#620 Inspiring Reform: Boston's Arts and Crafts Movement; 3/6/1998 - 7/5/1998 (3 folders)
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 00-083, National Museum of American Art, Office of Registration and Collections Management, Exhibition Records
United States of America -- Rhode Island -- Newport -- Newport
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets, site plans, photocopies of articles.
General:
This Modernist garden was created right after World War II, designed by Christopher Tunnard. It still survives today, perhaps the only existing commissioned landscape design by the man who influenced many of the United States most celebrated postwar architects and landscape architects. At only 65' x 42', the garden has an extreme austerity in design with a hint of luxury in its fountains, thick hedges and sculpture. The plants are cut and trimmed into an ordained shape, and the pattern is designed to be seen from the ground, where its curves interlock and turn back on themselves. Only two kinds of trees are used - lime (Tilia) and arbor vitae (Thuja); and three kinds of permanent plants - ivy (Hedera), box (Buxus) and yew (Taxus). The lime trees will eventually be pleached into an architectural block to throw the ground pattern into even greater contrast. The ivy is in slightly raised mounds, edged in places with small summer flowers. The bedding plants are purple and white petunias with carnations and lemon-yellow thunbergias." The sculpture, 'Chimerical Font,' by Jean Arp, is golden bronze centered on a plinth in a black lacquered rectangular pool. The other pools (two circular, one biomorphic) are shallow and painted white. Of note are the unusual shapes of the pruned boxwoods in the shapes of question marks and semi-colons; the colorful flowers; and the 6th linden along the left and end wall, now covered in Boston ivy, and originally painted white to complete a design that very much relied on strong figure-ground relationship.
Christopher Tunnard (1910-1979) was born in Canada, moved to England in 1929 and received a diploma from the Royal Horticultural Society the following year. The period of the eclectic Arts and Crafts movement (which he characterized as "romantic trivialization" of garden design) prompted him to introduce his Modernist views of landscape design. This approach avoided decoration, sentimentality and classical allusion "in favor of functional minimalist designs that provided a friendly and hospitable milieu for rest and recreation." After 10 years practicing garden and landscape work, he immigrated to America at the invitation of Walter Gropius to teach at Harvard's Graduate School of Design (1938-1943). Following the War, Tunnard taught city planning at Yale, advancing to professor and chairman of this department; he did little garden design from that point forward, making this 1949 garden probably one of his last commissions. For the final thirty years of his life, Tunnard put his energies into urban planning and the preservation of historic buildings; his publications in this area include "Man-made America: Chaos or Control?" (1963) which won the 1964 National Book Award in Science, Philosophy and Religion. It is perhaps ironic that Christopher Tunnard ended up of very much the same sentiment as his American patron, Mrs. George W. (Katherine) Warren, founder of the Preservation Society of Newport County (1945). In "Pioneers of American Landscape Design," (2000), Lance Neckar notes that "by the time of his death, he had come full circle to be identified with conservation-and-preservation-oriented attributes toward city revitalization which were antithetical to the Modern movement" that Tunnard had originally espoused.
Tunnard's patrons, George and Katherine Warren, who purchased the property on Mill Street in 1933, chose a part of Newport that was then considered "the other side of the tracks" by their social set, most of whom resided out on Ocean Drive. In New York, where the couple lived "off season," Katherine Warren collected modern art and was on the Advisory Committee of the Museum of Modern Art. Interesting to note that the garden was commissioned in 1949 and distinguished by its functional, minimalist modern design in sharp contrast with its early Federal-style house. The Warrens also added two glass-enclosed rooms on the first and second floors of their home on the garden side, presumably to enjoy this new garden to its full extent. Mrs. Warren died in 1976, bequeathing her home to the Preservation Society of Newport County, which moved its offices to this location in 1977. While the Preservation Society of Newport County owned the property, the garden was heavily shaded by a large beech tree and had become overgrown. It was maintained as they found it without major renovation. The current owner moved into the Mill Street house in 1994 and restored the Tunnard garden in 2001 and has proven to be a conscientious caretaker of this rare, nationally significant garden.
Persons associated with the garden include Tanner Family (former owners, 1776-1807); Samuel F. Gardner (former owner, 1807-1809); Robert Lawton (former owner, 1809-1810); Penelope Lawton (former owner, 1810-1822); Reverend Samuel Austin (former owner, 1822-1826); Francis Henderson (former owner, 1826-1857); Fanny S. Brinley (former owner, 1857-1863); Sallie C. Lawrence (former owner, 1863-1886); Allen G. Paul (former owner, 1886-1916); Florence S. Paul (former owner, 1916-1932); George and Katherine Warren (former owners, 1932-1977); Preservation Society of Newport County (former owner, 1977-1994); Christopher Tunnard (landscape designer, 1949); Eusebio Pleitez (gardener, 2001- ).
Related Materials:
Warren House-Tunnard Garden related holdings consist of 1 folder (10 digital images)
Additional photographs are also located in the collections of the Preservation Society of Newport County.
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.
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.
Elizabeth R. Hooker House (New Haven, Connecticut)
United States of America -- Connecticut -- New Haven County -- New Haven
Scope and Contents:
The folders include work sheets, site plans, and copies of site plans by Coffin and Delano & Aldrich.
Varying Form:
Home of Edith H. Ilmanen, formerly known as.
General:
The brick house was designed in 1914-1915 by architects Delano & Aldrich with a brick walled garden. Marian Coffin designed the perennial border. The grounds were designed to complement the house which was fashioned in the style of the English Arts and Crafts movement. The walled garden is a formal terraced garden situated near the house. Beyond the walled garden is a more naturalized, wooded area featuring a pond on the lower lying grounds.
Current owners of the property have undertaken a restoration of the property to reflect the original Delano and Aldrich design. The property has since received recognition from the New Haven Preservation Trust, the Connecticut chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
This garden was originally documented in 2005, at that time it was identified as the Home of Edith H. Ilmanen. An update of the garden documentation was provided in 2012, as the Elizabeth R. Hooker House.
Persons and organizations associated with the property include: Elizabeth Russell Hooker (former owner, 1911-1965); Edith Hooker Ilmanen (former owner, 1965-2004); Delano & Aldrich (architects, 1914-1915); and Marian Coffin (landscape architect, 1929 and 1940); and TPA Design Group (landscape architects, 2008).
Related Materials:
Elizabeth R. Hooker House related holdings consist of 2 folders (13 35 mm slides (photographs); 40 digital images)
Plans and photographs are to be given to the New Haven Colony Historical Society.
Additional materials are located at Columbia University's Avery Library.
Additonal materials are located in the Marian Cruger Coffin Papers at The Winterthur Library/Archives at the Henry Francis Du Pont Winterthur Museum in Winterthur, Delaware.
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.
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.
The papers of art collector Charles Rand Penney measure 23.1 linear feet and date from 1923 to 1994 with the bulk of the collection dating from 1945 to 1994. The majority of the collection consists of Penney's art collection files, which include printed materials, correspondence, notes, and photographic materials. Also found within the papers are catalogs from exhibitions that featured artwork from Penney's collection.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of art collector Charles Rand Penney measure 23.1 linear feet and date from 1923 to 1994 with the bulk of the collection dating from 1945 to 1994. The collection consists primarily of Penney's art collection files which include printed materials, correspondence, notes, and photographic materials. Also found within the papers are catalogs from exhibitions that featured artwork from Penney's collection.
Artists of significance represented in Penney's art collection files include Jean Arp, John James Audubon, Milton Avery, Harry Beroia, Alexander Calder, Stuart Davis, Philip Evergood, Emil Ganso, Robert Goodnough, Red Grooms, Edward Hopper, John Marin, Reginald Marsh, Joan Miro, Henry Moore, Louise Nevelson, Isamu Noguchi, Beverly Pepper, George Segal, John Sloan, Theodoros Stamos, Saul Steinberg, and Ulfert Wilke, among many others. Also included are files for artists that participated in theToronto 20 portfolio project in 1965. The files do not include Penney's files relating to Charles Burchfield, Wester New York state artists, or objects from the Arts and Craft movement.
A few notable exhibition catalogs found in the series of catalogs of the Charles Rand Penney art collection are Charles Burchfield: The Charles Rand Penney Collection, The Graphic Art of Emil Ganso, Drawings from the Collection of Charles Rand Penney, Quilts Coverlets Hooked Rugs from the Collection of Charles Rand Penney, The Charles Rand Penney Collection: Twentieth Century Art, and An American Visionary: Watercolors and Drawings of Charles E. Burchfield.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 2 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Art Collection Files, 1923-1994 (Box 1-23, OV 24; 22.7 linear feet)
Series 2: Catalogs of the Charles Rand Penney Art Collection, 1966-1991 (Box 23, 0.2 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Charles Rand Penney (1923-2010) was an art collector from Buffalo, New York. He was well known for his collection of art by Western New York artists, but also collected art from Europe, Africa, Oceania, and other regions of the United States. His travels contributed to the eclectic mix of paintings, drawings, sculptures, hooked rugs, quilts, and tribal art found within his art collection.
Penney cited receiving the watercolor Warrior in 1933 from Western New York artist Bob Blair as the beginning of his life as an art collector. Years later, Penney served in World War II, attended law school, and began practicing law in the 1950s. His collections grew quickly during the late 1950s through 1970s. Penney collected over 100,000 works of art during his lifetime, much of it guided by dealers James and Merle Goodman.
In 1963, Penney began donating artwork to the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, New York. In total, approximately 400 works of art were donated to the gallery including Big Diamond by David Smith and Beverly Pepper's Vertical Ventaglio (1967-1968). Penney also donated over 1000 works of art to the Burchfield Art Center in Buffalo, New York.
Related Materials:
Also found at the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Charles Rand Penney conducted by Robert F. Brown on August 14-16, 1981. Additional files relating to the Charles Rand Penney Foundation (1963-1976) are located at the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y. Files relating to Western New York state artists, Charles Burchfield, and American Arts and Crafts are located at the Burchfield-Penney Center at Buffalo State College, Buffalo, New York.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 1993-1994 by Charles Rand Penney.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the 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.
Alphabetical and location indexes of commissions; photographs of commissions, Samuel Yellin and the shop; correspondence and commendations from architects, 1909-1923; photograph albums; and ca. 4,000 drawings and sketches of designs.
Reels 3595-3601: indexes of commissions which are filed both alphabetically and by location; photographs of commissions filed alphabetically by subject including gates, grilles, lighting fixtures, and commisisions for banks such as the Central Savings Bank, New York City; photographs of Yellin and the shop; a small amount of correspondence; 9 photograph albums; and writings by and about Yellin.
Reels 3913-3917: 4,121 drawings and sketches of bank screens, fireplace equipment, doors, hinges, light fixtures, railngs, grilles, and presentation boards (oversized drawings were not filmed). Preliminary sketches received an "x" number. When the commission was won, the "x" was crossed out and the drawing was given a "j" (job) number. This number appears in the cros reference index on reels 3595-3601.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming by Samuel Yellin Metalworkers through Harvey Z. Yellin, son of Samuel.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Metal-workers -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Topic:
Decorative arts -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
2 volumes of Rose Valley Folk minutes, some illustrated; and a handwritten chronicle of the Rose Valley Folk, by Rose Valley Folk historians Margaret and William Price. Also included in the volumes are newspaper clippings, announcements, and photographs.
Biographical / Historical:
Community service group; Rose Valley, Penn. Rose Valley Folk was organized in 1902 to govern the utopian arts and crafts community located in Rose Valley. The group was active in town affairs until 1923, when the Rose Valley Borough was formally established.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1982 by George F. Greer.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Rights:
Authorization to publish requires written permission from Rose Valley Council. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
55 Items (Photographs: (on partial microfilm reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Interviews
Date:
1886-1980
Scope and Contents:
Biographical documents, diaries, letters received, writings, art works, business records, subject files, scrapbook, interviews, and photographs.
REEL 2714: Photographs, 1886-1977, of Norman, her family and friends, and her residences at Peaslake, Surrey, England, and Old Lyme, Conn.
UNMICROFILMED: Diaries, 1891-1892, 1908-1910, 1913-1915, and 1917-1920; a baptismal certificate, marriage certificate, notes on family relationships, a certificate for the Theosopical Society, a resume, lists of paintings, and address books; diaries of Norman's eldest son Geoffrey, 1913-1915, and of her friend Adah Stuart Franks, kept while Norman was living with her in England, 1904-1911; letters from family, friends, and business associates, 1904-1935, including many from British architects, sculptors, and others involved in the Arts and Crafts movement, from patrons such as William H. Clarke, Winefred Douglas, Mrs. John Sherman Hoyt, and from other notable figures such as Mabel Dodge, Helen Mears, and Alfred Stieglitz; autobiographical writings; drafts for articles on mural decoration and manuscript illumination, notes for lectures, articles on art and literature, drafts of short stories, and notebooks containing writings, notes and addresses.
Also included are a few sketches, pen and ink illustrations for Norman's short story "Pipkin," an illuminated calendar, and cover decorations and lettering for a book by Norman; business records, including price lists, expense, budget, and cash books and other financial records; subject files on projects or art works; a scrapbook, 1914; an interview of Clive Maxwell Norman, Norman's son, April 28, 1980, about his mother; and printed materials.
Letters, legal documents, clippings and other material relating to Norman's separation trial and divorce from John Thomas Norman, 1905-1929, complete the collection.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter and illuminator; Surrey, England and Old Lyme, Conn. Born Belle Elkin Mitchell in Kansas. Lived in England, ca. 1884-1913, and was attracted to the Arts and Crafts Movement, especially to murals and illuminated manuscripts. Among her closest friends were the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and the illustrator Walter Crane. Following a sensational divorce trial in 1914, in which her counsel was Lloyd-George, she returned to America, and worked on private commissions and exhibitions, chiefly in New York, Old Lyme, and Michigan.
Provenance:
The donor is Norman's granddaughter, Cynthia Norman.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The papers of California architect, Lilian Bridgman, measure 0.24 linear feet and date from circa 1860 to circa 1983, with the bulk of the material dating from circa 1885 to circa 1940s. The collection provides scattered documentation of Bridgman's life including records of her certification as an architect, personal stationery, a booklet about her written by her niece, photographs of Bridgman, and two glass plate negatives of her in the studio.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of California architect, Lilian Bridgman, measure 0.24 linear feet and date from circa 1860 to circa 1983, with the bulk of the material dating from circa 1885 to circa 1940s. The collection provides scattered documentation of Bridgman's life including records of her certification as an architect, personal stationery, a booklet about her written by her niece, photographs of Bridgman, and two glass plate negatives of her in the studio.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as one series.
Lilian Bridgman Papers, circa 1860-circa 1983 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1, MGP2)
Biographical / Historical:
Kansas-born architect and designer Lilian Bridgman (1866-1948), designed houses in Berkeley, California, during the Arts and Crafts movement and contributed significantly to the area's architectural heritage.
Bridgman gained a master's degree in science and taught physics and chemistry in high schools and junior colleges in California, before enrolling at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1912 to study drawing and architecture. She was licensed as an architect by the State of California in 1915 and subsequently designed more than fifteen homes in and around Berkeley. Bridgman was influenced by her mentor, Bernard Maybeck, and embraced the Arts and Crafts style which was at it's peak during her career.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art in 1994 by Alan W. Ford, owner from circa 1987-1994 of a house designed by Bridgman.
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.
Society of Arts and Crafts (Detroit, Mich.) Search this
Art School of the Society of Arts and Crafts (Detroit, Mich.) Search this
Extent:
6.5 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 4 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1906-1982
Scope and Contents:
Historical information; reports; correspondence; financial records; scrapbooks; photographs and albums.
REELS D280-D282: Historical information; annual reports; minutes of meetings; correspondence; enrollment records; financial statements; scrapbooks, 1904-1943; photographs of the Society's building; and publications. Total: 5.2 linear feet
UNMICROFILMED Additions: Annual reports, photographs, negatives, and photograph albums.
Biographical / Historical:
Art society and school; Detroit, Michigan. Formerly Society of Arts and Crafts. Founded in 1906 and incorporated in 1915. The Art School of the Society of Arts and Crafts was established in 1926. In 1975 the organization changed its name to the Center for Creative Studies - College of Art and Design. And in 2001, it changed it's name to the College for Creative Studies.
Related Materials:
Also in the Archives is material lent for microfilming, including five scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings regarding art and artists in Detroit (microfilm reel 3250).
Provenance:
Material on reel 3250 lent for microfilming 1984, and unmicrofilmed material donated 1965 and 1984 by Center for Creative Studies.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
An interview of William Underhill conducted 2002 June 8, by Margaret Carney, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Wellsville, N.Y.
Underhill speaks of being born in Berkeley, California, to parents who were art teachers; the differences between the West Coast Bay Area arts and crafts movement and that of the east coast; attending California College of Arts & Crafts for two years and then transferring to the University of California at Berkeley, in 1953, to enter the architecture program; building a dome out of aluminum for the city of Oakland's parks department with other students during the summer of 1956; being drafted into the Army in 1957; working for the U.S. Army headquarters in Germany as a draftsman; prominent and influential craft artists that he knew; marrying Linn Baldwin [Underhill], a fellow classmate, in 1957, and starting a family; re-entering UC Berkeley, finishing his B.A. degree in 1960 and completing his M.A. in 1961; his studies with Peter Voulkos; making bronze bowls, which led to his idea of casting wax, modeling wax fabrication, using sheet wax, and making textured sculpture and geometric shapes; having one of his bowl pieces in the Museum of Contemporary Crafts; the Oakland Museum buying a piece of his work; his teaching position at Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M.; being in the "Young Americans" exhibit and receiving the "Best of Show" award in 1962; most teachers trying to "emulate" the style of Peter Voulkos; moving to New York; showing at the Blumenfeld Gallery; sharing a studio next to the Clay Arts Center in Port Chester, N.Y.; building a foundry and a melting facility; teaching part-time at a community adult art center in White Plains, N.Y.; his financial difficulties; teaching part-time at Pratt Institute in 1965; J. Gordon Lippincott, of the industrial firm Lippincott and Margolies, commissioning him to do large scale steel sculptures for major corporations; working as a draftsman in an architect's office in New York City to pay for rent and groceries in 1966; teaching a summer session at Columbia's Teacher's College; teaching full-time as an instructor at New York University in 1967; teaching a workshop at Alfred University, in 1963; interviewing for a teaching position at Alfred at the College Art Association meeting, in Boston, in 1968; moving in the summer of 1969 to Alfred to teach; his counter-culture lifestyle and consequent decrease in his artistic production; showing at the Lee Nordness Gallery in the 1960s; exhibiting at the Perimeter Gallery, Helen Drutt Gallery, Twining Gallery, and Garth Clark Gallery in the 1980s; creating the bronzed statue of King Alfred for Alfred University and selling his copyright to them; his signature stamp; having pieces in the American Craft Museum and in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's collection; teaching at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, the Anderson Ranch, and the Mendocino Art Center; various craft magazines including Craft Horizons and Metalsmith; being a member of the American Craft Council [ACC]; his retirement in 1997; and working at the Berkeley Art Foundry in the summer of 2002. Underhill also recalls Robert Arneson, Josephine Blumenfeld, Diane Cox, Val Cushing, Peter Dodge, Jack Earl, Andrew Jevremovic, Manuel Neri, Bill Parry, Ted Randall, Dan Rhodes, Glenn Zweygardt, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
William Underhill (1933- ) is a metalsmith from Wellsville, N.Y. Margaret Carney is an art historian from New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 7 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.
The records of the Boston-based Society of Arts and Crafts measure 1.0 linear feet and date from 1899 to 1960. The scattered documentations contain administrative records, correspondence, writings and notes, printed materials including twenty-two issues of Handicraft, and a photograph.
Scope and Contents:
The records of the Boston-based Society of Arts and Crafts measure 1.0 linear feet and date from 1899 to 1960. The scattered documentation contains administrative records, correspondence, writings and notes, printed materials including twenty-two issues of Handicraft, and a photograph.
Administrative records include lists of members, historical sketches, by-laws. Scattered correspondence dates from 1946 to 1960 and is from Humphery Emery's time as director of the society. Writings consist of a speech by Henry Pasco, a draft of a letter to the editor, general notes and notes between sales agents and society members, and lists. Creating the bulk of the collection are printed materials issued by the society including twenty-two issues of Handicraft from 1902 to 1912, annual reports, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and bulletins. Also found is one photograph of a work of art labeled to be by Fred K. W. Allen.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection, the papers are arranged as one series.
Series 1: Society of Arts and Crafts Records, 1899-1960 (1.0 linear feet; Box 1)
Biographical / Historical:
Founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1897, the Society of Arts and Crafts was formed to develop and encourage higher artistic standards in handicrafts. The organization is still active.
When formed, the Society of Arts and Crafts became the first national craft organization in the United States. According to their website, the missions of the Society of Arts and Crafts are to encourage the creation, collection, and promotion of the work of contemporary craft artists and to advance public appreciation of fine craft. The society has had many respected individual directors including Frederic Allen Whiting and Humphery J. Emery. Since its founding, the Society of Arts and Crafts has held special exhibits showing ancient and modern craft; established a sales room and permanent exhibition space voted on by a jury with advice and criticism; and held meetings educational programming for members and the community.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is the American Handicraft Council records, circa 1937-1940, an organization closely affiliated with the Society of Arts and Crafts.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming on reels 142, 300-322, 429, and 3468-3469. The loaned papers include photographs of buildings and sales rooms, a record book, craftsmen and exhibition files, six scrapbooks, organizational material, and sales records. These records are now located at the Fine Arts Department, Boston Public Library and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
The Society of Arts and Crafts donated these records to the Archives of American Art in 1972.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires and 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.
