exhibition catalogs and announcements, bulletins, periodicals, and newspaper clippings. One unbound scrapbook contains clippings and exhibition materials.

Photographs are of artwork, artists, and gallery openings. Additional photographs are found in the artists' files.

Joan Wheeler Ankrum personal papers document her personal and professional relationship with family, artists, and collectors. They include correspondence, personal writings, personal financial materials, printed material and loose scrapbook materials, family photographs and photographs of her as an actress, and artwork from various artists.

The papers of artist Morris Broderson, nephew of Joan Ankrum, document his professional relationship with the gallery as his primary dealer. Included are biographical materials, correspondence, publicity files, travel files, projects, exhibitions, collector/client files, financial material, printed material, photographs, and artwork.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged as 12 series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1961-1994 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Project Files, 1965-1987 (0.25 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 3: Administrative Records, 1961- circa 1990s (1 linear foot; Boxes 1-2)

Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1961-1991 (1 linear foot; Boxes 2-3)

Series 5: Artists' Files, 1957-1994 (22.5 linear feet; Boxes 3-25, 41-42, FC 43-45)

Series 6: Collector and Client Files, 1960-1994 (3.2 linear feet; Boxes 25-28)

Series 7: Financial Material, 1962-1990 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 28-30)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1957-1994 (2 linear feet; Boxes 30-32, 41)

Series 9: Scrapbook, 1960-1988 (3 folders; Box 32)

Series 10: Photographs, circa 1960s-circa 1990s (0.35 linear feet; Boxes 32, 42)

Series 11: Joan Ankrum Personal Papers, circa 1900-1993 (2 linear feet; Boxes 32-34, 41)

Series 12: Morris Broderson Papers, 1941-1989 (7.2 linear feet; Boxes 34-42)

Biographical / Historical:

The Ankrum Gallery was established 1960 in Los Angeles by American film actress Joan Wheeler Ankrum and William Chalee. The gallery closed in 1989.

Joan Wheeler Ankrum and William Challee opened Ankrum Gallery on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles in 1960 with a one-man show of Ankrum's nephew Morris Broderson. With a focus on contemporary California artists, Ankrum Gallery represented over 395 artists during its 30 years in operation, including Benny Andrews, Carlos Almaraz, Richard Bauer, Irving Block, Naomi Caryl, Bernie Casey, Frank Duveneck, Lorser Feitelson, Bruno Groth, David Herschler, Jessie Homer, Suzanne Jackson, Buffie Johnson, Samella Lewis, Helen Lundeberg, Arnold Mesches, Henry Miller, Melvin Schuler, Arthur Secunda, Ken Shores, Jean Varda, and Zev. In addition, the gallery was among the earliest to exhibit the work of black artists. The gallery also held exhibitions of world artists, which included "Art of African Peoples" (1973), "Yarn Paintings of the Huichol Indians" (1973), "Five Contemporary Mexican Painters" (1977), and "Ethiopian Folk Painting" (1978). Ankrum Gallery closed in 1989.

Art dealer and gallery owner, Joan Wheeler Ankrum was an actress before establishing the Ankrum Gallery primarily to showcase the work of her deaf nephew, Morris Broderson. Born in 1913 in Palo Alto, California, she began acting at the Pasadena Playhouse where she met her first husband Morris Ankrum with whom she had two sons, David and Cary Ankrum. She married gallery co-owner and partner William Challee in 1984. She helped organize the Los Angeles Art Dealers Association and the Monday Night Art Walks on La Cienega Boulevard. She was a member of the relatively short-lived Black Arts Council. Joan Wheeler Ankrum died in 2001 at the age of 88.

Morris Broderson (1928-2011) was a deaf painter. His first one-man show was at the Stanford Museum in 1957, followed by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. By 1959 he'd won two awards from the Los Angeles County Museum, and appeared in the Whitney Museum's "Young America" show in 1960. His travels influenced his work, including the hand gestures of Kabuki art in Japan. His work is in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, among others. Following Joan Ankrum's death in 2001, Broderson was represented by her son David Ankrum.

Related Materials:

Also found in the Archives of American Art are two oral history interviews with Joan Ankrum, one conducted by Betty Hoag, April 28, 1964, and a second by Paul Karlstrom, November 5, 1997-February 4, 1998. Additionally, there is an oral history interview with Morris Broderson conducted by Paul Karlstrom, March 11-13, 1998.

Provenance:

The Ankrum Gallery records were donated to the Archives of American Art by Joan Ankrum in 1995.

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.

Rights:

The Ankrum Gallery records are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Topic:

Art galleries, Commercial -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Artists -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Citation:

Ankrum Gallery records, circa 1900-circa 1990s, bulk 1960-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund

Identifier:

AAA.ankrgall

See more items in:

Ankrum Gallery records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-ankrgall

Creator:

Smithsonian Magazine  Search this

Type:

Blog posts

Smithsonian staff publications

Blog posts

Published Date:

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 19:06:26 +0000

Topic:

Custom RSS  Search this

See more posts:

Smithsonian Article Database

Data Source:

Smithsonian Magazine

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:posts_7975cf3e8c54016f1c8e7a84fd21308d

Recording artist:

Lee, Thelma  Search this

Smith, B.  Search this

Williams, Douglas  Search this

Manufacturer:

Victor  Search this

Performer:

Douglas Williams  Search this

Physical Description:

shellac (overall material)

Measurements:

overall: 10 in; 25.4 cm

Object Name:

sound recording

Place made:

United States: New Jersey, Camden

Recording date:

1928

Related Publication:

Rust, Brian. Jazz Records 1897-1942, Vol. 2

Credit Line:

Gift of Howard A. Guernsey (through Richard L. Guernsey)

ID Number:

1988.0698.1529

Catalog number:

1988.0698.1529

Accession number:

1988.0698

Collector/donor number:

L21

Maker number:

21413

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Entertainment

Music & Musical Instruments

Popular Entertainment

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a8-f9da-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_1059120

Creator:

Gatch, Lee, 1902-1968  Search this

Names:

World House Galleries  Search this

Driggs, Elsie, 1898-1992  Search this

Kahn, Max  Search this

Kuh, Katharine  Search this

Mumford, Lewis, 1895-1990  Search this

Neumann, J. B. (Jsrael Ber)  Search this

Phillips, Duncan, 1886-1966  Search this

Willard, Marian, 1904-  Search this

Extent:

1 Linear foot ((partially microfilmed on 5 reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1925-1979

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence, notebooks, writings, photographs, catalogs and other publications.

REEL D160: Letters from Gatch's dealer J.B. Neumann, detailing his financial difficulties, Marian Willard of Willard Gallery, collector Duncan Phillips, who discusses a catalog he is writing on Gatch, and painter and collector Max Kahn; photographs of Gatch, ca. 1934; a commonplace book, 1925-1937, which also includes food recipes and an inventory of Gatch's paintings; clippings; and catalogs.

REEL NLG-1: Mainly correspondence with Phillip Bruno of World House Galleries concerning the pricing and delivery of paintings. Gatch comments specifically on "Veronica's Veil" and "Gothic Night." Also included are social notes from Elsie Driggs Gatch to Josephine Bruno, playbills from performances of Merriman Gatch, clippings, and photographs.

REEL N69-137: an autobiographical sketch; letters, 1934-1965, from Lewis Mumford, Katharine Kuh, and others, commending his work, from J.B. Neumann and Duncan Phillips, discussing sales of his painting, and from Max Kahn, commenting generally on art matters; brief essays by Gatch on his paintings "Jurassic Frieze" and "World's End," and the development of his painting; a book of poems inscribed by the author, Power Dalton; and catalogs.

REEL 1: Letters to Elsie Driggs, 1934-1935, commenting on his art theories, his plans for Yaddo, and his financial situation; an exchange between Gatch and Bruno, commenting on his use of texture; one letter from Duncan Phillips, discussing an article he is preparing on Gatch. Also, a typescript comment by Gatch on the aim of his art, a certificate from the New York Institute of Mechanics, 1941, and a National Institute of Arts and Letters citation, 1965.

REEL 2812: 36 photographs of Gatch, his homes, and studios, ca. 1927-1963; 3 exhibition catalogs; and a letter, February 8, 1979, from Robert J. Koenig to Merriman Gatch regarding "The Acrobats" by her father.

UNMICROFILMED: Photographs, printed material, several letters, a student notebook, and memorabilia.

Biographical / Historical:

Painter; New York, N.Y.

Provenance:

Donated 1963-1979 by Gatch and his wife Elsie Driggs Gatch, except for material on reel NLG-1, which was lent for microfilming, as well as portions of the unmicrofilmed material, which were donated 1971 by Mrs. Leonard Strauss (6 snapshots), who was working on a master's thesis on Gatch, and by Gatch's sister, Sister Mary Rachel Gatch (2 letters, and printed material).

Occupation:

Art dealers  Search this

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

Topic:

Painting, Modern -- 20th century  Search this

Function:

Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York

Identifier:

AAA.gatcleep

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-gatcleep

Collector:

Rosin, Henry D., Dr.  Search this

Rosin, Nancy  Search this

Creator:

Lyman, Benjamin Smith, 1835-1920  Search this

Ueno, Hikoma, 1838-1904  Search this

Beato, Felice, b. ca. 1825  Search this

Stillfried, Raimund, Baron von, 1839-1911  Search this

Underwood & Underwood  Search this

Names:

Japanese tea ceremony  Search this

Meiji, Emperor of Japan, 1852-1912  Search this

Shōken, Empress, consort of Meiji, Emperor of Japan, 1850-1914  Search this

Extent:

616 Items (approximate count)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Mammoth plates

Photographs

Photograph albums

Stereographs

Cartes-de-visite

Photographic prints

Place:

Japan

Japan -- 1890-1900

Kyoto (Japan)

Tokyo (Japan)

Yokohama-shi (Japan)

Date:

1860 - ca. 1900

Scope and Contents:

Assembled by collectors Dr. Henry D. Rosin and Nancy Rosin to document nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century photography of Japan. Includes albumen prints, portions handcolored, some signed and numbered in the negative. Taken by photographers Felice Beato (b. ca. 1825), Baron Raimon von Stillfried (1938-1911), Kusakabe Kimbei (active 1880s), Ueno Hikoma (1838-1904), Ogawa Kazumasa (1860-1929) and unknown photographers to depict architecture, landscapes, formal studio portraits, and daily activities.

Arrangement:

Organized chronologically by the creators.

Biographical / Historical:

Henry and Nancy Rosin were collectors of Japanese photography of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Local Numbers:

FSA A1999.35

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Topic:

Ainu  Search this

Photography of women  Search this

Streets -- Japan  Search this

Temples -- Japan  Search this

Samurai  Search this

Sumo wrestlers  Search this

Religion  Search this

Genre/Form:

Mammoth plates

Photographs -- 1850-1900

Photograph albums

Stereographs -- 1860-1900

Cartes-de-visite

Photographic prints

Citation:

Henry and Nancy Rosin Collection of Early Photography of Japan. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Purchase and partial donation.

Identifier:

FSA.A1999.35

See more items in:

Henry and Nancy Rosin Collection of Early Photography of Japan

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-fsa-a1999-35

Creator:

Ladd, Anna Coleman, 1878-1939 (sculptor)  Search this

Names:

American Red Cross. Studio for Portrait Masks (Paris, France)  Search this

Aldrich, William  Search this

Fabbricotti, Gabriella  Search this

Gardner, Isabella Stewart, 1840-1924  Search this

Hammond, Natalie Hays, 1905-  Search this

Southwick, Jessie Eldridge  Search this

Extent:

4.26 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Diaries

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Photographs

Sketches

Scrapbooks

Date:

1881-1950

Summary:

The papers of sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd measure 4.26 linear feet, date from 1881-1950, and document the career of sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd. Found within the papers are biographical material, letters, diaries, financial material, notes and writings, art work, a file concerning the American Red Cross Studio for Portrait-Masks, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs.

Scope and Contents note:

The papers of sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd measure 4.26 linear feet, date from 1881-1950, and document the career of sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd. Found within the papers are biographical material, letters, diaries, financial material, notes and writings, art work, a file concerning the American Red Cross Studio for Portrait-Masks, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs.

Biographical materials are scattered and include calling cards, biographical sketches notes, and certificates.

Correspondence includes letters written to Anna Coleman Ladd from various family members, friends, and colleagues. Notable correspodents include William Aldrich, Gabriella Fabbricotti, Isabella Stewart Gardner, Natalie Hays Hammond, and Jessie Eldridge Southwick.

Diaries are daily diaries dating from 1903-1905 and from 1911-1912. Each diary includes short descriptions of Ladd's days.

Financial materials include receipts, stock certificates, travel materials, lists, and an account book for Dr. Maynard Ladd.

Writings and notes consists of notebooks, lists of works of art, inventories, manuscripts by Ladd and by others.

Artworks include two sketchbooks, loose drawings, and a plaster relief by Ladd as well as several sketches by others.

American Red Cross Studio for Portrait-Masks files include correspondence, writings, a scrapbook, printed materials, and photographs. Materials concern portrait masks used to disguise the disfigured faces of World War I veterans.

Scrapbooks consists of three scrapbooks containing photographs, printed materials, and writings.

Printed materials include clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs for Ladd's works, books and booklets, and posters, some of which are French World War I propaganda.

Photographs include photographs of Anna Coleman Ladd with her works of art and in the studio, Dr. Maynard Ladd, friends, family, colleagues, and works of sculpture.

Arrangement note:

The collection is arranged as 10 series. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1910-1950 (Box 1; 4 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1895-1937 (Box 1-2; 1.1 linear feet)

Series 3: Diaries, 1903-1912 (Box 2; 2 folders)

Series 4: Financial Material, 1899-1934 (Box 2; 6 folders)

Series 5: Writings and Notes, 1888-1949 (Box 2, 6, OV 7; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 6: Artwork, 1901-1928 (Box 2, 6, OV 7; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 7: American Red Cross Studio for Portrait-Masks File, 1914-1925 (Box 2-3, 6; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1900-1940 (Box 3; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 9: Printed Material, 1889-1942 (Box 3, 6, OV 7; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 10: Photographs, 1881-1932 (Box 4-6, MGP 1; 0.8 linear feet)

Biographical/Historical note:

Born in 1878 in Philadelphia to John and Mary Watts, Anna Coleman Ladd (née Watts) was educated in private schools and Europe. She also studied in America under Charles Grafly.

She moved to Boston in 1905 and married Boston pediatrician Maynard Ladd with whom she had two daughters, Gabriella May Ladd and Vernon Abbott Ladd . Working in her studio on Clarendon Street, Ladd became one of the city's most prolific sculptors, creating fountain pieces, portrait busts, memorials, and reliefs in addition to authoring two novels, Hieronymus Rides in 1912, and The Candid Adventurer in 1913.

Between 1907 and 1915, Ladd had solo exhibitions at the Gorham Gallery in New York, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Pennsylvania Academy in Philadelphia. She was also invited to exhibit her bronzes at the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. In 1914 she executed a bronze statuette of Eleanora Duse for which the actress posed, and later completed portrait busts of Anna Pavlova and Ethel Barrimore.

In late 1917 in Paris, Ladd founded the American Red Cross Studio for Portrait-Masks to provide cosmetic masks to be worn by men who had been badly disfigured in World War I. Her services earned her the Légion d'Honneur Crois de Chevalier and the Serbian Order of Saint Sava.

For many years, Ladd maintained a summer studio "Arden" at Beverly Farms in Manchester, Massachusetts. In 1923, she received an honorary degree of Master of Arts from Tufts College.

Anna Coleman Ladd died June 3, 1939 in Santa Barbara, California.

Provenance:

The Anna Coleman Ladd papers were donated in 1991 by William Terry on behalf of Robert Edwards, a friend of Anna Coleman Ladd.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Anna Coleman Ladd papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Topic:

Portrait sculpture  Search this

Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this

Architectural sculpture  Search this

Sculptors -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this

Women sculptors -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this

World War, 1914-1918 -- France -- Paris Portrait sculpture  Search this

Women authors -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this

Works of art  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Photographs

Sketches

Scrapbooks

Citation:

Anna Coleman Ladd papers, 1881-1950. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for processing in preparation for digitization, and for the digitization of this collection, was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.

Identifier:

AAA.laddanna

See more items in:

Anna Coleman Ladd papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-laddanna

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

Sketches

Motion pictures (visual works)

Diaries

Prints

Photographs

Illustrations

Drawings

Watercolors

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:

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 Henry Varnum Poor papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Occupation:

War artists  Search this

Topic:

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

World War, 1914-1918  Search this

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

War posters  Search this

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

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

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

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

Artists' studios  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

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

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

Genre/Form:

Sketches

Motion pictures (visual works)

Diaries

Prints

Photographs

Illustrations

Drawings

Watercolors

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

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-poorhenr

Author:

Shaffer, Earl V., 1918-2002  Search this

Collection Author:

Shaffer, Earl V., 1918-2002  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (4.7" x 6.6".)

Container:

Box 6, Folder 8

Box 39

Type:

Archival materials

Diaries

Place:

Appalachian Trail

Date:

1963 24 June

Scope and Contents:

Yellow covered trail diary written by Shaffer on hike of the Casscade Crest Trail.

Arrangement:

In Box 39.

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Use reference copies of diaries.

Collection Rights:

Copyrights to all donated materials, both printed and photographic, are retained exclusively by the Earl Shaffer Foundation.

Topic:

Hiking  Search this

Trails  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries -- 20th century

Collection Citation:

Earl Shaffer Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Earl Shaffer Papers

Earl Shaffer Papers / Series 2: Materials Related to Hiking / 2.1: Trail Notes Diaries and General Information

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0828-ref102

Author:

Shaffer, Earl V., 1918-2002  Search this

Collection Author:

Shaffer, Earl V., 1918-2002  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (4.7" x 6.7".)

Container:

Box 6, Folder 10

Box 39

Type:

Archival materials

Diaries

Place:

Appalachian Trail

Date:

1965

Scope and Contents:

1965 trail diary written by Shaffer on hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Arrangement:

In Box 39.

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Use reference copies of diaries.

Collection Rights:

Copyrights to all donated materials, both printed and photographic, are retained exclusively by the Earl Shaffer Foundation.

Topic:

Hiking  Search this

Trails  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries -- 20th century

Collection Citation:

Earl Shaffer Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Earl Shaffer Papers

Earl Shaffer Papers / Series 2: Materials Related to Hiking / 2.1: Trail Notes Diaries and General Information

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0828-ref104

Author:

Shaffer, Earl V., 1918-2002  Search this

Collection Author:

Shaffer, Earl V., 1918-2002  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (8.8" x 7.1".)

Container:

Box 6, Folder 14

Box 39

Type:

Archival materials

Diaries

Place:

Appalachian Trail

Date:

1998

Scope and Contents:

Trail diary written Shaffer during 1998 hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Arrangement:

In Box 39.

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Use reference copies of diaries.

Collection Rights:

Copyrights to all donated materials, both printed and photographic, are retained exclusively by the Earl Shaffer Foundation.

Topic:

Hiking  Search this

Trails  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries -- 20th century

Collection Citation:

Earl Shaffer Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Earl Shaffer Papers

Earl Shaffer Papers / Series 2: Materials Related to Hiking / 2.1: Trail Notes Diaries and General Information

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0828-ref108

Author:

Shaffer, Earl V., 1918-2002  Search this

Collection Author:

Shaffer, Earl V., 1918-2002  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (4.6" x 6.5".)

Container:

Box 6, Folder 17

Box 39

Type:

Archival materials

Diaries

Place:

Appalachian Trail

Date:

1998

undated

Scope and Contents:

Light blue covered trail diary written by Shaffer on hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Arrangement:

In Box 39.

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Use reference copies of diaries.

Collection Rights:

Copyrights to all donated materials, both printed and photographic, are retained exclusively by the Earl Shaffer Foundation.

Topic:

Hiking  Search this

Trails  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries -- 20th century

Collection Citation:

Earl Shaffer Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Earl Shaffer Papers

Earl Shaffer Papers / Series 2: Materials Related to Hiking / 2.1: Trail Notes Diaries and General Information

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0828-ref111

Author:

Shaffer, Earl V., 1918-2002  Search this

Collection Author:

Shaffer, Earl V., 1918-2002  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (4.9" x 6.7".)

Container:

Box 6, Folder 18

Type:

Archival materials

Diaries

Place:

Appalachian Trail

Date:

undated

Scope and Contents:

Trail diary written Shaffer during the 50th anniversary hike to cover the entire length of the Appalachian Trail.

Arrangement:

In Box 39.

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Use reference copies of diaries.

Collection Rights:

Copyrights to all donated materials, both printed and photographic, are retained exclusively by the Earl Shaffer Foundation.

Topic:

Hiking  Search this

Trails  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries -- 20th century

Collection Citation:

Earl Shaffer Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Earl Shaffer Papers

Earl Shaffer Papers / Series 2: Materials Related to Hiking / 2.1: Trail Notes Diaries and General Information

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0828-ref112

Author:

Shaffer, Earl V., 1918-2002  Search this

Collection Author:

Shaffer, Earl V., 1918-2002  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (5.5" x 4.0".)

Container:

Box 6, Folder 3

Box 39

Type:

Archival materials

Diaries

Place:

Appalachian Trail

Date:

1948

Scope and Contents:

Trail diary written Shaffer during the first hike to cover the entire length of the Appalachian Trail.

Arrangement:

In Box 39.

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Use reference copies of diaries.

Collection Rights:

Copyrights to all donated materials, both printed and photographic, are retained exclusively by the Earl Shaffer Foundation.

Topic:

Hiking  Search this

Trails  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries -- 20th century

Collection Citation:

Earl Shaffer Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Earl Shaffer Papers

Earl Shaffer Papers / Series 2: Materials Related to Hiking / 2.1: Trail Notes Diaries and General Information

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0828-ref96

Creator:

Merriam, C. Hart (Clinton Hart), 1855-1942  Search this

Extent:

43 Pages

Culture:

Mewuk (Miwok)  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Date:

undated

Scope and Contents:

Includes names of birds, animals, and plants.

Local Numbers:

NAA MS 4569-b

Topic:

Zoology -- Miwok  Search this

Botany -- Miwok  Search this

Language and languages -- Documentation  Search this

Citation:

Manuscript 4569-b, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.MS4569B

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-ms4569b

Collection Collector:

McKinley, Ray, 1910-1995 (musician, bandleader)  Search this

Container:

Box 52, Folder 12

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

undated

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Copyright restrictions. Contact the Archives Center for information.

Collection Citation:

Ray McKinley Music and Ephemera, ca 1945-1994, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

See more items in:

Ray McKinley Music and Ephemera

Ray McKinley Music and Ephemera / Series 3: Audiovisual Materials / 2.9: Reference Videotapes / Series 3: Miscellaneous

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0635-ref1184

Creator:

Short, Bobby  Search this

Names:

Carlyle Hotel New York, New York  Search this

Hildegarde, 1906-2005  Search this

Mercer, Mabel, 1900-1984  Search this

Minnelli, Liza  Search this

Putney, Charles  Search this

Photographer:

Bull, Clarence Sinclair, 1896-1979  Search this

Extent:

13.6 Cubic feet (35 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Clippings

Business records

Music

Contracts

Photographs

Passports

Posters

Scrapbooks

Concert programs

Place:

New York (N.Y.) -- 20th century

Date:

1908-2006

Summary:

Bobby Short was a singer and pianist whose career spanned seven decades. An interpreter of American popular music, he became a performer in childhood and remained active until his death. He is best known for his more than 35 years as performer-in-residence at the Hotel Carlyle's Café Carlyle in New York City. This collection contains personal papers and photographs as well as business papers, musical materials and photographs relating to Mr. Short's career as a performing artist.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of personal materials relating to Mr. Short's childhood, family, and friends as well as business materials relating to his career as a performer. These include photographs, correspondence, business documents, periodicals, musical materials, manuscripts and awards. Most of the material is arranged chronologically. The container list is detailed as to the type and date of the materials.

Series 1, Personal Materials, circa 1908-2005. This series is divided into four Subseries: Early Life in Danville, Illinois; Awards, Honors, and Milestones; Personal Ephemera and Miscellaneous Publications; and Original Artworks owned by Bobby Short. Subseries 1 includes poems written in childhood and two high school annuals. Subseries 2 includes numerous citations and awards as well as three Grammy nominations. Subseries 4 contains small prints and sketches as well as larger works by various artists.

Series 2, Correspondence, circa 1950-2005. This Series is divided into three Subseries: Personal Correspondence; Correspondence with Celebrities and Notable People; and Business Correspondence and Related Materials. The material is arranged chronologically. The material in Subseries 1 and 2 consists of letters, telegrams, invitations, and notes.

Series 3, Photographs, circa 1908-2005. This Series is divided into six Subseries: With and of Family and Friends; With Celebrities and Notable People; Other Performers, Notable People, and Autographed; In Performance; Publicity, Fashion, and Advertising; and Photographs of Artworks Depicting Bobby Short.

Subseries 1 contains a number of early family photographs and early photographs of Bobby Short. Subseries 1 and 3 include photographs by Carl Van Vechten. Subseries 1 and 5 include photographs by Horst, Hurrell, and Scavullo. Subseries 4 contains photographs of Bobby Short in performance, both alone and with others.

Series 4, Contracts and Related Documents, 1953-2005. This series is divided into six Subseries: Appearances in the United States and Foreign Countries; Film, Radio and Television Appearances; Recording Contracts, Royalty Statements and Related Materials; Print, Radio and Television Advertising; Licensing Proposals; and Union and Labor Department Documents.

Subseries 1 is arranged as follows: Hotel Carlyle Contracts; United States Contracts arranged alphabetically by state. These are followed by foreign contracts arranged alphabetically by name of country. Subseries 2 is arranged as follows: contracts and related materials for radio appearances, television appearances and appearances in films. Subseries 3 consists of recording contracts and royalty statements arranged chronologically and by company. Subseries 4, 5, and 6 are arranged chronologically.

Series 5, Programs, Publicity, and Promotion, 1956-1996. This series is divided into three Subseries: Programs for Performances by Bobby Short; Newspaper Clippings and Magazines; and Promotional Materials.

Subseries 1 consists primarily of programs for performances at concert halls. Subseries 2 consists largely of newspaper and entertainment magazine notices from the 1950s and 1960s. Subseries 3 includes flyers, announcements and table cards.

Series 6, Special Events, 1963-2003. This series consists of materials relating to special events such as charity benefits and anniversary celebrations at which Short performed or was otherwise involved. Several of these events benefited the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Series 7, Musical Materials, circa 1920s-1995. This series consists of a variety of materials relating to music; publications, sheet music, lyrics, recording contracts, album covers, and two 45 rpm recordings. Song lists, discographies, and articles about music are included.

Series 8, Theatrical Productions as Producer or Investor, 1979-1988 This series consists of contracts and performance materials for productions for which Bobby Short acted as a producer and/or investor. Programs, correspondence, and publicity materials are included; also partnership documents and financial statements.

Series 9, Manuscripts, Research, and Publishing Materials, circa 1954-1997. This series is arranged in two Subseries: Writings: Bobby Short; Writings: Others.

Subseries 1 includes a partial manuscript for Black and White Baby and research and other materials for a proposed volume, Black Lady Singers, that was not written. Subseries 2 consists of miscellaneous writings by others including a partial script for a play, Tinsel Town, and a film script, Johnny Twennies.

Arrangement:

The papers are arranged in nine series

Series 1, Personal Materials, circa 1908-2005

Subseries 1, Early Life in Danville, Illinois, 1924-1942

Subseries 2, Awards, Honors and Milestones, 1964-2005

Subseries 3, Personal Ephemera and Miscellaneous Publications, 1937-2002

Subseries 4, Original Artworks Owned by Bobby Short, 1841-1990s

Series 2, Correspondence, circa 1938-2005

Subseries 1, Personal Correspondence, 1950s-2004

Subseries 2, Correspondence with Celebrities and Notable People, 1962-2004

Subseries 3, Business Correspondence and Related materials, 1938-2005

Series 3, Photographs, circa 1908-2005

Subseries 1, With and of Family and Friends, circa 1908-2005

Subseries 2, With Celebrities and Notable People, circa 1953-1990s

Subseries 3, Other Performers, Notable People, and Autographed, circa 1920s-1990s

Subseries 4, In Performance and Related Subjects, circa 1940s-2001

Subseries 5, Publicity, Fashion, and Advertising, circa 1930s-2000s

Subseries 6, Photographs of Artworks Depicting Bobby Short, circa 1960s-1990s

Series 4, Contracts and Related Documents, circa 1953-2005

Subseries 1, Appearances in the United States and Foreign Countries, circa 1953-2005

Subseries 2, Radio, Television, and Film Appearances, 1978-2000

Subseries 3, Recording Contracts, Royalty Statements and Related Materials, 1955-2003

Subseries 4, Print, Radio and Television Advertising, 1976-1997

Subseries 5, Licensing Proposals, 1984-2000

Subseries 6, Union and Labor Department Documents, 1981-2005

Series 5, Programs, Publicity, and Promotion, 1956-1996

Subseries 1, Programs for Performances by Bobby Short

Subseries 2, Newspaper Clippings and Magazines

Subseries 3, Promotional Materials

Series 6, Special Events, 1963-2003

Series 7, Musical Materials, circa 1920-1995

Series 8, Theatrical Productions as Producer or Investor, 1979-1988

Series 9, Manuscripts, Research, And Publishing Materials, circa 1954-1997

Subseries 1, Writings: Bobby Short

Subseries 2, Writings: Others

Biographical / Historical:

Bobby Short (Robert Waltrip Short) was born to Rodman and Myrtle Short on September 15, 1924, in Danville, Illinois. He was one of six surviving children. As part of the town's relatively small African American community, the Short family maintained a middle-class standard of living, even during the Great Depression. Rodman Short pursued several occupations but spent most of his life as a coal miner in West Virginia and was seldom at home. Myrtle Short, a domestic worker, was a fastidious housekeeper who expected a high standard of deportment in her children. In Bobby Short's first memoir, Black and White Baby, he wrote: "Except for our color, we conformed in almost every degree to the image of the white Anglo-Saxon Protestant-in our manners, our mores, and our way of life." Music was an important part of that life; many members of the extended family played instruments or sang, some professionally. Short first played a song by ear at the family upright piano when he was four years old and began his life-long love affair with words and music. Church, school, vaudeville, and minstrel shows provided his earliest musical influences and repertoire; his innate musicality and enthusiasm enabled him to become a skilled performer at an early age. By the time he was ten years old, he was playing and singing in local night spots and as far away as Indianapolis. At twelve, he was playing in vaudeville, at times billed as "the Miniature King of Swing." At thirteen, he returned to Danville, attended high school, and after graduating in 1942, left his home town to begin his professional life in earnest.

Short spent the 1940s and early 1950s as an increasingly successful entertainer in sophisticated night clubs and jazz venues in Chicago and other Midwestern cities, California, and New York, as well as Paris and London. While his early repertoire featured novelty songs and boogie-woogie, as he matured he embraced the standards of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and other notable composers and song writers. He enthusiastically promoted the work of African American composers such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller and Andy Razaf. His encyclopedic knowledge of popular songs, both the well-known and the obscure, gave his performances a freshness that delighted his audiences.

In 1956, Short moved to New York City, taking up residence in a Carnegie Hall studio apartment. His career as a "saloon singer" (his words) continued in New York and in frequent visits to the Midwest and California. He appeared in theatrical roles and began recording for Atlantic Records. In 1968 his concert at Carnegie Hall with Mabel Mercer led to his engagement at the intimate Café Carlyle at the Hotel Carlyle. He remained there, playing for six months of the year, for the rest of his life. His performances at the Carlyle made him a darling of society and an icon of sophisticated New York style. In the early 1970s his album "Bobby Short Loves Cole Porter" introduced him to a larger audience; he published his first memoir, Black and White Baby, in 1971.

Short recorded numerous albums, earning several Grammy nominations. He appeared on radio and television, occasionally acted on stage and was seen in small roles in several films. He produced "Black Broadway," a theatrical review featuring many veteran performers he had long revered; he was instrumental in the revival of Alberta Hunter's career. Four Presidents--Nixon, Carter, Clinton and Reagan--invited him to perform at the White House. When he was not at the Café Carlyle, he traveled extensively in the United States and abroad, appearing in both night clubs and symphony halls. Success enabled him to purchase a villa in the south of France. His second memoir, Bobby Short, the Life and Times of a Saloon Singer, was published in 1995. Short earned many awards and honors during his lengthy career and was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 1999. He died in New York on March 21, 2005.

Sources: Short, Bobby. Black and White Baby, New York: Dodd, Mead & Company,1971. Short, Bobby (with Robert Mackintosh). Bobby Short, the Life and Times of a Saloon Singer, New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1995.

Related Materials:

Objects (2006.0071): awards, clothing, medals, and a music portfolio, including thirteen sound recordings (1984.0134), are housed in the Division of Music, Sports, and Entertainment, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Provenance:

Bequeathed to the Smithsonian Institution by Bobby Short.

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research use.

Physical Access: Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Researchers must use photocopies of scrapbooks due to the fragility of the originals, unless special access is approved.

Technical Access: Listening to sound recordings requires special appointment; please inquire.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Entertainment  Search this

Works of art  Search this

African American entertainers -- 20th century  Search this

Vaudeville  Search this

Pianists  Search this

Nightclubs  Search this

Popular music -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Musicians -- 20th century  Search this

Music -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Correspondence -- 20th century

Clippings

Business records -- 20th century

Music -- Manuscripts

Contracts

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 20th century

Passports

Posters

Scrapbooks -- 20th century

Concert programs

Citation:

Bobby Short Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0946

See more items in:

Bobby Short Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0946

Creator:

National Air and Space Museum  Search this

Type:

Lectures

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2014-10-27T16:31:50.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this

See more by:

airandspace

Data Source:

National Air and Space Museum

YouTube Channel:

airandspace

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_86pUNlx9M0k

Creator:

National Air and Space Museum  Search this

Type:

Conversations and talks

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2012-10-26T18:18:20.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this

See more by:

airandspace

Data Source:

National Air and Space Museum

YouTube Channel:

airandspace

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_NEqR8POqNDE

Creator:

National Air and Space Museum  Search this

Type:

Lectures

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2010-08-03T22:16:49.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this

See more by:

airandspace

Data Source:

National Air and Space Museum

YouTube Channel:

airandspace

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_ZpHFFuqpAAo

Creator:

National Air and Space Museum  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2016-01-21T21:13:17.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this

See more by:

airandspace

Data Source:

National Air and Space Museum

YouTube Channel:

airandspace

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_zf-miDtXhcM