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Traditional Korean arts of knots special exhibition by Kim Hee-jin

Title:
Han'guk maedŭp t'ŭpyŏl chŏnsi = Special exhibition [of] traditional Korean arts of knots
한국매듭특열전시 = Special exhibition [of] traditional Korean arts of knots
Author:
Kim, Hŭi-jin 1934 May 3-  Search this
Physical description:
[28] pages chiefly color illustrations 22 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Expositions
Exhibition catalogs
Place:
Korea
Corée
Date:
1980
Topic:
Macramé  Search this
Call number:
TT840 .K49
TT840.K49
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_147102

French folk art : an exhibition organized by the French National Museum of Arts and Traditions and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service / [catalog and exhibition prepared by Jean Cuisenier ; adapted from French by Thomas W. Lyman ; edited by Jeannette R. Mueller]

Author:
Cuisenier, Jean 1927-  Search this
Lyman, Thomas W  Search this
Mueller, Jeannette R  Search this
Musée national des arts et traditions populaires (France)  Search this
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service  Search this
Physical description:
19 p. : ill. ; 30 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Place:
France
Date:
1977
1977?]
Topic:
Folk art  Search this
Call number:
NK947 .C96
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_147252

The ecology and control of the forest insects of India and the neighbouring countries C. F. C. Beeson

Author:
Beeson, C. F. C (Cyril Frederik Cherrington) 1889-1975  Search this
Physical description:
ii, 107 pages illustrations 22 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
India
South Asia
Date:
1993
1941
Topic:
Forest insects  Search this
Insects  Search this
Forest pests  Search this
Entomology  Search this
Call number:
QL483.I4 B44 1993
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1161399

Catalogue raisonne du Musee d'Histoire Naturelle de l'Academie de Turin. Partie mineralogique ... Tome premier. softcover

Type:
Softcovers
Date:
1811
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1161408

Thorne Moors a palaeoecological study of a Bronze age site P.C. Buckland

Author:
Buckland, P. C (Paul C.)  Search this
Physical description:
173 pages illustrations 30 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
England
Thorne Moors
Date:
1979
Topic:
Bronze age  Search this
Environmental archaeology  Search this
Paleontology  Search this
Plant remains (Archaeology)  Search this
Call number:
GN778.22.G7 B83 1979
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1145843

One hundred islands the flora of the Outer Furneaux Stephen Harris, Alex Buchanan, Amy Connolly ; illustrations by Anna Stewart

Author:
Harris, S (Stephen)  Search this
Author:
Connolly, Amy  Search this
Buchanan, Alex  Search this
Stewart, Anna  Search this
International Biodiversity Observation Year  Search this
Tasmania Department of Primary Industries, Water, and Environment  Search this
Physical description:
xii, 361 pages color illustrations, maps 26 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
Australia
Furneaux Islands (Tas.)
Date:
2001
Topic:
Plant conservation  Search this
Endangered species  Search this
Vegetation mapping  Search this
Botany  Search this
Call number:
QK457 .H367 2001
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1146157

Vampire moths behaviour, ecology and taxonomy of blood-sucking Calyptra Hans Bänziger

Photographer:
Bänziger, H (Hans)  Search this
Physical description:
viii, 232 pages illustrations (chiefly color), portraits 27 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
Southeast Asia
Date:
2021
Topic:
Erebidae  Search this
Moths  Search this
Bloodsucking insects  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1147270

Monograph of the fresh-water univalve Mollusca of the United States. Turbidae, Physadae. hbk

Type:
Hbks
Date:
1870
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1161390

Der Naturforscher, vols. 1-2 cloth

Type:
Cloths
Date:
1774
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1161391

Der Naturforscher, v.15 cloth

Type:
Cloths
Date:
1781
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1161392

Georgii Trapezuntii In Claudii Ptolemaei centum aphorismos commentarius : eiusdem, De antisciis, in quorum rationem fata sua reijcit. Item ab eodem, Cur astrologorum iudicia plerumque fallant. Nunc primùm omnia in lucem êdita. Additus est dialogus Ioannis Pontani, in quo doctissimè disputatur, quatenus credendum sit astrologiae ..

Title:
Comment. Trapezunt. in Aphoris Ptolemaei
Georgii Trapezvntii In Claudii Ptolemaei centum aphorismos commentarius
Author:
George of Trebizond 1396-1486  Search this
Ptolemy active 2nd century Centiloquium Latin  Search this
Pontano, Giovanni Gioviano 1429-1503  Search this
Subject:
Ptolemy active 2nd century  Search this
Physical description:
[104] leaves : ill. (woodcut) ; 17 cm. (8vo)
Type:
Early works to 1800
Date:
1544
Anno 1544
Topic:
Astrology  Search this
Astronomy  Search this
Zodiac  Search this
Call number:
QB26 .G46 1544
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_782106

Gold, silk, pioneers & mail : the story of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company / by Robert J. Chandler, Stephen J. Potash ; foreword by James P. Delgado

Title:
Story of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company
Author:
Chandler, Robert J (Robert Joseph)  Search this
Potash, Stephen J  Search this
Subject:
Pacific Mail Steamship Company History  Search this
Physical description:
xi, 52 p. : ill., facsims. ; 28 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
United States
Date:
2007
Topic:
Steamboat lines--History  Search this
Mail steamers--History  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_904063

Album of Prints: Book of Vases by François Boucher

Designer:
François Boucher, French, 1703–1770  Search this
Print Maker:
Gabriel Huquier, French, 1695–1772  Search this
Publisher:
Le Père et Avaulez, Paris, 1772–1777  Search this
Type:
albums (bound) & books
Book
Object Name:
Book
Published in:
Paris, France
Date:
1772–79
Accession Number:
1921-6-245
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collection
Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design Department
Data Source:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kq40db30c1b-3455-4c60-89c0-337436f69576
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:chndm_1921-6-245
Online Media:

The genetical theory of natural selection / by R.A. Fisher ; edited with a foreword and notes by J.H. Bennett

Author:
Fisher, Ronald Aylmer Sir 1890-1962  Search this
Physical description:
xxii, 318 p. : ill. ; 25 cm
Type:
Books
Date:
1999
C1999
Topic:
Natural selection  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_604554

Benjamin March Papers

Creator:
March, Benjamin, 1899-1934  Search this
Names:
March, Benjamin, 1899-1934  Search this
Rowe, Dorothy, 1898-  Search this
Extent:
15 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Lecture notes
Letters
Place:
China
Japan
China -- Description and Travel
Michigan
Date:
1923-1934
Summary:
Writer, curator, and professor Benjamin Franklin March Jr. (1899-1934) studied, lectured, and wrote in the United States and in China, and through his works gained respect as one of the foremost authorities on Chinese art during the 1920s and 1930s. His papers, dating from 1923 to 1934, document his professional and personal life in the United States and in China and include lecture notes and outlines; research notes; diaries; scrapbooks; and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The Benjamin March Papers span the years 1923 to 1934 and measure 15 linear feet. The collection includes: biographical data included in passports, obituaries, and fifty-seven condolence letters; lecture and course outlines; research notes; four diaries; one scrapbook; four illustrations including sketches for the March bookplate; fourteen photograph albums; printed matter; and 100 personal and artistic photographs.
Arrangement note:
The collection is divided into the following series:

Series 1: Biographical Information, 1927-1935

Series 2: Diaries, 1925-1934

Series 3: Writings and Research Materials, 1927-1934, undated

— Subseries 3.1: Lecture Materials

— Subseries 3.2: Research

— Subseries 3.3: Printed Matter

Series 4: Scrapbooks, 1924-1934

Series 5: Graphic Materials, 1925, 1933, undated

— Subseries 5.1: Illustrations

— Subseries 5.2: Photo Albums

— Subseries 5.3: Photographs
Biographical Information:
Biographical Sketch

1899 -- Born, Chicago, IL. Son of Benjamin Franklin and Isabel (née McNeal)

[1917?] -- Attended Lewis Institute and the YMCA College before transferring to the University of Chicago

1918-1919 -- Military service, Sergeant, Field Remount Squadron, No. 305, Army Service Corps

1922 -- Graduated from the University of Chicago (Ph.B)

1922-1923 -- Attended the Union Theological Seminary, New York, NY

1923-1925 -- Teacher of English, Latin, and Bible Studies at Hopei University; the Second Normal School; and the YMCA in Paotingfu, China

1925 June 25 -- Married Dorothy Rowe in Nanking, China

1925-1927 -- English instructor; Librarian; and Lecturer in Chinese Art, Yenching University Peiping, China

1927, summer -- Lecturer on Chinese art Columbia University

1927-1931 -- Curator of Asiatic Art Detroit Institute of Arts

1928 -- Honorary Curator of Oriental Aesthetic Art at the Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

1928 -- Appointed honorary curator at the Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

[1929?] -- Daughter (Judith) born

1929 -- China and Japan in Our Museums, published by the American Council, Institute of Pacific Relations

1931 -- Spent six months in China under a special grant from the American Council of Learned Societies to study 13th century painter, Ch'ien Hsuan

1932 -- Curator, Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

1932 -- Appointed honorary curator at the Detroit Institute of Arts

1933 -- Awarded a Freer Fellowship

1934 -- Standards of Pottery Description, published by the University of Michigan Press

1934, summer -- Organized, directed, and lectured at a summer session of the Institute of Asiatic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley

1934 December -- Died at home in Ann Arbor, Michigan after a five-week illness (heart ailment)

Far Eastern art writer, curator, and lecturer, Benjamin Franklin March Jr., was born in Chicago on July 4, 1899 to Benjamin and Isabel March. He studied, lectured, and wrote in the United States and China and through his works gained respect as one of the foremost authorities on Chinese art during the 1920s and 1930s. Although he lived only thirty-five years, Benjamin March was a respected and influential scholar of Asian art.

After high school, March attended the Lewis Institute and the YMCA College before transferring to the University of Chicago from which he graduated in 1922 (Ph.B). With thoughts of becoming a Methodist minister, March enrolled at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. At the same time, March enrolled in art classes at the Metropolitan Museum. After one year at the seminary, March was presented with and accepted the opportunity to work in China. From 1923 to 1927, March resided in China where he taught and lectured at colleges. Initially, March taught English, Latin, and Bible Studies at Hopei University, the Second Normal School, and the YMCA. From 1925 to 1927, he worked at Yenching University in Peiping (now Peking) as an instructor in English, a librarian, and lecturer in Chinese art.

While in China, March met Dorothy Rowe, the daughter of a Methodist missionary stationed in Nanking. On June 25, 1925 the two were married. Ms. Rowe, whom March sometimes called Doré, had lived in China since infancy. The author of the children's story, "The Begging Dear," Rowe wrote children's stories with Chinese settings.

During the summer of 1927, the March's moved to the United States when Columbia University offered March an appointment as lecturer of Chinese Art. Later that year March was appointed curator of Asiatic art at the Detroit Institute of Arts. He remained at the Detroit Institute of Arts in this capacity until 1931. In 1928, March was appointed Honorary Curator of Oriental Aesthetic Art by the University of Michigan's Museum of Anthropology. The next year, Dorothy March gave birth to the couple's only child, Judith.

During this period March published extensively, including two publications, China and Japan in Our Museums, in 1929 and, Standards of Pottery Description, in 1934. In the latter, March developed a new technique for the scientific study of the materials and methods of manufacture of ancient Chinese pottery. ( Ann Arbor Daily News. -- "Death Takes Noted Curator". -- December 14, 1934)

In 1931, March received a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies. This grant allowed March the opportunity to travel to China and Europe to study the 13th century painter, Ch'ien Hsuan. In 1932, March was named a curator at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of Michigan. The following year he was named a Freer Fellow. The summer of 1934 found March in Berkeley, California, organizing and directing the Institute of Asiatic Studies at the University of California. During the fall of 1934, March fell ill with a heart ailment. He was ill for five weeks before he died, at the age of 35, in December of 1934. At the time of his death, Benjamin March was survived by his wife Dorothy and their daughter, Judith.
Related Collections:
The Detroit Institute of Arts maintains administrative correspondence and files generated by Benjamin March during his tenure as curator.

The Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan houses the Benjamin Franklin March drawings collection, This is a collection of drawings by March for his daughter; includes illustrated poems of Pentwater Beach, Michigan.
Provenance:
Judith March Davis, the daughter of Benjamin March, donated her father's papers to the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives in 1995.
Benjamin March's daughter, Judith March Davis, donated her father's papers to the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives in 1995.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
No restrictions on use.
Topic:
Art, Japanese  Search this
Art, Chinese  Search this
Architecture -- China  Search this
Architecture, Japanese  Search this
Painting, Chinese  Search this
Art, Korean  Search this
Art, Asian  Search this
Painting, Japanese  Search this
Art, Asian -- Research  Search this
Chinese language -- Terms and phrases  Search this
Art -- Terminology  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Lecture notes
Letters
Citation:
Benjamin March Papers, FSA.A.1995.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Judith March Davis, 1995
Identifier:
FSA.A1995.10
See more items in:
Benjamin March Papers
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3ee55f56d-42a6-4612-8585-2aaed10572c1
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-fsa-a1995-10
Online Media:

Journal

Creator:
March, Benjamin, 1899-1934  Search this
Names:
Yanjing da xue  Search this
Ferguson, John Calvin, 1866-1945  Search this
March, Benjamin, 1899-1934  Search this
Priest, Alan Reed  Search this
Rowe, Dorothy, 1898-1969  Search this
St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968  Search this
Collection Creator:
March, Benjamin, 1899-1934  Search this
Extent:
182 Items (typed unbound pages with solid wood covers)
Container:
Box 1, Folder 9
Type:
Archival materials
Diaries
Place:
China
Beijing (China)
China -- Description and Travel
Date:
1925-1926
Scope and Contents note:
Binding removed, 9 ½" x 6". 182 pages. First entry, 30 June 1925. Last entry, 13 March 1926. Inscribed, "The Memoirs of MA". Wood cover. In the introduction, March wrote, "Chronicles of Benjamin" had, for three years, served as a journal, notebook, and record for himself of places he visited. Said that since he's now not alone that it is fitting to rename his notes, "Memoirs of MA." (Chinese name of his family). ["Chronicles of Benjamin" may be found in Series V, subseries B, photo albums.]
Scope and Contents:
A diary typed by the young Chinese art scholar Benjamin March from June 1925 to March 1926 describing his life in China. Events include March's marriage to the author Dorothy Rowe (1898-1969) in Nanjing, their honeymoon in Hangzhou and Suzhou, and their subsequent life in Beijing. March describes hikes through scenic areas in Hangzhou and Beijing; his acquaintance with scholars such as John Calvin Ferguson and Alan Priest; attending performances by Ruth St. Denis and Mei Lanfang, and his work at Yenching University.
The Memoirs of Ma
Biographical / Historical:
East Asian art historian, curator and lecturer, Benjamin Franklin March Jr., was born in Chicago on July 4, 1899 to Benjamin and Isabel March. He studied, lectured, and wrote in the United States and China and through his works gained respect as one of the foremost authorities on Chinese art during the 1920s and 1930s. March was East Asian art lecturer at the University of Michigan, and curator of Asian art at the Detroit Institute of Art. Although he lived only thirty-five years, Benjamin March was a respected and influential scholar of Asian art.
Local Numbers:
FSA A1995.10 2.3
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
No restrictions on use.
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
Art, Asian -- Research  Search this
Art, Chinese  Search this
Chinese language -- Terms and phrases  Search this
Painting, Chinese  Search this
Genre/Form:
Diaries
Collection Citation:
Benjamin March Papers, FSA.A.1995.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Judith March Davis, 1995
Identifier:
FSA.A1995.10, File FSA A1995.10 2.3
See more items in:
Benjamin March Papers
Benjamin March Papers / Series 2: Diaries
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc36bd63e4b-4db8-4872-ac06-0002023d7c84
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-fsa-a1995-10-ref40
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An exhibition of Canadian gameboards of the 19th and 20th centuries from Ontario, Quebec, & Nova Scotia

Title:
Canadian gameboards of the 19th & 20th centuries from Ontario, Quebec & Nova Scotia
Gameboards
Author:
Field, Richard Hanning 1944-  Search this
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia  Search this
Physical description:
63 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Place:
Canada, Eastern
Date:
1981
19th century
20th century
Topic:
Gameboards--History  Search this
Woodwork--History  Search this
Folk art--History  Search this
Call number:
NK841 .A78
NK841.A78
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_145631

Swedish folk art : all tradition is change / edited by Barbro Klein and Mats Widbom ; foreword by Beate Sydhoff ; epilogue by Henry Glassie

Author:
Widbom, Mats  Search this
Klein, Barbro Sklute  Search this
Kulturhuset (Stockholm, Sweden)  Search this
Museum of International Folk Art (N.M.)  Search this
Physical description:
272 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 27 x 26 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Place:
Sweden
Date:
1994
C1994
Topic:
Folk art  Search this
Decorative arts  Search this
Call number:
NK995 .S94 1994X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_521078

Watson Press: Order of bookplates, address labels, 150 word letter for the distribution of The Story of the Armory Show, 1964

Container:
Box 1 of 2
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 97-091, Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, Records, with related papers of Joseph H. Hirshhorn
See more items in:
Records, with related papers of Joseph H. Hirshhorn
Records, with related papers of Joseph H. Hirshhorn / Box 1
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-sia-fa97-091-refidd1e567

Rockwell Kent papers

Creator:
Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this
Names:
American Artists' Congress  Search this
Artists League of America  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Citizens' Committee for Government Arts Projects  Search this
Farmers Union of the New York Milk Shed  Search this
Federal Art Project  Search this
Federal Writers' Project  Search this
International Workers Order  Search this
Macbeth Gallery  Search this
National Farmers' Union (U.S.)  Search this
National Maritime Union of America  Search this
United American Artists  Search this
United Office and Professional Workers of America  Search this
United Scenic Artists  Search this
Boyesen, Bayard  Search this
Chamberlain, J. E.  Search this
Chase, William Merritt, 1849-1916  Search this
Cleland, T. M. (Thomas Maitland), 1880-1964  Search this
Daniel, Charles, 1878-1971  Search this
Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen), 1862-1928  Search this
DuBois, W.E.B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963  Search this
Fitzgerald, James, 1899-1971  Search this
Freuchen, Peter, 1886-1957  Search this
Gellert, Hugo, 1892-1985  Search this
Gottlieb, Harry, 1895-  Search this
Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this
Hays, Lee, 1914-1981  Search this
Henri, Robert, 1865-1929  Search this
Jones, Dan Burne  Search this
Keller, Charles, 1914-2006  Search this
Miller, Kenneth Hayes, 1876-1952  Search this
Nearing, Helen  Search this
Nearing, Scott, 1883-1983  Search this
Pach, Walter, 1883-1958  Search this
Phillips, Duncan, 1886-1966  Search this
Rasmussen, Knud, 1879-1933  Search this
Reeves, Ruth, 1892-1966  Search this
Robeson, Paul, 1898-1976  Search this
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945  Search this
Ruggles, Carl, 1876-1971  Search this
Seeger, Pete, 1919-2014  Search this
Stefansson, Vilhjalmur, 1879-1962  Search this
Untermeyer, Louis, 1885-1977  Search this
Wildenstein, Felix, 1883-1952  Search this
Zigrosser, Carl, 1891-  Search this
Extent:
88 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Poems
Sketches
Business records
Photographs
Drawings
Date:
circa 1840-1993
bulk 1935-1961
Summary:
The Rockwell Kent papers measure 88.0 linear feet and date from circa 1840 to 1993 with the bulk of the collection dating from 1935 to 1961. The collection provides comprehensive coverage of Kent's career as a painter, illustrator, designer, writer, lecturer, traveler, political activist, and dairy farmer.
Scope and Content Note:
The Rockwell Kent papers measure 88 linear feet and date from circa 1840 to 1993 with the bulk of the collection dating from 1935 to 1961. The collection provides comprehensive coverage of Kent's career as a painter, illustrator, designer, writer, lecturer, traveler, political activist, and dairy farmer.

Circumstances surrounding the acquisition of the papers are highlighted in an article by Garnett McCoy ("The Rockwell Kent Papers," in the Archives of American Art Journal, 12, no. 1 [January 1972]: 1-9), recommended reading for researchers interested in the collection. The collection is remarkably complete, for in the mid 1920s Kent began keeping carbon copies of all outgoing letters, eventually employing a secretary (who became his third wife and continued her office duties for the remainder of Kent's life).

Series 1: Alphabetical Files contain Kent's personal and professional correspondence, along with business records of the dairy farm and associated enterprises; also included are printed matter on a wide variety of topics and promotional literature relating to organizations and causes of interest to him. Voluminous correspondence with his three wives, five children, and other relatives, as well as with literally hundreds of friends, both lifelong and of brief duration, illuminates Kent's private life and contributes to understanding of his complex character. Among the many correspondents of note are: his art teachers William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri, and Kenneth Hayes Miller; fellow artists Tom Cleland, Arthur B. Davies, James Fitzgerald, Hugo Gellert, Harry Gottleib, Marsden Hartley, Charles Keller, and Ruth Reeves; collectors Duncan Phillips and Dan Burne Jones; critics J. E. Chamberlain and Walter Pach; and dealers Charles Daniel, Felix Wildenstein, and Macbeth Galleries. Kent corresponded with such diverse people as Arctic explorers Peter Freuchen, Knud Rasmussen, and Vilhjalmar Steffanson; composer Carl Ruggles and songwriters Lee Hays and Pete Seeger; civil rights pioneers Paul Robeson and Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois; writers Bayard Boyesen, Scott and Helen Nearing, and Louis Untermeyer; and art historian and print curator Carl Zigrosser.

Kent's interest and involvement in the labor movement are reflected in correspondence with officials and members of a wide variety and large number of unions and related organizations, among them: the Farmers' Educational and Cooperative Union of America, Farmers' Union of the New York Milk Shed, International Workers Order, National Maritime Union, and United Office and Professional Workers of America. Of special interest is his participation, often in leadership roles, in various attempts to organize artists. Files on the American Artists' Congress, Artists League of America, The Artists Union, United American Artists, and United Scenic Artists contain particularly valuable material on the movement.

A supporter of New Deal efforts to aid artists, Kent was actively interested in the various programs and often was critical of their limitations; he advocated continuing federal aid to artists after the Depression abated. The Kent papers include correspondence with the Federal Arts Project, Federal Fine Arts Project, Federal Writers Project, and the War Department, as well as correspondence with the Citizens' Committee for Government Art Projects and President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the subject.

Kent's professional correspondence documents exhibitions, sales, consignments, and reproduction of prints and paintings. He kept meticulous records of his advertising commissions and illustration work. Detailed correspondence with publishers and printers indicates Kent's involvement in the technical aspects of production and provides a good overview of the publishing industry during the mid-twentieth century.

Business records of Asgaard Farm include records of the dairy and transfer of ownership to its employees, tax and employee information, and documents concerning several related business ventures such as distributor ships for grain, feed, and farm implements.

Series 2: Writings consists of notes, drafts, and completed manuscripts by Rockwell Kent, mainly articles, statements, speeches, poems, introductions, and reviews. The Kent Collection given to Friendship House, Moscow, in 1960, was augmented later by a set of his publications and the illustrated manuscripts of many of his monographs. Also included are a small number of manuscripts by other authors.

Series 3: Artwork consists mainly of drawings and sketches by Kent; also included are works on paper by other artists, many of whom are unidentified, and by children.

Series 4: Printed Matter consists of clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, brochures, broadsides, programs, and newsletters. These include items by and about Kent and his family, as well as articles written and/or illustrated by him, and reviews of his books. There is also material on a variety of subjects and causes of interest to him. Additional printed matter is included among the alphabetical files, mainly as attachments to correspondence.

Series 5: Miscellaneous includes biographical material, legal documents, and memorabilia. Artifacts received with papers include textile samples, a silk scarf, dinnerware, ice bucket, and rubber stamp, all featuring designs by Rockwell Kent. Also with this series are a variety of documents including a phrenological analysis of an ancestor, lists of supplies for expeditions, a hand-drawn map of an unidentified place, and technical notes regarding art materials and techniques.

Series 6: Photographs includes photographs of Kent, his family and friends, travel, and art number that over one thousand. Also included here are several albums of family and travel photographs.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into six series. Series 1 is arranged alphabetically. The arrangement of the remaining series is explained in each series description. Note that sealed materials that became available in 2000 were microfilmed separately on reels 5740-5741, but have integrated into this finding aid.

Missing Title

Series 1: Alphabetical Files, circa 1900-1971, undated (Reels 5153-5249, 5256, 5740-5741)

Series 2: Writings, 1906-1978, undated (Reels 5249-5252, 5741)

Series 3: Art Work, 1910-1972, undated (Reels 5252, 5741)

Series 4: Printed Matter, 1905-1993, undated (Reels 5252-5254)

Series 5: Miscellaneous, 1859-1969, undated (Reels 5254, 5741)

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1840-1970, undated (Reels 5254-5255, 5741)
Biographical Note:
Rockwell Kent (1882-1971), an energetic and multitalented man, pursued many interests and careers during his very long and active life. At various times he was an architect, draftsman, carpenter, unskilled laborer, painter, illustrator, printmaker, commercial artist, designer, traveler/explorer, writer, professional lecturer, dairy farmer, and political activist.

While studying architecture at Columbia University, Kent enrolled in William Merritt Chase's summer school at Shinnecock Hills, Long Island. He then redirected his career ambitions toward painting and continued to study with Chase in New York. Kent spent a summer working and living with Abbott H. Thayer in Dublin, New Hampshire, and attended the New York School of Art, where Robert Henri and Kenneth Hayes Miller were his teachers.

Critically and financially, Kent was a successful artist. He was very well known for his illustration work--particularly limited editions of the classics, bookplates, and Christmas cards. He was a prolific printmaker, and his prints and paintings were acquired by many major museums and private collectors. During the post-World War II era, Kent's political sympathies resulted in the loss of commissions, and his adherence to artistic conservatism and outspoken opposition to modern art led to disfavor within art circles. After many years of declining reputation in this country and unsuccessful attempts to find a home for the Kent Collection, Kent gave his unsold paintings--the majority of his oeuvre--to the Soviet Union, where he continued to be immensely popular.

An avid traveler, Kent was especially fascinated by remote, Arctic lands and often stayed for extended periods of time to paint, write, and become acquainted with the local inhabitants. Between 1918 and 1935, he wrote and illustrated several popular books about his experiences in Alaska, Tierra del Fuego, and Greenland. In the 1930s and 1940s, Kent was much in demand as a lecturer, making several nationwide tours under the management of a professional lecture bureau; he spoke mainly about his travels, but among his standard lectures were some on "art for the people."

In 1927, Kent purchased Asgaard Farm at AuSable Forks, New York, in the Adirondacks, where he lived for the remainder of his life, operating a modern dairy farm on a modest scale for many years.

As a young man, Kent met Rufus Weeks, became committed to social justice, and joined the Socialist Party. Throughout his life, he supported left-wing causes and was a member or officer of many organizations promoting world peace and harmonious relations with the Soviet Union, civil rights, civil liberties, antifascism, and organized labor. Kent was frequently featured as a celebrity sponsor or speaker at fund-raising events for these causes. In 1948, he ran unsuccessfully as the American Labor Party's candidate for Congress. Kent's unpopular political views eventually led to the dissolution of his dairy business, resulted in a summons to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee, and prompted the U.S. State Department to deny him a passport, an action that subsequently was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Kent wrote two autobiographies, This Is My Own (1940) and It's Me, O Lord (1955). In 1969, he was the subject of an oral history interview conducted by Paul Cummings for the Archives of American Art.
Provenance:
In 1969, Rockwell Kent donated his papers to the Archives of American Art; textile samples were received in 1979, and his widow gave additional papers in 1971 and 1996. Letters to Rockwell Kent from wives Frances and Sally, sealed during Sally Kent Gorton's lifetime, became available for research after her death in 2000, and further material was donated to the Archives of American Art in 2001 by the Estate of Sally Kent [Shirley Johnstone] Gorton.
Restrictions:
The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not microfilmed or digitized requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State)  Search this
Topic:
Designers -- New York (State)  Search this
Mural painting and decoration  Search this
Politics and culture  Search this
Authors -- New York  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States -- Political aspects  Search this
Dairy farms  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Illustrators -- New York (State)  Search this
Illustration of books  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Art and war  Search this
Commercial art  Search this
World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war  Search this
Function:
Labor unions
Genre/Form:
Poems
Sketches
Business records
Photographs
Drawings
Citation:
Rockwell Kent papers, circa 1840-1993, bulk 1935-1961. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.kentrock
See more items in:
Rockwell Kent papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97edd9940-eb61-4562-9583-def2da778b6a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-kentrock
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