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Louis Bouché papers, 1880-2007

Creator:
Bouché, Louis, 1896-1969  Search this
Subject:
Pène du Bois, William  Search this
Bacon, Peggy  Search this
Bouché, Henri L.  Search this
Bouché, Ernest  Search this
Bouché, Jane  Search this
Bouché, Marian Wright  Search this
Davidson, Jo  Search this
Marsh, Reginald  Search this
Schmidt, Katherine  Search this
Brook, Alexander  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Wanamaker Gallery  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Sketches
Scrapbooks
Travel diaries
Drawings
Citation:
Louis Bouché papers, 1880-2007. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9572
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211773
AAA_collcode_boucloui
Theme:
Diaries
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211773
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Alexander Brook, 1977 July 7-8

Interviewee:
Brook, Alexander, 1898-1980  Search this
Interviewer:
Cummings, Paul  Search this
Subject:
Bacon, Peggy  Search this
Calder, Alexander  Search this
Fisher, William Murrell  Search this
Force, Juliana  Search this
Goodrich, Lloyd  Search this
Hopper, Edward  Search this
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo  Search this
Miller, Kenneth Hayes  Search this
Nakian, Reuben  Search this
Romanowsky, Dimitri  Search this
Art Students League (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Whitney Studio Club  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Alexander Brook, 1977 July 7-8. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12878
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212029
AAA_collcode_brook77
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212029

John Quinn ledgers, 1909-1924

Creator:
Quinn, John, 1870-1924  Search this
Subject:
Cézanne, Paul  Search this
Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen)  Search this
Derain, André  Search this
Duchamp-Villon, Raymond  Search this
Epstein, Jacob, Sir  Search this
Hartley, Marsden  Search this
Kuhn, Walt  Search this
Macdonald-Wright, Stanton  Search this
Marin, John  Search this
Pascin, Jules  Search this
Prendergast, Maurice Brazil  Search this
Redon, Odilon  Search this
Renoir, Auguste  Search this
Schamberg, Morton L.  Search this
Severini, Gino  Search this
Sheeler, Charles  Search this
Stieglitz, Alfred  Search this
Villon, Jacques  Search this
Vollard, Ambroise  Search this
Weber, Max  Search this
Association of American Painters and Sculptors (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Durand-Ruel Galleries (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this
Macbeth Gallery  Search this
Montross Gallery  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Photo-Secession Galleries (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Tiffany Studios  Search this
Armory Show (1913: New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Citation:
John Quinn ledgers, 1909-1924. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art patronage  Search this
Theme:
Patronage  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)7242
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209391
AAA_collcode_quinjohl
Theme:
Patronage
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209391

Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records, 1859-1984, bulk 1900-1949

Creator:
Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949  Search this
Subject:
Sheeler, Charles  Search this
Pach, Walter  Search this
Quinn, John  Search this
Rainford, Percy  Search this
Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen)  Search this
Oldfield, Otis  Search this
Kuhn, Vera  Search this
Kuhn, Brenda  Search this
Weston, Edward  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Kit Kat Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Association of American Painters and Sculptors (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Armory Show (1913: New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Drawings
Diaries
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Citation:
Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records, 1859-1984, bulk 1900-1949. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
New York school of art  Search this
Modernism (Art)  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9172
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211367
AAA_collcode_kuhnwalt
Theme:
Diaries
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211367
Online Media:

Penguin Club printed material, 1915-1926

Creator:
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Subject:
Taylor, Henry Fitch  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Citation:
Penguin Club printed material, 1915-1926. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Theme:
Art organizations  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6652
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215967
AAA_collcode_pengclub
Theme:
Art organizations
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_215967

Oral history interview with Louis Bouché, 1963 March 13

Interviewee:
Bouché, Louis, 1896-1969  Search this
Interviewer:
Woolfenden, William E., 1918-1995,  Search this
Subject:
Arensberg, Walter  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel  Search this
Gaylor, Wood  Search this
Gleizes, Albert  Search this
Kuhn, Walt  Search this
Pascin, Jules  Search this
Quinn, John  Search this
Freytag-Loringhoven, Elsa von  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Wanamaker Gallery of Modern Decorative Art  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Louis Bouché, 1963 March 13. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13344
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212072
AAA_collcode_bouch63
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212072

Oral history interview with Louis Bouché, 1959 August 7

Interviewee:
Bouché, Louis, 1896-1969  Search this
Interviewer:
Morse, John D., 1906-  Search this
Subject:
DuMond, Frank Vincent  Search this
Romanowsky, Dimitri  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Wanamaker Gallery of Modern Decorative Art  Search this
Armory Show (1913: New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Louis Bouché, 1959 August 7. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Sculptors -- United States -- Interviews  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)11613
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212250
AAA_collcode_bouche59
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212250
Online Media:

Robert Ament and Wood Gaylor in wedding attire for the Penguin Club's strawberry festival

Subject:
Ament, Robert  Search this
Gaylor, Wood  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Date:
1918
Citation:
Robert Ament and Wood Gaylor in wedding attire for the Penguin Club's strawberry festival, 1918. Wood and Adelaide Lawson Gaylor papers, circa 1849-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)12162
See more items in:
Wood and Adelaide Lawson Gaylor papers, circa 1849-1986
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_12162
Online Media:

Wood Gaylor and Robert Ament in wedding attire, performing the wedding ceremony for the Penguin Club's strawberry festival

Subject:
Ament, Robert  Search this
Gaylor, Wood  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Date:
1918
Citation:
Wood Gaylor and Robert Ament in wedding attire, performing the wedding ceremony for the Penguin Club's strawberry festival, 1918. Wood and Adelaide Lawson Gaylor papers, circa 1849-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)12163
See more items in:
Wood and Adelaide Lawson Gaylor papers, circa 1849-1986
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_12163
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Louis Bouché

Interviewee:
Bouché, Louis, 1896-1969  Search this
Interviewer:
Woolfenden, William E. (William Edward), 1918-1995  Search this
Names:
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Wanamaker Gallery of Modern Decorative Art  Search this
Arensberg, Walter, 1878-1954  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this
Freytag-Loringhoven, Elsa von, 1874-1927  Search this
Gaylor, Wood, 1883-1957  Search this
Gleizes, Albert, 1881-1953  Search this
Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949  Search this
Pascin, Jules, 1885-1930  Search this
Quinn, John, 1870-1924  Search this
Extent:
53 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1963 March 13
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Louis Bouché conducted on 1963 March 13, by William E. Woolfenden, for the Archives of American Art.
Bouché speaks of the Penguin Club, including Walt Kuhn's leadership, artists' balls, banquets and sketch classes; European artists at the Penguin Club including Jules Pascin, Albert Gleizes, and others; his association with the Daniel Gallery; his "lace curtain period"; his art education; teaching; working at Wanamaker's and the Folsom Gallery; Walter Arensberg's parties; and his father, Henri's career as a designer. Bouché recalls Marcel Duchamp, Samuel Wood Gaylor, Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, John Quinn, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Louis Bouché (1896-1969) was a painter and teacher from New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav file. Duration is 2 hr., 2 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' 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.
Topic:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.bouch63
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9180890be-43c3-4fc3-9666-6c02deb567d9
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-bouch63
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Louis Bouché

Interviewee:
Bouché, Louis, 1896-1969  Search this
Interviewer:
Morse, John D., 1906-  Search this
Names:
Armory Show (1913: New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Wanamaker Gallery of Modern Decorative Art  Search this
DuMond, Frank Vincent, 1865-1951  Search this
Romanowsky, Dimitri  Search this
Extent:
23 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1959 August 7
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Louis Bouché conducted on 1959 August 7, by John D. Morse, for the Archives of American Art.
Bouché speaks of his art education in France; painting trips to Brittany; studying at the Art Students League with Dimitri Romanovsky and Frank Vincent DuMond; the Armory Show, 1913; managing a gallery at Wanamaker's (the Wanamaker Gallery of Modern Decorative Art) in the 1920s; his technique and materials; teaching; the Penguin Club; his taste in books and music; and abstract expressionism.
Biographical / Historical:
Louis Bouché (1896-1969) was a painter and teacher in New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav file. Duration is 53 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' 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:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Art students -- France  Search this
Topic:
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Sculptors -- United States -- Interviews  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.bouche59
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ebfa0e74-a7cd-45c8-862d-5e23c48e3a35
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-bouche59
Online Media:

Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records

Creator:
Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949  Search this
Names:
Armory Show (1913: New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Association of American Painters and Sculptors (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Kit Kat Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen), 1862-1928  Search this
Kuhn, Brenda, 1911-  Search this
Kuhn, Vera, d. 1961  Search this
Oldfield, Otis, 1890-1969  Search this
Pach, Walter, 1883-1958  Search this
Quinn, John, 1870-1924  Search this
Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this
Photographer:
Rainford, Percy  Search this
Weston, Edward, 1886-1958  Search this
Extent:
31 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Diaries
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Date:
1859-1984
bulk 1900-1949
Summary:
The Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records measure 31 linear feet and date from 1859 to 1984, with the bulk of material dating from 1900 to 1949. Papers contain records of the legendary Armory Show of 1913, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, which introduced modern European painting and sculpture to the American public. Papers also contain records of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS), the artist-run organization that mounted the Armory Show; records of the New York artists' clubs the Kit Kat Club (founded 1881) and the Penguin Club (founded 1917); and the personal and family papers of New York artist Walt Kuhn (1877-1949), one of the primary organizers of the Armory Show.
Scope and Contents note:
The Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records measure 31 linear feet and date from 1859 to 1984, with the bulk of material dating from 1900 to 1949. Papers contain records of the legendary Armory Show of 1913, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, which introduced modern European painting and sculpture to the American public. Papers also contain records of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS), the artist-run organization that mounted the Armory Show; records of the New York artists' clubs the Kit Kat Club (founded 1881) and the Penguin Club (founded 1917); and the personal and family papers of New York artist Walt Kuhn (1877-1949), one of the primary organizers of the Armory Show.

As Secretary for the AAPS, Kuhn retained the bulk of existing records of that organization and of the Armory Show. Minutes and correspondence make up most of the AAPS records (Series 2), as well as documents related to John Quinn's legal brief against a tariff on imported works of living artists. Armory Show Records (Series 1) include personal letters, voluminous business correspondence, a record book, miscellaneous notes, inventories and shipping records, two large scrapbooks, printed materials, a small number of photographs, and retrospective accounts of the show. The printed materials and photographs in Kit Kat Club and Penguin Club Records reflect Kuhn's deep involvement in those clubs.

The Walt Kuhn Family Papers (Series 4) contain records of his artwork, career, travels, personal and professional associations, family members, and work in vaudeville, film, and interior design. Notable among the family papers are illustrated letters and other cartoons; sketches, drawings, watercolors, and prints; candid letters from Walt to Vera Kuhn discussing art scene politics and personalities in New York, Paris, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Florida, and the Midwest; general correspondence with artists, dealers, collectors, journalists, writers, models, and fans; notes in index card files containing biographical anecdotes of the Kuhns' many contacts; provenance files that document the origin and fate of Kuhn's paintings, sculptures, and prints; papers relating to Kuhn's exhibitions and his relationships with the Marie Harriman Gallery and Durand-Ruel Gallery; and photographs and drawings depicting Kuhn's early years in Munich, Germany and Fort Lee, New Jersey; trips to Nova Scotia, New England, the Western United States, and Europe; New York and summer studios, among other subjects.
Arrangement:
This collection has been arranged into 4 series, with multiple subseries in Series 1 and 4.

Missing Title

Series 1: Armory Show Records, 1912-1963 (Boxes 1-2, 27-31, 56, OV 36; 3.6 linear feet)

Series 2: Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS) Records, 1911-1914, undated (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 3: Kit Kat Club and Penguin Club Records, 1909-1923, undated (Box 3, 32, 56, OVs 37-38; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Walt Kuhn Family Papers, 1859-1984, undated (Box 3-26, 32-35, 56-57, OVs 39-55, 58; 26.7 linear feet)

In general, documents are arranged chronologically, alphabetically, or by type of material. Copy negatives and copy prints made from documents in this collection have been filed separately from originals, in a folder marked "copy." Duplicates of original records made or obtained by the Kuhns have been filed separately as well.

Existing envelopes are filed in front of correspondence and enclosures directly after. Correspondence in the Armory Show Records and AAPS Records is arranged alphabetically, and correspondents are listed in the box inventory following series descriptions below.
Biographical/Historical note:
Walt Kuhn (1877-1949) was an etcher, lithographer, and watercolorist, as well as being a teacher, an advisor to art collectors, an organizer, and a promoter of modern art. He played a key role in the art scene of New York City in the early 20th century, and was among the small group that organized the infamous Armory Show of 1913, officially known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, held at the 69th Regiment Armory building in New York City. After the Armory Show, Kuhn went on to a distinguished career as a painter. He was best known for his sober oil portraits of show people, clowns, acrobats, and circus performers, but was equally prolific in landscapes, still lifes, and figure and genre drawings.

Walt Kuhn was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1877. After a brief career as a bicycle shop owner in downtown Brooklyn, Kuhn traveled West in 1899 to San Francisco, CA and earned his living as a cartoonist for newspapers such as Wasp. After two years in California, he moved back East and then on to Europe to pursue further art training. He briefly attended the Académie Colarossi studio in Paris, but quickly moved to Munich where he joined the class of Heinrich von Zügel in the Royal Academy.

Kuhn returned to New York City in 1904 and took up an active role in the art scene there, participating in the Salmagundi Club and the Kit Kat Club, teaching at the New York School of Art, and cartooning for Life, Judge, Puck, and other publications. In 1910, he participated in an exhibition of Independent Artists on 35th St. with Robert Henri and met artist Arthur B. Davies.

In 1911, when the National Academy of Design opened their annual exhibition, Kuhn, Henry Fitch Taylor, Elmer MacRae, and Jerome Myers were exhibiting at Clara Potter Davidge's Madison Gallery. To these four young artists, the Academy exhibition was typically lackluster, and the attention it received was unwarranted. Sensing that they were not alone in their attitude, they decided to organize. They invited a dozen other artists to join them, thus forming the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS). The group elected Kuhn Secretary and Arthur B. Davies President, and with the help of attorney and art collector John Quinn, they incorporated and began raising funds for an independent exhibition the following year.

In September of 1912, at Davies' suggestion, Kuhn traveled to Cologne, Germany to view the Sonderbund Internationale Kunst-Austellung. There he saw presented, in overwhelming volume, the work of his European contemporaries and their modern antecedents, the post-impressionists. He immediately began selecting and securing artwork for the upcoming AAPS exhibition. Kuhn traveled through Germany, Holland, France, and England, visiting private collectors, dealers, and artists. In Paris, Kuhn was joined by Davies and American artist and art agent Walter Pach. Kuhn and Davies sailed for New York in November, leaving the details of European arrangements to Pach.

The resulting Armory Show exhibition opened in New York in February 1913, and a selection of the foreign works traveled to Chicago and Boston in March and April. It included approximately 1300 American and European works of art, arranged in the exhibition space to advance the notion that the roots of modernism could be seen in the works of the old masters, from which the dramatically new art of living artists had evolved. Savvy and sensational publicity, combined with strategic word-of-mouth, resulted in attendance figures over 200,000 and over $44 thousand in sales. The Armory Show had demonstrated that modern art had a place in the public taste, that there was a market for it and legitimate critical support as well.

During the first World War, Kuhn stayed in NY and was active in the Kit Kat Club, an artists' club founded in 1881, which provided its members with collective studio space, live models, exhibitions, and an annual costume ball. In 1917, Kuhn founded another group called the Penguin Club, which had similar objectives to the Kit Kat Club, but with Kuhn himself as the gatekeeper. In addition to exhibitions and costume balls, the Penguin Club held summer outings and stag dinners, and maintained collective studio and exhibition space on East 15th Street in Manhattan. Its members included Americans and European artists displaced by the war in Europe. In the 1920s, Kuhn expanded a few sketches he had written for Penguin Balls into full-blown vaudeville productions, some of which were incorporated into larger musical revues such as The Merry Go Round and The 49ers and traveled around the country. Kuhn's theater work continued until 1928, and his fascination with show business continued to influence him throughout his life.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Kuhn gradually achieved recognition for his artwork, with sales to private collectors and dealers including Edith Halpert, Merritt Cutler, Lillie Bliss, John Quinn, and Marie Harriman. Kuhn also promoted other young painters whose work he liked, including Otis Oldfield, Lily Emmet Cushing, John Laurent, Frank di Gioia, and the self-taught Vermont artist Patsy Santo. Sometimes artists would contact him by mail, asking for lessons or advice. His lengthy letters to students offer coaching in technique and subject matter, as well as in the overall problem of success in art.

In 1929, Kuhn moved into the 18th St. studio that he would keep until the end of his life. He kept a rack of costumes in the studio, mostly made by Vera Kuhn, and his models, many of them stage and circus performers, would come and sit for Kuhn's portraits. The same year his painting The White Clown was exhibited at the newly established Museum of Modern Art in New York, bringing intense publicity and sales interest. Around this time, Kuhn began to receive the support of collector Duncan Phillips and curator Juliana Force of the Whitney Museum of American Art, both of whom made purchases and consistently exhibited his work.

Marie Norton Whitney Harriman, second wife of railroad magnate and diplomat W. Averell Harriman, shared a professional liaison with Kuhn that would take many forms and last until his death. Soon after the success of The White Clown, Kuhn established a relationship with the Marie Harriman Gallery, where he participated in group and solo shows during the height of his career. Kuhn also traveled with the Harrimans to Europe in 1931, where the three visited important private collections and acquired many valuable modern paintings for the Harrimans. Their collection, so heavily influenced by Kuhn's ideas about art, would eventually go to the National Gallery of Art.

Kuhn was an artist who understood the art business and never shied away from it. For Kuhn, promoting the ideas and practitioners of a certain brand of modernism was an expression of both aesthetic ideology and pragmatic self-interest. His contribution to the public discourse on modernism situated his own work at the heart of art history and the marketplace. Regardless of his motivations, he was indisputably a key player at a pivotal time in American art, when academic art was riotoulsy overturned to make way for modernism. His paintings are now held in major museum collections around the country, where most of them arrived with bequests from the collectors Kuhn had cultivated so carefully in his lifetime.

Sources consulted for this biography include The Story of the Armory Show (1988) by Milton W. Brown, Walt Kuhn, Painter: His Life and Work (1978) by Philip Rhys Adams, and "Walt Kuhn" by Frank Getlein, in the 1967 catalog of the Kennedy Galleries, Inc.
Related Archival Materials note:
The Archives of American Art holds the papers of Walter Pach, the European representative of the Armory Show.
Provenance:
The Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records were loaned for microfilming and later donated to the Archives of American Art by Walt Kuhn's daughter Brenda Kuhn in several installments between 1962 and 1979. An additional accession of letters, photographs, and an artifact was purchased by the Archives in 2000. Another addition was donated by Terry DeLapp, Kuhn's dealer, in 2015.
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 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:
Etchers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Watercolorists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Lithographers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
New York school of art  Search this
Modernism (Art)  Search this
Function:
Arts organizations -- New York (State)
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Diaries
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Citation:
Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records, 1859-1984. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.kuhnwalt
See more items in:
Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99ee222af-4da2-4011-b910-9e0933a5f81e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-kuhnwalt
Online Media:

Penguin Club printed material

Creator:
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Names:
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Taylor, Henry Fitch, 1853-1925  Search this
Extent:
10 Items ((partially microfilmed on one reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1915-1926
Scope and Contents:
An announcement for "The Penguin Strawberry Festival" at Cella's Park, Fort Lee, N.J., 1917, and related clippings; an announcement for "A Penguin Post Season Dinner to celebrate the departure permanently to England of the honorable and talented Horace Brodsky," 1923; an invitation and note to LaSalle Spier regarding a stag dinner of the "Union Square Fire Brigade" sponsored by the Penguin Club, 1926, including "The Volunteer Firemen" song; and three invitations with original sketches by Henry Fitch Taylor to his Thanksgiving dinner, 1915.
Biographical / Historical:
Art club, New York, N.Y. Founded by Walt Kuhn in 1917. Located on East 15th Street.
Provenance:
Donated anonymously, 1995.
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.
Function:
Arts organizations
Art festivals
Clubs -- New York (State)
Identifier:
AAA.pengclub
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw989a7d28e-ce03-4ad5-bc99-c8a2fc67ce47
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-pengclub

Louis Bouché papers

Creator:
Bouché, Louis, 1896-1969  Search this
Names:
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Wanamaker Gallery  Search this
Bacon, Peggy, 1895-1987  Search this
Bouché, Ernest  Search this
Bouché, Henri L.  Search this
Bouché, Jane  Search this
Bouché, Marian Wright, 1895-1975  Search this
Brook, Alexander, 1898-1980  Search this
Davidson, Jo, 1883-1952  Search this
Marsh, Reginald, 1898-1954  Search this
Pène du Bois, William, 1916-1993  Search this
Schmidt, Katherine, 1898-1978  Search this
Extent:
5.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Sketches
Scrapbooks
Travel diaries
Drawings
Date:
1880-2007
Summary:
The papers of painter and muralist Louis Bouché measure 5.9 linear feet and date from 1880 to 2007. Found within the papers are biographical material; personal correspondence, including correspondence from the extended Bouché family; writings; financial records; printed material; four scrapbooks; artwork; and photographs of Bouché, his family and friends, and his work.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter and muralist Louis Bouché measure 5.9 linear feet and date from 1880 to 2007. Found within the papers are biographical material; personal correspondence, including correspondence from the extended Bouché family; writings; financial records; printed material; four scrapbooks; artwork; and photographs of Bouché, his family and friends, and his work.

Biographical material consists of family certificates and Bouché's curriculum vitae.

The bulk of the correspondence consists of letters from Bouché 's father to his mother, and of letters addressed to his daughter, Jane. These include letters Louis and Marian wrote to Jane, along with letters from her first husband, William Pène du Bois, during the early days of their courtship and marriage. The handful of letters directly addressed to Louis and Marian include correspondence from Peggy Bacon and Katherine Schmidt.

Writings include drafts of Bouché's autobiography, eight journals kept by Marian Bouché detailing their travels in the United States and abroad, four reminiscences of Bouché written by others, and a poem written by Peggy Bacon.

Personal business records consist of two ledger books, lists, and receipts documenting inventory and records of sales.

Printed material consists of clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and periodicals related to Bouché's work. There are also three books from Bouché's personal library and exhibition announcements and catalogs from Walt Kuhn's Penguin Club and Wanamaker's Gallery.

Two scrapbooks include clippings, photographs, and printed material related to Bouché 's career. One scrapbook includes material related to the extended Bouché family, and one scrapbook consists of reproductions of works of art by modern French artists.

Photographic materials include ten photograph albums. Three are of Louis, Marian, and Jane, three are of Jane and her family, and four are of Louis' parents and sister's family. There are also loose prints and negatives of Bouché, his family and friends, and works of art.

Artwork consists of sketches and drawings by Louis, Jane, Henri, and Ernest Bouché. Additional sketches by Peggy Bacon, Alexander Brook, Jo Davidson, and Reginald Marsh are also included.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 8 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1880-1964 (2 folders, Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1880-2003 (1.2 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 3: Writings, 1933-1995 (.9 linear feet, Boxes 2-3)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1930-1974 (4 folders, Box 3)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1900-1997 (.5 linear feet; Boxes 3, 6)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1880-1969 (.8 linear feet; Boxes 3, 7-8)

Series 7: Photographic Materials, 1890-1994 (2.3 linear feet; Boxes 3-5, 9-10)

Series 8: Artwork, 1870-1965 (10 folders; Boxes 5, 10)
Biographical / Historical:
Louis Bouché (1896-1969) was a painter, muralist, and educator who lived and worked in New York City.

Bouché was born in New York City to Henri and Marie Bouché. His father was an interior designer who worked with Stanford White and for Tiffany, and his grandfather, Ernest Louis Bouché, was a Barbizon school painter. After his father's death in 1909, his mother moved the family to Paris where Bouché attended art school at La Grand Chaumère. When the family moved back to America in 1915, Bouché enrolled at the Art Students League where he met fellow student and lifelong friend Alexander Brook. In 1916, Bouché was invited to become a member of Walt Kuhn's Penguin Club, and in 1918, he joined the stable of Charlie Daniel's Daniel Gallery. At this time, Bouché began exhibiting in shows organized by Julianna Force for the Whitney Studio Club, which later evolved into the Whitney Museum. In 1920, he was introduced to the Woodstock artist community and was a frequent summer resident at the colony.

Bouché met Marian Wright while they were both members of the Penguin Club, and they were married in 1921. Upon returning from their honeymoon, Bouché accepted a position managing exhibitions for Wanamaker's Belmaison Galleries, the first modern art gallery in a department store in New York. Their daughter Jane would later marry William Pène du Bois, son of Guy Pène du Bois, whom the Bouchés had known from their days in the Penguin Club. In 1926, Bouché separated from Wanamaker's and began taking commissions for mural and design work, eventually completing murals for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Radio City Music Hall, and the Pennsylvania Railroad. In addition to murals, Bouché did illustrative advertising work for various publications, including Condé Nast and Town and Country.

In 1936, Bouché joined the stable at Kraushaar Gallery, where he eventually exhibited a series of ten one-man shows. Bouché also held solo exhibitons at the Valentine Gallery, Staten Island Institute, Century Association, and Albany Institute. Beginning in 1943, Bouché taught for many years at the Art Students League and began teaching at the National Academy of Design in 1951. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1936 and was the American Academy in Rome's artist in residence in 1960.

Louis Bouché died in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on August 7, 1969.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are two oral history interviews with Louis Bouché, one conducted by John Morse, August 7, 1959, and another by William Woolfenden on March 13, 1963.
Provenance:
A portion of the Louis Bouché papers were loaned for microfilming and subsequently donated by the artist and his wife in 1963 and from 1972 to 1973. Additions were donated by Bouché's daughter, Jane Bouché Strong, in several accretions dating from 1978 to 1988. In 2011, Anne Strong, Jane B. Strong's executor, donated additional materials to the Archives of American Art.
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.
Topic:
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Sketches
Scrapbooks
Travel diaries
Drawings
Citation:
Louis Bouché papers, 1880-2007. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.boucloui
See more items in:
Louis Bouché papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96b0e025d-f378-40d7-8da6-c3f9f948b077
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-boucloui
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Alexander Brook

Interviewee:
Brook, Alexander, 1898-1980  Search this
Interviewer:
Cummings, Paul  Search this
Names:
Art Students League (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Whitney Studio Club  Search this
Bacon, Peggy, 1895-1987  Search this
Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this
Fisher, William Murrell  Search this
Force, Juliana, 1876-1948  Search this
Goodrich, Lloyd, 1897-1987  Search this
Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967  Search this
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953  Search this
Miller, Kenneth Hayes, 1876-1952  Search this
Nakian, Reuben, 1897-1986  Search this
Romanowsky, Dimitri  Search this
Extent:
91 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1977 July 7-8
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Alexander Brook conducted 1977 July 7-8, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art. Brook speaks of his childhood and family; his early interest in painting; studying at the Art Students League with Dmitri Romanowsky and Kenneth Hayes Miller; women at the Art Students League; his first wife, Peggy Bacon; his travels in Europe; the Penguin Club; the Whitney Studio Club; working as a "talent scout" for Juliana Reiser Force; sharing a studio with Alexander Calder and Reuben Nakian; art sales in the 1930s; women as subjects; his portraits of Katharine Hepburn; and his painting technique. He recalls William Murrell Fisher, Lloyd Goodrich, Edward Hopper, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Alexander Brook (1898-1980) was a painter from Sag Harbor, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 11 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives' 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.
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.brook77
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw913ef31b3-d328-4bf2-bb60-0f0c1d61520d
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-brook77
Online Media:

John Quinn ledgers

Creator:
Quinn, John, 1870-1924  Search this
Names:
Armory Show (1913: New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Association of American Painters and Sculptors (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Durand-Ruel Galleries (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this
Macbeth Gallery  Search this
Montross Gallery  Search this
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Photo-Secession Galleries (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Tiffany Studios  Search this
Cézanne, Paul, 1839-1906  Search this
Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen), 1862-1928  Search this
Derain, André, 1880-1954  Search this
Duchamp-Villon, Raymond, 1876-1918  Search this
Epstein, Jacob, Sir, 1880-1959  Search this
Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this
Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949  Search this
Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890-1973  Search this
Marin, John, 1870-1953  Search this
Pascin, Jules, 1885-1930  Search this
Prendergast, Maurice Brazil, 1858-1924  Search this
Redon, Odilon, 1840-1916  Search this
Renoir, Auguste, 1841-1919  Search this
Schamberg, Morton L., 1881-1918  Search this
Severini, Gino, 1883-1966  Search this
Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this
Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this
Villon, Jacques, 1875-1963  Search this
Vollard, Ambroise, 1867-1939  Search this
Weber, Max, 1881-1961  Search this
Extent:
2 Volumes ((ca. 390 p. on 1 microfilm reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Volumes
Date:
1909-1924
Scope and Contents:
Ledgers detailing the art purchases of John Quinn. Entries include the Association of American Painters and Sculptors listing purchases from the Armory Show, February to June 1913, of works by Cezanne, Renoir, Raymond Villon-Duchamp, Andre Derain, Jules Pascin, Odilon Redon, Walt Kuhn, Jacques Villon and others. Also entered are purchases from Alfred Stieglitz's Photo-Secession Gallery for paintings by Marsden Hartley, John Marin, Severini and Stanton Macdonald-Wright. Purchases from art dealers include M. Knoedler & Co. (for works by Morton Schamberg), Montross Gallery (for works by Arthur B. Davies, Maurice Pendergast, Walt Kuhn, Charles Sheeler, Max Weber), William Macbeth Gallery, Durand Ruel & Sons, and Ambroise Vollard.
Other entries of note include those for Jacob Epstein, one for Tiffany Studios detailing extensive refurbishing and refinishing of numerous items of furniture, and one for the Penguin Club enumerating the cost incurred for the installation of the VORTICIST EXHIBITION.
Biographical / Historical:
Art patron and lawyer; New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1986 by Thomas F. Conroy, Quinn's nephew by marriage. Mr. Conroy intends to donate these papers to the New York Public Library where the John Quinn Memorial Collection is housed.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Art patrons  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art patronage  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.quinjohl
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw901f74557-f482-4334-a13b-27551e632d6e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-quinjohl

Penguin Club invitations

Creator:
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Extent:
2 Items ((on partial microfilm reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1923 and 1926
Scope and Contents:
Two printed invitations to stag dinners at the Penguin Club.
Biographical / Historical:
Art club, New York, N.Y. Founded by Walt Kuhn in 1917. Located on East 15th street.
Provenance:
It is probable that this collection was originally part of the Louis Bouche papers and was separated from its original collection many years ago.
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.
Function:
Arts organizations -- New York (State)
Clubs -- New York (State)
Identifier:
AAA.pengclui
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90b335087-2be6-4081-a9c5-61099f9c0ccd
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-pengclui

Penguin Club invitations, 1923 and 1926

Creator:
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Citation:
Penguin Club invitations, 1923 and 1926. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Theme:
Art organizations  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)5652
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208486
AAA_collcode_pengclui
Theme:
Art organizations
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208486

Exhibition of the Vorticists at the Penguin

Creator:
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Subject:
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Printed Materials
Date:
1917 January 10
Citation:
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.). Exhibition of the Vorticists at the Penguin, 1917 January 10. Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records, 1859-1984. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Exhibitions  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)10526
See more items in:
Walt Kuhn Family papers and Armory Show records, 1859-1984, bulk 1900-1949
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_10526
Online Media:

Flyer for a stag party given by the Penguin Club honoring Horace Brodzky

Creator:
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Subject:
Brodzky, Horace  Search this
Type:
Printed Materials
Date:
not after 1923 Mar. 22
Citation:
Penguin Club (New York, N.Y.). Flyer for a stag party given by the Penguin Club honoring Horace Brodzky, not after 1923 Mar. 22. Penguin Club invitations, 1923 and 1926. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Animals  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)11739
See more items in:
Penguin Club invitations, 1923 and 1926
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_11739
Online Media:

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