An interview of George Biddle conducted in 1963, by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art.
Biddle speaks of his background in Philadelphia; his Harvard education in preparation for a law career; literary acquaintances; travel; the beginning of his art career; his preoccupation with portraiture; his tragic and pleasant works; the importance of mood; his drawing techniques; drawing from nature; color experimentation; Stieglitz's circle; the susceptibility of artists to change during the 1930s; his involvement with the Public Works of Art Project; government censorship of his murals; his involvement with artists overseas during World War II; and his aesthetic philosophy. He recalls Max Weber, Maurice Sterne, George Grosz, William Zorach, Kenneth Hayes Miller, Peggy Bacon, Marsden Hartley, Charles Demuth, Edith Halpert, Boardman Robinson, Reginald Marsh, Thomas Hart Benton, Henry Billings, Ned Bruce, Holger Cahill, Philip Evergood, Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, David Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo.
Biographical / Historical:
George Biddle (1885-1973) was a painter and sculptor, in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.
General:
Originally recorded 3 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 13 hr., 56 min.
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The records of the American Abstract Artists measure 1.6 linear feet and date from 1936 through 1983. The records document the founding of the organization in 1936, membership activities, general administration, and exhibitions via correspondence, member writings, financial and legal records, printed materials, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The records of the American Abstract Artists measure 1.6 linear feet and date from 1936 through 1983. The records document the founding of the organization in 1936, membership activities, general administration, and exhibitions via correspondence, member writings, financial and legal records, printed materials, and photographs.
Correspondence mainly relates to the exhibitions and member activities of the American Abstract Artists. There are letters from Josef Albers, Alexander Archipenko, Alexander Calder, Lyonel Feininger, Harry Holtzman, Piet Mondrian, and Irene Rousseau, President Emeritus of the American Abstract Artists. Official bulletins sent to members are also found among the correspondence.
Administrative records include founding prospectus, meeting minutes, lists of members, and drafts and amendments to the American Abstract Artists constitution.
Member writings are by Saburo Hasegawa, Henry Billings, Leo Rabkin, and Ruth Gurin. Financial and legal records include ledger books, insurance documents, and other financial material. Printed materials include announcements for the American Abstract Artists' annual exhibitions, as well as exhibition posters. Finally, there are two photographs of collage paintings by members.
Arrangement:
The arrangement and description in this finding aid refer to unmicrofilmed portions of the collection. Legacy microfilm arrangement is not reflected.
The collection is arranged as 6 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Correspondence, 1937-1982 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 2: Administrative Records, 1937-1982 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 3: Member Writings, 1938-1954 (Box 1; 4 folders)
Series 4: Financial and Legal Records, 1942-1983 (Box 1-2; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 5: Printed Materials, 1936-1982 (Box 2-3, OV 4; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 6: Photographs, 1963 (Box 3; 1 folder)
Biographical / Historical:
The American Abstract Artists group was established in 1936 in New York, New York by a group of painters and sculptors. The American Abstract Artists contributed to the introduction of abstract art to the American public through exhibitions, publications, and lectures.
During the era of the formation of the American Abstract Artists, abstraction was not critically accepted. In 1937, the American Abstract Artists held their first exhibition at the Squibb Galleries in New York City. It received negative reactions from both the press and the public - the exhibition had a high attendance but poor reviews. The American Abstract Artists addressed the role of the critic through their publications, specifically the 1940 pamphlet "The Art Critics! How Do They Serve the Public? What Do They Say? How Much Do They Know?—Let's Look at the Record!"
The group was most active from 1937 to 1942, and supported the critical success of Abstract Expressionism in later decades.
Related Materials:
Among the holdings of the Archives of American Art are the Ruth Bowman Interviews of American Abstract Art members, 1963-1965, and Susan C. Larsen's Interviews of American Abstract Art members, 1973-1978.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming available on 35 mm microfilm reels D539, N59-11, N69-72, N69-96, N69-97, N69-137, and N70-48. Much of this material and the papers on reels N70-48 and N59-11 were included in subsequent gifts, and may have been microfilmed again. Loaned materials not donated later are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
The Archives of American Art acquired the American Abstract Artists records in three installments by Presidents Emeriti of the American Abstract Artists. Alice Trumball Mason first lent papers for microfilming in 1959, and she later gifted the majority of this material in 1969. Following, Leo Rabkin donated records in 1969, and Irene Rousseau gave more papers in 1983.
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.
Correspondence relating to Billings' position as an officer of the National Council for U.S. Art and related photographs, among them one of Roland L. Redmond (President of the Council) with Dag Hammarskjold and Robert Cronbach in front of a sculpture by Cronbach and Jose de Rivera, 1960, and one photo each of works by Jacob Lawrence, Concetta Scaravaglione, and Nathaniel Kaz; a photograph (copyprint made from slide) of Billings seated on a platform among others listening to an unidentified speaker, photographer unknown; and a photograph of Billings seated on a stage near an unidentified speaker, photographed by Eliot Elisofon.
Biographical / Historical:
Henry Billings (1901-1985) was a painter, illustrator, and teacher, from Sag Harbor, N.Y. Born in 1901 in Bronxville, N.Y.; studied at the Art Students' League; lives in Sag Harbor, N.Y.
Provenance:
Donated by Henry Billings, 1965.
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.
5.1 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 6 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1905-1969
Scope and Contents:
Photographs, correspondence, appointment books, etchings, a scrapbook, printed materials, writings, and posters.
REEL D113: Primarily letters received from artists, 1940s-50s; background material for Ft.Lee and Amsterdam (N.Y.) murals; and miscellaneous printed material and photographs.
Correspondents include John Angel, Artists Equity, Peggy Bacon, Gifford Beal, Henry Billings, Isabel Bishop, Peter Blume, Louis Bouche, Van Wyck Brooks, Audrey Buller, Paul Cadmus, Alexander Calder, William Congdon, Horace T. Day, Olin Dows, Marcel Duchamp, Emlen P. Etting, Philip Evergood, Barry Faulkner, Ernest Fiene, Leon Hartl, Whitney F. Hoyt, William M. Ivins, Jr., Lincoln E. Kirstein, Leon Kroll, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Edward Laning, Joseph L. Lasker, Clare Leighton, Charles W. Locke, Sanford B.D. Low, Luigi Lucioni, Reginald Marsh, Kenneth H. Miller, Nat'l Institute of Arts and Letters, Betty Parsons, Hugo Robus, Homer Saint-Gaudens, Katherine Schmidt, Ben Shahn, Charles Sheeler, Eugene Speicher, Theodoros Stamos, Franklin C. Watkins, Forbes and Nan Watson, and Leonard Weisgard.
REEL 847: Photographs, including 67 of Schnakenberg and friends, 1 of a portrait of him by Lloyd Goff, 95 of his oil paintings, 33 of his watercolors, 25 of his works in unidentified media, 29 of works by other artists, and 46 of pre-Columbian art from Central and South America. Among artists whose works are included are Antoine Louis Barye, Albert Bierstadt, Frederick Catherwood, Constantin Guys, Thomas Hardy, William Harnett, Winslow Homer, George Inness, Eastman Johnson, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Reginald Marsh, Rockland Savery, Theodoros Stamos, and Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait.
REELS 850-853: Biographical information; personal and business correspondence; 17 diaries, mainly about Schnakenberg's travels, 1905-1960; appointment calendars, 1963-1969; 70 etchings by Schnakenberg; a scrapbook containing clippings, catalogs, and other printed material; a book published by G. Alan Chidsey on Schnakenberg; clippings, catalogs, and announcements; papers relating to gifts and acquisitions of works of art; receipts for Schnakenberg paintings from C.W. Kraushaar Galleries; a 650-page typescript for a book "The Background of Painting" by Schnakenberg; and drafts of speeches.
UNMICROFILMED: Six World War I posters designed by Schnakenberg; Christmas cards from artists and other friends; printed material; and a photograph of Lloyd Goff, inscribed to Schnakenberg, in front of one of his paintings, 1939.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, etcher; Newton, Conn.
Provenance:
Material donated 1963-1971 by Schnakenberg and, after his death, by his estate.
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.
Zorach, William, 1887-1966 -- Photographs Search this
Extent:
1.4 Linear feet ((microfilmed on 3 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1926-1950
Scope and Contents:
Photographs of artists and art works taken by Lynes.
REEL 57: A photograph album, 1926-1942, containing photos of paintings and drawings in Lynes's collection. Paul Cadmus, Jared French, Marsden Hartley, Paul Klee, Pierre Roy, Pavel Tchelitchew, and Yves Tanguy are represented.
REEL 153: Photographs of artists, 1932-1950, and others (printed posthumously) including: Peggy Bacon, Eugene Berman, George Biddle, Henry Billings, Alexander Brook, Paul Cadmus, Marc Chagall, Boris Chaliapin, A. Dunoyer De Segonzac, Guy Pène du Bois, Jared French, Edward Hopper, Oskar Kokoschka, Gaston Lachaise, Jean Lurcat, Isamu Noguchi, Bernard Perlin, Pierre Roy, Homer St. Gaudens, Yves Tanguy, Pavel Tchelitchew, George Tooker, Ossip Zadkine, and William Zorach. Also included is a group photograph (numerous shots in varying poses) of a group of artists including Matta, Ossip, Zadkine, Yves Tanguu, Max Ernst, Marc Chagall, Fernand Léger, André Breton, Piet Mondrian, André Masson, Amédée Ozenfant, Jacques Lipcitz, Pavel Tchelitchev, Kurt Seligman and Eugene Berman taken on the occasion of the Exhibition Artists in Exile at the Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, 1942.
REEL 2077: Fifteen photographs of Marsden Hartley, February 4, 1943, and printed posthumously.
Biographical / Historical:
George Platt Lynes (1907-1955) was a photographer from New York, N.Y. Best known for his portraits of Hollywood stars, ballet dancers, writers, and male nudes.
Provenance:
Material on reel 57 lent for microfilming 1971 by Russell Lynes, brother of George Platt Lynes; material on reels 153 & 2077 donated 1967-1971 by Russell Lynes.
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.
Reel 57: ACCESS RESTRICTED: written permission required.
Rights:
Reels 153 and 2077: Authorization to publish or reproduce requires written permission from Joshua Lynes. Credit should include Copyright Estate of George Platt Lynes. 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.
Occupation:
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Photography, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington),, 1920- Search this
Subject:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Henry Billings, 1964 November 25. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920- Search this
Creator:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Names:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Extent:
48 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1964 November 25
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Henry Billings conducted 1964 November 25, by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Henry Billings (1901-1985) was a painter and illustrator of Sag Harbor, New York.
General:
Originally recorded 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 45 min.
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
