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Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

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2012-03-09T22:52:56.000Z

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Education  Search this

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Smithsonian Institution

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SmithsonianVideos

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edanmdm:yt_f2oyU0RusiA

Creator:

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

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2022-11-10T16:35:57.000Z

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Music  Search this

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Cultural property  Search this

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smithsonianfolkways

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Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

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edanmdm:yt_EIN7xc_dEtE

Creator:

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2022-11-14T19:46:23.000Z

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Music  Search this

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Cultural property  Search this

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smithsonianfolkways

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Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

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edanmdm:yt_GTuwHEz1jKg

Creator:

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2012-06-08T16:43:30.000Z

YouTube Category:

Music  Search this

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Cultural property  Search this

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smithsonianfolkways

Data Source:

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

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edanmdm:yt_UFUyjFTzi2U

Creator:

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

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2021-08-12T16:41:25.000Z

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Music  Search this

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Cultural property  Search this

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smithsonianfolkways

Data Source:

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

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edanmdm:yt_gvWlHA-Nc1w

Creator:

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2021-08-12T16:45:29.000Z

YouTube Category:

Music  Search this

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Cultural property  Search this

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smithsonianfolkways

Data Source:

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

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smithsonianfolkways

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edanmdm:yt_jYdd4RpXnSs

Creator:

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

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2021-08-12T16:42:34.000Z

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Music  Search this

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Cultural property  Search this

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smithsonianfolkways

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Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

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Creator:

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

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2022-11-10T16:36:10.000Z

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Music  Search this

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Cultural property  Search this

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smithsonianfolkways

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Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this

Type:

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Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this

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Data Source:

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edanmdm:yt_uHOHatSrQv4

Editor:

Compton, Joseph, 1891-  Search this

Clinton-Baddeley, V. C. (Victor Clinton), 1900-1970  Search this

Extent:

1.25 Cubic feet (11 legal folders, 6 cassette tapes, 18 sound discs (vinyl))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Lyric poetry

Narrative poetry, english

English poetry

Date:

1949-2010

bulk 1950-1965

Summary:

London Library of Recorded English was a 6-volume Anthology of English Literature, consisting of poetry spanning 16th-20th century England, read aloud by well-known British poets, scholars, and actors. The first four recordings were edited by poet-scholars V.C. Clinton-Baddeley and Joseph Compton, and when it was acquired by Britam Agencies in 1955, Clinton-Baddeley stayed on to create two more releases. The collection contains 6 LP recordings, as well as the business papers associated with the creation and management of the Anthology.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in two series: 1. Papers, 1949-2010, arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereafter, and 2. Audiorecordings, 1956-1965, arranged chronologically.

Biographical / Historical:

The London Library of Recorded English had roots in V.C. Clinton-Baddeley's 1937 recordings of poetry broadcasts with W.B. Yeats for the BBC. In 1940, during World War II, Clinton-Baddeley helped prepare British propaganda on gramophone discs for the use of foreign radio stations. A portion of these recordings were dedicated to "cultured propaganda," and this included recordings of English poetry produced by Clinton-Baddeley and read by himself and other well-known readers.

During the war, Clinton-Baddeley was speaking to Joseph Compton, a prominent specialist in English literature education, about the propaganda records. Compton believed that recordings of literature would be in demand in schools. When the war ended, E.J. Vetter, a recording engineer told Clinton-Baddeley that he would be setting up a small recording studio where it would be possible to make some poetry recordings. Compton soon got on board, and the recording studio, which was a part of United Programmes Limited (UPL) of London, England, would support the production of the recordings.

The first four volumes (called "books") of the anthology were made with UPL in the late 1940s. These were directed by Clinton-Baddeley and engineered by Vetter and J. Bramhall. Compton made selections and provided literary criticism. Both Clinton-Baddeley and Compton were considered editors of the series.

UPL went into receivership and in 1950, Edgar J. Grande, receiver for UPL, appointed Britam Agencies, Inc. (Britam) sole agent in the U.S.A. and Canada for the sale of the recordings (twenty-four 78rpm records per set) to be imported from England. The recordings were sold to schools, colleges, and libraries.

In 1955, UPL and Grande arranged with Britam to purchase the LLRE free and clear. Britam re-engineered the recordings and converted them into 4 LPs, manufactured by Columbia Records and sold under the Alpha Records label.

In 1963, Clinton-Baddeley and Irwin Breslauer of Britam agreed to a plan to produce two additional LP records (Books V and VI). All six volumes were marketed as a package, and later, as a set of six cassette tapes. The LLRE then went dormant, with no effort being made towards sales, as the principals of Britam, Irwin Breslauer and Norman Breslauer were occupied with other business.

The collection was donated to the the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in 2010.

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://folklife.si.edu/archives#shared-stewardship.

Provenance:

This collection was donated in memory of Lewis R. Breslauer to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings/Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in January, 2010. The donation included all right, title, and interest in and to the recordings, papers, and historical materials, as well as all intellectual property rights.

Restrictions:

Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

Rights:

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Genre/Form:

Lyric poetry

Narrative poetry, English

English poetry -- 19th century

English poetry -- 17th century

English poetry -- 18th century

English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700

Citation:

London Library of Recorded English records, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.LLRE

See more items in:

London Library of Recorded English records

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk5e58a1594-4b42-408c-913e-9be739ab27ac

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-llre

Creator:

Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.  Search this

Interviewer:

Bedi, Joyce  Search this

Daemmrich, Arthur  Search this

Oswald, Alison  Search this

Ott, Katherine  Search this

Interviewee:

Hamilton, Marilyn, 1949-  Search this

Hyatt, Gilbert P. , 1938-  Search this

Lindahl, Lisa  Search this

Miller, Hinda  Search this

Reid, Tahira N.  Search this

Smith, Polly Palmer  Search this

Extent:

855.63 Gigabytes (Interviews include .mp4, video/.mxf and .wav files. )

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gigabytes

Born digital

Oral history

Transcripts

Date:

2020-2021

Summary:

Born digital video oral history interviews and transcripts with inventors documenting a variety of subjects and disciplines.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into one series, alphabetical by last name of interviewee.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

JogBra, Inc. Records (NMAH.AC.1315)

Disability Reference Collection (NMAH.AC.1319)

Folia Water Materials (NMAH.AC.1407)

Materials at the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Program/Project Records, 1994-2017 (SIA Acc. 19-100)

Interview with Theresa Dankovitch, inventor of the Folia water filter.

Interview with David Stone, inventor of Ferrock, a carbon-negative substitute for concrete. Also includes interviewee Richard Pablo.

Interview with Amy Prieto, inventor of a rechargeable battery.

Interview with John Warner, co-founder of the field of green chemistry.

Program/Project Records, 1989-2010 (SIA Acc. 12-582)

Interview with Remo Belli, jazz drummer who developed and marketed the first successful synthetic drumheads and founded the Remo company.

Interview with Arthur Ganson, inventor, kinetic sculptor and musician.

Audiovisual Records, 1995-2014 (SIA Acc. 16-092)

Interview with Gary Fisher, inventor of the modern mountain bike.

Lemelson Center, Program/Project Records, 2006-2015 (SIA Acc. 16-043)

Interview with Doreen Lorenzo, former president of Quirky.

Interview with Corinna E. Lathan, co-Founder of AnthroTronix, Inc., a biomedical research and development company with a focus on assistive technologies.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access and use of audiovisual materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of audiovisual materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

African American engineers  Search this

Brassieres -- 20th century  Search this

Computer science  Search this

Disabilities  Search this

Double Dutch  Search this

Electrical engineering  Search this

Electrical engineers  Search this

Inventors  Search this

Inventions -- 20th century  Search this

Mechanical engineers  Search this

Mechanical engineering and engineers  Search this

Microprocessors  Search this

Running  Search this

Sports  Search this

Sports bra  Search this

Women inventors  Search this

wheelchairs  Search this

Inventors, Black  Search this

Genre/Form:

Born digital

Oral history -- 2010-2020

Transcripts

Citation:

Inventors Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Sponsor:

Funding for the Marilyn Hamilton, Lisa Lindahl, Hinda Miller, Tahira N. Reid, and Polly Smith interviews was provided by a Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee grant.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1504

See more items in:

Inventors Oral History Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep85c072cbb-cb11-493e-a0e6-184df5e09c2e

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1504

Creator:

Steele, Richard, 1916-1980  Search this

Collector:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Ceramics and Glass  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (3 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Papers

Journals (accounts)

Sketches

Audiotapes

Drawings

Business records

Date:

1948-1963.

Scope and Contents:

The collection, which consists of notebooks, journals, photographs, correspondence, memos, brochures, and technical drawings, is divided into three series: Sketches, Drawing Journals and Tests; Ram Company Materials; and Photographs. The papers were selected from among Mr. Steele's files by his son, Christopher. As a result, the papers included are somewhat sporadic and have many gaps. However, Mr. Steele was a conscientious record keeper, so the papers in the collection provide a good illustration of his development of the Ram process. Within the papers there are test results for water release problems, stress tests, plaster permeability tests, designs for different applications of the process, designs for dies, and other documentation. The journals he kept document his daily activities within the Ram Company in a very complete manner. Also included is a list of photographs with captions supplied by Mr. Steele's son Christopher.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into three series.

Series 1: Sketches, Drawing Journals and Tests

Series 2: Ram Company Records

Series 3: Photographs

Biographical / Historical:

Richard Steele (1916-1980), a ceramics engineer, was the primary inventor of the Ram press which revolutionized the ceramics industry. Mr. Steele attended classes at Ohio State University after working during World War Two as an aircraft engineer. While working at the Research Foundation at Ohio State, he and another engineer, A. R. Blackburn (commonly referred to by Mr. Steele in the collection as "Blackie"), developed the Ram process in 1948. Up until this time, the jigger method and slip casting were used to produce ceramics. The jigger method was a manual process which required great strength on the part of the operator. A large amount of time was then required for shrinkage to occur and release the casting. As a result, the process also required a large amount of space to let the pieces dry.

The Ram process, on the other hand, was an automated machine process whereby dies made of special reinforced gypsum cement (as opposed to the plastic ones used in the jigger method), are pressurized on a hydraulic press and come together to mold the piece. Air is then fed into the die to act as a releasing mechanism. The machine is capable of pressing with 60 tons of force, up to 6,000 cycles per eight hour day. This process enables one person to operate the press with ease and to produce approximately five times the number of ceramic pieces as someone using the jigger method.

Provenance:

This collection was donated to the National Museum of American History in December 1983 by Christopher Steele, son of Mr. Richard Steele.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Ceramics -- 20th century  Search this

Ceramic engineers  Search this

Ram process  Search this

Genre/Form:

Papers

Journals (accounts)

Sketches

Audiotapes

Drawings -- 20th century

Business records -- 20th century

Citation:

Richard Steele Papers, 1948-1963, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0080

See more items in:

Richard Steele Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8a2cab420-f48d-43ea-80a9-ffacea54f181

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0080

Author:

Falcone Custom Grand Pianos  Search this

Donor:

Pratt, Read and Company  Search this

Creator:

Sohmer & Company  Search this

Collector:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Musical Instruments  Search this

Names:

Sohmer & Company  Search this

Kuder, Joseph  Search this

Sohmer, Harry J.  Search this

Sohmer, Harry J., Jr.  Search this

Sohmer, Hugo  Search this

Sohmer, William  Search this

Extent:

43 Cubic feet (82 boxes and 11 map-folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Sales catalogs

Photographic prints

Advertisements

Scrapbooks

Clippings

Journals (accounts)

Ledgers (account books)

Place:

Ivoryton (Conn.)

New York (N.Y.) -- Musical instruments industry

Date:

1872-1989

Scope and Contents:

The records of Sohmer & Co., date from 1872 through 1989. They fall into fourteen series based primarily on function. Legal, financial, inventory & appraisal, manufacturing, marketing, advertising, and sales are the major series. Photographs, awards, family papers, publications about Sohmer, general publications, "miscellaneous" and correspondence are the remaining series. The records are especially strong in the areas of advertising, finances, and marketing. The collection does not contain corporate records, articles of incorporation, executive records, minutes, annual reports, or personnel records such as payrolls or job descriptions.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into 14 series.

Series 1: Stock and Legal Records, 1882-1985

Series 2: Financial Records, 1887-1962

Series 3: Inventory & Appraisal Records, 1891-1980

Series 4: Manufacturing Records, 1872-1967

Series 5: Marketing, 1901-1989

Series 6: Advertising Records, 1880-1983

Series 7: Sales Records, 1923-1982

Series 8: Photographs, circa 1920-1964

Series 9: Awards, 1876-1976

Serioes 10: Sohmer Family Papers, 1945-1970

Series 11: Publications about Sohmer, 1883-1986

Series 12: General Publications, 1912-1985

Series 13: Miscellaneous Records, 1894-1983

Series 14: Correspondence, 1892-1987

Historical:

When Sohmer & Co. was founded in 1872 by Hugo Sohmer and his partner Joseph Kuder, it became one of 171 piano manufacturers in New York City. Over the next 110 years, Sohmer & Co. was one of the few active and successful family-owned and operated piano-making ventures in the United States. Nationally known for tonal quality and fine craftmanship, the firm's product, in the music trade, came to be referred to as "The Piano-Maker's Piano."

Biographical:

Born to an eminent physician in Dunningen, Wurtemberg, Germany on November 11, 1846, Hugo Sohmer enjoyed a first class education. Riding the last major wave of German immigration, which had brought piano makers such as Albert Weber, George Steck, John and Charles Fischer, and Henry E. Steinway to America, Hugo arrived in New York City in 1862. He became an apprentice in the piano making house of Schuetze & Ludolf. To learn more about European piano making, Hugo returned to Germany in 1868 and travelled extensively throughout Europe. In 1870 he returned to New York and by 1872 the 26 year old Sohmer and his partner, Josef Kuder, began manufacturing pianos in the 149 East 14th Street factory previously utilized by J.H. Boernhoeft and most recently by Marschall & Mittauer.

Josef Kuder, originally from Bohemia, Austria Hungary, learned piano making in Vienna between 1847 and 1854. Kuder arrived in New York in 1854 and became a pianomaker with Steinway & Sons which had been founded in 1853. In 1861 he returned to Vienna; he worked there until returning to New York in 1864, where he worked for Marschall & Mittauer until joining Sohmer.

Concentrating on tonal quality and response, Sohmer & Co. began producing pianos which were recognized in 1876 by an award from the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. In the waning years of the nineteenth century Sohmer & Co. received other awards including a diploma from the Exposition Provinciale in Montreal, Quebec in 1881, the gold medal at the Great New England Fair in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1889, and an award from the World's Columbian Commission in 1893 in Chicago.

By 1883 additional factory space, located on East 23rd Street and formerly used by Carhart & Needham, was occupied to accomodate increased production. In three years this space proved inadequate and forced the renting of an extension to the original factory. The main office and salesrooms were located at 31 West 57th Street in New York City. Meanwhile, in 1884 Sohmer invented the first five foot "baby" grand piano which was applauded for its musical brilliance and depth of tone. In the early 1900's Sohmer produced grand pianos in four sizes: Concert, Parlor, Baby & Cupid.

Limited space and increased production soon became issues again, and in 1887 the company moved its factory and special machinery to Astoria, Long Island. This factory, located at 31st Avenue and Vernon Boulevard, remained in continuous operation until 1982, when the Adirondack Chair Co. bought the building and Pratt Read acquired the company.

During the 1880s a number of letters patent were granted to Sohmer for such piano improvements as the agraffe bar for tone augmentation, and the aliquot string, which were auxiliary strings "arranged in conjunction with the regular strings for the purpose of giving forth reverberatory or sympathetic waves of sound, thus augmenting the general tone results of each unison." (Spillane, History, 256.)

In 1894 Hugo Sohmer took competitor Sebastian Sommer to court for stenciling the name "Sommer" on the fallboard of his pianos. Sohmer declared that "Sohmer" was a trademark used as an emblem to distinguish the piano from others, especially the Sommer piano which he considered inferior. The court in this equity case dismissed the case on the grounds that Sohmer had not proven damages accruing from the advertising and sale of the Sommer piano.

By 1907 Sohmer & Co. was producing 2,000 pianos per year. Additionally, with Farrand & Co. of Detroit, Sohmer was making the Sohmer Cecilian player piano. On June 8, 1913 Hugo Sohmer died in Scarsdale, N.Y.; 20 days later, Josef Kuder died as well. Hugo was survived by his wife, Elizabeth; a daughter, Adelaide S. Weber; and a son, Harry J. Sohmer, born in 1886. Company leadership was assumed by Harry J. Sohmer after Hugo's death.

During the 1920s Sohmer began a special department in its plant for the manufacture of period pianos. According to Harry Sohmer, the 1930s were difficult. He recalled that, once only one piano in 29 days was shipped. The number of American piano manufacturers dropped from 140 to 22 during this time. It was during this time that Harry's cousins, Frank and Paul Sohmer joined the company as consultants. However, through its pioneering efforts in the introduction of a console vertical piano known as a "Spinet," Sohmer revitalized the industry. (Taylor, "Piano Family.") This console vertical piano has been called "The Musicians' Console.

Primarily because of its concentration on the console vertical pianos Sohmer & Co. never cultivated famous performers in the way that Steinway and Baldwin did. While publicly acknowledging that it never entered into the competition for artistic endorsement (an acknowledgement which perhaps worked to its favor), Sohmer & Co. relied upon a most comprehensive and innovative advertising strategy stressing integrity, quality and craftsmanship in the pursuit of the ideal tone and touch.

In 1940 Harry incorporated the company as Sohmer & Co. and led it, with his sons Harry J. Sohmer, Jr., (born 1917) as production manager and Robert H. Sohmer (born 1920), as process engineer. By 1969 Harry Jr. was vice president in charge of production and Robert was production engineer/ treasurer. In 1971 Harry Sr. died and Harry Jr. became president.

In 1982 Pratt Read Corporation, a long established manufacturer of piano keyboards, acquired Sohmer & Co. for an undisclosed amount, and moved the operations to its Ivoryton, Connecticut factory, while retaining the Sohmer name. The Sohmer brothers retained their positions in the company. At the time of its purchase Sohmer & Co. employed 120 people, produced 2500 pianos yearly, and grossed $5 million in sales. Harry J. Sohmer, Jr., grandson of the founder, in expressing his feelings about the move and the Sohmer piano, compared his piano to old New York beers saying that "they were strictly New York products and in a way so were we." He concluded by saying, "We were always identified with this city. Sohmer was a New York piano." (Prial, "Sohmer Piano.")

By July 1983 under Pratt Read's management Sohmer was producing 6 pianos per day, only 50% of the expected capacity according to H.B. Comstock, president of Pratt Read. In 1986 the Ivoryton factory was sold to a group of investors organized as Sohmer Holding Co., who continued to make pianos there until a lack of skilled workers and financial losses forced its closing in December 1988. In an effort to fill the backlog of orders, Sohmer president Tom Bradshaw opened a new facility in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. A retail showroom was maintained in Ivoryton. In 1989, the Sohmer company was sold to the Falcone Custom Grand Piano Company of Haverhill, Massachusetts.

References

Cox, Erin. "Labor Woes a Main Factor in Sohmer Closing," The Pictorial Gazette West, 3 (December 8, 1988), 1, 22.

Dolge, Alfred. Piano and their Makers. 1911; rpt. New York: Dover Publications, 1973.

Loesser, Arthur. Men, Women and Pianos: A Social History. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1954.

Musical Merchandise Review. "Sohmer Pianos Underway at Conn. Pratt Read," July 1983, 91.

The Music Trades. "Pratt, Read Acquires Sohmer & Co. Piano Maker,"August 1982, 18.

Piano and Organ Purchaser's Guide, 1907, 1930. Prial, Frank J. "Sohmer Piano, and 110 Years of Craft, will leave Astoria," New York Times, August 13, 1982, B1, B4.

Purchaser's Guide to the Music Industries. 1956, New York: The Music Trades, 1956, 58 60.

Spillane, Daniel. History of the American Pianoforte: Its Technical Development, and the Trade. 1890; rpt. New York: Da Capo Press, 1969.

Taylor, Carol. "Piano Family Stays in Tune," New York World Telegram & Sun, August 15, 1958.

Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History:

Pratt Read Corp. Records (AC0320)

Chickering & Sons Records (AC0264)

Steinway Piano Co. Collection (AC0178)

Provenance:

Collection donated by Pratt Read Corporation, August 11, 1989.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Musical instrument manufacturing  Search this

Piano makers  Search this

advertising -- History  Search this

Keyboard instruments  Search this

Piano  Search this

advertising  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- 20th century

Sales catalogs

Photographic prints

Advertisements

Photographs -- 1850-1900

Scrapbooks

Clippings

Journals (accounts)

Ledgers (account books)

Citation:

Sohmer & Co. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0349

See more items in:

Sohmer & Co. Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep835d3556b-26b5-4ae0-90bc-8c018159dbb3

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0349

Creator:

Bridaham, Lester Burbank  Search this

Names:

Art Institute of Chicago  Search this

Colonial Craft Survey for Massachusetts  Search this

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

Society for Contemporary American Art  Search this

Albright, Ivan, 1897-1983  Search this

Barton, Macena, 1901-1986  Search this

Biesel, Charles, 1865-1945  Search this

Bishop, Isabel, 1902-1988  Search this

De Diego, Julio, 1900-  Search this

Eboli, Jules  Search this

Florsheim, Richard A., 1916-1979  Search this

Krans, Olof, 1838-1916  Search this

Lee, Gypsy Rose, 1914-1970  Search this

Nicolaïdes, Kimon, 1892-1938  Search this

Rickey, George  Search this

Schnakenberg, H. E. (Henry Ernest), 1892-1970  Search this

Spears, Ethel, 1903-1974  Search this

Extent:

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

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Date:

1912-1986

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence, writings, art works, scrapbooks, printed material, photographs, and files on Julio De Diego and Kimon Nicolaides and other topics, related to Bridaham's career as an artist and writer.

REEL 8: Printed material, including articles written by Bridaham for periodicals (1950-1957), 15 exhibition catalogs (1928-1968), clippings by and about Bridaham (1930-1959), 6 press releases (1956-1957), a transcript of a radio discussion which included Bridaham (1951), 2 advertisements, a lecture announcement (1957), instructions on using egg tempera for Bridaham's students, a guide book to the Louisiana State Museum (1956), brochures about Strathmont Museum (1958), and resumes.

REEL 3: Material related to Kimon Nicolaides, including a radio address given by him, 1933; publicity for his book THE NATURAL WAY TO DRAW; exhibition catalogs; clippings; press releases; and a photograph of one of his sculptures. [Microfilm title: Kimon Nicolaides papers]

UNMICROFILMED: Correspondence with Kimon Nicolaides and Henry Schnackenberg (1921-1923), Julio De Diego (1941-1952), Ethel Spears (1961), Isabel Bishop (1975), and George and Edith Rickey. Letters to Mamie Harmon concern a Nicolaides exhibition and book (1938-1941). Writings include nine v. of diaries (1946-1954) kept during his tenure at the Art Institute of Chicago, and notes and drafts for an unpublished book (1938-1982).

Subject files concerning Ivan Albright's poetry, the Colonial Craft Survey for Massachusetts (1935), Olof Krans (1939), the reorganization of the Metropolitan Museum's photographic department (1949), Romanesque and Gothic sculpture and the Society for Contemporary American Art. A file (1921-1983) on Julio De Diego contains Bridaham's research materials, sketches and drawings by the artist, a journal kept by De Diego in New York (1932) and photographs of De Diego, his family including third wife Gypsy Rose Lee, friends and art works. Kimon Nicolaides' file (1921-1986) contains his writings and drawings (1928), drawings by Vivian Gordon and Howard Ahrens (1923-1986), photographs and other research materials.

Printed materials consists of clippings (1930-1972), "The Chicago Artist" newsletter (1938), press releases, a book cover, Artists Equity publications (1952-1953), posters, exhibition catalogs and anouncements and membership cards. Photographs show Bridaham, friends, National Art Week activities with Macena Barton, Charles Biesel, Jules Eboli and Richard Florsheim, his studio and drawings (1928-1949). Other materials include over 150 prints and drawings (1927-1977) of Moroccan scenes, Colorado wildflowers and other subjects, resumes, an illustrated notebook of Bridaham's plans for art works (1931-1932) and a list of his works (1974).

ADDITION: Material concerning the latter part of Bridaham's life, including original works of art, photographs, a dream sketchbook (1945), a notebook devoted to Julio de Diego; Bridaham's letters to Jeanette Fowler, 1989-1990 and other correspondence, 1940s-1950s; and printed material.

Biographical / Historical:

Museum director, art historian, painter, and printmaker; d. 1992. Bridaham received a degree in chemical engineering from M.I.T. and studied art history at Harvard's Fogg Museum from 1936-1937. He received a 1931 American Field Service fellowship for study in France and Morocco, and studied studio art at the Art Students League under Kimon Nicolaides and Kenneth Hayes Miller. Between 1938 and 1954, Bridaham was a staff officer at the Art Institute of Chicago. He was also the director of the Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans, and of the Strathmont Museum, Elmira, N.Y. He is the author of Gargoyles, Chimeras and the Grotesque in French Gothic Sculpture.

Related Materials:

Lester Bridaham photographs and papers relating to gargoyles, 1895-1987, are located at The Getty Research Institute Special Collections.

Provenance:

Donated 1974-1987 by Lester Burbank and Dorothy Bridaham. In 1996, an additional 0.8 ft. was donated from the Jeanette Fowler estate.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm.

Occupation:

Art historians  Search this

Art teachers  Search this

Museum directors  Search this

Painters -- United States  Search this

Printmakers  Search this

Topic:

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Identifier:

AAA.bridlest

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9bd89c151-af25-4b32-8a97-03c7fca8f311

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-bridlest

Artist:

Rethi, Lili, 1894-1969  Search this

Extent:

8 Cubic feet (21 boxes, 8 map folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Bookplates

Books

Christmas cards

Drawings

Newspaper clippings

Photographs

Transcripts

Watercolor drawings

Date:

1918-1969

Summary:

Papers document artist and illustrator Lili Réthi who was best known for her drawings of industrial subjects such as bridges, construction scenes and mines.

Scope and Contents:

Drawings, sketches, watercolors, biographical material, photographs, printed material, correspondence and books relating to the career of artist and illustrator Lili Réthi. The bulk of the collection consists of originals and copies of Réthi's drawings and sketches for various projects in Europe and the United States.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into five series.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1928-1968

Series 2: Projects, 1918-1969

Series 3: Exhibits, 1940-1943, 1965

Series 4: Portraits, 1919-1965

Series 5: Illustrated Books, 1916-1969

Biographical / Historical:

Lilly (Lili) Maria Réthi (1894-1969) was born in Vienna, Austria to Leopold Réthi (1857-1924), a professor of medicine and Marie née Mauther (1863-1955). Réthi had one sister, Elizabeth "Elsie" (1889-1970). Lili attended the Viennese Kunstschule für Frauen und Mädchen (The Art School for Women and Girls), established in 1897. The school existed until 1945, but it closed to Jewish women artists in 1938, when the school was subordinated to the municipality of Vienna and used to inculcate Nazi ideology. (Ben-Eli, 1999). Réthi learned to sketch the human form at the Vienna Anatomical Institute—training, no doubt, that her physician father encouraged. This training, which sharpened her sense of form and function, helped her later when drawing complicated machinery and illustrating Victor Hecht's book, Leitfaden der Physikalisch-Therapeutischen, (Guide to Physical Therapy, 1916). Réthi became fascinated with construction at a young age. "When I was a little girl in Vienna, I used to take walks and watch men building houses. I was fascinated by the men working as well as the excitement of watching the building grow." (Constructor, December 1967, page 25) Her burgeoning interest would grow, and she became one of the best-known illustrators of engineering, construction, and industrial sites. She was named a Royal Society of Art Fellow in 1961.

During the inter-war years (1918-1939) Réthi interrupted her academic studies to work across Europe, illustrating sites in Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The bulk of her work captured coal mines, coal yards, factories, chemical plants, blast furnaces, iron foundries, shipyards, steel production, buildings, aircraft, and bridges.

In 1929, Réthi moved to Berlin where she worked recording engineering projects and was an illustrator for the magazine "Der Bücherkreis" (Book Circle). She illustrated many of the "Dortmunder Union" activities during this period. The Union, a vertically integrated mining group (mining and iron and steel production), was founded in 1872 and was located in the Ruhr area of Germany. This work for the Union resulted in an exhibition in Berlin at the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (1931) and "Wien- Berlin: Das Gesicht zwei Städte" (Vienna and Berlin: The Face of Two Cities") (1932); at the World Power Conference in Stockholm (1933); and the Technical Museum of Vienna (1934). While in the Ruhr, Rethi documented workers, elevating their significance as subjects in their own right. She recorded the working conditions, many of which depicted harsh and dangerous physical labor. Her published work Germinal (1924) highlighted, through seven lithographs, the terrible conditions in French mines. Her work with the Union provided exposure and elevated her growing artistic status, especially with the Third Reich. With war imminent in Europe, the erosion of her personal rights as a Jewish woman, and a commission invitation by Hermann Göring to create propaganda images for the Nazi Regime, she left for England, never to return to her homeland in Austria.

Her portfolio of work is immense and while she primarily focused on engineering, industrial and construction sites, trade publications, industry magazines and newspapers, she branched into other areas. She illustrated the German version of Upton Sinclair´s Letters to Judd, an American Workingman (Briefe an einen Arbeiter, Leipzig- Wien, 1932) and was widely published in Austrian, Danish and German newspapers such as Aften-Avisen, Bergland Wien, Børsen, Der Welt Spiegel, Beitbilder, and VDI Nachrichten. Later projects included books, primarily for children, commissions to sketch churches, portraits of individuals, illustrated book plates, pamphlets, and Christmas cards. Catholic entities such as St. John the Divine and the Capuchin Friars in New York, also sought her services to sketch church interiors and illustrate brochures. And, in 1950, Réthi sketched the interior renovation (1948-1952) of the White House during the Truman Administration.

The Illustrated London News hired Réthi in 1937 to sketch the coronation of King George. While in England, she also created sketches for a booklet issued by the London, North Eastern Railway (L.N.E.R.) posters for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (L.M.S.) and the General Post Office (GPO): Post Office Motor Transport Depot (1937); the Post Office Underground Mail Train (1935); and LMS Crewe Works, Building Coronation Class Engine (1937). The Illustrated London News sent her to the 1939 New York World's Fair where her introduction and love of New York City was launched. Réthi arrived in the United States on March 23, 1939, and became a citizen in 1944.

In the United States, Réthi continued illustrating engineering and construction activities, many of which were major post war projects. Réthi was attracted to the great industrial scene of 1940s America, and New York City provided a fertile location for most of her projects. The first public showing of her work in the United States was at the Architectural League of New York (1940) and her "American Industry at War" exhibit was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1943). She documented some of the most significant projects in North America such as the New York City Pavilion at the World's Fair (1964), the United Nations Building (1949), the Pan Am Building (1962), Pennsylvania Station (1965), and the World Trade Center (1967-1968).

She had commissions from Surveyer, Nenniger & Chênevert (an engineering and construction firm that used her images on company Christmas cards), Sperry Gyroscope Company, U.S. Tobacco Company, Turner Construction, Walsh Construction, Atlas Steel Plant, Bliss Manufacturing, George A. Fuller Company, Standard Chemicals, and the United States Pipe and Foundry Company, to name a few.

Réthi also worked with several book publishers, especially, McGraw-Hill and Harcourt Brace. She illustrated over 40 books, many for children. Her work also appeared on the covers of many trade publications and magazines such as Pencil Points, Service, Factory, Product Engineering, and the Journal of the American Society of Automotive Engineers. Réthi was one of a few, if not the only female artist who devoted her career to portraying engineering works.

Related Materials:

Materials at the Smithsonian Institution

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Bridges Reference Collection, NMAH.AC.1577

Contains negatives and prints of drawings for the Verranzo-Narrows Bridge, New York, New York

Smithsonian Instituton Archives

Records, circa 1948-1988

Contains documentation about a Lili Réthi exhibit, 1964-1965, curated by the then Museum of the History of Technology.

Archives of American Art

Associated American Artists Records, circa 1934-1983

Includes three file folders in the Series: Artists Files about Lili Réthi.

Materials at Other Organizations

Hagley Museum and Library

Sperry Gyroscope Company Division photographs and films (1986-273)

Contains Lili Réthi graphic arts, 1943, consisting of 24 reproductions.

Provenance:

The collection was bequeathed by Lili Réthi to the United States National Museum (now known as the National Museum of American History) through Herbert G. Fenison in 1971.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Occupation:

Artists  Search this

Book illustrators  Search this

Illustrators  Search this

Topic:

Bridges  Search this

Buildings  Search this

Construction  Search this

Construction and civil engineering  Search this

Engineering -- 20th century  Search this

Illustrated books, Children's  Search this

Women artists -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Bookplates

Books -- 20th century

Christmas cards

Drawings -- 20th century

Newspaper clippings

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 19th-20th century

Transcripts -- 20th century

Watercolor drawings

Citation:

Lili Réthi Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0749

See more items in:

Lili Réthi Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep876ee6154-c5e2-4c2f-a217-9c4044b6a002

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0749

Author:

Marton, Ladislaus Laszlo, 1901-1979 (physicist)  Search this

Collector:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Electricity and Modern Physics  Search this

Names:

United States. National Bureau of Standards  Search this

Extent:

4.66 Cubic feet (15 boxes, one (1) 16 mm film)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Blueprints

Lantern slides

Drawings

Photographs

Correspondence

Diagrams

Slides (photographs)

Notebooks

Date:

1932 - 1970

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of materials documenting the history of electron optics, especially electron microscopes. Included are engineering drawings of Marton's devices, designed in Belgium, Stanford and RCA in the 1930s and 1940s; notebooks concerning extensive investigations in electron microscopy; photographs and micrographs concerning development work in this area of physics; correspondence 1930s 702; and reprints of scientific literature relating to Marton's interests.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into three series.

Series 1: Notebooks, electron microscope, 1920s, undated

Series 2: Photographs, undated

Series 3: Printed Materials, 1940-1970

Biographical / Historical:

Ladislaus L. Marton 1901 1979 was a physicist best known for his pioneer work in electron physics, specifically in electron microscopy, electron optics, and electron interferences and scattering. He came to the United States in 1938, and became a naturalized citizen in 1944. He was a member of the faculty at the University of Brussels (Belgium), 1928 1938, and assistant professor from 1933 1938. He was a research physicist at the RCA Manufacturing Company from 1938 1941. He was associate professor of electron optics, head division Stanford University, 1941 1946. He was a physicist from 1946 1970 at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington. Until his death he was an honorable research associate at the Smithsonian Institution.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Ladislaus Laszlo Marton, circa 1970.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Electron microscopy  Search this

Electron physics  Search this

Physicists  Search this

Optics  Search this

Electron scattering  Search this

Electron optics  Search this

Physics  Search this

Electron interference  Search this

Genre/Form:

Blueprints

Lantern slides

Drawings -- 20th century

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 19th-20th century

Correspondence -- 20th century

Diagrams

Photographs -- Phototransparencies -- 20th century

Slides (photographs)

Notebooks

Citation:

Ladislaus Laszlo Marton Collection, 1932-1970, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0100

See more items in:

Ladislaus Laszlo Marton Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep89d5f6f08-a953-47d4-9b1e-1a35bb96f51f

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0100

Creator:

Wood, Beatrice  Search this

Names:

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

John Waller, Fine Ceramics (Firm : Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Zachary Waller Gallery (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Arensberg, Louise S. (Louise Stevenson), 1879-1953  Search this

Arensberg, Walter, 1878-1954  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this

Hapgood, Elizabeth Reynolds  Search this

Hoag, Stephen Asa  Search this

Nin, Anaïs, 1903-1977  Search this

Roché, Henri Pierre, 1879-1959  Search this

Rosencrantz, Esther, 1876-1950  Search this

Extent:

32.5 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drafts (documents)

Interviews

Photographs

Illustrated letters

Notes

Watercolors

Diaries

Transcripts

Lithographs

Short stories

Illustrations

Designs

Drawings

Bookplates

Date:

1894-1998

bulk 1930-1990

Summary:

The papers of California ceramicist Beatrice Wood measure 32.5 linear feet and date from 1906 to 1998, with the bulk dating from 1930-1990. There is extensive correspondence with gallery owners, fellow artists, clients, friends, and family. The collection also contains biograpical materials, personal business records, writings, printed materials, photographs, and works of art. Of particular interest are the 28 diaries that Wood maintained from 1916 until her death in 1998 and 42 glazing formula notebooks dating from 1934-1997. Also found are documents of Steven Hoag and Esther Rosencranz, her husband and aunt respectively, that consist of correspondence, business records, and photographs given to the Archives of American Art as part of the Beatrice Wood papers.

There is a 5.9 linear foot unprocessed addition donated in 2022 and in 2023 that includes address books, biographical material, artwork including sketchbooks and two sketches of Henri-Pierre Roche by Wood, scrapbooks, personal business records, printed material, personal and professional correspondence, notebooks and journals by Wood, writings by Wood, personal photographs, glaze recipes, and one pin "Beato for President". Also included are Beatrice Wood's scrapbooks and photograph albums. Four scrapbooks include scrapbook B, 1940-1955; scrapbook F, 1945; Wood's inspirational scrapbook, circa 1940s; and a scrapbook from the 1960s. Eight photograph albums include photograph album #1, 1908; photograph album #2 (Steve Hoag) 1911-1917; photograph album of Wood with friends and fellow theosophists, 1920s-1940s; photograph album #6 of Wood, others, events, 1920s-1960; Wood's pottery photograph album, 1955; photograph album I-3 (Indian trip) 1972; photograph album I-4, photographs for the 33rd wife of the Maharajah, undated; and photograph album # I-5 (India) compiled 1973. Also included are photographs of people, places and events in India, undated. Materials in this addition date from 1908-1996.

Scope and Contents note:

The papers of California ceramicist Beatrice Wood measure 32.5 linear feet and date from 1906 to 1998, with the bulk dating from 1930-1990. There is extensive correspondence with gallery owners, fellow artists, clients, friends, and family. The collection also contains biographical materials, personal business records, writings, printed materials, photographs, and works of art. Of particular interest are the 28 diaries that Wood maintained from 1916 until her death in 1998 and 42 glazing formula notebooks dating from 1934-1997. Also found are documents of Steven Hoag and Esther Rosencranz, her husband and aunt respectively, that consist of correspondence, business records, and photographs given to the Archives of American Art as part of the Beatrice Wood papers.

Biographical material contains certificates, licenses, degrees, legal documents, and extensive interview transcripts, which describe her philosophy on art and her development as a ceramic artist.

Correspondence is particularly rich in documenting Wood's passion and dedication to her work as a writer and artist. The records reflect Wood's close professional and personal relationships with many friends and colleagues, including Henri-Pierre Roche, Marcel Duchamp, Anais Nin, Elizabeth Hapgood, and Walter and Lou Arensberg. Additional correspondence with editors and publishers is also included. Wood enjoyed illustrating her letters, as did many of her correspondents.

Personal business records include financial material, sales and consignment records, and correspondence with gallery owners, including Garth Clark Gallery, John Waller Gallery, and Zachary Waller Gallery.

Notes and writings extensively document Wood's second career as a writer. Edited drafts of her monographs and short stories are available, as well as her journal writings and notes. Drafts of I Shock Myself: The Autobiography of Beatrice Wood, Angel Who Wore Black Tights, 33rd Wife of a Maharajah, among others are included. Also found here are the illustrations that Wood created for her monographs. She often did a series of drawings for each illustration and these copies are included as well.

Twenty-eight detailed diaries contain information about studio sales, clients, and the economic uncertainties of being a self-employed artist. The diaries, arranged in one-year and five-year volumes, begin in 1916 and end just a few days before her death in 1998.

Forty-two glaze books record the formulas for the pottery glazes Wood developed throughout her career.

Printed material includes copies of Wood's published monographs as well as exhibition announcements and brochures. Also found are clippings about Wood, including numerous articles about her trips to India.

Photographic material includes photographs and slides of Wood, her friends, travels, and other events. Many of the photographs are identified by Wood.

Artwork includes original sketches, drawings, watercolors, lithographs and designs by Wood. The original illustrations from her books are included in this series.

The last two series contain records generated by her husband, Stephen Hoag and her maternal aunt, Esther Rosencrantz. Wood was married to Hoag from 1937 until his death in 1960. The bulk of the material contains Hoag's financial records, mostly receipts, from his early years as a engineer in the Pacific Northwest. Esther Rosencranz, a physician in San Francisco, collected book plates that are included in this series.

There is a 5.9 linear foot unprocessed addition donated in 2022 and in 2023 that includes address books, biographical material, artwork including sketchbooks and two sketches of Henri-Pierre Roche by Wood, scrapbooks, personal business records, printed material, personal and professional correspondence, notebooks and journals by Wood, writings by Wood, personal photographs, glaze recipes, and one pin "Beato for President". Also included are Beatrice Wood's scrapbooks and photograph albums. Four scrapbooks include scrapbook B, 1940-1955; scrapbook F, 1945; Wood's inspirational scrapbook, circa 1940s; and a scrapbook from the 1960s. Eight photograph albums include photograph album #1, 1908; photograph album #2 (Steve Hoag) 1911-1917; photograph album of Wood with friends and fellow theosophists, 1920s-1940s; photograph album #6 of Wood, others, events, 1920s-1960; Wood's pottery photograph album, 1955; photograph album I-3 (Indian trip) 1972; photograph album I-4, photographs for the 33rd wife of the Maharajah, undated; and photograph album # I-5 (India) compiled 1973. Also included are photographs of people, places and events in India, undated. Materials in this addition date from 1908-1996.

Arrangement note:

The collection is arranged as 12 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1924-1993 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1910-1998 (Box 1-8; 7.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1909-1988 (Box 9-11, 26, OV 31; 3.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Notes and Writings, circa 1912-1997 (Box 11-16, 27; 5.5 linear feet)

Series 5: Diaries, 1915-1998 (Box 17-20; 4 linear feet)

Series 6: Glaze Books, circa 1930-1997 (Box 21-22, 27-30; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1940-1997 (Box 23, OV 31; 1.1 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographic Material, 1913-1997 (Box 24, 30; 1 linear foot)

Series 9: Artwork, 1917-1991 (Box 24-25, 30; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 10: Stephen Hoag papers, 1906-1960 (Box 25; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 11: Esther Rosencranz papers, 1894-1959 (Box 25; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 12: Unprocessed Addition, 1908 circa 1996 (Box 32-36, OV 37; Box 38-43; 5.9 linear feet)

Biographical/Historical note:

Beatrice Wood (1893-1998) was a ceramicist, painter, and writer who relocated to Ojai, California in 1948.

Beatrice Wood was born on March 3, 1893 in San Francisco to socially prominent and wealthy parents. In the late 1890s, the family moved to New York City where Wood was expected to begin the process of "coming out" in New York society. This process included boarding schools, a convent school in Paris, and frequent summer trips to Europe where she was exposed to museums, galleries, and the theater. Wood studied acting and dance in Paris until the outbreak of the war in 1914. She returned to New York and soon joined the company of the French National Repertory Theatre. From 1914 through 1916, Wood played over 60 parts as a stage actress.

In 1917, Wood met the writer Henri Pierre Roche, with whom she had a brief affair and a long friendship. Roche introduced her to the New York world of artists and writers and encouraged her interest in drawing and painting. During a visit to see the composer Edgard Varese in the hospital, Wood met Marcel Duchamp, with whom she had a love affair and who also had a strong influence in her development as an artist. Their long discussions about modern art encouraged Wood to show Duchamp a recent drawing entitled "Marriage of a Friend." Duchamp liked the drawing so much that he published it in Rogue, a magazine partly financed by Walter and Louise Arensberg, friends of Duchamp. The Arensbergs were pioneering collectors of modern art and soon became friends of Wood as well. She became a frequent guest at their evening gatherings, forming friendships with Walter Pach, Francis Picabia, Joseph Stella, Myrna Loy, Galka Scheyer, and others.

Through Duchamp and the Arensbergs, Wood was introduced to the world of the New York Dada. Following the formation of the Society of Independent Artists in 1917, Wood exhibited work in their Independents exhibition. Together with Duchamp and Roche, she published a short-lived avant-garde journal, called Blind Man, in which the Alfred Steiglitz photograph of Duchamp's famous ready-made "Fountain" appeared. She also designed the poster for the Dada event, The Blind Man's Ball.

Throughout the 1920s, Wood continued to draw and paint, especially watercolors. Late in 1927, she moved to California to join the Arensbergs, who had been there since 1921. She also developed an interest in clay and took her first ceramics classes with Glen Lukens at the University of Southern California in the late 1930s. In 1940 Wood studied with Otto and Gertrud Natzler, Austrian potters who were known for their technical mastery and ability to throw almost perfectly formed pots. The Natzlers taught her how to throw pots and calculate glaze formulas.

Museums and galleries began to take an interest in her pottery and she held several shows in New York, San Francisco, and Phoenix. Several department stores, including Nieman Marcus and Gumps, also began to feature her pottery. During the 1940s, Wood began making figurative art in addition to more traditional pots. In 1947, for example, she included a large blue fish with white spots in an exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science, and Art. As her skills developed, Wood moved to a new home and studio in Ojai, California. By 1950, Wood was experimenting with luster surfaces, pottery with a metallic glaze that gives the effect of iridescence. These lusterware plates, in addition to her decorative figures and traditional ceramics, were sold at her studio, advertised with a sign out front that read "Beatrice Wood: Fine Pottery, Reasonable and Unreasonable."

In 1961, Wood visited India as a cultural ambassador, sponsored by the State Department. She toured the country and showed her work in fourteen cities. She became enamoured with Indian decorative arts and began to weave shimmering gold and silver threads into her palatte. Wood returned a second time in 1965 at the invitation of the Indian government. It was during this trip that she decided to adopt the sari as her style of dress, a style she continued until her death in 1998. She made her third and last trip to India in 1971. Her book, 33rd Wife of a Maharajah is about her adventures in India.

Wood always enjoyed writing, recording her daily activities in a diary and creating stories about her experiences with friends and colleagues. She published her first book, Angel Who Wore Black Tights in 1982, followed by her autobiography, I Shock Myself, in 1985.

Wood considered her last 25 years as her most productive. In addition to her literary publications, Wood also had several successful exhibitions, including Intimate Appeal: The Figurative Art of Beatrice Wood at the Oakland Museum in 1990 and Beatrice Wood: A Centennial Tribute at New York's American Craft Museum in 1997. The film, Beatrice Wood: The Mama of Dada, was filmed on the occasion of her 100th birthday in 1993. She died in Ojai, California in 1998, nine days after her 105th birthday.

Related Archival Materials note:

The Archives of American Art holds two oral history interviews with Beatrice Wood completed by Paul Karlstrom in 1976 and 1992.

Provenance:

Beatrice Wood donated her papers in several accretions between 1976 and 2002. Additional material was donated by Francis Naumann in 1993 and the Beatrice Wood Personal Property Trust in 1999. Material from a 1977 loan was included in Wood's later donations. Additional papers were donated in 2022 by the Oceanside Museum of Art and by Wood's former studio manager, David VanGilder, in memory of his husband, Kevin Carey Settles. A final donation of Wood's scrapbooks and photograph albums was made in 2023 by the Beatrice Wood CEnter for the Arts via Kevin Wallace, Director.

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

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:

Art -- Philosophy  Search this

Authors -- California  Search this

Glazes -- Formulae  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Actresses -- United States  Search this

Ceramicists -- California  Search this

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California  Search this

Women ceramicists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drafts (documents)

Interviews

Photographs

Illustrated letters

Notes

Watercolors

Diaries

Transcripts

Lithographs

Short stories

Illustrations

Designs

Drawings

Bookplates

Citation:

Beatrice Wood papers, 1906-1998, bulk 1930-1990. 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.woodbeat

See more items in:

Beatrice Wood papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw95e540464-272f-4526-bf3a-4ef14bcb48ff

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-woodbeat

Creator:

Architectural League of New York  Search this

Names:

American Institute of Architects  Search this

National Sculpture Society (U.S.)  Search this

Gilbert, Cass, 1859-1934  Search this

Extent:

114.9 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Annual reports

Photographs

Minutes

Lantern slides

Date:

1880s-1974

Summary:

The records of the Architectural League of New York measure 114.9 linear feet and date from 1880s-1974 (bulk 1927-1968). The League's mission "to advance the art of architecture" is documented through administrative and business records, committee records and officers' files, exhibition files, records of functions and events, correspondence, publicity files, photographs, lantern slides, and 16 scrapbooks.

Scope and Content Note:

The records of the Architectural League of New York measure 114.9 linear feet and date from 1880s-1974 (bulk 1927-1968). The League's mission "to advance the art of architecture" is documented through administrative and business records, committee records and officers' files, exhibition files, records of functions and events, correspondence, publicity files, photographs, lantern slides, and scrapbooks.

League records prior to 1927 are limited in the collection and are mostly found among Administrative Files. The administrative files include a nearly complete collection of annual reports from 1889-1932 and various meetings minutes from 1889 through the mid-20th century. Also found is a history of the League written by founding member Cass Gilbert, documentation of the changes of the League Constitution and By-Laws during the first half of the 20th century, and other administrative records.

Over a third of the collection are records from committees, including voluminous records of the Executive Committee, Current Work Committee, House Committee, Finance Committee, Membership Committee, and Scholarships and Special Awards Committee. In addition, there are scattered records for minor committees. Materials include correspondence, meeting minutes, election ballots, financial records, membership records, documents related to awarding scholarships and awards, and other administrative and organizational committee records. Found is the original 1889 agreement between the Architectural League, the Art Students League, and the Society of American Artists to build the American Fine Arts Society building. Throughout the collection, but especially in the Membership Committee subseries, the records provide a glimpse into the struggles the League faced during the Depression through World War II to maintain dues-paying members.

Officers' Files includes collated records of the League Executive Secretary and Secretary, as well as correspondence of the League President and Treasurer. Materials found here are not comprehensive; similar materials can be found throughout the collection.

Financial records such as bank statements, correspondence, and ledgers; insurance correspondence and policies; and legal correspondence, are found in the Business Records series. This series does not include records prior to 1926.

Exhibition files provide detailed documentation of the exhibitions sponsored by, or held at, the League primarily from the 1930s to the early 1970s. Records related to the League Annual Exhibition, the National Gold Medal Exhibitions, and the 1939 World's Fair in New York are found here, as well as exhibition files arranged chronologically by exhibition date and miscellaneous administrative files. Materials include administrative files, applications, correspondence, printed materials, publicity files, and other records related to organizing and managing exhibitions. The files of the Exhibition Committee are also found here.

Other series which document activities held by, or held at, the League include Functions and Events series and Publicity Files series. Found is correspondence, printed materials, press releases, schedules, and other administrative documents created in organizing events such as dinners, lectures, receptions, balls, and outings. The Records of Other Organizations includes records relating to organizations that had business with the League, often regarding events, meetings, and exhibitions held at the League. Represented here are some records of the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.) and the National Sculpture Society (N.S.S.).

Correspondence includes miscellaneous correspondence arranged alphabetically by subject or name, and collated correspondence arranged chronologically. Most of the chronological correspondence appears to be Secretaries' files. The materials in the Miscellaneous series seem to have been separated from their original files, or were never filed properly. Therefore, materials and contents are similar to those found in other series, such as correspondence, administrative records, some financial records, and handwritten notes.

Black and white photographs, a handful of colored photographs, nearly 350 lantern slides, and negatives of exhibitions, buildings, events, and portraits are found in the Photographic Materials series.

Sixteen scrapbooks include eight scrapbooks of clippings from 1880s-1960s, and seven scrapbooks of notices and printed materials from 1925-1930. Also found is a scrapbook of signatures of event attendees, a clippings scrapbook compiled by Hamilton M. Wright, and a scrapbook of the Archeological Institute of America.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 12 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Administrative Files, 1889-1969 (Boxes 1-10, OV 116; 9.7 linear feet)

Series 2: Committee Records, 1887-1974 (Boxes 10-54, 110, 114, OV 116; 44.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Officers' Files, 1900, 1923-1970 (Boxes 54-58; 3.9 linear feet)

Series 4: Business Records, circa 1926-1972 (Boxes 58-62, BVs 129-144; 7.35 linear feet)

Series 5: Exhibitions, 1887-1972, bulk 1930s-1960s (Boxes 62-83, 111, OVs 117-119; 21.85 linear feet)

Series 6: Functions and Events, 1909, 1931-1973 (Boxes 84-93, OV 120; 9.35 linear feet)

Series 7: Publicity Files, 1922-1972 (Boxes 93-95, 111; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 8: Records Relating to Organizations, 1908-1968, bulk 1930s-1960s (Boxes 95-101; 6.1 linear feet)

Series 9: Correspondence, 1929-1970 (Boxes 101-103, OV 120; 1.85 linear feet)

Series 10: Miscellaneous, circa 1936-1968 (Boxes 103-104; 1.3 linear feet)

Series 11: Photographic Materials, 1896-1960s (Boxes 105-108, 112, OVs 121-128; 4.3 linear feet)

Series 12: Scrapbooks, 1880s-1960s (Boxes 108-109, 113-115, BVs 145-148; 2.2 linear feet)

There are frequently similar and related materials in multiple series, as is indicated in the series' descriptions. The records may originally have been arranged by file owner (committees, secretary, etc.), then by League season (roughly May - April). Most series include a handful of folders in which the original folder title indicates the file owner and League season (i.e. Secretary 1938-1939).

Historical Note:

Modeling the organization's name after the Art Students League of New York, the Architectural League of New York was founded in New York City in 1881 by a group of architects who wished to gather and discuss architecture and its relationship to the arts. The group elected D.W. Willard as the first President of the League and they began gathering regularly to discuss and critique each other's sketches and hold competitions. The organization grew quickly and soon the League rented a room in a building on 14th Street between University Place and Fifth Avenue.

However, by the mid-1880s the founders and more active League members left New York, and membership began to falter. The League was reorganized in 1886, expanding membership beyond professional architects, and incorporated in 1888 with 166 members. In 1889, the League joined with the Art Students League of New York and the Society of American Artists to form the American Fine Arts Society. Thus, in 1892 the three organizations were able to erect a building at 215 West 57th Street where the League remained until 1927 when it moved to 115 East 40th Street.

The League was run by the Executive Committee and its officers, elected every two years. The beginning of each League season kicked off with an annual dinner in the spring. The League also formed numerous committees to organize activities and manage administrative tasks. Noteworthy committees include the Current Work Committee, House Committee, Finance Committee, Exhibition Committee, Membership Committee, and Scholarships and Special Awards Committee.

The League's interdisciplinary approach to architecture and the arts was expressed through sponsored forums and discussions with architects and artists. From the League's beginning, the Current Work Committee was established to organize educational forums for members. Recognition of achievement was awarded by an Annual Exhibition from the late 1880s until 1938. In 1950, the League began awarding the annual National Gold Medal Exhibition in various fields, including landscape architecture, engineering, and sculpture. Additionally, the League awarded numerous other scholarships each year. Architects, artists, and arts-related organizations could also rent space in the League building to hold meetings, discussions, and exhibitions.

The League admitted its first female member in 1934. Notable members of the League included Arnold W. Brunner (President, 1903-1905), Cass Gilbert (President, 1913-1915), Philip Johnson, Robert A.M. Stern, and Russell Sturgis (President, 1889-1893).

The Architectural League of New York continues to provide educational opportunities and scholarships to students and professionals.

Background information was gathered from a written history of the League by Cass Gilbert found in this collection and the Architectural League of New York website (http://archleague.org/category/archive/history-archive/).

Related Material:

Among the holdings of the Archives of American Art are several collections that contain Architectural League of New York records. The American Federation of Arts records, 1895-1993, include a significant amount of League records related to national awards programs and lantern slides from the "New Horizons in America" lecture series.

Provenance:

The Architectural League of New York records were donated in several installments from 1967-1980 by the Architectural League of New York.

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.

Topic:

Architecture  Search this

Function:

Arts organizations

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Annual reports

Photographs

Minutes

Lantern slides

Citation:

Architectural League of New York records, 1880s-1974, bulk 1927-1968. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund

Identifier:

AAA.archleag

See more items in:

Architectural League of New York records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a5b8a23f-5566-4bf5-ae3c-c89920c27dad

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-archleag

Collector:

Rau, William M., 1929-2007  Search this

Donor:

Ellis, Katherine  Search this

Extent:

100 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Advertisements

Brochures

Slides (photographs)

Photographs

Calendars

Menus

Blueprints

Scrapbooks

Date:

1900 - 2007

Scope and Contents:

Approximately 100 cubic feet of photographs, slides, postcards, scrapbooks, brochures, artwork, drawings, and other ephemera documenting engine-powered vessels of the international maritime industry.

Brochures: The brochures are from international passenger lines and cruise lines. They detail both individual ships and shipping lines; they also detail features and services offered by the ship and crew.

Photographs: The photographs, which are captioned, depict ships of all kinds and sizes and in various locales. Some are of specific elements and equipment in the ships, including design elements.

Scrapbooks: Contain photographs, postcards, menus, brochures and flyers, advertisements and clippings. The majority cover passenger and cargo lines, whlie others are on regions or specific topics.

Postcard: include both commercially printed images and photographic postcards sent to Rau by friends.

Drawings and oversized materials, include blueprints of ships, dock and harbor facilities; artwork; posters; maps and charts; maritime calendars, large photographs, and miscellany.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into five series.

Series 1: Scrapbooks

Series 2: Brochures

Series 3: Photographs and slides

Series 4: Postcards

Series 5: Drawings and oversized materials.

Biographical / Historical:

Rau was a Navy veteran and later an officer of the court for New York State and New York City until he retired in 1989. From 1989-2006, he served as the editor of the maritime historical publication of the Steamship Historical Society of America.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Katherine Ellis, daughter of William Rau, through his estate, 2013.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Postcards -- 20th century  Search this

Ocean liners  Search this

Ferries  Search this

Cruise ships  Search this

Boats and boating  Search this

Steamboats  Search this

Ships  Search this

Shipping  Search this

Passenger ships  Search this

Tourism  Search this

Travel  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Advertisements

Brochures

Slides (photographs) -- 20th century

Photographs -- 20th century

Calendars

Menus -- 20th century

Blueprints

Scrapbooks -- 20th century

Citation:

William M. Rau Steamship Collection, 1900-2007, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1306

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8256a7323-d176-4fa4-adbc-bce25f026fe4

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1306