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Timothy Cole papers

Topic:
Century illustrated monthly magazine
Creator:
Cole, Timothy, 1852-1931  Search this
Names:
Beal, Gifford, 1879-1956  Search this
Brown, Alice, 1857-1948  Search this
Brush, George de Forest, 1855-1941  Search this
Cox, Kenyon, 1856-1919  Search this
Drake, Alexander, 1843-1916  Search this
Fraser, William Lewis, 1841-1905  Search this
Frick, Helen Clay, 1888-1984  Search this
Gilder, Richard Watson, 1844-1909  Search this
Guiney, Louise Imogen, 1861-1920  Search this
Johnson, Robert Underwood, 1853-1937  Search this
Pennell, Joseph, 1857-1926  Search this
Powell, Caroline Amelia, 1852-1934  Search this
Sargent, John Singer, 1856-1925  Search this
Turner, Helen Maria, 1858-1958  Search this
Whittle, George Howes  Search this
Extent:
0.5 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1883-1936
Summary:
The papers of wood engraver Timothy Cole date from 1883-1936, and measure 0.5 linear feet. Found within the papers are letters primarily written by Timothy Cole to the editors of Century Magazine, and letters to Cole from colleagues Gifford Beal, Alice Brown, George de Forest Brush, Kenyon Cox, David Finney, Helen C. Frick, Joseph Pennell, Caroline Powell, John Singer Sargent, and Helen M. Turner. Also found are miscellaneous writings, artwork including wood engravings and printing plates, miscellaneous clippings and a photograph of Cole and his wife.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of Timothy Cole measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1883 to 1936. Found within the papers are letters primarily written by Timothy Cole to the editors of Century Magazine including A. W. Drake, W. Lewis Fraser, Richard Watson Gilder, Robert Underwood Johnson, and George Howes Whittle, discussing Cole's production of wood engraved copies of European master paintings for the magazine, and details of the wood engraving process. There are scattered letters to Cole from Century Magazine editors and colleagues Gifford Beal, Alice Brown (discussing Cole's wood engraved portrait of Louise Imogen Guiney for Brown's biography of her), George de Forest Brush, Kenyon Cox, David Finney, Helen C. Frick (concerning a bookplate), Joseph Pennell, Caroline Powell, John Singer Sargent, and Helen M. Turner.

Also found are miscellaneous writings including a notebook of poems by Cole, essays about Louise Imogen Guiney and Joseph Pennell, and an autobiographical essay, artwork consisting of wood engravings executed by Cole of works by the master painters of Europe and America, and two printing plates used by Century Magazine to reproduce Cole's wood engravings. Several clippings concern Cole, his work, and the publication of the book Timothy Cole: Wood Engraver by Alphaeus P. Cole and Margaret Ward Cole in 1936. There is also a photograph of Cole cutting a wood engraving block as his wife reads nearby.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 5 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Letters, 1883-1930 (Box 1; 32 folders)

Series 2: Writings, 1920 (Box 1; 2 folders)

Series 3: Artwork, 1907-1921 (Box 1, OV 2; 4 folders)

Series 4: Clippings, 1927-1936 (Box 1; 2 folders)

Series 5: Photograph, 1910 (Box 1; 1 folder)
Biographical Note:
Timothy Cole was a wood engraver working primarily in the New York City area. Cole worked for several notable magazines, Scribner's Magazine.

Timothy Cole was born in 1852 in London, England, the seventh of the twelve sons of Skinner Cole, a milliner. In 1857, the family immigrated to New York City. Following his mother's death, the family suffered financial hardship and Cole earned money as a delivery boy, newspaper seller, and lamplighter.

In 1868, the family moved to Chicago where Cole was apprenticed to a wood engraving firm and made rapid progress in learning this skill that was the most widely used method of magazine illustration at the time. When the Chicago Fire destroyed his place of employment in 1871, Cole returned New York City where his talents as a wood engraver were soon recognized by various artists and publishers. Cole began his career working for the magazines Hearth and Home, the Christian Weekly, and the Aldine Press.

After the Aldine Press went out of business in 1875, Cole was employed by Scribner's Magazine (later renamed Century Magazine.) During the same year, he married Annie Elizabeth Carter of Jersey City Heights, New Jersey. In 1883, Cole was commissioned by Century Magazine to travel in Europe and make wood engravings of the works of the old masters. He finished a series of Italian masters in 1892, a Dutch and Flemish series in 1896, an English series in 1900, a Spanish series in 1907, and a French series in 1910. In the course of his travels, Cole befriended many artists, including Joseph Pennell and James Abbott MacNeill Whistler. In 1910, Cole returned to the United States where he began work on a series of engravings of American master paintings in public and private collections.

Cole's work received a diploma of honor at the Chicago Exposition in 1893, the gold medal at the Paris Exposition of 1900, and the Grand Prix at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904. He was an honorary member of the Society of Sculptors, Painters, and Engravers of London, a member of the American Academy of Arts and letters, and was elected a National Academician in 1908. In 1903, Cole received an honorary M.A. degree from Princeton University.

Timothy Cole died on May 17, 1931 in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel D30) including 181 letters. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
The collection was acquired by the Archives of American Art in a series of accessions from several different donors between 1959 and 1973. Charles E. Feinberg donated letters in 1959. The artist's sons Percy J. Cole and Lucius Cole loaned 181 letters and gave the Archives materials in 1962. Alphaeus Cole, another son, donated papers in 1973.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Wood-engravers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Wood-engraving  Search this
Magazine illustration  Search this
Citation:
Timothy Cole papers, 1883-1936. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.coletimo
See more items in:
Timothy Cole papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw961315ad2-155e-4a9a-bae6-a6198be021c3
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-coletimo

William Lewis Fraser letter

Creator:
Fraser, William Lewis, 1841-1905  Search this
Names:
Cole, Timothy, 1852-1931  Search this
French, Frank, 1850-1933  Search this
Extent:
1 Item
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1885 November 6
Scope and Contents:
A letter from Frank French to Fraser, November 6, 1885, rejecting Fraser's request on behalf of Timothy Cole to allow Cole to engrave his portrait by Wyatt Eaton.
Biographical / Historical:
Art editor, illustrator, writer, lecturer, and art director.
Provenance:
This letter was probably received as part of the Timothy Cole papers, AAA MF roll D117, which includes other Fraser-French correspondence, but was not microfilmed with them.
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.
Identifier:
AAA.fraswill
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9117ada15-ef45-48af-81ca-0f26dc12f106
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-fraswill

Century Magazine letters

Topic:
Century illustrated monthly magazine
St. Nicholas magazine
Scribner's magazine
Names:
M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this
Beaux, Cecilia, 1855-1942  Search this
Beckwith, J. Carroll (James Carroll), 1852-1917  Search this
Benjamin, S. G. W. (Samuel Greene Wheeler), 1837-1914  Search this
Chase, William Merritt, 1849-1916  Search this
Coffin, William A. (William Anderson), 1855-1925  Search this
Cole, Timothy, 1852-1931  Search this
Coleman, Charles Caryl, 1840-1928  Search this
Cortissoz, Royal, 1869-1948  Search this
Cox, Kenyon, 1856-1919  Search this
Coxe, R. Cleveland (Reginald Cleveland), 1855-  Search this
Cranch, Christopher Pearse, 1813-1892  Search this
Cross, Henry H., 1837-1918  Search this
Dellenbaugh, Frederick Samuel, 1853-1935  Search this
Dewing, Thomas Wilmer, 1851-1938  Search this
Drake, Alexander, 1843-1916  Search this
Eaton, Wyatt, 1849-1896  Search this
Edwards, George Wharton, 1859-1950  Search this
Elwell, F. Edwin (Frank Edwin), 1858-1922  Search this
Fay, Gaston  Search this
Fenn, Harry, 1838-1911  Search this
Foote, Mary Hallock, 1847-1938  Search this
Fraser, William Lewis, 1841-1905  Search this
Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this
French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931  Search this
French, Frank, 1850-1933  Search this
Gardner, Isabella Stewart, 1840-1924  Search this
Hambidge, Jay, 1867-1924  Search this
Hart, Charles Henry, 1847-1918  Search this
Hoeber, Arthur, 1854-1915  Search this
Inness, George, 1854-1926  Search this
Jaccaci, Augusto Floriano, 1857-1930  Search this
Keller, Arthur Ignatius, 1866-1924  Search this
Kemble, E. W. (Edward Windsor), 1861-1933  Search this
La Farge, C. Grant (Christopher Grant), 1862-1938  Search this
La Farge, John, 1835-1910  Search this
Lamb, Charles R. (Charles Rollinson), 1860-1942  Search this
Levy, Florence N. (Florence Nightingale), 1870-1947  Search this
Mather, Frank Jewett, 1868-1953  Search this
Mechlin, Leila, 1874-1949  Search this
Melchers, Gari, 1860-1932  Search this
Millet, Francis Davis, 1846-1912  Search this
Moran, Thomas, 1837-1926  Search this
Morse, Edward Lind, 1857-1923  Search this
Nichols, Hobart, 1869-1962  Search this
Nourse, Elizabeth, 1859-1938  Search this
Oakley, Thornton, 1881-1953  Search this
Oakley, Violet, 1874-1961  Search this
Parrish, Maxfield, 1870-1966  Search this
Partridge, William Ordway, 1861-1930  Search this
Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, 1855-1936  Search this
Pennell, Joseph, 1857-1926  Search this
Poore, Henry Rankin, 1859-1940  Search this
Remington, Eva Caten, d. 1918  Search this
Reuterdahl, Henry, 1871-1925  Search this
Robinson, Boardman, 1876-1952  Search this
Sandham, Henry, 1842-1910  Search this
Smith, DeCost, 1864-1939  Search this
Smith, Jessie Willcox, 1863-1935  Search this
Sterner, Albert, 1863-1946  Search this
Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this
Stillman, William James, 1828-1901  Search this
Taft, Lorado, 1860-1936  Search this
Tanner, Henry Ossawa, 1859-1937  Search this
Thayer, Abbott Handerson, 1849-1921  Search this
Thayer, Gerald Handerson, 1883-1939  Search this
Tryon, Dwight William, 1849-1925  Search this
Van Dyke, John Charles, 1856-1932  Search this
Volk, Douglas , 1856-1935  Search this
Wiles, Irving Ramsay, 1861-1948  Search this
Extent:
3 Microfilm reels
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilm reels
Date:
1870-1918
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence of the Century Magazine and its predecessors, Scribner's Monthly, and St. Nicholas Magazine. Also included is material related to the Century War Series.
Among the correspondents are: Cecilia Beaux, James C. Beckwith, Samuel G. W. Benjamin, William M. Chase, William A. Coffin, Timothy Cole (98 letters), Charles C. Coleman, Royal Cortissoz, Kenyon Cox, Reginald C. Coxe, Christopher P. Cranch, Henry H. Cross, Frederick S. Dellenbaugh, Thomas W. Dewing, Alexander W. Drake, Wyatt Eaton, George W. Edwards, Frank E. Elwell, Gaston Fay, Harry Fenn, Mary H. Foote, William L. Fraser, Charles L. Freer, Daniel C. French, Frank French, Isabella S. Gardner, Jay Hambidge, Charles H. Hart, Arthur Hoeber, George Inness, Jr., August F. Jaccaci, Arthur I. Keller, Edward W. Kemble, Knoedler M. & Company, Christopher G. La Farge, John La Farge, Charles R. Lamb, Florence N. Levy, Frank J. Mather, Leila Mechlin, Gari Melchers, Francis D. Millet, Thomas Moran, Edward L. Morse, Hobart Nichols, Elizabeth Nourse, Thornton Oakley, Violet Oakley, Maxfield Parrish, William O. Partridge, Elizabeth R. Pennell (83 letters & 55p. handwritten article), Joseph Pennell, Henry R. Poore, Eva A. Remington, Henry Reuterdahl, Boardman Robinson, Henry Sandham, DeCost Smith, Jessie W. Smith, Albert E. Sterner, Alfred Stieglitz, William J. Stillman (ca. 95 letters), Lorado Taft, Henry O. Tanner, Abbott H. Thayer, Gerald H. Thayer, Dwight W. Tryon, John C. Van Dyke, Douglas Volk, Irving R. Wiles, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
A quarterly publication on the arts and current affairs.
Other Title:
Century Company collection (NYPL microfilm title)
Provenance:
Microfilmed 1956 by the Archives of American Art with other art-related papers in the Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library. Included in the microfilming project were selected papers of the Art Division and the Prints Division.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Identifier:
AAA.centillu
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c967619e-89f7-4e90-87ce-4707084fbae7
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-centillu

William Lewis Fraser letter, 1885 November 6

Creator:
Fraser, William Lewis, 1841-1905  Search this
Subject:
Cole, Timothy  Search this
French, Frank  Search this
Citation:
William Lewis Fraser letter, 1885 November 6. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)5902
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208742
AAA_collcode_fraswill
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208742

Timothy Cole to William Lewis Fraser

Creator:
Cole, Timothy, 1852-1931  Search this
Fraser, William Lewis, 1841-1905  Search this
Type:
Correspondence
Date:
1884 Apr. 21
Citation:
Timothy Cole. Timothy Cole to William Lewis Fraser, 1884 Apr. 21. Timothy Cole papers, 1883-1936. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)5889
See more items in:
Timothy Cole papers, 1883-1936
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_5889
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