The scattered papers of Australian artist and lecturer Mary Cecil Allen measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1928 to 1970. Found is a copy of Allen's book, The Mirror of the Passing World (1928) and a mixed media scrapbook focusing on Allen's return to Melbourne, Australia. Inserted in the book are a letter to Elisabeth Hooker, and a snapshot of Allen with the painters Henry and Ada Hensche and art shop owner, Will Rogers, in the Hensche's house, Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Scope and Contents:
The scattered papers of Australian-born painter and educator Mary Cecil Allen measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1928 to 1970. Found is a copy of Allen's book, The Mirror of the Passing World (1928) and a mixed media scrapbook focusing on Allen's return to Melbourne, Australia. Inserted in the book are a letter to Elisabeth Hooker, and a snapshot of Allen with the painters Henry and Ada Hensche and art shop owner, Will Rogers, in the Hensche's house, Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Mary Cecil Allen (1893-1962) was a painter and educator in Melbourne, Australia, New York, New York, and Provincetown, Massachusetts who was also known as Cecil Allen and Mary Cecil.
Born in Australia, Allen studied at the National Gallery of Victoria for several years, and briefly at the Slade School in London. In 1927, she accepted an invitation to lecture on art for the People's Institute, sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation. The lectures formed the basis for her two books, The Mirror of the Passing World and Painters of the Modern Mind, and for her successful lifelong career as a lecturer. She returned to Melbourne during 1935-1936, where she lectured on modern art and exhibited her work. From 1950 until her death she split her time between Provincetown, Massachusetts and Australia. She died in Provincetown on April 7, 1962.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art in 1996 by Elisabeth Hooker. Hooker was a friend of Allen's and found the papers among Allen's effects soon after her death.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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:
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Provincetown Search this
Educators -- Massachusetts -- Provincetown Search this
Found is a copy of Allen's book The Mirror of the Passing World (1928). Within the book is a letter to Elisabeth Hooker, 1970, and a snapshot of Allen with the painters Henry and Ada Hensche and art shop owner, Will Rogers, in the Hensche's house in Provincetown, Massachusetts. A mixed media scrapbook contains letters, clippings, lecture announcements, and a portrait of Allen. The scrapbook focuses on Allen's return to Australia in the mid- to late-1930s.
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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:
Mary Cecil Allen papers, 1928-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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:
Mary Cecil Allen papers, 1928-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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:
Mary Cecil Allen papers, 1928-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
The Lena Gurr (1897-1992) papers date from 1908 to 1979 and measure 7.0 linear feet. Gurr was a painter and printmaker who studied under John sloan and Maurice Sterne at the Art Students League between 1920-1922. She also studied in France and married painter and photographer Joseph Biel in 1931. The papers document both Gurr and Biel's careers through correspondence, notes, art work, printed material, scrapbooks, and photographs. The collection offers researchers a valuable resource for studying the New York art community of the pre-war era.
Scope and Content Note:
The Lena Gurr papers date from 1908 to 1979 and measure 7.0 linear feet. The collection presents a good overview of Gurr's career as a painter and printmaker, and her relationship with her husband, painter Joseph Biel. Through biographical material, correspondence, notes, an interview with Lena Gurr, original artwork by Gurr and others, scrapbooks, printed material, photographs of Gurr, family, and friends, and photographs of artwork by Gurr and others, the collection offers researchers a valuable resource for studying the New York art community of the pre-war era.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into eight series. Material within each series is arranged chronologically.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1968, undated (box 1; 1 folder)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1921-1979, undated (boxes 1-4; 3.1 linear ft.)
Series 3: Notes, 1926-1972 (box 4; 4 folders)
Series 4: Interview, 1950 (box 4; 1 folder)
Series 5: Artwork, circa 1908-1951 (box 4; 36 folders)
Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1912-1948 (boxes 4-5, 8-11; 1.45 linear ft.)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1926-1978 (box 5; 21 folders)
Series 8: Photographs, 1912-1978 (boxes 5-7; 1.05 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Born October 27, 1897, in Brooklyn, New York, Lena Gurr was the daughter of Hyman and Ida (Gorodnick) Gurr. She attended the Maxwell Training School for Teachers from 1915 to 1917, then turned her energies toward art. She studied painting and printmaking at the Educational Alliance Art School in 1919, and at the Art Students League (1920-1922), where she was a student of John Sloan and Maurice Stern. She also studied art in Paris, Nice, and Mentone, France. Her first solo exhibition was in 1932 at the Brooklyn Museum.
On November 24, 1931, Gurr married painter and photographer Joseph Biel. He was born October 27, 1891 in Russia, studied at the Russian Academy in Paris, and at the Workman's College, Melbourne, Australia. He also established the first Jewish Library in Melbourne. Upon his arrival in the United States, he studied under George Grosz at the Art Students League. Biel died in April 1943 of a heart ailment.
Provenance:
The Lena Gurr papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Lena Gurr from 1966 to 1979.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Rights:
The Lena Gurr papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
