The Frederick Stuart Church letters and art work date from circa 1892-circa 1923 and measure 0.5 linear feet. The collection includes illustrated letters, all but three of which are written to Emma Louise Klots, regarding Church's daily activities and his paintings, as well as artwork by Church including etchings and reproductions of Church's paintings, some of which are printed as photogravures.
Scope and Contents:
The Frederick Stuart Church letters and art work date from circa 1892-circa 1923 and measure 0.5 linear feet. The collection includes illustrated letters, all but three of which are written to Emma Louise Klots, regarding Church's daily activities and his paintings, as well as artwork by Church including etchings and reproductions of Church's paintings, some of which are printed as photogravures.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as two series:
Series 1: Letters, circa 1892-circa 1923 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 2: Artwork and Reproductions, circa 1892-circa 1923 (Box 2; 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Frederick Stuart Church (1842-1924) was a painter, etcher, and illustrator in New York, New York, who specialized in animals. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Church studied in New York City at the National Academy of Design and joined the Art Students League. By the 1870s he had a reputation as a gifted illustrator and worked for many magazines including various Harper's publications. He was most well known for his depictions of animals, and his paintings were purchased by leading art collectors of the day, including Charles Lang Freer, Henry Clay Frick, and Potter Palmer. Emma Louise Klots was a patron of Church.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Frederick Stuart Church collection, circa 1885-1905, a small collection of letters from Church to various people.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art in 1990 by Thomas Rothwell, whose mother was Emma Louise Klots's niece.
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:
Illustrators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Etchers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Animal painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
This small collection of items of New York painter Frederick Stuart Church, measures 0.1 linear feet and dates from circa 1895-1905. It includes letters, some illustrated, from Church to various people, a sketch, and a photograph of one of Church's paintings.
Scope and Contents:
This small collection of items of New York painter Frederick Stuart Church, measures 0.1 linear feet and dates from circa 1895-1905. It includes letters, some illustrated, from Church to various people, a sketch, and a photograph of one of Church's paintings.
Letters include three illustrated letters to Mike Gavin, in which Church describes himself as a bear and humorously addresses one letter to "Myrtle"; a letter to Mr. Hogan regarding an etching that Church made for him; an illustrated letter to W. F. Price; a letter to Mr. Putnam regarding Kenyon Cox; a letter to Mr. Van Allen regarding a work of art by Church that he suggested calling "Easter Morning"; a letter to an unidentified recipient regarding a female model; an illustrated note to an unknown recipient in which Church writes "This is a photo of a painting I gave to the Fund for relief of discharged employees of the Stock Exchange" with a photograph enclosed of the painting Mothers Return; and a signed sketch of a tiger by Church.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Frederick Stuart Church (1842-1924) was a painter, etcher, and illustrator in New York, New York, who specialized in animals.
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Church studied in New York City at the National Academy of Design and joined the Art Students League. By the 1870s he had a reputation as a gifted illustrator and worked for many magazines including various Harper's publications. He was most well-known for his depictions of animals, and his paintings were purchased by leading art collectors of the day, including Charles Lang Freer, Henry Clay Frick, and Potter Palmer.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Frederick Stuart Church letters and art work, circa 1892-circa 1923.
Provenance:
The collection is a combination of six gifts to the Archives of American Art: a letter was donated by Nina and Victor Spark; letters were donated 1955-1962 by Charles E. Feinberg; a note and a photo were donated in 1966 by Cummer Gallery of Art, Jacksonville, Florida, having received it from "a lady in Jacksonville"; the letter to Mr. Van Allen was donated in 1960 by the Flint Art Museum; and the letters to Michael Gavin were donated in 2012 by Ann Gavin Ffolliott, Michael Gavin's great-niece. The donor of the tiger sketch is unknown.
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:
Illustrators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Etchers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Animal painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Citation:
Frederick Stuart Church papers, circa 1895-1905. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The scattered papers of painter and graphic artist Elisabeth Rungius Fulda measure 0.9 linear feet and date from 1893 to 1968. Found are artworks, biographical material, correspondence, personal business records and legal documents, photographs of Fulda and of works of art, and writings by Fulda. Also found are records regarding the Society of Animal Artists.
Scope and Contents:
The scattered papers of painter and graphic artist Elisabeth Rungius Fulda measure 0.9 linear feet and date from 1893 to 1968. Found are artworks, biographical material, correspondence, personal business records and legal documents, photographs of Fulda and of works of art, and writings by Fulda. Also found are records regarding the Society of Animal Artists.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Elisabeth Rungius Fulda (1879-1968) was a painter and graphic artist active in New York City, New York. She is known for her paintings of animals.
Elisabeth Rungius was born outside of Berlin, Germany in 1879. She learned drawing from her brother, Carl Rungius, early in her life. She came to the United States and settled in New York City in 1905 where she studied at the Cooper Union. She stopped painting upon her marriage to Dr. Carl Fulda with whom she had a daughter, Irene. Elisabeth and Carl divorced in 1916.
Fulda returned to art and produced works for the American Museum of Natural History and the New York Zoological Park. She was an active member of the Association of Women Artists and was a founder of the Society of Animal Painters.
Separated Materials:
Photographs of watercolor renderings from the Federal Art Project by Elisabeth Fulda on reel N695, frames 14-56, were returned after microfilming and are not described in the collection container listing.
Provenance:
Material on reels N695, 2812, and 3482 was donated to the Archives of American Art in 1966 by Elisabeth Rungius Fulda. Material on reel 101 was donated by Ruth Mooney, a friend of Fulda's.
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:
Animal painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Graphic artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Photocopy of a letter to J. L. Alden, dated January 27, 1841, expressing concern about a remittance due Audubon. Audubon asks that Alden write and remit the money on receipt of the letter and sends his good wishes for Alden and his family, and kindest remembrances for Captain Crocker, his lady, and Mr. Page. Also included is a typescript of the letter.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, illustrator, ornithologist and naturalist; New York.
Provenance:
Donated 1954 by Miss Mabel Zahn.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The Carl Rungius papers, 1896-1995, measure 0.6 linear feet. A scrapbook and three photograph albums document the work, interests, and family of the wildlife painter and illustrator.
Scope and Contents note:
The Carl Rungius papers, 1896-1995, measure 0.6 linear feet. A scrapbook and three photograph albums work, interests, and family of the wildlife painter and illustrator.
The scrapbook contains mostly printed material and reproductions of Rungius's work. In addition, there is a photograph of a painting and a letter reporting that his ashes had been spread in Banff, Canada.
Three family photograph albums include photographs of Carl Rungius and other family members (mainly Fuldas, since Rungius's mother, his wife, and a sister's husband were Fuldas), along with some travel pictures, views of studios and family houses. Volume 3 also contains a fair amount of printed material such as Rungius's Christmas cards featuring reproductions of his paintings, clippings, an exhibition catalog, and an illustrated brochure announcing the publication of new etchings.
Also found are three illustrated postcards from Lise. Printed material consists of an article about Carl Rungius and periodicals about hiking and trail riding in the Canadian Rockies.
Arrangement note:
The collection is arranged as 4 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Illustrated Postcards from Lise, 1908 (Box 1; 1 folder)
Series 2: Printed Material, 1935-1938, 1985 (Box 1; 1 folder)
Series 3: Scrapbook, 1921-1986 (Bound volume 2; 0.1 linear ft.)
Series 4: Photographs, 1896-1995 (Box 1; 0.3 linear ft.)
Biographical/Historical note:
Carl Rungius (1869-1959) was a painter and illustrator of wildlife in New York, N.Y., the Western U.S. and Banff, Alberta, Canada.
From an early age Rungius enjoyed hunting and wanted to be an artist. Between 1888 and 1890 he was enrolled at the Berlin Academy of Art in his native city, but the curriculum did not suit his interests. He spent much of his free time at the Berlin Zoo studying and sketching animals, and often visited a glue factory that afforded opportunities to observe animal anatomy.
In 1894 an uncle invited Rungius to visit him in Maine and hunt moose. The following summer Rungius stalked game in Wyoming where the variety and abundance of wildlife and the dramatic western landscape greatly impressed him. Rungius immigrated to the United States in 1896.
Growing concern about native animal populations and a conservation movement aided by the efforts of President Theodore Roosevelt generated many books, magazines, and other publications which Rungius frequently received commissions to illustrate. He ceased illustration work around 1909 to devote himself to easel painting. Rungius first visited the Canadian Rockies in 1910 and so enjoyed painting and hunting there that eventually he built a studio in Banff, where he worked each April through October from 1921 until his death in 1959.
Related Archival Materials note:
Also at the Archives of American Art are the Elisabeth Rungius Fulda papers, 1895-1967, that contain information about her brother Carl Rungius, including: a photograph of Elisabeth Fulda and Carl Rungius, letters from Rungius to his sister concerning her art studies and his own training, his will and letters about his death, and letters from the Glenbow Foundation about an exhibition of Rungius's drawings (microfilm reels 101, 2812, N695, and 3482).
An interview with Carl Rungius conducted by DeWitt McClellan Lockman is part of Interviews of artists and architects associated with the National Academy of Design.
Rungius's estate, including personal papers and the contents of his studios in Banff and New York, were purchased for the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, by its founder, Eric Harvie.
Provenance:
Donated in 2011 by Ruth Fulda Wacker, niece of Carl Rungius, via Robert A. Brady, executor of her estate.
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.
Topic:
Animal painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The papers of wildlife illustrator, painter, and cartoonist Paul Bransom measure 10.1 linear feet and date from 1862 to 1985. Almost half of the collection is comprised of Bransom's correspondence, which is particularly rich in documenting his early career as an illustrator, and his relationships with authors, art editors, and publishers from the 1900s to the 1940s. Correspondence also contains a wealth of cards, many of which bear reproductions or original artwork by his many artist friends. Also found in the papers are biographical essays, certificates and awards, memorabilia, writings and notes, business files, bibliographies, an artwork inventory, exhibition catalogs, clippings, printed illustrations, pamphlets, photographs, scrapbooks, and original artwork.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of wildlife illustrator, painter, and cartoonist Paul Bransom measure 10.1 linear feet and date from 1862 to 1985. Almost half of the collection is comprised of personal and professional correspondence. Also found in the papers are biographical essays, certificates and awards, memorabilia, writings and notes, business files, bibliographies, an artwork inventory, exhibition catalogs, clippings, printed illustrations, pamphlets, photographs, scrapbooks, and original artwork.
The correspondence is particularly rich in documenting Bransom's early career as an illustrator, and his relationships with authors, art editors, and publishers from the 1900s to the 1940s. Correspondence also contains a wealth of cards, many of which bear reproductions or original artwork by his many artist friends. Correspondence often bears notes made by Bransom about the correspondent. Further documentation of Bransom's career is found in Notes and Writings, including narrative writings and lists of artwork and contacts; and in Personal Business Records, which contain records of transactions with various clients and galleries, as well as bibliographies of works illustrated by Bransom, and an art inventory created posthumously by Mario Cesar Romero.
Printed materials include exhibition records, which are often annotated, and copies of Bransom's illustrations and cartoons as they appeared in print. Also found are clippings about Bransom and other artists he knew; newsletters, pamphlets, and other materials related to organizations with which he was involved; and a copy of his book on animal drawing technique. Photographs depict Bransom, his childhood and family, homes and studios, friends, travels, and other events. Many of the photographs bear identifications by Bransom. The collection has a voluminous Artwork series, which includes two sketchbooks and hundreds of original sketches, drawings, and designs by Bransom, as well as a series of prints and original artwork by others.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 8 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1862-1979 (Box 1, OV 12; 6 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1903-1984 (Box 1-5; 4.5 linear feet)
Series 3: Notes and Writings, circa 1927-1973 (Box 5, OV 12; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1912-1981 (Box 5; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 5: Printed Materials, circa 1905-1985 (Boxes 6-7, OV 12; 1.5 linear feet)
Series 6: Photographs, circa 1885-1976(Boxes 7-8, 10; 1.3 linear feet)
Series 7: Scrapbooks, circa 1880s-1970s(Boxes 8 and 11; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 8: Artwork, 1903-1976 (Boxes 8-9, OV 13-22; 1.7 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Wildlife illustrator, painter, and cartoonist Paul Bransom was born in 1885 in Washington, D.C., and grew up sketching animals in his yard and at the National Zoo. He began work as a draftsman for the U.S. Patent Office at age 13, and went on to produce technical drawings for the Southern Railroad Co. and General Electric. He moved to New York City in 1903 and worked for the New York Evening Journal from 1904 to 1907, where he produced the comic "News from Bugville" and other cartoons. During this time, he befriended several New York artists in the cartoon trade, including James Swinnerton, Charles Sarka, T.S. Sullivant, Walt Kuhn, Rudy Dirks, and Gus Mager. He was a member of the Kit Kat Club and joined in their sketch classes and annual skelters. He sketched frequently at the New York Zoological Park, and was eventually invited by the director to use a room in the lion house as his studio. He married Grace Bond, an actress, in 1906.
Bransom's break as an illustrator came from art editor George Horace Lorimer of the Saturday Evening Post, who bought several of his drawings for Post covers around 1907. Bransom began illustrating animal stories regularly in magazines such as Delineator, Country Gentleman, An American Boy, Good Housekeeping, and Ladies Home Journal. In 1912, he illustrated a special edition Jack London's Call of the Wild, and soon after that, the first illustrated edition of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. During his career, Bransom illustrated 45 books and was a regular contributor to 35 magazines, illustrating works by popular writers such as Albert Payson Terhune, J. Frank Dobie, and Emma-Lindsay Squier. He also created animal scenes for advertisements.
In 1917, Bransom built a studio on Canada Lake, NY, in the Adirondacks and he and his wife split their time between the Canada Lake home and a winter apartment on 67th Street in New York City. In 1949, he bought a second summer home near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in what is now the Grand Teton National Forest. In Wyoming, Bransom hosted artist friends and taught outdoor classes for the Teton Artists Associated until 1962, when his health forced him from the high altitudes back to Canada Lake, NY.
Bransom held his first solo exhibition in 1925 at Arden Gallery in New York City, and had at least 18 solo exhibitions around the country throughout his life, including at the Warren E. Cox Gallery (1929), Charles Scribner's Gallery (1935), the New York Zoological Park (1942), the Society of Illustrators (1942), the Denver Museum (1950), and the Woodmere Gallery in Philadelphia (1963). He often exhibited in the annual group exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists, a group he co-founded in 1960 and served as its second president, from 1968 until his death. Bransom was also a member of the American Watercolor Society, the American Artists' Professional League, the Salmagundi Club, the Dutch Treat Club, and the Boone and Crockett Club. In 1974 Bransom was granted an honorary Doctor of Art degree from Weber State College in Ogden, Utah. In 1975 he won the Benjamin West Clinedinst Memorial Medal for Distinguished Achievement in Painting.
Paul Bransom died in 1979 at the age of 94.
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art holds the Helen Ireland Hays papers related to Paul Bransom, which contains 36 audio cassette recordings of Hays interviewing Bransom, among other materials. The Special Collections Division of the Stewart Library at Weber State College in Ogden, Utah holds the Paul Bransom Collection, a collection containing artwork, books from Bransom's personal library, manuscript material and photographs donated by Bransom in 1972 and 1974.
Separated Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of 17 items lent for microfilming (reel D254). Some of this material was later donated to the Archives, portions of which were then transferred to the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library and are available in their vertical file on Bransom. Loaned material is not described in this finding aid.
Provenance:
The material on reel D254 was lent for microfilming in 1966, portions of which were subsequently donated along with additional papers by Bransom between 1972 and 1975, and by his nephew's wife, Althea Bond, in 1980. Mario Cesar Romero, identified by an AAA collector as the "Curator of the Bransom collection" and creator of an inventory of Bransom's artwork, donated additional materials to the Archives in 1983 and 1986, including printed materials, photographs, correspondence, records from the artwork inventory project, and scrapbooks. In 1985, James Zayicek donated 11 sketches and eight greeting cards via Helen Ireland Hays, a writer and a noted friend of Bransom's.
Restrictions:
The bulk of the collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not digitized 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.
