Biographical material, extensive diaries, correspondence, notes, writings, business records, sketchbooks and drawings, project files, scrapbooks, printed materials, photographs and slides, motion picture film, and videotape relating to Weem's education and career as a sculptor. Also included are ca. 1 foot of papers of Weems' aunt, watercolorist Katharine Ward Lane (1862-1893), including letters, diaries, sketchbooks and photographs.
REEL 724: Biographical sketch, 1974; letters from Frederic Bartlett, George Demetrios, Walker Hancock, Leon Kroll, Lee Lawrie, Moissaye Marans, Adolph Alexander Weinman, and others; four sketchbooks, 1954-1965, containing pencil drawings of animals; a scrapbook of clippings, 1924-1941; and printed material.
UNMICROFILMED: Biographical material includes sketches and documents, and biographical information on Weems grandfather, Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve, and father, Gardiner Lane. Diaries (74 v.), 1906-1983, contain entries relating to art studies and her development as a sculptor; some include clippings and photographs. Correspondence, 1898-1989, includes letters from Gifford Beal, Margaret French Cresson, Charles Grafly, John Gregory, Walker Hancock, Malvina Hoffman, Anna Hyatt-Huntington, Paul Manship, Brenda Putnam, Gurdon Tarbox, and Adolph Weinman, discussing Weems' work and participation in various sculpture organizations. There are four notebooks on art history; recipes for clay and plaster; notes on patinas for bronze; lecture notes; lists of Weems' works and exhibitions; an exhibition guest book, 1931-1957; poems, 1933-1981; invoices and receipts, 1919-1981; copyright records, 1928-1978; and art work, including 15 v. of sketchbooks, 1913-1964, drawings and tracings of animal figures. and a copper printing plate mounted on a wood block.
Fourteen project files contain letters, drawings, photographs, and printed material on: an enlarging machine, the Saltus Medal for Merit, the frieze and Rhinoceros sculpture for the Biological Laboratories at Harvard, 1930-1942, including 7 reels of 16mm motion picture film (with script transferred to VHS), the Lotta Fountain, 1939-1974, Legion of Merit Medal, 1949-1952, War Department project, 1946, Goodwin Medal, 1949-1952, Wallace Goodrich Plaque, 1954, Hospital Teaching Clinic, 1955, Boston Museum of Science, 1964-1965, "Dolphins by the Sea" for the New England Aquarium, 1969-1979, Heredities Limited, 1971-1974, and the Museum School, 1977.
Included are two scrapbooks, one of clippings about the work of other artists and one containing poems, clippings of landscapes, animals, works by others, and autographed photographs of actresses Katharine Cornell and Anna May Wong and sculptor Brenda Putnam. Printed material includes clippings, 1911-1989; exhibition announcements and catalogs, 1922-1981; bulletins, programs, brochures on artists, organizations, Brookgreen Gardens, and supplies; reproductions of art works, and the books, Odds Were Against Me (1985, Weems autobiography, and Enrique Monjo (1955), inscribed by Mongo.
Photographs and slides, 1902-1988, are of Weems, family members, artists Charles Grafly, Walker Hancock, and Anna Hyatt-Huntington, Weems' house "The Chimneys," her studio, gardens, animals, works of art by Weems and others, exhibit installations, and views of New York City, Washington, D.C., Monticello, the University of Virginia, and Brookgreen Gardens. Nine albums, 1920-1980, contain photographs of an art class, Weems in her studio, her home, her friends, scenic views, and works of art. Videos and film include a videotape (5 min., U-matic) of an interview of Weems; a film, "From Clay to Bronze," showing the creation of Weems' sculpture "Dark Warrier" (transferred to VHS); motion picture film of the making of the sculpture "Rhinoceros" (transferred to digital betacam, VHS and DVD), and a home movie of a day at the beach, circa 1935.
The papers' of Weems' aunt, Katharine "Kitty" Ward Lane (d. 1893), include Lane's letters, 1898-1893, to her brother (Weems' father) and to other family members; a travel diary from Germany, 1886; notes; financial records, 1891-1892; 10 sketchbooks; printed material; and photographs, 1865-1893, of Lane, early views of Saranac Lake, and 9 views of the Columbia Exposition, 1893.
Biographical / Historical:
Sculptor; Boston, Mass. Died 1989. Specialized in animal sculpture. Studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston under Charles Grafly, Anna Hyatt-Huntington, George Demetrios, and Brenda Putnam. She married F. Carrington Weems in 1947. Named after her aunt, watercolor painter Katharine Ward Lane, who died in 1893.
Provenance:
Material on reel 724 lent for microfilming by Weems, 1974. The four sketchbooks on reel 724 were subsequently donated in 1989. Unmicrofilmed papers were donated 1975 and 1982 by Weems, and in 1989 by her estate. Eighteen diaries (1961-1965, 1967-1976 [1969 not included], 1978, and 1981-1983) and an apppointment book for 1966 donated by the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe College, 1991.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Animal sculptors -- Massachusetts -- Boston Search this
Biographical material, financial material, correspondence, notes, writings, art work, photographs, printed material, and project files document the career of sculptor and educator, Heinz Warneke. Also included are some writings, art work, photographs, and printed material related to his wife, Jessie Warneke.
Biographical materials include autobiographical and biographical sketches about Warneke, and certificates, including his membership card to the Kunstler-Bund-Bremen, 1922-1923; personal financial materials, ca. 1931-1937, include household records for his East Haddam, Connecticut home, "The Mowings."
Correspondence, 1930-1987, with his wife, Jessie, friends, colleagues, clients, gallery owners, museum and art school administrators, various art guilds and societies, and foundries. Among the correspondents are Edmund (Ned) Archer, William Hunt Diederich, Walker Hancock, Dick and Julia Helms, Inslee A. Hopper, Rena T. Magee, Jessalee Sickman, Henry Vam Wolf, and Carl Zigrosser. The correspondence discusses exhibitions and sales of Warneke's sculptures, the Corcoran School of Art, and invitations to various White House and Embassy functions in Washington, D.C. Also included are illustrated letters from Henry Kriess and Jessie Warneke.
Notes are by Heinz Warneke, ca. 1928-1979, and others and include 5 address books, 2 notebooks, one regarding the Warneke School of Sculpture, ca. 1935-1937, scattered notes regarding Warneke's sculpture classes at the Corcoran School of Art, ca. 1950-1963, his formulas and processes for sculpting, and price lists for his art works. Notes by ohters include a guest book from the exhibition, "Heinz Warneke Looks Back," 1967 and research notes by Mary Mullen Cunningham, undated. Writings, ca. 1923-1977, by Heinz Warneke and others, include lectures, forewords to exhibition catalogs, and a statement of "Opinion regarding the Philosophy of the Corcoran School of Art and the Direction it should take."
Art works, ca. 1929-1932, include 2 sketchbooks, studies of figures, animals, and plant life, watercolors, several chalk sketches for a work possibly depiction life at "The Mowings," by Warneke, several sketches by Jessie Warneke, an etching, and three engravings by others. Photographs, ca. 1918-1983, are of Heinz, family and friends including Edmund Archer, Inslee Hopper, Roderick Seidenberg, Carl Zigrosser, his pet dogs, his homes and studios in Connecticut, New York, and Washington, D.C., students, travels, art works by Heinz and Jessie, exhibition installations, and source material.
Printed material include exhibition announcements and catalogs and clippings, and other materials for Heinz, Jessie, and others, ca. 1923-1981. There is a file regarding Warneke's participation on the jury for the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Committee, 1939-1940, and circa 136 project files for completed and proposed sculpture works for public and private commissions which include various works for the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., an African cow elephant and calf for the Philadelphia Zoo, the Nittany Lion for Pennsylvania State University, and several Works Project Authority (WPA), and other federal projects, ca., 1911-1971.
Biographical / Historical:
Heinz Warneke (1895-1983) was a sculptor, animal sculptor and educator in East Haddam, Connecticut. Born and trained in Germany, Warneke worked on sculpture projects for WPA and was the head of the sculpture department at the Corcoran School of Art from the early 1940's to 1970.
Related Materials:
Heinz Warneke papers also at Syracuse University.
Provenance:
Donated 1977 by Warneke, and in 1983-1984, and 1994 by his stepdaughter and executrix of his estate, Priscilla Norton. The 1994 installment had been used by Micky Cunningham in her book, "Heinz Warneke, 1895-1983: A Sculptor First and Last" (University of Delaware Press, 1994). Additional photograph of Warneke by his stepson Edward Hall transferred 2013 from SAAM via George Gurney, Curator. Gurney received the photograph from Priscilla Norton.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Animal sculptors -- Connecticut -- East Haddam Search this
Sculptors -- Connecticut -- East Haddam Search this
The scattered papers of sculptor Anna Hyatt-Huntington measure 0.7 linear feet and date from 1902 to 1965. Found are business records, correspondence, photographs of Hyatt-Huntington and works of art, printed material, a project file for El Cid (1962), and writings by others on Hyatt-Huntington.
Scope and Contents:
The scattered papers of sculptor Anna Hyatt-Huntington measure 0.7 linear feet and date from 1902 to 1965. Found are business records, correspondence, photographs of Hyatt-Huntington and works of art, printed material, a project file for El Cid (1962), and writings by others on Hyatt-Huntington.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Anna Hyatt-Huntington (1876-1973) was a sculptor in New York City, New York. She is known for large-scale statues of animals, particularly horses.
Provenance:
A portion of the papers was donated in 1976 by A. Hyatt Mayor; additional material was transferred by the National Collection of Fine Arts Library to the Archives of American Art in 1979.
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:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Animal sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Anna Hyatt-Huntington, circa 1964. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of Una Hanbury measure 5.3 linear feet and date from 1910 to 1994, with the bulk of the material from 1966 to 1990. The collection documents the sculptor's career and the dispersal of her estate through business records, project files, subject files, printed material, and photographs. There is also a small amount of material relating to her personal life including correspondence with friends and family and photographs from various stages of her life.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Una Hanbury measure 5.3 linear feet and date from 1910 to 1994, with the bulk of the material from 1966 to 1990. The collection documents the sculptor's career and the dispersal of her estate through business records, project files, subject files, printed material, and photographs. There is also a small amount of material relating to her personal life including correspondence with friends and family and photographs from various stages of her life.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into seven series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Personal Papers, 1926-1983 (Box 1; 4 folders)
Series 2: Business Records, 1965-1991 (Boxes 1-2; 1.2 linear feet)
Series 3: Project Files, 1961-1992 (Boxes 2-3; 1.8 linear feet)
Series 4: Subject Files, circa 1924-1985 (Box 4, OV 7; 1.0 linear feet)
Series 5: Estate of Una Hanbury, 1990-1994 (Boxes 4-5; 0.6 linear feet)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1926-1990 (Box 5; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 7: Photographs, 1910-1991 (Boxes 5-6, 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Una Hanbury (1904-1990) was a sculptor in Washington, D.C. and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hanbury was born in Middlesex, England, in 1904; the incorrect birth date of 1909 that she submitted to Who's Who and other biographical reference sources is cited in numerous published articles. Hanbury [née Rawnsley] exhibited artistic talent as a young child and received instruction from animal artist Frank Calderon. After graduation from London's Polytechnic School of Art, she studied for three years at the Royal Academy. Jacob Epstein was her most influential teacher.
Soon after completing her formal education, Una Rawnsley became Una Hanbury and devoted herself full-time to being a wife and mother. During World War II she left England for Bermuda and brought her family to the United States once the war was over. Hanbury settled in Washington, D.C., where she resumed her sculpting career, completing many large scale commissions for public buildings such as the Medical Examiners Building, Baltimore, and St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Springfield, Virginia, among others. She developed a fine reputation as a portrait sculptor, and commissions included busts of Rachel Carson, Enrico Fermi, Buckminster Fuller, Laura Gilpin, Richard Neutra, Georgia O'Keeffe, Robert Oppenheimer, S. Dillon Ripley, and Andrés Segovia. In addition, animals--particularly horses--were a favorite subject since childhood; sculptures were commissioned by several zoos, and horse portraits often were commissioned by owners.
In 1970, Una Hanbury relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she continued working well into old age and became a significant force in the art life of that region.
Provenance:
The Una Hanbury papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by the artist's daughter, Jillian Poole, in 1999 and 2006.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Valerie Harrisse Walter. Valerie Harrisse Walter essay A gorilla, 1924. Valerie Harrisse Walter papers, 1911-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Cornelia Chapin working on a sculpture of a pelican in Paris, circa 1936. Marion Sanford and Cornelia Chapin papers, 1929-1988. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
A workman applying clay to the open-weave slat armature of Katharine Lane Weems' Rhinoceros sculpture for the Biological Laboratories at Harvard, circa 1935. Katharine Lane Weems papers, 1865-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Boris Gilbertson, 1964 June 25. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The photographic materials of equestrian sculptor, Amory C. Simons, measure 0.7 linear feet and date from circa 1910 to circa 1984, with the bulk of the material dating from circa 1910 to circa 1920s. The collection includes four letters to Simons, photographic prints, negatives, and glass plate negatives of horses and riders including New York City police and mounted models, and other miscellaneous subjects.
Scope and Contents:
The photographic materials of equestrian sculptor, Amory C. Simons, measure 0.7 linear feet and date from circa 1910 to circa 1984, with the bulk of the material dating from circa 1910 to circa 1920s. The collection includes four letters to Simons, photographic prints, negatives, and glass plate negatives of horses and riders including New York City police and mounted models, and other miscellaneous subjects.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as one series.
Series 1: Amory C. Simons Photographic Materials, circa 1910-circa 1984 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Biographical / Historical:
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, sculptor and educator Amory Coffin Simons (1869-1959), was known for his animal statuettes, and for his equestrian sculpture in particular.
Simons studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts under John J. Boyle, Charles Grafly, and Thomas Eakins, before moving to Paris and studying at the Académie Julian where he was awarded honorable mention in the 1900 and 1906 Paris Salons. He also received the 1922 Speyer Prize in the annual exhibition at the National Academy of Design in addition to other honors.
Simons moved to Santa Barbara, California, where he taught at the Santa Barbara School of the Arts beginning in the 1920s. He died in California in 1959.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also has the Amory C. Simons papers, ca. 1890-1934. This collection comprises 0.2 linear feet of materials related to Simons's activities as a student and sculptor in Paris.
Provenance:
The collection was a 1968 gift of Mrs. Paul Fitchen, Chester Beach's daughter, who found the papers in her basement. Beach and Simons were close friends.
Restrictions:
Use of 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.
Family letters and get well cards; Callender's passport, address book and "marriage" record book; FUN TOMORROW: THE STORY OF AN ARTIST AND AN ARTIST'S WAY OF LIFE, a biography of Callender by her husband, Harold Callender, 1953; personal photographs and photographs of works of art; a volume of poetry; a clipping; and a receipt.
Biographical / Historical:
Sculptor.
Provenance:
Transfer from the National Collection of Fine Arts, June 6, 1979.
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.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Animal sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Roth, Frederick George Richard, 1872-1944 Search this
Extent:
0.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1910-1937
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor Frederick George Richard Roth measure 0.8 linear feet and date from 1910-1937. Included are biographical information consisting of club and society membership information and award letters, professional correspondence, financial records, writings including manuscripts and lectures, and annotated sculpture elevations.
Biographical / Historical:
Frederick G. Roth (1872-1944) was a sculptor, specializing in animal sculpture, in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Provenance:
Donated 2018 by Mary Castner, Frederick Roth's daughter.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Occupation:
Animal sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
1.2 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 1 reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1897-1971
Scope and Contents:
Letters, photographs, sketches, printed material and miscellany.
REEL 74: Photocopies of letters received commenting on specific sculptures and discussing such matters as exhibitions of his work and the theft of several of his sculptures from an art gallery. Includes letters from James Earle Fraser and his wife, Laura G. Fraser, David French of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as Mrs. Albert Laessle's correspondence with the National Collection of Fine Arts. Also included are copies of sketches, biographical data, D. Roy Miller's article about Laessle entitled "A Sculptor of Animal Life," and clippings.
UNMICROFILMED: Correspondence from colleagues, patrons and students; photographs of Laessle's work as a student and sculptor, clippings, and articles. Among the photos are one of him with a penguin sculpture taken by Vivian Chappel, 1917, and a group photo of Laessle, Charles Grafly, E. Boutier, and Victor Hugo Zoll in front of a sculpture, 1904. [Copyprints of these 2 photographs were microfilmed on reel 1817 with AAA's Photographs of Artists-Collection II].
Biographical / Historical:
Animal sculptor; Miami, Fla.
Provenance:
Donated 1971-1972 by Laessle's widow.
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.
Material relating to Simons' activities as student and sculptor in Paris, and later as instructor in California, including: receipt for tuition payment at Academie Julian, Paris; membership card to the American Art Association of Paris; letters from John Flanagan, Paul Wayland Bartlett, his cousin A. Felix Du Pont, Santa Barbara School of the Arts, and others; and photographs of Simons and his sculpture.
Biographical / Historical:
Animal sculptor, equestrian sculptor.
Provenance:
Donated 1978 and 1979 by Douglas Hyland. Hyland's wife is a distant relative of Simons.
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.
Letters are written primarily by Solon Borglum and his wife, Emma to Harriet Collins Allen. The letters were written from Omaha, London, Paris, and New York and provide a cursory overview of some of the events in Borglum's career and insights into his relationship with his older brother sculptor Gutzon Borglum. Borglum writes about meeting and working with other sculptors in Paris and New York, including Alexander Phimister Proctor, described as "the best American animal sculptor" in the Jardin des Plantes. Solon's wife writes about conflicts between the two brothers and exhibitions of Solon's work. There is a letter from Borglum's father, James Mothe Borglum, thanking the Allens for their interest in Solon. One letter contains a photograph of Borglum in Paris. One letter and two postcards are illustrated.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. research facility.
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:
Harriet Collins Allen papers relating to Solon Borglum, 1897-1925. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of sculptor, painter, and writer Marta Adams measure 4.2 linear feet, and date from circa 1914 to circa 1991. In 1935, Adams made her first visit to Mexico, and began spending more time there than in the United States. There, she met Diego Rivera who stimulated her interest in oil painting. In 1952 she moved to Mexico permanently. Found within are biographical materials, correspondence, writings and notes, legal and estate papers, printed materials, photographic material, one mixed-media scrapbook, and artwork, including three portfolios of lithographs, 30 Grabados de Galo Galecio,1946, containing 30 engraving prints by Galecio and Estampas de la Revolucion Mexicana, 1947, containing 85 engraving prints by 16 artists of the Taller de Gracia Popular, and Drawings: Seymour Swetzoff, 1949.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor, painter, and writer Marta Adams measure 4.2 linear feet, and date from circa 1914 to circa 1991. Found within are biographical materials, correspondence, writings and notes, legal and estate papers, printed materials, photographic material, one mixed-media scrapbook, and artwork, including three portfolios of lithographs, 30 Grabados de Galo Galecio,1946, containing 30 engraving prints by Galecio and Estampas de la Revolucion Mexicana, 1947, containing 85 engraving prints by 16 artists of the Taller de Gracia Popular, and Drawings: Seymour Swetzoff, 1949. .
Biographical material includes address books, curriculum vitaes, a passport, awards and certificates, and immigration materials.
Correspondence comprises the bulk of the collection and is primarily personal in nature. Most of the correspondence is between Marta and her daughter Kay Kulmala, though there are several files of a blend of personal and professional correspondence to and from others. Additional correspondents include other family members and friends, as well as the Galerie Günther Franke and Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes. Notable correspondents include Charles L. and Hetty Kuhn, Raquel Jodorowsky, and Kojin Toneyama, among others.
Writings include drafts and manuscripts by Adams, of poetry and children's stories, as well as notes for an unpublished autobiography. Also found are writings about Adams by others.
After Marta Adam's death, her daughter, Kay Kulmala, dealt with her estate by conducting inventories, discussing exhibitions, and facilitating auctions of Adam's artwork, documented via legal and estate papers found within the collection.
Printed materials include clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs,
Photographs are of the artist, friends and family, and artwork. Also included are two family photograph albums. One scrapbook contains letters, notes, drawings, and photographs, and appears to have been created by friends and peers for Adams.
Artwork includes Christmas card designs, sketches and illustrations, and mixed media collages by Marta Adams. Also included are works by others including a signed lithograph by Leopoldo Méndez, and prints by Xavier Guerrero, José Clemente Orozco, Jose Guadalupe Posada, and Alfredo Zalce. There are three limited editions of portfolios of lithographs, 30 Grabados de Galo Galecio,1946, containing 30 engraving prints by Galecio, Estampas de la Revolucion Mexicana, 1947, containing 85 engraving prints by 16 artists of the Taller de Grafica Popular, and Drawings: Seymour Swetzoff, 1949.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 8 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1918-circa 1980 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1, Box 6)
Series 2: Correpsondence, circa 1929-circa 1978 (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1914-circa 1978 (0.1 linear feet; Box 3)
Series 4: Legal and Estate Papers, circa 1963-circa 1991 (0.3 linear feet; Box 3)
Series 5: Printed Materials, circa 1940s-circa 1988 (0.7 linear feet; Box 3)
Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1916-circa 1980s (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 3-6)
Series 7: Scrapbook, circa 1963-circa 1964 (1 folder; Box 5)
Series 8: Artwork, circa 1920s-circa 1978 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 5-6, OV 7)
Biographical / Historical:
Marta Adams (1891 or 1893-1978) was a painter, sculptor, and writer, active in Boston, Massachusetts and Mexico.
Born in Germany in 1891 or 1893, Marta Arnstem immigrated to Massachusetts around 1915, and married Edward Brinley Adams in 1916 who died in 1922. She apprenticed with sculptor Hans Stangl in Munich during the winter of 1925. Before moving back to Cambridge in 1933, Adams showed drawings and sculpture at the Günther Galerie in Munich, and was part of a social circle that included cartoonist Otto Nückl, writer A. M. Frey, and painter Karl Zerbe, among others. Animals were her favorite subject used in most of her artwork, though she also included flowers, and had a series on open-heart surgery. In 1935, Adams made her first visit to Mexico, and began spending more time there than in the United States. There, she met Diego Rivera who stimulated her interest in oil painting. In 1952 she moved to Mexico permanently. She exhibited with the Boris Mirski Gallery in Boston, and had numerous exhibitions in Mexico.
Provenance:
The bulk of Marta Adams papers were donated to the Archives in 1992 by the estate of Katherine Adams Kulmala (Adams's daughter) via Jonathan Strong, executor. In 1992, a sketch and a section of a watercolor were donated to the Archives by Phyllis Hughes, who purchased the artwork at an auction held at the Concord Art Association in Massachusetts.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
