Search Results

Interviewee:

Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this

Interviewer:

Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-  Search this

Names:

C.W. Kraushaar Art Galleries  Search this

Daniel Gallery  Search this

Downtown Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Ferargil Galleries  Search this

Grand Central Art Galleries  Search this

M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this

Montross Gallery  Search this

New Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Bacon, Peggy, 1895-1987  Search this

Barr, Alfred H., Jr., 1902-1981  Search this

Barrie, Erwin S., 1886-1983  Search this

Benton, Thomas Hart, 1889-1975  Search this

Brackman, Robert, 1898-  Search this

Bridgman, George Brant, 1864-1943  Search this

Brixey, Richard de Wolfe  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this

Cary, Elisabeth Luther, 1867-1936  Search this

Chase, William Merritt, 1849-1916  Search this

Coleman, Glenn O., 1887-1932  Search this

Crowninshield, Frank, 1872-1947  Search this

Daniel, Charles, 1878-1971  Search this

Davis, Stuart, 1892-1964  Search this

Demuth, Charles, 1883-1935  Search this

Deskey, Donald, 1894-  Search this

Dove, Arthur Garfield, 1880-1946  Search this

Dudensing, F. Valentine, 1892-1967  Search this

Fergusson, John Duncan, 1874-1961  Search this

Field, Hamilton Easter  Search this

Force, Juliana, 1876-1948  Search this

Ford, Ford Madox, 1873-1939  Search this

Frost, Robert, 1874-1963  Search this

Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster), 1895-1983  Search this

Goodyear, A. Conger (Anson Conger), 1877-1964  Search this

Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this

Halpert, Samuel, 1884-1930  Search this

Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this

Hirsch, Stefan, 1899-1964  Search this

Hopkinson, Charles, 1869-1962  Search this

Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967  Search this

Johns, Jasper, 1930-  Search this

Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this

Knox, Seymour H., 1898-1990  Search this

Kroll, Leon, 1884-1974  Search this

Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949  Search this

Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953  Search this

Laurent, Robert, 1890-1970  Search this

Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000  Search this

Levine, Jack, 1915-2010  Search this

Levy, Julien  Search this

Locke, Charles, 1899-  Search this

Luks, George Benjamin, 1867-1933  Search this

Léger, Fernand, 1881-1955  Search this

Marin, John, Jr., 1915?-1988  Search this

McBride, Henry, 1867-1962  Search this

Mellon, Paul  Search this

Mercer, Henry Chapman  Search this

Montross, N. E. (Newman E), 1849-1932  Search this

Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988  Search this

O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986  Search this

Pascin, Jules, 1885-1930  Search this

Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Pound, Ezra, 1885-1972  Search this

Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this

Robinson, Edward G., 1893-1973  Search this

Rockefeller, Abby Aldrich  Search this

Saarinen, Aline B. (Aline Bernstein), 1914-1972  Search this

Saklatwalla, Beram K.  Search this

Sandburg, Carl, 1878-1967  Search this

Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969  Search this

Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this

Siporin, Mitchell, 1910-1976  Search this

Soutine, Chaim, 1893-1943  Search this

Steichen, Edward, 1879-1973  Search this

Stein, Gertrude, 1874-1946  Search this

Stella, Frank  Search this

Stern, Louis E., 1886-1962  Search this

Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this

Tannahill, Robert Hudson  Search this

Vollard, Ambroise, 1867-1939  Search this

Weber, Max, 1881-1961  Search this

Whitney, Gertrude Vanderbilt, 1875-1942  Search this

Williams, William Carlos, 1883-1963  Search this

Wittenberg, Philip, 1895-1987  Search this

Zerbe, Karl, 1903-1972  Search this

Zorach, Marguerite, 1887-1968  Search this

Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this

Extent:

436 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Date:

1962-1963

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Edith Halpert conducted 1962-1963, by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art.

Halpert speaks of her childhood in Russia and growing up in New York City; working at Bloomindale's, Macy's, Stern Brothers, and Cohen Goldman; her marriage to artist Sam Halpert, his health, and living in Paris in 1925; becoming an art student at the Academy of Design and feeling that Leon Kroll was an excellent art teacher until he began to correct her drawings; when George Bridgman thought she was ruining his class; the Lincoln Square Arcade, when she and Ernest Fiener and Robert Brackman would rent Conan's studio evenings and bring in instructors; how Newman Montross influenced her more than anybody about showing her art that she loved; burning all of her work because Kroll said she had no talent; receiving a painting from John Marin; her friendship and working relationship with Abby Rockefeller and other family members.

She recalls opening the Downtown Gallery, in Greenwich Village, in 1926; a brief history of modern art; many artists helping decorate the new Daylight Gallery in 1930 and the first show being called "Practical Manifestations of Art"; meeting Robert and Sonia Delaunay in France; when she refused to allow Ezra Pound to speak at one of the gallery lectures because of his anti-Semite remarks and William Carlos Williams and Ford Madox Ford argued with her over it; experiencing jealousy and professional attacks from other dealers; the successful "Pop" Hart show and book in 1929; the "Thirty-three Moderns" show in 1930 at the Grand Central Galleries; the Jules Pascin show in 1930; in America, most of the art buyers supporters of culture were women, until the WPA and World War II, when it became fashionable for men to be involved; Ambroise Vollard's advice on selling art; handling the frustrations of working in the art field; friendships with Stuart Davis,Charles Sheeler, and Ben Shahn; how artists work through dry periods in their creativity and the "Recurrent Image" show; a discussion on modern art galleries of New York City, such as Daniel, Knoedler, Ferargil, the New Gallery, 291, the Grand Central, Kraushaar, and Montross; her travels through Pennsylvania and Maine for good examples of folk art for the gallery; the "The Artist Looks at Music" show; the non-competitive spirit of the early modern American artists; of being saved financially in 1940 by selling a William Harnett painting to the Boston Museum and then renting new space for the gallery.

Also, Mitchell Siporin bringing Halpert and Edmund Gurry to Mitchell Field during World War II for a camouflage show and consequently Downtown Gallery artists and others were enlisted in the camouflage corps for the U.S. Air Force; Charles Sheeler and his wife find Halpert a house in Newtown, Conn.; her decision in 1933 to push folk art for acquisition by the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri; her great concern about what to do with her folk art literature collection; dismay and that no one writes about the history of folk art and those responsible for its creation and popularity; Louis Stern hiring her to organize a municipal exhibit in Atlantic City, N.J., with Donald Deskey designing the furniture and Holger Cahill managing the publicity; Joe Lillie helping her meet Fiorello La Guardia and Joe McGoldrick in 1934 about a municipal show in New York City, but it is moved to Radio City Music Hall through Nelson Rockefeller; the "Salons of America" show; wanting articles written about art for love rather than art for investment; working with Aline Saarinen on her book, "Proud Possessors;" letters from Stuart Davis, William Zorach and others that hurt her feelings; enjoying giving educational lectures and considering retirement because of ill health; the desire to write a book on the history of trade signs in folk art; feeling that the young artists are being ruined by too much support without working for it; planning to write a book entitled, "Unsung Heroes," about artists brave enough to experiment; organizing a show in Russia at her own expense; later representing the U.S. in art at the "American National Exposition"; the agitators and success of the exposition; Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Halpert also recalls Juliana Force, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Buckminster Fuller, George Luks, Edsel Ford, Max Weber, Danny Diefenbacker, Hamilton Easter Field, Frank Stella, Glenn Coleman, Margaret Zorach, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Henry Mercer, Romany Marie, Edward G. Robinson, Paul Mellon, Charles Pollet, Alex Brook, Lunca Curass, Dorothy Lambert, Duncan Candler, Frank Rhen, Louis Rittman, Bea Goldsmith, Arthur Craven, Robert Frost, Philip Wittenberg, Caesar de Hoke, Richard deWolfe Brixey, Seymour Knox, Walt Kuhn, Elisabeth Luther Cary, Charles Locke, Duncan Fergusson, Mrs. Solomon Guggenheim, Bob Tannahill, David Thompson, Marsden Hartley, Erwin Barrie, Robert Laurent, Conger Goodyear, Henry McBride, Edward Hopper, Charles Daniel, William Merritt Chase, Charles Hopkinson, Thomas Hart Benton, Frank Crowninshield, Alfred Barr, Lord Duveen, Jacob Lawrence, John Marin Jr., Karl Zerbe, Franz Kline, Arthur Dove, Julian Levy, Jack Levine, Valentine Dudensing, Peggy Bacon, Stefan Hirsch, Gertrude Stein, Isamu Noguchi, Jasper Johns, Chaim Soutine, B. K. Saklatwalla; Fernand Leger, Pablo Picasso, Ben Shahn, Charles Demuth, Alexander Calder, Jackson Pollock, Edward Steichen, Carl Sandburg, Clement Greenberg, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Edith Halpert (1900-1970) was an art dealer from New York, N.Y.

General:

Originally recorded on 7 tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 27 digital wav files. Duration is 32 hrs., 27 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art 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 others. The transcript was microfilmed in 1996.

Occupation:

Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Camouflage  Search this

Folk art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Women art dealers  Search this

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.halper62

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw94b057b9a-c3f9-4586-8d44-ee2d58857127

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-halper62

Interviewee:

McMahon, Audrey, 1900?-1981  Search this

Interviewer:

Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Bruce, Edward, 1879-1943  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Force, Juliana, 1876-1948  Search this

Extent:

41 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1964 Nov. 18

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Audrey McMahon conducted 1964 Nov. 18, by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art.

McMahon speaks of her pre-Federal Art Project experiences; her early involvement with the WPA; how it functioned; and political problems with the WPA. She recalls Juliana Force, Edward Bruce, Holger Cahill.

Biographical / Historical:

Audry McMahon (1900?-1981) served under Holger Cahill as Regional Director of the WPA Federal Art Project for New York and New Jersey from 1935-1939.

General:

Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 21 min.

Provenance:

This interview 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.

Topic:

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Arts administrators -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.mcmaho64

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9864ed5b9-a17e-4270-8f11-238311a58054

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-mcmaho64

Interviewee:

Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003  Search this

Interviewer:

Berman, Avis  Search this

Creator:

Mark Rothko and His Times Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Mark Rothko and His Times Oral History Project  Search this

Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Barr, Alfred H., Jr., 1902-1981  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Motherwell, Robert  Search this

Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this

Panicali, Carla  Search this

Putzel, Howard, 1898-1945  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980  Search this

Extent:

30 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1981 May 14

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Dorothy Canning Miller conducted 1981 May 14, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art's Mark Rothko and His Times oral history project.

Miller talks about the first time she, with Alfred Barr, saw Mark Rothko's work in Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors exhibitions. She remembers her first visit to Rothko's studio and frequent conversations at an Italian restaurant near the studio. Miller recounts incidents involving Rothko and Clyfford Still while she was organizing the show "15 Americans" and others at the Museum of Modern Art. She recalls the relationship between Rothko and Still, their split, her own split with Still, and the psychological changes she noted in Rothko. She recalls Holger Cahill, Alfred Barr, Barnett Newma, Robert Motherwell, Clyfford Still, Howard Putzel, Carla Panicali, de Kooning, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Dorothy Miller (1904-2003) was an art museum curator and art consultant from New York, N.Y.

General:

Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 24 min.

Provenance:

This interview was conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's Mark Rothko and his Times oral history project, with funding provided by the Mark Rothko Foundation.

Others interviewed on the project (by various interviewers) include: Sonia Allen, Sally Avery, Ben-Zion, Bernard Braddon, Ernest Briggs, Rhys Caparn, Elaine de Kooning, Herbert Ferber, Esther Gottlieb, Juliette Hays, Sidney Janis, Buffie Johnson, Jacob Kainen, Louis Kaufman, Jack Kufeld, Katharine Kuh, Stanley Kunitz, Joseph Liss, Betty Parsons, Wallace Putnam, Rebecca Reis, Maurice Roth, Sidney Schectman, Aaron Siskind, Joseph Solman, Hedda Sterne, Jack Tworkov, Esteban Vicente and Ed Weinstein. Each has been cataloged separately.

Restrictions:

Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.

Topic:

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Art museum curators -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the interview was provided by the Mark Rothko Foundation.

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.miller81

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9848553d6-3075-427e-b4a6-97d47bce0334

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-miller81

Interviewee:

Glassgold, Adolph, 1899-  Search this

Interviewer:

Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project  Search this

Index of American Design  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Defenbacher, D. S. (Daniel S), 1906-1986  Search this

Force, Juliana, 1876-1948  Search this

McBride, Henry, 1867-1962  Search this

McMahon, Audrey, 1900?-1981  Search this

Parker, Thomas Cleveland, 1904-1967  Search this

Robinson, Edward, 1858-1931  Search this

Watson, Forbes, 1880-1960  Search this

Extent:

1 Sound tape reel (Sound recording, 7 in.)

41 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound tape reels

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1964 Dec. 9

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Adolph Glassgold conducted by Harlan Phillips on 1964 Dec. 9 for the Archives of American Art.

Glassgold speaks of his education; working for the Whitney Museum under Juliana Force; joining the WPA Federal Art Project under Holger Cahill; becoming National Coordinator of the Index of American Design; the IAD's history; his feelings about the success of the Federal Art Project. He recalls Edward Robinson, Forbes Watson, Henry McBride, Holger Cahill, Thomas C. Parker, Juliana Force, Audrey McMahon, and Daniel Defenbacher.

Biographical / Historical:

Art administrator, New York, N.Y.

General:

An interview of Henry Billings conducted by H. Phillips is also on this tape.

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.

Topic:

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Arts administrators -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.glassg64

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9dbbc6213-c78b-40c5-8b75-e1bc86378f65

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-glassg64

Interviewee:

Arnason, H. Harvard  Search this

Interviewer:

Cummings, Paul  Search this

Names:

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  Search this

Walker Art Galleries (Minneapolis, Minn.)  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Messer, Thomas M.  Search this

Rebay, Hilla, 1890-1967  Search this

Sweeney, James Johnson, 1900-  Search this

Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959  Search this

Extent:

44 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1970 March 3-9

Scope and Contents:

An interview of H. Harvard Arnason conducted 1970 March 3-9, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art. Arnason speaks of his family and educational background; the influence of the WPA Federal Art Project on museums; lecturing at the Frick Collection and Hunter College; his work as U.S. representative of UNESCO; his teaching positions and his roles as director of the Walker Art Center and trustee and vice president of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. He comments on Frank Lloyd Wright's design for the Guggenheim Museum building; competition among New York museums; conceptual art and museums; and the museum as a research center. He recalls Holger Cahill, Thomas M. Messer, Hilla Rebay, James Johnson Sweeney and others. Arnason also describes his writing projects, including his "History of Modern Art."

Biographical / Historical:

H. Harvard Arnason (1909-1986) was an historian, writer, and a former director of the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

General:

Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 30 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives' 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 others.

Topic:

Museum architecture -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Museum directors -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.arnaso70

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a9123567-738f-4dbc-827a-95ecf2e65c48

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-arnaso70

Creator:

Wolff, Robert Jay, 1905-  Search this

Names:

Artists' Union (Chicago, Ill.)  Search this

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this

Chermayeff, Serge, 1900-  Search this

Crawford, M. D. C. (Morris De Camp), 1882-1949  Search this

Ernst, Jimmy, 1920-1984  Search this

Giedion, S. (Sigfried), 1888-1968  Search this

Gropius, Walter, 1883-1969  Search this

Holty, Carl, 1900-1973  Search this

Holtzman, Harry  Search this

Hustvedt, Stephen R.  Search this

Kuh, Katharine  Search this

Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003  Search this

Moholy-Nagy, László, 1895-1946  Search this

Moholy-Nagy, Sibyl, 1905-  Search this

Osborn, Robert Chesley, 1904-1994  Search this

Pearlstein, Philip, 1924-  Search this

Rebay, Hilla, 1890-1967  Search this

Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this

Robinson, Increase, 1890-1981  Search this

Seligmann, Kurt, 1900-1962  Search this

Extent:

0.4 Linear feet ((on 4 microfilm reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1926-1969

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence; exhibition catalogs; notes; photographs; notebooks; scrapbook; clippings; and miscellany.

REELS N69-72-N69-74: Correspondence, 1929-1968 with Alexander Calder, Serge Chermayeff, Jimmy Ernst, Sigfried Giedion, Walter Gropius, Guggenheim Museum, Carl Holty, Katharine Kuh, L. and Sybil Moholy-Nagy, Museum of Non-Objective Painting and Hilla Rebay, Harry Holtzman, Stephen R. Hustvedt, Bob Osborn, Philip Pearlstein, Ad Reinhardt, and Kurt Seligmann; exhibition catalogs; price lists; clippings; articles; talks and notes; photographs of paintings and sculpture, 1929-1958; notebooks, 1929-1965; and a scrapbook, 1934-1938.

REEL N69-98: Nine letters from Morris D. C. Crawford and his wife, 1926-1932, and a carbon copy of a letter to Dorothy Miller Cahill, May 27, 1969, in which Wolff mentions his efforts, as president of the Artists' Union of Chicago, ca. 1936, to unseat Increase Robinson. Wolff also explains how he became Holger Cahill's "bitter enemy."

Biographical / Historical:

Designer and painter; New Preston, Connecticut. Died in 1978.

Provenance:

Lent for microfilming 1969 by Robert Jay Wolff.

Restrictions:

The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

Occupation:

Designers -- Connecticut -- New Preston  Search this

Painters -- Connecticut -- New Preston  Search this

Topic:

Painting, American  Search this

Design  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.wolfrobe

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a1dc8ca4-1cb4-4ce7-8263-d011339f3ddf

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-wolfrobe

Creator:

Federal Art Project. Photographic Division  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project (N.Y.)  Search this

Federal Art Project (Wash.)  Search this

Federal Art Project -- Photographs  Search this

Federal Art Project. Easel Division  Search this

Federal Art Project. Graphic Arts Division  Search this

Federal Art Project. Poster Division  Search this

Federal Music Project (U.S.) -- Photographs  Search this

Federal Theatre Project (U.S.) -- Photographs  Search this

Federal Writers' Project (U.S.) -- Photographs  Search this

Harlem Art Center  Search this

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Abbott, Berenice, 1898-1991  Search this

Alston, Charles Henry, 1907-1977  Search this

Arenal, Luis  Search this

Barthé, Richmond, 1901-1989  Search this

Benson, John Howard, 1901-1956  Search this

Berger, Andrew  Search this

Blanch, Lucile, 1895-1981  Search this

Bloch, Lucienne, 1909-1999  Search this

Bolotowsky, Ilya, 1907-1981  Search this

Brann, Louise, 1906-  Search this

Burke, Selma, 1900-  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Calapai, Letterio, 1902-1993  Search this

Chodorow, Eugene, 1910-2000  Search this

Criss, Francis, 1901-1973  Search this

Davis, Stuart, 1892-1964  Search this

De Rivera, José Ruiz, 1904-1985  Search this

Dehn, Adolf, 1895-1968  Search this

Dehn, Virginia E. (Virginia Engleman), 1922-2005  Search this

Ennis, George Pearse, d. 1936  Search this

Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973  Search this

Gershoy, Eugenie, 1901?-1983 or 6  Search this

Goodman, Bertram, 1904-1988  Search this

Gorky, Arshile, 1904-1948  Search this

Greenwood, Marion, 1909-1970  Search this

Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this

Herman, Andrew  Search this

Hord, Donal, 1902-1966  Search this

Horn, Sol  Search this

Hovell, Joseph, 1897-  Search this

Karp, William, 1905-  Search this

Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953  Search this

Laning, Edward, 1906-1981  Search this

Levi, Julian E. (Julian Edwin), 1900-1982  Search this

McMahon, Audrey, 1900?-1981  Search this

Olds, Elizabeth, 1896-1991  Search this

Refregier, Anton, 1905-  Search this

Robbins, David  Search this

Seltzer, Leo, 1916-  Search this

Shuster, Will  Search this

Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this

Extent:

12.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Date:

circa 1920-1965

bulk 1935-1942

Summary:

The Federal Art Project, Photographic Division collection dates from circa 1920-1965, with the bulk of the records spanning the active years of the Federal Art Project (FAP), 1935-1942. The collection comprises 12.4 linear feet of mostly photographic prints and negatives that document primarily artwork produced by artists employed by the FAP. A smaller number of photographs also document other programs of the FAP, such as art classes and community centers, exhibitions by children and adults, artwork installed in public buildings, project divisions, and demonstrations of art processes by FAP artists.

Scope and Content Note:

The Federal Art Project (FAP), Photographic Division collection dates from circa 1920-1965, with the bulk of the records spanning the active years of the FAP: 1935-1942. The collection comprises 12.4 linear feet of photographic prints and negatives, including photos of FAP artists and the artwork created by them, and other activities of the FAP in communities throughout New York City and other states. Photographers include Andrew Herman, Sol Horn, David Robbins, Leo Seltzer, and others.

Artist files comprise three-quarters of the collection and consist primarily of photographs of artwork, as well as scattered photos of artists at work, including: Charles Alston, Luis Arenal, Richmond Barthe, John Benson, Andrew Berger, Lucille Blanch, Lucienne Bloch, Ilya Bolotowsky, Luise Brann, Selma Burke, Letterio Calapai, Eugene Chodorow, Francis Criss, Stuart Davis, Adolf Dehn, Virginia Dehn, Jose de Rivera, George Pearse Ennis, Philip Evergood, Eugenie Gershoy, Bertram Goodman, Arshile Gorky, Marion Greenwood, Philip Guston, Donal Hord, Joseph Hovell, William Karp, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Edward Laning, Julian Levi, Audrey McMahon, Elizabeth Olds, Anton Refregier, Will Shuster, William Zorach, and others.

The remainder of the collection consists of files documenting related activities and programs of the FAP, arranged by subject. The bulk of these files document the activities of the New York City FAP, including free art classes and art exhibitions for adults and children, exhibitions at the Harlem Art Center, and the work of FAP branches including the Easel Division, the Graphic Arts Division, and the Poster Division.

Other subjects documented include federal and community art centers in eleven states, most extensively Washington State; other WPA projects such as the Federal Theater Project, the Federal Music Project, and the Federal Writers' Project; buildings decorated with FAP artwork; art processes as demonstrated by FAP artists; special events; and people involved with the FAP, including director Holger Cahill.

One folder contains images that appear to have been taken by Berenice Abbott for the exhibition Changing New York (1935), for the Museum of the City of New York in collaboration with the WPA.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 2 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Artist Files, circa 1920-1965 (Boxes 1-24; 9.6 linear feet)

Series 2: Subject Files, 1934-1956 (Boxes 25-32; 2.8 linear feet)

Historical Note:

The Federal Art Project (FAP) was one of the Depression-era work-relief programs of the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). The program was founded in August 1935 to provide employment for artists and to implement visual arts programs in local communities across the country.

Together with the Federal Music Project, the Federal Theater Project, and the Federal Writers' Project, the FAP formed part of the WPA's Federal Project No. 1. The WPA became the Work Projects Administration in 1939 when it fell under the administrative hand of the newly created Federal Works Agency; concurrently the Federal Art Project was officially re-named the Federal Art Program.

Under the direction of Holger Cahill, the goals of the FAP fell into three main areas: production of artwork, art education through art classes and community centers, and art research through the Index of American Design. During the course of the program, artists created murals and other works of art for many non-Federal government buildings such as schools, hospitals, and libraries. Separate photographic divisions were set up in several states, most notably in New York City, to document the work of artists employed by the program, activities in art education such as classes for children and adults, community center outreach programs, and other "Federal 1" projects, including the Federal Theater and Music Projects. Employees of the photographic division were also involved in other assignments, such as creating exhibitions and photo murals.

The Federal Art Project ended in 1943.

Related Material:

Among the holdings of the Archives of American Art are related collections, including the Federal Art Project of the Work Projects Administration records, 1935-1948. Additional FAP records are held by the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington D.C.

Provenance:

The collection was anonymously donated to the Archives of American Art in the late 1950s.

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.

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.

Topic:

Children's art  Search this

Photography  Search this

Art -- United States -- Exhibitions -- Photographs  Search this

Art -- United States -- Study and teaching -- Photographs  Search this

Art centers  Search this

Federal aid to the public welfare -- Photographs  Search this

Theater and state -- United States -- Photographs  Search this

Music and state -- United States -- Photographs  Search this

Federal aid to the arts -- Photographs  Search this

Art -- Technique  Search this

Artists -- United States -- Photographs  Search this

Art -- Exhibitions  Search this

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

African American artists  Search this

Function:

Programs (organizations)

Agencies

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Federal Art Project, Photographic Division collection, circa 1920-1965, bulk 1935-1942. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation

Identifier:

AAA.fedeartp14

See more items in:

Federal Art Project, Photographic Division collection

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91f0216d7-ed8e-4482-8128-6def41dbe367

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-fedeartp14

Creator:

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Subject:

Brown, Samuel Joseph  Search this

De Rivera, José Ruiz  Search this

Hopkins, Harry Lloyd  Search this

Halpert, Edith Gregor  Search this

Abbott, Berenice  Search this

Rowan, Edward Beatty  Search this

Scaravaglione, Concetta  Search this

Speck, Walter  Search this

Ward, Lynd  Search this

Weisenborn, Rudolph  Search this

Morris, Carl  Search this

Segal, George  Search this

Olds, Elizabeth  Search this

Roosevelt, Eleanor  Search this

Knaths, Karl  Search this

Miller, Dorothy Canning  Search this

American Federation of Arts  Search this

Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Cartoonists Guild  Search this

Federal Art Project (U.S.)  Search this

Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)  Search this

Federal Music Project (U.S.)  Search this

Index of American Design  Search this

American Council of Learned Societies  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Shakers  Search this

American Artists' Congress  Search this

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

The Design Laboratory (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Treasury Relief Art Project  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Type:

Prints

Government records

Interviews

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Slides (photographs)

Photograph albums

Drawings

Place:

United States -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945

United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945

Citation:

Holger Cahill papers, 1910-1993, bulk 1910-1960. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Federal aid to the public welfare  Search this

Art and state  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Public officers  Search this

Theme:

New Deal  Search this

Research and writing about art  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)6730

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208855

AAA_collcode_cahiholg

Theme:

New Deal

Research and writing about art

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208855

Creator:

Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003  Search this

Names:

Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this

Chase Manhattan Bank -- Art collections  Search this

Federal Art Project  Search this

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden  Search this

Mark Rothko Foundation  Search this

Municipal Art Exhibition (1st : 1934 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

PepsiCo, Inc.  Search this

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey -- Art collections  Search this

Rockefeller University  Search this

Smith College -- Students  Search this

Smith College. Museum of Art  Search this

World Trade Center (New York, N.Y.) -- Art collections  Search this

Asher, Elise, 1914-  Search this

Barr, Alfred H., Jr., 1902-1981  Search this

Bontecou, Lee, 1931-  Search this

Byars, James Lee  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this

Canady, John  Search this

Charlton, Maryette  Search this

Christo, 1935-  Search this

Chryssa, 1933-  Search this

Coggeshall, Calvert, 1907-1990  Search this

Copley, Alfred L.  Search this

Davis, Stuart, 1892-1964  Search this

DeFeo, Jay, 1929-1989  Search this

Feininger, Lyonel, 1871-1956  Search this

Feitelson, Lorser, 1898-1978  Search this

Gorky, Arshile, 1904-1948  Search this

Guggenheim, Peggy, 1898-1979  Search this

Hartigan, Grace  Search this

Hicks, Edward, 1780-1849  Search this

Horwitt, Will  Search this

Johns, Jasper, 1930-  Search this

Karpel, Bernard, 1911-1986  Search this

Levy, Julien  Search this

Mather, Eleanore Price, 1910-  Search this

Matisse, Pierre, 1900-1989  Search this

Nevelson, Louise, 1899-1988  Search this

Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this

Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988  Search this

O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986  Search this

Pereira, I. Rice (Irene Rice), 1902-1971  Search this

Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973  Search this

Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008  Search this

Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this

Rockefeller, Nelson A. (Nelson Aldrich), 1908-1979 -- Art collections  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Sage, Kay  Search this

Scharf, William, 1927-  Search this

Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this

Sterne, Hedda, 1910-2011  Search this

Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980  Search this

Extent:

34.6 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Sketches

Christmas cards

Drawings

Date:

1853-2013

bulk 1920-1996

Summary:

The papers of contemporary and folk art curator, historian, and consultant Dorothy C. Miller measure 34.6 linear feet and date from 1853-2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1920 to 1996. The papers primarily concern Miller's private art consulting work outside of her curatorial work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Found are scattered biographical materials, extensive correspondence and subject files, and project files for her art consulting work for the Rockefeller family, Rockefeller University, Chase Manhattan Bank, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the World Trade Center, and other miscellaneous corporate and private clients. Miller's work as a trustee and committee member of various public and private boards and commissions is also represented here. Additionally, the papers contain Miller's research files on Edward Hicks and folk art, and a small number of files of her husband Holger Cahill about his work as Director of the Federal Art Project. There is a scattered documentation of Miller's early curatorial work with Holger Cahill on the First Municipal Art Exhibition (1934) held at the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center. Also found is Dorothy Miller's collection of artists' Christmas cards and photographs of Miller and others. An addition to the papers includes biographical material; family papers; correspondence; professional files; art collection and client files; printed material; and photographic material. While a small number professional files are included, the majority of the addition relates to her personal life, including correspondence with her husband Holger Cahill, and files pertaining to her personal art collection.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of contemporary and folk art curator, historian, and consultant Dorothy C. Miller measure 34.6 linear feet and date from 1853-2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1920 to 1996. The papers primarily concern Miller's art consulting work outside of her curatorial work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York city. Found are scattered biographical materials, extensive correspondence and subject files, and project files for her art consulting work for the Rockefeller family, Rockefeller University, Chase Manhattan Bank, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and other miscellaneous corporate and private clients. Her work as a trustee and committee member of various public and private boards and commissions is also represented here. Additionally, the papers contain Miller's research files on Edward Hicks and folk art, and a small number of files related to Miller's husband Holger Cahill and his work as Director of the Federal Art Project. There is important documentation of Miller's early curatorial work with Holger Cahill on the First Municipal Art Exhibition (1934) held at the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center. Artwork includes scattered sketches and drawings enclosed with correspondence and original Christmas cards sent to Miller by various artists. Photographs of Miller date from 1926 - circa 1950.

Scattered biographical material mostly concerns Miller's education at Smith College and awards and honorary degrees that she received. Extensive correspondence and subject files document her professional and personal relationships with family, friends, colleagues, museums, art dealers and artists, as well as her research interests. Individual files may contain a mix of correspondence with, as well as about, the person or subject, compiled research documents, printed materials, and scattered photographs. Files are found for Lewin Alcopley, Alfred Barr, Betty Parsons Gallery, Cahill family members, Lee Bontecou, James Byars, Holger Cahill, Alexander Calder, Christo, Chryssa, Calvert Coggeshall, John Canaday, Maryette Charlton, Stuart Davis, Jay DeFeo, Lorser Feitelson, Arshile Gorky, Peggy Guggenheim, Grace Hartigan, Will Horwitt, Jasper Johns, Julien Levy, Pierre Matisse, Louise Nevelson, Barnett Newman, Isamu Nauchi, Georgia O'Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Ad Reinhardt, Kay Sage, Charles Sheeler, Hedda Sterne, travel, Clyfford Still, William Scharf, among many others.

Detailed records of Miller's art consulting and advisory work for the Rockefeller family include correspondence with Nelson A. Rockefeller and David Rockefeller about building their personal collections of contemporary and folk art, meeting notes and minutes, research notes and writings, and printed materials. The largest group of records concerns the writing and publication of The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection: Masterpieces of Modern Art. Miller's curatorial work for David Rockefeller and the Rockefeller University's Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Hall art collection is documented in Series 4 through curatorial files, correspondence, printed materials, photographs and slides, artists files, and design records.

Series 5 contains files relating to Miller's work as the first art consutant to the Chase Manhattan Bank and the building of the corporation's extensive collection of contemporary art. There is a draft of Miller's text for the bank's published catalog, Art At Work: Chase Manhattan Bank Collection. A smaller set of records is found in Series 6 documenting Miller's work on the Art Committee of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, including files about selecting artwork for the World Trade Center during the early 1970s. Files concerning Miller's advisory work with additional public and private clients, boards, and commissions are arranged in Series 7 and 8 and concern the Amstar Corporation, Fidelity International Bank, First National Bank of Tampa, First National City Bank, Inmont Corporation, Pepsico, United Mutual Savings Bank, the Empire State Plaza Art Commission, the Hancock Shaker Village, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Mark Rothko Foundation, the Museum of American Folk Art, and the Smith College Museum of Art.

Miller's papers include a small group of files relating to the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP)created by her husband Holger Cahill when he was director of the FAP, Holger Cahill. A small series is devoted to Miller's work with Eleanore Price Mather researching and writing Edward Hicks: His Peaceable Kingdom and Other Paintings. A series of general research files contain miscellaneous research notes and photographs related to Miller's interests in early American art and folk art. Series 12 contains important documentation of Miller's early curatorial work with Holger Cahill on the First Municipal Art Exhibition (1934) held at the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center.

Works of art are primarily in the form of Christmas cards sent to Miller by various artists including Elise Asher, Lyonel Feininger, Bernard Karpel, and Irene Rice Pereira. A small group of photographs includes photographs of Miller from 1926-circa 1950 and a few photographs of others.

The addition includes biographical material; family papers; correspondence; professional files; art collection and client files; printed material; and photographic material. While a small number of professional files are found here, the majority of material relates to Miller's personal life, including correspondence with her husband Holger Cahill, and files pertaining to her personal art collection. Scattered correspondence, inventories, research, and notes created by curator and donor of the papers, Wendy Jeffers, are found throughout the collection. These materials date from the 1980s-2000s.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 15 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1917-1986 (Box 1; 0.3 linear ft.)

Series 2: Correspondence and Subject Files, circa 1912-1992 (Boxes 1-8, OV 27; 7.2 linear ft.)

Series 3: Rockefeller Family Art Collections, circa 1949-1985 (Boxes 8-12, 25; 3.9 linear ft.)

Series 4: Rockefeller University Collection, 1923-1984 (Boxes 12-13, OV 27; 1.0 linear ft.)

Series 5: Chase Manhattan Bank Collection, 1959-circa 1985 (Boxes 13-14, 26; 1.4 linear ft.)

Series 6: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Art Committee, circa 1965-1987 (Boxes 14-15, OV 27; 0.8 linear ft.)

Series 7: Other Corporate and Private Clients, 1968-1984 (Boxes 15-16; 1.3 linear ft.)

Series 8: Other Boards, Committees and Commissions, 1925, 1949-1985 (Boxes 16-20; 3.6 linear ft.)

Series 9: Works Project Administration Federal Art Project Files, 1935-1979 (Box 20, OV 27; 0.5 linear ft.)

Series 10: Edward Hicks Catalog, 1934-1984 (Boxes 20-22; 1.5 linear ft.)

Series 11: Research Files, 1930s-1980 (Boxes 22-23; 0.8 linear ft.)

Series 12: Exhibition Files, 1932-1986 (Box 23; 0.6 linear ft.)

Series 13: Works of Art, circa 1924-circa 1982 (Boxes 23-25; 1.5 linear ft.)

Series 14: Photographs, 1926-circa 1970s (Boxes 24-25; 0.3 linear ft.)

Series 15: Addition to the Dorothy C. Miller Papers, 1853-2003, bulk 1920-1996 (Boxes 28-38, OVs 39-41; 9.9 linear ft.)

Biographical Note:

Dorothy Canning Miller (1904-2003) worked in New York City as a highly influential curator of contemporary and folk art at the Museum of Modern Art and as the first curator of the museum. Later, she was the primary art consultant for Nelson A. Rockefeller, the Rockefeller family, Rockefeller University, Chase Manhattan Bank, and the Port Authority of and New Jersey. Dorothy Miller was also married to Holger Cahill, director of the WPA Federal Art Project.

Dorothy C. Miller was born in Hopedale, Massachusetts in 1904 and received her Bachelor of Arts from Smith College in 1925. She was first introduced to modern art through classes at the Newark Museum taught by John Cotton Dana and Holger Cahill. Miller joined the curatorial staff of the Newark Museum in 1926. The museum was one of the first to organize exhibitions of American folk art, American Primitives (1930-1931) and American Folk Sculpture (1931-1932). Miller worked with Cahill and others on the exhibition and developed a life-long interest in folk art.

After four years at the Newark Museum, Miller moved to New York city, hoping to get involved with the newly opened Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and, likely, to be with Holger Cahill, with whom she lived with on 8th Street prior to their marriage in 1938. Between 1930 and 1932 she took odd jobs and worked with Mrs. Henry Lang cataloging, researching and installing Lang's collection of Native American art Lang donated to the Montclair Art Museum. At the same time, Holger Cahill was serving as Acting Director of the Museum of Modern Art during an absence of Director Alfred H. Barr. In 1932, Cahill asked Miller to assist him with curating the American Painting and Sculpture, 1862-1932 exhibition at MoMA, and together they also curated the First Municipal Art Exhibition, 1934 at the Rockefeller Center.

In 1934, Barr hired Miller as his assistant and one year later appointed her as MoMA's first curator. Miller spent the next 35 years organizing many of this country's most important exhibitions of contemporary art and building personal relationships with new artists and photographers, as well as the collections of MoMA. Miller retired from MOMA in 1969 and focused more on her art consulting work begun in the late 1950s.

Dorothy Miller's most notable client was Nelson A. Rockefeller. She assisted and advised Rockefeller as he acquired a vast personal collection of modern art - some of which was later donated to MoMA. Just prior to her retirement, Miller organized a large exhibition of Rockefeller's collection. The exhibition catalog written by Miller was the basis for the book she worked on with Rockefeller up until and following his death in 1979, ultimately published as The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection: Masterpieces of Modern Art. In the preface, Rockefeller credited Miller with being one of the four people to whom he was indebted "for the understanding and endless joy I have found in the collecting of modern art in all forms."

Miller also served as the primary art consultant for projects to furnish federal spaces, including Henry Kissinger's State Department office suite, and the official Vice-Presidential residence at the Admiral's House in Washington D.C.

In 1959 Miller was invited to join the art collection committee of the Chase Manhattan Bank and served on the committee until the mid-1980s, contributing her expertise to the development of one of this country's oldest and largest corporate collections of modern and contemporary art.

Miller was also an advisor to other members of the Rockefeller family, including David Rockefeller, and assisted with developing the art collections of Rockefeller Institute/University. From 1960 through the late 1980s Miller was a member of the art committee for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANJY) and was responsible for selecting much of the artwork for the World Trade Center in the 1970s. She served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Hancock Shaker Village, the Smithsonian Institution's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Empire State Plaza in Albany, Smith College Museum of Art, and the Museum of American Folk Art. She also became a member of the Mark Rothko Foundation Board of Directors after the litigation following Rothko's death between Rothko's executors and his daughter.

In the mid-1970s Miller assisted the Whitney Museum of American with planning an exhibition and supporting catalog of the work of folk artist Edward Hicks. Although the exhibition and catalog were only partially realized in 1980, Miller and Eleanore Price Mather compiled and published a book on Hicks, Edward Hicks: His Peaceable Kingdoms and Other Paintings, published in 1983.

In 1982-1983 Miller received the Art Dealers Association Special Award, an honorary degree from Williams College, and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture governor's award. In 1984 she was named honorary trustee of the Museum of Modern Art. In 1985 the Smith College Museum of Art honored her important contributions to museum connoisseurship with the exhibition Dorothy C. Miller: With An Eye to American Art.

Dorothy Miller died in 2003 at the age of 99 at her home in Greenwich, New York.

Related Material:

The Archives of American Art holds two oral history interviews with Dorothy C. Miller. The first was conducted by Paul Cummings between May 26, 1970 and September 28, 1971, and details Miller's life from childhood up to, and including, her years at the Museum of Modern Art. The second was conducted by Avis Berman on May 14, 1981 and covers Miller's relationships with Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still. Also found among the holdings of the Archives are the papers of Holger Cahill, Dorothy Miller's husband and colleague.

The Museum of Modern Art Achives holds Dorothy Miller's papers related to her curatorial work at the museum.

Provenance:

The collection was donated by Dorothy C. Miller via Wendy Jeffers between 1986 and 1997, and Reid White, Executor of Miller's estate, in 2004. Two subsequent additions were donated by Wendy Jeffers in 2014 and 2015.

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.

Occupation:

Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Art museum curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Corporations -- Private collections  Search this

Art -- Private collections  Search this

Folk art  Search this

Women museum curators  Search this

Women art historians  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Sketches

Christmas cards

Drawings

Citation:

Dorothy C. Miller papers, 1853-2013, bulk 1920-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

Identifier:

AAA.milldoro

See more items in:

Dorothy C. Miller papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f1ed6cb6-f194-4b76-a8dd-fce3352c09b8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-milldoro

Interviewee:

Biddle, George, 1885-1973  Search this

Interviewer:

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

Public Works of Art Project  Search this

Bacon, Peggy, 1895-1987  Search this

Benton, Thomas Hart, 1889-1975  Search this

Billings, Henry, 1901-  Search this

Bruce, Edward, 1879-1943  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Demuth, Charles, 1883-1935  Search this

Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973  Search this

Grosz, George, 1893-1959  Search this

Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this

Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this

Marsh, Reginald, 1898-1954  Search this

Miller, Kenneth Hayes, 1876-1952  Search this

Orozco, José Clemente, 1883-1949  Search this

Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this

Robinson, Boardman, 1876-1952  Search this

Siqueiros, David Alfaro  Search this

Sterne, Maurice, 1878-1957  Search this

Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this

Tamayo, Rufino, 1899-  Search this

Weber, Max, 1881-1961  Search this

Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this

Extent:

261 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1963

Scope and Contents:

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.

Topic:

Art -- Censorship  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this

Sculptors -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.biddle63

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9bb4fdb2d-29ab-4c56-bcef-655c27a0afb8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-biddle63

Creator:

Rothschild, Lincoln, 1902-  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Index of American Design  Search this

Archer, Edmund, 1904-  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Coffey, Katherine, d. 1972  Search this

Davis, Charles H. (Charles Harold), 1856-1933  Search this

Greenbaum, Dorothea S.  Search this

Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this

Mangravite, Peppino, 1896-  Search this

Miller, Kenneth Hayes, 1876-1952  Search this

Piccoli, Girolamo, 1900-1970  Search this

Schmidt, Katherine, 1898-1978  Search this

Starr, Theodore  Search this

Von Groschwitz, Gustave, 1906-1991  Search this

Winchester, Alice  Search this

Woodhouse, Betty Burroughs, 1899-1988  Search this

Extent:

1.8 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 2 reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Interviews

Sketchbooks

Date:

1920-1982

Scope and Contents:

Biographical material, interviews, printed materials, writings, correspondence, art work, and photographs.

REEL 290: Eleven scripts for radio programs on the Index of American Design, broadcast in New York throughout 1940. Interviewees include: Rothschild, Holger Cahill, director of the WPA-FAP; Edith Halpert, director of American Folk Art Gallery; Katherine Coffey, curator of Newark Museum; Alice Winchester, editor of "Antiques"; and Theodore Starr.

REEL NDA 15: Press releases; pamphlet on permanent art programs; Index of American Design papers; a report concerning government art programs; memorandum to Gustave Von Groschwitz outlining a plan for new subject matter for FAP artists; and "Report to the Sculptors of the Federal Art Project" by Girolamo Piccoli.[Report to the sculptors...under microfilm title Girolamo Piccoli]

UNMICROFILMED: Writings on art and on the Index of American Design; radio scripts for the series "The American Artists" sponsored by Artists Equity, 1953; clippings, 1936-1982; a nearly complete set of his newsletter, THE PRAGMATIST IN ART, 1964-1978; material on Kenneth Hayes Miller; resumes, school transcripts and memorabilia; photographs of Rothschild and of his sculpture; correspondence concerning THE PRAGMATIST IN ART (1964-1978), The Index of American Design (1968-1973), his research on Miller (1964-1977) and other publications, his work for Artists Equity, and other matters; a sketchbook; and a drawing. Among the correspondents are Samuel Kramer, editor of "The Shipyard Worker," Peppino Mangravite, Katherine Schmidt Shubert, Betty Burroughs Woodhouse, and critics Rudolf Arnheim, John Canaday and Donald Kuspit.

Biographical / Historical:

Lincoln Rothschild (1902-1983) was a cculptor and writer in New York, N.Y. Rothschild was the director of the New York Unit of the Index of American Design, 1937-1940. He taught at Columbia University and Adelphi College, 1946-1950 and was the National Executive Director for Artists' Equity Association, 1951-57. He was the author of SCULPTURE THROUGH THE AGES (1942) TO KEEP ART ALIVE-KENNETH HAYES MILLER, AMERICAN PAINTER 1876-1956 (1974), FORMS AND THEIR MEANINGS IN WESTERN ART (1976) and numerous articles.

Other Title:

Girolamo Piccoli [microfilm title]

Provenance:

Material on reel NDA15 donated by Rothschild, 1964; remainder donated 1987 by his widow, Elisabeth Rothschild.

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.

Occupation:

Sculptors  Search this

Topic:

New Deal, 1933-1939 -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

United States -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945 -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art and state -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Federal aid to the arts -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Federal aid to public welfare -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sketchbooks

Identifier:

AAA.rothlinc

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93083a3ad-b862-4911-81b8-f11dad81fab3

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-rothlinc

Creator:

Nagler, Fred, 1891-1983  Search this

Nagler, Edith Kroger, 1890-1986  Search this

Names:

Bishop, Isabel, 1902-1988  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Eilshemius, Louis M. (Louis Michel), 1864-1941  Search this

Kieran, John, 1892-  Search this

Orozco, José Clemente, 1883-1949  Search this

Saint-Gaudens, Homer, b. 1880  Search this

Sloan, John, 1871-1951  Search this

Teale, Edwin Way, 1899-  Search this

Extent:

1.6 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 4 reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Date:

1913-1979

Scope and Contents:

Printed material, correspondence, photographs, a scrapbook, and a journal.

UNMICROFILMED: Ca. 450 letters from Edith to her friends and ca. 50 letters to Edith and Fred from family and friends; clippings and exhibition announcements; address lists; and a short priced list of Edith's paintings.

REEL 75: Letters to Edith and Fred from Louis Eilshemius, Jose Orozco, John Sloan of the Artists and Writers Dinner Club, Holger Cahill of the First Municipal Art Exposition, Edwin Way Teale and professional organizations; clippings about Edith and Fred, particularly Fred's religious paintings, exhibition catalogs and announcements; photographs of Fred; a sketch of Fred by Edith; and a letter from John Kieran, "Why I Want Willkie."

REEL 414: Correspondence, with letters from Anthony Lauck, Isabel Bishop and other friends and art institutions; Fred's journal containing ideas on religion, poems, and observations; a scrapbook, 1913-1946; clippings and articles; a photograph of Edith's portrait of her husband; and an address given by Fred.

REELS 1798 & 1799: Ca. 200 letters from Edith to her friends plus correspondence with Joseph Bates, Jr., Isabel Bishop, John Kieran, Elsie Nagler, and Homer Saint-Gaudens; clippings and exhibition invitations.

Biographical / Historical:

Painters; Massachusetts and Dallas, Tex. Fred Nagler and Edith Kroeger met while studying at the Art Students League in New York. Fred was a painter of religious subjects. Edith was a landscape painter.

Provenance:

Donated by Edith and Fred Nagler, 1968-1979.

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.

Occupation:

Painters -- Texas -- Dallas  Search this

Topic:

Art and religion  Search this

Landscape painting -- 20th century  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Identifier:

AAA.naglfred

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a6a3cff0-317d-43a2-81a7-bbefe5ccd589

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-naglfred

Interviewee:

Stephan, John Walter, 1906-1995  Search this

Interviewer:

Brown, Robert F.  Search this

Names:

Art Institute of Chicago  Search this

Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this

Fairleigh Dickinson University -- Faculty  Search this

Hunter College  Search this

Public Works of Art Project  Search this

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

Bennett, Rainey  Search this

Bohrod, Aaron  Search this

Breinin, Raymond, 1910-  Search this

Bulliet, C. J. (Clarence Joseph), 1883-1952  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Calas, Nicolas  Search this

Constant, George  Search this

Coryllis, Peter  Search this

Cunningham, Inez  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Denby, Bill  Search this

Ernst, Max, 1891-1976  Search this

Fabian, John  Search this

Flaherty, Robert Joseph, 1884-1951  Search this

Gendel, Milton  Search this

Goossen, E. C.  Search this

Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this

Guggenheim, Peggy, 1898-1979  Search this

Harrison, Caleb  Search this

Johnson, Ben  Search this

Jones, Jack  Search this

Kiesler, Frederick  Search this

Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this

Knopf, Alfred  Search this

Kuh, Katharine  Search this

Levy, Julien  Search this

MacLeish, Norman, 1898-1949  Search this

Matta, 1912-2002  Search this

Miller, Edgar, 1899-1993  Search this

Millman, Edward, 1907-1964  Search this

Moran, Connie, 1898-  Search this

Motherwell, Robert  Search this

Nathanson, Winn  Search this

Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this

Ossorio, Alfonso, 1916-1990  Search this

Ott, Peterpaul, 1895-1992  Search this

Parsons, Betty  Search this

Porter, Fairfield  Search this

Praz, Mario, 1896-1982  Search this

Robinson, Increase, 1890-1981  Search this

Rosenberg, Harold, 1906-1978  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Sebartes, Jaime  Search this

Shapiro, Myra  Search this

Siporin, Mitchell, 1910-1976  Search this

Stephan, Dart  Search this

Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980  Search this

Torres, Jesús  Search this

Walgreen, Ruth  Search this

Watson, Dudley Crafts, 1885-  Search this

Watson-Schütze, Eva, 1867-1935  Search this

Weisenborn, Rudolph, b. 1881  Search this

Wheeler, Monroe, 1899-  Search this

Wilhelm, Jerry  Search this

Zadkine, Ossip  Search this

de Diego, Juan  Search this

Extent:

10 Items (Sound recording: 10 sound files (6 hr., 54 min.), digital, wav)

100 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1986 May 20-1987 May 7

Scope and Contents:

Interview of John Walter Stephan, conducted by Robert F. Brown for the Archives of American Art, at Newport, Rhode Island, on May 20, 1986 and May 7, 1987.

Stephan speaks of Chicago childhood and adolescence; life during the Depression; the Art Institute of Chicago; the 1930s Chicago leftist movement; the WPA and PWAP; The Tiger's Eye art magazine; Rome artistic and literary society; the New York School of artists; Betty Parsons Gallery; the Surrealists; teaching at Fairleigh Dickenson University; Hunter College; and his critiques of Pop and contemporary artists. Stephan also recalls Ruth Walgreen, Dart Stephan, Rainey Bennett, Clyfford Still, Juan de Diego, Caleb Harrison, Aaron Bohrod, Dudley Crafts Watson, Jack Jones, George Constant, Connie Moran, CJ Bulliet, Rudolph Weisenborn, Inez Cunningham, Eva Watson-Schütze, Jesus Torres, Edgar Miller, Katherine Kuh, Increase Robinson, Peterpaul Ott, Mitchell Siporin, Raymond Breinin, Holger Cahill, John Fabian, Eddie Millman, Winn Nathanson, Fairfield Porter, Norman MacLeish, Ossip Zadkine, Betty Parsons, Alfonso Ossorio, Max Ernst, Julien Levy, Peggy Guggenheim, Bill de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Franz Kline, Barney Newman, Nicolas Calas, Bob Motherwell, Monroe Wheeler, Myra Shapiro, Clement Greenberg, Harold Rosenberg, Alfred Knopf, Robert Flaherty, Jaime Sebartés, Frederick Kiesler, Robert Matta, Mario Praz, Bill Denby, Ben Johnson, Milton Gendel, Walter Auerbach, Jerry Wilhelm, Eugene Goossens, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

John Walter Stephan (1906-1995) was a painter.

General:

Originally recorded on 6 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 10 digital wav files. Duration is 6 hr., 54 min.

Provenance:

These interviews are 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 others.

Occupation:

Painters -- Interviews  Search this

Topic:

Art, Modern -- 20th century  Search this

Great Depression  Search this

New York school of art  Search this

Pop art  Search this

Surrealism  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.stepha86

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99597ee0d-a705-446d-af03-ff9fce4f051e

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-stepha86

Interviewee:

Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988  Search this

Interviewer:

Cummings, Paul  Search this

Names:

Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Bollingen Foundation  Search this

Brummer Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Japanese American Citizens' League  Search this

Japanese American Citizens' League  Search this

Leonardo da Vinci Art School  Search this

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill  Search this

UNESCO  Search this

Barnard, George Grey, 1863-1938  Search this

Becker, John Bruere, 1915-  Search this

Borglum, Gutzon, 1867-1941  Search this

Brancusi, Constantin, 1876-1957  Search this

Breton, André, 1896-1966  Search this

Brummer, Joseph  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Calder, Alexander Stirling, 1870-1945  Search this

Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this

Collier, John, Jr., 1913-1992  Search this

Covarrubias, Miguel, 1904-1957  Search this

Davis, Stuart, 1892-1964  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this

Egan, Charles, 1911-  Search this

Fraser, James Earle, 1876-1953  Search this

Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster), 1895-1983  Search this

Gorky, Arshile, 1904-1948  Search this

Graham, John, 1887-1961  Search this

Graham, Martha  Search this

Gregory, Peter Ronald, 1947-  Search this

Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this

Hare, David, 1917-1992  Search this

Hasegawa, Saburō, 1906-1957  Search this

Hopkins, Harry Lloyd, 1890-1946  Search this

Itō, Michio, 1893-1961  Search this

Kahn, Louis I., 1901-1974  Search this

Kantor, Morris, 1896-1974  Search this

Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this

Knoll, Hans  Search this

Levy, Julien  Search this

Léger, Fernand, 1881-1955  Search this

McMahon, Audrey, 1900?-1981  Search this

Moore, Henry, 1898-1986  Search this

Neumann, J. B. (Jsrael Ber)  Search this

Price, Edison A., d. 1997  Search this

Raymond, Antonin, 1888-  Search this

Reynal, Jeanne, 1903-  Search this

Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this

Ruellan, Andrée, 1905-2006  Search this

Ruotolo, Onorio, 1888-1966  Search this

Schoen, Eugene, 1880-1957  Search this

Shoji, Sadao, 1937-  Search this

Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this

Taniguchi, Yoshirō, 1904-  Search this

Ward, Eleanor, 1912-1984  Search this

Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this

Extent:

148 Pages (Transcript)

1 Item (Audio excerpt: 1 sound file (5 min. 29 sec.), digital)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Place:

Japan -- Description and Travel

Italy -- description and travel

Egypt -- description and travel

India -- description and travel

Date:

1973 Nov. 7-Dec. 26

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Isamu Noguchi conducted 1973 Nov. 7-Dec. 26, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.

NOVEMBER 7, 1973 session: Noguchi discusses his family background; growing up in Japan; returning to the United States in 1917; his identity as an artist; Gutzon Borglum; Columbia University and studying pre-med; attending Leonardo da Vinci Art School; apprenticing to Onorio Ruotolo; quitting Columbia to become a sculptor; Guggenheim Fellowship in 1927; J.B. Neumann; Alfred Stieglitz; George Grey Barnard; James Earle Fraser; Brummer and the Brummer Gallery; studying at Chaumiere and Collarosi; working with Brancusi; meeting Sandy Calder in Paris; Stuart Davis; Morris Kantor; Andrée Ruellan; his work, "Sphere"; reacting against Brancusi; Eugene Schoen's; his Carnegie Hall studio; Michio Ito; Martha Graham; Buckminster Fuller; traveling in China and Japan; meeting Chi Pai Shi; John Becker; his works, "Play Mountain," "Monument to the Plow," "Monument to Ben Franklin," and "Orpheus" for Balanchine; designing for the stage; Audrey McMahon; Harry Hopkins; Holger Cahill; Mexico; Diego Rivera; Miguel Covarrubias; and the Artists Union.

DECEMBER 10, 1973 Session: His reaction to the Spanish Civil War- avoided direct involvement; Stuart Davis; Gorky; Andre Breton; David Hare; Marcel Duchamp; John Graham; Julien Levy; his artist friends dying at the peak of their success; Leger; Stirling Calder; associating himself with the laboring class; Buckminster Fuller; being American; expanding the possibilities of sculpture; his Associated Press Building project in Rockefeller Center, it being done in stainless steel instead of bronze; John Collier; Japanese-American Citizens League; organizing Nisei Artists and Writers Mobilization for Democracy; Jeanne Reynal; going to Poston, Ariz. to assist with American Indian Service camp under John Collier and becoming an internee there; returning to New York in 1942; Bollingen Foundation; trip around the world in 1949; and Philip Guston.

DECEMBER 18, 1973 session: Best work in studio; reaction against expressionism; artists protesting against the Establishment; his objection to the WPA, influenced by William Zorach; exhibiting in group show called, "Fourteen Americans at the Museum of Modern Art"; show at Egan Gallery in 1949; accepting art in its most aesthetically pure form without reference to social issues; movement in Japan since war to get away from refinement of Japan; Yoshiro Hiro responsible for Gutai and the happenings; his work, "Monument to Heroes," using bones; his work takes years to do; materials used in his work; his work, "Cronos"; doing theater stage sets for the Library of Congress including, "Appalachian Spring" and "Herodiade"; wants a given space which he can call his own and do something with it, has to be a work of art.

DECEMBER 26, 1973 Session: Show with Charles Egan in 1948 arranged by de Kooning; applying to the Bollingen Foundation to write a book on leisure, which was never written; traveling to Italy, Egypt, and India for two years; being removed from the New York scene with Franz Kline and de Kooning; his light objects; sculpture as environment; respect for material; Mondrian and his art deriving from nature; his time in Japan in 1931; visiting Japan in 1951; working in stone; projects in Japan; Taniguchi; Antonin Raymond; designing Japanese gardens; discovery of Zen; Hasegawa Saburo; Skidmore; Hans Knoll; Edison Price; Italy in the 1960s; Peter Gregory; Henry Moore; Louis Kahn; UNESCO; Noguchi Foundation and Plaza Company; Shoji; Eleanor Ward; and his autobiography, "A Sculptor's World."

Biographical / Historical:

Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) was a Japanese American sculptor based in Long Island City, New York.

General:

Originally recorded on 4 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 6 hrs., 25 min.

Provenance:

These interviews are part of the Archives' 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 others.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century  Search this

Sculpture, American  Search this

Gardens, Japanese  Search this

Japanese American art  Search this

Japanese American artists  Search this

Asian American sculptors  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.noguch73

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw970de0eb2-280b-4f18-b6d9-a56d957ed476

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-noguch73

Interviewee:

Constantine, Mildred  Search this

Interviewer:

Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project (N.Y.)  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Baker, Jacob  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Jewell, Edward Alden, 1888-1947  Search this

McMahon, Audrey, 1900?-1981  Search this

Extent:

59 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1965 October 15

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Mildred Constantine conducted 1965 October 15, by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art. Constantine speaks of the Federal Art Project in New York and its work; working for Audrey McMahon; the influx of foreign artists in the 1930s; the changes brought about in the art world because of the Federal Art Project. She recalls McMahon, Edward Alden Jewell, Holger Cahill and Jacob Baker.

Biographical / Historical:

Mildred Constantine (1914-2008) was an art historian from New York, New York.

General:

Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 16 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:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art consultants -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Authors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Women museum curators  Search this

Women authors  Search this

Women art historians  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.consta65

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw977cf3e12-c473-42f1-8bfa-d1992259274c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-consta65

Interviewee:

Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this

Interviewer:

Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Downtown Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Federal Art Project  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Barr, Alfred H., Jr., 1902-1981  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Goodrich, Lloyd, 1897-1987  Search this

Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003  Search this

Extent:

22 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1965 Jan. 20

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Edith Gregor Halpert conducted 1965 Jan. 20, by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art new deal and the Arts Project.

Halpert speaks of some of her activities in connection with the Federal Art Project, discusses some of the exhibitions that were shown, and gives her opinions on federal support for the arts. Halpert recalls Lloyd Goodrich, Holger Cahill, Dorothy Miller, Alfred Barr, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Edith Gregor Halpert (1900-1970) was an art dealer fromf New York, N.Y. Halpert founded Downtown Gallery.

General:

Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2011 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hours, 14 minutes.

Transferred from original acetate tape reels.

Sound quality is poor.

Provenance:

This interview 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:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Women art dealers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.halper65

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw961bf3071-3f0b-43c3-8e1c-488f6bb20b77

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-halper65

Interviewee:

Feitelson, Lorser, 1898-1978  Search this

Interviewer:

McGlynn, Betty Hoag  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Buff, Conrad, 1886-1975  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Durston, Arthur  Search this

Extent:

2 Sound tape reels (Sound recordings, 5 in.)

52 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound tape reels

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1964 May 12-1964 June 9

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Lorser Feitelson conducted 1964 May 12-1964 June 9, by Betty Hoag for the Archives of American Art.

Feitelson speaks of his background and parental influence; his early interest in art; studying painting in Europe; the influence of the Old Masters; his painting methods; early exhibitions of his work; being appointed Federal Art Project supervisor for the Los Angeles area; his duties; delegating work to artists; working with Holger Cahill; political problems with the FAP; the effect of the project on the art scene in California; methods used for murals; the Easel Painting Project of the FAP and how it was run; the work that was done by the Index of American Design in California; his post-WPA career; and he recalls Arthur Durston and Conrad Buff.

Biographical / Historical:

Lorser Feitelson, b. 1898; d. 1978, Painter and art administrator, Federal Art Project of Los Angeles, Calif.

General:

An interview of Boris Deutsch (6/64) conducted by B. Hoag is also on tape 2.

Interviews of Charles Rogers, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, and Elizabeth Lochrie conducted by B. Hoag are also on one tape.

Provenance:

This interview 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:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Arts administrators -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this

Topic:

Mural painting and decoration -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Art and state -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Painters -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.feitel64

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9930e34ca-a182-4ad8-8e93-aaf967921b17

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-feitel64

Interviewee:

Danysh, Joseph A., 1906-1982  Search this

Interviewer:

Ferbraché, Lewis  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this

Group f.64  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Adams, Ansel, 1902-1984  Search this

Bufano, Beniamino, 1898-1970  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Gaskin, William, 1892-1968  Search this

Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890-1973  Search this

Zakheim, Bernard Baruch, 1898-1985  Search this

Extent:

33 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1964 December 3

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Joseph A. Danysh conducted by Lewis Ferbraché on 1964 December 3 for the Archives of American Art.

Danysh speaks of his background and education at Columbia University; moving to California; starting a gallery in a store in San Francisco; critics' reaction to the art in the gallery; the beginning of the f64 photography group; opening a short lived gallery with Ansel Adams; writing an art column; starting out with the Federal Art Project, directing the project in Northern California; how the project was administered; particular projects he was involved in; his feelings about government support for the arts. He recalls Beniamino Bufano, Holger Cahill, William Gaskin, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Bernard Zakheim.

Biographical / Historical:

Joseph A. Danysh (1906-1982) was an art administrator from Monterey, California.

General:

Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 43 min.

Provenance:

This interview 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.

Topic:

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Art and state  Search this

Art criticism  Search this

Arts administrators -- California -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.danysh64

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw986a531c9-ffae-442d-a88e-c3ea215b18ee

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-danysh64

Creator:

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Names:

American Artists' Congress  Search this

American Council of Learned Societies  Search this

American Federation of Arts  Search this

Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Cartoonists Guild  Search this

Federal Art Project (U.S.)  Search this

Federal Music Project (U.S.)  Search this

Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)  Search this

Index of American Design  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Shakers  Search this

The Design Laboratory (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Treasury Relief Art Project  Search this

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Abbott, Berenice, 1898-1991  Search this

Brown, Samuel Joseph, 1907-1994  Search this

De Rivera, José Ruiz, 1904-1985  Search this

Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this

Hopkins, Harry Lloyd, 1890-1946  Search this

Knaths, Karl, 1891-1971  Search this

Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003  Search this

Morris, Carl, 1911-1993  Search this

Olds, Elizabeth, 1896-1991  Search this

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962  Search this

Rowan, Edward Beatty, 1898-1946  Search this

Scaravaglione, Concetta, 1900-1975  Search this

Segal, George, 1924-2000  Search this

Speck, Walter, 1895-  Search this

Ward, Lynd, 1905-1985  Search this

Weisenborn, Rudolph, b. 1881  Search this

Extent:

15.8 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Prints

Government records

Interviews

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Slides (photographs)

Photograph albums

Drawings

Place:

United States -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945

United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945

Date:

1910-1993

bulk 1910-1960

Summary:

The papers of Holger Cahill (1887-1960) date from 1910 to 1993, with the bulk of the material dating from 1910-1960, and measure 15.8 linear feet. The collection offers researchers fairly comprehensive documentation of Cahill's directorship of the Works Progress/Projects Administration's (WPA) Federal Art Project (FAP) in addition to series documenting his work as a writer and art critic. Material includes correspondence, reports, artist files, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Holger Cahill (1887-1960) date from 1910 to 1993, bulk 1910-1960, and measure 15.8 linear feet. The collection offers researchers fairly comprehensive documentation of Cahill's directorship of the FAP in addition to series documenting his work as a writer and art critic. FAP records include national and state administrative reports, records of community art centers, photographic documentation of state activities, artist files, divisional records about teaching, crafts, murals, and poster work, files concerning the Index of American Design, scrapbooks, and printed material.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into nine series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material and Personal Papers, 1931-1988 (Box 1; 19 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence Files, 1922-1979, 1993 (Boxes 1-2; 1.5 linear ft.)

Series 3: Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project, 1934-1970 (Boxes 2-14, 18, MMs009; 10.75 linear ft.)

Series 4: Writings, Lectures and Speeches, 1916-1960 (Boxes 14-15, 18; 1.0 linear ft.)

Series 5: Minutes of Meetings and Panel Discussions, Non-FAP, 1939-1947 (Box 15; 5 folders)

Series 6: Notes and Research Material, 1935-1970 (Boxes 15-16; 0.25 linear ft.)

Series 7: Artwork, undated (Boxes 16, 18; 2 folders)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1910-1985 (Boxes 16-17; 1.8 linear ft.)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1917-1960 (Box 17; 6 folders)

Biographical Note:

Holger Cahill was born Sveinn Kristjan Bjarnarson in Iceland in a small valley near the Arctic Circle, on January 13, 1887. His parents, Bjorn Jonson and Vigdis Bjarnadottir, immigrated to the United States from Iceland sometime later in the 1880s. In 1904, his father deserted the family, forcing Sveinn to be separated from his mother and sister to work on a farm in North Dakota. He ran away and wandered from job to job until settling in an orphanage in western Canada, where he attended school and became a voracious reader.

As a young man, he worked at many different jobs and attended night school. While working on a freighter, he visited Hong Kong, beginning his life-long interest in the Orient. Returning to New York City, he eventually became a newspaper reporter, continued his studies at New York University, and changed his name to Edgar Holger Cahill. In 1919 he married Katherine Gridley of Detroit. Their daughter, Jane Ann, was born in 1922, but the couple divorced in 1927.

Cahill met John Sloan circa 1920, and they shared a residence. Cahill also wrote publicity (until 1928) for the Society of Independent Artists, through which he made many friends in the arts. From 1922 to 1931, he worked under John Cotton Dana at the Newark Museum, where he received his basic experience in museum work, organizing the first large exhibitions of folk art.

From 1932 to 1935, he was the director of exhibitions for the Museum of Modern Art. In 1935, Cahill was appointed director of the Works Progress/Projects Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project (FAP), until its end in June 1943. In 1938, Cahill organized a countrywide exhibition "American Art Today" for the New York World's Fair. He also married MoMa curator Dorothy Canning Miller in that year.

Profane Earth, Cahill's first novel, was published in 1927, followed by monographs on Pop Hart and Max Weber, miscellaneous short stories, and a biography of Frederick Townsend Ward, entitled A Yankee Adventurer: The Story of Ward and the Taiping Rebellion. Following the end of the Federal Art Project, Cahill wrote two novels, Look South to the Polar Star (1947) and The Shadow of My Hand (1956).

Holger Cahill died in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in July 1960.

Provenance:

The Holger Cahill papers were donated to the Archives of American Art through a series of gifts by Cahill's widow, Dorothy C. Miller, between 1964 and 1995.

Restrictions:

The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art website.

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:

Arts administrators  Search this

Topic:

Federal aid to the public welfare  Search this

Art and state  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Public officers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Prints

Government records

Interviews

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Slides (photographs)

Photograph albums

Drawings

Citation:

Holger Cahill papers, 1910-1993, bulk 1910-1960. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the digitization of the microfilm of this collection was provided by Jane Blumenfeld.

Identifier:

AAA.cahiholg

See more items in:

Holger Cahill papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93d4a8dc7-a7be-470b-8216-ae763d3bc9e2

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-cahiholg

Interviewee:

Spivak, Max, 1906-1981  Search this

Interviewer:

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

Block, Lou, 1895-1969  Search this

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Gorky, Arshile, 1904-1948  Search this

Knight, Harry  Search this

Krasner, Lee, 1908-1984  Search this

McMahon, Audrey, 1900?-1981  Search this

Rosenberg, Harold, 1906-1978  Search this

Extent:

58 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

circa 1965

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Max Spivak conducted circa 1963, by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art.

Spivak speaks of how he went from being an accountant to doing art; moving to Paris for three years, and how this experience changed his life; the difference between painting in Europe and painting in America; moving back to New York; why he decided to leave Paris and move back to New York; the importance of intuitive feeling; his involvement with the Gibson Committee; how he and some members of the Gibson Committee thought of the WPA; his experiences with the PWAP at the Whitney Museum; picketing outside the Mirror; his and the other artists experiences with the Project; the development of the Artist Congress; the nature of art; his work on mosaic murals; how art started losing support from the government by the late thirties; doing murals for big companies; the waning moments of the Project. He recalls Arshile Gorky, Holger Cahill, Audrey McMahon, Lee Krasner, Harold Rosenberg, Harry Knight, Lou Block, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Max Spivak (1906-1981) was a painter and designer in New York, N.Y.

General:

Originally recorded 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 32 min.

Interview date changed to circa 1965 because the blackout of November 1965 is discussed in the interview.

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:

Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.

Topic:

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Mosaics  Search this

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.spivak63

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d17d1166-7313-4ab7-a9c8-2168d12a4378

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-spivak63