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Physical Description:

cellulose nitrate (overall material)

paper (overall material)

Measurements:

overall: 6 1/2 in x 8 cm; x 16.51 cm x 3 1/8 in

overall: 1/2 in x 2 3/4 in x 3 1/4 in; 1.27 cm x 6.985 cm x 8.255 cm

Object Name:

address book

notebook

Associated Place:

United States: New Jersey

Date made:

1927

ID Number:

2006.0098.1342

Catalog number:

2006.0098.1342

Accession number:

2006.0098

See more items in:

Medicine and Science: Chemistry

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b4-99db-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_1344791

Measurements:

open: 98 mm x 127 mm; 3 7/8 in x 5 in

closed: 98 mm x 63 mm; 3 7/8 in x 2 1/2 in

overall; closed: 3/8 in x 2 7/16 in x 3 13/16 in; .9525 cm x 6.19125 cm x 9.68375 cm

Object Name:

Plastic Address Book

Associated Place:

United States: New Jersey

Credit Line:

Gift of Julius Sharat

ID Number:

1981.0264.11

Accession number:

1981.0264

Catalog number:

1981.0264.11

See more items in:

Medicine and Science: Chemistry

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a0-e69e-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_311

Creator:

Beach, Chester, 1881-1956  Search this

Names:

American Academy in Rome  Search this

Architectural League of New York  Search this

Cleveland Museum of Art  Search this

Ecole nationale supérieure des beaux-arts (France)  Search this

Frontier Art Colony  Search this

Mark Hopkins Institute of Art  Search this

National Academy of Design (U.S.)  Search this

National Sculpture Society (U.S.)  Search this

Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915: San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this

Salmagundi Club  Search this

Salon d'automne  Search this

Allen, Mary Jester  Search this

Beach, Eleanor Murdock  Search this

Blumenschein, Ernest Leonard, 1874-1960  Search this

Carrington, Fitz Roy, 1869-1954  Search this

Couper, William, 1853-1942  Search this

Fitchen, Eleanor Beach  Search this

French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931  Search this

Greacen, Edmund W., 1876-1949  Search this

Hancock, Walker Kirtland, 1901-1998  Search this

Jackson, Hazel Brill  Search this

Jennewein, Carl Paul, 1890-  Search this

Kuhn, Brenda, 1911-  Search this

Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949  Search this

Käsebier, Gertrude, 1852-1934  Search this

Leibig, Bonnie  Search this

MacMonnies, Frederick William, 1863-1937  Search this

Mora, F. Luis (Francis Luis), 1874-1940  Search this

Nelson, Laurence, 1887-1978  Search this

Nisbet, Robert H., 1879-1961  Search this

Olmsted, Frederick Law, 1822-1903  Search this

Piexotto, Jessica B.  Search this

Winter, Ezra, 1886-1949  Search this

Extent:

7.32 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Sketches

Christmas cards

Drawings

Photographs

Prints

Sketchbooks

Date:

1846-1999

bulk 1895-1999

Summary:

The Chester Beach papers measure 7.32 linear feet and date from 1846 to 1999, with the bulk ot the material dating from circa 1900 to 1999. The work and professional activities of Beaux Arts sculptor Chester Beach (1881-1956) and his family's efforts to exhibit and sell work from the estate are documented by project files, business records, correspondence, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs. The papers also include many artist-designed Christmas cards sent and received by the Beach family, and artwork by Chester Beach and others.

Scope and Contents:

The Chester Beach papers measure 7.32 linear feet and date from 1846 to 1999, with the bulk ot the material dating from circa 1900 to 1999. The work and professional activities of Beaux Arts sculptor Chester Beach (1881-1956) and his family's efforts to exhibit and sell work from the estate are documented by project files, business records, correspondence, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs. The papers also include many artist-designed Christmas cards sent and received by the Beach family, and artwork by Chester Beach and others.

Biographical material consists of biographical notes, identification cards, and a membership certificate.

Project files contain correspondence, financial records, notes, drawings and plans, research materials, printed matter, and photographs that document commissions for sculpture, medals and coins, monuments, and Beach's own projects. Among the most thoroughly documented projects are a fountain sculpture for the grounds of the Cleveland Museum of Art (Sun, Earth, Fountain of the Waters, and Zodiac) and the Edward W. Bok Memorial in Mountain Lake, Florida; both commissions were executed in conjunction with the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted.

Business records include Chester Beach's general business correspondence and correspondence concerning consignments. An address book records names, addresses, and occasionally indicates prices of services and supplies used by the sculptor. Other record books detail expenses and income of the studio building Beach owned, with a list of the effects of the former owner, sculptor William Couper; bronzes cast; sales, with titles, prices, and buyers; names and addresses of clients, dealers, and suppliers; and instructions for cleaning and bronzing plaster.

Family correspondence consists mainly of letters, many mentioning Chester Beach, and addressed to Mrs. Chester Beach and daughter Eleanor Beach Fitchen. Estate correspondence and related documents concern efforts to exhibit, sell, and research Beach's remaining work. These records, for the most part, were created by Mrs. Fitchen who acted as sales agent, ran the Chester Beach Memorial Studio, and maintained the Beach archive. Of particular interest is a series of letters from Brenda Kuhn that relate what she learned from handling the estate of her father, Walt Kuhn; in addition, she offered ideas and advice about exhibitions, the Memorial Studio, and the Beach Centennial.

Beach designed his family's annual Christmas cards, most of which incorporate images of their three daughters. A complete set, preserved in an album, includes a few later cards that reproduce artwork by his widow. Many of the cards received - some with original artwork - are from artist friends, among them: Ernest Blumenschein, Edward W. Greacen, Hazel Brill Jackson, Paul Jennewein, Bonnie Leibig, F. Luis Mora, Robert Nisbet, and Ezra Winter. Also of note are a card from Walker Hancock bearing a photograph of his studio; a painting of Beach's Sylvan at Brookgreen Gardens, reproduced on Anna Hyatt Huntington's card; and a card from Beach patron Mary Jester Allen containing a brief note about the Frontier Art Colony she had established near Cody, Wyoming.

Among the drawings and sketches by Chester Beach are student work, designs for some of his Christmas cards, and a sketchbook containing drawings of sculpture. Work by other artists consists of prints, including one by Ezra Winter.

Three scrapbooks, largely comprised of newspaper clippings and other printed material, contain a variety of other items, including: letters from the American Academy in Rome, Architectural League of New York, Ecole des Beaux Arts, Daniel Chester French, Hazel Brill Jackson, Frederick MacMonnies, National Academy of Design, National Sculpture Society, Jessica B. Piexotto, and Salon d'Autome. There are also awards and certificates from the National Academy of Design, Panama-Pacific International Exposition; bookplates and a place card Beach etched for Mr. and Mrs. George Davison; and an unfinished poem by FitzRoy Carrington. Photographs within the scrapbooks are of a night school class Beach attended at the Mark Hopkins Art Institute in San Francisco, Beach at work in his studio, and a portrait of him painted by G. Laurance Nelson.

Printed material includes Panama-Pacific International Exposition guide books, brochures about the Chester Beach Memorial Studio in Brewster, New York, and catalogs for solo and group exhibitions.

Photographs and glass plate negatives of artwork are mainly of Chester Beach's sculpture and include views of work in progress. Also found are photographs of drawings and sculpture from his student years in California and Paris. Pictures of work by other artists are portraits of Chester Beach painted by G. Laurance Nelson and by his daughter, Natalie Beach McLaury. Among the photographs of Chester Beach are several by Gertrude Kasebier, circa 1910. Other pictures show Beach in his studio, Beach with family and friends, and a "Dinner tendered to Edmund W. Greacen by Samuel T. Shaw, Salmagundi Club, March 2, 1922." Places documented are Beach's boyhood home in San Francisco, the interiors of his studios, and Brookgreen Gardens. Miscellaneous subjects are nude models.

Arrangement:

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

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1910-1947 (4 folders; Box 1)

Series 2: Project Files, 1846-1999 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 1-2, 11, OV 12-13)

Series 3: Business Records, circa 1900-1958 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 2-3)

Series 4: Writings, 1913-1935 (2 folders; Box 3)

Series 5: Correspondence, 1875, 1933-1996 (0.5 linear feet; Box 3)

Series 6: Christmas Cards, 1909-1961 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 3-4)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1900-1955 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 4, 11)

Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1903-1972 (0.3 linear feet; Box 10)

Series 9: Printed Material, 1910-1997 (0.4 linear feet; Box 4)

Series 10: Photographs, circa 1885-circa 1960s (3.1 linear feet; Boxes 4-9, 11, 14)

Biographical / Historical:

Sculptor Chester Beach (1881-1956) was known for portrait busts, allegorical and mythological figures, coins and medallic art in the Beaux-Arts tradition. He lived and worked in New York City and Brewster, New York.

Chester Beach, son of Chilion Beach and Elizabeth Ferris Beach, was born in San Francisco on May 23, 1881. Beach initially studied at the California School of Mechanical Arts in 1899. He remained in San Francisco and between 1900 and 1902 continued his art training at the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art while working as a jewelry designer. To further his career and exposure to artistic trends, Beach moved to New York City in 1903. The following year, he went to Paris, enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and also studied with Raoul Verlet at the Académie Julian.

Upon his return to New York in 1907, Beach established a studio on Tenth Street. He won the National Academy of Design's Barnett Prize for sculpture in 1907 and the Academy elected him an Associate Artist the following year. His increased stature resulted in numerous portrait commissions and eventually led to commissions for monuments and architectural sculpture. In 1910, Chester Beach married Eleanor Hollis Murdock, a painter he met when both were art students in Paris. The couple spent the next two years in Rome; for several years after returning, Beach continued to spend time in Italy and maintained a studio in Rome.

Solo exhibitions of Beach's work were presented at Macbeth Gallery (1912), Pratt Institute (1913), Cincinnati Art Museum (1916), John Herron Art Institute (1916), and Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester (1917). In addition to frequent participation in annual exhibitions at the National Academy of Design and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Beach was represented in the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915), and in group shows at venues including: Art Institute of Chicago, Boston Art Club, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, and National Arts Club.

The gold medal presented by Académie Julian (1905), Beach's first award, was followed by many other prizes, among them: American Numismatic Society prize for a medal commemorating the Peace of Versailles (1919) and its Saltus Medal for distinguished medallic art (1946); Architectural League of New York gold medal (1924); National Academy of Design Barnett Prize (1907) and Watrous gold medal (1926); National Arts Club medal and prizes (1923, 1926, 1932); and the Panama-Pacific International Exposition silver medal (1915).

Beach was an Academician of the National Academy of Design, a member of the American Numismatic Society, Architectural League of New York, National Arts Club, National Institute of Arts and Letters, and the National Sculpture Society (President, 1927-1928).

For more than 40 years, Beach lived and worked at 207 East 17th Street. The brownstone, purchased in 1913, was large enough for the family's home, his studio, and additional studios that were rented to other artists. Through barter, Beach acquired land in Brewster, New York, and in 1917 hired Italian stonemasons to build a studio. Later, they erected a summer house for the family. Many old stone walls on the site provided material for both buildings and Beach named the property Oldwalls.

After a long illness, Chester Beach died at Oldwalls on August 6, 1956. The funeral service was held at his Brewster, New York, studio and he is buried in Cold Spring Cemetery, Cold Spring, New York.

Separated Materials:

Also in the Archives of American Art is microfilm of papers lent for microfilming (reels N727-N729 and N68-11) including passports, genealogical materials, photograph albums, travel sketches, travel diaries of Mrs. Beach, and business and family correspondence. While the obituary letters on reel N68-11 are referenced in a scrapbook in Series 8, all other loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.

Provenance:

Chester Beach's daughter, Eleanor Beach Fitchen, lent materials for microfilming in 1967 and 1967. Subsequent papers were donated in 2009 by the estate of Eleanor Beach Fitchen, through her grandson and executor, John Fitchen.

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. 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.

Topic:

Sculptors, American -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Eclecticism in architecture  Search this

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

Sculpture -- Technique  Search this

Sculpture -- Equipment and supplies  Search this

Artists' studios  Search this

Sculpture -- Economic aspects  Search this

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Sketches

Christmas cards

Drawings

Photographs

Prints

Sketchbooks

Citation:

Chester Beach papers, 1846-1999, bulk circa 1900-1999. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Identifier:

AAA.beacches

See more items in:

Chester Beach papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-beacches

Collection Creator:

Beach, Chester, 1881-1956  Search this

Container:

Box 2, Folder 66

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1914

Collection 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. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Chester Beach papers, 1846-1999, bulk circa 1900-1999. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

See more items in:

Chester Beach papers

Chester Beach papers / Series 3: Business Records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-beacches-ref206

Creator:

Bacon, Henry, 1839-1912  Search this

Names:

Bacon, Lee Andrews, 1861-  Search this

Beaumont  Search this

Berne-Bellecourt, E.  Search this

Carolus-Duran, 1837 or 8-1917  Search this

Chevillard, Vincent  Search this

Chialiva, Luigi, 1841-1914  Search this

Clairin, Georges, 1843-1919  Search this

Dupain, Edmond-Louis, 1847-1933  Search this

Gonzales, Antonio  Search this

Heilbuth, Ferdinand  Search this

Lemaire, Madeleine-Jeanne Coll, 1845-1928  Search this

Merson, Luc Olivier, 1846-1920  Search this

Olivie, Leon  Search this

Extent:

1.9 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Sketches

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Place:

Egypt -- description and travel

Date:

1849-1931

Summary:

The papers of painter and writer Henry Bacon date from 1849-1931 and measure 1.9 linear feet. The collection documents Bacon's career and travels through France and Egypt. Included are biographical materials, correspondence, writings by Bacon and others, scattered business records, printed material, scrapbooks, photographs, eight sketchbooks and additional sketches.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of painter and writer Henry Bacon date from 1849-1931 and measure 1.9 linear feet. The collection documents Bacon's career and travels through France and Egypt. Included are biographical materials, correspondence, writings by Bacon and others, scattered business records, printed material, scrapbooks, photographs, eight sketchbooks and additional sketches.

Scattered biographical materials include an address book, a photo identification card, genealogical material, and autobiographical notes and resumes. The bulk of correspondence is in French written by French artists included in Bacon's book Parisian Art and Artists, including Beaumont, E. Berne-Bellecourt, Vincent Chevillard, Luigi Chialiva, Georges Clairin, Edmond Dupain, Carolus Duran, Antonio Gonzalez, Ferdinand Heilbuth, Madeleine Lemaire, Luc Oliver Merson, and Leon Olivie. Also found is correspondence between Louisa Lee Bacon with museums and institutions concerning her husband's art.

Writings and notes contain short stories, personal accounts, and poems by Henry Bacon, as well as a biographical work on Bacon by Louisa Bacon, and unsigned poems in French. Manuscripts of Bacon's books are not found.

Scattered personal business records include a sales record notebook, an expense journal, and a lease. Printed materials consist primarily of clippings, a few exhibition catalogs, a copy of Bacon's book Étretat: Hamlet of the Setting Sun, and printed images of works of art. Two scrapbooks document Bacon's career as an artist through clippings, photos, exhibition catalogs, and announcements.

Photographs include portraits and snapshots of Bacon and his wife, travel photos used as reference, and photos of works of art. Artwork by Bacon includes eight sketchbooks, watercolor sketches, and pen and ink sketches.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged as 8 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1864-circa 1930 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1849-1931 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, 1875-circa 1912 (Box 1-2, 5; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 4: Personal Business and Financial records, 1864-1871 (Box 2; 2 folders)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1882-1931 (Box 2; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1866-1923 (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 7: Photographs, circa 1862-circa 1930 (Box 3-5; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 8: Artwork and Sketchbooks, 1864-1912 (Box 4-5; 0.4 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

Painter and writer, Henry Bacon (1839-1912) spent much of his career and life in France and Egypt. He is best known for his watercolor depictions of Egyptian desert scenes.

Henry Bacon was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1839. During the Civil War, ee enlisted in the Union Army and served as corporal in Company D, 4th Battalion of Rifles of the 13th Massachusetts Regiment. Also during the war, he worked as a field artist for Leslie's Weekly. He suffered an injury at the Second Battle of Bull Run and was discharged in 1864. That same year, he married Lizzie Lord and moved to France. The couple settled in Paris where Bacon studied at the École des Beaux-Arts under Alexandre Cabanel. He spent many summers in Étretat, France--a subject he painted and wrote about in his bookÉtretat: Hamlet of the Setting Sun.

After the death of Lizzie Lord, Bacon married Louisa Lee Andrews. In the 1890s, Henry and Louisa spent their time split between London and Egypt. It was during this time that Bacon produced his many watercolor scenes of the desert, the Nile River, and of the Egyptian people. Henry Bacon died in Cairo in 1912.

Separated Materials:

Also found in the Archives are three sketchbooks lent by Nancy C. Brecht for microfilming on reels 4040-4041. The scrapbooks are not described in the container listing of this finding aid but are available for viewing in Archives of American Art offices and via interlibrary loan.

Provenance:

The collection was donated in 1987 by Nancy N. Brecht, the grandniece of Henry Bacon and granddaughter of Bacon's brother, Earle.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

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:

Artists -- France -- Paris  Search this

Authors -- France -- Paris  Search this

Landscape painters  Search this

Painters -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Sketches

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Citation:

Henry Bacon papers, 1849-1931. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Processing and digitization of this collection was funded by the Terra Foundation for American Art

Identifier:

AAA.bacohenr

See more items in:

Henry Bacon papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-bacohenr

Creator:

McCoy, Esther  Search this

Names:

Historic American Buildings Survey  Search this

Society of Architectural Historians  Search this

University of California, Los Angeles. School of Architecture and Urban Planning  Search this

Ain, Gregory, 1908-1988  Search this

Barragán, Luis, 1902-  Search this

Bradbury, Ray, 1920-  Search this

Davidson, Julius Ralph, b. 1889  Search this

Dreiser, Theodore, 1871-1945  Search this

Ellwood, Craig  Search this

Gill, Irving, 1870-1936  Search this

Grotz, Dorothy  Search this

Hollein, Hans, 1934-  Search this

Jones, A. Quincy (Archie Quincy), 1913-1979  Search this

Maybeck, Bernard R.  Search this

Neutra, Richard Joseph, 1892-1970  Search this

O'Gorman, Juan, 1905-  Search this

Rand, Marvin  Search this

Schindler, R. M. (Rudolph M.), 1887-1953  Search this

Shulman, Julius  Search this

Soriano, Rafael, 1920-  Search this

Watanabe, Makoto  Search this

Worlidge, T. (Thomas), 1700-1766  Search this

Extent:

44.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Diaries

Etchings

Photographs

Sound recordings

Interviews

Video recordings

Slides (photographs)

Transcripts

Drawings

Memoirs

Date:

circa 1876-1990

bulk 1938-1989

Summary:

The papers of Southern California architectural historian, critic, and writer Esther McCoy measure 44.4 linear feet and date from 1876 to 1990 (bulk 1938-1989). McCoy was interested in both Italian and Mexican architecture as well as the folk art and crafts of Mexico and South America. The collection documents McCoy's career, as well as her family and personal life through biographical material, extensive correspondence, personal and professional writings, project files, Southern California architects' files, clippings and other printed material, a large collection of photographs and slides, and taped interviews of Southern California modern architects.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Southern California architectural historian, critic, and writer Esther McCoy measure 44.4 linear feet and date from 1876 to 1990 (bulk 1938-1989). McCoy was interested in both Italian and Mexican architecture as well as the folk art and crafts of Mexico and South America. The collection documents McCoy's career, as well as her family and personal life through biographical material, extensive correspondence, personal and professional writings, project files, Southern California architects' files, clippings and other printed material, a large collection of photographs and slides, and taped interviews of Southern California modern architects.

Biographical and family material consists of awards, resumes, identification documents, and other documentation of McCoy's personal life. Included are a transcript of a 1984 interview of McCoy by Makoto Watanabe and material relating to her friend, Theodore Dreiser.

Correspondence focuses on her personal relationships with family, friends, and lovers, and general correspondence relating primarily to her work as a writer. McCoy's personal correspondence is valuable to researchers who are interested in her personal life, her struggles as a young writer, and the way in which her family, friends, lovers, mentors, and colleagues helped to shape her work and career. As documented in this correspondence, her life offers a glimpse into twentieth-century American social and political history, especially the radical leftist movements of the 1920s and 1930s. Researchers interested in the roots of feminism in the United States should also find these papers useful in documenting the life of a creative and productive woman who was successful in a field then almost entirely dominated by men. Correspondents of note include her husband Berkeley Tobey, lovers Geoffrey Eaton and Albert Robert, writers Ray Bradbury and Theodore Dreiser, and artists and architects, such as Dorothy Grotz, Craig Ellwood, A. Quincy Jones, Hans Hollein, and J. R. Davidson. General correspondence is primarily with researchers, professors, architects, publishers, and professional organizations.

Personal writings include McCoy's diaries, notebooks, and memoirs, and writings by others including friends, lovers, and colleagues. Also included are drafts of McCoy's fictional works, both published and unpublished, including short stories, teleplays, and novels.

The collection contains in-depth documentation of McCoy's pioneering study of the modernist work of twentieth-century architects in Southern California. The bulk of her papers consist of her writing files for books, exhibition catalogs, articles, and lectures on architecture. Because many of the architects about whom McCoy wrote were her contemporaries, she developed personal relationships with several of them through her research and writing. Her writing files include drafts, notes, research material, photographs, and correspondence. McCoy also traveled extensively, particularly in Italy and Mexico, and wrote about architecture, craft, and culture in those countries. Project files document McCoy's other activities related to architectural history, such preservation projects, juries, grants, the Dodge House Preservation Campaign and related film project, her work for the Society of Architectural Historians and the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), and her work at the UCLA School of Architecture and Urban Planning, compiling a slide library and cataloging the Richard Neutra's papers. McCoy also maintained architect files which may contain correspondence, notes, photographs, research material, interview transcripts, about architects and their works. Among these extensive records, the files documenting the careers of R. M. Schindler, Irving Gill, Richard Neutra, and Juan O'Gorman are particularly rich.

Printed material in this collection documents McCoy's career as well as her personal interests. Included are books, clippings, magazines, newsletters, press releases, as well as publications arranged by subject such as architecture, art, Italy, and Mexico. McCoy also collected literary and leftist publications. The small amount of artwork in this collection consists of artwork sent to her by friends, including a drawing of her by Esther Rollo and etchings by various artists including Thomas Worlidge.

There are personal photographs of family and friends and of McCoy at different times in her life, as well as photographs gathered during the course of her research on architecture. Found here are photographs of architects and their works, including a large number depicting the work of Gregory Ain, Luis Barragan, J. R. Davidson, Irving Gill, Bernard Maybeck, Juan O'Gorman, R. M. Schindler, and Raphael Soriano. Many of these photographs were taken by notable architectural photographers Julius Shulman and Marvin Rand. Also found are photographs of architecture designed for the Case Study House program of Arts & Architecture magazine; exhibition photographs, primarily for the exhibition "Ten Italian Architects" in 1967; and other research photographs primarily documenting architecture and craft in other countries and the history of architecture in California. This series also includes approximately 3,600 slides of architecture.

Audio and video recordings include a videocassette of McCoy's 80th birthday party and 55 taped interviews with architects, people associated with architectural projects, and artists.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 10 series:

Series 1: Biographical and Family Material, 1881-1989 (boxes 1, 48; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1896-1989 (boxes 1-6, 4.9 linear feet)

Series 3: Personal Writings, 1919-1989 (boxes 6-14; 8.1 linear feet)

Series 4: Architectural Writings, 1908-1990 (boxes 14-24, 42, 49, 50; 10.2 linear feet)

Series 5: Projects, circa 1953-1988 (boxes 24-26, 47, FC 53-56; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 6: Architect Files, 1912-1990 (boxes 26-28, 42; 2.2 linear feet)

Series 7: Printed Material, circa 1885-1990 (boxes 28-31, 42; 2.9 linear feet)

Series 8: Artwork, 1924-1967, undated (box 31; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 9: Photographs and Slides, circa 1876-1989 (boxes 31-38, 41-46, 51; 8.7 linear feet)

Series 10: Audio and Video Recordings, 1930-1984 (boxes 38-40, 47; 2.5 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Esther McCoy (1904-1989) is remembered best for her pioneering work as an architectural historian, critic, and proponent of Southern California modern architecture of the early to mid-twentieth century. McCoy was interested in both Italian and Mexican architecture as well as the folk art and crafts of Mexico and South America. Although her professional interests ranged from writing fiction to studying the folk architecture and crafts of Mexico, McCoy achieved her most notable success for her numerous articles, books, and exhibitions about Southern California architecture and the architects associated with the modernist movement.

Born in Arkansas in 1904, Esther McCoy grew up in Kansas and attended various schools in the Midwest. In 1926 she left the University of Michigan to launch a writing career in New York, where she moved in avant-garde literary circles and conducted research for Theodore Dreiser. She began writing fiction in New York and continued to write after moving to Los Angeles in 1932, working on short stories, novels, and screenplays. She published numerous short stories between 1929 and 1962, with works appearing in the New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, and university quarterlies. Her short story, "The Cape," was reprinted in Best Short Stories of 1950. Many of the novels that she wrote from the mid-1960s through the 1980s were related thematically to architects and architecture.

During the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s, McCoy participated in the politically radical movements of the period and wrote for leftist publications. Her interest in the lowcost housing projects of modern architects was prompted by one of her articles about slums for Epic News. During World War II she entered a training program for engineering draftsmen at Douglas Aircraft and in 1944 was hired as an architectural draftsman for the architect R.M. Schindler. As she became increasingly interested in modern architecture and design, she combined her two major career interests and began to focus her energies on architectural research, writing, and criticism. Her first article on architecture, "Schindler: Space Architect," was published in 1945 in the journal Direction.

McCoy began writing about architecture in earnest in 1950 as a free-lance contributor to the Los Angeles Times. From then until her death in 1989, she wrote prolifically for Arts & Architecture magazine, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Architectural Record, L'Architectura, Zodiac (Italy), Progressive Architecture, Lotus (Italy), and Architectural Forum. In addition to her numerous articles, McCoy wrote several books on Southern California modern architecture and architects. Her first major work, Five California Architects, published in 1960, is now recognized as a classic work in modern architectural history. It promoted a serious study of modern architecture in Southern California and introduced to the world several leading California architects and their work: Bernard Maybeck, Irving Gill, Charles and Henry Greene, and R.M. Schindler. That same year, she published another important book focusing on the work of the California architect Richard Neutra. Other books by McCoy include Modern California Houses: Case Study Houses (1962), Craig Ellwood (1968), Vienna to Los Angeles: Two Journeys (1979), and The Second Generation (1984).

In addition to these books, McCoy organized and wrote catalogs for several significant exhibitions focusing on contemporary architects. Her first was the R.M. Schindler Retrospective, a 1954 exhibition at the Landau Art Gallery in Los Angeles. Her other exhibitions and accompanying catalogs include Roots of California Contemporary Architecture, 1956, Los Angeles Municipal Art Department; Felix Candela, 1957, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Irving Gill, 1958, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Juan O'Gorman, 1964, San Fernando Valley State College; and Ten Italian Architects, 1967, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Moreover, McCoy contributed numerous essays to other exhibition catalogs and publications, lectured at the University of Southern California, participated in preservation projects, organized tours for the Society of Architectural Historians, and contributed to a number of documentary films. Her energy and interests also led her to catalog and transcribe Richard Neutra's papers at the University of California Los Angeles Archives.

McCoy received national recognition from the American Institute of Architects for her seminal and prolific work in the field of Southern California modern architectural history and criticism. Her interests, however, were not exclusively bound to California. She traveled the world and was interested in both Italian and Mexican architecture as well as the folk art and crafts of Mexico and South America. She made five extended trips to Italy during the 1950s and 1960s, publishing regularly about the architecture there and curating the exhibition Ten Italian Architects. She was a contributing editor to two Italian journals, Zodiac and Lotus, and was awarded the Star of Order of Solidarity in 1960 by the Republic of Italy for her research and writing.

Esther McCoy died of emphysema on December 30, 1989, at the age of eighty-five. Her last contribution was an essay for the exhibition catalog Blueprints for Modern Living: History and Legacy of the Case Study House. The show opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles one month before her death.

1904 -- Born November 18 in Horatio, Arkansas. Raised in Kansas.

1920 -- Attended preparatory school at Central College for Women, Lexington, Missouri.

1922-1925 -- College education: Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri; University of Michigan.

1924 -- Visited Theodore Dreiser in Michigan.

1926-1938 -- Began writing in New York City.

1926-1938 -- Researched and read for Theodore Dreiser.

1926-1938 -- Worked for editorial offices and publishers.

1926-1938 -- Traveled to write in Paris (1928), Key West, Florida (1930), and Los Angeles, California (1932-1935).

1938 -- Moved to Santa Monica, California.

1941 -- Married Berkeley Greene Tobey.

1942-1944 -- Employed as engineering draftsman at Douglas Aircraft.

1944-1947 -- Worked as architectural draftsman for R.M. Schindler.

1945 -- Began architectural writing career.

1950 -- Wrote script for film Architecture West.

1950 -- Joined editorial board of Arts & Architecture.

1950-1968 -- Worked as free-lance writer for the Los Angeles Times.

1951-1955 -- Traveled to, researched, and wrote about Mexico and Mexican art and architecture.

1954 -- R.M. Schindler Retrospective exhibition at the Landau Art Gallery, Los Angeles.

1956 -- Roots of California Contemporary Architecture exhibition, Los Angeles Municipal Art Department.

1957 -- Felix Candela exhibition, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

1958 -- Irving Gill exhibition, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Traveled to Italy.

1959-1968 -- Contributing editor to Italian periodicals Zodiac and Lotus.

1960 -- Five California Architects (New York: Reinhold).

1960 -- Richard Neutra (New York: G. Braziller).

1960 -- Awarded Star of Order of Solidarity by the Republic of Italy for reporting on arts and crafts in Italy.

1962 -- Death of Berkeley Greene Tobey.

1962 -- Modern California Houses: Case Study Houses (New York: Reinhold) (reprinted as Case Study Houses, Los Angeles: Hennessey and Ingalls, 1978).

1963 -- Resident Fellow at Huntington Hartford Foundation.

1964 -- Juan O'Gorman exhibition, San Fernando Valley State College, Northridge, Calif.

1965 -- Consultant for the California Arts Commission.

1965-1966 -- Wrote and produced the film Dodge House.

1965-1968 -- Lecturer at University of California at Los Angeles, School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

1966 -- Resident Fellow at MacDowell Colony, New Hampshire.

1967 -- Ten Italian Architects exhibition, Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

1967 -- Honorary Associate of the Southern California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

1967 -- Regents' Lecturer at University of California, Santa Barbara.

1968 -- Craig Ellwood (New York: Walker).

1968 -- Distinguished Service Citation from the California Council of AIA.

1969-1970 -- Lecturer at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

1969-1989 -- Contributing editor of Progressive Architecture.

1971-1978 -- Graham Foundation Grants.

1974 -- Regents' Lecturer at the University of California,Santa Cruz.

1979 -- Vienna to Los Angeles: Two Journeys (Santa Monica, Calif.: Arts & Architecture Press).

1979 -- Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.

1981 -- Los Angeles Chapter Women's Architectural League Honorary Member.

1982 -- Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Modern and Contemporary Art Council Award for Distinguished Achievement.

1983 -- Home Sweet Home: The California Ranch House exhibition at California State University.

1984 -- The Second Generation (Salt Lake City: Peregrine Smith Books).

1985 -- American Institute of Architects, Institute Honor.

1986 -- High Styles exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

1987 -- Vesta Award for outstanding scholarship.

1989 -- Award from the Historical Society of Southern California.

1989 -- Award from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

1989 -- Blueprints for Modern Living: History and Legacy of the Case Study House exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Died in Santa Monica, California, December 30.

Related Material:

Also in the Archives of American Art are eight sound cassettes of a transcribed interview with Esther McCoy conducted by Joseph Giovannini, June 8-November 14, 1987.

Provenance:

The collection was given to the Archives of American Art by Esther McCoy in 1986. Before her death in 1989, McCoy assisted in the organization and identification of the papers. Original pre-print film elements for Dodge House 1916 were donated to the Archives of American Art by the Academy Film Archive in 2018.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of audiovisual recordings without access copies 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:

Architectural historians -- California  Search this

Art critics -- California  Search this

Topic:

Architecture, Modern -- 20th century -- Mexico  Search this

Architects -- Italy  Search this

Architecture, Domestic -- California  Search this

Authors -- California  Search this

Architecture, Modern -- 20th century -- California  Search this

Architecture, Modern -- 20th century -- Europe  Search this

Architects -- California  Search this

Feminism and art  Search this

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries

Etchings

Photographs

Sound recordings

Interviews

Video recordings

Slides (photographs)

Transcripts

Drawings

Memoirs

Citation:

Esther McCoy papers, circa 1876-1990, bulk 1938-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Identifier:

AAA.mccoesth

See more items in:

Esther McCoy papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-mccoesth

Creator:

Langsner, Jules, 1911-1967  Search this

Names:

Art Institute of Chicago  Search this

Art in America  Search this

California Watercolor Society  Search this

Ford Foundation  Search this

Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts  Search this

International Association of Art Critics  Search this

Los Angeles County Museum of Art  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

New York Times  Search this

Pasadena Art Museum  Search this

Santa Barbara Museum of Art  Search this

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  Search this

University of Southern California. -- Faculty  Search this

Adams, Clinton, 1918-2002  Search this

Brice, William, 1921-  Search this

Feitelson, Lorser, 1898-1978  Search this

Feldman, Eddy  Search this

Fogg, Adelaide  Search this

Guston, Musa  Search this

Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this

Harwood, June  Search this

Kadish, Reuben, 1913-1992  Search this

Lebrun, Rico, 1900-1964  Search this

Lundeberg, Helen, 1918-  Search this

Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890-1973  Search this

Perls, Frank, 1910-1975  Search this

Ray, Julie  Search this

Ray, Man, 1890-1976  Search this

Turnbull, William, 2002  Search this

Extent:

4.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Articles

Sound recordings

Essays

Lectures

Drafts (documents)

Manuscripts

Poems

Date:

circa 1910s-1998

bulk 1950-1967

Summary:

The papers of southern California contemporary art curator, critic, and historian Jules Langsner measure 4.4 linear feet and date from circa 1910s-1998, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1950-1967. Found within the papers are biographical material; correspondence with family, friends, and colleagues; writings normal="1941"> travel, and works of art; and audio recordings of Langsner's lectures and eulogies given at his funeral.

Scope and Contents note:

The papers of southern California contemporary art curator, critic, and historian Jules Langsner measure 4.4 linear feet and date from circa 1910s-1998, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1950-1967. Found within the papers are biographical material; correspondence with family, friends, and colleagues; writings by Langsner; exhibition files; printed materials; photographs of Langsner, others, travel, and works of art; and audio recordings of Langsner's lectures and eulogies given at his funeral.

Biographical materials consist of an address book and file, committee files, scattered financial statements, and documents related to the Ford Foundation and other foundations, teaching, and traveling.

The 0.9 linear feet of correspondence is of both a personal and professional nature. A significant portion of the correspondence is between Langsner and publications for which he wrote such as Art News, the New York Times, Meridian Books, Craft Horizons, Art International, and Art in America; galleries and museums where he lectured or curated exhibitions including the Art Institute of Chicago, California Water Color Society, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pasadena Art Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum, and the Fine Arts Patrons of Newport Harbor; colleges and organizations where he taught or was involved with such as the Graham Foundation, University of Southern California, International Association of Art Critics, and Ford Foundation; and artists that he worked with or knew personally including Rico Lebrun, William Turnbull, Man & Julie Ray, Lorser Feitelson, Helen Lundeberg, Adelaide Fogg, and Clinton Adams.

Letters to June Harwood were written while Langsner was traveling in 1964 and 1965 and discuss his travels and their relationship which culminated in marriage in Italy in 1965.

Among the 2.8 linear feet of the writings of Jules Langsner are articles for Art News, Art in America, Art International, Arts & Architecture, Aware, Beverly Hills Times, Craft Horizons, Creative Crafts, Goya Revista De Arte, Yomiuri, and Zodiac. There are also essays, lectures, poems, drafts, notes, jottings of ideas, proposals and published and unpublished manuscripts. There are drafts and unpublished versions of "Painting in the Modern World", and numerous other essays on contemporary art. There are also extensive handwritten notes on his travels, Asian art, European art, and other subjects.

Exhibition files concern "Black and White" (1958), "California Hard-Edge Painting" (1964), the Man Ray Exhibition (1966), and the William Turnbull Exhibition (1966).

Printed materials include miscellaneous flyers, brochures, and news bulletins, and press releases.

Photographs are of people, places, works of art, and exhibitions. There are photographs of Jules Langsner, June Harwood, Philip Guston, Musa Guston, William Brice, Eddy Feldman, Rube Kadish, Stanton MacDonald-Wright, Frank Perls, and unidentified individual people and groups. Photographs of Langsner's travels are of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and other locations. Photographs of exhibitions include California Art Club, "Black and White," "California Painters & Sculptors, 35 & Under," and unidentified exhibitions. Photographs of works of art are by William Turnbull, Jack Zajac, Walter Mix, Marion Aldrich, Roger Majorowicz, and Jasper Johns.

Audio recordings include four untranscribed 7" reel-to-reel audio recordings and one cassette tape. The reel-to-reel tapes are of two lectures by Langsner, You & Art/Berlin Party, and of eulogies given at Langsner's funeral by Clement Greenberg, Henry Seldis, Peter Selz, Richard Brown, Donald Brewer, Tom Leavitt, Lorser Feitelson, Sam Francis, June Wayne, Gifford Phillips, and others. The cassette tape is a copy of eulogies.

Arrangement note:

The collection is arranged as 7 series. Photographs are arranged by subject, otherwise each series is generally arranged chronologically.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1957-circa 1960s (Box 1; 9 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1948-1998 (Boxes 1-2; 0.9 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1934-circa 1960s (Boxes 2-4; 2.8 linear feet)

Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1919, circa 1958-1966 (Box 4; 4 folders)

Series 5: Printed Materials, circa 1960s (Box 5; 2 folders)

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1910s-1960s (Box 5; 0.25 linear feet)

Series 7: Audio Recordings, 1954-1967 (Box 5; 0.25 linear feet)

Biographical/Historical note:

Jules Langsner (1911-1967) worked primarily in the Los Angeles area as a contemporary art critic, historian, and curator. He curated several seminal exhibitions of contemporary art, including the 1959-1960 show "Four Abstract Classicists" featuring the work of Southern California artists Lorser Feitelson, Karl Benjamin, Frederick Hammersley, and John McLaughlin.

Born Julius Harold Langsner in New York City on May 5, 1911, his family moved to Ontario, California in 1922. The family lived on a farm and opened the Paradise Health Resort which was run by Langsner's father, chiropractor Isadore Langsner, and was popular in Jewish and intellectual circles. In Ontario, Langsner became friends with three of the Pollack family sons, Jackson, Frank, and Sanford, as well as Philip Guston, Reuben Kadish, Leonard Stark, and Don Brown as a teenager. Guston, Kadish, and Jackson Pollock were later mentored by Lorser Feitelston which helped to foster in Langsner an interest in avant-garde painting.

Langsner went on to study philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles. In the early 1940s, Langsner married and had a son, Drew Langsner. He divorced in 1946. In 1944, he enlisted in the United States Army and served as a psychiatric social worker and psychologist during World War II in the United States.

Art & Architecture magazine was the first to publish Langsner's art criticism in 1948. Throughout the 1950s and 60s his work was published widely in Art & Architecture as well as Art News, Art in America, Craft Horizons, Beverly Hills Times, Zodiac, and others. Langsner wrote extensively about art history in both published and unpublished manuscripts, including Painting in the Modern World which he worked on until his death. Additionally, he taught art history classes at the Chouinard Art Institute and University of Southern California and lectured for a variety of organizations and occasions.

Langsner curated several influential exhibitions in southern California, including the "Four Abstract Classicists" exhibition for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1959 and in whose catalog he and Peter Selz coined the term "Hard-Edge painting." He curated the first full-scale retrospective of Man Ray in the United States at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1966.

Langsner received a grant from the Ford Foundation in 1964 that allowed him to travel throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Europe for a year studying regional art and architecture. He wrote notes on his travels and corresponded frequently with June Harwood, a Hard-Edge painter, whom he married in Italy in 1965.

Jules Langsner died unexpectedly of a heart attack on September 29, 1967, in Los Angeles.

Related Archival Materials note:

The papers of Lorser Feitelson and Helen Lundeberg at the Archives of American Art contain a significant amount of writings by Jules Langsner, including exhibition catalog essays.

Papers of Jules Langsner, 1941-1967, are also located at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Provenance:

The Jules Langsner papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in several installments from 1973-1996, and in 2004 by June Harwood Langsner, widow of Jules Langsner. Notes for a lecture given at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1966 and 39 pieces of correspondence were donated in 1982 by the University of California Art Library, Los Angeles, via Librarian Virginia Steele.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

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:

Art critics -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Art historians -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Painting, Abstract -- California  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Art criticism  Search this

Curators -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Articles

Sound recordings

Essays

Lectures

Drafts (documents)

Manuscripts

Poems

Citation:

Jules Langsner papers, circa 1910s-1998, bulk 1950-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.langjule

See more items in:

Jules Langsner papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-langjule

Creator:

Ya-Ching, Lee  Search this

Extent:

11.9 Cubic feet (22 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scripts (documents)

Photographs

Maps

Scrapbooks

Date:

1938-1970

Summary:

This collection consists of 11.9 cubic feet of material chronicling Lee Ya-Ching's role as a pilot trying to raise funds for China during World War II. The collection contains the following types of material: correspondence, both official and personal; maps; publications; newspapers; invitation; programs from events; lecture notes; scripts from radio shows; photographs, both official and snapshots; trip schedules and agendas; address books; scrapbooks; and official paperwork and licenses.

Scope and Content note:

This collection consists of 11.9 cubic feet of material chronicling Lee Ya-Ching's role as a pilot trying to raise funds for China during World War II. The collection contains the following types of material: correspondence, both official and personal; maps; publications; newspapers; invitations; programs from events; lecture notes; scripts from radio shows; photographs, both official and snapshots; trip schedules and agendas; address books; scrapbooks; and official paperwork and licenses.

Note: The digital images shown for this collection were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product which did not reproduce all materials found in this collection; some items have not been scanned. In addition, some materials have been excluded from display due to copyright, trademark, or patent restrictions.

Arrangement:

This collection of materials listed in the finding aid is arranged into two series, Ms Lee's personal papers and her professional papers. Within each series, items are arranged by material type then chronologically. No attempt was made to translate foreign language material in the collection.

Biographical/Historical note:

Lee Ya-Ching was born in Canton, China in 1912. As an only child who lost her mother at a young age, Ya-Ching was raised by her father and grandmother. Under her father's guidance she learned many skills, including martial arts, some previously restricted to male children. Ya-Ching attended English schools in Hong Kong and Shanghai and at the age of 16 was sent to London to attend finishing school.

In 1929 at the age of 17, Ya-Ching went to Geneva, Switzerland. It is there that she took her first ride in an airplane and vowed to learn how to fly. She enrolled in Ecole Aero Club de Suisse and, in 1934, became the first woman to receive a pilot's license from the school. Determined to continue her education, Ya-Ching went to the United States and attended the Boeing School of Aeronautics in Oakland, California in 1935. In November of that year she became the first woman licensed through the Boeing School. Upon completion of her training at the Boeing school Ya-Ching returned to China and began campaigning for a Chinese pilot's license, eventually obtaining the license in 1936. Seeing a need to train new pilots, Ya-Ching and some fellow pilots opened a civilian flying school in Shanghai in 1936.

When Japan invaded China in 1937, Ya-Ching volunteered to fly for her country, but was refused. Undeterred, she served her country by establishing hospitals. Leaving Shanghai for Hong Kong just before the city fell, she was finally given the opportunity to fly for China by piloting Red Cross planes ferrying supplies from Hong Kong to Canton. Realizing that China needed aid and supplies, Ya-Ching embarked on a Goodwill Tour of the United States and Canada in 1938. When the war prevented her return to China, Ya-Ching continued the tour expanding her appearances into South America.

Not much is known of Ya-Ching's life after the war. She returned to Hong Kong for a number of years. In the 1960's she returned to California, where she died in 1998 at the age of 86.

Time Line of Lee Ya-Ching

xxxx -- The following timeline covers key events in Ya-Ching's life, as well world events. Events involving Ya-Ching are shown in normal type world events are shown in italics.

1909 -- M. Vallon flies first plane in China

1911 -- China ousts the 2000 year old Imperial System for a Republic

April 16, 1912 -- Lee Ya-Ching is born in Canton, China

1916 -- Ya-Ching's mother dies of tuberculosis

1917 -- China enters World War 1 on the side of the Allies

1926 -- Begins career as a movie actress

1928 -- Leaves the film industry and goes to school in England

1929 -- The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is ousted from China Goes to Switzerland

September 1931 -- Japan seizes control of Manchuria

November 1931 -- CCP resurfaces in China and forms the Chinese Soviet Republic in Jiangxi Province

May 1932 -- Amelia Earhart becomes first woman to solo across the Atlantic

1933 -- Begins flying lessons at Geneva's Cointrin-Ecole d'Aviation

1934 -- Receives her pilot's license from Ecole Aéro Club de Suisse

1935 -- Attends and receives license from the Boeing School of Aeronautics in Oakland, California

1935 -- Falls out of an aerobatic plane, earning her membership in the Caterpillar Club

1936 -- Receives her pilot's license from the Chinese Government First domestic airline established in China Opens a civilian flying school in Shanghai

1937 -- Flies for the Red Cross ferrying supplies from Hong Kong to Canton Japan invades China Earns Hong Kong commercial pilot's license Helps establish hospitals in Shanghai

1938 -- Begins goodwill tour of United States and Canada

1939 -- Appears in US film Disputed Passage with Dorothy Lamour

1940 -- Flies "Estrella China" to Caribbean, Central and South America Aids Ruth Nichols in raising money for Relief Wings

1941 -- Begins working for United China Relief

December 7, 1941 -- Bombing of Pearl Harbor forces American entry into World War II

1944 -- Begins Goodwill and Fund Raising tour of South America and Caribbean

August 1945 -- Atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, followed by Japanese surrender and end of World War II

1946 -- Returns to China and retires

1946 -- Fighting between CCP and KMT (Nationalist party) resumes

October 1949 -- KMT retreats to Taiwan Mao Zedong establishes the People's Republic of China

1950 -- Receives Hong Kong private pilot's license

1963 -- Receives Hong Kong Special Purpose Pilot's license

1971 -- Permanently moves to the United States

1997 -- British rule ends in Hong Kong

January 28, 1998 -- Dies at the age of 86

Provenance:

Pax Cheng and Mary Wolfson, Gift, 2007, NASM.2008.0009.

Restrictions:

No restrictions on access.

Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Topic:

World War, 1939-1945 -- Civilian relief  Search this

Aeronautics  Search this

World War, 1939-1945 -- China  Search this

Aeronautics -- Exhibitions  Search this

Women air pilots  Search this

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

Genre/Form:

Scripts (documents)

Photographs

Maps

Scrapbooks

Citation:

Lee Ya-Ching Papers, NASM.2008.0009, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.2008.0009

See more items in:

Lee Ya-Ching Papers

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-2008-0009

Creator:

Wood, Thomas Waterman, 1823-1903  Search this

Subject:

T. W. Wood Art Gallery (Montpelier, Vt.)  Search this

Topic:

Art, American -- United States  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)8644

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210824

AAA_collcode_woodthom

Theme:

Diaries

Communities, Organizations, Museums

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210824

Creator:

Nason, Thomas W. (Thomas Willoughby), 1889-1971  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)8070

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210241

AAA_collcode_nasothom

Theme:

Lives of American Artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210241

Creator:

Sawyer, Wells Moses, 1863-1960  Search this

Subject:

Sawyer, Helen  Search this

Type:

Sketchbooks

Topic:

Watercolor painting  Search this

Painting, American  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)8216

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210387

AAA_collcode_sawywell

Theme:

Sketches & Sketchbooks

Lives of American Artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210387

Creator:

Herter, Adele McGinnis, 1869-1946  Search this

Herter, Albert, 1871-  Search this

Topic:

Women painters  Search this

Muralists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)7749

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209914

AAA_collcode_hertadel

Theme:

Women

Lives of American Artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209914

Creator:

Hesse, Eva, 1936-1970  Search this

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)7755

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209920

AAA_collcode_hesseva

Theme:

Diaries

Women

Lives of American Artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209920

Creator:

Manry, Lenita, 1902-1969  Search this

Subject:

Hofmann, Hans  Search this

Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts (Provincetown, Mass.)  Search this

Lenita Manry Fund  Search this

Topic:

Women painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)9035

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211224

AAA_collcode_manrleni

Theme:

Women

Lives of American Artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211224

Creator:

Kerr, James Wilfrid, 1897-1994  Search this

Topic:

Painting, American -- New Mexico  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)10119

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213018

AAA_collcode_kerrjame

Theme:

Lives of American Artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_213018

Creator:

Enneking, John J., 1841-1916  Search this

Type:

Sketchbooks

Topic:

Landscape painting -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)8864

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211049

AAA_collcode_ennejohn

Theme:

Lives of American Artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211049

Creator:

Benrimo, Tom, 1887-1958  Search this

Benrimo, Dorothy S., 1903-1977  Search this

Topic:

Painting, American  Search this

Women painters -- New Mexico -- Taos  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)10499

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213923

AAA_collcode_benrtom

Theme:

Diaries

Lives of American Artists

American Art and Artists in a Global Context

Audio - Visual

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_213923

Creator:

Fischbach Gallery  Search this

Names:

Thiabaut Galley  Search this

Altoon, John, 1925-  Search this

Antonakos, Stephen, 1926-2013  Search this

Bladen, Ronald, 1918-1988  Search this

Chamberlain, Wynn  Search this

D'Arcangelo, Allan, 1930-  Search this

Davis, Gene, 1920-1985  Search this

Dunn, Anne  Search this

Gilardi, Piero, 1942-  Search this

Hesse, Eva, 1936-1970  Search this

Katz, Alex, 1927-  Search this

Krushenick, Nicholas, 1929-1999  Search this

Levine, Les, 1935-  Search this

Mangold, Robert, 1937-  Search this

Ohlson, Douglas Dean, 1936-  Search this

Ryan, Anne, 1889-1954  Search this

Ryman, Robert, 1930-  Search this

Slavin, Arlene, 1942-  Search this

Smith, Tony, 1912-  Search this

Sugarman, George, 1912-1999  Search this

Swain, Robert, 1940-  Search this

Extent:

39.5 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gallery records

Photographs

Date:

1937-2015

bulk 1963-1977

Summary:

The records of New York City Fischbach Gallery measure 39.5 linear feet and date from 1937 to 2015, with the bulk of materials dating from 1963 to 1977. The majority of the collection consists of artists files containing a wide variety of materials documenting the gallery's relationship with its stable of modern and avant garde artists, as well as gallery exhibitions. Files include biographical materials, correspondence, printed materials, and photographs. Gallery records also include general business correspondence, access-restricted financial records; and additional printed materials. The 2015 addition of 14 linear feet consists of inventory and client sales records in the form of card indexes. The 2019 addition consists of material related to Marilyn Fischbach's art collection.

Scope and Content Note:

The records of New York City Fischbach Gallery measure 39.5 linear feet and date from 1937 to 2015, with the bulk of materials dating from 1963 to 1977. The majority of the collection consists of artists files containing a wide variety of materials documenting the gallery's relationship with its stable of modern and avant garde artists, as well as gallery exhibitions. Files include biographical materials, correspondence, printed materials, and photographs. Gallery records also include general business correspondence, access-restricted financial records; and additional printed materials.

Artists and Exhibition Files contain information on over one hundred Fischbach Gallery artists and measure 18 linear feet. The contents of each file varies, but typically may include biographical information; correspondence between the artist, museums, and other galleries; scattered consignment information; printed materials including articles, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and press releases; photographs of the artist, installations, constructions, and works of art; and negatives, slides, and transparencies. Substantial files are found for John Altoon, Stephen Antonakos, Ronald Bladen, Wynn Chamberlain, Allan D'Arcangelo, Gene Davis, Anne Dunn, Piero Gilardi, Eva Hesse, Alex Katz, Nicholas Krushenick, Les Levine, Robert Mangold, Doug Ohlson, Anne Ryan, Robert Ryman, Arlene Slavin, Tony Smith, George Sugarman, and Robert Swain, among others. Also included are files pertaining to group exhibitions including "According to the Letter" (1963), "Hard Center" (1963), "Six Women" (1965), "Game Without Rules" (1966), "Direct Representation" (1969), and "Eccentric Abstraction" (1966) which was organized by Lucy Lippard.

General gallery correspondence is business correspondence between the gallery and companies, individuals, museums, galleries, dealers, new or non-Fischbach artists, and institutions. Additional business records consist of an address book, lists of Fischbach artists, gallery plans, a notebook, as well as guest lists, mailing lists, and press lists.

Financial records are access restricted and require written permission from the donor's representative for use. The files document financial transactions for many of the artists represented in the artists files and includes sales records, invoices, artists' payments, and correspondence about sales and possible sales. The alphabetical financial files document routine gallery business, such as framing, shipping, insurance, messenger, publicity, etc. and are organized by name of business. General financial files consist of accounting ledgers, banking documents, insurance claims, and travel accounts.

Printed materials consist of various business cards, clippings concerning the Fischbach Gallery, and a pamphlet by Ron Williams as a guide to New York galleries. The bulk of printed materials are found in the Artists and Exhibition Files.

A small series of photographs include those from the Thiabaut Gallery, and unidentified photos of landscapes. It is likely that Fischbach Gallery occupied the space previously used by the Thiabaut Gallery and some materials were included in the collection for that reason. The bulk of photographic materials are found in the Artists and Exhibition Files.

In 2015, 14 feet of records were added to the collection. The addition consists of inventory and client sales records in the form of card indexes. The addition is access-restricted until 2065.

A 2019 addition of 0.2 linear feet, consisting of material related to Marilyn Fischbach's art collection, was processed in 2020.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 9 series.

Series 1: Artists and Exhibitions Files, 1937-1977 (Boxes 1-18, 28; 18 linear feet)

Series 2: Gallery Correspondence, 1962-1974 (Boxes 18-19; 1.75 linear feet)

Series 3: Business Records, 1969-1971 (Box 27; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 4: Financial Records, 1963-1975 (Boxes 20-25; 4.5 linear feet)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1963-1972 (Box 26; 6 folders)

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1960s (Box 26; 2 folders)

Series 7: Inventory Card Indexes, circa 1960s-2015 (12.1 linear feet; Box 29-41)

Series 8: Client Sales Card Index, circa 1970s-2000s (1.9 linear feet; Box 41-42)

Series 9: Marilyn Fischbach Collection Records, circa 1975-2000 (0.2 linear feet; Box 43)

Historical Note:

The Fischbach Gallery was founded in 1960 by Marilyn Cole Fischbach at 799 Madison Avenue in New York City. The gallery was noted for its stable of minimalist young artists in the 1960s, and the work of the painterly realists in the 1970s. The gallery remains open today.

During its early years, the gallery was among the first to focus on 1960s avant-garde and minimalist artists. Marilyn possessed a talent for discovering young artists and for helping them advance their careers. Many of these young artists became well-known, including Ronald Bladen, Eva Hesse, and Alex Katz. Other artists represented by the gallery include Allan D'Arcangelo, Les Levine, Robert Mangold, Robert Ryman, George Sugarman, and Robert Swain.

The gallery also had an active exhibition schedule and organized and hosted group exhibitions of modern art, including "According to the Letter" (1963), "Hard Center" (1963), and "Direct Representation" (1969). Additionally, the Fishbach Gallery hosted "Eccentric Abstraction" in 1966, an exhibition organized by Lucy Lippard.

Later, the gallery moved to W. 57th Street in Manhattan. Fischbach hired A. Aladar Marberger as director of the gallery. Under his direction, the Fischbach Gallery shifted from the avant-garde to contemporary American realism and minimalist sculpture. In the 1980s, Marilyn Fischbach brought three investors into the gallery. She remined a co-owner, but lived in Paris, France for many years prior to her death at the age of seventy-two. The Fischbach Gallery remains open at 210 West 11th Street at 25th Street in New York City.

Provenance:

Gallery founder Marilyn C. Fischbach and director A. Aladar Marberger donated the majority of the Fischbach Gallery records in 1978. Additional records were donated in 2001 by Maureen Dawley on behalf of the Carnegie Mellon University and in 2015 and in 2019 by John Fischbach, Marilyn C. Fischbach's son.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment. Written permission from the donor is also required to view the series of financial records and the 2015 addition of card indexes. Contact the Reference Services Department 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:

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

Art, American  Search this

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Minimal art -- United States  Search this

Artists -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Gallery records

Photographs

Citation:

The Fischbach Gallery records, 1937-2015, bulk 1963-1977. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

Identifier:

AAA.fiscgall

See more items in:

Fischbach Gallery records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-fiscgall

Creator:

Cruz, Emilio, 1938-  Search this

Names:

Black Artists' Group  Search this

Looker, Ben  Search this

Extent:

5 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Interviews

Photographs

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Date:

1961-2008

Summary:

The papers of African American artist and writer Emilio Cruz measure 5 linear feet and date from 1961 to 2008. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, exhibition and project files, printed material, and photographic material.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of African American artist and writer Emilio Cruz measure 5 linear feet and date from 1961 to 2008. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, exhibition and project files, printed material, and photographic material.

Biographical material includes Cruz's career narratives, an interview with Ben Looker for a book about the Black Artists' Group, an address book, and a recording of Emilio Cruz's memorial service.

Correspondence includes drafts and final copies of correspondence sent and received by Cruz. Though primarily professional in nature, some letters include Cruz's theories regarding art and literature.

Writings includes two subseries: general writings as well as literary work and performance material. General writings consist of Emilio Cruz's writings about art, exhibition text, and other essays and writing. Literary work and performance material includes poems, short stories, novels, and plays, as well as materials related to the performance of these works. This subseries includes audiovisual material in a variety of formats related to Cruz's performances.

Personal business records include shipping invoices and a small number of gallery records.

Exhibition and project files include correspondence, planning documents, financial documents, printed material, and photographic material related to Emilio Cruz's exhibitions and projects.

Printed material includes publications in which Emilio Cruz's writing was published or in which he was written about; exhibition and performance catalogs, programs, and invitations; and clippings of reviews.

Photographic material includes photographs of Emilio Cruz and slides of his artwork.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in seven series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1988, 2001-2005, undated (Box 1; 4 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1965-2008 (Box 1, 0.9 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1969-2004 (Boxes 1-3, FC 5-6, Box 7-9; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1989-2000 (Box 3; 5 folders)

Series 5: Exhibition and Project Files: 1963-2004 (Boxes 3-4; 1.2 linear feet)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1964-2003 (Box 4; 0.6 feet)

Series 7: Photographic Material, 1961-2003 (Box 10, OV 11; 0.3 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

Emilio Cruz (1938-2004) was an African American artist, playwright, and novelist of Cuban descent. He was born in the Bronx and spent much of his life in New York. He taught at the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1970s and was active in the Chicago art scene. In the 1980s he returned to New York where he continued to exhibit. He later taught at Pratt Institute and New York University. His two plays Homeostasis: Once More the Scorpion and The Absence Held Fast to Its Presence were first performed in New York in 1981, and later in Europe as part of the World Theater Festival.

Throughout his career, Cruz received a number of honors and awards, including a John Hay Whitney Fellowship and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Emilio Cruz died in 2004.

Provenance:

The Emilio Cruz papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Patricia Cruz, Emilio Cruz's widow, in 2016.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Use of electronic records with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.

Rights:

The donor has retained all intellectual property rights, including copyright, that she may own, in the following material: Emilio Cruz's unpublished short stories, poems, plays, and novels.

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:

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

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

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

Topic:

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Art -- Philosophy  Search this

Cuban American artists  Search this

African American artists  Search this

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Photographs

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Citation:

Emilio Cruz papers, 1961-2008. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.cruzemil

See more items in:

Emilio Cruz papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-cruzemil

Creator:

Dowd, William R.  Search this

Extent:

33 Cubic feet (81 boxes, 7 map folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Business records

Design drawings

Date:

1949-1997

Scope and Contents:

The collection documents Dowd's career as a maker and scholar of harpsichords through correspondence, photographs, drawings, notes, and financial materials. The collection contains templates and drawings for harpsichords built or restored by Dowd. The collection also documents the activities of small business and its owner in Boston from 1959-1988.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into ten series.

Series 1: William Dowd (Boston Office), 1958-1993

Subseries 1.1: Background Matreials, 1965-1993

Subseries 1.2: Desk Calendars, 1982-1989

Subseries 1.3: Wall Calendars, 1964-1985

Subseries 1.4: Address Books, undated

Subseries 1.5: Telephone Logs, 1985-1988

Subseries 1.6: Catalogs, 1962-1988

Subseries 1.7: Shop Books, 1949-1986

Subseries 1.8: Maintenance, 1981-1993

Series 2: General Files, 1949-1993

Series 3: Design Notes and Drawings, 1952-1990

Subseries 3.1: Drawings, 1952-1990

Subseries 3.2: Design Notes, 1959-1987

Series 4: Suppliers/Services, 1958-1988

Series 5: Owner's Files, 1960s-1980s

Subseries 5.1: Owners Files (alphabetical)

Subseries 5.2: Former Owners (alphabetical)

Series 6: Antique Files, 1949-1979

Series 7: Financial Records, 1961-1987

Series 8: Photographs, 1949-1988

Series 9: Publications, 1969-1994

Series 10: William Dowd (Paris Office), 1971-1985

Series 11: Newspaper Clippings, 1949-1993

Biographical / Historical:

William Richmond Dowd (1922–2008) was an American harpsichord maker. Dowd graduated from Harvard University (1948) and apprenticed with John Challis, a harpsichord maker in Detroit. In 1949, Dowd partnered with Frank Hubbard (1920-1976), a fellow Harvard classmate and harpsichord maker to form Hubbard and Dowd in Boston, operating the Boston School of Harpsichord from 1949-1958. Dowd and Hubbard built harpsichords based on historical principles and dedicated themselves to research and restoration techniques of historical keyboard instruments. The first harpsichords built by Dowd were based on the 1637 Johannes Ruckers single harpsichord. In 1956, Charles Fisher joined the firm as a third partner.

Dowd formed Dowd Harpsichord Shop in 1959, building the Pascal Taskin model of harpsichord. Taskin (1723-1793) was a French harpsichord and piano maker. In 1972, Dowd established an office in Paris in association with Reinhard von Nagel. The Paris office closed in 1985. Dowd closed his workshop in Boston on September 1, 1988 and died in November 1988.

Separated Materials:

The Division of Culture and the Arts contains two harpsichords built by William Dowd. See accessions 1980.0274.1 (Compass: FF - f3. Copy of 1730 Blanchet instrument) and 2009.0229.01 (double manual, serial number 336-75).

Provenance:

The collection was donated by William R. Dowd and Pegram Dowd on June 12, 1997.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

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

Topic:

Musical instrument makers  Search this

Musical instruments  Search this

Harpsichord  Search this

Harpsichord makers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Business records

Design drawings

Citation:

Dowd Harpsichord Collection, 1949-1997, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0593

See more items in:

Dowd Harpsichord Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0593