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Creator:

Bowditch, Nancy Douglas, 1890-1979  Search this

Subject:

Pearmain, William Robert  Search this

Parrish, Stephen  Search this

Kent, Rockwell  Search this

Clemens, Jane Lampton  Search this

Thayer, Abbott Handerson  Search this

Faulkner, Barry  Search this

Brush, George de Forest  Search this

White, Nelson C.  Search this

Type:

Biographies

Paintings

Diaries

Sound recordings

Sketches

Scrapbooks

Notes

Photographs

Citation:

Nancy Douglas Bowditch and Brush family papers, circa 1860-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women designers  Search this

Women authors  Search this

Theme:

Women  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)6782

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208908

AAA_collcode_bowdnanc

Theme:

Women

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208908

Interviewee:

Bowditch, Nancy Douglas, 1890-1979  Search this

Interviewer:

Brown, Robert F  Search this

Subject:

Brush, George de Forest  Search this

Faulkner, Barry  Search this

Pearmain, William Robert  Search this

Saint-Gaudens, Augustus  Search this

Thayer, Abbott Handerson  Search this

Twain, Mark  Search this

Volk, Douglas  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Nancy Douglas Bowditch, 1974 January 30. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women designers  Search this

Women authors  Search this

Art, American  Search this

Theme:

Women  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)11972

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212539

AAA_collcode_bowdit74

Theme:

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212539

Interviewee:

Bowditch, Nancy Douglas  Search this

Interviewer:

Brown, Robert F.  Search this

Names:

Brush, George de Forest, 1855-1941  Search this

Faulkner, Barry, 1881-1966  Search this

Pearmain, William Robert, 1888-1912  Search this

Saint-Gaudens, Augustus, 1848-1907  Search this

Thayer, Abbott Handerson, 1849-1921  Search this

Twain, Mark, 1835-1910  Search this

Volk, Douglas , 1856-1935  Search this

Extent:

28 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1974 January 30

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Nancy Douglas Bowditch conducted 1974 January 30, by Robert F. Brown, for the Archives of American Art.

Bowditch speaks of her memories of early childhood; her father, George de Forest Brush, and his work; her relationship with her father; and her education and upbringing. She reminisces about Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Abbott H. Thayer, who were family friends, and their relationships with Brush; her family's home life, their travels in Europe; her family's relationship with Samuel Clemens and family; and her first husband, William Robert Pearmain, his family background, their marriage, his involvement with organized labor and social reform, and his early death from leukemia. She also recalls Douglas Volk and Barry Faulkner.

Biographical / Historical:

Nancy Bowditch (1890-1979) was a painter, a playwright, and costume and set designer. Bowditch was born in Paris, the second eldest child of painter George de Forest Brush. Brush made the artist-colony of Dublin, N.H. his American home, where Mark Twain and daughter Jean Clemens were neighbors. They spent considerable time in Paris and Italy. Nancy married William Robert Pearmain, a childhood neighbor and later, a pupil of her father, in 1909. Pearmain died of leukemia in 1912. Subsequently, she married Dr. Harold Bowditch whose father was instrumental in the development of Harvard University Medical School.

General:

Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 1 hr., 38 min.

Provenance:

This interview is 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.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Painters -- New Hampshire  Search this

Set designers -- New Hampshire  Search this

Costume designers -- New Hampshire  Search this

Authors -- New Hampshire  Search this

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women designers  Search this

Women authors  Search this

Art, American  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.bowdit74

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96b49a85f-b81b-4ab5-a424-f700d11f6093

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-bowdit74

Creator:

Bowditch, Nancy Douglas  Search this

Names:

Brush, George de Forest, 1855-1941  Search this

Clemens, Jane Lampton, 1880-1909  Search this

Faulkner, Barry, 1881-1966  Search this

Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this

Parrish, Stephen, 1846-1938  Search this

Pearmain, William Robert, 1888-1912  Search this

Thayer, Abbott Handerson, 1849-1921  Search this

White, Nelson C.  Search this

Extent:

6.2 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Biographies

Paintings

Diaries

Sound recordings

Sketches

Scrapbooks

Notes

Photographs

Date:

circa 1860-1985

Summary:

The papers of painter, author, and designer Nancy Douglas Bowditch and the George de Forest Brush family measure 6.2 linear feet and date from circa 1860 to 1985. The majority of the collection consists of Bowditch's correspondence with family and friends and her notes and writings, particularly concerning her biography of her father George de Forest Brush The Joyous Painter, and her unpublished biography of her husband painter William Robert Pearmain. Brush family material includes scattered correspondence of George de Forest Brush and other family members, notes, sketches, clippings, and the family home building files, five scrapbooks, including two on William Robert Pearmain, and numerous photographs of the Brush family, Bowditch, and William Robert Pearmain. There is also correspondence between William Robert Pearmain and his family and artwork by Pearmin.

Scope and Contents note:

The papers of painter, author, and designer Nancy Douglas Bowditch and the George de Forest Brush family measure 6.2 linear feet and date from circa 1860 to 1985. The majority of the collection consists of Bowditch's correspondence with family and friends and her notes and writings, particularly concerning her biography of her father George de Forest Brush The Joyous Painter, and her unpublished biography of her husband painter William Robert Pearmain. Brush family material includes scattered correspondence of George de Forest Brush and other family members, notes, sketches, clippings, and the family home building files, five scrapbooks, including two on William Robert Pearmain, and numerous photographs of the Brush family, Bowditch, and William Robert Pearmain. There is also correspondence between William Robert Pearmain and his family and artwork by Pearmin.

Scattered family biographical materials include invitations, biographical sketches of George de Forest Brush, a ship's register, certificates, an obituary, and a sound recording of Nancy Bowditch.

Scattered personal business records include deeds of gift from various institutions and agreements from the publishing of The Joyous Painter.

One-third of the collection is correspondence with Nancy Douglas Bowditch, William Robert Pearmain, George de Forest Brush, and other members of the Brush, Pearmain, and Bowditch families. The majority of Nancy Douglas Bowditch's correspondence is from family and friends, although professional correspondence is also found. Nancy's notable correspondents include Jane Clemens, Barry Faulkner, Rockwell Kent, members of the Abbot Handerson Thayer family, and Nelson C. White. Also found are Nancy's letters to her first husband, William Robert Pearmain. Pearmain's correspondence includes letters from his parents, siblings, and his father-in-law, and a few letters from Pearmain to his family. George de Forest Brush's correspondence includes letters from friends and a few copies of letters written by Brush.

Writings and notes are primarily by Nancy Douglas Bowditch, the majority of which pertain to her biography of George de Forest Brush, The Joyous Painter, and her unpublished biography of William Robert Pearmain. Other writings are by George de Forest Brush, Tribbie Brush, Barry Faulkner, and William Robert Pearmain.

Artwork consists of approximately 78 drawings and sketches by William Robert Pearmain, 5 drawings and paintings by Nancy Bowditch, and one drawing by George de Forest Brush.

Brush family home and building files contain materials relating to a log cabin in New Hampshire, and the family home Brushwood which was built by William Robert Pearmain in 1911.

Five scrapbooks were compiled by members of the Brush, Pearmain, and Bowditch families. Two are about Pearmain, two are about George de Forest Brush, and one was organized by Harold Bowditch that contains family photographs.

Within printed materials are exhibition announcements and catalogs for George de Forest Brush, Barry Faulkner, Stephen Parrish, and Abbot Handerson Thayer.

Extensive photographs are of members of the Brush family, the Pearmain family, the Bowditch family, friends, and works of art by Bowditch, Brush, Pearmain and Douglas Volk. Included are portraits, snapshots, travel photos, wedding photos, and photos of the Brush family homes.

Arrangement note:

The collection is arranged as 9 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Information, 1909-1965 (Box 1; 7 folders)

Series 2: Personal Business and Financial Records, 1908-1974 (Box 1; 3 folders)

Series 3: Correspondence, 1895-1979 (Boxes 1-3; 2.0 linear feet)

Series 4: Writings and Notes, circa 1900-1975 (Boxes 3-4; 1.0 linear feet)

Series 5: Artwork, 1898-1950 (Boxes 4, 9-10; 4 folders)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1889-1974 (Box 4; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 7: Brush Family Home Building Files, 1910-1971 (Boxes 4, 8, 10; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 8: Scrapbooks, circa 1907-circa 1985 (Boxes 5, 8; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1860-1979 (Boxes 5-7, 11; 1.0 linear feet)

Biographical/Historical note:

Nancy Douglas Bowditch (1890-1979) worked primarily in the New Hampshire area as a painter, author, and costume and set designer. Bowditch's father was painter George de Forest Brush and she was first married to painter William Robert Pearmain, who died at an early age.

Nancy Douglas Bowditch was born to Mary and George de Forest Brush on July 4, 1890 in Paris, France. Along with her siblings Mary, Jane, Thea, Gerome, Tribbie, and Georgia, she often served as a subject of her father's paintings. The family lived in the artist colony of Dublin, New Hampshire where Nancy became close friends with their neighbor Samuel Clemens' (Mark Twain) daughter Jean Clemens.

Nancy met and became close to one of her father's pupils, William Robert Pearmain while traveling through Europe in 1907. Two years later, Nancy married Robert at the Brush family farm in Dublin, New Hampshire. Together, they had one daughter, Mary Alice whom they called Polly. Robert developed a strong political interest in growing anarchist movements, gave up painting and went to Pittsburgh to work in a factory. Shortly after, he became seriously ill and, upon the advice of a doctor, moved back to New Hampshire with Nancy. He soon died from leukemia in September 1912. In 1918, Nancy married her second husband Dr. Harold Bowditch from Boston, Massachusetts. With her second husband, Nancy had three more children, Martha, Henry, and George de Forest Bowditch.

Professionally, Nancy worked as a painter, wrote plays, and designed theatrical sets and costumes. In 1971, Bowditch published a biography of George de Forest Brush entitled The Joyous Painter. Nancy Douglas Bowditch died in 1979.

Related Archival Materials note:

Also among the collections at the Archives of American Art are the William Robert Pearmain and Pearmain family papers, 1888-1955, and an oral history with Nancy Douglas Bowditch conducted on January 30, 1974 by Robert F. Brown.

Provenance:

The Nancy Douglas Bowditch papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in several installments by Nancy Douglas Bowditch between 1968 and 1979. Bowditch's daughter, Mary A. Marlowe donated additional materials in 1982. In 2008, Joan Morgan, biographer of George de Forest Brush, donated additional papers she had acquired during her research.

Restrictions:

Use of originals requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Painters -- New Hampshire  Search this

Set designers -- New Hampshire  Search this

Costume designers -- New Hampshire  Search this

Authors -- New Hampshire  Search this

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women designers  Search this

Women authors  Search this

Genre/Form:

Biographies

Paintings

Diaries

Sound recordings

Sketches

Scrapbooks

Notes

Photographs

Citation:

Nancy Douglas Bowditch and Brush family papers, circa 1860-1985. 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

Identifier:

AAA.bowdnanc

See more items in:

Nancy Douglas Bowditch and Brush family papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a9a08d45-4271-4656-ab7b-5272d47f5465

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-bowdnanc

Published by:

Playbill, American, founded 1884  Search this

Used by:

Ethel Barrymore Theatre, American, founded 1928  Search this

Subject of:

August Wilson, American, 1945 - 2005  Search this

Kimberleigh Aarn, American, born 1960  Search this

Angela Bassett, American, born 1958  Search this

L. Scott Caldwell, American, born 1950  Search this

Richard Parnell Habersham, American  Search this

Ed Hall  Search this

Delroy Lindo, American, born 1952  Search this

Jamila Perry  Search this

Bo Rucker, American, born 1948  Search this

Raynor Scheine, American, born 1942  Search this

Kimberly Scott, American, born 1961  Search this

Mel Winkler, American, born 1941  Search this

Medium:

ink on paper

Dimensions:

H x W: 8 1/2 x 5 5/8 in. (21.6 x 14.3 cm)

Type:

theater programs

Place used:

New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America

Date:

1988

Topic:

African American  Search this

Actors  Search this

Broadway Theatre  Search this

Drama (Theatre)  Search this

Migrations  Search this

Credit Line:

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Kayla Deigh Owens

Object number:

2011.45.49

Restrictions & Rights:

Playbill used by permission. All rights reserved, Playbill Inc.

See more items in:

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification:

Memorabilia and Ephemera

Exhibition:

Taking the Stage

On View:

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 054

Data Source:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5bcb2e566-3531-4d4f-a37e-fb322aceb11e

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmaahc_2011.45.49