The papers of painter and printmaker Eldzier Cortor measure 3.1 linear feet and date from circa 1930s to 2015, with the bulk of the papers dating from 1972 to 2015. The papers contain biographical material, correspondence, professional files, exhibition and gallery files, writings, printed material, artwork, and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of painter and printmaker Eldzier Cortor measure 3.1 linear feet and date from circa 1930s to 2015, with the bulk of the papers dating from 1972 to 2015. The papers contain biographical material, correspondence, professional files, exhibition and gallery files, writings, printed material, artwork, and photographs.
Biographical material consists of awards certificates; Cortor's artist biography; an obituary and prayer cards for his father in law; an address book; and a Christmas list.
Correspondence includes letters from Cortor's family; correspondence with or about individuals or organizations; and general correspondence. Individuals included in the general correspondence are Acklyn Lynch, Leontine Collier, Violetta Harrigan, Halima Taha, David C. Driskell, Carol Anderson, and Betye Saar. Art institutions represented in this series include Sylvan Cole Gallery, Anderson Gallery, and Kenkeleba House.
Professional files include materials related to the Cosby Collection of Fine Arts; publishing; materials related to fake Cortor works; the Public School Mural Project; teaching files; lists of possible titles for paintings; financial documents; materials related to painting and etching plates for storage; and notes of museum and gallery contacts.
Exhibition and gallery files include correspondence; contracts and agreements; exhibition announcements; inventories; other exhibition materials; clippings; press releases; photographs and photocopied images of artwork; and photographs of exhibitions.
Writings consist primarily of essays and articles about Eldzier Cortor. Also included are his answers to a questionnaire about art, a diary, and notes, as well as hand-copied excerpts of reviews.
Printed material includes exhibition announcements, exhibition catalogs, newsletters, clippings, research and source material, and books.
Artwork includes ink and watercolor sketches from Cortor's time as a student at the Art Institute of Chicago. This series also includes additional sketches, sketchbooks, and a collage by K. Carracio.
Photographs depict Cortor, other individuals, his artwork, and exhibitions. There are also photographs from his time in Cuba and Haiti (circa 1950s).
Arrangement:
The Eldzier Cortor papers are organized into 8 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1947-2012 (Box 1; 5 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1970-2015 (Box 1; 8 folders)
Series 3: Professional Files, 1960, 1972-2015 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet, OV 4)
Series 4: Exhibition and Gallery Files, 1972-2015 (Boxes 1-2; 0.7 linear feet)
Series 5: Writings, circa 1970s-2006 (Box 2; 8 folders)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1940-1976, 1996-2015 (Boxes 2-3; 0.8 linear feet, OV 4)
Series 7: Artwork, circa 1930s, circa 1970s-circa 1990s (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 8: Photographs, 1939-2002, 2014 (Box 3; 0.5 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Eldzier Cortor (1916-2015) spent his professional career as a painter and printmaker in Chicago and New York. He was born in Richmond Virginia to John and Ophelia Cortor. In 1917, the family moved to Chicago along with countless other African Americans as part of the Great Migration.
In 1936, Cortor began taking evening classes at the Art Institute of Chicago prior to enrolling full time. Kathleen Blackshear, an instructor at the Institute, recommended Cortor for employment at the Works Projects Administration in 1940. It was under Blackshear's guidance that Cortor was introduced to African Art. The depiction of African Americans became the defining subject of Cortor's career, specifically the portrayal of the African American woman, which he commonly represented nude in paintings and prints.
In 1941, with funding by the Works Projects Administration, Cortor helped found the South Side Community Arts Center in Chicago. Over the next few years he would receive two Rosenwald Fellowships, which allowed him to travel to the Sea Islands of Georgia. Afterward, Cortor moved to New York, and in 1946 Life magazine published his work Southern Gate. In 1949 he received a Guggenheim fellowship, which provided the opportunity to travel to Cuba, Jamaica, and Haiti. He settled in Port-au-Prince, where he taught for two years.
Cortor married Sophia Schmidt on August 20, 1951, and they subsequently had four children: Michael, Mercedes, Stephen, and Miriam. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Studio Museum of Harlem, and the National Center of Afro-American Artists in Boston. Notable exhibitions include Three Masters: Eldzier Cortor, Hughie Lee-Smith, and Archibald John Motley, Jr. at Kenkeleba House in 1988; Southern Gate: African American Paintings from the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution at Duke University Museum of Art, 1999; Eldzier Cortor: Master Printmaker at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, 2002; and Black Spirit: Works on Paper by Eldzier Cortor at the Indiana Art Museum, 2006.
Eldzier Cortor died in November of 2015, at the age of 99.
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of materials lent for microfilming on reel N70-47, including biographical material, correspondence, printed material, papers related to exhibitions, photographs, and sketchbooks. Except for three photographs that appear in this collection (Box 3, Folder 19), loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Eldzier Cortor loaned materials to the Archives of American Art for microfilming in 1970 and donated papers in 2009. His son, Michael Cortor, gave additional materials in 2016.
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.
Printed text on recto reads: "Algeria Hand-Loom Weavers."
Caption on verso reads: "Hand-Loom Weavers. The picture shows the primitive method pursued by the Arab women for the weaving of cloth. This is not done by means of a loom or even a shuttle, but the warp is strung on beams, and the weft is passed through, patiently and slowly, from one woman to another, till sufficient coarse cloth is woven to form a length for a burnouse''.
Additional printed text on verso reads: "Raphael Tuck& Sons ''OILETTE'' Regd. Postcard 7534. Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen. Printed in England."
Local Numbers:
EEPA AE-04-02
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Postcard image of a male (shot-put) athlete. Caption on verso reads: "Un Athlete de la Cote d'Or; Le Gouvernement de la Cote d'Or encourage l'education physique comme faisant partie de l'education de la jeunesse. Cette photographie represente un etudiant de l'Ecole Technique du Gouvernement sise a Accra, la capitale de la cote d'Or."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "'Printed in England. Copyright Gold Coast Government; Raphael Tuck& Sons, Ltd., London; Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen and to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales." Publisher's logos on verso.
Local Numbers:
EEPA GH-21-02
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Printed caption on verso reads: "A Gold Coast Athlete. The Gold Coast Government is encouraging physical training as part of the education of Youth This is a photograph of a Student at the Government Technical School at Accra, the Capital of the Gold Coast."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "'Printed in England. Copyright Gold Coast Government; Raphael Tuck& Sons, Ltd., London; Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen and to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales." Publisher's logos on verso.
Local Numbers:
EEPA GH-20-14
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Printed caption on verso reads: "Kikuyu Women. - The Kikuyu women bear their burdens slung on the back, hanging from a strap across the forehead."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "Printed in England; Raphael Tuck & Sons, Ltd.; Art Publishers To Their Majesties The King & Queen & H.R.H. The Prince of Wales."
Publisher's logo on verso: "The World's Art Service; Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd."
Local Numbers:
EEPA KE-20-146
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Printed caption on recto reads: "Morocco; A Street in Mogador."
Printed caption on verso reads: "A street in Mogador. There are three quarters in Mogador, where the Jewish, the Moorish, and Eureopean residents of the seaport have their respective dwelling places. The narrow street and minaret beyond it shown here belong to the Moorish residential quarter, and the donkey-rider and camel-leader are quite typically Moorish."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "'Wide-Wide-World' Morocco. Series II. / Raphael Tuck& Sons 'OILETTE' [Regd] Postcard No. 7428. / Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen. Printed in England." Publisher's logo on verso and recto.
Local Numbers:
EEPA MR-07-65
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Printed caption on recto reads: "Morocco; The Sok Gate, Mogador."
Printed caption on verso reads: "The Sok Gate, Mogador. The Sôk or Market Gate in Mogador is the entry to a busy and narrow thoroughfare, full of typical figures of Moorish buyers and sellers. Mogador itself is a clean but not very interesting town, with a population largely Jewish. It does an important trade in ostrich feathers, gums, gold, and wax."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "'Wide-Wide-World' Morocco. Series II. / Raphael Tuck& Sons 'OILETTE' [Regd] Postcard No. 7428. / Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen. Printed in England." Publisher's logo on verso and recto. Artist's signature on recto: "L. M. Song."
Local Numbers:
EEPA MR-16-23
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Printed caption on recto reads: "Morocco; Saffi Market."
Printed caption on verso reads: "Saffi Market. Saffi is a town with a history of much bloodshed, and an aspect of much beauty. White houses rise upon red soil, and picturesque streets xentre in a picturesque market place, where fresh fruit and dry dates are sold, sweetmeats made, horses chaffered for, and wild-eyed Aissaweeyas pretend to fall on naked daggers in order to drag a few 'reals' out of the Moorish onlookers."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "'Wide-Wide-World' Morocco. Series II. / Raphael Tuck& Sons 'OILETTE' [Regd] Postcard No. 7428. / Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen. Printed in England." Publisher's logo on verso and recto. Artist's signature on recto: "L. M. Song."
Local Numbers:
EEPA MR-16-24
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Printed caption on recto reads: "Morocco; A Moorish Sainthouse."
Printed caption on verso reads: "A Moorish Saint-House. Here is a tomb shich is a rest-house for tired travellers, as well as a resort for the praying faithful. Some Sidi of renown-perhaps old Sidi Boukris, sleeps here, and promises wealth and good fortune to those who come to his shrine."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "'Wide-Wide-World' Morocco. Series II. / Raphael Tuck& Sons 'OILETTE' [Regd] Postcard No. 7428. / Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen. Printed in England." Publisher's logo on verso and recto. Artist's signature on recto: "L. M. Song."
Local Numbers:
EEPA MR-22-01
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Printed caption on recto reads: "Vista da Baia, Beira."
Printed text on verso reads: "Published by The Newman Art Publishing Co., Cape Town. Copyright.; This Is A Real Photograph."
Local Numbers:
EEPA MZ-28-31
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Printed caption on recto reads: "WOMAN WATER CARRIER."
Printed text on verso reads: "Raphael Tuck& Sons' 'OILETTE'; 'Egypt - The Sphinx.' / [Regd] Postcard No. 7200. / Art publishers to Their Majesties The King & Queen. / Printed in England." Publisher's logo in stamp box.
Local Numbers:
EEPA UA-20-63
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Egypt, -- Al Jīzah Governorate, -- Ahrāmāt al Jīzah (Pyramids of Giza)
Date:
[ca. 1910]
Scope and Contents:
Printed caption on verso reads "Arab village near the Pyramids. Palm trees shade one side of the pool where Arab women come to fill their graceful water-pots, and palm-trees grow among the red granite buildings where live and love, and work, and marry, and die, a race of Fellahs who have not much changed from the type of their ancestors who brought bread and water and dried fish and fresh fruit to the workmen employed in builting the Pyramids that we see behind the village."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "'Wide-Wide-World' Picturesque Egypt. Series XI. / Raphael Tuck& Sons 'OILETTE' Postcard 7441. / Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen. Printed in England." Publisher's logo on verso.
Items EEPA UA-14-05 and EEPA UA-14-07 are duplicate postcards.
Local Numbers:
EEPA UA-14-05
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Egypt, -- Al Jīzah Governorate, -- Ahrāmāt al Jīzah (Pyramids of Giza)
Date:
[ca. 1910]
Scope and Contents:
Printed caption on verso reads "Arab village near the Pyramids. Palm trees shade one side of the pool where Arab women come to fill their graceful water-pots, and palm-trees grow among the red granite buildings where live and love, and work, and marry, and die, a race of Fellahs who have not much changed from the type of their ancestors who brought bread and water and dried fish and fresh fruit to the workmen employed in builting the Pyramids that we see behind the village."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "'Wide-Wide-World' Picturesque Egypt. Series XI. / Raphael Tuck& Sons 'OILETTE' Postcard 7441. / Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen. Printed in England." Publisher's logo on verso.
Items EEPA UA-14-05 and EEPA UA-14-07 are duplicate postcards.
Local Numbers:
EEPA UA-14-07
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Printed caption on verso reads: "A Rest by the Way. A typical scene near the desert region. Just outside the white -walled Egyptian village is a clump of green date palm trees, making a veritable oasis for the tired traveller from across the Libyan Desert."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "'Wide-Wide-World' Picturesque Egypt. Series XI. / Raphael Tuck& Sons 'OILETTE' Postcard 7441. / Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen. Printed in England." Publisher's logos on recto and verso.
Postmarked postage stamp, manuscript message, and address on verso.
Local Numbers:
EEPA UA-14-15
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Printed caption on verso reads "Girl of Cairo. The women of Egypt are a handsome well-formed race. Fine oval faces, bright deep-set black eyes, full lips, broad shoulders and well shaped limbs. 'Young Egyptian girls,' says a traveller, 'perambulate the platform, crying 'Moyeh' [water] ministering to the needs of the thirsty."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "'Wide-Wide-World' series; Egypt - The Sphinx / Raphael Tuck& Sons 'OILETTE' Postcard No. 7200. / Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen. / Copyright London / Printed in England." Publisher's logo in stamp box.
Local Numbers:
EEPA UA-20-37
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Printed caption on verso reads "Egyptian Girl Laughing. As in all hot countries, the wells and springs are points of animation. The springs which bubble even among the crags of the desert, or the wells which men have bored deep down below the surface. These are the meeting places where smiling women gossip together or linger and chat with those wayfarers who rest by the well and whose weariness they are always willing to refresh. 'Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.'"
Additional printed text on verso reads: "'Wide-Wide-World' series; Egypt - The Sphinx / Raphael Tuck& Sons 'OILETTE' Postcard No. 7200. / Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen. / Copyright London / Printed in England." Publisher's logo in stamp box.
Local Numbers:
EEPA UA-20-38
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Printed caption on recto reads: "CAIRO. ARAB RESTAURANT."
Printed caption on verso reads: "Arab Restaurant, Cairo. Here, under the feathery date-palms and dum palms, native Cairo comes to drink coffee and sherbet, to eat seethed kid and cloying sweetmeats, and refresh itself with cool melons, lemons, and lettuces. The Fellah woman in the background is carring away a basket full of greenstuff, probably beans, a staple food in ancient and modern Egypt."
Additional printed text on verso reads: "'Wide-Wide-World' Picturesque Egypt. Series IX. / Raphael Tuck& Sons 'OILETTE' [Regd] Postcard No. 7435. / Art publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen. Printed in England." Publisher's logo on verso and recto.
Local Numbers:
EEPA UA-21-03
General:
Title source: Postcard caption.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
The records of the New York City based Valentine Gallery measure 1.8 linear feet and date from circa 1890 to 1960. The bulk of the material documents the gallery's dealings with artists Louis Eilshemius, John Kane, Henri Matisse, and C.S. Price. Additionally, there is one scrapbook which contains printed materials regarding Valentine Gallery exhibitions from 1925-1936.
Scope and Contents:
The records of the New York City based Valentine Gallery measure 1.8 linear feet and date from circa 1890 to 1960. The bulk of the material documents the gallery's dealings with artists Louis Eilshemius, John Kane, Henri Matisse, and C.S. Price. Additionally, there is one scrapbook which contains printed materials regarding Valentine Gallery exhibitions from 1925-1936.
The artist's file for Eilshemius contains biographical information; correspondence between Valentine Dudensing and the artist, as well scattered letters from Carl Van Vecten, Alfred H. Barr, and museums and institutions; writings and notes; price lists and other financial and legal documents; printed material from Eilshemius's varied career and from his affiliation with the Valentine Gallery; photographs including portraits of the artist, and photos of installations and of works of art; and a scrapbook containing clippings and scattered other printed materials covering Eilshemius's shows at the Valentine Gallery.
Artists' files for John Kane, Henri Matisse, and C.S. Price contain scattered documentation. The file for John Kane includes correspondence between Valentine Dudensing and Kane's estate managers as well as museums and institutions, price lists, legal records, and printed materials. There are two letters from Henri Matisse to Valentine Dudensing regarding travel plans and a thank you message. The C.S. Price file consists of letters from Price regarding specific works of art, and scattered financial records.
A scrapbook dates from 1925-1936 and includes newspaper and magazine clippings about exhibitions and artists represented by the Valentine Gallery. Artists and exhibitions mentioned in the clippings include Alexander Brook, Giorgio de Chirico, Stuart Davis, Jean Lucrat, Carlos Merida, and Joseph Stella. Also, there is a poster created by Valentine Dudensing to fundraise for ambulances for France.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 2 series.
Series 1: Artists Files, circa 1890-1960 (Box 1, 3; 1.3 linear feet)
Series 2: Scrapbook, 1925-1936 (Box 2, 4; 0.5 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
The Valentine Gallery was founded by F. Valentine Dudensing in 1926 and operated in New York City until 1947. The gallery hosted many exhibitions of Modern European art and specialized in School of Paris paintings.
F. Valentine Dudensing was born in 1892 in New York City. His father, Richard Dudensing was a well known art publisher and gallerist who owned Dudensing Galleries. Valentine served in World War I in the United States Aviation Corps and in 1920, married Margaret van der Gros. During a trip to Europe in the early 1920s, Dudensing became acquainted with the son of artist Henri Matisse, Pierre. Together, they conceived a gallery managed by Dudensing in New York while Matisse organized and curated art from Europe.
Dudensing opened his gallery in 1926 at 43 East 57th Street as the F. Valentine Dudensing Gallery. At this time, his father's gallery, the Dudensing Galleries, was located at 45 West 44th Street. Valentine Dudensing changed his gallery's name in 1927 to the Valentine Gallery to distinguish it from his father's gallery. The gallery was one of the first to bring Modern European works to New York City and hosted exhibitions of Giorgio de Chirico, Jean Lurçat, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and André Dunoyer de Segonzac. Additionally, Valentine Gallery represented American artists including Louis Eilshemius, John Kane, and C.S. Price. Pierre Matisse left the partnership with Valentine Dudensing to open his own gallery in 1931.
In 1947, Valentine Dudensing closed his gallery and moved to France with his wife. He died in 1967.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reel NY59-5) including gallery index cards. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
The Valentine Gallery records were donated by gallery founder, Valentine Dudensing in 1958. Dudensing also lent the Archives of American Art gallery index cards for microfilming in 1959. Roy R. Neuberger donated materials regarding Louis Eilshemius in 1959 who received the material from Valentine Dudensing.
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:
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
New York N.Y. -- Buildings, structures, etc., Photographs
Date:
1840-1967
bulk 1900-1960
Summary:
The papers of New York City art critic, writer, and lecturer Forbes Watson date from 1840-1967 with the bulk of materials dating from 1900-1960 and measure 13.92 linear feet. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, business records relating to the Arts Publishing Corporation, records documenting Watson's work for the Public Works of Art Project and the Section of Painting and Sculpture, reference files, an exhibition file from the Pepsi-Cola Company's Third Annual Exhibition, writings and notes, ten scrapbooks and loose pages, printed materials, and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of New York City art critic, writer, and lecturer Forbes Watson date from 1840-1967 with the bulk of materials dating from 1900-1960 and measure 13.92 linear feet. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, business records relating to the Arts Publishing Corporation, records documenting Watson's work for the Public Works of Art Project and the Section of Painting and Sculpture, reference files, an exhibition file from the Pepsi-Cola Company's Third Annual Exhibition, writings and notes, ten scrapbooks and loose pages, printed materials, and photographs.
Biographical material includes Watson's Harvard diploma, documents concerning his service with the Red Cross in World War II, biographical accounts, and obituaries.
Correspondence is primarily with colleagues and includes scattered letters from Alfred H. Barr, Jr., Ira Glackens, Allen Tucker, and Max Weber. Other letters are from artists, art historians, and museum curators. A notebook contains shorthand drafts of letters from Watson.
Business records include personal business records consisting of various tax and stock records. The Arts Publishing Corporation records concern Watson's tenure as editor of The Arts magazine and contains a contract, correspondence, financial records, stockholders reports, press releases, a scrapbook, and issues of The Arts. Also included are business records pertaining to the Art in Federal Buildings, Inc..
The U.S. Treasury Department file is the largest series and documents Watson's federal employment as technical director, chief advisor, and consultant for Treasury Department's public art programs - the Public Works of Art Project and the Section of Painting and Sculpture. The files contain correspondence, financial reports, prospectuses, exhibition files, typescripts, clippings, exhibition catalogs, miscellaneous printed material, and photographs, and a scrapbook. The files contain a record of Watson's and other federal administrators' interactions with many artists during the Depression Era. Correspondence is primarily between Watson and Edward Bruce, Olin Dows, Henry and Elinor Morgenthau, and Edward B. Rowan. Found are scattered letters from artists including Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Paul Manship, and William Zorach, among many others. There are exhibition files for "Art for Bonds," "Army at War," and "War Against Japan." There are also photographs of U. S. Treasury Department events including a radio broadcast by John Dewey, Robert La Follette, Jr., and Sumner Welles.
Documents from the Pepsi-Cola Company's Third Annual Exhibition at the National Academy of Design contains a prospectus, an exhibition catalog and artists' statements.
Artist/Patron files contain reference material concerning painters, sculptors, photographers, dancers, composers, authors, art collectors, art dealers, and museum administrators. Files may include writings, notes, artworks, exhibition catalogs and other printed materials. Of particular note are photographs, which include portrait photographs of artists and of artists in their studios. Notable photographers include Ansel Adams, Arnold Genthe, Man Ray, photographs of New York City by Charles Sheeler and a photo of Henri Matisse by A. E. Gallatin. Files for Nan Watson, Symeon Shimin, and Glenn O. Coleman contain artworks. A file for Constantin Brancusi contains legal documents concerning U. S. Customs vs. Brancusi.
Art and Architecture files consist of reference material including photographs and notes concerning miscellaneous unattributed art works, American architecture, and furnishings.
Notes and writings consist of miscellaneous notes and typescripts of lectures and published articles, and notebooks.
Nine scrapbooks and loose scrapbook pages contain clippings of articles written by Watson, lists, and exhibition announcements and catalogs. Additional printed material includes clippings, copies of the Hue and Cry newspaper, exhibition announcements and catalogs, press releases, calendars of events, brochures for the Art Students League, book catalogs, published books, and miscellaneous printed material.
Photographs are of Forbes Watson; family members including his wife, painter Nan Watson; and members of the Art Students League including Peggy Bacon, Minna Citron, Stewart Klonis, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and Reginald Marsh. There are also photographs of juries for the Carnegie Institute International Exhibitions that include colleagues Alfred H. Barr, Jr., Gifford Beal, Guy Pene DuBois, Leon Kroll, Henri Matisse, Homer Saint-Gaudens, and Maurice Sterne.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 11 series:
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1902-1960 (Box 1; 4 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1913-1960 (Box 1; 33 folders)
Series 3: Business Records, 1920-1944 (Box 1-3, 14, 22; 2.0 linear feet)
Series 4: U. S. Treasury Department File, 1926-1945 (Box 3-6, 14, 17, 22, OV 21; 3.4 linear feet)
Series 5: File for Pepsi-Cola Company's Third Annual Exhibition "Paintings of the Year," 1946 (Box 6; 5 folders)
Series 6: Artist/Patron Files, 1840-1967 (Box 6-9, 15, OV 21; 2.8 linear feet)
Series 7: Art and Architecture File, 1929-1930 (Box 9; 35 folders)
Series 8: Notes and Writings, 1875-1950 (Box 9-10, 22; 1.3 linear feet)
Series 9: Scrapbooks, 1904-1951 (Box 9, 11, 14, BV 18, BV 19, BV 20; 1.8 linear feet)
Series 10: Printed Material, 1900-1961 (Box 10, 12-13, 16-17, 22; 1.5 linear feet)
Series 11: Photographs, 1900-1950 (Box 13, 22; .4 linear feet)
All material is arranged chronologically, with the exception of the Artist/Patron Files which are arranged alphabetically.
Biographical Note:
Forbes Watson (1879-1960) worked primarily in New York City and Washington, D.C. as an art critic, writer, lecturer, and consultant to the U. S. Treasury Department's Public Works of Art Project and Section of Painting and Sculpture (Section of Fine Arts).
Forbes Watson was born on November 27, 1879 in Boston, the son of stockbroker John Watson and his wife Mary. Watson grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, attending the Phillips Academy in Andover, and graduating from Harvard University in 1902. After a brief period of freelance writing, he was hired by The New York Evening Post as an art critic in 1911 and worked there until 1917. In 1910, he married Agnes, professionally known as painter Nan Watson.
During World War I, Watson served with an American volunteer ambulance unit with the French army, later working with the American Red Cross in Paris. After the war, he moved back to New York City and worked as art critic for The World, from the early 1920s until 1931 and as editor of The Arts magazine from 1923-1933. Watson also lectured at the Art Students League, and at various universities and arts organizations.
In 1933, Watson moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as technical director of the U. S. Treasury Department's short-lived Public Works of Art Project. In October 1934, Watson was employed as Chief Adviser to the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture (later renamed the Section of Fine Arts) and later as Consultant to the Secretary's Office of the Treasury. During World War II, he organized various traveling exhibitions including "Art for Bonds" that promoted the sale of war bonds. Watson retired in 1946 and lived in Gaylordsville, Connecticut.
Watson was the author of numerous essays and reviews, and several books including American Painting Today and Winslow Homer, a biography of the noted American artist. With Edward Bruce, he produced a pictorial volume Art in Federal Buildings, Vol. I: Mural Designs. At his death he was working on his autobiography.
Forbes Watson died on May 31, 1960 in New Milford, Connecticut.
Provenance:
The Forbes Watson papers were donated by Watson's widow, Nan Watson, in 1961. An additional folder of material was donated in 2018 by the Museum of Modern Art via Michelle Elligott, Chief of Archives, Library and Research.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art critics -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Arts administrators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
