Pittsburgh, On S Bank Of Allegheny River, Just E Of Rr Bridge From Sharpsburg, S Of Hwy; Brilliant Cut, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, North America
Pittsburgh, On S Bank Of Allegheny River, Just E Of Rr Bridge From Sharpsburg, S Of Hwy; Brilliant Cut, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, North America
The papers of landscape painter Mary Butler date from 1853-1946, bulk 1884-1946, and measure 1.6 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical material, correspondence, and records relating to Butler's long participation in the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Also found are notes and writings, a scrapbook, printed material, and photographs of Butler, her friends, her studio in Ogunquit, Maine, her landscape paintings, and exhibition installations.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of landscape painter Mary Butler date from 1853-1946, bulk 1884-1946, and measure 1.6 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical material, correspondence, and records relating to Butler's long participation in the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Also found are notes and writings, a scrapbook, printed material, and photographs of Butler, her friends, her studio in Ogunquit, Maine, her landscape paintings, and exhibition installations.
Biographical material includes genealogical notes on Butler's early family history, biographical accounts, teaching certificates, and letters of recommendation from Butler's instructors including William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri, and William Sartain.
Found within the papers are correspondence with family members, including letters to her cousin Edgar Butler letters from her friend Mrs. Thomas Eakins; and miscellaneous scattered letters from various colleagues including George Biddle, Dorothy Grafly, Thornton Oakley, and Alice Kent Stoddard concerning various topics. Correspondence regarding exhibitions is with arts organizations and colleagues including Henry Thouron and S. Walter Norris.
There are files documenting Butler's long participation in the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, including a letter from Joseph Pennell, notes, writings, and printed material. Additional printed material includes a scrapbook of clippings, and exhibition announcements and catalogs. Photographs are of Butler, her friends, her studio in Ogunquit, Maine, views of the Maine coast and of Cathedral Crag in Washington State, Butler's landscape paintings, and miscellaneous exhibition installations.
Arrangement:
The papers are arranged into seven series. Each series is arranged chronologically.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1884-1945 (Box 1; 10 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1853-1944 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 3: File for the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1917-1946 (Box 1; 14 folders)
Series 4: Notes and Writings, 1905-1938 (Box 1; 10 folders)
Series 5: Scrapbook, 1908-1942 (Box 1; 5 folders)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1894-1944 (Box 2; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 7: Photographs, circa 1870-1945 (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Mary Butler was born on October 27, 1865 in Uwachlan, Pennsylvania, the daughter of James and Rachel M. (James) Butler.
She attended a summer school conducted by William Merritt Chase at Shinnacock Hills, and later studied under Robert Henri and Edward W. Redfield. With Redfield, she spent a season at Centre Bridge, Pennsylvania. Butler was primarily a landscape painter and traveled widely in the United States and Europe to find unusual and inspiring views. She also spent summers in Ogunquit and on Monhegan Island, Maine.
In 1909, Butler joined the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and served as President of that organization from 1921 to 1937. During her tenure, she inaugurated traveling exhibitions, a picture purchasing fund and, in 1915, the Thouron Fund for aid of needy artists.
Throughout her career Butler exhibited extensively and promoted the arts in Philadelphia.
Mary Butler died on March 16, 1946.
Provenance:
The Mary Butler papers were donated in 2005 by Rachel F. Armstrong, the artist's niece.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Mary Butler papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Topic:
Landscape painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Women painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Writings
Photographs
Citation:
Mary Butler papers, 1853-1946, bulk 1884-1946. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
United States of America -- Pennsylvania -- McKean -- Erie
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets, a copy of a book of Susan Hale Kemenyffy's drawings dedicated to Carrie T. Watson Garden Club member Lynn Perry Alstadt, and a copy of "Drawing: The Purpose," edited by Leo Duff and Phil Sawdon. The latter includes a chapter by Susan Hale Kemenyffy titled, "Landscape - Drawing - Drawiing - Landscape' (2008).
General:
The 47 acre property in western Pennsylvania had been logged, stripped of topsoil and used as a dump for garbage and burned out cars when the land and 1950's house were obtained in 1974 by two artists. Mature trees, weeds and enormous mud puddles comprised the landscape. The site has been developed with 18 named gardens, channeled water courses with a string of pools and two ponds to ameliorate the property's tendency to flood every spring, numerous hand-built bridges, and intersecting paths totaling about one mile of walkways. Outbuildings include a chicken house, a Hungarian Tea House cantilevered on a cliff in a conifer forest that overlooks one of the pools, and two artists' studios. Garden structures and outdoor furniture are painted in blues and greens that contrast with and stand out from the lushly planted grounds while sculptures created by the owners have been nestled into the landscape. Hundreds of rocks, slabs and boulders have been dug up and re-positioned to form or edge paths and ponds. Positions have been found for objects including discarded aluminum playground horses that rear up among the trees. Ceramic tiles and sculptures made by the artists contribute to the unique landscape.
An early entrance garden included climbing hydrangea, bergenia lining the walkway, pachysandra and ferns to obscure the front of the house. Later a wider walkway was dug and laid with slabs of Pennsylvania bluestone over gravel, decking and brick walls were built, and 100 feet of climbing hydrangea have been trained around the house and deck. The owners describe their highly personal gardens as naturalized Arts and Crafts designed to suit the topography. They have given fanciful names to their gardens, such as giraffe's place, polka dot garden, alpine forest, great meadow, sky garden, primrose-less path, and Steven's mountain with an elevated metal sculpture "Sirius Dog House" to mark the juncture of earth and sky and the conclusion of the garden.
Raku Place has been shared with many groups for events and has participated in Garden Conservancy Open Days.
Persons associated with the garden include Donald and Sharon Williams (former owners, 1966-1974); Steven Kemenyffy (sculptor, 1974- ); Susan Kemenyffy (artist and landscape designer, 1974- ).
Related Materials:
Raku Place related holdings consist of 1 folder (85 digital images)
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images 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.
United States of America -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- Philadelphia
Date:
2010 Oct.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images 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.
Locality And Remarks: Brillian Cut On S Bank Of Allegheny River In Pittsburgh Just E Of The Rr Bridge From Sharosburg And S Of The Hwy(Ct-163, Tn-3), Petersburg County, Pennsylvania, United States, North America
