The Thomas Prichard Rossiter and Rossiter Family papers measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1840 to 1961. Included are letters to painter Thomas Prichard Rossiter and letters to his son, architect Ehrick Kensett Rossiter, documenting their friendships with many artists and Thomas Prichard Rossiter's sketchbook and loose sketches. Edith Rossiter Bevan's papers include her writings on her grandfather, Thomas Prichard Rossiter; a scrapbook; photographs of the Rossiter family; notes by Bevan; news clippings; and other printed material. Also found is Bevan's collection of artists' letters.
Scope and Content Note:
The Thomas Prichard Rossiter and Rossiter Family papers measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1840 to 1961. Included are letters to painter Thomas Prichard Rossiter and letters to his son, architect Ehrick Kensett Rossiter, documenting their friendships with many artists. Notable letters are from James Fenimore Cooper, William Morris Hunt, John Jay, J. F. Kensett, William H. Morris, Samuel F. B. Morse, George Peabody, Cecelia Beaux, William A. Coffin, Daniel Chester French, Will H. Low, Gari Melchers, William Sartain, Augustus Vincent Tack, Dwight Tryon, and many others.
The collection contains Thomas Prichard Rossiter's sketchbook drawn while living in Italy in 1943, and three other sketches including a portrait of his family.
Also found are letters to Edith Rossiter Bevan and her writings on her grandfather, Thomas Prichard Rossiter, including a biography and checklist of his paintings. Bevan also compiled a scrapbook on his career and family history which includes drawings by Rossiter, photographs of the Rossiter family and his artwork, notes by Bevan, news clippings, and other printed material.
A collection of Edith Rossiter Bevan's artists' letters is found within the papers. Letters are from Alexander Archipenko, J. Carroll Beckwith, Reginald Birch, Emma M. Cadwalader-Guild, Andre Castaigne, Fanny Cory, Kenyon Cox, Frank Craig, Charles Dana Gibson, Jay Hambridge, Henry Hutt, A. J. Keller, Rockwell Kent, Fiske Kimball, David Scott Moncrieff, H. Siddons Mowbray, Peter Newell, Rhoda Holmes Nicholls, Ralph M. Pearson, Frederic Remington, Otto Soglow, and Elizabeth Whitmore.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 2 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Thomas Prichard Rossiter and Rossiter Family Papers, 1840-1961 (Box 1-2; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 2: Edith Rossiter Bevan Collection of Artists' Letters, circa 1891-1939, 1951 (Box 1; 2 folders)
Biographical Note:
Thomas Prichard Rossiter (1818-1871) was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He first learned painting as an apprentice for a Mr. John Boyd, and also studied with Nathaniel Jocelyn. In 1838 he exhibited two paintings at the National Academy of Design, and in 1939 moved to New York City and opened a studio.
In 1840, Rossiter traveled to Europe with Asher B. Durand, John Kensett, and John Casilaer, and while there visited Rome with Thomas Cole. He decided to stay in Italy until 1846 when he moved to New York City and shared a studio with Kensett and Louis Lang. During this period he relied on portrait painting for his income, but also painted historical and religious paintings.
In 1851 Rossiter married Anna Ehrick Parmly and they toured Europe in 1853. They settled in Paris where Anna gave birth to twins Ehrick Kensett and Charlotte. Rossiter exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1855. Anna died shortly after the birth of their daughter Anna, and the family moved back to New York.
For a brief period of time Rossiter had an art gallery, exhibiting his work and the work of his friends. In 1860 he married Mary (Mollie) Sterling and moved his family to Cold Spring, New York on the Hudson River. He continued to paint portraits, historical, and religious paintings, and exhibited at the National Academy of Design and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, until his death in 1871.
Ehrick Kensett Rossiter (1854-1941), named after his father's friend John Frederick Kensett, attended Cornell University and became an architect in New York as part of the firm Rossiter & Muller. He was a member of the Architectural League, United States Public Architects' League, and trustee of the American Fine Arts Society. In 1877 he married Mary Heath and they had three sons and a daughter. Their daughter Edith Rossiter Bevan was a historian and avid collector of historical autographs.
Related Material:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is a Thomas Prichard Rossiter letter to Elias Beirs dated January 12, 1840.
Provenance:
A portion of the collection was donated in 1957 by Edith Rossiter Bevan, daughter of Ehrick Kensett Rossiter, and granddaughter of Thomas Prichard Rossiter. Additional material was donated in 2007 by Patti Rossiter Ravenscroft, Rossiter's Great Great Granddaughter.
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.
Zolnay, George Julian, 1862 or 1863-1949 Search this
Extent:
0.4 Linear feet ((68 items on 3 partial microfilm reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1905
Scope and Contents:
Biographical forms completed by artists and illustrators for the Art League Publishing Company's ARTISTS YEAR BOOK. Each contains details written by the artist concerning parentage, exhibitions and collections containing his work, books illustrated, memberships in clubs, etc.
Included are forms from: Hugo Ballin, Frederick E. Bartlett, James C. Beckwith, William V. Birney, Karl Bitter, Albert D. Blashfield, Carle Joan Blenner, Frederick A. Bridgman, Bolton Brown, Ray Brown, George Elmer Browne, George De Forest Brush, Henry Kirke Bush-Brown, Walter A. Clark, Kenyon Cox, Lockwood De Forest, Harry Fenn, James E. Fraser, Walter Granville-Smith, Jules Guerin, Birge Harrison, Thomas A. Harrison, Ernest Haskell, Albert Herter, George Hitchcock, Lucius Wolcott Hitchcock, Edward Kemeys, William S. Kendall, Alonzo Kimball, Charles MacCord, Thomas R. Manley, Richard F. Maynard, George H. McCord, Thomas Meteyard, Francis D. Millet, John H. Mills, Edward P. Moran, Henry Mosler,
Herman D. Murphy, Leonard Ochtman, Frederick B. Opper, Eric Pape, Ernest Peixotto, Edward Penfield, Louis M. Potter, Edward W. Redfield, Henry Reuterdahl, Louis J. Rhead, Henry Sandham, William Sartain, Claude A. Shepperson, Florence Scovel Shinn, George H. Smillie, James D. Smillie, Frederic D. Steele, Julian Story, Lorado Taft, Henry O. Tanner, Frank W. Taylor, Dwight W. Tryon, Charles Henry Turner, Charles Yardley Turner, Ross S. Turner, Simon H. Vedder, Carleton Wiggins, Irving R. Wiles, Henry Wolf, Charles H. Woodbury, Rufus F. Zogbaum, and George J. Zolnay.
Biographical / Historical:
Art publishing house; Chicago, Ill. Published, THE ARTISTS YEAR BOOK: A HANDY REFERENCE BOOK WHEREIN MAY BE FOUND INTERESTING DATA PERTAINING TO ARTISTS, AND THEIR STUDIO, HOME, AND SUMMER ADDRESSES, FOR 1905-1906. Arthur Hosking was the editor.
Provenance:
Donated 1958.
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 Detroit-based architect John M. Donaldson measures 0.11 linear feet and consists of 31 items that date from 1873 to 1938. The papers include a letter from Frank Duveneck, 1877; a sketch of Donaldson, ca. 1876, by [James] Carroll Beckwith, alongside a note from Beckwith, 1913; letters from Gari Melchers, some of which are illustrated; obituary clippings on Melchers; photographs in the form of carte de visites, mostly of fellow art students in Munich, 1873-1877, including Francis Davis Millet and Frank Duveneck; and miscellany. Also included are several letters from Gari Melchers's wife Corrine to Donaldson's son, Bruce.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Detroit-based architect John M. Donaldson measures 0.11 linear feet and consists of 31 items that date from 1873 to 1938. The papers include a letter from Frank Duveneck, 1877; a sketch of Donaldson, ca. 1876, by [James] Carroll Beckwith, alongside a note from Beckwith, 1913; letters from Gari Melchers, some of which are illustrated; obituary clippings on Melchers; photographs in the form of carte de visites, mostly of fellow art students in Munich, 1873-1877, including Francis Davis Millet and Frank Duveneck; and miscellany. Also included are several letters from Gari Melchers's wife Corrine to Donaldson's son, Bruce.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Series 1: John M. Donaldson papers, 1873-1938 (Folder 1, OV 2; 31 items)
Biographical / Historical:
John M. Donaldson (1854-1941) was an architect based in Detroit, Michigan. Donaldson was a friend of painter Gari Melchers. Donaldson's son Bruce (d. 1940) was chairman of the Art History Department at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Bruce M. Donaldson letters from Gari Melchers, 1928 May 9 and May 22.
Provenance:
The John M. Donaldson papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 1963 by Mrs. Alex G. Donaldson.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning 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.
Letters, mostly from distinguished club members in behalf of candidates for membership, and some membership forms.
Correspondents are: James C. Beckwith, Norman Bel Geddes, Karl Bitter, Robert Blum, Gutzon Borglum, Arnold W. Brunner, Clarence C. Buel, Gelett Burgess, Charles C. Coleman, Royal Cortissoz, Lawrence Hutton, Richard Mansfield, Thomas Nast, Maxfield Parrish, Howard Pyle, F. Hopkinson, J. Alden Weir, and Stanford White.
Biographical / Historical:
New York City. Founded by Edwin Booth in 1888, the club had among its members many prominent actors, artists and writers.
Provenance:
Microfilmed 1956 by the Archives of American Art with other art-related papers in the Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library. Included in the microfilming project were selected papers of the Art Division and the Prints Division.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Correspondence (mostly typed transcripts); scrapbooks; photographs; sketches; notebooks and scrapbooks and clippings compiled by Dorothy Weir Young in preparation for her book, The Life and Letters of J. Alden Weir (1960, Yale University Press).
REEL 70: Typescripts of 31 letters including: correspondence between Weir, his family and friends, 1881; letters to Weir from A. D. Peppercorn, Charles Baude and Robert Hinckley; letters from Weir to his parents; and correspondence with his brother John Ferguson Weir. Also included are 13 original letters, 1881, to Weir from George Inness, Worthington Whittredge, Daniel Huntington and others; 2 exhibition catalogs, 1916 & 1952; 3 indexed scrapbooks, 1892-1916, containing clippings about Weir's paintings, letters, photos and receipts; a scrapbook containing prints by Weir (often several states of each are included), untitled and undated, some of which are of family and friends; a scrapbook of prints, "Etchings- J. A. Weir, Isle of Man 1889"; sketches; photographs; and clippings.
REEL 71: Correspondence (mostly transcripts), 1869-1880, including: over 200 letters from Weir to his parents and 50 to his brother John Ferguson Weir, mostly from Paris where Julian was a student of Jean Leon Gerome and at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts; letters from James Carroll Beckwith, Charles Baude, Wyatt Eaton, Jean Leon Gerome, John Singer Sargent, Albert Edelfelt, Charles Dubois, Filadelfo Simi, John Henry Twachtman, Joseph Wencker, Jules Bastien-Lepage, and his father and brother; excerpts from diaries of trips in Europe; reproductions of works of art and architectural scenes; and miscellany.
REELS 125-126: Notebooks and scrapbooks compiled by Dorothy Weir Young and clippings; catalogs; and correspondence of her sister, Mrs. Caroline Alden Ely (Mrs. Page Ely). The notebooks contain mostly typescripts of letters to and from Weir during 1882-1920, plus some photographs; original letters; and memorabilia. The scrapbooks contain photographs of Weir's works; notes; some original letters; and clippings.
REEL 577: Fragments (45 pp.) of a rough draft of Weir's biography, devoted to Weir's career from 1898 to 1900, with particular reference to the "revolt" of "The Ten" from the Society of American Artists.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, etcher, printmaker; New York, N.Y. and Connecticut. Weir was the son of painter Robert Walter Weir (1803-1889), and brother of painter John Ferguson Weir (1841-1926).
Related Materials:
Researchers should also consult the Weir family papers for additional material of and about Julian Alden Weir.
Provenance:
Material on reels 70-71 & 125-126 lent for microfilming 1971 by Mrs. Caroline Weir Ely (Mrs. Page Ely, d. 1974), sister of Dorothy Weir Young; both daughters of Julian Alden Weir. The donor of the draft of the biography on reel 577 is unspecified.
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.
This microfilmed diary was kept by Beckwith during 1895 while he was living in New York City. Beckwith writes of his constant worry about money; his dissatisfaction with his painting; of friends and personal matters; the portraits he is working on; art and artists,;his admiration for John Singer Sargent; classes at several art schools in the city; and the various clubs to which he belonged.
Biographical / Historical:
James Carroll Beckwith (1852-1917) was a portrait and landscape painter in New York, New York. He studied art at the National Academy of Design before moving to Paris and studying at the École des Beaux-Arts and under Carolus-Duran. While in Paris, he shared a studio with painter John Singer Sargent, who also was also studying with Carolus-Duran. Beckwith taught at the Art Students League when he returned to New York. He was elected as a member of the National Academy of Design in 1894.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the James Carroll Beckwith papers, 1871-circa 1991, bulk 1875-1917.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming by the New York Historical Society, 1974.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Art, American -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Portrait painting -- 19th century -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Portrait painting -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
0.02 Linear feet (ca.11,000 items (on 13 microfilm reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1875-1955
Scope and Contents:
REELS NY59/20-NY59/29: Student registers, 1877-1905; ledgers, 1878-1889, attendance records, 1879-1903; model engagement books, 1878-1882; membership lists and members' meeting records, 1875-1900; press clippings, 1889-1892; constitution and by-laws, minutes, 1875-1897, and correspondence,1895-1900, of the Board of Control; instructors' expense accounts, 1904-1911; Paris prize documents, 1891-1897; supplies ordered,1897-1901; monitors record, 1897-1906; instructors expenses, 1904-1911, and printed materials, 1906-1910.
REEL 2786: A catalog of art classes for the 1886-1887 season and two programs for "The Dream Ball," 1951 and 1955.
REEL 4909: Catalog of classes for the 1885-1886 season.
REEL 1818: Copyprints of art classes at the Art Students League, ca. 1900-1940. Teachers pictured include J. Carroll Beckwith, William M. Chase, Kenyon Cox, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, John Sloan, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Included is a print of a women's life class at the League, ca. 1905.
Biographical / Historical:
Art school. Organized in 1875 by students as a revolt against the National Academy of Design school.
Provenance:
Material on reels NY59-20-29 lent for microfilming by the Art Students League, 1959. Items on reels 2786 and 4909 were donated, 1960. Copyprints on reel 1818 were copied from the originals lent by the Art Students League, 1972.
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.
Occupation:
Art students -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Correspondence with dealers, artists, museums, publishers, photography studios, and others regarding art purchases, loans, and Shaw's collection; and 16 v. of scrapbooks containing photographs, letters, and biographical information on artists. Much of the correspondence with artists relates to Shaw's requests for the information which was then used in the scrapbooks. Also included is one volume compiled in 1947 outlining the contents of the scrapbooks.
REELS 1124-1125: 16 vol. of scrapbooks, 1864-1930, relating to artists represented in Shaw's collection, containing letters, many from artists, photographs of artists and their work, biographical data, clippings and articles, and comments on their work; and 1 v., "Notes: Edwin C. Shaw Collection of Paintings," compiled in 1947, and annotated "Used at Women's Art League Meeting at Miss Shaw's in 1947 by Mrs. [Jane S.] Barnhardt, who compiled it, and then given to the Art Institute Library," containing an outline of the contents of the 16 v. of scrapbooks.
Artists represented in the scrapbooks include J. Carroll Beckwith, Frank W. Benson, Ralph Blakelock, Emil Carlsen, William Merritt Chase, Timothy Cole, Elliott Daingerfield, Cyrus B. Dallin, Charles Davis, Warren Davis, Gleb Derujinsky, Charles M. Dewey, Thomas W. Dewing, Paul Dougherty, Frank Duveneck, Charles Eaton, Frederick Frieseke, George Fuller, Lillian Genth, Childe Hassam, Charles Hawthorne, William Morris Hunt, George Inness, John Johansen, Isidore Konti, John La Farge, William Lathrop, Frederick MacMonnies, Hermon A. MacNeil, Willard Metcalf, Herman Dudley Murphy, J. Francis Murphy, A. Phimister Proctor, Henry Ward Ranger, William Ritschel, Felix Russmann, Albert P. Ryder, Eugenie F. Shonnard, Lars Gustaf Sellstedt, Elliot Torrey, Dwight Tryon, Helen M. Turner, John Twachtman, Elihu Vedder, Bessie P. Vonnoh, Robert Vonnoh, Horatio Walker, J. Alden Weir, Frederick Ballard Williams, Henry Wolf and "The Ten."
REEL 4597: Correspondence, ca. 1916-1941, concerning art acquisitions with dealers Erwin S. Barrie of Grand Central Art Galleries; Thomas Whipple Dunbar; Frederic Newlin Price and T.H. Russell of Ferargil Galleries; W. Frank Purdy of the Gorham Co. Dept. of Sculpture and later the School of American Sculpture; D.H. Hatfield of Hatfield & Clark; Thomas Gerrity of M. Knoedler & Co.; Robert Macbeth, Robert McIntyre and Henry Miller of the Macbeth Gallery; Albert Milch of E.& A. Milch, Inc.; Newman Montross of Montross Gallery; J.E. Batts of the Thurber Art Galleries; Robert C. Vose of R.C. & N.M. Vose and Vose Galleries, and their frame shop, Carrig-Rohane; Howard Young of Howard Young Galleries; and J.W. Young; correspondence with artists and/or their families requesting the artist's portrait, biographical information and background, including letters from Elliot Daingerfield, Charles Dewey, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, John C. Johansen, Willard Leroy Metcalf, Hervey W. Minns, Hermann Dudley Murphy, A.P. Proctor, Eugenie Shonnard, Elliot Torrey, Dwight W. Tryon, Helen M. Turner, and Horatio Walker, and the families of J. Carroll Beckwith, George Inness, Lars Gustaf Sellstedt, John Henry Twachtman and J. Alden Weir; correspondence with the Dayton Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art regarding works lent for exhibition; with publisher Frederic Fairchild Sherman; with photography studios; and other miscellaneous correspondence.
Biographical / Historical:
Art collector; Akron, Ohio. Shaw, a BF Goodrich executive and avid collector of post-Civil War American art, was one of the founders of the Akron Art Institute, now the Akron Art Museum.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1976 and 1992 by the Akron Art Museum. Shaw bequethed his art collection and papers to the Museum, then named the Akron Art Institute.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Correspondence of the Century Magazine and its predecessors, Scribner's Monthly, and St. Nicholas Magazine. Also included is material related to the Century War Series.
Among the correspondents are: Cecilia Beaux, James C. Beckwith, Samuel G. W. Benjamin, William M. Chase, William A. Coffin, Timothy Cole (98 letters), Charles C. Coleman, Royal Cortissoz, Kenyon Cox, Reginald C. Coxe, Christopher P. Cranch, Henry H. Cross, Frederick S. Dellenbaugh, Thomas W. Dewing, Alexander W. Drake, Wyatt Eaton, George W. Edwards, Frank E. Elwell, Gaston Fay, Harry Fenn, Mary H. Foote, William L. Fraser, Charles L. Freer, Daniel C. French, Frank French, Isabella S. Gardner, Jay Hambidge, Charles H. Hart, Arthur Hoeber, George Inness, Jr., August F. Jaccaci, Arthur I. Keller, Edward W. Kemble, Knoedler M. & Company, Christopher G. La Farge, John La Farge, Charles R. Lamb, Florence N. Levy, Frank J. Mather, Leila Mechlin, Gari Melchers, Francis D. Millet, Thomas Moran, Edward L. Morse, Hobart Nichols, Elizabeth Nourse, Thornton Oakley, Violet Oakley, Maxfield Parrish, William O. Partridge, Elizabeth R. Pennell (83 letters & 55p. handwritten article), Joseph Pennell, Henry R. Poore, Eva A. Remington, Henry Reuterdahl, Boardman Robinson, Henry Sandham, DeCost Smith, Jessie W. Smith, Albert E. Sterner, Alfred Stieglitz, William J. Stillman (ca. 95 letters), Lorado Taft, Henry O. Tanner, Abbott H. Thayer, Gerald H. Thayer, Dwight W. Tryon, John C. Van Dyke, Douglas Volk, Irving R. Wiles, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
A quarterly publication on the arts and current affairs.
Other Title:
Century Company collection (NYPL microfilm title)
Provenance:
Microfilmed 1956 by the Archives of American Art with other art-related papers in the Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library. Included in the microfilming project were selected papers of the Art Division and the Prints Division.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
A handwritten and illustrated menu for a dinner held by a group of traveling American artists in honor of what would have been the 44th birthday of Spanish painter Mariano Fortuny (Fortuny died 8 years prior).
Biographical / Historical:
Mariano Fortuny was a prominent 19th century painter and influenced the work of many younger artists of the late 19th century studying in Europe.
General:
Note in purple ink on top left of cover reads "June 9th 1838" (Fortuny's birthday as according to Robert Blum, one of the organizers of the event). A drawing of a sailor is underneath.
The remainder of the cover reads "Menu of ye 7 painter fellers & one literary cuss on ye good ship Pennland, June 9th, 1882."
Back of menu has a row of signatures in pencil: F.H. Lungren; Robt. Blum; A.A. Anderson; [illegible, possibly Mr. Sevy?]; Carroll Beckwith; Fred P. Vinton; C.C. Buel; Arthur Quartley. Beneath signatures is a drawing of a palette with the word "Fortuny" on it.
Provenance:
Provenance unknown, possibly from the papers of Robert Blum.
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.
Beckwith, J. Carroll (James Carroll), 1852-1917 Search this
Extent:
3.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1871-circa 1991
bulk 1875-1917
Summary:
The papers of New York painter James Carroll Beckwith measure 3.2 linear feet and date from 1871 to circa 1991, bulk 1875-1917. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, numerous diaries, writings, printed material, photograph albums, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York painter James Carroll Beckwith measure 3.2 linear feet and date from 1871 to circa 1991, bulk 1875-1917. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, numerous diaries, writings, printed material, photograph albums, and photographs.
Biographical material mostly consists of estate papers related to disputes between the Beckwith Estate and the National Academy of Design. There is also one art inventory notebook titled "Record of Pictures."
Correspondence includes letters by Beckwith, his wife, and researchers concerning Beckwith's paintings and career. Notable correspondents include artists such as Carolus-Duran and William Anderson Coffin, the art dealer Roland Knoedler, as well as other colleagues.
The collection includes 38 of James Carroll Beckwith's diaries and one diary that belonged to his wife Bertha Beckwith. The artist's diaries contain sporadic entries describing teaching, traveling, and daily events.
Writings include Beckwith's autobiography Souvenirs and Reminiscences, a notebook that chronicles his time in Paris, notes, essays on art and architecture, lists of artwork, and one essay about Beckwith by an unidentified writer.
Printed materials consist of a sales catalog of Beckwith's work, clippings about Beckwith and John Singer Sargent, and a few exhibition catalogs and announcements.
Photographs include 2 albums and many board-backed prints. One album mostly contains travel photographs, the other is mostly dedicated to paintings by other artists in Europe. There are many photographs of Beckwith's paintings, mostly portraits. A few photographs of exhibition installations are also included.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 6 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1878-circa 1991 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1883-1940 (Box 1; 10 folders)
Series 3: Diaries, 1871-1917 (Boxes 1-2; 1.3 linear feet)
Series 4: Writings, 1875-circa 1920 (Box 2; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1900-1956, bulk 1910-1918 (Box 2; 4 folders)
Series 6: Photographs, 1875-1915 (Boxes 2-6; 1.4 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
James Carroll Beckwith (1852-1917) was a portrait and landscape painter in New York, New York and a member of the National Academy of Design.
James Carroll Beckwith, often referred to as Carroll Beckwith, was born in 1852 in Hannibal, Missouri. He was raised in Chicago, Illinois. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Beckwith moved to New York City and studied art at the National Academy of Design until 1873, when he moved to France. In Paris, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and under Carolus-Duran. Painter John Singer Sargent was also one of Carolus-Duran's students and Beckwith shared a Paris studio with him until 1878.
When Beckwith returned to New York in 1878, he started teaching as a professor in the Art Students League departments of painting and drawing. He continued to teach there until 1882 and then for a second span of time from 1886 to 1887. He married Bertha Hall in 1887.
Beckwith gained widespread recognition for his portraits and among his subjects are the artist William Merritt Chase and President Theodore Roosevelt. Beckwith is also known for created skillful copies of Old Masters paintings which he saw in galleries across Europe during his time abroad.
In 1894, Beckwith was elected as a member of the National Academy of Design. From 1910 to roughly 1912, he lived in Italy and France. He then returned to New York City and had a studio at 57 West 45th Street until his death in 1917.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also has microfilm (reel 800) of a 1895 James Carroll Beckwith diary. The original is located at the New York Historical Society.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels 1418 and 1454) including letters from John Singer Sargent, Clyde Fitch, Edwin Howland Blashfield, Jacob Schiff, Richard Mansfield, and others, 4 cartoon sketches; a sketchbook which also includes a list of works, 1878-1892, and a few writings; 5 photograph albums and photographs, 1902-1917, of European travels, studios, homes, paintings, family, and friends, among them Samuel Clemens, Worthington Whittredge, and Robert Reid; Bertha Beckwith's diary, 1904; and printed material. Other material available only on microfilm includes a sketchbook, "Amsterdam August 10, 1887" (reel 4802) containing sketches for portraits, notes of Monet's composition at Giverny, a watercolor, and studies of hands; and photographs of portraits of Beckwith, Beckwith in his studio, and Beckwith with his Art Students League classes, 1888-1892 (reel 4803). The sketchbook and photographs were returned to the National Academy of Design after microfilming.
Provenance:
The collection, except for the estate related material, was initially lent for microfilming by the National Academy of Design in 1993. The National Academy of Design received Beckwith's papers as a gift in 1926 from the Bertha H. Beckwith estate. Beckwith related National Academy of Design correspondence and photographs were combined with the papers by the Academy. In 2018, the James Carroll Beckwith papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by the National Academy of Design via Maura Reilly, Executive Director. Papers on reels 1418, 1454 were lent for microfilming in 1978 by J. Carter Courtney, Beckwith's great-neice.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Citation:
James Carroll Beckwith papers, 1871-circa 1991, bulk 1875-1917. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by The Walton Family Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Beckwith, J. Carroll (James Carroll), 1852-1917 Search this
Extent:
0.3 Linear feet (Box 1)
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1878-circa 1991
Scope and Contents:
Biographical material mostly consists of James Carroll Beckwith estate papers. There are extensive legal records and some correspondence regarding settlements and disputes between the Beckwith Estate and the National Academy of Design, especially related to the management of the estate. In addition, there is an art inventory notebook titled "Record of Pictures" that lists titles, dimensions, and expenses of Beckwith's works in chronological order.
Arrangement:
This series is in chronological order.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Collection Citation:
James Carroll Beckwith papers, 1871-circa 1991, bulk 1875-1917. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by The Walton Family Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
