Correspondence, articles, clippings, and gallery literature.
Among the correspondents are Charles Avery Aiken, Grace Albee, Ernfred Anderson, John Taylor Arms, Ralph H. Avery, William J. Aylward, Merrill A. Bailey, Vernon Howe Bailey, George Biddle, Louis Bouche, Fiske Boyd, J. Paul Bransom, Charles Burchfield, Clarence H. Carter, Asa Cheffetz, Eliot C. Clark, Howard N. Cook,Dean Cornwell, James H. Daugherty, E. Hubert Deines, Fritz Eichenberg, Ralph Fabri, Robert Fawcett, James D. Havens, Wilmot Emerton Heitland, Peter Helck, J. Lars Hoftrup, Philip Kappel, Rockwell Kent, Julius J. Lankes, Clare Leighton, Warren B. Mack, Roy M. Mason, Leo Meissner, John C. Menihan, Henry C. Pitz, Ogden Pleissner, Grant T. Reynard, William S. Rice, Norman Rockwell, Sven Birger Sandzen, Alice P. Schafer, Eric Sloane, Charles W. Smith, James Swann, Donald Teague, Nora S. Unwin, Robert Von Neumann, Lynd Ward, Herbert O. Waters, Aldren A. Watson, Stow Wengenroth, Frederic Whitaker, Esther Williams, Edward A. Wilson, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Illustrator, educator, lithographer, engraver, painter and writer; studied at Rochester Institute of Technology and was active in New York State. Former editor of AMERICAN ARTIST.
Related Materials:
Additional Norman Kent papers pertaining to American Artist also located at: George Arent Research Library Syracuse University.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1965 by Norman Kent.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Correspondence; photographs of Freeman and his paintings; photographs of Ralph Fabri; five reproductions of lithographs of New York City, 1931-1932; and printed material concerning the Audubon Artists, Inc. and the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, printmaker, and administrator (New York, N.Y.). Born in Austria, Freeman studied at Columbia, at the Sorbonne, and at the National Academy of Design. He was director of the Eastside Gallery in New York City from 1960 to 1970. From 1974 to 1988 he served as the president of the National Society of Artists in Casein and Acrylic, and he is an honorary life president of Audubon Artists.
Provenance:
Donated 1976-1982 by Mark Freeman.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The Ralph Fabri papers measure 26.0 linear feet and are dated circa 1870s-1975, with the bulk of the material dated 1918-1975. Biographical information, correspondence, subject files, writings, art work, financial records, miscellaneous records, scrapbooks, printed material, a videotape of Fabri in his studio, and photographs document the professional career and personal life of the painter, printmaker, commercial artist, writer, and teacher.
Scope and Content Note:
The Ralph Fabri papers measure 26.0 linear feet and are dated circa 1870s-1975, with the bulk of the material dated 1918-1975. Biographical information, correspondence, subject files, writings, art work, financial records, miscellaneous records, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs document the professional career and personal life of the painter, printmaker, commercial artist, writer, and teacher.
Biographical information includes awards and certificates, educational records, passports and travel documents.
Almost one-half of the collection consists of Fabri's correspondence. There is correspondence with friends and relatives, as well as professional correspondence. Much of the early correspondence with friends and family is written in Hungarian and also include small watercolors by Fabri that he used as postcards to send messages to family members. A number of later letters are illustrated with drawings by Fabri and other artists. Extensive correspondence - often daily missives - records romantic liaisons with Mabel Farrar, Mina Kocherthaler, Elly von Marczell, and Mavis Elizabeth Peat, as well as the travels and careers of Hungarian opera singer Maria Samson and composer and impresario Laszlo Schawrtz. In addition, there are large numbers of Christmas cards, many with original artwork, from artist friends and former students. Professional correspondence concerns teaching, writing and publishing, commercial work, exhibitions and sales.
Subject files relate mainly to organizations and institutions in which Fabri was active, and include his correspondence and some official records (minutes, reports, financial records), and printed material. Among the organizations and institutions are: Allied Artists of America, Inc., Artists for Victory, Inc., Audubon Artists of America, Inc., National Academy of Design, and Society of American Etchers. Other subject files concern the schools where Fabri taught and publications with which he was associated.
Among the writings by Fabri are drafts and completed manuscripts of articles, books (including two unpublished titles), music and lyrics, and a few poems. Diaries (75 vols.) covering the period 1918-1975, contain almost daily entries that record in varying degrees of detail his professional and personal activities, special and mundane events, and opinions. Prior to 1939, the diaries are in Hungarian or partially in Hungarian. Heavily illustrated notes from his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts survive, along with other miscellaneous notes and 7 notebooks containing lists of concerts, operas, and plays attended by Fabri between 1912 and 1974.
Writings by other authors include the manuscript of Pastel Painting published by Stephen Csoka, said to have been written by Fabri.
Art work by Fabri includes student work, early commercial work, drawings and sketches, a few early watercolor paintings, and two sketchbooks. Work by other artists consists of a watercolor by his uncle Miklos Fabri, a pencil drawing by Laszlo Schwartz, a gouache painting by Paul Mommer, and an ink drawing by Marantz.
Financial records mainly concern banking transactions and taxes. In addition there are receipts for personal and business expenses and packages sent to family in Hungary.
Included among the miscellaneous records and artifacts are art sales and donations, six medals awarded to Fabri, and guest books. A videotape (SONY Helical Scan recording) of Fabri in his studio, made by Jerome Bona and Rick Brown that aired on NYC public access television station Channel C in 1973, is also included.
Scrapbooks (10 vols.) contain reproductions of Fabri's early commercial work, clippings, printed material, and a few photographs documenting his career.
Printed material by Fabri includes articles, books, commercial designs, reproductions, and works translated by Fabri for publication in Hungarian. Also included are issues of Today's Art containing signed and unsigned articles and editorials by Fabri, and some pieces he wrote using pseudonyms. Exhibition related items include catalogs, announcements, and invitations for Fabri's group and solo exhibitions and exhibitions of other artists. Also included are posters, and prospectuses.
Photographs are of art work, people, places, and miscellaneous subjects. People pictured are Ralph Fabri, his family (including a few ancestors), friends, and unidentified individuals and groups. Places documented include exterior views of Pension Villa-Fabri in Hungary (the family's restaurant and hotel), as well as photographs of foreign lands visited by Fabri or sent to him by friends. An item of note filed with miscellaneous subjects is a parade float titled "Give a Thought to Music," designed and constructed by Fabri. Included in ten photograph albums are views of paintings and commercial work by Fabri, various friends, his studio, the Dreiser estate in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., and group portraits of City College of New York faculty.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 10 series::
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Information, 1919-1973, undated (Box 1, OV 31; 0.2 linear ft.)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1904-1975, undated (Boxes 1-12; 11.0 linear ft.)
Series 3: Subject Files, 1941-1975, undated (Boxes 12-14, 25; 2.1 linear ft.)
Series 4: Writings, 1911-1975, undated (Boxes 14-17; 3.8 linear ft.)
Series 5: Art Work, circa 1903-1970s, undated (Boxes 17, 26; 0.4 linear ft.)
Series 6: Financial Records, 1923-1973, undated (Box 18; 0.6 linear ft.)
Series 7: Miscellaneous Records and Artifacts, 1931-1975, undated (Box 18; 0.4 linear ft.)
Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1911-1971 (Boxes 27-30; 1.3 linear ft.)
Series 9: Printed Material, 1910s-1973, undated (Boxes 19-23, OV 32; 4.8 linear ft.)
Series 10: Photographs, circa 1870s-1973, undated (Boxes 23-25; 1.4 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Painter and printmaker, commercial artist, writer, and teacher Ralph Fabri was born Fabri Reszo in Hungary in 1894. He was educated in Budapest, first studying architecture at the Royal Institute of Technology from 1912 to 1914. He then enrolled in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, from which he graduated in 1918 with a Professor's Diploma (M.A.) "for teaching drawing, painting and geometry - including descriptive and projective geometry - in schools of higher education."
Fabri arrived in New York City in 1921 and soon adopted the anglicized version of his name, Ralph Fabri. He began doing commercial design work and during the academic year of 1923/24 was enrolled as an evening student at the National Academy of Design. After becoming an American citizen in 1927, he traveled extensively in Europe. Upon returning to New York that same year, Fabri decided his financial situation was stable enough to allow him to focus his attention on fine art.
During the Great Depression, Fabri's already inadequate portrait commissions and art sales further declined and he returned to commercial work. He established a workshop known as the Ralph Fabri Studios, that designed theatrical and movie sets, window displays, and retail interiors. But Fabri found the workshop dirty and distasteful, and eventually was able to concentrate on advertising work which could be done from home. The largest clients for his pen and ink drawings were The Stamp and Album Co. of America, Inc. (for which he designed covers for stamp albums and produced illustrations for envelopes housing sets of stamps sold to collectors), Geographica Map Co., and Joseph H. Cohen & Sons (for whom he designed and illustrated mail order catalogs). Another source of income during this period was the design and construction of an addition to "Iroki," Theodore Dreiser's estate in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., for which Fabri acted as architect and contractor.
Soon after arriving in the United States, Fabri began writing art reviews and articles on art and other topics for publication in Hungarian newspapers, and began submitting similar pieces to American newspapers and periodicals. Between 1949 and 1951 Pictures on Exhibit published a series of twenty articles by Fabri on materials and techniques, and from 1952 through 1961 he was a critic for that publication. Fabri contributed many articles on a variety of topics to Today's Art, starting in 1953, the year the magazine was established. In 1961, Fabri became associate editor of that monthly periodical and was named its editor in 1970, a position he held for the remainder of his life. During his tenure, every issue of Today's Art included signed and unsigned articles and editorials by Fabri, as well as some pieces written under pseudonyms. He also worked as a book reviewer for American Artist and art editor of Funk & Wagnall's New Encyclopedia.
Fabri may be best known for his books in the how-to-do-it vein, some of which were distributed through art supply stores. Among his many books are: Learn to Draw (1945), Oil Painting: How-to-Do-It! (1953), A Guide to Polymer Painting (1966), Sculpture in Paper (1966), Color: A Complete Guide for Artists (1967), Complete Guide to Flower Painting (1968), The First Hundred Years: History of the American Watercolor Society (1969), Painting Outdoors (1969), Painting Cityscapes (1970), and Artist's Guide to Composition (1971).
For nearly three decades, Fabri taught art in New York City. He was an instructor in the life and still life classes at the Parson's School of Design from 1947 through 1949. In 1951, Fabri was appointed associate professor at City College of New York, where he taught painting and art history until retiring in 1967. In addition, he was on the faculty of School of the National Academy of Design, teaching painting, drawing, and graphics from 1964 until his death.
Fabri was an active member of many artists' organizations. He was president of the National Society of Painters in Casein, Inc., an organization founded by Fabri in 1953 (it later became the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic, Inc.); he also served as president of the Audubon Artists and the Allied Artists of America, Inc. As historian of The American Watercolor Society, Fabri wrote a book length history of that organization published on the occasion of its centennial. He was the secretary and treasurer of the National Academy of Design, as well as serving on many of its committees.
Paintings and prints by Ralph Fabri have been exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and, to a lesser extent, in Europe. A frequent lecturer, his painting demonstrations were quite popular. Fabri received numerous honors and awards, and his work is included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the National Academy of Design, the Norfolk Museum of Art and Science, Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Gallery in Budapest, and many other public and private collections.
Ralph Fabri died in New York City in February 1975.
Related Material:
Ralph Fabri donated his correspondence with Theodore and Helen Dreiser, 1929-1955, to the University of Pennsylvania, where it is now part of the Theodore Dreiser papers.
Provenance:
The Ralph Fabri papers were donated by Ralph Fabri, 1971-1974. Additional papers were the gift of his estate, 1975-1976.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art critics -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Art -- Study and teaching -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Art criticism -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painting, American -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Function:
Arts organizations -- New York (State)
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Christmas cards
Scrapbooks
Video recordings
Drawings
Diaries
Watercolors
Sketches
Sketchbooks
Illustrated letters -- Local
Citation:
Ralph Fabri papers, circa 1870s-1975, bulk 1918-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
A resume and a statement of purpose; correspondence, including letters from Adolf Gottlieb, Arthur Millier, Ralph Fabri, and Lee Kalcheim; lecture notes from a course given by Tony Smith at Hunter College, New York; and a clipping.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter and educator; New York, N.Y. Studied at City College, New York and Hunter College under Mark Rothko and Tony Smith. She has won a number of fellowships including the Max Beckmann and the Jackson Pollock-Lee Krasner fellowships. Her art works are multimedia in nature.
Provenance:
Leff donated her papers on July 31, 1979; however, she requested that the materials be returned to her in May 1985.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- History -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Correspondence, 1969-1975; diary written in Russian, 1966-1976; photographs of Hollerbach, and his art work; three sketchbooks, 1971-1975; exhibition catalogs; and clippings. Among the correspondents are Aleksis Rannit, Ralph Fabri, and Fritz Eichenberg.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, sculptor; New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
Donated 1976 by Serge Hollerbach.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Letters, post cards, and original Christmas cards from artist Ralph Fabri to Pontius; and a several of Fabri's exhibition catalogs and announcements.
Biographical / Historical:
Educator; Chicago, Ill. Fabri was a painter, writer, sculptor, and educator and lived in New York City. He died in 1975.
Provenance:
The donor, Dale Pontius, is a friend of Ralph Fabri.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Correspondence, printed material, photographs and biographical material.
UNMICROFILMED: Correspondence with Audubon Artists, Ralph Fabri, the Huntington Township Art League, National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic, and the Silvermine Guild of Artists; biographical information; written statements on art; clippings, articles, exhibition catalogs and announcements; and ca. 150 photographs of Niemann and his art work.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter; New York, N.Y. Studied at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League. Member of Audubon Artists, American Watercolor Society, and the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic.
Provenance:
Donated by Edmund Niemann, 1979.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Correspondence and clippings relating to Lauck's own sculpture, his interest in liturgical art, and his work as head of the Department of Art and the Art Gallery at Notre Dame University; correspondence from Ivan Mestrovic, Fred Nagler, Ralph Fabri, Charles Burchfield and Ulfert Wilke.
Biographical / Historical:
Sculptor and educator; born Indiana, Indianapolis. Has received numerous awards for his works in stone and wood and has exhibited extensively. Taught drawing and sculpture at University of Notre Dame, 1950-1973.
Provenance:
Lauck retained his original papers, but gave the Archives of American Art a 16mm filmed copy of them which the Archives subsequently transferred to 35mm microfilm.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
7 letters from Fabri to Theodore Dreiser and others; Fabri's personal expense account, 1972; writings by Kocherthaler about Fabri; a photograph of the "Ralph Fabri Medal of Honor," sculpted by Domenico Facci; exhibition catalogs and announcements; obituary and memorial writings about Fabri; and 2 letters to Kocherthaler from William Gorman and Grace Brown concerning Fabri.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, New York City. Studied with Fabri at the National Academy of Design's School of Fine Art.
Provenance:
The AAA also has 27.0 linear ft. of Fabri's own papers.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Biographical material, letters, writings, sketchbooks, art works, clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, photographs and subject files.
Biographical material, including resumes, exhibition chronologies, and a certificate from the Master Institute of the Roerich Museum, 1934; letters from Egri's parents, Ilona and Lajos Egri and other family members, 1951-1988; letters from art institutions, 1935-1988; general correspondence, undated, 1969-1988, including letters from Ralph Fabri and Judith Blam; writings by Egri, including artists' statements, drafts for two short stories, and two notebooks from classes at the Roerich Museum, 1934, "Theory and Design" and "Dynamic Symmetry" (retyped in 1988), each containing original art work;
art works, including 2 sketchbooks, 14 loose sketches, 21 drawings, and 13 watercolors; clippings, 1929-1987; ca. 70 exhibition catalogs and announcements, 1946-1987 and undated; photographs of Egri, her parents, brothers, and ca. 100 of her works of art; subject files pertaining to Egri's work for the WPA Federal Art Project, 1938-1939, including her mural for Lincoln Hospital, Bronx, N.Y., mural painting courses taught by Egri at the Spokane Art Center, Washington, and the WPA's New Reading Materials Program, sponsored by the NYC Board of Education, regarding Egri's illustrations for three children's books.
Biographical / Historical:
Figure painter, muralist, illustrator, educator, New York, N.Y. and Wilmington, Del. Studied at the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League, and the Master Institute of the Roerich Museum with Howard Giles. She also painted and exhibited in Taos, N.M. with her brother Ted Egri. Her subject was primarily the female figure.
Provenance:
The donor, Ted Egri, is the younger brother of Ruth Egri Holden.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Illustrators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Primarily correspondence and a scrapbook kept by several of the Society's secretaries including F. L. Thompson and James Swann. Correspondence mostly with members concerning activities, sales, and exhibitions. Several letters inquire about the status of the Society and whether it will continue. The scrapbook, 1937-1972 (bulk 1937-1948), contains exhibition catalogs and announcements, letters, annual bulletins, membership lists, handwritten minutes of Board of Directors' meetings which detail expenses, suggestions for exhibition venues, membership and activities. Added to the scrapbook is the 1972 certificate of dissolution of the Society. A few miscellaneous financial records, printed materials, and price lists complete the collection.
Among the correspondents are: Cornelius Botke, Gustav Dalstrom, Gene Kloss, Philip Kappel, Roi Partridge, Leon R. Pescheret, and Maltby Sykes, as well as local Chicago artists.
Arrangement:
Arranged into series by record type: I. Correspondence II. Scrapbook III. Financial material; chronological thereunder.
Biographical / Historical:
Art society; Chicago, Ill., organized 1910; dissolved 1972.
Provenance:
Donated 1996 by Peter Jensen, son of printmaker John Paul Jensen, the last secretary of the Chicago Society of Etchers, who retained the records of the Society after its dissolution.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The papers of printmaker Grace Albee measure 4.5 linear feet and date from 1890 to 1971. Found are biographical material, correspondence, twenty diaries, printed material, photographs, and artwork, including one sketchbook.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of printmaker Grace Albee measure 4.5 linear feet and date from 1890 to 1971. Found are biographical material, correspondence, twenty diaries, printed material, photographs, and artwork, including one sketchbook.
Biographical materials include biographical sketches and family history records. Correspondence is with family, friends and institutions and includes letters from Percy Albee, John Taylor Arms, Ralph Fabri, and A. Hyatt Mayor. Twenty diaries and a fragment date from 1927-1970 and may include information on specific prints and daily activities. Artwork consists of prints by Albee, pencil sketches, and unsigned works.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 6 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1910s-1970 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1, OV6)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1890-1971 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Series 3: Diaries, 1927-1970 (1.2 linear feet; Boxes 2-3
Series 4: Printed Material, 1909-1917 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 3-4)
Series 5: Photographic Material, 1910-1971 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 4-5, OV6)
Series 6: Artwork and Artifacts, circa 1910-1960s (0.2 linear feet; Box 5)
Biographical / Historical:
Grace Albee (1890-1985) was a printmaker and wood engraver active in Rhode Island and New York City, New York. Albee's prints were largely inspired by her surroundings while living in New York City, Paris, and rural Rhode Island.
Grace Thurston Arnold was born in 1890 in North Scituate, Rhode Island. During high school, she began weekend classes at the Rhode Island School of Design and enrolled as a student in 1910 where she studied painting, drawing, and printmaking. During her career, Grace concentrated on printmaking with woodcuts and lithographs.
In 1913, Grace married muralist Percy Albee and they raised five sons. The Albees moved to Paris, France in the 1930s where she held her first one-woman show. Later, they lived in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, locations which would inspire her throughout her artistic career. She produced prints into her nineties and died in 1985 in Rhode Island.
Provenance:
Grace Albee donated her papers to the Archives of American Art in 1971.
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.
Occupation:
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Wood-engravers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Grace Albee papers, 1890-1971. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
To process this collection, this project received Federal support from the Collections Care Initiative Fund, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative and the National Collections Program
The papers of marine painter, illustrator, writer and art instructor Stanley Woodward date from 1875-1970, bulk 1905-1970, and measure 6.6 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials, family and personal correspondence, seventeen diaries, notes, notebooks and other writings, business records, a scrapbook and printed material including exhibition announcements and catalogs; and photographs of Woodward, members of his family, friends, his studio, and artwork. Files containing letters, clippings, and photographs concern actresses including Janis Carter, Linda Darnell, Bette Davis, and Eleanor Powell. Writings include drafts of Woodward's book Adventure in Marine Painting.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of marine painter, illustrator, writer and art instructor Stanley Woodward date from 1875-1970, bulk 1905-1970, and measure 6.6 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials, artworks, family and personal correspondence, seventeen diaries, notes, notebooks and other writings, business records, a scrapbook and printed material including exhibition announcements and catalogs; and photographs of Woodward, members of his family, friends, and his studio. Files containing letters, clippings, and photographs concern actresses including Janis Carter, Linda Darnell, Bette Davis, and Eleanor Powell. Writings include drafts of Woodward's book Adventure in Marine Painting.
Biographical material includes miscellaneous accounts of Woodward's life, cards and certificates of membership in various organizations including the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Salmagundi Club, and the Academic Artist Association, military records of his service in both World Wars, and scattered artwork. A file concerning Woodward's portrait of Abraham Lincoln contains letters primarily discussing a reproduction of the portrait in The Boston Globe and the painting's eventual sale, in addition to notes, clippings, an ink drawing, and a photographic negative of the drawing.
Correspondence is between various family members, but also includes letters to Woodward from colleagues including Harrison Cady, Eleanor Parke Custis, Ralph Fabri, Chauncey F. Ryder, and Howard E. Smith. There are also scattered letters from other artists including Gifford Beal, Mary Butler, Gordon Grant, Norman Kent, Hobart Nichols, Thornton Oakley, Edmund Tarbell, and Anthony Thieme. Correspondence primarily concern his painting career, and includes lists of art work and financial material.
Artwork consists of a sketchbook and three sketches.
Files concerning actresses reflect Woodward's life-long friendship with former teenaged neighbor Bette Davis, who later introduced Woodward and his art work to her show business friends. The files contain letters, clippings, and photographs of actresses Janis Carter, Linda Darnell, Bette Davis, Laraine Day, Madaline Lee, Ida Lupino, Eleanor Powell, and Alexis Smith.
Seventeen diaries contain relatively detailed daily entries describing Woodward's art-related activities, experiences during World War II, and various travels, including a trip to Los Angeles to be a house guest of Bette Davis and visit her on the set of the motion picture Elizabeth and Essex. The 1905 diary contains photographs of Woodward's school friends.
Notes, notebooks, and writings include lists of art works, exhibition guest books, and miscellaneous writings by Woodward including drafts of his book Adventure in Marine Painting.
Business records include an auction catalog, account books for the sale of Woodward's book and art work, and miscellaneous receipts. Records of art classes taught by Woodward include lists of participants, accounts of fees paid, and printed advertisements.
A scrapbook containing clippings and exhibition announcements and catalogs illustrates Woodward's early interests and art-related activities.
Additional printed material consists of clippings, copies of the U. S. Air Corps Magazine The Rip Chord for which Woodward did the cover illustrations, prospectuses with annotations of titles and prices of art work, exhibition announcements and catalogs, reproductions of art work, a booklet, and brochures for books and for art schools. Miscellaneous printed material includes reproductions of a photograph of Woodward's father, Frank E. Woodward, and a program for an event honoring Dr. T. Tertius Noble.
Photographs are of Woodward, family members, friends connected with the U. S. Army Air Force including Jack Dempsey, Woodward's studio, and art work. Three albums contain photographs of art classes and Woodward painting outdoors at various locations including Laguna Beach and Palm Springs, California, St. Augustine, Florida, and Rockport, Massachusetts. A third album also contains photographs of notable friends including Janis Carter, Jeanne Craine, Bette Davis, Rita Hayworth, and Gary Merrill.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 10 series. Each series is arranged chronologically.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1918-1968 (Boxes 1, 8; 15 folders)
Series 2: Artwork, circa 1920s (Boxes 1; 2 folders)
Series 3: Correspondence, 1910-1969 (Boxes 1-3; 2.9 linear feet)
Series 4: Files Concerning Actresses, 1931-1970 (Boxes 4, 8; 0.75 linear feet)
Series 5: Diaries, 1905-1969 (Boxes 4-5; 10 folders)
Series 6: Notes, Notebooks, and Writings, 1915-1969 (Boxes 5, 8; 21 folders)
Series 7: Business Records, 1924-1969 (Boxes 5-6; 15 folders)
Series 8: Scrapbook, 1875-1919 (Box 6; 1 folder)
Series 9: Printed Material, 1916-1970 (Boxes 6-7; 0.75 linear feet)
Series 10: Photographs, 1920-1969 (Boxes 7-8, OV 9; 11 folders)
Biographical Note:
Stanley Wingate Woodward was born on December 11, 1890, in Malden, Massachusetts, son of Alice E. (Colesworthy) and Frank E. Woodward. He was one of eight children and a twin of Sidney, who later became an art dealer and critic.
In 1909, Woodward graduated from Malden High School and the family moved to Wellesley Hills. He studied at the Eric Pape School of Art, the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He left school to serve in France as a Corporal in the Field Artillery 28th Division during World War I. After the war, he settled in Ogunquit, Maine, and became a free lance illustrator for Collier's and the Christian Science Monitor, where his brother Sidney was art editor.
In 1925, he held his first solo show of marine oils at Casson Galleries, Boston, where his twin brother Sidney was manager. He was encouraged to continue painting the ocean after the entire exhibition sold out.
Woodward married Ruth Brainerd in 1926 and they settled in Newton, Massachusetts, where they were neighbors to a young Bette Davis, who had recently graduated from high school. Woodward maintained contact with the actress for the rest of his life, and through Ms. Davis, he befriended other show business personalities.
During the 1930s, Woodward taught painting at the Woodward Outdoor Painting School of Rockport, Massachusetts, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida, and at the Laguna Beach School in California. In 1937, he established his residence and studio in Rockport, Massachusetts.
Woodward served as an Air Corps captain and director of camouflage training at McChord Field in Tacoma, Washington, during World War II. In 1947, he published a book on painting techniques entitled Adventure in Marine Painting. He was also the author of Marine Paintings in Oil and Water Color.
Woodward was a member of the Chicago Society of Etchers, the Concord Art Association, the Print Makers Society of California, the Boston Society of Water Color Painters, Allied Artists of America, the Guild of Boston Artists, the North Shore Art Association, the American Water Color Society, the Grand Central Galleries Association, and the Rockport Art Association. His work is in the collections of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Bowdoin College, Amherst College, Lehigh University, and the Prudential Life Insurance Collection.
Stanley Wingate Woodward died on March 21, 1970 in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Provenance:
The Stanley Woodward papers were donated in two installments in 1973 by Stanley Woodward's daughter, Patricia Woodward Smith.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use 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.
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Ralph Fabri papers, circa 1870s-1975, bulk 1918-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Ralph Fabri papers, circa 1870s-1975, bulk 1918-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Ralph Fabri papers, circa 1870s-1975, bulk 1918-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Ralph Fabri papers, circa 1870s-1975, bulk 1918-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Ralph Fabri papers, circa 1870s-1975, bulk 1918-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Ralph Fabri papers, circa 1870s-1975, bulk 1918-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Ralph Fabri papers, circa 1870s-1975, bulk 1918-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
