The papers of sculptor, painter, and printmaker John Henry Bradley Storrs measure 20.44 linear feet and date from 1790-2007, with the bulk of the papers dating from 1900 to 1956. The collection contains biographical material, correspondence, personal business records, forty-eight diaries of John Storrs, a few diaries of other family members, additional writings, printed material, photographs of Storrs and his family and friends, artwork, scrapbooks, estate records, and video recordings. Correspondence includes that of John Storrs, Marguerite Storrs, and the Storrs family.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor, painter, and printmaker John Henry Bradley Storrs measure 20.44 linear feet and date from 1790 to 2007, with the bulk of the papers dating from 1900 to 1956. The collection documents Storrs' career as an artist and his personal life through biographical material, correspondence with family, friends, and colleagues, personal business records, forty-eight diaries and other writings, printed material, photographs of Storrs and his family and friends, artwork, scrapbooks, estate records, and video recordings. There is also a substantial amount of Marguerite Storr's correspondence as well as scattered correspondence of other members of the Storr's family.
Biographical material consists of chronologies detailing the life of John Storrs, identification records, certificates, Storrs family documents, and records of John and Monique Storrs' French resistance activities during World War II.
Correspondence within this collection is divided into John Storrs Correspondence, Marguerite Storrs Correspondence, and Storrs Family Correspondence. The bulk of correspondence is John Storrs with friends, colleagues, art critics, patrons, art organizations and galleries. Correspondents of note include artists, architects, and writers such as Hendrick Andersen, Sherwood Anderson, Edward Bennett, George Biddle, Jerome Blum, Georges Braque, Louise Bryant, William Bullitt, Alexander Calder, Walter Cole, Paul Phillippe Cret, Katherine Dreier, Marcel Duchamp, Max Eastman, R. Buckminster Fuller, Marsden Hartley, Jane Heap, Jean Helion, Fernand Leger, Jacques Lipchitz, Man Ray, Charles Sheeler, Gertrude Stein, Joseph Stella, Maurice Sterne, Alfred Stieglitz, Leopold Survage, and William and Marguerite Zorach. There are also many letters to his wife Marguerite.
Marguerite Storrs' correspondence is with friends, family, colleagues, and others, including many letters to her husband. The letters are about general and family news, social activities and invitations, her work as a writer, and her husband's career. Storrs' family correspondence includes John and Marguerite's extensive correspondence with their daughter Monique as well as Monique's correspondence with others. Additional family correspondence is between John, his sister Mary ("Mae") and their parents David William and Hannah Storrs, much of it dating from 1900 to 1913.
Personal business records include address books, records regarding the sale and loan of Storrs' artwork, commission files regarding major public sculptures by Storrs, contracts, appraisals, financial records, and other documents regarding his professional activities. Of note are several files documenting Downtown Gallery's representation of Storrs' work during the 1960s, including correspondence between Edith Halpert and Monique Storrs. Various other documents include records of the Ecole de la Loire artists group (all in French.) Additionally there are records relating to Chateau de Chantecaille, an estate purchased by Storrs in the early 1920s as his primary residence and studio.
Forty-eight diaries contain scattered documentation of John Storrs' daily activities. Other writings by Storrs include four volumes of his memoirs that detail family history and his life from birth to 1906, notebooks, poetry, and personal accounts including the death of Auguste Rodin. Writings by others include poetry by Jessie Dismorr, essays by Zoltan Hecht and Maurice Raynal, and notebooks belonging to Storrs family members.
Printed material consists of books, art bulletins, brochures, invitations, announcements, and programs for art and social events. Also found are catalogs for exhibitions of Storrs' work and work by other artists; magazines, including a bound volume of the first ten issues of The Liberator; and clippings which include news about Storrs, his family, and friends.
Photographs depict John Storrs, his family, friends such as Arthur Bock and Gertrude Lambert, travels, and residences. Included are photographs of Storrs in his studio and in art classes. Also found are four photograph albums, primarily documenting his time in Europe from 1905 to 1907, exhibition photographs, and numerous photographs of his artwork.
Original artwork includes a portfolio of artwork created by Storrs as a youth, loose sketches, one sketchbook, 31 lithographs, and drawings for mural projects.
Four scrapbooks and a portfolio kept by John and Marguerite Storrs contain newspaper and magazine clippings of articles and illustrations as well as printed material from exhibitions, social events, and professional activities. Also found is a portfolio containing scattered items regarding the publication of Song of Myself with original wood engravings by John Storrs. One additional scrapbook was created by John Storrs around 1945 for his daughter, Monique Storrs, to document her service as a nurse in World War II.
This collection also includes records of John Storrs' estate immediately following his death in 1956, as well as records of several galleries that represented the estate in managing Storrs' artwork from the 1970s to 2002.
Three videocassettes, transferred from an unknown reel format, contain footage of Storrs' family life at Chantecaille and in Chicago, Illinois, in the 1930s.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 11 series.
Some box and folder numbers in the container listing intentionally display out of sequence. An accretion was added in 2012 and integrated into the intellectual order, but not into the physical container order. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1837, 1860-1984 (Box 1, 20, 25, OV 23; 0.6 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1857-2007 (Box 1-7, 25; 5.8 linear feet)
Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1790, 1855-1987 (Box 7-9, 25, OV 24, 28; 2.9 linear feet)
Series 4: Diaries, 1874-1955 (Box 9-10; 0.9 linear feet)
Series 5: Writings, 1888-1989 (Box 10-11, 25; 1.1 linear foot)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1867-1987, 2005 (Box 11-14, 25, OV 24; 3.6 linear feet)
Series 7: Photographs, circa 1885-1980 (Box 14-16, 18, 20-22, 25, MGP 1, MGP 2, MGP 5, MGP 6; 3.2 linear feet)
Series 8: Artwork, 1895-1935 (Box 18, 20, OV 23; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 9: Scrapbooks, 1895-1963 (Box 18-21, 25; 0.7 linear feet)
Series 10: Estate Records, 1956-2002 (Box 26; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 11: Video Recordings, circa 1980s (Box 26-27; 0.2 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
John Henry Bradley Storrs (1885-1956) worked primarily in Chicago, Illinois, and Mer, France, as a sculptor, painter, and printmaker.
John Storrs was born in 1885 in Chicago, Illinois, to David William Storrs, an architect, and Hannah Bradley Storrs. Upon completing his schooling in 1905 he went to Berlin with the intention of studying music, but instead chose to study sculpture with the Arthur Bock in Hamburg, Germany. He also spent time in Paris and traveled throughout Europe, Turkey, and Egypt, returning to the US in late 1907. Storrs took night classes at the Art Institute of Chicago, followed by periods of study at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, with Bela Pratt, and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with Charles Grafly. In 1912 he returned to Paris where he studied at the Académie Julian and with the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. During this period his work was greatly influenced by cubism and futurism. In 1914 he married French writer Marguerite Deville-Chabrol. After briefly returning to the US to exhibit his work, Storrs worked at a hospital in Paris throughout World War I and in 1918 his daughter Monique was born. He and his family settled in Mer, France, at the Chateau de Chantecaille in 1921.
The following two decades were very productive for Storrs and he frequently travelled between the US and France to exhibit and create work. He showed in many notable exhibits such as the Société Anonyme's International Exhibition of Modern Art in New York in 1926, and he completed several commissions such as a statue for the Chicago Board of Trade in 1929. During this time Storrs completely moved away from representational work and refined his non-objective, machine-like sculpture. Besides sculpture, he also produced many paintings, woodcuts, lithographs, and other works on paper. He created works for the Century of Progress International Exposition in 1933 and also worked for the Public Works of Art Project in 1934.
During World War II Storrs was twice arrested and imprisoned by the German occupation forces, once for six months from 1941 to 1942 and again in 1944 along with his daughter Monique who was part of the French Resistance. These events greatly impacted his health and he produced very little work in the late 1940s and 1950s. He continued to exhibit his work and was also president in 1954 of the Ecole de la Loire, a group of 75 artists working in the Loire Valley. John Storrs died in 1956.
Related Materials:
Also available at the Archives of American Art is the Noel Frackman research material on John Henry Bradley Storrs, 1972-2003. In addition, Archives of American Art microfilm reels 1463 and ND/S-1 contain the John Henry Bradley Storrs scrapbook and studio book, 1909-1972.
Separated Materials:
The Booz family also loaned approximately 1,000 drawings by John Storrs and select family photographs for microfilming. Loaned material is available for viewing on reel 1555, but is not described in this container listing of this finding aid.
Provenance:
The John Henry Bradley Storrs papers were donated in several installments from 1979 to 1987 by Storrs' daughter, Monique Storrs Booz, and her daughter, Michelle Storrs Booz. A portion of these papers were loaned for microfilming in 1977 and subsequently donated in 1980. Additional papers were donated by Michelle Storrs Booz in 2011.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
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.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements Search this
Function:
Artists' studios -- France
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Poems
Diaries
Sketches
Video recordings
Sketchbooks
Prints
Portfolios (groups of works)
Citation:
John Henry Bradley Storrs papers, 1890-2007, bulk 1900-1956. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
The papers of American portrait painter William Cushing Loring (1897-1959) measure 0.7 linear feet and date from 1899-1961. The majority of the collection consists of correspondence, including letters which document Loring's artistic education in Paris and London 1900-1904. Also found within the collection are letters from other Loring family members, printed materials which document Loring's artistic career, and photographs of the artist and his work.
Scope and Contents:
The William Cushing Loring papers measure 0.7 linear feet and date from 1899-1961. The collection documents Loring's artistic education in Paris and London and his career as an artist and instructor through correspondence, printed materials, and photographs.
Correspondence consists primarily of letters from William Cushing Loring to other Loring family members, including Stanton D. Loring, his father; Mrs. Stanton D. Loring, his mother; Robert Loring, his brother; and Elizabeth and Helen Loring, his sisters. Letters document Loring's life as an artist living abroad in Paris and London. He writes of visits to the studios of John Singer Sargent, Francis David Millet, and Lawrence Alma-Tadema; trips to museums and galleries; excursions to copy paintings in the Louvre and the London National Gallery; evening entertainment; and accounts of daily expenses. Some letters addressed to his parents include illustrations, sketches in ink and graphite, as well as miniature paintings. Letters from Helen Loring and Robert Loring to their parents, as well as unidentified letters, are also present. Envelopes are for the most part matched to letters, but fragment envelopes and letters are integrated within collection.
Printed materials include exhibition catalogs, newspaper obituary clippings for William Cushing Loring, bulletins for Rhode Island School of Design alumni, a holiday card for Loring's studio, and business cards.
Photographic material includes photographs of works of art by William Cushing Loring and photographs of the artist. Photographs of the artist include portraits and photographs of Loring with his family. Included among photographs of works of art are photos by Elmer Chickering.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as three series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Correspondence, 1899-1904 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1-2)
Series 2: Printed Material, circa 1905-1961(4 folders; Box 2)
Series 3: Photographic Material, circa 1905 (4 folders; Box 2, OV 3)
Biographical / Historical:
William Cushing Loring (1897-1959) was an American painter and teacher born in Newton Center, MA. He studied at Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Chase's Art School in New York, Academie Colarossi and Academie Delecluse in Paris, and for two years in Holland and London. Loring was best known for his portraiture. He was appointed head of the painting and drawing department at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1905, and taught at La Salle Junior College in Auburn, Massachusetts from 1921 to 1939.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by William Loring Cushing, Jr., son of the artist, in 1985.
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 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.
The papers of African American abstract expressionist painter Ed Clark measure 8.9 linear feet and date from 1923 to 2017. The collection documents Clark's work as a professional artist through biographical material; correspondence with family, galleries, and friends, most notably Cinque Gallery, Herbert Gentry, Bill Hutson, and Ted Joans; writings, including documentation for the book Edward Clark: For the Sake of the Search; personal business records, including consignment and sales records; and material related to professional activities, including files on significant exhibitions and projects, gallery files, and teaching records. Also in the collection are exhibition announcements, catalogs, news clippings, and other printed material documenting Clark's work; photographic material depicting Ed Clark, his artwork, and other individuals; and a small amount of original artwork by Clark and others.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of African American abstract expressionist painter Ed Clark measure 8.9 linear feet and date from 1923 to 2017. The collection documents Clark's work as a professional artist through biographical material; correspondence with family, galleries, and friends, most notably Cinque Gallery, Herbert Gentry, Bill Hutson, and Ted Joans; writings, including documentation for the book Edward Clark: For the Sake of the Search; personal business records, including consignment and sales records; and material related to professional activities, including files on significant exhibitions and projects, gallery files, and teaching records. Also in the collection are exhibition announcements, catalogs, news clippings, and other printed material documenting Clark's work; photographic material depicting Ed Clark, his artwork, and other individuals; and a small amount of original artwork by Clark and others.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as eight series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1943-2016 (Boxes 1, 10; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1926, circa 1943-2016 (Boxes 1-3; 2.1 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, 1955, 1980-2006, 2015, undated (Boxes 3-4, 10; 0.7 linear feet)
Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1953, 1966-2015 (Boxes 4, 10; 0.9 linear feet)
Series 5: Professional Activities, circa 1954-2016 (Boxes 4-5, 10; 0.7 linear feet)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1923-1926, 1950-2017, undated (Boxes 5-8, 10, OV 11-14; 3.3 linear feet)
Series 7: Photographic Material, 1928, 1952-2014, undated (Boxes 8-9, 10; 0.6 linear feet)
Series 8: Artwork, 1977-1997, undated (Boxes 9-10, OV 14; 0.1 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Ed Clark (1926- ) is an abstract expressionist painter who worked in Paris, France and New York. Clark was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1926. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1946 to 1951 and enrolled at the Académie de la Grande Chaumièré in Paris after his arrival there in 1952. After his return to the United States, Clark became a charter member of the Brata Gallery. In 1957 he premiered his shaped canvas at the Brata Gallery Christmas group show. This shaped canvas is generally considered to be the first of its kind. In 1958, he began using a push broom to apply broad strokes of color to canvases on his studio floor.
Ed Clark has received multiple awards and honors including the National Endowment for the Arts' Master Award (1972), the United States Congressional Achievement Award (1994), and the Art Institute of Chicago's Legends and Legacy Award (2013). He has exhibited widely and his work is held in many collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, the California Afro-American Museum, the Centro de Arté Moderno in Guadalajara, Mexico, the Detroit Institute of the Arts, Louisiana State University, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the New York Public Library Schomburg Center.
Related Materials:
A 30-minute documentary recording, Ed Clark: a brush with success (2007) produced by Mark Hammond and Charles Martin is available at the Anacostia Community Museum Library.
Provenance:
The Ed Clark papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Melanca Clark, Ed Clark's daughter.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings and born-digital records with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The papers of the sculptor Michael Brenner measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1888 to 1976. The collection includes letters, scrapbooks, drawings, photographs and other materials documenting Michael Brenner's career, the activities of members of the Brenner family, and the colony of expatriate American artists flourishing in Paris in the early twentieth century.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of the sculptor Michael Brenner measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1888 to 1976. The collection includes letters, scrapbooks, drawings, photographs and other materials documenting Michael Brenner's career, the activities of members of the Brenner family and the colony of expatriate American artists flourishing in Paris in the early twentieth century.
Letters are written to family members and associates and include exchanges between Brenner's sister Miriam (Fanny) and her brothers Michael, Morris, Samuel, and Victor (Dave) Brenner concerning their health, family business, work, and other art-related activities. Several of Michael Brenner's letters mention his dissatisfaction with Robert Coady's handling of consignments, dealings with Mr. Kahnweiler, and exhibitions of colleagues Michel Kikoine and Pinchus Kremegne. Other correspondents include Alexandre Charpentier and (Louis) Oscar Roty.
Scrapbooks are comprised of material related to the life and career of Michael Brenner. The first scrapbook contains a photocopy of a letter written to Michael Brenner from Gertrude Stein where she describes her travels with Alice B. Toklas and mentions the bust Brenner made of her likeness. Other materials include a 1953 exhibition catalog for Chaim Soutine at Perls Galleries, letters written to Mrs. Michael Brenner concerning the sale of her husband's artwork, and photographs of Michael Brenner, Miriam Brenner, other family members, and works of art.
Photographs are of artwork and show Brenner family members, Victor Brenner and his studio, Michael Brenner with Chaim Soutine and pictures of Brenner's close friend, I. C. Rubin and Albert Einstein.
Art work is comprised of twenty-seven figure drawings.
Printed materials consists of clippings about Abraham Lincoln, reproductions of works of art, a bookplate for Marion Kean Lopez, and an essay entitled "Instead of an Introduction" by Sadakichi Hartmann praising the American landscape artist, Leon Dabo. Also found is an 1899 announcement for a "Seance Publique Annuelle," a photocopy of an article about Brenner by Cathy Turrill, a list of objects borrowed and photographed by Turrill in 1974, a photocopy of a photograph of Robert Coady, and the cover of an Avant-Garde catalog.
Other materials includes notes and a subject file on a life-long friend and physician, I. C. Rubin (1922-1975). There are letters from Rubin about his travels and photographs of Brenner and Rubin as young men, Brenner with his son, and Brenner with painter Isaac Pailes.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Michael Brenner (1885-1969) was a sculptor who emigrated from Lithuania to New York with his family in 1890. In 1900, Brenner moved to Paris, France, entering the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Julian. He studied under his brother, Victor Brenner, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Brenner established a studio in Paris and was included in Gertrude Stein's circle of friends. He was associated with a small artist colony of Russian Jews which included Chaim Soutine, Michel Kikoine, Pinchus Kremegne, and Isaac Pailes. In 1914, with his American friend, Robert Coady, Brenner established the Washington Square Gallery in New York for which he acted as European agent.
Provenance:
The papers of Michael Brenner were donated by his widow in 1976.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Expatriate painters -- France -- Paris Search this
Citation:
Michael Brenner papers, 1888-1976. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of painter Irving Petlin measure 3.0 linear feet and date from 1952-2014. Materials include correspondence with other artists and collaborators, galleries, friends, and family; notes by Petlin related to his artistic process; exhibition and project files regarding the war in Vietnam and other projects; exhibition catalogs, announcements, and clippings related to Petlin's work and group and solo museum and gallery shows; periodicals related to the art world; books featuring Petlin as an illustrator or inscribed by author or editor friends of Petlin's; sketches by Petlin; an Italian contemporary art award; a piece of the Peace Tower collaboration with Mark di Suvero and other artists; and photographs of Petlin's works, installations, and Petlin in a studio.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter Irving Petlin measure 3.0 linear feet and date from 1952-2014. Materials include correspondence with other artists and collaborators, galleries, friends, and family; notes by Petlin related to his artistic process; exhibition and project files regarding the war in Vietnam and other projects; exhibition catalogs, announcements, and clippings related to Petlin's work and group and solo museum and gallery shows; periodicals related to the art world; books featuring Petlin as an illustrator or inscribed by author or editor friends of Petlin's; sketches by Petlin; an Italian contemporary art award; a piece of the Peace Tower collaboration with Mark di Suvero and other artists; and photographs of Petlin's works, installations, and Petlin in a studio.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 7 series.
Series 1: Correspondence, 1968-2002 (0.25 linear feet, Box 1)
Series 2: Writings, 1952-1984 (0.18 linear feet) Box 1)
Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1974-1988 (0.20 linear feet, Box 1)
Series 4: Project Files, 1980-1984, 2007 (0.17 linear feet, Box 1)
Series 5: Printed Material, 1962-2014 (2.09 linear feet Box 1, 2, 3)
Series 6: Artwork, circa 1966-1974 (0.07 linear feet, box 3, 4)
Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1970s-1978 (0.04 linear feet, Box 4)
Biographical / Historical:
Irving Petlin (1934-2018) was a painter in Paris, France; New York, New York; and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Petlin was born in Chicago to Polish Jewish immigrants, attended the Art Institute of Chicago, and earned a MFA from Yale University. Petlin specialized in the medium of pastel, first gaining recognition in Paris after his service in the United States army. From there he went to Los Angeles, where he was principal organizer of the "Artists Protest Movement Against the War in Vietnam," and the 1966 "Peace Tower," with Mark di Suvero and other artists. Petlin and his wife, Sarah, a poet, moved to New York City for 28 years before returning to Paris. Petlin was heavily influenced by the political landscape around him and was an active member of the Art Workers' Coalition. He used allegory, mythology, and symbolism to illustrate politics and the human condition. He often collaborated on projects with other artists and was inspired by writers and poets. In the last decades of his life, Petlin split his time between his studio in Paris and his family's 18th century farmhouse in Martha's Vineyard continuing his work as an artist and activist.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Irving Petlin conducted by James McElhinney September 13 and 15, 2016.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 2019 by Sarah Petlin.
Restrictions:
This collection is temporarily closed to researchers due to archival processing. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Interview of Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones conducted 1964 April 26, by Ruth Gurin (Bowman), when Gurin was Curator of the Collection at New York University.
Biographical / Historical:
Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones (1885-1968) was a painter living in New York, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Paris, France.
General:
Sound has been lost on tape reels; reels discarded.
Provenance:
This interview was given to the Archives of American Art by Ruth Gurin Bowman, but was not conducted for the Archives of American Art Oral History Program.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
An interview of John Franklin Koenig conducted 1976 June 24-30, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
John Franklin Koenig (1924-2008) was a painter in Paris, France.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 13 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Use requires an appointment.
Occupation:
Painters -- United States -- Interviews Search this
Painters -- France -- Paris -- Interviews Search this
An interview of Shirley Jaffe conducted 2010 Sept. 27 and 28, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art's Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts project, at Jaffe's studio, in Paris, France.
Jaffe speaks of living with her family in Elizabeth, NJ and Brooklyn, NY; attending Abraham Lincoln High School, Parsons School of Design, Brooklyn College, and The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art; visiting the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Non-Objective Art (now the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum), and The Museum of Modern Art; living on St. Mark's Place and in Brooklyn, NY ; her marriage in 1949 to Irving Jaffe; moving to Washington, DC and visiting The Philips Collection; moving to and adjusting to life in France; socializing with American artists in Paris, France; moving between New York and France; working and living in Berlin, Germany with a grant from the Ford Foundation; living independently in France; visiting the cathedrals and galleries in Italy; teaching undergraduate students; the evolution of her paintings and technique; her painting process and use of cellophane; painting on glass; murals; and her exhibitions and commissions. Jaffe also recalls Leon Friend, Morris Kantor, Pierre Bonnard, Karl Knaths, Max and Esther Gould, Jules Olitski, Michael Goldberg, Joan Mitchell, Beauford Delaney, Sam Francis, Janice Biala, Hermine Tworkov Ford, Edwin Dickinson, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Kimber Smith, Jean Fournier, Al Held, Haywood Bill Rivers, Milton Glaser, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Shirley Jaffe (1923-2016) was an abstract painter and sculptor in Paris, France. Avis Berman (1949- ) is a scholar in New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Rights:
Transcript: Authorization to quote or reproduce for the purposes of publication requires written permission from Jerome Sternstein. Contact Reference Services for more information.
An interview with Jim Dine conducted 2020 February 24-26 by Avis Berman for the Archives of American Art, at Dine's home and studio in Paris, France.
Biographical / Historical:
Jim Dine (1935- ) is an American pop artist in New York, New York, and Paris, France. His work includes Happenings, painting, and sculpture. Avis Berman (1949- ) is an art historian, writer, and curator from New York, N.Y.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds an interview with Jim Dine conducted 1965 February 26 by Bruce Hooten.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its Oral History Program interviews available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. Quotation, reproduction and publication of the audio is governed by restrictions. If an interview has been transcribed, researchers must quote from the transcript. If an interview has not been transcribed, researchers must quote from the audio recording. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
15 vol. of letterbooks containing original letters, drafts and copies written by Whistler, or copies written by third parties and family members, 1892-1950; voluminous correspondence with family, artists, patrons, collectors, publishers and others; notebooks and ledgers, containing lists of etchings, copper plates, cataloges of silver china, copies of letters, the Valparaiso notebook, and other notes and biographical information; exhibition catalogs, 1874-1903, for Whistler's one-man shows; annotated proofs of publications and unpublished writings by Whistler; the typescript of an unpublished manuscript, "Whistler's Mother," by Kate McDiarmid, 1936; 25 v. of newspaper clippings compiled by and for Whistler, and by D.C. Thomson, J. W. Revillon, and A.P.A. Goodall; and photographs of Whistler, his family, friends, studios and homes, and of monuments to him and his family.
Also microfilmed are abstracts of both the letterbooks and correspondence, a list of the books owned by Whistler and copied from the University of Glasgow Library catalog; and a list of photographs in the collection, including five series not on microfilm.
Arrangement:
I. Letterbooks, reels 4600-4601; arranged chronologically. II. Notebooks and ledgers, reels 4601-4602. III. Correspondence, reels 4602-4611 and 4683-4686; arranged alphabetically by correspondent and thereunder chronologially. IV. Exhibition catalogs, reel 4686; arranged chronologically. V. Corrected proofs, reel 4686. VI. Press clippings, reels 4687-4690; in part, arranged chronologically. VII. Photographs, reels 4691-4692. VIII. Abstracts of correspondence, reels 4692-4699; arranged alphabetically and thereunder chronologically; letterpress books included. IX. Catalog of Whistler's library, reel 4699. X. Philip v. Pennell Lawsuit Documents. XI. List of photographs in Whistler collection, reel 4699.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, etcher; born Lowell, Mass. Lived alternately in Paris and London. Whistler was a cadet at West Point, 1851-1853. Draftsman at the Coast Survey, Washington, D.C., 1854-1855. Sailed to Paris in 1855. Published first group of French etchings in 1858. Well-known for portrait of his mother, first shown in 1872. Published The Gentle Art of Making Enemies in 1890. Served as President of the Society of British Artists and the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers, 1890-1901.
Provenance:
Microfilmed 1985-1992 by the Glasgow University Library with funds provided the Archives of American Art. The bulk of the collection was donated to the University by Whistler's sister-in-law, Rosalind Birnie Philip in 1935 and 1954, and by her estate in 1958. Whistler's great nephew, Joseph Whistler Revillon, donated several hundred letters and documents in 1955. Correspondence with collector J.J. Cowen was donated in 1970 by Cowen's daughter, Lady Maconochie of Inverewe. E.A. Walton correspondence was received from Mrs. Dorothy Walton in 1974, and hundreds of letters were received through purchase.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Rights:
Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission from: Glasgow University Library, Keeper of Special Collections, Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QE, Scotland, U.K. All unpublished Whistler letters and other Whistler material subject to copyright is vested with the University Court of the University of Glasgow, Whistler's residuary legatees. 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.
Paintings in watercolor (18), oil (54), and drawings in graphite (5), pen and ink (3), and pastel (1), capture the exoticism of Weeks' travel in the Near East and North Africa, his interest in medieval armour and love of the New England seashore. Also included are a family crest; animal studies; a 3 p. typescript titled "Cairo Notes"; a 3 p. account of travel to the Cedars of Lebanon via Beirut and Akora; photographs of Weeks in costume and at home in Paris, his work, and the family grocery store in Boston; travel photographs; an exhibition catalog; and clippings.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, illustrator, author, photographer, explorer; Paris, France. Born in Boston, Mass. and raised in Newtonville, Mass., Weeks studied in the American public school system and at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, with Gerome and Bonnat. He married his cousin Frances Rollins Hale and was a close friend of illustrator Frank T. Merrill. Weeks travelled extensively in Egypt, Jerusalem, Damascus and Morocco, maintaining a studio in Paris and frequenting South Berwick, Maine where his sister Mrs. W.A.H. (Minnie) Goodwin and her family lived. His specialty was North African orientalist genre painting.
Provenance:
Donated by Mervin Bronson 1991 "in memory of Burton W.F. Trafton, Jr." Bronson received the material from his friend Trafton, a distant descendant of Weeks. Many of the artworks and photographs are labelled "Elizabeth Goodwin," who was presumably Weeks' niece.
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.
This microfilm collection consists of the Henry O. Tanner letters to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Correspondence in this collection concerns the purchase of a painting by African American artist Henry O. Tanner for the Academy collection and the exhibition of Tanner's work. Letters from Robert Ogden to the Academy were written on Tanner's behalf.
Biographical / Historical:
Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) was an African American painter born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who spent much of his life in Paris, France. His work often depicts biblical scenes. Tanner trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts under Thomas Eakins. In 1891, Tanner traveled to Europe and settled in Paris, where he remained for the rest of his life.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Henry Ossawa Tanner papers, 1860s-1978; the Alexander family papers relating to Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1912-1985; and the Marcia M. Mathews papers relating to Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1937-1969. The Atlanta University Center, Robert W. Woodruff Library holds the Henry Ossawa Tanner collection, 1907-1937.
Provenance:
Microfilmed in 1990 as part of AAA's Philadelphia Arts Documentation Project. The letters are part of the records of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
One photograph of Scott, ca. 1926; and a catalog, PAINTINGS BY EDWIN SCOTT FROM THE ALICE PIKE BARNEY MEMORIAL COLLECTION, Smithsonian Institution, 1970.
Biographical / Historical:
Edwin Scott (1863-1929) was a painter in Paris, France.
Provenance:
Donated, 1980, by Donald McClelland of the National Collection of Fine Arts.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
8 sketchbooks; and 2 scrapbooks containing photographs, sketches, printed material and biographical information.
REEL 2709: 2 scrapbooks, 1880-1932, containing photographs of Nourse, her art work and her studio; biographical information; letters and postcards; clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements; sketches and prints; and lists of paintings.
REEL 2758: Eight sketchbooks containing charcoal, chalk and watercolor sketches, titled as follows: "1885-1886/ Cincinnati/ Mt. Nebo-Tennessee/ Mountains"; "1887 Enroute to Paris/ Steamer/ Antwerp/ Paris/ Villa des Dames"; "1888 May - October/ Paris and Barbizon"; "1888-1889 December - May/ Russia"; "1889 - Paris/ Lille/ Auvers/ Etaples/ Le Portel/ 1890 - Italy"; "1890. Italy/ Florence/ 1891 - Borst - Austria and Nurenburg"; "1897 St. Leger-en-Yvelines, 1896 St. Leger, 1897-1899"; and "1909 Paris/ Alsace-Lorraine/ Oberelsass."
Biographical / Historical:
Painter; Paris, France. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Studied at the Cincinnati School of Design and the Academie Julian. Member: Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts, 1901, Paris American Women's Art Association, and the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. Received a medal at the Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893.
Provenance:
Sketchbooks on reel 2758 and scrapbook on reel 2709, fr. 171-410 lent for microfilming by Patricia Niehoff, 1983, through the national Museum of American Art, who exhibited them in a Nourse exhibit. Scrapbook on reel 2709, fr. 3-165, lent for microfilming by Mr. and Mrs. Richard Thomas, 1983, through Mary Alice Burke, guest curator for the exhibition.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Digitized sound recording, 0.484 GB, of a lecture by sculptor and painter Marcel Duchamp at the Munson-Williams Proctor Institute in Utica, N.Y., in 1963, marking the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 1913 Armory Show. Duchamp summarizes the art historical heritage leading up to the Armory Show, including such artists as Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Gustave Courbet, Honore Daumier, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Paul Gaugin, Vincent van Gogh, Albert Pinkham Ryder, James MacNeill Whistler, John Marin, Marsden Hartley, Max Weber, and Mary Cassatt, among others.
Scope and Contents:
Digitized audio recording, 0.484 GB, of a lecture by sculptor and painter Marcel Duchamp at the Munson-Williams Proctor Institute in Utica, N.Y., in 1963, marking the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 1913 Armory Show. Duchamp summarizes art's historical heritage leading up to dadaism exhibited at the Armory Show.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) was a French-American painter, sculptor and writer who was born in France but lived most of his adult life in New York City. His work is associated with cubism, dadaism, and conceptual art.
Provenance:
Marcel Duchamp lecture at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute was donated in 2008 by Richard N. Miller, who made the recording.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The donor Richard N. Miller and Jacqueline Matisse Monnier retain all intellectual property rights, including copyright, that they may own.
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Photographs, correspondence, sales and exhibition files, awards and certificates, and a diary.
REELS 1180-1182: Correspondence; awards and certificates; and ten pages of diary, February and March 1908. Diary entries concern Melchers's visit at the White House while President Theodore Roosevelt was sitting for a portrait by Melchers. The correspondence includes general and business correspondence, and an extensive personal correspondence with his wife.
REEL 1407: Family correspondence, 1901-1916, general correspondence, 1892-1932, and correspondence of his widow and brother-in-law; sales and exhibition files, 1915-1947, which contain lists of paintings, correspondence, and printed matter.
REEL 1427: Photographs of Melchers, Melchers' studios, models, and friends, among them George Hitchcock, and photographs of Melchers' paintings.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, mural painter and portrait painter. Lived at "Belmont", his home in Falmouth, Virginia, near Fredericksburg. Born in Detroit, Michigan. Studied at Royal Art Academy, Dusseldorf, Germany; and Ecole des Beaux-Arts and Academie Julian, Paris. Won Grand Prize at 1889 Paris Exposition along with John Singer Sargent. Received LL.D. from the University of Michigan. Painted portrait of President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. Invited to paint murals for the Library of Congress and the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Member of the International Board of Judges at the Chicago Exposition. President of the New Society of Artists, 1920-1929.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1977-1978 by Belmont-The Gari Melchers Memorial Gallery.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
The Marcia M. Mathews papers relating to Henry Ossawa Tanner consist of 54 items and date from 1937 to 1969, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1963 to 1969. The collection primarily consists of correspondence preceding Mathew's 1969 book Henry O. Tanner, American Artist and related printed material.
REEL 64: 26 letters, January 21, 1966 through March 5, 1968, to Mathews from Jesse O. Tanner, son of Henry Ossawa Tanner, conveying information about his father and particular art works; as well as a letter from Edith D. [Mrs. William] Glackens, August 7, 1937, to Charles C. Tough, Jesse O. Tanner's uncle, advising with regard to Tough's plans of selling Henry O. Tanner's paintings. Also included is a biographical questionnaire completed by Henry O. Tanner for the Art League Publishing Company.
REEL 3268: 23 letters to Mathews regarding her book and exhibitions of Tanner's work; and printed material, 1968-1969. Correspondents include Jesse O. Tanner, Erwin S. Barrie, Romare H. Bearden, George Biddle, Mrs. Samuel M. Bryant, Benjamin Mays, James A. Porter, and Warren Robbins.
Biographical / Historical:
Marcia M. Mathews is a writer and art historian in Durham, North Carolina.
Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) was an African American painter born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who spent much of his life in Paris, France. His work often depicts biblical scenes. Tanner trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts under Thomas Eakins. In 1891, Tanner traveled to Europe and settled in Paris, where he remained for the rest of his life.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Henry Ossawa Tanner papers, 1860s-1978; the Henry O. Tanner letters to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1885-1909; and the Alexander family papers relating to Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1912-1985. The Atlanta University Center, Robert W. Woodruff Library holds the Henry Ossawa Tanner collection, 1907-1937.
Provenance:
Donated 1969 and 1976 by Marcia Mathews.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
An album containing photographs of an unidentified gallery opening; and 5 scrapbooks containing letters, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, press releases, and photographs, 1934-1966.
Biographical / Historical:
Sacha Kolin (1911-1981) was a painter and sculptor from New York, N.Y. Kolin was born in Paris, France in 1911. She grew up in Vienna, Austria, attending the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule (1930) and the Academy of Fine Arts (1931-32). In 1933 she moved to Paris, and studied with Naoum Aronson (himself a stone carver for Auguste Rodin). In 1935, she became the youngest full member of the Nationale Societe des Beaux Arts. In December 1936, she immigrated to New York and participated in many one-person and group exhibitions. She was the recipient in 1973 of a Mark Rothko Foundation grant award.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming by the Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Virginia, 1990.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Papers of sculptor and painter Sacha Kolin date ca. 1950-1980, and include: ca. 250 photographs and snapshots; 24 boxes of color slides; photographic negatives; 9 reels of compiled Super 8mm film transferred to 2 VHS videos and 2 betacam masters showing Kolin, her work, installations, outdoor sculpture and outdoor scenes; photocopies of papers from Julian Kolin; copies of correspondence and appraisals; ten sketchbooks; an address book; exhibition announcements, 1980; and catalogs from her retrospective exhibition at the Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, N.Y..
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, sculptor; New York, N.Y. Kolin was born in Paris, France in 1911. She grew up in Vienna, Austria, attending the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule (1930) and the Academy of Fine Arts (1931-32). In 1933 she moved to Paris, and studied with Naoum Aronson (a stone carver for Auguste Rodin). In 1935 she became the youngest full member of the Nationale Societe des Beaux Arts. In December 1936 she immigrated to New York and participated in many one-person and group exhibitions. She was the recipient in 1973 of a Mark Rothko Foundation grant award.
Provenance:
Donated 2000 by the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University.
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.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
A photocopy of Koehler's will; Mrs. Henry D. Sharpe's correspondence with museums concerning exhibitions and donations of Koehler's work; notes on painting; collected quotations; ca. 30 pencil and watercolor sketches; 26 color tests (oil on canvas); exhibtion catalogs and announcements; clippings; and published articles about Koehler.
Biographical / Historical:
Jeweler and painter; London and Paris.
Provenance:
The donor, Mary Elizabeth Sharpe, was a friend of Koehler, and the principal beneficiary of her estate.
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.
