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Henry Varnum Poor papers

Creator:
Poor, Henry Varnum, 1887-1970  Search this
Names:
Montross Gallery  Search this
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture  Search this
Benton, William, 1900-1973  Search this
Biddle, George, 1885-1973  Search this
Billing, Jules  Search this
Burchfield, Charles Ephraim, 1893-1967  Search this
Caniff, Milton Arthur, 1907-1988  Search this
Ciardi, John, 1916-  Search this
Czebotar, Theodore  Search this
Deming, MacDonald  Search this
Dickson, Harold E., 1900-  Search this
Dorn, Marion, 1896-1964  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this
Esherick, Wharton  Search this
Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973  Search this
Garrett, Alice Warder  Search this
Houseman, John, 1902-1988  Search this
Marston, Muktuk  Search this
Meredith, Burgess, 1907-1997  Search this
Mumford, Lewis, 1895-1990  Search this
Padro, Isabel  Search this
Poor, Anne, 1918-  Search this
Poor, Bessie Breuer  Search this
Poor, Eva  Search this
Poor, Josephine Graham  Search this
Poor, Josephine Lydia  Search this
Poor, Peter  Search this
Sargent, Elizabeth S.  Search this
Smith, David, 1906-1965  Search this
Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968  Search this
Watson, Ernest William, 1884-1969  Search this
Extent:
12.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Motion pictures (visual works)
Diaries
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Date:
1873-2001
bulk 1904-1970
Summary:
The papers of Henry Varnum Poor measure 12.9 linear feet and date from 1873-2001, with the bulk from the period 1904-1970. Correspondence, writings, artwork, printed material and photographs document Poor's work as a painter, muralist, ceramic artist and potter, architect, designer, writer, war artist, educator and a co-founder of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Also found is extensive information about the design and construction of Crow House, his home in New City, New York, commissions for other architectural projects, and his personal life.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of Henry Varnum Poor measure 12.9 linear feet and date from 1873-2001, with the bulk from the period 1904-1970. Correspondence, writings, artwork, printed material and photographs document Poor's work as a painter, muralist, ceramic artist and potter, architect, designer, writer, war artist, educator and a co-founder of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Also found is extensive information about the design and construction of Crow House, his home in New City, New York, commissions for other architectural projects, and his personal life.

Henry Varnum Poor's correspondence documents his personal, family, and professional life. Correspondents include family and friends, among them George Biddle, Charles Burchfield, John Ciardi, Marion V. Dorn (who became his second wife), Philip Evergood, Lewis Mumford, John Steinbeck, David Smith, and Mrs. John Work (Alice) Garrett. Among other correspondents are galleries, museums, schools, organizations, fans, former students, and acquaintances from his military service and travels. Family correspondence consists of Henry's letters to his parents, letters to his parents written by his wife, and letters among other family members.

Among the writings by Henry Varnum Poor are manuscripts of his two published books, An Artist Sees Alaska and A Book of Pottery: From Mud to Immortality. as well as the text of "Painting is Being Talked to Death," published in the first issue of Reality: A Journal of Artists' Opinions, April 1953, and manuscripts of other articles. There are also film scripts, two journals, notes and notebooks, lists, speeches, and writings by others, including M. R. ("Muktuk") Marston's account of Poor rescuing an Eskimo, and Bessie Breuer Poor's recollections of The Montross Gallery.

Subject files include those on the Advisory Committee on Art, American Designers' Gallery, Inc., William Benton, Harold Dickson, Reality: A Journal of Artists' Opinions Sales, and War Posters. There are numerous administrative files for the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.

Artwork by Henry Varnum Poor consists mainly of loose drawings and sketches and 45 sketchbooks of studies for paintings, murals, and pottery. There is work done in France, 1918-1919, and while working as a war correspondent in Alaska in 1943. There are commissioned illustrations and some intended for his monograph, A Book of Pottery: From Mud to Immortality. Also found are a small number of watercolors and prints. Work by other artists consist of Anne Poor's drawings of her father's hands used for the Lincoln figure in The Land Grant Frescoes and interior views of Crow House by Ernest Watson.

Documentation of Poor's architectural projects consists of drawings and prints relating to houses designed and built for Jules Billing, MacDonald Deming, John Houseman, Burgess Meredith, Isabel Padro, and Elizabeth S. Sargent. Also found is similar material for the new studio Poor built in 1957 on the grounds of Crow House.

Miscellaneous records include family memorabilia and two motion picture films, Painting a True Fresco, and The Land Grant Murals at Pennsylvania State College.

Printed material includes articles about or mentioning Poor, some of his pottery reference books, family history, a catalog of kilns, and the program of a 1949 Pennsylvania State College theater production titled Poor Mr. Varnum. Exhibition catalogs and announcements survive for some of Poor's shows; catalogs of other artists' shows include one for Theodore Czebotar containing an introductory statement by Henry Varnum Poor. Also found is a copy of The Army at War: A Graphic Record by American Artists, for which Poor served as an advisor. There are reproductions of illustrations for An Artist Sees Alaska and Ethan Frome, and two Associated American Artists greeting cards reproducing work by Poor.

Photographs are of Henry Varnum Poor's architectural work, artwork, people, places, and miscellaneous subjects. This series also contains negatives, slides, and transparencies. Images of architectural work include exterior and interior views of many projects; Poor's home, Crow House, predominates. Photographs of artwork by Poor are of drawings, fresco and ceramic tile murals, paintings, pottery and ceramic art. People appearing in photographs include Henry Varnum Poor, family members, friends, clients, juries, students, and various groups. Among the individuals portrayed are Milton Caniff, Marcel Duchamp, Wharton Esherick, M. R. ("Muktuk") Marston, and Burgess Meredith. Among the family members are Bessie Breuer Poor, Marion Dorn Poor, Anne Poor, Eva Poor, Josephine Graham Poor, Josephine Lydia Poor, Peter Poor, and unidentified relatives. Photographs of places include many illustrating village life in Alaska that were taken by Poor during World War II. Other places recorded are French and California landscapes, and family homes in Kansas. Miscellaneous subjects are exhibition installation views, scenes of Kentucky farms, and a photograph of Poor's notes on glazes.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1919-1987 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1, OV 18)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1873-1985 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1944-1974 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 2-3)

Series 4: Subject Files, 1928-1975 (0.8 linear feet; Box 3, OV 23)

Series 5: Artwork, circa 1890s-circa 1961 (3.5 linear feet; Boxes 4-6, 9-10, OV 19-22)

Series 6: Architectural Projects, circa 1940-1966 (0.7 linear feet; Box 6, OV 24-26, RD 14-17)

Series 7: Miscellaneous Records, 1882-1967 (Boxes 6, 11, FC 30-31; 0.5 linear ft.)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1881-2001 (1.2 linear feet; Boxes 6-7, 11, OV 27-29)

Series 9: Photographs, 1893-1984 (2.3 linear feet; Boxes 7-8, 12-13)
Biographical Note:
Henry Varnum Poor (1888-1970), best known as a potter, ceramic artist, and a co-founder of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, was also an architect, painter, muralist, designer, educator, and writer who lived and worked in New City, New York.

A native of Chapman, Kansas, Henry Varnum Poor moved with his family to Kansas City when his grain merchant father became a member of the Kansas Board of Trade. From a young age he showed artistic talent and spent as much time as possible - including school hours - drawing. When a school supervisor suggested that Henry leave school to study at the Art Institute of Chicago, the family disagreed. Instead, he enrolled in the Kansas City Manual Training High School where he delighted in learning skills such as carpentry, forge work, and mechanical drawing. In 1905, he moved with his older brother and sister to Palo Alto, California and completed high school there. Because Poor was expected to join the family business, he enrolled at Stanford University as an economics major, but much to his father's disappointment and displeasure, soon left the economics department and became an art major.

Immediately after graduation in 1910, Poor and his major professor at Stanford, Arthur B. Clark, took a summer bicycling tour to look at art in London, France, Italy, and Holland. As Poor had saved enough money to remain in London after the summer was over, he enrolled in the Slade School of Art and also studied under Walter Sickert at the London County Council Night School. After seeing an exhibition of Post-Impressionism at the Grafton Galleries in London, Poor was so impressed that he went to Paris and enrolled in the Académie Julian. While in Paris, Poor met Clifford Addams, a former apprentice of Whistler; soon he was working in Addams' studio learning Whistler's palette and techniques.

In the fall of 1911, Poor returned to Stanford University's art department on a one-year teaching assignment. During that academic year, his first one-man show was held at the university's Old Studio gallery. He married Lena Wiltz and moved back to Kansas to manage the family farm and prepare for another exhibition. Their daughter, Josephine Lydia Poor, was born the following year. Poor returned to Stanford in September 1913 as assistant professor of graphic arts, remaining until the department closed three years later. During this period, Poor began to exhibit more frequently in group shows in other areas of the country, and had his first solo exhibition at a commercial gallery (Helgesen Gallery, San Francisco). In 1916, Poor joined the faculty of the San Francisco Art Association. He and his wife separated in 1917 and were divorced the following year. Poor began sharing his San Francisco studio with Marion Dorn.

During World War I, Poor was drafted into the U. S. Army, and in 1918 went to France with the 115th Regiment of Engineers. He spent his spare time drawing; soon officers were commissioning portraits, and Poor was appointed the regimental artist. He also served as an interpreter for his company. Discharged from the Army in early 1919, Poor spent the spring painting in Paris. He then returned to San Francisco and married Marion Dorn.

Once Poor realized that earning a living as a painter would be extremely difficult in California, he and his new wife moved to New York in the autumn of 1919. They were looking for a place to live when influential book and art dealer Mary Mowbray-Clarke of the Sunwise Turn Bookshop in Manhattan suggested New City in Rockland County, New York as good place for artists. In January of 1920, the Poors purchased property on South Mountain Road in New City. The skills he acquired at the Kansas City Manual Training High School were of immediate use as Poor designed and constructed "Crow House" with the assistance of a local teenager. Influenced by the farmhouses he had seen in France, it was made of local sandstone and featured steep gables, rough plaster, chestnut beams and floors, and incorporated many hand-crafted details. Poor designed and built most of their furniture, too. Before the end of the year, he and Marion were able to move into the house, though it remained a work in progress for many years. Additions were constructed. Over time, gardens were designed and planted, and outbuildings - a kiln and pottery, work room, garage, and new studio - appeared on the property.

In 1925, two years after his divorce from Marion Dorn, Poor married Bessie Freedman Breuer (1893-1975), an editor, short story writer, and novelist. Soon after, he adopted her young daughter, Anne (1918-2002), an artist who served as his assistant on many important mural commissions. Their son, Peter (b. 1926) became a television producer. Crow House remained in the family until its sale in 2006. In order to prevent its demolition, Crow House was then purchased by the neighboring town of Ramapo, New York in 2007.

Between 1935 and 1966 Poor designed and oversaw construction of a number of houses, several of them situated not far from Crow House on South Mountain Road. Poor's designs, noted for their simplicity, featured modern materials and incorporated his ceramic tiles. Among his important commissions were houses for Maxwell Anderson, Jules Billig, Milton Caniff, MacDonald Deming, and John Houseman.

Poor's first exhibition of paintings in New York City was at Kevorkian Galleries in 1920, and sales were so disappointing that he turned his attention to ceramics. His first pottery show, held at Bel Maison Gallery in Wanamaker's department store in 1921, was very successful. He quickly developed a wide reputation, participated in shows throughout the country, and won awards. He was a founder of the short-lived American Designers' Gallery, and the tile bathroom he showed at the group's first exposition was critically acclaimed. Poor was represented by Montross Gallery as both a painter and potter. When Montross Gallery closed upon its owner's death in 1932, Poor moved to the Frank K. M. Rehn Gallery.

Even though Poor's pottery and ceramic work was in the forefront, he continued to paint. His work was acquired by a number of museums, and the Limited Editions Club commissioned him to illustrate their republications of Ethan Frome, The Scarlet Letter, and The Call of the Wild.

Poor's first work in true fresco was shown in a 1932 mural exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Between 1935 and 1949 he was commissioned to produce several murals in fresco for Section of Fine Arts projects at the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior, The Land Grant Frescoes at Pennsylvania State College, and a mural for the Louisville Courier-Journal. Ceramic tile mural commissions included: the Klingenstein Pavilion, Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York City; Travelers Insurance Co., Boston; the Fresno Post Office, California; and Hillson Memorial Gallery, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, Mass.

As a member of the War Artists' Unit, Poor was a "war correspondent" with the rank of major in World War II, and for several months in 1943 was stationed in Alaska. An Artist Sees Alaska, drawing on Poor's observations and experiences, was published in 1945. A Book of Pottery: From Mud to Immortality, his second book, was published in 1958. It remains a standard text on the subject. While on the faculty of Columbia University in the 1950s, Poor and other artists opposed to the growing influence of Abstract Expressionism formed the Reality Group with Poor the head of its editorial committee. Their magazine, Reality: A Journal of Artists' Opinions, first appeared in 1953 featuring "Painting is Being Talked to Death" by Poor as its lead article. Two more issues were published in 1954 and 1955.

Along with Willard Cummings, Sidney Simon, and Charles Cuttler, in 1946 Henry Varnum Poor helped to establish the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, Maine. He served as its first president. Poor and his daughter, Anne, were active members of the Board of Trustees and were instructors for many years. The summer of 1961 was Henry Varnum Poor's last as a full-time teacher, though he continued to spend summers at Skowhegan.

Henry Varnum Poor exhibited widely and received many awards, among them prizes at the Carnegie Institute, Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Architectural League of New York. Poor was appointed to the United States Commission of Fine Arts by President Roosevelt in 1941 and served a five year term. He was elected a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1943. The National Academy of Design named him an Associate Artist in 1954 and an Academician in 1963. He became a trustee of the American Craftsman's Council in 1956. The work of Henry Vernum Poor is represented in the permanent collections of many American museums including the Cleveland Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Addison Gallery of American Art, and Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts.

Henry Varnum Poor died at home in New City, New York, December 8, 1970.
Related Material:
An oral history interview with Henry Varnum Poor was conducted by Harlan Phillips for the Archives of American Art in 1964.
Provenance:
Gift of Henry Varnum Poor's son, Peter V. Poor, in 2007. A smaller portion was loaned to the Archives in 1973 by Anne Poor for microfilming and returned to the lender; this material was included in the 2007 gift.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information. Use of audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Rights:
The 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:
War artists  Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Ceramicists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Designers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Architects -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
World War, 1914-1918  Search this
Pottery -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Genre/Form:
Motion pictures (visual works)
Diaries
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Citation:
Henry Varnum Poor papers, 1873-2001, bulk 1904-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.poorhenr
See more items in:
Henry Varnum Poor papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96265d653-098f-4ccc-abed-0bc649c50516
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-poorhenr
Online Media:

Herman T. Radin letters

Creator:
Radin, Herman T. (Herman Theodore), b. 1878  Search this
Names:
Aikman, Walter Monteith, 1857-1939  Search this
Cole, Timothy, 1852-1931  Search this
Cram, Ralph Adams, 1863-1942  Search this
Dean, Mallette, 1907-  Search this
Hopson, William Fowler, 1849-1935  Search this
Hunter, Dard, 1883-1966  Search this
Kollwitz, Käthe, 1867-1945  Search this
Lankes, Julius J., 1884-1960  Search this
Leighton, Clare, 1899-  Search this
Lewis, Allen, 1873-1957  Search this
Mack, Warren Bryan, 1896-1952  Search this
Nason, Thomas W. (Thomas Willoughby), 1889-1971  Search this
Nevinson, C. R. W. (Christopher Richard Wynne), 1889-1946  Search this
Pearson, Ralph M., 1883-1958  Search this
Pissarro, Esther, 1871-1951  Search this
Pissarro, Lucien, 1863-1944  Search this
Plank, George  Search this
Roth, Ernest David, 1879-1964  Search this
Ruzicka, Rudolph, 1883-  Search this
Smith, André, 1880-1959  Search this
Smith, Sidney Lawton, 1845-1929  Search this
Stone, Wilbur Macey  Search this
Watson, Ernest William, 1884-1969  Search this
Watt, William G., b. 1867  Search this
Weber, Frederick T., 1883-1956  Search this
Wolf, Henry, 1852-1916  Search this
Extent:
100 Items ((on partial microfilm reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1911-1944
Scope and Contents:
Letters to Radin from painters, etchers, mezzotinters, wood engravers, lithographers and book-plate designers, primarily from England, but also from Wales, Germany, Austria, Belgium and the U.S.
Correspondents include: Walter M. Aikman, Timothy Cole, Ralph A. Cram, Mallette Dean, William F. Hopson, Dard Hunter, Kathe Kollwitz, Julius J. Lankes, Clare Leighton, Allen Lewis, Warren Mack, Thomas Nason, Christopher Nevinson, Ralph Pearson, Lucien and Esther Pissarro, George Plank, Ernest D. Roth, Rudolph Ruzicka, J. André Smith, Sidney L. Smith, Wilbur Stone, Ernest Watson, William G. Watt, Frederick Weber, and Henry Wolf.
Biographical / Historical:
Physician, print collector; New York City.
Provenance:
Microfilmed 1956 by the Archives of American Art with other art-related papers in the Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library. Included in the microfilming project were selected papers of the Art Division and the Prints Division.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Printmakers  Search this
Physicians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Prints -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.radiherm
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99196f9cf-b0d0-414d-bec5-b0362d631095
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-radiherm

Ernest William Watson papers, 1949-1965

Creator:
Watson, Ernest William, 1884-1969  Search this
Subject:
Berkshire Summer School of Art  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Citation:
Ernest William Watson papers, 1949-1965. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
American Artist  Search this
Printing -- Technique  Search this
Art, American -- Periodicals  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9326
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211522
AAA_collcode_watserne
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211522

Ernest William Watson papers

Topic:
American Artist
Creator:
Watson, Ernest William, 1884-1969  Search this
Names:
Berkshire Summer School of Art  Search this
Extent:
1.4 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 2 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Date:
1949-1965
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence; research materials for a book; a tape recording; manuscripts; photographs; drawings; and miscellany.
REEL N70-46: Working mock-up, original drawings, layout, for Watson's book SKETCH DIARY (1965); and other works; plus clippings of articles by him.
REEL 64: Correspondence, 1949-1955, arising from Watson's position as editor-in-chief of the magazine AMERICAN ARTIST. Correspondence relates to articles for the magazine; color engraving; controversy between "modern" vs. "conservative" art; awards to watercolorists; gallery fees for exhibiting works of art; and personal matters.
UNMICROFILMED: Correspondence; various manuscripts and other papers relating to SKETCH DIARY; tape recording in which he tells about the establishment of Berkshire Summer School of Art in 1916; preliminary manuscripts of "Getting a Likeness"; photographs; drawings; Christmas cards from other artists; pencil rendering "Temple of Zeus," created as an advertisement for Eldorado pencils; and miscellany.
Biographical / Historical:
Illustrator and block printer; New York, N.Y. Founder & editor of American Artist, 1937-1955.
Provenance:
Material on reel N70-46 lent for microfilming 1970; some drawings and portions of material of sketch diary was subsequently donated 1972 along with unmicrofilmed material by Eve Watson, widow of Watson; material on reel 64 donated 1971 by Norman Kent, editor of American Artist.
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.
Occupation:
Illustrators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Printing -- Technique  Search this
Art, American -- Periodicals  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.watserne
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9229fcc9c-6f2a-4ee4-b013-586d9c3cb485
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-watserne

Niles Spencer papers

Creator:
Spencer, Niles, 1893-1952  Search this
Names:
Rhode Island School of Design  Search this
Alamán, Lucas, 1792-1853  Search this
Chidsey, G. Alan  Search this
Madrazo, José de, 1781-1859  Search this
Meyer, Henry, 1783-1847  Search this
Naylor, Charles, 1806-1872  Search this
Smith, H. I.  Search this
Spencer, Henry L.  Search this
Watson, Ernest William, 1884-1969  Search this
Extent:
0.6 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 2 reels))
Culture:
Self-portraits  Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Date:
1826-1972
bulk 1900-1961
Scope and Contents:
Sketches and drawings by Spencer, and art work by others; printed material on Spencer; printed material and a few photographs used as source material for paintings; photographs of Spencer's work; personal photographs including one of Spencer; and a few letters.
REEL 3948: Fourteen drawings and preparatory sketches, undated; and a clipping, 1939.
REEL 4793: Art work by Spencer includes a poster design done while a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, 1912, a self-portrait in pencil and ink, a pen and ink drawing of Abraham Lincoln, and nine pencil and ink drawings after Cezanne, Daumier, Matisse and Picasso; art work by others includes a charcoal sketch of Spencer by H.I. Smith, 2 watercolors by Spencer's father, Henry, 1900, and an engraving by Henry Hoppner Meyer, 1826, of Mexican statesman Lucas Alaman, inscribed by Alaman to Charles Naylor, 1848.
Also included are letters and two vol. of printed material on Spencer, compiled by book designer G. Alan Chidsey and presented to the family upon Spencer's death in 1952. Other printed material includes clippings, 1939-1961; an interview of Spencer conducted by Ernest Watson in American Artists Magazine, 1944; a press release for Spencer's 1954 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art; and four exhibition catalogs, including one for a Cezanne exhibition at Montross Gallery, 1916, containing a pencil sketch by Spencer on the back, and one for a Spencer exhibition at the Washburn Gallery, 1972.
Photographs are of industrial landscapes (4), probably used as source material for paintings, paintings by Spencer (16), and by others (4). A file on Slater Mill, owned by the Spencer family, containing an historical account and a photograph, 1972, is also included.
UNMICROFILMED: Clippings regarding art works by others, including two oversize reproductions of works by Cezanne, ca. 1930; and miscellaneous clippings featuring photographs of industrial sites and architecture, c.1920-1930.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter; New York, N.Y. Associated with the Precisionist school of painting.
Provenance:
Donated 1977 and 1989 by Brett Harrington, nephew of Niles Spencer's wife.
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.
Occupation:
Landscape painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Industries in art  Search this
Precisionism  Search this
Artists' preparatory studies  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Identifier:
AAA.spennile
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97d621014-33ee-4d48-afd4-9f6c4fe58181
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-spennile

The Watson drawing book, by Ernest W. Watson and Aldren A. Watson

Author:
Watson, Ernest William 1884-1969  Search this
Watson, Aldren Auld 1917-  Search this
Physical description:
160 p. illus. 27 cm
Type:
Books
Date:
1962
[1962]
Topic:
Drawing--Study and teaching  Search this
Call number:
NC730 .W39X
NC730.W39X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_44241

The art of pencil drawing, by Ernest W. Watson

Author:
Watson, Ernest William 1884-1969  Search this
Physical description:
158 p. illus. 29 cm
Type:
Books
Date:
1968
C1968
Topic:
Pencil drawing  Search this
Call number:
NC890 .W28 1968X
NC890.W28 1968X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_442753

Color and method in painting as seen in the work of 12 American painters, by Ernest W. Watson

Author:
Watson, Ernest William 1884-1969  Search this
Physical description:
6 p. l., 141 p. incl. illus., col. plates, ports. 31 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
United States
Date:
1942
Topic:
Painting--Technique  Search this
Color  Search this
Painters  Search this
Call number:
ND1260 .W3X
ND1260.W3X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_402494

How to use creative perspective

Author:
Watson, Ernest William 1884-1969  Search this
Physical description:
160 p. illus. 27 cm
Type:
Books
Date:
1955
[1955]
Topic:
Perspective  Search this
Call number:
NC750 .W33
NC750.W33
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_34322

Twenty painters and how they work

Author:
Watson, Ernest William 1884-1969  Search this
Physical description:
158 p. illus. (part col.) ports. 31 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
United States
Date:
1950
[1950]
20th century
Topic:
Painters  Search this
Painting, American  Search this
Call number:
ND212 .W33
ND212.W33
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_52862

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