Search Results

Creator:

Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this

Extent:

131 Linear feet (29 architectural drawings)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Diaries

Financial records

Correspondence

Photographs

Place:

China

Syria

Egypt

India

London (England)

Japan

Boston (Mass.)

Detroit (Mich.)

Washington (D.C.)

Kandy (Sri Lanka)

Sri Lanka

Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka)

Date:

1876-1931

Summary:

The personal papers of Charles Lang Freer, the industrialist and art collector who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. The papers include correspondence, diaries, art inventories, scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeil Whistler and other press clippings, and photographs.

Scope Content:

The personal papers of Charles Lang Freer, the industrialist and art collector who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. The papers include correspondence, diaries, art inventories, scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeil Whistler and other press clippings, financial material, architectural drawings, and photographs.

Correspondence, circa 1860-1921, includes Freer's correspondence, 1876-1920, with artists, dealers, collectors, museums, and public figures; letterpress books contain copies of Freer's outgoing letters, 1892-1910; correspondence collected by Freer of James McNeill Whistler, and his wife Beatrix, 186?-1909, with Lady Colin Campbell, Thomas R. Way, Alexander Reid, Whistler's mother, Mrs. George W. Whistler, and others; correspondence of Whistler collector Richard A. Canfield, 1904-1913, regarding works in Canfield's collection; and correspondence of Freer's assistant, Katharine Nash Rhoades, 1920-1921, soliciting Freer's letters from his associates, and regarding the settlement of his estate.

Also included are twenty-nine pocket diaries, 1889-1890, 1892-1898, 1900-1919, recording daily activities, people and places visited, observations, and comments; a diary kept by Freer's caretaker, Joseph Stephens Warring, recording daily activities at Freer's Detroit home, 1907-1910. Inventories, n.d. and 1901-1921, of American, European, and Asian art in Freer's collection, often including provenance information; vouchers, 1884-1919, documenting his purchases; five volumes of scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeill Whistler, 1888-1931, labeled "Various," "Peacock Room," "Death, etc.," "Paris, etc.," and "Boston...London" ; three volumes of newsclippings, 1900-1930, concerning Freer and the opening of the Freer Gallery of Art.

Correspondence regarding Freer's gift and bequest to the Smithsonian Institution, 1902-1916; and photographs, ca. 1880-1930, of Freer, including portraits by Alvin Langdon Coburn and Edward Steichen, Freer with others, Freer in Cairo, China and Japan, Freer's death mask, and his memorial service, Kyoto, 1930; photographs of artists and others, including Thomas Dewing, Ernest Fenollosa, Katharine Rhoades taken by Alfred Stieglitz, Rosalind B. Philip, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Abbott H. Thayer, Dwight Tryon, and Whistler; and photographs relating to Whistler, including art works depicting him, grave and memorial monuments, works of art, the Peacock Room, and Whistler's memorial exhibition at the Copley Society.

Organization of the Papers:

This collection is organized into twelve series.

Series 1: Genealogical and Biographical Data

Series 2: Correspondence

Series 3: Diaries

Series 4: Freer Colleague Materials

Series 5: Art Inventories

Series 6: Financial Materials

Series 7: Exhibition Loan Files

Series 8: Biblical Manuscripts and Gold Treasure Files

Series 9: American School of Archaeology in China

Series 10: Printed Material

Series 11: Outsize Material

Series 12: Photographs

Biographical Note:

1854 February 25 -- Born in Kingston, New York

1873 -- Appointed accountant and paymaster of New York, Kingston and Syracuse Railroad by Frank J. Hecker (1846-1927)

1876 -- Moves to Indiana to work, with Hecker, for the Detroit and Eel River and Illinois Railroad

1880 -- Moves to Detroit, participates in organization of the Peninsular Car Works with Hecker

1883 -- Becomes vice president and secretary of Peninsular Car Company when it succeeds Peninsular Car Works

1883 -- Begins collecting European prints

1884 -- Peninsular Car Company constructs plant on Ferry Avenue

1887 -- Meets Howard Mansfield (1849-1938)

1887 -- Acquires proofs of 26 etchings, Venice, Second Series(1886), by James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

1887 -- Purchases a small Japanese fan attributed to Ogata Korin(1658-1715)

1887 -- Buys land on Ferry Avenue

1889 -- Meets Frederick Stuart Church (1826-1900) and Dwight William Tryon (1849-1925) in New York

1890 -- Commissions Wilson Eyre (1858-1944) to design house on Ferry Avenue, Detroit, Michigan

1890 -- On first trip to London, meets James McNeill Whistler(1834-1903)

1892 -- Moves to Ferry Avenue house

1892 -- Tryon and Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) undertake decoration of reception rooms

1893 -- Lends American paintings to World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago

1893 -- Purchases first piece of Chinese art, a small painting of white herons by an anonymous Ming dynasty (1368-1644) artist

1894 -- Begins yearlong trip around the world, which includes visit to the Whistlers in Paris and first trip to Asia, stopping in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, China, and Japan

1896 -- Meets Matsuki Bunkyo (1867-1940) in Boston

1899 -- Takes part in consolidation of railroad-car building companies then retires from active business

1900 -- Attends Exposition International Universelle in Paris

1900 -- Buys villa in Capri with Thomas S. Jerome

1901 -- Meets Siegfried Bing (1838-1905) in Paris and Ernest Fenollosa(1853-1908), who visits Freer in Detroit

1902 -- Meets Dikran Kelekian (1868-1951)

1902 -- Spends summer in Britain building Whistler collection

1902 -- Views Whistler's, Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room

1904 -- Purchases Whistler's Peacock Room

1904 -- Offers his art collections and funds to build a museum in which to house them to the Smithsonian Institution

1905 -- Smithsonian committee visits Freer in Detroit

1906 -- United States government formally accepts Freer's gift on January 24

1906 -- Freer signs Deed of Gift to Smithsonian Institution on May 5

1907 -- On second tour of Asia, meets Hara Tomitaro 1868-1939) in Yokohama, Japan

1908 -- Takes third trip to Asia, specifically to West Asia to study Rakka ware

1909 -- Tours Europe to study art museums

1909 -- On fourth trip to Asia, attends memorial ceremony for Fenollosa (d.1908 September) at Miidera, Japan, and meets Duanfang (1861-1911) in China

1910 -- On last trip to Asia, visits Longmen Buddhist caves in China

1911 -- Suffers stroke

1912 -- Lends selection of objects for exhibition at Smithsonian Institution

1913 -- Meets Eugene (1875-1957) and Agnes E. (1887-1970) Meyer

1913 -- Commissions Charles Adams Platt (1861-1933) to design museum building in Washington

1914 -- Meets Katharine Nash Rhoades (1885-1965) in Detroit

1915 -- Settles in New York City

1915 -- Site of future Freer Gallery of Art is determined

1916 -- Platt's plans for Freer Gallery are approved by Smithsonian Regents and Commission of Fine Arts and ground is broken in September

1918 -- After falling ill in Detroit, Freer travels to New York for treatment

1918 -- Work on the museum building is delayed by the war

1919 -- Freer appends codicil to will permitting acquisitions of Asian, Egyptian, and Near Eastern (West Asian) art

1919 -- Dies in New York City on 25 September and is buried in Kingston, New York

1919 -- Construction of Freer Gallery completed

1920 -- John Ellerton Lodge (1876-1942) is appointed director of the Freer Gallery

1923 -- Freer Gallery opens to the public on May 9

1930 -- Memorial ceremony for Freer is held at Koetsuji, Kyoto

Charles Lang Freer was an American industrialist who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. He was a well-known collector of Asian art, and strongly supported the synthesis of Eastern art and Western art. One of his most famous acquisitions was James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room.

Index:

Index to cross-referenced correspondents in the series Charles Lang Freer correspondence

Beal, Junius E. -- See: -- Warring, Joseph Stephens

Black, George M. -- See: -- Saint-Gaudens, Augustus

Board of Education (Kingston, New York) See: Michael, M. J.

Bonner, Campbell See: University of Michigan

Boughton, George H. See: Yardley, F. C.

British Museum See: Binyon, Laurence; Hobson, R. L.

Brown, Harold H. See: Art Association of Indianapolis

Buchner, Evelyn B. See: Knoedler, M., and Company

Buckholder, C. H. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Butler, S. B. See: Unidentified correspondents

Carnegie Institute See: Balken, Edward Duff; Harshe, Robert B.

Carpenter, Newton H. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Caulkins, Horace James See: Pewabic Pottery

Chao, Shih-chin See: Gunn, Chu Su

Chicago & North Western Railway Co. See: Hughett, Marvin

Clark, Charles Upson See: Clark, Arthur B.

Cleveland Museum of Art See: Whiting, Frederic Allen

Columbia University See: Braun, W. A.; Gottheil, Richard; Hirth, Friederich

Commission of Fine Arts See: Moore, Charles

Corcoran Gallery of Art See: Minnigerode, C. Powell

Crocker, Anna B. See: Portland Art Association

Dannenberg, D. E. See: Karlbeck, Orvar

De Menoncal, Beatrice See: Lien, Hui Ch'ing Collection

De Ricci, Seymour See: Ricci, Seymour de

Defnet, William A., Mrs., See: Franke, Ida M.

DeMotte See: Vigouroux, J.

Detroit Institute of Arts See: Detroit Museum of Art

Detroit Publishing Company See: Livingstone, W. A.

Detroit School of Design See: George Hamilton; Stevens, Henry

DeVinne Press See: Peters, Samuel T.; Witherspoon, A. S.

Dyrenforth, P. C. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Eddy, Arthur J. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Eggers, George Williams See: Art Institute of Chicago

Farr, Daniel H. See: Robinson and Farr

Farrand School (Detroit) See: Yendall, Edith

Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago) See: Laufer, Berthold

Flagg, Frederick J. See: Allen, Horace N.

Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University See: Forbes, Edward; Pope, Arthur Upham; Sachs, Paul J.

French, M. R. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Fu, Lan-ya See: Pang, Lai-ch'en

Fujii, Yoshio See: Yoshio, Fujii

Gerrity, Thomas See: Knoedler, M., and Company

Goupil Gallery See: Marchant, William

Gray, William J. See: Barr, Eva

Great Lakes Engineering Works See: Hoyt, H. W.

Grolier Club See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Heinemann, W. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Holden, Edward S. See: West Point, U. S. Military Academy

Hudson, J. L. See: Weber, William C.

Hutchins, Harry B. See: University of Michigan

Hutchins, Charles L. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Kelekian, H. G. See: Kelekian, Dikran G.

Kent, H. W. See: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Lee, Kee Son See: Li, Chi-ch'un

Levy, John See: Schneider, A. K.

Library of Congress See: Rice, Richard A.; Wright, Helen

Louvre (Paris, France) See: Midgeon, Gaston

Matsuki, Z. See: Matsuki, Kihachiro

McKim, Mead and White See: White, Stanford

Mills, A. L., Colonel See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus

Miner, Luella See: Lien, Hui Ch'ing Collection

Minneapolis Institute of Arts See: Breck, Joseph; Van Derlip, John R.

Monif, R. Khan See: Rathbun, Richard

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston See: Lodge, John Ellerton

Naser, Katen & Nahass See: Katen, K.

Nordlinger, Marie, Miss See: Meyer-Riefstahl, Marie

Panama Pacific International Exposition See: Moore, Charles C.; Trask, John E. D.

Peabody Museum See: Morse, Edward Sylvester

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts See: Trask, John E. D.

Perry, Mary Chase, Miss., See: Pewabic Pottery

Philip, Ronald M. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Pope, G. D. See: Barr, Eva

Reinhart, A. G. See: Gottschalk, E.

Reitz, Sigisbert Chrétien Bosch See: Bosch-Reitz, Sigisbert Chrétien

Rutgers College See: Van Dyke, John C.

Saint-Gaudens, Augusta H. See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus

Saint-Gaudens, Homer See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus

Samurai Shokai See: Nomura, Yozo

San Francisco Art Association See: Laurvik, J. Nilsen

Scribner's, Charles, Sons See: Van Dyke, John C.

Shaw, Wilfred B. See: University of Michigan

Shirae, S. Z. See: Yamanaka and Company

Smith College See: Clark, Arthur B.

Smithsonian Institution See: Holmes, William Henry; Rathbun, Richard; Ravenel, Walcott, Charles D.

Society of Arts and Crafts (Detroit) See: Plumb, Helen

Societe des Beaux-Arts See: Reid, Alexander

Stevens, George W. See: Toledo Museum of Art

Stratton, Mary Chase Perry See: Pewabic Pottery

Tanaka, Kichijiro See: Yamanaka and Company

Tuttle, William F. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Union Trust Company (Detroit) See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

United States Military Academy See: West Point, U. S. Military Academy

University of Chicago See: Zug, George Breed

University of Pennsylvania, Univ. Mus. See: Gordon, George Bryon

Ushikubo, D. J. R. See: Yamanaka and Company

Wallis & Son See: Barr, Eva; Thompson, C. Croal Ward, Clarence See: Oberlin College

Warren, Edward K. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Warring, Stephen See: Warring, Joseph Stephens

Watkin, Williams R. T. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Watson, Margaret, Miss See: Parker, Margaret Watson

Whistler, Anna See: Stanton, Anna Whistler

Whiting, Almon C. See: Toledo Museum of Art

Williams College See: Rice, Richard A

Wright, F. G. See: Orbach and Company

Yatsuhashi, H. See: Yamanaka and Company

Index to cross-referenced correspondence in the series Whistler correspondence

Bell, William See: Unidentified correspondents

Brown, Ernest See: Painter Etchers' Society, Committee

Cowen, John T. See subseries: Charles Lang Freer Correspondence

Ford, Sheridan See: Reid, Alexander

Haden, Francis Seymour See: Painter Etchers' Society, Committee

Haden, Francis Seymour, Lady See: Haden, Deborah Whistler

Leighton, Frederick, Baron See: Campbell, Lady Colin

Moore, Albert See: Reid, Alexander

Morley, Charles See: Pall Mall Gazette

Morris, Harrison S. See: Reid, Alexander

Pennell, Joseph See: Miscellaneous typescripts

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts See: Reid, Alexander

Prange, F. G. See: Reid, Alexander

Societe des Beaux-Arts See: Reid, Alexander

Society of Portrait Painters See: Reid, Alexander

Stevens Fine Art See: Reid, Alexander

Studd, Arthur See: Miscellaneous typescripts

[Vanderbilt?], George, Mrs. See: George, Mrs.

Whistler, William McNeill, Mrs. See: Whistler, Nellie

Whistler Memorial Committee See: Miscellaneous typescripts

Related Material:

The Archives of American Art microfilmed portions of the Freer papers in 1992. The microfilm is available at the Archives of American Art's Washington D.C. office, the Freer Gallery of Art Library, and through interlibrary loan.

Provenance:

Gift of the Estate of Charles Lang Freer.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Topic:

Art, American -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Architecture -- Asia  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries

Financial records

Correspondence

Photographs

Citation:

Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.

Identifier:

FSA.A.01

See more items in:

Charles Lang Freer Papers

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3f1a0e3e0-630c-48d4-ba28-485946b1d615

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-fsa-a-01

Collection Creator:

Yoshida, Ray  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 1

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1982-circa 1999

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. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate copy requires advance notice. One box of letters from Jim Nutt are ACCESS RESTRICTED; use requires written permission.

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:

Ray Yoshida papers, circa 1895-2010, bulk 1950-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

The processing and digitization of the Ray Yoshida papers received Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.

See more items in:

Ray Yoshida papers

Ray Yoshida papers / Series 1: Biographical Material

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93e277b7f-ebf5-45cc-b5f6-f6b243d2b7a8

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-yoshray-ref11

Creator:

Powers, Hiram, 1805-1873  Search this

Names:

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848  Search this

Astor, William B. (William Backhouse), 1792-1875  Search this

Atlee, Samuel Yorke, b. 1808  Search this

Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, 1806-1861  Search this

Bryant, William Cullen, 1794-1878  Search this

Calhoun, John C. (John Caldwell), 1782-1850  Search this

Crawford, Thomas, 1813 or 14-1857  Search this

Dix, John A. (John Adams), 1798-1879  Search this

Durand, Asher Brown, 1796-1886  Search this

Everett, Edward, 1794-1865  Search this

Fuller, Charles Francis  Search this

Gray, Henry Peters, 1819-1877  Search this

Greeley, Horace, 1811-1872  Search this

Healy, G.P.A. (George Peter Alexander), 1813-1894  Search this

Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845  Search this

Kinney, E. Clementine  Search this

Kinney, William  Search this

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807-1882  Search this

Marsh, George Perkins, 1801-1882  Search this

Morse, Samuel Finley Breese, 1791-1872  Search this

Peabody, George, 1795-1869  Search this

Powers, Longworth, 1835-1904  Search this

Powers, Preston, 1842 or 1843-1904  Search this

Sartain, John, 1808-1897  Search this

Story, William Wetmore, 1819-1895  Search this

Taylor, Bayard, 1825-1878  Search this

Trollope, Francis  Search this

Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852  Search this

Extent:

12.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Writings

Drawings

Poetry

Date:

1819-1953

bulk 1835-1883

Summary:

The papers of sculptor Hiram Powers measure 12.4 linear feet and date from 1819 to 1953, with the bulk of the material dating from 1835 to 1883. Over two-thirds of the collection consists of Powers' correspondence with business associates, purchasers of his artwork, and numerous friends in the United States and Florence, Italy. Of note is Powers' "Studio Memorandum," from 1841 to 1845, which contains dated notations of letters written, receipts and expenditures, business contacts, works in progress, commissions and price quotations for work, comments on problems encountered during studio work, and other notes. Additional papers include scattered biographical material, financial and legal records, printed materials, photographs of Powers, his family, artwork, as well as an extensive collection of carte de visite and cabinet card portraits of many notable figures. Also found is a small amount of artwork by Powers and others, a scrapbook, and two autograph and memorabilia albums.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of sculptor Hiram Powers measure 12.4 linear feet and date from 1819 to 1953, with the bulk of the material dating from 1835 to 1883. Over two-thirds of the collection consists of Powers' correspondence, which is particularly rich in documenting his artwork, methodology, and his interaction with business associates, purchasers of his artwork, and his numerous friends in the United States and Florence, Italy. Other papers include scattered biographical material, writings by Powers and others, financial and legal records, news clippings and printed items, photographs of Powers, his family, artwork, as well as an extensive collection of carte de visite and cabinet card portraits of many notable figures. Also found is a small amount of artwork by Powers and others, a scrapbook, and two autograph and memorabilia albums.

Biographical material consists of documents for honors conferred on Powers, price lists and inventories of his artwork, papers regarding his death, including a translation of his will, and ephemera, such as his studio cap.

The bulk of the collection consists of Powers' correspondence with family, friends, business associates, and others, documenting his career as an artist and his personal life after he and his family moved to Florence, Italy, in 1837. Almost all of the letters have typed unconfirmed transcriptions completed by volunteers at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Besides details of his studio work and business dealings, his letters often discuss his views on aesthetics, American politics, slavery and the Civil War, and Spiritualism. Notable correspondence is with William B. Astor, Edward Everett, Samuel York Atlee, William and E. Clementine Kinney, George P. Marsh, George Peabody, Presidents Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams, William Cullen Bryant, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, John C. Calhoun, Thomas Crawford, John A. Dix, Asher Durand, Charles Francis Fuller, Henry Peters Gray, Horace Greeley, George P. A. Healy, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Samuel F. B. Morse, W. W. Story, John Sartain, Frances Trollope, and Daniel Webster.

Writings by Powers include his "Studio Memorandum," a journal-type notebook he kept from 1841 to 1845, which contains dated notations of letters written, receipts and expenditures, business contacts, works in progress, commissions and price quotations for work, comments on problems encountered during studio work, and other notes. Additional writings include poetry and autobiographical essays and instructions for handling his sculptures. Writings by others include poetry, most of which was written in praise of Powers' artwork. Of note are handwritten transcripts of poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Bayard Taylor, and John Quincy Adams. Also found here are short writings about Powers and his artwork.

Scattered financial and legal records in this collection include patent documents for tools invented by Powers, legal agreements, account statements, and bills and receipts. Printed material consists of news clippings, two booklets, an art association brochure, and an exhibition catalog for works by Powers.

This collection contains photographs of Hiram Powers, his family, friends, notable public figures, and artwork. Many of the photographs were taken by his son, Longworth Powers, who had a private photography studio in Florence. Included are portraits of Powers and his family, as well as a collection of 267 carte de visite and cabinet card portraits of artists, performers, politicians, writers, scientists, and other public figures, many of whom were friends with the Powers family. Other photographs depict Woodstock, Vermont, the marble quarry at Carrara, Italy, and artwork by Hiram and Preston Powers. Also found here is a photograph album kept by Louisa Powers.

Artwork consists of three drawings by Hiram Powers, including a caricature of Miner Kellogg. Also found in this collection is a scrapbook containing news clippings regarding the American tour of the sculpture Greek Slave, an autograph album belonging to Louisa Powers, and an album containing pencil drawings by Preston Powers and dried flowers collected on travels.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 8 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1841-1927 (Box 1, 15; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1819-1883 (Box 1-10; 9.0 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1827-1887 (Box 10; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 4: Financial and Legal Records, circa 1840s-1892, 1915 (Box 10, OV 17; 8 folders)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1845-1953 (Box 10; 5 folders)

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1860s-1900, 1927, 1932, early 1950s (Box 10-13, 16, OV 17; 1.8 linear feet)

Series 7: Artwork, 1860, mid-1800s (Box 11; 4 folders)

Series 8: Scrapbooks and Albums, 1847-1876 (Box 14; 3 folders)

Biographical Note:

American sculptor Hiram Powers (1805-1873) was born in Woodstock, Vermont, and lived and worked briefly in Washington, D.C. and Boston, before settling permanently in Florence, Italy. Powers is known for portrait busts of prominent American politicians and his idealized neo-classical sculptures, most notably the Greek Slave.

The second youngest of nine children, Powers moved with his family to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1817. When he was 18 he began working in a factory that repaired watches and organs, and he later worked in the mechanical department of Dorfeuille's Western Museum. There, he developed his interest in sculpture and received a commission to create wax figures for a tableau of Dante's Inferno. In 1825 he studied with the Prussian sculptor Frederick Eckstein, who taught him how to model clay and make plaster casts. His early commissions for portrait busts caught the attention of Nicholas Longworth, who became his first patron and funded his travel to Washington, DC, in 1834. While in Washington, Powers completed portrait busts of several prominent politicians, including President Andrew Jackson. He also briefly worked on several commissions in Boston. In 1837, thanks to the patronage of Colonel John S. Preston, he and his family moved to Florence, Italy. He intended to live there for only a few years, but remained there for the rest of his life.

Powers set up a studio in Florence with several assistants, and continued to work on portrait bust commissions. He and his family were active members of the intellectual community of American and English émigrés, such as Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Horatio Greenough, the Trollope family, and many others. His studio was also a frequent stop on tourists' visits to Florence. In 1839 Powers began working on idealized sculptures in the Neo-classical style, based on history, mythology, and religion. Perhaps most famous of these are Greek Slave and Fisher Boy. Completed in 1845, Greek Slave was exhibited in London and toured the United States. The sculpture received wide attention from the press for its depiction of female nudity and its philosophical significance, and established Powers' international success as a sculptor.

During his career Powers received private and government commissions for portrait busts and ideal sculptures, and sold many replicas of his work. He also invented improved tools for use in his studio, which were patented in the United States, and he developed a special finishing process for marble from the Carrara quarry. He maintained friendships with many Americans through extensive correspondence, and openly expressed his views on the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. Powers' son Longworth had a photography and sculpture studio nearby, and his son Preston, also a sculptor, took over many of Hiram Powers' remaining projects at the time of his death in 1873.

Related Material:

Additional Hiram Powers papers are available at the Winterthur Museum.

Separated Materials:

The Archives of American Art also holds materials lent for microfilming. Reel D117 contains "The Sculpture of Hiram Powers," by Paul B. Metzler. Reels 815-818 includes a "Collection of Letters from Old Residents of Cincinnati to Hiram Powers," compiled by Clara Louise Dentler. Reels 1102-1103 are comprised of an unpublished manuscript entitled "White Marble: The Life and Letters of Hiram Powers, Sculptor," by Clara Louise Dentler. Lent materials were returned to the lenders and are not described in the collection container inventory.

Provenance:

The Hiram Powers papers were purchased by the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 1967 from Christina Seeber, great-granddaughter of Hiram Powers which was subsequenlty transferred to the Archives of American Art in 1984. The Cincinnati Historical Society and Ohio State University also lent the Archives omaterials for microfilming in 1974.

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:

Sculptors -- Italy -- Florence  Search this

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Writings

Drawings

Poetry

Citation:

Hiram Powers papers, 1819-1953, bulk 1835-1883. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.

Identifier:

AAA.powehira

See more items in:

Hiram Powers papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90ad32f84-2619-4144-9600-0e9de7d6372d

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-powehira

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb653f5a4fa-71fe-4259-ab23-a33248a801d5

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref32850

Author:

Ellis, Anita J  Search this

Rookwood Pottery Company  Search this

Cincinnati Art Museum  Search this

Physical description:

164 p. : col. ill. ; 29 cm

Type:

Exhibitions

Place:

Ohio

Cincinnati

Date:

1992

Topic:

Rookwood pottery  Search this

Art pottery, American  Search this

Call number:

NK4340.R7E44 1992X

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_438186

Collection Creator:

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Krasner, Lee, 1908-1984  Search this

Container:

Box 7, Folder 14

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1964-1983, undated

Collection Restrictions:

The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.

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:

Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner papers, circa 1914-1984. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

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

See more items in:

Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner papers

Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner papers / Series 2: Lee Krasner Papers / 2.1: Biographical Material

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw94b0d8ec7-f1fe-4d08-b41c-2ba3d8d636e1

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-polljack-ref235

Landscape architect:

Taylor, Albert Davis  Search this

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Place:

Ohio -- Cincinnati

United States of America -- Ohio -- Hamilton County -- Cincinnati

Related Materials:

Cincinnati Art Museum related holdings consist of 1 slide (col.)

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Spring  Search this

Porticoes  Search this

Courtyards  Search this

Fountains  Search this

Balustrades  Search this

Reflecting pools  Search this

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, File OH065

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Ohio

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6e3f939fb-3cbe-4c94-adc5-9dbb90039dea

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref15407

Artist:

Christopher Fox Payne, born 1954  Search this

Sitter:

William Jefferson Clinton, born 19 Aug 1946  Search this

Robert Joseph Dole, 22 Jul 1923 - 5 Dec 2021  Search this

Medium:

Mixed media

Dimensions:

Image: 41.1 x 36.6cm (16 3/16 x 14 7/16")

Image/Sheet: 50.8 x 38.1cm (20 x 15")

Image/Sheet/Mount: 54.5 x 40.7cm (21 7/16 x 16")

Type:

Mixed Media

Place:

United States\Ohio\Hamilton\Cincinnati

Date:

1996

Topic:

Costume\Headgear\Hat  Search this

Equipment\Walking stick\Cane  Search this

Nature & Environment\Vegetable  Search this

Food\Fruit  Search this

William Jefferson Clinton: Male  Search this

William Jefferson Clinton: Law and Law Enforcement\Lawyer  Search this

William Jefferson Clinton: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Professor\University  Search this

William Jefferson Clinton: Politics and Government\President of US  Search this

William Jefferson Clinton: Politics and Government\Governor\Arkansas  Search this

William Jefferson Clinton: Politics and Government\State Attorney General\Arkansas  Search this

William Jefferson Clinton: Presidential Medal of Freedom  Search this

Robert Joseph Dole: Male  Search this

Robert Joseph Dole: Politics and Government\Presidential candidate  Search this

Robert Joseph Dole: Politics and Government\US Senator\Majority Leader  Search this

Robert Joseph Dole: Politics and Government\US Senator\Kansas  Search this

Robert Joseph Dole: Military and Intelligence\Officer  Search this

Robert Joseph Dole: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Kansas  Search this

Robert Joseph Dole: Presidential Medal of Freedom  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Cincinnati Art Museum

Object number:

1997.28 CAM

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm40de6986c-8163-4484-b5a9-c783e72ed074

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_1997.28_CAM

Artist:

William Baziotes, American, b. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1912–1963  Search this

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

36 1/8 X 48 1/8 IN. (91.7 X 122.2 CM.)

Type:

Painting

Date:

1957

Credit Line:

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Gift of the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, 1966

Accession Number:

66.406

See more items in:

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Collection

School:

Abstract Expressionism (First Generation)

Data Source:

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/py2a2bf9428-d436-44d7-b9da-2218fb7bed04

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:hmsg_66.406

Creator:

Powers, Hiram, 1805-1873  Search this

Subject:

Browning, Elizabeth Barrett  Search this

Atlee, Samuel Yorke  Search this

Astor, William B. (William Backhouse)  Search this

Adams, John Quincy  Search this

Webster, Daniel  Search this

Healy, G.P.A. (George Peter Alexander)  Search this

Peabody, George  Search this

Powers, Preston  Search this

Powers, Longworth  Search this

Story, William Wetmore  Search this

Sartain, John  Search this

Trollope, Francis  Search this

Taylor, Bayard  Search this

Bryant, William Cullen  Search this

Calhoun, John C. (John Caldwell)  Search this

Crawford, Thomas  Search this

Dix, John A. (John Adams)  Search this

Durand, Asher Brown  Search this

Everett, Edward  Search this

Fuller, Charles Francis  Search this

Gray, Henry Peters  Search this

Greeley, Horace  Search this

Jackson, Andrew  Search this

Kinney, E. Clementine  Search this

Kinney, William  Search this

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth  Search this

Marsh, George Perkins  Search this

Morse, Samuel Finley Breese  Search this

Type:

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Writings

Drawings

Poetry

Citation:

Hiram Powers papers, 1819-1953, bulk 1835-1883. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Sculptors -- Italy -- Florence  Search this

Theme:

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)7255

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209405

AAA_collcode_powehira

Theme:

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209405

Creator:

Luck, Robert H., 1921-1993  Search this

Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinnati, Ohio)  Search this

Subject:

McLuhan, Marshall  Search this

Parker, Harley  Search this

Miller, Ralph R.  Search this

American Federation of Arts  Search this

Citation:

Robert H. Luck papers, 1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Theme:

Research and writing about art  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)7922

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210090

AAA_collcode_luckrobe

Theme:

Research and writing about art

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210090

Creator:

Day, Worden, 1912-1986  Search this

Subject:

Barnet, Will  Search this

Bourgeois, Louise  Search this

Dehner, Dorothy  Search this

Fish, Alice  Search this

Foster, Betty  Search this

Fuller, Sue (1914-2006)  Search this

Hofmann, Hans  Search this

Lasansky, Mauricio  Search this

Minewski, Alex  Search this

Moy, Seong  Search this

Peterdi, Gabor  Search this

Rupprecht, Edgar A.  Search this

Rupprecht, Isabell  Search this

Sarton, May  Search this

Schrag, Karl  Search this

Thurn, Ernest  Search this

Vytlacil, Vaclav  Search this

Zigrosser, Carl  Search this

Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts  Search this

Montclair Art Museum  Search this

State University of Iowa  Search this

Type:

Interviews

Motion pictures (visual works)

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Woodcuts

Citation:

Worden Day papers, circa 1935-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Prints -- Technique  Search this

Painters -- New Jersey  Search this

Printmakers -- New Jersey  Search this

Sculptors--New Jersey  Search this

Sculpture  Search this

Art, Modern  Search this

Painting  Search this

Pop art  Search this

Theme:

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)9297

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211492

AAA_collcode_dayword

Theme:

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211492

Creator:

Jacques Seligmann & Co.  Search this

Subject:

Hauke, Cesar M. de (Cesar Mange)  Search this

Glaenzer, Eugene  Search this

Haardt, Georges  Search this

Seligman, Germain  Search this

Seligmann, Arnold  Search this

Parker, Theresa D.  Search this

Waegen, Rolf Hans  Search this

Trevor, Clyfford  Search this

Seligmann, René  Search this

Seligmann, Jacques  Search this

De Hauke & Co., Inc.  Search this

Jacques Seligmann & Co  Search this

Eugene Glaenzer & Co.  Search this

Germain Seligmann & Co.  Search this

Gersel  Search this

Type:

Gallery records

Citation:

Jacques Seligmann & Co. records, 1904-1978, bulk 1913-1974. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Mackay, Clarence Hungerford, 1874-1938 -- Art collections  Search this

Schiff, Mortimer L. -- Art collections  Search this

Arenberg, duc d' -- Art collections  Search this

Liechtenstein, House of -- Art collections  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting -- France -- Paris  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war  Search this

La Fresnaye, Roger de, 1885-1925  Search this

Art, Renaissance  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Art treasures in war  Search this

Art, European  Search this

Theme:

Art Gallery Records  Search this

Art Market  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)9936

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212486

AAA_collcode_jacqself

Theme:

Art Gallery Records

Art Market

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_212486

Creator:

Castano Galleries  Search this

Subject:

Venturi, Lionello  Search this

Beam, Philip C.  Search this

Chrysler, Walter P. (Walter Percy)  Search this

Danes, Gibson A.  Search this

Denghausen, Franz H.  Search this

Goodrich, Lloyd  Search this

Grandin, Isabella  Search this

Hale, Lilian Westcott  Search this

Hofer, Philip  Search this

Rathbone, Perry Townsend  Search this

Richardson, Edgar Preston  Search this

Sachs, Paul J. (Paul Joseph)  Search this

Castano, Giovanni  Search this

Citation:

Castano Galleries records, 1907-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Theme:

Art Market  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)10415

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213802

AAA_collcode_castgall

Theme:

Art Market

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_213802

Artist:

Joseph Rodefer DeCamp, 5 Nov 1858 - 11 Feb 1923  Search this

Sitter:

Frank Duveneck, 9 Oct 1848 - 3 Jan 1919  Search this

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

109.5 x 81.6 cm (43 1/8 x 32 1/8" )

Type:

Painting

Place:

United States\Ohio\Hamilton\Cincinnati

Date:

1911-12

Topic:

Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair  Search this

Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses  Search this

Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache  Search this

Frank Duveneck: Male  Search this

Frank Duveneck: Visual Arts\Artist\Sculptor  Search this

Frank Duveneck: Visual Arts\Artist\Printmaker\Etcher  Search this

Frank Duveneck: Visual Arts\Artist\Painter  Search this

Frank Duveneck: Visual Arts\Art instructor  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Cincinnati Art Museum

Object number:

1912.249 CAM

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm49f0bb7ad-ba3e-4cea-9e68-12bea4d683af

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_1912.249_CAM

Artist:

Charles L. Sallée Jr., born 1913  Search this

Sitter:

William E. Smith  Search this

Medium:

Pen and black ink

Dimensions:

Image: 30 x 23.3cm (11 13/16 x 9 3/16")

Type:

Drawing

Place:

United States\Ohio\Cuyahoga\Cleveland

Date:

1938-41

Topic:

William E. Smith: Male  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Cincinnati Art Museum

Object number:

1995.78 CAM

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4f1f7e7ba-5a74-4a71-a6e6-00763e969bbb

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_1995.78_CAM

Sculptor:

Miller, Donald R. 1925-1989  Search this

Founder:

Da Prato Foundry  Search this

Medium:

Nickel bronze

Type:

Sculptures

Owner/Location:

Cincinnati Zoological Society Business and Operations 3400 Vine Street Cincinnati Ohio 45220

Date:

1976

Topic:

Landscape--Water  Search this

Animal--Fish--Seahorse  Search this

Animal--Fish--Eel  Search this

Animal--Reptile--Turtle  Search this

Animal--Whale  Search this

Animal--Fish--Squid  Search this

Control number:

IAS 74450003

Data Source:

Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_ari_316337

Creator:

Dwight, Edward H., 1919-1981  Search this

Names:

American Museum of Natural History  Search this

Cincinnati Historical Society  Search this

Louisiana State Museum  Search this

Mohammed Center for Restricted Communications  Search this

National Audubon Society  Search this

R. Havell & Son  Search this

Peale family  Search this

Audubon, John James, 1785-1851  Search this

Audubon, Maria R. (Maria Rebecca), 1843-1925  Search this

Audubon, Victor Gifford, 1809-1860  Search this

Bachman, John  Search this

Bakewell, Benjamin  Search this

Bell, John G.  Search this

Coffin, Annie R.  Search this

Corwine, Aaron H.  Search this

Duncanson, Robert S., 1821-1872  Search this

Fries, Waldemar H., 1889-  Search this

Gifford, George Edmund  Search this

Held, John, 1947-  Search this

Laning, Paul F.  Search this

Lichtner, Ruth  Search this

Lichtner, Schomer, 1905-2006  Search this

Martin, Maria  Search this

McDermott, John Francis, 1902-  Search this

Peale, Charles Willson, 1741-1827  Search this

Peale, James, 1749-1831  Search this

Peale, James, 1789-1876  Search this

Peale, Raphaelle, 1774-1825  Search this

Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860  Search this

Tyler, Morris F.  Search this

Extent:

18.6 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Business records

Typescripts

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Sketches

Date:

1821-2001

bulk 1950-1979

Summary:

The papers of Cincinnati art historian, museum director, and Audubon and Peale scholar, Edward H. Dwight (1919-1981), measure 18.6 linear feet and date from 1821-2001, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950-1979. Dwight's papers include biographical material, writings by Dwight, and research files on John James Audubon, Raphaelle Peale, and others, documenting Dwight's extensive contribution to the study of American painting, particularly naturalist, portrait, and still-life painting.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of Cincinnati art historian, museum director, and Audubon and Peale scholar, Edward H. Dwight (1919-1981), measure 18.6 linear feet and date from 1821-2001, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950-1979. Dwight's papers include biographical material, writings by Dwight, and research files on John James Audubon, Raphaelle Peale, and others, documenting Dwight's extensive contribution to the study of American painting, particularly naturalist, portrait, and still life painting.

Dwight's biographical material includes two address books, a calendar, a small amount of personal correspondence including letters and postcards from Schomer and Ruth Lichtner, and printed material documenting his work as a museum curator and director.

Writings and notes include correspondence about Dwight's writings, drafts and typescripts of articles on Audubon and other artists, and lecture notes.

The bulk of the collection comprises Dwight's research material on Audubon and includes correspondence related to his research with scholars, collectors, publications, museums, and libraries, including: the American Museum of Natural History, the Audubon Society, the Cincinnati Historical Society, the Louisiana State Museum, Annie R. coffin, Waldemar H. Fries, John Francis McDermott, and the collections of G. Edmund Gifford, Jr., Paul F. Laning, and Morris Tyler.

Copies of Audubon's correspondence, including letters from Audubon's father-in-law, Benjamin Bakewell, son Victor G. Audubon, and grandchildren, form a substantial portion of Dwight's research files. Notes and card files reflecting Dwight's research by categories such as life event, activity, geographical area, and subject of study, further illuminate his research and provide cross references to the Audubon letters and other material.

Data compiled and supplemented with reproductions of Audubon's artwork forms another substantial portion of Dwight's research, and provides detailed information about individual Audubon works and works attributed to him.

Dwight's subject files on Audubon house collated research on individuals, subjects, and events that intersected with Audubon's life and work, as well as Audubon research from other sources and scholars. They include copies of documents, such as the journal of Audubon collaborator John G Bell, and a scrapbook of granddaughter, Maria Audubon; documents relating to Audubon collaborators such as John Bachman and Maria Martin; material related to collections of Audubon's work; and information concerning editions of his prints, such as the Havell Edition, engraved and hand-colored by the firm of Robert Havell Sr. and Jr. in the 1830s.

Printed material used by Dwight in his research includes original American newspapers, from states including New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, dating from 1821 to the 1870s, which include articles on Audubon, as well as later magazines, journals, catalogs, and news clippings on Audubon. A small number of photographs, slide transparencies, and negatives of Audubon's artwork can be found at the end of the series.

Dwight's research material on Raphaelle Peale, Charles Willson Peale, Rembrandt Peale, James Peale, and other Peale family members, includes correspondence requesting and responding to requests for information; material collated by subject on Peale collectors, family history, miniatures, portraits, silhouettes, still lifes, and other subjects; and photographs of artwork.

Other research files document Dwight's interest in other artists such as Aaron H. Corwine, Robert S. Duncanson, and artists from the Cincinnati area in general. They include catalogs of data compiled on individual works of art, subject files, notes and index card files, printed material, and photographs of artwork. Of special note are eleven issues of John Held, Jr.'s, mail art correspondence sent to Dwight by the Mohammed Center for Restricted Communications.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged as five series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1944-1980 (8 folders; Box 1, OV 20)

Series 2: Writings and Notes, 1954-circa 1979 (0.9 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 3: Audubon Research Material, 1821-circa 1979 (13 linear feet; Boxes 1-14, OVs 20-23)

Series 4: Peale Research Material, circa 1930-2001 (1.9 linear feet; Boxes 14-16)

Series 5: Other Research, 1881-1980 (2.7 linear feet; Boxes 16-19)

Biographical / Historical:

Cincinnati art historian and museum director, Edward H. Dwight (1919-1981), conducted extensive research on American painting, in particular the works of John James Audubon, Charles Willson Peale, and Raphaelle Peale. He was also credited with rediscovering the Cincinnati artist, Aaron H. Corwine.

Dwight attended Yale and Cornell Universities, and studied art at the Cincinnati Art Academy and the School of Fine Arts of Washington University, St. Louis. From 1946 he held posts, including curator of American Art, at the Cincinnati Art Museum, until becoming director of the Milwaukee Art Center in 1955. In 1962 he left Milwaukee to direct the Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute Museum of Art, where he remained until the end of his career. He was the author of numerous articles for publications including Antiques, Audubon, Art in America, The Art Gallery, The Art Quarterly, and Canadian Art, and lectured widely on contemporary art, Spanish painting, and American painting.

In 1955 Dwight published the article "Aaron Houghton Corwine: Cincinnati Artist" in Antiques magazine. With this, and the exhibition, Rediscoveries in American Painting (1955), which he launched at the Cincinnati Art Museum, Dwight revived interest in this all but forgotten painter.

Dwight wrote many scholarly articles on Audubon's life and work throughout his career, in addition to writing catalogs for, and curating, exhibitions of Audubon's work. In 1960 he was awarded a $7,500 fellowship from the Ford foundation to pursue a reevaluation of Audubon, and to reexamine some long-held assumptions and exagerrations about Audubon's life and personality. He focused primarily on the artist-naturalist's original drawings and paintings, especially portraits and pictures of birds, animal life, and insects. Dwight was awarded an additional fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1973, to continue his research on Audubon.

Dwight's scholarly interest also extended to Raphaelle Peale and the Peale family of artists. In the 1960s and 1970s he wrote and published several articles about Raphaelle Peale, his father, Charles Willson Peale, and his brothers, Rembrandt and James. Dwight was working on a book about the family, and a catalog raisonné of Raphaelle Peale, when he died.

Dwight was an accomplished photographer and his work was included in at least eight exhibitions from 1951 to 1972, including two one-man exhibitions at Louisiana State University (1952), and Weyhe Gallery (1972).

Provenance:

The Audubon materials were donated to the Archives of American Art by Dwight's widow, Ruth R. White, in 1982-1983. The Peale material was donated in 2002 by the Barra Foundation, Inc., which had received them from Ruth R. Dwight as they relate to the Foundation's mission to support scholarship in cultural history in the Philadelphia area. In 1983, the Barra Foundation loaned the documents to Dr. William H. Gerdts, an art historian, who was to continue Dwight's work on a catalog raisonné of Raphaelle Peale. Dr. Gerdts made limited use of the materials and the Barra Foundation then transferred them to the Archives of American Art in 2002.

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.

Occupation:

Museum curators -- Ohio -- Cincinnati  Search this

Artists -- Ohio -- Cincinnati  Search this

Art historians -- Ohio -- Cincinnati  Search this

Painters  Search this

Museum directors -- Ohio -- Cincinnati  Search this

Topic:

Still-life painting  Search this

Mail art  Search this

Art, American  Search this

Painting, American  Search this

Portrait painting  Search this

Genre/Form:

Business records

Typescripts

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Sketches

Citation:

Edward H. Dwight papers, 1821-2001, bulk 1950-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

This collection was processed with funding from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund.

Identifier:

AAA.dwigedwa

See more items in:

Edward H. Dwight Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw98efa0eea-a8f2-4b13-a7cc-32c48cd081a9

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-dwigedwa

Interviewee:

Rannells, Edward Warder, 1892-1972  Search this

Interviewer:

Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington),, 1920-  Search this

Subject:

Amyx, Clifford  Search this

Long, Frank W.  Search this

McVey, Frank LeRond  Search this

Art Institute of Chicago  Search this

The Ohio State University  Search this

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

University of Chicago  Search this

University of Kentucky  Search this

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 Edward Warder Rannells, 1965 June 2. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Authors -- Kentucky -- Interviews  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Theme:

New Deal  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12246

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213744

AAA_collcode_rannel65

Theme:

New Deal

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213744

Interviewee:

Rannells, Edward Warder, 1892-1972  Search this

Interviewer:

Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Art Institute of Chicago -- Student  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

The Ohio State University -- Students  Search this

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

University of Chicago -- Students  Search this

University of Kentucky -- Students  Search this

Amyx, Clifford, 1909-1997  Search this

Long, Frank W.  Search this

McVey, Frank LeRond, 1869-1953  Search this

Extent:

19 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1965 June 2

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Edward Warder Rannells conducted 1965 June 2, by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art.

Rannells speaks of his childhood; travels through mid- and far-West; art training at Ohio State in Columbus; Art Institute of Chicago; University of Kentucky at Lexington; Walter Siple, director of Cincinnati Art Museum; WPA and Federal Art Project in Lexington, Ky.; Master's degree in education at University of Chicago; careers of former students; B.A. program at University of Kentucky; his relationship with his father; religion; ballet; development of his art career; his interest in psychology; modern dance; the establishment of a humanities program; and trends in painting. He mentions Anna Louise Rice, Richard O'Hanlon, Frank L. McVey, Frank W. Long, Clifford Amyx, and Carl Lampert.

Biographical / Historical:

Edward Warder Rannells (1892-1972) was a writer from Lexington, Ky.

General:

Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 7 min.

Provenance:

Conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Topic:

Authors -- Kentucky -- Interviews  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.rannel65

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97a9d4b70-454e-420e-9e19-5eca0769f2da

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-rannel65