The papers of painter, graphic and video artist, and educator Eleanor Dickinson measure 29.8 linear feet and 0.002 gigabytes, and date from 1947 to 2014. The collection comprises biographical materials; professional and personal correspondence; video and sound recordings of interviews for Dickinson's television program Art of the Matter; exhibition files; teaching files for the California College of Arts and Crafts and other professional and project files; research and subject files; membership records, including born-digital material, and sound and video recordings, for various organizations; personal financial and legal records; printed materials featuring Dickinson and her artwork; and photographic materials of Dickinson in her studio and with friends, colleagues, and family, as well as exhibitions and other art events, and works of art.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter, graphic and video artist, and educator Eleanor Dickinson measure 29.8 linear feet and 0.002 gigabytes, and date from 1947 to 2014.
The collection comprises biographical materials containing datebooks, certificates, resumes, and sketches; professional and personal correspondence; video and sound recordings of interviews for Dickinson's television program Art of the Matter; exhibition files for Spirit in the Land: Photographs from the Bible Belt (1987) and various group exhibitions; files documenting Dickinson's professional activities outside of teaching at the California College of Arts and Crafts; and files that include video recordings for projects on artist's models, Revival!, and gender discrimination in the art field.
Also found are research and subject files on Howard Finster, professionalism in art, and other topics; California College of Arts and Crafts teaching files consisting of student and faculty records, course material, and administrative records; membership records that include born-digital material, and sound and video recordings for Artists Equity Association, Women's Caucus for the Arts, and other organizations; records documenting Dickinson's personal financial and legal dealings that include artwork sales records, studio expenses, and lists of artworks in the Eleanor and Wade Dickinson Art Collection; printed materials featuring Dickinson and her artwork; and photographic materials depicting Dickinson in her studio and with friends and colleagues, family, exhibitions and art events, and works of art.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 12 series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1957-2014 (1.0 linear feet; Box 1, OVs 32, 36)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1954-2013 (3.0 linear feet; Boxes 1-4)
Series 3: Interviews, 1976-2000 (2.5 linear feet; Boxes 4-7)
Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1960-2012 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 7-8)
Series 5: Professional Files, 1963-circa 2005 (0.5 linear feet; Box 8, OV 34)
Series 6: Project Files, 1955-2001 (4.5 linear feet; Boxes 8-13, OVs 32-33)
Series 7: Research and Subject Files, circa 1970-circa 1997 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 13-15)
Series 8: California College of Arts and Crafts Teaching Files, 1962-2002 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 15-16)
Series 9: Membership Records, 1947-2014 (8.0 linear feet; Boxes 17-24, 31, OV 34, ER01)
Series 10: Personal Business Records, 1957-2011 (2.0 linear feet; Boxes 25-26)
Series 11: Printed Materials, 1951-2011 (4.0 linear feet; Boxes 26-30, OVs 32-33, 35-36)
Series 12: Photographic Materials, 1958-2012 (6 folders; Box 30)
Biographical / Historical:
Eleanor Dickinson (1931-2017) was a painter, graphic and video artist, and educator in San Francisco, C.A.
Dickinson was born in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1931. Shortly after graduating from University of Tennessee in 1952 with a Bachelor of Arts, Dickinson moved to California and established a studio in San Francisco. There she immersed herself in the counterculture of the 1960s, becoming friends with Allen Ginsberg and producing a poster with Ginsberg's fellow Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
Dickinson's continuing interest in and activism for the rights and well-being of artists also influenced her work with the Artists Equity Association, the Women's Caucus for the Arts, and numerous other organizations. Though extremely active in the art world of the West Coast, she never forgot her southern roots and continued to visit Tennessee annually. Dickinson's close connection to her birthplace is evident throughout her career, with Southern religion often being central to her work. Among her most prominent projects are the multifaceted exhibition Revival!, the documentary "Artist's Models of San Francisco," the ink drawings seen in Old Lovers, and illustrations for the books Complete Fruit Cookbook and That Old-Time Religion.
Dickinson was married to Wade Dickinson and had three children: Mark, Katy, and Daniel. Dickinson died in San Francisco, California, in 2017.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history with Eleanor Dickinson conducted on October 25, 2000 by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, in Dickinson's studio/home, in San Francisco, California.
Provenance:
The Eleanor Dickinson papers were donated from 1979 to 2005 by Eleanor Dickinson and in 2017 by the Eleanor Creekmore Dickinson Charitable Art Trust.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References 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:
Painters -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Eleanor Dickinson papers, 1947-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Primarily records of the San Francisco Art Association (1871-1920), but also of the California School of Design (1873-1905) (briefly called the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art in 1893), the Palace of Fine Arts (1915-1945), The Western Round Table on Modern Art (1949), the San Francisco Art Institute (1911-1978), the San Francisco Museum of Art (1921-1970), and the Douglas MacAgy papers (1944-1950).
REELS 1288-1289: 3 vol. containing minutes of board of trustees meetings of the Association and Institute, 1871-1915, and minutes of the meetings of the board of directors of the California School of Design, 1873-1905.
REELS 2429-2433: Historical data contains material relating to the museum. San Francisco Art Association records include correspondence; photographs; membership records; organizational and registrarial records; reports; printed material; and materials regarding the Palace of Fine Arts. San Francisco Museum of Art section includes correspondence; minutes of board meetings; reports; legal documents; clippings; and printed materials. "Western Round Table on Modern Art" conference sponsored by SFAA, April 8-10, 1949, includes letters to organizer Douglas MacAgy regarding arrangements, publicity, and comments, including several from participants Gregory Bateson, Kenneth Burke, George Boas, Marcel Duchamp, Alfred Frankenstein, Norman Bel Geddes, Robert Goldwater, Darius Milhaud, Andrew Ritchie, Arnold Schoenberg, Mark Tobey, and Frank Lloyd Wright; Abstract of Proceedings; transcripts of the meeting edited by participants; clippings; and photographs. The microfilm also includes papers of Douglas MacAgy; and correspondence, clippings, and photographs of artists' models for the San Francisco Art Institute.
REELS 4962-4963: Files, primarily correspondence, from the director, J. Nilsen Laurvik, from the 43rd (1919) and 44th (1920) San Francisco Art Association Annual Art Exhibition of the Works of American Artists, pertaining to its organization, promotion and administration; and additional material relating to the "Western Round Table on Modern Art," including transcripts from the Apr. 8th session edited by participants, some with notes and letters, and a final draft of an edited version; a scrapbook of publicity clippings on the Round Table; and 30 photographs taken during the conference.
Also included are 9 audio cassettes (copied from original Webcor wire recordings) of the entire proceedings of the "Western Roundtable."
Biographical / Historical:
The San Francisco Art Association (SFAA) was founded in 1871 and incorporated in 1889. The California School of Design was established under the auspices of SFAA in 1874, changing its name to the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art in 1893 after the Mark Hopkins mansion was given to SFAA. It became the San Francisco Institute of Art in 1907, and the California School of Fine Arts in 1917. From 1916-1924, SFAA retained the Palace of Fine Arts, which had been part of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. In 1921, SFAA incorporated the San Francisco Museum of Art (SFMA) into its administration although each retained autonomy. In 1961, SFAA merged with the School and was renamed the San Francisco Art Institute. A change in the constitutional by-laws officially dissolved the SFAA in 1966, leaving the SFAI and the SFMA. In 1976, SFMA changed its name to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
On April 8-10, 1949, the SFAA sponsored the Western Round Table of Modern Art, organized by Douglas MacAgy for the purpose of bringing together a representation of the best informed opinion to discuss questions about art of the day.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1977-1987 by the San Francisco Art Institute. The sound recordings were borrowed from the San Francisco Art Institute, recorded on cassette in 1987 and then the orginal wire tapes were subsequently returned to the San Francisco Art Institute.
Restrictions:
Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching -- California -- San Francisco Search this
An interview of Eleanor Dickinson conducted 2000 October 25, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, in Dickinson's studio/home, in San Francisco, California.
Dickinson discusses her relationship to and use of the human figure in her art. She explains her "interest in the ecstatic"; her identification with her subjects; being completely involved with the personality of the model and the "performance" in the studio; how her finished works often look more like the artist than like the model; her 1975 show at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in which the life-class was moved into a museum gallery to share the experience with museum visitors; her view that the artist participates in the lives and actions of her subjects through empathy and the artist's role as a mirror to society, reflecting and recording who and what we are.
Biographical / Historical:
Eleanor Dickinson (1931-2017 ) was a painter, graphic, video artist and instructor in San Francisco, Calif. Teacher of life drawing at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, for many years, Dickinson was known for her figurative drawing and involvement with her students and models as individuals.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 48 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
An interview of Mark Adams and Beth Van Hoesen conducted 1983 August 31-1984 February 24, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art. Adams and Van Hoesen speak of their backgrounds and art training; the figurative tradition in the Bay area; the importance of the model and the difference in Adams' and Van Hoesen's approaches to their subjects and to the nude. Van Hoesen discusses her series and book, "The Nude Man." Adams recalls Hans Hofmann.
Biographical / Historical:
Mark Adams, painter and tapissier (San Francisco, California) Beth Van Hoesen, painter and printmaker (San Francisco, California)
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Occupation:
Tapissiers -- California -- Interviews Search this
The papers of A.G. (Abel George) Warshawsky date from circa 1900 to 1988 and measure 3.8 linear feet. the papers contain biographical materials; scattered correspondence, most of which consists of letters from Warshawsky to his wife Ruth; writings, including versions of Warshawsky's autobiography; printed materials; two scrapbooks; photographs and eight photo albums; twenty-six sketchbooks; and artworks by Warshawsky and others.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of A.G. (Abel George) Warshawsky date from circa 1900 to 1988 and measure 3.8 linear feet. The papers contain biographical materials; scattered correspondence, most of which consists of letters from Warshawsky to his wife Ruth; writings, including versions of Warshawsky's autobiography; printed materials; two scrapbooks; photographs and eight photo albums; twenty-six sketchbooks; and artworks by Warshawsky and others.
Biographical materials consist of passports, an identification card, and a Who's Who entry. Correspondence is scattered and contains letters written by A.G. Warshawsky to his wife Ruth. There are also telegrams of congratulations for the Warshawskys' 1941 marriage and a few letters from museums and institutions regarding Warshawsky's art.
Writings and notes include three versions of Warshawsky's autobiography entitled: "My Brush with Life," "Adventures with Color and Brush," and "Warshawsky's Autobiography." The autobiography concerns his life in Paris, activities, and acquaintances as a young art student in Paris. Also found are other writings about art and a notebook.
Printed material includes exhibition catalogs, xeroxed copies of news clippings and a clippings file concerning Warshawsky's career, published material, and reproductions of works of art. Also found is a printed portfolio comprised of an introduction to Warshawsky and reproductions of his paintings.
There is one original and one xeroxed scrapbook, containing news clippings, and exhibition materials from 1913 to 1960.
Photographs includes eight photo albums and photographs of Warshawsky, of family and friends, and of works of art. The bulk of the photo albums contain photographs of works of art. Two photo albums consist of personal photos of Warshawsky and his wife Ruth in their home in California. Other photographs are of Warshawsky painting in his studio, with his art, and of his wife, family, friends, and artist models.
Twenty-six sketchbooks are primarily in pencil and are undated or unidentified. Some sketchbooks include place names such as Monterey and Carmel, California, Mexico, and Paris.
Additional artwork includes loose sketches and a print by Warshawsky. Also found are prints and drawings by others, including Goya, Edwin Kaufman, and Paul de Lassence.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1923-circa 1940 (3 folders; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1941-1964 (4 folders; Box 1)
Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1930-circa 1950 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1920-1964 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1, 6, OV 12)
Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1913-1960 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1, 9)
Series 6: Photographs, circa 1910-1988 (1.4 linear feet; Box 1-2, 5, 7-8, OV 10)
Series 7: Sketchbooks, circa 1910-circa 1950 (1.0 linear feet; Box 2-3, 5-6)
Series 8: Artwork, circa 1900-1951 (0.5 linear feet; Box 3-5, OV 11)
Biographical / Historical:
Impressionist painter A.G. Warshawsky (1883-1962) was active in Paris and Monterey, California.
Abel George "Buck" Warshawsky was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania in 1883. He spent his childhood in Cleveland, Ohio where he studied at the Cleveland Art Institute. Warshawsky moved to New York where he studied at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design. His brother, Alexander also became an artist.
In 1909, Abel Warshawsky left the U.S. for Paris where he remained for thirty years. There, he developed his unique style, combining Impressionism and Realism. He returned to the United States annually, mostly to sell his paintings, but remained active in the Parisian art scene until 1939. He exhibited his works in Cleveland, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Paris.
Before the start of World War II, Warshawsky left Paris and settled in Monterey, California. Warshawsky married Ruth Tate in 1941. He died from heart failure in 1962. His works are in the permanent collections of the Akron Art institute, the Cleveland museum of Art, the Luxembourg Museum, the De Young Museum, the Petit Palais, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Separated Materials:
The Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio holds the Abel G. Warshawsky Family papers.
Provenance:
The bulk of the A.G. Warshawsky papers were donated in 1996 by Froma Goldberg, Warshawsky's niece. In 1978, Ruth Warshawsky donated a typescript copy of her husband's autobiography, "My Brush with Life."
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington D.C. Research Facility. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The A.G. (Abel George) Warshawsky papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Correspondence; Clancy's writings about Moses Soyer, whom she studied with, and modeled for; curriculum vitae; photographs of Clancy and of her art work; sketches; exhibition catalogs; and clippings.
Biographical / Historical:
Artist, illustrator, artists' model; San Francisco, California. Married name Judith Clancy Johns.
Provenance:
Donated 1978 by Judith Clancy Johns.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Artists' models -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Artists' models -- San Francisco, California Search this
The collection measures 0.5 linear feet, dates from 1920 to 1997, and documents the career of artist's model Florence Allen. Found within the papers are biographical material, letters, notes and writings, art work, and printed material. Of particular interest are a wide variety of photographs, including 19th century photographs of Allen family members, photographs of Florence Allen posing for artists, socializing with famous friends such as Paul Robeson, Harry Belefonte, Paul Newman, Allen Ginsberg, and participating in protest marches. There is also an autographed photo of Bob Hope.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of artist's model Florence Allen measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1920-1997. Found within the papers are biographical material, scattered letters that generally discuss some of Allen's activities, miscellaneous notes and writings, a drawing and a silhouette, and clippings. The primary value of this collection rests in its wide variety of photographs. As well as 19th century photographs of Allen family members the collection contains photographs of Florence Allen posing for artists, socializing with famous friends such as Paul Robeson, Harry Belefonte, Paul Newman and Allen Ginsberg, and participating in protest marches. There is also an autographed photo of Bob Hope.
Florence Allen was educated at Fremont High School and later became involved in the San Francisco literary and artistic community as a civil rights activist and newspaper columnist. She began modeling in 1933 and worked as an artist's model for most of the prominent figurative painters working in the Bay Area of San Francisco, including Diego Rivera, Mark Rothko, and Wayne Thiebaud. She also worked as a model in university art classes, including those at the San Francisco Art Institute, Mills College, University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University, and the California College of Arts and Crafts.
In 1945, Ms. Allen founded the San Francisco Models' Guild. After injuries from a traffic accident limited her mobility in 1987, she became the Model Coordinator at the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland where she also taught a Model Certification Workshop.
Florence Allen died June 1, 1997 in El Sobrante, California.
Provenance:
The Florence Allen papers were donated in 1995 and 1999 by Florence Allen via Austin Conkey, an informal executor, who maintained Allen's papers.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Florence Allen papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Topic:
Artists' models -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
Florence Allen papers, 1920-1997. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An interview of Kelly O'Neill conducted 2000 Feb. 15, by Paul Karlstrom for the Archives of American Art, in O'Neill's home and studio, Los Angeles, Calif.
O'Neill discussed her early experiences as a model. She drew an important distinction between private sessions and classroom work. Considerable attention was paid to her experience with one artist in Sacramento who became attached to her as subject/object. She reflected on what that means for the model and the complex motives that come into play in such situations. Finally, she spoke of her experience posing for Sam Clayberger and the lessons she takes away for her own art.
Biographical / Historical:
Kelly O'Neill was an artist's model from Los Angeles, Calif. O'Neill is an art student at California State University, Los Angeles. After a brief modeling career in Sacramento, she moved to San Francisco and then to Los Angeles. She resumed her artists' modeling work when invited to pose by Samuel Clayberger.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 2 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for the transcription of this Artists and Model series interview provided by Bente and Gerald E. Buck Collection.
Restrictions:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sponsor:
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Interview of Ann Karlstrom and Mimi Luebbermann conducted 1982 March 4, by Betsy Mize Currie, for the Archives of American Art California Oral History Project. Karlstrom and Luebbermann discuss their experiences as models for Bay Area artists. They recall artist Samuel Clayberger and photographer Jack Welpott.
Biographical / Historical:
Ann Karlstrom is the publications manager at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco, California; Mimi Luebermann is an an amateur artists' model.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
Patrons must use transcript.
Topic:
Artists' models -- California -- Interviews Search this
