Search Results

Creator:

Rinzler, Ralph  Search this

Names:

Festival of American Folklife  Search this

Folkways Records  Search this

Greenbriar Boys  Search this

Jugtown Pottery (Firm)  Search this

Newport Folk Festival  Search this

Smithsonian Folklife Festival  Search this

UNESCO  Search this

Carter, Jimmy, 1924-  Search this

Hawes, Bess Lomax, 1921-2009  Search this

Lomax, Alan, 1915-2002  Search this

Monroe, Bill, 1911-1996  Search this

Rinzler, Kate, 1937-2010  Search this

Sayles, Charlie  Search this

Seeger, Anthony  Search this

Seeger, Mike, 1933-2009  Search this

Seeger, Pete, 1919-2014  Search this

Seeger, Toshi  Search this

Watson, Doc  Search this

Extent:

106.32 Cubic feet (87.5 cubic feet of papers, 18.82 cubic feet of audio)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Field recordings

Correspondence

Phonograph records

Notes

Business records

Audiocassettes

Photographic prints

Black-and-white negatives

Audiotapes

Date:

1890-2011

bulk 1950-1994

Summary:

This collection, with bulk dates from 1950-1994, documents the life of Ralph Rinzler and his professional activities as Director of Field Programs for the Newport Folk Festival, Director of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival (formerly the Festival of American Folklife) and the Office of Folklife Programs (now the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage), and the Smithsonian Institution's Assistant Secretary for Public Service. Includes personal papers, business records, correspondence, notes, photographs, audiotapes and field recordings.

Scope and Contents:

The Ralph Rinzler Papers and Audio Recordings encompasses a wide range of materials from Rinzler's prolific personal and professional life. Predominantly consisting of clippings, collected texts, correspondence, meeting notes, photographs, and production materials, this collection charts Rinzler's role in the mid-twentieth century emergence of community-based and institutional efforts to preserve, sustain, and amplify cultural heritage. As an assemblage of materials from all aspects of his life, the Ralph Rinzler Papers also reflect the many integral relationships he developed throughout the years with his colleagues, contemporaries, family, and friends.

Arrangement note:

The collection is currently arranged in 9 archival series as follows:

1. Biographical

2. Collected Texts

3. Correspondence

4. Events

5. Fieldwork

6. Meetings and Organizations

7. Notable Figures

8. Publishing and Production

9. Audio

The papers and photographs contained in the first 8 series are processed at an intermediate level, which means that all material was rehoused in archival folders, with folder-level arrangements and descriptions. Individual items within folders may not be fully arranged or described, due to the collection's level of complexity when it was deposited in the Archives.

When possible, folders were arranged alphabetically within series and subseries.

Biographical/Historical note:

Ralph Rinzler (1934-1994) was born in Passaic, New Jersey, and was interested in music at an early age. He was given a collection of ethnographic recordings from the Archive of Folk Song of the Library of Congress by his uncle, Harvard University ballad scholar George Lyman Kittredge, and they soon became his favorites. He became actively involved in the Folk Revival while attending Swarthmore College, organizing an annual festival on campus. He received his B.A. in 1956, and did graduate work at Middlebury College and the Sorbonne in French literature and language. Upon his return to the United States, he played mandolin for four years with the Greenbriar Boys, at times touring with singer Joan Baez. During the 1960s, he also studied, recorded, and worked with performers of traditional music, such as Doc Watson and Bill Monroe, both of whom gained international recognition in part through his efforts. In 1964, Rinzler accepted the position of Director of Field Programs at the Newport Folk Foundation, which involved the planning and programming of the Newport Folk Festival.

Rinzler came to the Smithsonian in 1967 as co-founder of the Festival of American Folklife (now the Smithsonian Folklife Festival) with James Morris in what was then the Smithsonian's Division of Performing Arts. After the 1976 Bicentennial Festival, Rinzler became the founding director of the Office of Folklife Programs (now the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage) to establish a center for research, publication, and presentation of programs in American culture and tradition. As Director, he initiated Smithsonian Folklife Studies, a publication series, and did research for the Celebration exhibit, which opened at the Renwick Gallery in 1982. Rinzler was appointed Assistant Secretary for Public Service in 1983 and Assistant Secretary Emeritus in 1990. Ralph Rinzler died on July 2, 1994.

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:

The materials in this collection were deposited into the archives of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage over a number of years by Ralph Rinzler, Kate Rinzler, and Jeff Place in honor of the aforementioned. From the 1980s until Ralph Rinzler's passing in 1994, the Center received the majority of the audio tapes and photographs in this collection directly from Rinzler. With Rinzler's death in 1994, Jeff Place reviewed and deposited the majority of Rinzler's papers at the Center.

Until her passing in 2011, Kate Rinzler donated materials to this collection, with more continuing to arrive via her estate (as of May 2021). Many of these items were rehoused in the Kate Rinzler Papers.

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.

Topic:

Folk festivals  Search this

Folk music -- Southern States  Search this

Folk music -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Field recordings

Correspondence

Phonograph records

Notes

Business records

Audiocassettes

Photographic prints

Black-and-white negatives

Audiotapes

Citation:

Ralph Rinzler papers and audio recordings, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.RINZ

See more items in:

Ralph Rinzler papers and audio recordings

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk51af02b1d-29bd-42f2-a8e7-d35c9bab6da0

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-rinz

Creator:

Federal Art Project (N.M.)  Search this

Names:

Museum of New Mexico. Art Gallery  Search this

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Chapman, Manville  Search this

Kavin, Zena  Search this

Kloss, Gene, 1903-  Search this

Morris, James Stovall, 1898-1973  Search this

Extent:

40 Items ((on partial microfilm reel))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1935-1943

Scope and Contents:

Photographs of works by FAP New Mexico artists: Gene Kloss, Manville Chapman, Zena Kavin, and James S. Morris, from the collection of the Museum of New Mexico Fine Arts Gallery; and a checklist of the photographed work.

Biographical / Historical:

Federal aid art project during the Depression. The Federal Art Project (FAP) fell under the jurisdiction of Federal Project No. 1 of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), established in May 1935 specifically as a work relief program for unemployed artists. Each state and territory had its own programsand were administered aid from the federal government via a local agency.

Provenance:

Prints purchased from Fine Arts Gallery, Museum of New Mexico, 1964.

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.

Topic:

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts -- New Mexico  Search this

Federal aid to the public welfare -- New Mexico  Search this

Artists -- United States -- Photographs  Search this

Function:

Programs (organizations)

Agencies

Identifier:

AAA.fedeartp04

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw95bb967fc-408e-4083-b1d3-f41ea9a50561

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-fedeartp04

Creator:

Mecklem, Austin Merrill, 1894-1951  Search this

Names:

Albright Art School (Buffalo, N.Y.) -- Faculty  Search this

Federal Works Agency  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Appel, Marianne, 1913-1988  Search this

Henson, Jim  Search this

Mecklem, Austin Merrill, 1894-1951  Search this

Extent:

5 Linear feet

0.035 Gigabytes

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gigabytes

Sketchbooks

Manuscripts

Photographs

Watercolors

Sketches

Drawings

Date:

1910-2009

Summary:

The Austin Merrill Mecklem and Marianne Greer Appel papers measure 5.0 linear feet and 0.035 GB and date from 1910-2006, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1928-1977. Correspondence, writings, drawings, printed and digital material, miscellaneous items and photographs document Mecklem as an artist, muralist and art instructor and Appel as an artist, puppet designer and author and illustrator of children's books. A significant part of Appel's papers consists of drafts of two illustrated children's books.

There is an unprocessed addition of 3.6 linear feet donated in 2019 relating to Marianne Greer Appel including biographical material, correspondence, writings, rare published and printed material, photographs, and preliminary works of art.

Scope and Content Note:

The Austin Merrill Mecklem and Marianne Greer Appel papers measure 5.0 linear feet and 0.035 GB and date from 1910-2006, with the bulk of materials dating from 1928-1977. Correspondence, writings, drawings, printed and digital material, miscellaneous items and photographs document Mecklem as an artist, muralist and art instructor and Appel as an artist, puppet designer and author and illustrator of children's books. A significant portion of Appel's papers consist of drafts of two illustrated children's books.

Austin Mecklem's papers include biographical materials, personal and professional correspondence and letters, and printed material from the WPA. Printed material includes newspaper clippings, exhibition catalogs, announcements and press releases, and an article from Fortune Magazine concerning the Coulee Dam, a subject of interest to Mecklem. Digital material consists of "Catalogue Raisonee as of February 2009".

Of particular note are Mecklem's lecture and teaching notes on the "Fundamentals of Art" prepared for his class at the Albright Art School. Also, there are photographs of Mecklem's paintings and murals, including his design for a mural for the Recorder of Deeds Building in Washington, D. C. Original artwork by Mecklem includes the blueprint for the Portland, Connecticut Post Office mural, drawings on tissue paper, a watercolor landscape, and a cartoon entitled "Life at the High."

Appel's papers consist of drafts of children's books, "The Story of Juliet" (1945) and "Perlydew" (after 1953), correspondence, writings, sketches and clippings from the period after Mecklem's death. Correspondence includes personal letters and letters from the Federal Works Agency Public Buildings Administration regarding the Agency's purchase of Appel's artwork. Also found are sketch books and an original watercolor signed by Appel.

Also found are photographs of friends and family as well as photographs of Appel's paintings and puppets she designed. Some photographs of puppets carry notes by Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets. Appel's book drafts include manuscripts, both typed and hand-written, with layouts and illustrations in tempera or gouache.

This collection contains scattered notes by the donors which identify or explain materials.

There is an unprocessed addition of 3.6 linear feet donated in 2019 relating to Marianne Greer Appel including biographical material, correspondence, writings, rare published and printed material, photographs, and preliminary works of art.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 4 Series. Materials are generally arranged by record type and chronolgically thereafter.

Missing Title

Series 1: Austin Merrill Mecklem papers, 1910-2006 (Boxes 1-2; OV3; 0.9 linear feet, ER01; 0.035 GB)

Series 2: Marianne Greer Appel papers, 1928-2006 (Boxes 1-2; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 3: Family Photographs, 1928-1950 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 4: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1928-2006 (Boxes 4-7; OV 8-10); 3.6 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Artists Austin Merrill Mecklem "Meck" (1894-1951) and Marianne Greer Appel (1913-1988) married in 1937 and lived and worked in Woodstock, New York as part of the Woodstock artists' colony, Maverick. Mecklem died in 1951 at age 56. In 1953, Appel and her two daughters moved to New York City where she pursued a career as a puppet designer and author and illustrator of children's books. She worked for puppeteer, Bill Baird, and later, Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets. Appel married Carl Harms, actor and puppeteer, in 1960.

Both Mecklem and Appel were associated with the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Mecklem received notable commissions from the WPA, including the painting of murals for the Recorder of Deeds Building in Washington, D. C., the Wrangell, Alaska Custom House and Post Office, and the Post Office in Portland, Connecticut. Mecklem also taught art at the Museum School in Portland, Oregon, the Art Students League in New York, the Albright Art School in Buffalo, New York, and the Woodstock School of Painting. Mecklem's work has been exhibited in a number of one-man shows and at major museums such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Austin Mecklem was born in Califax, Washington and studied at Washington State University, the San Francisco School of Fine Arts, the Art Students League in New York and in Paris and Holland. His first marriage to Hannah Small, also of the Woodstock artist's colony, ended in divorce. In 1906 Appel began her studies at the Woodstock School, where she met Mecklem. Appel's work has been exhibited at museums such as the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Provenance:

The papers were donated in 2010 by Sarah Greer Mecklem and Merrill Mecklem Piera, Austin Mecklem's and Marianne Appel's daughters, and in 2019 by Sarah Greer Mecklem.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

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

Occupation:

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

Topic:

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

Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this

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

Illustrated books, Children's  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sketchbooks

Manuscripts

Photographs

Watercolors

Sketches

Drawings

Citation:

Austin Merrill Mecklem and Marianne Greer Appel papers, 1910-2006, bulk 1928-1977. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.meckaust

See more items in:

Austin Merrill Mecklem and Marianne Greer Appel papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90b63e232-23ed-4d68-bb8f-8b15579f8520

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-meckaust

Collector:

Allen, George V.  Search this

Names:

Albuquerque Indian School  Search this

Castillo de San Marcos (Saint Augustine, Fla.)  Search this

Chilocco Indian Agricultural School  Search this

Geological Survey (U.S.)  Search this

Haskell Indian Nations University  Search this

United States Indian School (Carlisle, Pa.)  Search this

Yankton Mission (Yankton Indian Reservation, S.D.)  Search this

American Horse, 1840-1908  Search this

Big Bow Chief  Search this

Bogy, Lewis V. (Lewis Vital), 1813-1877  Search this

Cushing, Frank Hamilton, 1857-1900  Search this

Harding, Warren G. (Warren Gamaliel), 1865-1923  Search this

Hough, Walter, 1859-1935  Search this

Iron Bull (Crow Indian chief)  Search this

Kelly, Luther S. (Luther Sage), 1849-1928  Search this

Mató-Tópe, Mandan chief, d. 1837  Search this

Mix, Charles E.  Search this

Monroe, Mark, 1930-  Search this

Moran, John, 1831-1903  Search this

Ouray  Search this

Red Cloud, 1822-1909  Search this

Red Dog, Oglala chief  Search this

Red Shirt, 1845?-1925  Search this

Reilly, John James, 1838-1894  Search this

Reynolds, Joseph Jones, 1822-1899  Search this

Sitting Bull, 1831-1890  Search this

Spotted Tail, 1823-1881  Search this

Stevenson, Matilda Coxe, 1850-1915  Search this

Two Guns White Calf, 1872-1934 (Piegan)  Search this

Photographer:

Alvord, Kellogg, & Campbell  Search this

Bailey & Whitesides  Search this

Bailey, Dix, & Mead  Search this

Bennett & Brown  Search this

Black Hills View Company  Search this

Brooks Photo  Search this

Brubaker and Whitesides  Search this

C. Duhem & Bro.  Search this

Calfee & Catlin  Search this

Caswell & Davy  Search this

Copelin & Son  Search this

Cosand & Mosser  Search this

Cunningham & Co. (1880-1889)  Search this

D.D. Merrill, Randall & Co.  Search this

E. & H.T. Anthony (Firm)  Search this

Eaton, of Ralston, Oklahoma  Search this

Griffith & Griffith  Search this

Gurnsey & Illingworth  Search this

Hamilton and Hoyt  Search this

Hamilton and Kodylek  Search this

Hansard & Carden  Search this

Henry L. Shepard & Co.  Search this

Ingersoll View Company (St. Paul, Minnesota)  Search this

J.J. Reilly & Co.  Search this

Judd and McLeish  Search this

Keystone View Company  Search this

Kilburn Brothers  Search this

Lawrence & Houseworth  Search this

Leonard & Martin  Search this

M.S. Mepham & Bro.  Search this

Martin's Gallery  Search this

Montgomery Ward  Search this

Ramsour & Pennel  Search this

Reed & McKenney  Search this

Rodocker & Blanchard  Search this

Savage & Ottinger  Search this

Thomas Houseworth & Co  Search this

Underwood & Underwood  Search this

Universal Photo Art Co  Search this

Whitney & Zimmerman  Search this

Wittick & Bliss  Search this

Wittick & Russell  Search this

Young & Chase  Search this

Barker, George, 1844-1894  Search this

Barry, D. F. (David Francis), 1854-1934  Search this

Batchelder, B. P. (Benjamin Pierce), 1826-1891  Search this

Bates, Edw. (Edward)  Search this

Beaman, Edward O.  Search this

Bell, C. M. (Charles Milton), approximately 1849-1893  Search this

Bell, William, 1830-1910  Search this

Benecke, Robert  Search this

Bennett, H. H. (Henry Hamilton), 1843-1908  Search this

Bierstadt, Charles, 1819-1903  Search this

Blessing, S. T.  Search this

Blosser, J. A.  Search this

Bonine, Elias A., 1843-1916  Search this

Brockham, William (of Morris, Minnesota)  Search this

Brown, William Henry, 1844-1886  Search this

Brubaker, C. B.  Search this

Buehman, Henry, 1851-1912  Search this

Calfee, H. B. (Henry Bird), 1848-1912  Search this

Carbutt, John, 1832-1905  Search this

Carter, C. W., 1832-1918  Search this

Chamberlain, W. G. (William Gunnison)  Search this

Chase, D. B. (Dana B.)  Search this

Childs, B. F. (Brainard F.), ca. 1841-1921  Search this

Choate, J. N. (John N.), 1848-1902  Search this

Clark, George A. (George Alfred), 1936-  Search this

Climo, John Saunders  Search this

Cobb, William Henry, 1859-1909  Search this

Conklin, E (Enoch)  Search this

Cozzens, Samuel Woodworth, 1834-1878  Search this

Croft, Thomas  Search this

Cross, W. R. (William R.)  Search this

Currier, Frank, fl. 1890-1909  Search this

Curtis, Edward S., 1868-1952  Search this

Curtis, George E., 1830-1910  Search this

Cushing, W. H., fl. 1870-1889  Search this

Davis, S., fl. 1860-1880  Search this

Doremus, John P., 1827-1890  Search this

Eaton, E. L. (Edric L.), b. ca. 1836  Search this

Ebell, Adrian J. (Adrian John), 1840-1877  Search this

Eisenmann, Charles, b. 1850  Search this

Flanders, Dudley P.  Search this

Forsyth, N. A. (Norman A.), 1869-1949  Search this

Fouch, John H., 1849-1933  Search this

Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882  Search this

Godkin, William R.  Search this

Goodell, Abner Cheney, 1831-1914  Search this

Graves, C. H. (Carleton H.), -1943  Search this

Gurnsey, B. H. (Byron H.), 1833-1880  Search this

Hamilton, J. H. (James H.)  Search this

Hart, Alfred A., 1816-1908  Search this

Hawkins, B.A.  Search this

Haynes, F. Jay (Frank Jay), 1853-1921  Search this

Hazeltine, M. M. (Martin Mason), 1827-1903  Search this

Heister, H. T., (Henry T.), -1895  Search this

Heller, Louis Herman, ca. 1839-1929  Search this

Heston, Wat  Search this

Hillers, John K., 1843-1925  Search this

Hook, W. E. (William Edward), 1833-1908  Search this

Huffman, L. A. (Laton Alton), 1854-1931  Search this

Illingworth, W. H. (William H.), 1842-1893  Search this

Immke, Henry W.  Search this

Ingalls, George W., 1838-1920  Search this

Jackson, William Henry, 1843-1942  Search this

Jacoby, W. H. (William H.), 1841-1905  Search this

Jarvis, J. F. (John F.), b. 1850  Search this

Johnson, W.S.  Search this

Kirkland, Geo. W. (George W.)  Search this

Knight, J. Lee  Search this

Landon, S. C. (Seth C.), b. 1825  Search this

Line, A. A.  Search this

Little, H.N.  Search this

Marshall, William I. (William Isaac), 1840-1906  Search this

Martin, Alex (Alexander), 1841-1929  Search this

Maude, F. H. (Frederic Hamer)  Search this

Maynard, Hannah, 1834-1918  Search this

Maynard, Richard, 1832-1907  Search this

McIntyre, A. C. (Alexander Carson)  Search this

Meddaugh, J. E.  Search this

Mellen, Geo. E. (George Egbert), b. 1854  Search this

Mepham, Michael S.  Search this

Mitchell, Daniel S.  Search this

Morrow, Stanley J.  Search this

Muybridge, Eadweard, 1830-1904  Search this

Newcomb, C. H.  Search this

Nims, F.A.  Search this

O'Sullivan, Timothy H., 1840-1882  Search this

Palmer, A. A.  Search this

Parker, Joseph C.  Search this

Pierron, Geo. (George), b. 1816  Search this

Pollock, Charles, 1832-1910  Search this

Powers, F. F.  Search this

Raitt, T.G.  Search this

Randall, A. Frank  Search this

Rau, William Herman, 1855-1920  Search this

Rinehart, F. A. (Frank A.)  Search this

Rodocker, D. (David)  Search this

Rothrock, George H.  Search this

Rudy, W. Ira  Search this

Russell, Andrew J.  Search this

Rutter, Thomas H., 1837-1925  Search this

Savage, C. R. (Charles Roscoe), 1832-1909  Search this

Seaver, C. (Charles)  Search this

Sedgwick, S. J. (Stephen James)  Search this

Shipler, James William, 1849-1937  Search this

Soule, John P.  Search this

Stoddard, Seneca Ray, 1844-1917  Search this

Taber, I. W. (Isaiah West), 1830-1912  Search this

Thorne, G.W.  Search this

Thurlow, J., 1831-1878  Search this

Towne, Bertram C.  Search this

Trager, George E.  Search this

Upton, B. F. (Benjamin Franklin)  Search this

Watkins, Carleton E., 1829-1916  Search this

Weitfle, Charles, 1836-1921  Search this

Wendt, Julius M.  Search this

Whitney, Joel E. (Joel Emmons), 1822-1886  Search this

Williscraft, W.H.  Search this

Wittick, Ben, 1845-1903  Search this

Woodburn, J. R.  Search this

Zimmerman, Charles A., 1844-1909  Search this

Publisher:

Beal's Gallery  Search this

Continent Stereoscopic Company  Search this

Florida Club (Cooperative)  Search this

Union View Company (Rochester, New York)  Search this

Webster & Albee (Rochester, N.Y.)  Search this

Smith, O. C.  Search this

Extent:

67 Lantern slides

26 Negatives (glass)

10 Negatives (nitrate)

6 Autochromes (photographs)

50 Stereographs (circa 50 printed stereographs, halftone and color halftone)

1,000 Stereographs (circa, albumen and silver gelatin (some tinted))

239 Prints (circa 239 mounted and unmounted prints, albumen (including cartes de visite, imperial cards, cabinet cards, and one tinted print) and silver gelatin (some modern copies))

96 Prints (Album :, silver gelatin)

21 Postcards (silver gelatin, collotype, color halftone, and halftone)

Culture:

Puyallup  Search this

Kumeyaay (Diegueño)  Search this

Anishinaabe (Chippewa/Ojibwa)  Search this

Tohono O'odham (Papago)  Search this

Kalispel (Pend d'Oreilles)  Search this

Indians of North America -- California  Search this

Taos Indians  Search this

Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka)  Search this

Kickapoo  Search this

Laguna Indians  Search this

Pueblo  Search this

Ho-Chunk (Winnebago)  Search this

Havasupai (Coconino)  Search this

Assiniboine (Stoney)  Search this

Isleta Pueblo  Search this

Mojave (Mohave)  Search this

Mewuk (Miwok)  Search this

Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakiutl)  Search this

Arctic peoples  Search this

Akimel O'odham (Pima)  Search this

Piipaash (Maricopa)  Search this

Iroquois  Search this

Hopi Pueblo  Search this

Modoc  Search this

A:shiwi (Zuni)  Search this

Niimíipuu (Nez Perce)  Search this

Washo Indians  Search this

A'aninin (Gros Ventre)  Search this

Tonkawa  Search this

Diné (Navajo)  Search this

Yavapai  Search this

Ute  Search this

Sauk  Search this

Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Indians of North America -- Great Plains  Search this

Bannock  Search this

Shoshone  Search this

Cochiti Pueblo  Search this

Omaha  Search this

Indians of North America -- Southwest, New  Search this

Indians of North America -- Great Basin  Search this

Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America  Search this

Choctaw  Search this

Sioux  Search this

Eskimos  Search this

Northwest Coast  Search this

Indians of North America -- Plateau  Search this

Tsitsistas/Suhtai (Cheyenne)  Search this

Numakiki (Mandan)  Search this

Sahnish (Arikara)  Search this

Tlingit  Search this

Indians of North America -- Northeast  Search this

Haida  Search this

Cree  Search this

Apsáalooke (Crow/Absaroke)  Search this

Acoma Pueblo  Search this

Quapaw Indians  Search this

Osage  Search this

Apache  Search this

Kaw (Kansa)  Search this

Umatilla  Search this

Shawnee  Search this

Fox  Search this

Pomo  Search this

Indians of North America -- Southern States  Search this

Indians of North America -- Subarctic  Search this

Paiute  Search this

Seminole  Search this

Mi'kmaq (Micmac)  Search this

Niuam (Comanche)  Search this

Potawatomi  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Lantern slides

Negatives

Autochromes (photographs)

Stereographs

Prints

Postcards

Place:

Custer Battlefield (Montana)

Date:

circa 1860-1935

Scope and Contents note:

Photographs relating to Native Americans or frontier themes, including portraits, expedition photographs, landscapes, and other images of dwellings, transportation, totem poles, ceremonies, infants and children in cradleboards, camps and towns, hunting and fishing, wild west shows, food preparation, funeral customs, the US Army and army posts, cliff dwellings, and grave mounds and excavations. The collection also includes images of prisoners at Fort Marion in 1875, Sioux Indians involved in the Great Sioux Uprising in Minnesota, the Fort Laramie Peace Commission of 1868, Sitting Bull and his followers after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and the aftermath of the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.

There are studio portraits of well-known Native Americans, including American Horse, Big Bow, Four Bears, Iron Bull, Ouray, Red Cloud, Red Dog, Red Shirt, Sitting Bull, Spotted Tail, Three Bears, and Two Guns White Calf. Depicted delegations include a Sauk and Fox meeting in Washington, DC, with Lewis V. Bogy and Charles E. Mix in 1867; Kiowas and Cheyennes at the White House in 1863; and Dakotas and Crows who visited President Warren G. Harding in 1921. Images of schools show Worcester Academy in Vinita, Oklahoma; Chilocco Indian School; Carlisle Indian Industrial School; Haskell Instittue, and Albuquerque Indian School.

Some photographs relate to the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, 1876; World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893; Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, 1903; and Centennial Exposition of the Baltimore and Ohio Railraod, 1876. Expedition photographs show the Crook expedition of 1876, the Sanderson expedition to the Custer Battlefield in 1877, the Wheeler Survey of the 1870s, Powell's surveys of the Rocky Mountain region during the 1860s and 1870s, and the Hayden Surveys.

Outstanding single views include the party of Zuni group led to the sea by Frank Hamilton Cushing; Episcopal Church Rectory and School Building, Yankton Agency; Matilda Coxe Stevenson and a companion taking a photographs of a Zuni ceremony; John Moran sketching at Acoma; Ben H. Gurnsey's studio with Indian patrons; Quapaw Mission; baptism of a group of Paiutes at Coeur d'Alene Mission; court-martial commission involved in the trial of Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds, 1877; President Harding at Sitka, Alaska; Walter Hough at Hopi in 1902; and Mrs. Jesse Walter Fewkes at Hopi in 1897.

Biographical/Historical note:

George V. Allen was an attorney in Lawrence, Kansas and an early member of the National Stereoscope Association. Between the 1950s and 1980s, Allen made an extensive collection of photographs of the American West, mostly in stereographs, but also including cartes-de-visite and other styles of mounted prints, photogravures, lantern slides, autochromes, and glass negatives.

Local Call Number(s):

NAA Photo Lot 90-1

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Access to the collection requires an appointment.

Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Topic:

Camps  Search this

Child care  Search this

Rites and ceremonies  Search this

Totem poles  Search this

Cookery  Search this

Wild west shows  Search this

Fishing  Search this

Hunting  Search this

Transportation  Search this

Dwellings  Search this

Funeral rites and ceremonies  Search this

Wounded Knee Massacre, S.D., 1890  Search this

Citation:

Photo Lot 90-1, George V. Allen collection of photographs of Native Americans and the American frontier, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.PhotoLot.90-1

See more items in:

George V. Allen photograph collection of photographs of Native Americans and the American frontier

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3c6f12a20-b859-4219-a567-b2b3246a66be

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-photolot-90-1

Creator:

Childs' Art Gallery of Marquette, Michigan  Search this

Names:

Be-bam-is-see (Chippewa)  Search this

Flying Bird (Chippewa)  Search this

Collection Collector:

Allen, George V.  Search this

Extent:

1 Stereograph (7 x 3.5 in.)

Culture:

Chippewa  Search this

Anishinaabe (Chippewa/Ojibwa)  Search this

Indians of North America -- Northeast  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Stereographs

Scope and Contents:

The man is seated holding a cane. The item is number 87 of the series Gems of Lake Superior Scenery.

Local Numbers:

NAA INV.09951700

Other Title:

Gems of Lake Superior Scenery

Collection Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Access to the collection requires an appointment.

Collection Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Collection Citation:

Photo Lot 90-1, George V. Allen collection of photographs of Native Americans and the American frontier, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

George V. Allen photograph collection of photographs of Native Americans and the American frontier

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw36c80aa5d-5600-453e-b703-ac16ad621015

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-photolot-90-1-ref1738

Creator:

Stella, Joseph, 1877-1946  Search this

Names:

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Extent:

2.8 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1900-1970

Summary:

The papers of artist Joseph Stella measure 2.8 linear feet and date from circa 1900 to 1970. The papers shed light on his life and career through biographical materials, mixed personal and professional corresponence, writings by Stella and others, printed materials, and photographic materials.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of artist Joseph Stella measure 2.8 linear feet and date from circa 1900 to 1970. The papers shed light on his life and career through biographical materials, personal and professional corresponence, writings by Stella and others, printed materials, and photographic materials.

Biographical materials include address books and loose addresses for contacts in the U.S. and abroad, calling cards, business cards, inventories of Stella's artwork, financial papers, drawings and artwork by children and others, several oversized sketches by Stella, papers from the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors Inc., a ration book from World War II, one contract from the Cooperative Gallery, and other miscellaneous personal papers. Correspondence includes mostly letters received by Stella from art organizations, museums, dealers, family members, and colleagues including the Museum of Modern Art, Artists for Victory, ACA Gallery, M. Knoedler & Co., the Whitney Museum, Andrew Bondi, Marie Dumoulard, Katherine Dreier, August Mosca, and Charmion von Wiegand. An invitation to a lecture on Joseph Stella by Phyllis Ackerman is also present. Writings in Italian and English include an autobiography by Stella, essays about his life and work, poems, loose notes about his paintings and materials, and three notebooks. Writings about Stella by others, drafts of letters (especially in Italian), and some sketches are also present. Printed materials consist of newspaper clippings mostly concerning Stella's career, exhibition invitations and catalogs, printed reproductions of Stella's artwork, reference material, and more. Photographic materials include portraits of Stella, photos from his studio and travels, and the artist with friends and family; images of his artwork; and several photos from exhibitions.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as five series.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, circa 1915-1970 (Boxes 1, 4, OV 5; .3 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1921-1960 (Box 1; .8 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1920s-1940s (Box 2; .5 linear feet)

Series 4: Printed Materials, 1896, 1912-1963 (Boxes 2-4, OV 5)

Series 5: Photographic Materials, circa 1900-1960 (Boxes 3-4, OV 5; .5 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

Joseph Stella (1877-1946) was a New York City Painter and draughtsman who immigrated from Muro Lucano Italy in 1896. He received a traditional education while in Italy. At the suggestion of his brother, a medical doctor, Stella studied medicine for two years before leaving that path for his art. His primary subjects to draw and paint during this time were immigrants, laborers, and others he saw in the streets of New York City. Giotto, Masaccio, and Andrea Mantegna were his primary influences at the time. In circa 1899, Stella began taking classes at the Art Students League of New York, studying under William Merritt Chase. He received a scholarship for a year's tuition and began exhibiting his artwork shortly after. In 1902, Stella was sent to Pittsburgh by the periodical The Survey to paint scenes of that city. Illustrating for periodicals became his primary source of income during this period. In 1909, Stella moved to Italy to study glazing, and in 1911, he moved to Paris, where he encountered Fauvism, Cubism, and Futurism for the first time. During these few years in Europe, he befriended Marcel Gromaire, Jules Pascin, Umberto Boccioni, Gino Severini, and Amedeo Modigliani. Stella returned from Europe in 1912 and had three paintings exhibited in the 1913 Armory Show. Several years later, his subject matter shifted towards New York architecture, and he created some of his most well-known works including Brooklyn Bridge (1919-20) and New York Interpreted (1922). Bourgeois Gallery exhibited Stella's work from the late teens until the artist went to Dudensing Galleries in 1925. The following year, he moved to Naples and returned to the U.S. in 1934. In 1936, Stella had a solo exhibition at Cooperative Gallery in Newark, New Jersey; and the gallery exhibited his work for the rest of his life. There was a retrospective of Stella's work at The Newark Museum in 1936 and solo shows at Associated American Artists (1941) and Knoedler Galleries (1942). Other galleries who exhibited Stella's work include Valentine Gallery, New York, Galerie Sloden, Paris, Galerie Jeune Peinture, Paris, and Zabriskie Gallery, New York. From 1935 to 1937, he worked for the Works Progress Administration in the easel division. Stella served on the exhibition committee of Societe Anonyme, was a director of the Salons of America, and a member of the Federation of Painters and Sculptors Inc. He died of heart failure in 1946.

Separated Materials:

The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming on reel 5137 (frames 1-63) including 29 loose sketches and a 16-page sketchbook by Joseph Stella. The materials were returned to Alan Pensler after microfilming, and are not described in the collection container inventory.

Provenance:

The Joseph Stella papers were donated in three installments. Stella's nephew, Sergio Stella, donated records in 1971 and 1986. Alan Pensler, a Washington, D.C. art dealer who acquired the papers from a woman who purchased the home and its contents of Dr. Giovanni Stella, Stella's brother, donated records in 1996.

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:

Draftsmen (artists) -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

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

Topic:

Painting, American  Search this

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

Italian American artists  Search this

Citation:

Joseph Stella papers, circa 1900-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.

Identifier:

AAA.steljose

See more items in:

Joseph Stella papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d19f6f14-d66b-42eb-b54a-4ffabe80fc62

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-steljose

Creator:

Cone, Michèle C., 1932-  Search this

Extent:

8.5 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

circa 1970-2020

bulk 1980-2010

Scope and Contents:

The papers of art historian and critic Michèle Cone measure 8.5 linear feet and date from circa 1970 to 2020, with the bulk from 1980-2010. The collection documents Cone's work as a professional critic, educator, and scholar through biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, writings, recorded interviews, research files, project files, photographic material, and printed matter.

Biographical material includes resumes, unpublished memoirs, and documents. Correspondence reflects relationships with friends and colleagues, professional organizations, art magazines, museums, and galleries.

Writings include drafts and finished versions of art criticism, scholarly essays, lectures, and interviews. Subjects include contemporary art, especially in New York, as well as French art during the periods before, during, and after the Vichy regime and Nazi occupation. The collection also includes research materials for these texts, including extensive files on Max Jacob, Gertrude Stein, and Francis Picabia.

Also included are many tape recorded interviews with notable artists and other practitioners, including Roy Lichtenstein, Daniel Spoerri, Ben Vautier, Cady Noland, Haim Steinbach, Robert Gober, Peter Halley, Allan McCollum, Jeff Koons, Vito Acconci, Christo, Damien Hirst, Richard Rogers, Leo Castelli, and others; as well as recordings of lectures and panel discussions featuring prominent thinkers and cultural figures, including Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, Philippe Sollers, Harold Rosenberg, John Cage, Anne D'Harnoncourt, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Michèle Cone (1932- ) is a French-born art critic and scholar of 20th century art, especially the art of France under Vichy and Nazi occupation. Cone taught at New York's School of Visual Arts and worked as New York coordinator for the Italian magazine Flash Art.

Related Materials:

Cone's primary research on art under the Vichy regime can be found at Columbia University Library Special Collections

Provenance:

Donated in 2021 by Michèle Cone.

Restrictions:

This collection is temporarily closed to researchers due to archival processing. Contact References Services for more information.

Rights:

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

Occupation:

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

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

Topic:

Women art critics  Search this

Women art historians  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.conemich

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw98ae149f1-a6ca-46fb-82ab-5beccf3e8a8c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-conemich

Creator:

Hayden, Palmer C., 1890-1973  Search this

Names:

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Extent:

2.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Diaries

Sketchbooks

Photographs

Date:

1920-1970

Summary:

The papers of African-American painter Palmer C. Hayden date from 1920-1970 and measure 2.4 linear feet. The collection contains biographical material, including 32 diaries documenting Hayden's daily activities, scattered correspondence relating to art sales and Hayden's work for the Works Progress Administration, printed material, 47 sketchbooks compiled over a period of almost forty years, and photographs of Hayden and his artwork.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of African-American painter Palmer C. Hayden date from 1920-1970 and measure 2.4 linear feet. The collection contains biographical material, including 32 diaries documenting Hayden's daily activities, scattered correspondence relating to art sales and Hayden's work for the Works Progress Administration, printed material, 47 sketchbooks compiled over a period of almost forty years, and photographs of Hayden and his artwork.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 6 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1920-1969 (Box 1; 2 folders)

Series 2: Diaries, 1938-1967 (Boxes 1-2; 0.5 linear ft.)

Series 3: Correspondence, 1922-1967 (Box 2; 2 folders)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1926-1969 (Box 2; 2 folders)

Series 5: Sketchbooks and Sketches, 1924-circa 1960 (Boxes 2-6; 1.8 linear ft.)

Series 6: Photographs, 1932-1970 (Box 6; 4 folders)

Biographical / Historical:

Born Peyton Cole Hedgeman, in Widewater, Virginia in 1890, Palmer Hayden received his first art instruction through correspondence courses, then studied in 1925 with Asa Grant Randall at the Boothbay Art Colony, in Maine, specializing in marine subjects. In 1927, Hayden's seascape, Schooners, won first prize for "Distinguished Achievement in Fine Arts" in the Harmon Foundation's first awards ceremony. With that award, and an additional grant from a patron, Hayden was able to continue his studies in Paris, where he further developed his skills in seascapes and ethnic subject matter. Hayden was among the first African-American artists to use African-American subjects and designs in his painting.

Hayden returned to the United States in 1932 and worked steadily over the next several years for the United States government, including the Treasury Relief Art Project and the Works Progress Administration. In 1944 Hayden began work on his noted Ballad of John Henry series of twelve paintings that would occupy him for a decade. In his later work, Hayden continued to focus on African-American themes, capturing both rural gatherings in the South and the urban milieu of New York.

Palmer Hayden died in 1973.

Provenance:

The collection was donated by Palmer C. Hayden in 1970 and a portion of it was microfilmed shortly after receipt.

Restrictions:

The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.

Rights:

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

Occupation:

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

Topic:

African American artists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries

Sketchbooks

Photographs

Citation:

Palmer C. Hayden papers, 1920-1970. 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.haydpalm

See more items in:

Palmer C. Hayden papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw930e58065-3604-4f42-a458-dea7b0a68a3e

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-haydpalm

Interviewee:

Bolotowsky, Ilya, 1907-1981  Search this

Interviewer:

Cummings, Paul  Search this

Creator:

Diller, Burgoyne, 1906-1965  Search this

Names:

American Abstract Artists  Search this

American Artists' Congress  Search this

Art Students League (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Black Mountain College (Black Mountain, N.C.)  Search this

Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors  Search this

G.R.D. Studio (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

National Academy of Design (U.S.)  Search this

Public Works of Art Project  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Yaddo (Artist's colony)  Search this

Albers, Josef  Search this

Browne, Byron, 1907-1961  Search this

Dlugoszewski, Lucia, 1931-2000  Search this

Drewes, Werner, 1899-1985  Search this

Gorky, Arshile, 1904-1948  Search this

Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this

Greene, Balcomb, 1904-1990  Search this

Greene, Gertrude, 1904-1956  Search this

Hawthorne, Charles Webster, 1872-1930  Search this

Holtzman, Harry  Search this

Johnson, William H., 1901-1970  Search this

Léger, Fernand, 1881-1955  Search this

Mondrian, Piet, 1872-1944  Search this

Neilson, Raymond P. R. (Raymond Perry Rodgers), 1881-1964  Search this

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

Olinsky, Ivan G. (Ivan Gregorewitch), 1878-1962  Search this

Ozenfant, Amédée, 1886-1966  Search this

Spivak, Max, 1906-1981  Search this

Vogel, Joseph, b. 1911  Search this

Extent:

197 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Place:

Wyoming

Date:

1968 March 24-April 7

Scope and Contents:

Interview of Ilya Bolotowsky conducted 1968 March 24-April 7, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.

Bolotowsky, a lively raconteur, recalls a host of episodes from his personal and professional life. He speaks of his childhood in Russia and Azerbaijan; the effects of war and communism; the family's flight as refugees into Georgia and then to present-day Istanbul; and his early education with a private tutor and at a Jesuit school in Istanbul. Bolotowsky recalls his family's emigration to the United States by ship in 1923; his first impressions of New York City; and early visits to the city's museums. He relates numerous anecdotes about faculty and fellow students at the National Academy of Design, including Ivan Olinsky, Raymond Neilson, Charles Hawthorne, Amedee Ozenfant, and William Henry Johnson.

He speaks of various early exhibitions of his work, including those with the Art Students League, G.R.D. Studio, and the J.B. Neumann Gallery. He also describes a stay at Yaddo in 1934.

Bolotowsky recounts his participation in the Public Works of Art Project as a teacher of art to delinquent children; later work on the mural project of the Works Progress Administration; the picketing of WPA offices, providing anecdotes about Max Spivak and Joseph Vogel; military service during World War II, first working on a Russian dictionary of technical terms and then as a liason officer with the Soviet Air Force in Nome, Alaska.

Upon his return from the military, Bolotowsky immediately resumed his painting career, and describes his involvement with artists' organizations such as the American Abstract Artists, the American Artists' Congress, the Concretionists, the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors, and the Ten; he mentions in these contexts such personalities as Byron Browne, Burgoyne Diller, Werner Drewes, Arshile Gorky, Clement Greenberg, Balcomb and Gertrude Greene, Harry Holtzman, Fernand Leger, Piet Mondrian, and Meyer Schapiro.

Bolotowsky gives an extensive description of his experiences filling in for Joseph Albers for a year at Black Mountain College, and goes on to discuss his subsequent teaching positions at the University of Wyoming (including a discussion of the impact of the Wyoming landscape on his painting), Brooklyn College, Southampton College, and SUNY New Paltz. He devotes great attention to the development of his painting, his understanding of neo-plasticism and abstraction, and his efforts in filmmaking and playwriting.

Biographical / Historical:

Ilya Bolotowsky (1907-1981) was a Russian-American abstract painter in New York, New York.

General:

Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 12 digital wav files. Duration is 6 hr., 37 min.

Provenance:

These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others. Funding for the interview was provided by the New York State Council on the Arts.

Restrictions:

ACCESS RESTRICTED; written permission required.

Occupation:

Filmmakers  Search this

Playwrights  Search this

Topic:

Art and state  Search this

Concretionists (Group of artists)  Search this

Emigration and immigration  Search this

Experimental films  Search this

Federal aid to the arts -- United States  Search this

Painting, Abstract -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Playwriting  Search this

Philadelphia Ten (Group of artists)  Search this

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

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.boloto68

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ad928b0a-0396-445d-959c-d696af2c54e8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-boloto68

Creator:

Ballester, Diógenes, 1956-  Search this

Extent:

6 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1973-2020

Summary:

The papers of Diogenes Ballester measure 6.0 linear feet, and date from 1973 to 2020. The papers document his career as an artist, educator, and writer through correspondence with family friends, and various museums and galleries; notes, drafts of articles, drafts of lecture and presentation transcripts, and other writings; inventories, price lists, ledger books, and other personal business records; resumes, artist statements, exhibition files, and other professional activity files; clippings, articles, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and other printed material; and photographs and slides of Ballester, some of his family and friends, and of some of his artwork.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of Diogenes Ballester measure 6.0 linear feet, and date from 1973 to 2020. The papers document his career as an artist, educator, and writer through correspondence with family and friends, and various museums and galleries; notes, drafts of articles, drafts of lecture and presentation transcripts, and other writings; inventories, price lists, ledger books, and other personal business records; resumes, artist statements, exhibition files, and other professional activity files; clippings, articles, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and other printed material; and photographs and slides of Ballester, some of his family and friends, and of some of his artwork.

Correspondence includes letters from his wife, Maria Boncher, artist Marshall Weber, cover letters, letter of recommendation, and letters with various museums and galleries. Also included is a booklet of letters and drawings from students at Project YES, an arts program for children.

Writings include drafts for articles written by Ballester, articles written by Shifra Goldman, drafts for a book on Ballester and drafts lectures and presentations given by Ballester. Also included are a number of notepads and miscellaneous notes.

Personal business records consist of inventories and price lists, invoices, two ledger books, copies of checks and receipts, and proposals and blueprints for the establishment of an artist-in-residency program in Puerto Rico.

Professional activity files consist of exhibitions that Ballester participated in at various biennials in graphic arts around the world. Some of these locations include San Juan, Puerto Rico; Krakow, Poland; and Taipei. Among the materials on biennials are a number of files pertaining to the San Juan Biennial on Printmaking from 1986 to 2010. These files contain lecture transcripts, clippings, articles by Ballester and others, draft exhibition catalogs, and notes. Also included are some exhibition files for exhibitions held at museums in the United States, proposals for exhibitions, artist statements, resumes, and binders documenting his professional career. The binders contain resumes, artist statements and narratives, some exhibition announcements and press releases, and photographs of artwork. Also included are some sketches by Ballester.

Printed material consists of articles on and written by Ballester, clippings, newsletters, exhibition announcements, exhibition catalogs, press releases, and posters.

Photographic material consists of photographs of Ballester, photographs of Ballester with friends and family, photographs of an exhibition, and photographs and slides of artwork.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into six series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1984-2016 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Writings, 1983-2020 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1983-2018 (0.4 linear feet; Box 2)

Series 4: Professional Activity Files, 1973-2018 (2.5 linear feet; Boxes 2-5)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1975-2020 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 5-6)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1990-2011 (0.6 linear feet; Box 6)

Biographical / Historical:

Diógenes Ballester (1956- ) is an artist based in New York City, with deep roots in Puerto Rico, where he is also regularly present. His studio in El Barrio has operated since 1987 and he is a prominent artist, teacher, and writer particularly in Puerto Rican and Nuyorican artistic communities.

Ballester works in different artistic media including painting, printmaking, drawing, new media, and installation art and is recognized as a master of encaustic painting and printmaking. He has received numerous honors for his artistic work and has exhibited widely in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Provenance:

Donated in 2022 by Diógenes Ballester.

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. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.

Rights:

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

Occupation:

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

Artists -- Puerto Rico  Search this

Graphic artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

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

Topic:

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Citation:

Diógenes Ballester papers, 1973-2020. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.balldiog

See more items in:

Diógenes Ballester papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c6095fc9-ea06-4c23-944e-5fa1e551e3be

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-balldiog

Creator:

Biesel family  Search this

Names:

Artists Equity Association  Search this

Chicago No-Jury Society of Artists  Search this

Federal Art Project (Ill.)  Search this

Index of American Design  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

University of Chicago. Renaissance Society  Search this

Armin, Emil, 1883-  Search this

Biesel, Charles, 1865-1945  Search this

Biesel, Frances Strain, 1898-1962  Search this

Biesel, Fred, 1893-1954  Search this

Bohrod, Aaron  Search this

Foy, Frances M., 1890-1963  Search this

Richards, William Trost, 1833-1905  Search this

Extent:

3.1 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 3 reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Date:

1859-1983

bulk 1915-1983

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence, essays, subject files, art work, clippings and other materials documenting the activities of a Chicago family of artists, the 57th Street Art Colony and the Chicago art world in the early twentieth century.

REELS 4207-4209: Biographical materials, including seven biographical accounts, a 1960 program and a 1961 certificate of honor for Frances Strain Biesel and four biographical accounts of Fred Biesel; correspondence, 1927-1963, primarily concerning activities of Fred and Frances; price lists for works of art; a 1955 estate list of the works of Charles Biesel; mailing lists; miscellaneous receipts, 1928-1961; a notebook, 1931-1934, containing addresses and financial notations concerning the sale of works of art.

writings, including two essays, "Is It Futuristic or Cubistic?" and "The 57th Street Colony," 2 untitled essays concerning the perception of modern art, a short story about an appointment with Charles Biesel, lecture notes by Fred Biesel, "War and Arts Exhibition" (Renaissance Society), an untitled lecture at the University of Chicago Art Gallery, "The Story of Modern Art" (Beverly Hills, 1957), lecture notes concerning printmaking, and a 1945 typescript annotated as the "Bohrod talk." Also included are

subject files, 1939-1962, containing correspondence and printed material on the Federal Art Project (Index of American Design), Renaissance Society, Artists Equity Association, Artists Union of Chicago, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago Society of Artists, and the 1020 Club; art works, including six sketchbooks and miscellaneous drawings, 1907-1919, by the Biesels, a sketchbook, 1859-1878, by William T. Richards, 3 prints, 1928-1932, by Emil Armin, and a 1930 print by Frances Foy;

photographs, 1919-1960, of Biesel family members, friends, a costume party with John Sloan (2), art classes,1920 and 1950, at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Layton School of Milwaukee, "The Ten" opening reception at the Marshall Field Galleries, 1929 (2), Artists Equity members and activities, 1947-1948 (3), and of works of art;

and printed materials, including a scrapbook of clippings, 1915-1916, compiled by Charles Biesel, a scrapbook, 1926-1931, concerning "Ten Artists", clippings, 1897-1962, exhibition announcements and catalogs, 1921-1983, for Biesel and others, including 11 catalogs from the Chicago No-Jury Society of Artists, a 1923 souvenir program for the No-Jury Artists "Cubist Ball", and miscellany.

UNMICROFILMED: Papers, 1934-1944, relating to Fred Biesel's work for the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project in Illinois, including correspondence with John Walley, Increase Robinson, George Thorp, Franklin D. Roosevelt and others; printed material, 1934-1941, including the newsletter "Chicago Artist," 1937, published by the Artists Union of Chicago, and several exhibition catalogs of the National Exhibition of the Index of American Design; a 25 p. typescript of a speech by Holger Cahill; a teachers handbook with silk-screen illustrations of "Let the Artist Speak"; business records including project proposals for the W.P.A.; and Biesel's letter of resignation, 1943.

Biographical / Historical:

Family of artists. Charles Biesel: marine painter, student of William Trost Richards; his son, Fred Biesel, a painter and art administrator; and Fred's wife, Frances Strain Biesel, a painter and director of the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago for many years.

Provenance:

Microfilmed material donated 1985 by Garnett Biesel, son of Fred Biesel; he donated unmicrofilmed material in 1990, after it had been used in preparation for the book The Federal Art Project in Illinois, 1935-1943 (1990), by George Mavigliano and Richard Lawson.

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:

Marine painters -- Illinos -- Chicago  Search this

Painters -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this

Topic:

Modernism (Art)  Search this

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Identifier:

AAA.biesfami

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw934594a62-5981-42c6-af0b-69aab802d235

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-biesfami

Creator:

Blue Eagle, Acee, 1907-1959  Search this

Names:

Abbott, Mae  Search this

Beaver, Fred  Search this

Bosin, Blackbear, 1921-1980  Search this

Campbell, Walter S.  Search this

Dale, Edward E.  Search this

Debo, Angie, 1890-1988  Search this

Dja, Devi  Search this

Echohawk, Brummett T., 1922-2006  Search this

Fairbanks, Charles H. (Charles Herron), 1913-1985  Search this

Feder, Norman  Search this

Field, Dorothy  Search this

Gilcrease, Thomas, 1890-1962  Search this

Houser, Allan, 1914-1994  Search this

Howe, Oscar, 1915-1983  Search this

Jackson, Oscar B.  Search this

Lemos, Pedro de  Search this

Marriott, Alice  Search this

Martinez, Julian, -1943  Search this

Martínez, María Montoya  Search this

McCombs, Solomon, 1913-1980  Search this

Medicine Crow, Joseph, 1913-2016  Search this

Mirabel, Eva  Search this

Momaday, Al  Search this

Pond, Charles E.  Search this

Rowan, Edward B.  Search this

Shears, Glen E.  Search this

Sheets, Nan  Search this

Steinke, Bettina, 1913-1999  Search this

Sunrise, Riley  Search this

Te Ata  Search this

Whitehorse, Roland Noah, 1920-1998  Search this

Extent:

673 Paintings (visual works) (approximate)

30 Linear feet (55 document boxes and 8 oversize boxes)

Culture:

Muskogee (Creek)  Search this

Indians of North America -- Southeast  Search this

Indians of North America -- Great Plains  Search this

Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Paintings (visual works)

Date:

1907 - 1975

Summary:

Acee Blue Eagle was a Pawnee-Creek artist, poet, dancer, teacher, and celebrity. The papers relate to both Blue Eagle's personal and professional life. Also included are some materials of Blue Eagle's friend Mae Abbott and a collection of art by other Indians.

Scope and Contents:

This collection reflects the life and work of Acee Blue Eagle, internationally famed Indian artist of Oklahoma. Identified for his brilliant paintings of tribal ceremonies, legend and dance, Blue Eagle's work is represented in numerous private collections and museums both in this country and abroad.

A portion of the papers contains correspondence. Fan mail written by school children to Chief Blue Eagle of the Chief Blue Eagle television program is included. Letters regarding Blue Eagle's participation in Indian festivals and events, art shows and exhibitions, speaking engagements on Indian life and culture are found in the collection. Personal correspondence is included; most frequent correspondents are Devi Dja, Mae Abbott, and Charles E. Pond. There are approximately 100 letters from Devi Dja, approximately 90 to or from Mae Abbott, and approximately 36 from Charles E. Pond. Some letters addressed to these individuals from other friends and acquaintances are also within this collection.

Photographs comprise a large portion of the Blue Eagle collection. Included are not only portraits of the artist himself and photographs of his art work, but a large number of prints of Blue Eagle in full costume and other Indians engaged in tribal ceremonies, identified by tribe, whenever possible. Photographs of Mae Abbott, Devi Dja and the latter's Balinese dance troupe are identified. A file of negatives is arranged in the same subject order as the prints. Newspaper and magazine clippings regarding Blue Eagle's work and activities are also included in the collection. These clippings have not been arranged. In addition, Mae Abbott's recipes and notes for her cookbook, wood blocks, greeting cards and other miscellaneous publications can be found in the collection. These items have been sorted but not arranged.

Within the collection are also over 600 pieces of artwork. A good number are by Blue Eagle while most are by other Native artists. Artists whose are work are represented in the collection include Fred Beaver, Harrison Begay, Archie Blackowl, Woodrow Crumbo, Allan Houser, Ruthe Blalock Jones, Quicy Tahoma, Pablita Verde, and members of the Kiowa Five (Spencer Asah, James Auchiah, Stephen Mopope, Monroe Tsatoke).

Arrangement note:

The collection is arranged into six series: 1) Personal; 2) Collections; 3) Artwork; 4) Television; 5) Correspondence; 6) Photographs.

Biographical / Historical:

Acee Blue Eagle was an artist, poet, dancer, teacher, and celebrity. Born Alex C. McIntosh in 1907, Blue Eagle attended Indian schools in Anadarko, Nuyaka, and Euchee, Oklahoma, and the Haskell and Chilocco Indian schools. Advanced study came at Bacone Indian College and the University of Oklahoma. At the latter, he studied with Oscar B. Jacobson. Privately he studied with Winold Reiss. Discrepancies exist in the records regarding his early life: born in either Anadarko or Hitchita, Oklahoma; he's cited as both Pawnee-Creek and 5/8 Creek without any Pawnee blood; his mother is either Mattie Odom, the first wife of Solomon McIntosh or Ella Starr, McIntosh's second wife.

A prolific painter who, for the sake of authenticity, carried out research in libraries and museums, Blue Eagle was an outstanding American Indian artist of the 1930s-1950s. His paintings hung in many exhibits, including the Exposition of Indian Tribal Arts, 1932-1933; International Art Exhibition of Sport Subjects at Los Angeles, 1932; Chicago Century of Progress Exposition, 1934; a one-man show at the Young Galleries in Chicago; National Exhibition of Art at the Rockefeller Center in New York, 1936; a one-man show at the Washington, D.C., Arts Club, 1936; Museum of Modern Art, 1941; Northwest Art Exhibition at Spokane, Washington, 1944; a one-man show at the Gilcrease Institute in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1953; An Exposition of American Indian Painters in New York, 1955; and a one-man show at the Philbrook Art Center in Tulsa, 1957. Between 1946 and 1965, over fifty galleries hung his paintings. Some pieces are among the permanent holdings of many institutions.

In 1934, Blue Eagle joined the Work Projects Administration (WPA) Public Works of Art Project, painting murals in public buildings. In 1935 at Oxford University, he participated in a program of the International Federation of Education and lectured on Indian art. A tour of Europe followed. He taught at Bacone Indian College from 1935-1938 where he founded the art program and became Director of Art. He also taught at the University of Kansas extension division in 1949 and Oklahoma State Technical College beginning in 1956. During World War II, he served in the United States Army Air Force; and, following the war, he spent a few years attempting to get into the movies. During 1946-1952, he was married to his second wife, a famous Balinese dancer, Devi Dja, and became involved in her career, an involvement that was briefly reflected in his art. However, Dja and Blue Eagle divorced and Blue Eagle lived with Mae Wadley Abbott for the last years of his life. During the 1950s, he had a television show for children on a Tulsa-Muskogee station. Acee Blue Eagle died on June 18, 1959 of a liver infection.

Sources Consulted

Martindale, Rob. Muskogee Paying Tribute to Blue Eagle. Biographical/Genealogical data, Box 1, Acee Blue Eagle Collection, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

West, Juanita W. 1967. Acee Blue Eagle: A.C. McIntosh. Biographical/Genealogical data, Box 1, Acee Blue Eagle Collection, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

1907 -- Born August 17, 1907 on the Wichita Reservation, north of Anadarko, Oklahoma

1928 -- Graduated Chilocco High School

1929-1934 -- Attended Bacone College, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State Tech

1935 -- Toured United States and Europe giving lecture-exhibition program, "Life and Character of the American Indian"

1935-1938 -- Established and headed art department at Bacone College at Muskogee

1936 -- Exhibited at the National Exhibition of Art, Rockefeller Center, New York

1942-1945 -- World War II, U.S. Air Force (Army)

1947-49 -- Free-lance work in New York and Chicago

1951-52 -- Artist-in-residence at Oklahoma Tech

1950-54 -- Conducted TV program, Muskogee, OklahomaToured U.S. West Coast exhibiting and lecturing about ways to improve TV programs for children

1958 -- Named Indian-of-the-Year by the American Indian Expostion at Anadarko, Oklahoma

1959 -- Died June 18, 1959

Related Materials:

Other materials relating to Acee Blue Eagle at the National Anthropological Archives include correspondence in the Solomon McCombs papers, 1914-1972, and correspondence with Betty Meilink under Manuscript 2011-20.

Provenance:

Acee Blue Eagle's private papers and collection of paintings were donated to the National Anthropological Archives by Mrs. Mae Abbott of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Restrictions:

There are no restrictions on access.

Rights:

Literary property rights to unpublished material in the collection in the National Anthropological Archives has been given to the public.

Topic:

Indian art -- North America  Search this

Works of art  Search this

Citation:

Acee Blue Eagle Papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.1973-51

See more items in:

Acee Blue Eagle papers

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw30f5eef50-cb31-4d85-87ef-5ae9fedac6f7

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-1973-51

Creator:

McCombs, Solomon, 1913-1980  Search this

Extent:

2 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1941-1974

Scope and Contents:

Reflecting the professional activity of Solomon McCombs, Creek Indian artist, and promoter of his people's culture, these papers include correspondence, lectures, unpublished writings, photographs, and various other items collected by the artist.

The bulk of the correspondence consists of two categories of incoming letters pertaining to McCombs' artistic activities: 1) those referring to exhibitions, one-man shows, awards and prizes; 2) correspondence with fellow artists, such as Acee Bluee Eagle (maintained over a period of seven years, 1952-1958), Fred Beaver, Robert Mulky, and Joan Hill. Amply referred to, starting in 1948, are the annual exhibitions at the Philbrook Art Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in which McCombs regularly participated. A substantial portion of the letters written during the 1954-1955 period refers to the artist's Asian and African tour, sponsored by the U.S. State Department and devoted to the presentation of the American Indian contribution to the development of hte United States and its culture. Part of the correspondence related to his career as an illustrator, architectural draftsman, cartographer and audio-visual officer for the General Service Administration and the State Department. Some letters document his activities as a founder and President of American Indian and Eskimo Cultural Foundation. Included are also letters from prominent personalities, such as Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon.

The lectures on American Indian art, which are part of the collection, were presented on various occasions in the United States and abroad. One speech, which he entitled "My report to the Creeks," describes his experiences and observations abroad.

Among the subject files assembled by Solomon McCombs there is one on the Exhibitions at St. John's Church which contains material on the artist, his wife Margarita Sauer McCombs, and Anne T. Stinson who jointly exhibited there.

The photographs were taken at the Contemporary American Indian Art Exhibit sponsored by Arizona State University, the University of South Dakota and the University of Utah. Among the different items collected by S. McCombs, from stamps to all kinds of cards, there is a geneaology of the McIntosh family and a catalog list of an Exhibit of Oklahoma Indian Paintings during the 1940-1941 season in which are listed paintings by Solomon McCombs and Acee Blue Eagle.

There is very little on his private life or his career prior to coming to Washington D.C., and nothing on his childhood or education. Nor is there any reference made to his published works.

The National Anthropological Archives has a few of Solomon McCombs' works in its Collection of Tradtional and Contemporary American Indian Art.

Biographical Note:

Chronology

May 17, 1913 -- Born West of Eufaula, Oklahoma

1937-1937 -- Student at Bacone College, Oklahoma

1940-1941 -- First participation in an Indian art exhibition, Oklahoma Indian Painting, Tulsa, Oklahoma

1943 -- Student at Tulsa Downtown College

1943-1948 -- Employed by Douglas Aircraft Company, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. Corps of Engineers, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Clovis Air Force Base and Bureau of Reclamation, Nebraska

1950-1956 -- Employed by General Services Administration, Washington D.C.

1954 -- Asian and African Tour sponsored by U.S. Department of State.

1956-1973 -- Employed by U.S. Department of State, Washington D.C.

1961 -- Married Margarita Sauer

1963 -- President, American Indian and Eskimo Cultural Foundation, Washington D.C.

1965 -- Waite Phillips Special Indian Artists Award, Tulsa, Oklahoma

1968 -- Grand Award, Five Civilized Tribes Museum, Muskogee, Oklahoma

1969 -- Grand Award, Philbrook Art Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma

1970 -- First Prize, International Platform Association, Washington D.C.

1973 -- Retired to Tulsa, Oklahoma on December 30, 1973

1974 -- Retrospective one-man show, Washington Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

1974 -- Welcome back one-man show, Philbrook Art Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma

1976 -- First Prize, Trail of Tears Exhibit, Tulsa Oklahoma

Provenance:

When he retired in 1974 to Tulsa, Oklahoma, Solomon McCombs, Creek Indian artist, deposited those of his papers which he thought to be of interest to posterity in the National Anthropological Archives. More papers can expect to be added in the future. There are no accession numbers for the existing material.

Literary property rights to unpublished material in the collection are still retained by Solomon McCombs.

Restrictions:

The Solomon McCombs Papers are open for research.

Access to the Solomon McCombs Papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Citation:

Solomon McCombs papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.1974.0401

See more items in:

Solomon McCombs papers

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3edfcb62f-bd50-4c97-976b-4070b522a592

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-1974-0401

Interviewee:

Agostini, Peter  Search this

Interviewer:

Roberts, Colette, 1910-  Search this

Names:

Columbia University -- Faculty  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Bontecou, Lee, 1931-  Search this

Chamberlain, John, 1927-2011  Search this

Chryssa, 1933-2013  Search this

Cornell, Joseph  Search this

Cézanne, Paul, 1839-1906  Search this

De Chirico, Giorgio, 1888-  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

Demuth, Charles, 1883-1935  Search this

Di Suvero, Mark, 1933-  Search this

Dove, Arthur Garfield, 1880-1946  Search this

Dubuffet, Jean, 1901-1985  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this

Ferber, Herbert, 1906-1991  Search this

Flannagan, John Bernard, 1895?-1942  Search this

Giacometti, Alberto, 1901-1966  Search this

Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this

Hague, Raoul, 1905-1993  Search this

Hare, David, 1917-1992  Search this

Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this

Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967  Search this

Judd, Donald, 1928-1994  Search this

Kaprow, Allan  Search this

Kienholz, Edward, 1927-  Search this

Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this

Kohn, Gabriel, 1910-1975  Search this

Kolbe, Georg, 1877-1947  Search this

La Tour, Onya, 1896-1976  Search this

Lachaise, Gaston, 1882-1935  Search this

Lassaw, Ibram, 1913-2003  Search this

Lippold, Richard, 1915-2002  Search this

Lipton, Seymour, 1903-1986  Search this

Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890-1973  Search this

Maillol, Aristide, 1861-1944  Search this

Manship, Paul, 1885-1966  Search this

Marca-Relli, Conrad, 1913-2000  Search this

Marin, John, 1870-1953  Search this

Marisol, 1930-2016  Search this

Matisse, Henri, 1869-1954  Search this

Melville, Herman, 1819-1891  Search this

Mondrian, Piet, 1872-1944  Search this

Morris, Robert, 1931-2018  Search this

Nakian, Reuben, 1897-1986  Search this

Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988  Search this

O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986  Search this

Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-  Search this

Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Pompon, François, 1855-1933  Search this

Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this

Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this

Roszak, Theodore, 1907-1981  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Samaras, Lucas, 1936-  Search this

Scarpitta, Salvatore, 1919-2007  Search this

Segal, George, 1924-2000  Search this

Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this

Smith, David, 1906-1965  Search this

Smith, Tony, 1912-1980  Search this

Spaventa, George, 1918-  Search this

Stankiewicz, Richard, 1922-1983  Search this

Sugarman, George, 1912-1999  Search this

Tobey, Mark  Search this

Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892  Search this

Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this

Extent:

99 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Sound recordings

Date:

1968

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Peter Agostini conducted in 1968, by Colette Roberts, for the Archives of American Art at 151 Avenue B, New York, New York.

Mr. Agostini speaks of his childhood spent living throughout the five boroughs of New York; his interactions with clients of his father's acting employment agency; his early education in Catholic school and the creative freedom allotted by the nuns; his first feelings of isolation as an artist at the age of seven; the development of a sense of communication as the result of the loss of his mother at the age of three and time spent at a school for orphans; his early realization and vision of artistic destiny; his religious interests which lead to mysticism in his earlier work; his time spent working freely in the DaVinci Studio with Spaventa; the discovery by Hess of his works in Gallerie Grimaud; his attainment of the Longview Grant; his working experience throughout the Depression as part of the WPA casting plaster mannequins while working indirectly with Pollack as well as Marca Relli; his subsequent move to designing department store windows (use of Mondrian-like forms and lines); his feelings of his position as an observer; the importance of communication through art (communication without words); his rejection of the Abstract Expressionist group and choice of independence; the influence of the sculpture of Kolbe and Bache in the thirties; Clement Greenberg's distaste for his work; his feelings about the relative failure to sell his work due its unusual edginess and mystery; his role in the introduction of the work of contemporary European artists (Chausserian, Gauthier, Modrian) to the American group; his description of his own work as "traditionless"; his feelings of self-importance as one of the most original sculptors in the art world; his influence on the younger generation, particularly Marisol; the enslavement to originality that the younger generation faces; his attitudes towards American Art forms and their lack of rebellious spirit; the virtues of the American writers, such as Poe, Whitman, and Melville as American "knapsack" writers; his personal technique which places an emphasis on the "skin" or volume of something; his attempt to create quiet art, or art that merely indicates features; his frustration with teaching and the problems of regurgitated knowledge; the role of Meyer Shapiro in his teaching career at Columbia; the formation of the Club and its similarity to the Cubist's café scene; his opinions on the relationship of sex and sensuality in American art; his personal struggles, including the loss of his second wife and two of his brothers, in addition to the estrangement of his only daughter by his first wife; his feelings on the role of psycho analysis and personal history in a work of art; his present works which feature the "swell." For the majority of the second half of the interview Ms. Roberts asks Mr. Agostini to express his opinions on the work of: Kline; DeKooning; Duchamp; Oldenburg; La Tour; DeChirico; Maillol; Pompon; Rothko; Chardin; Cezanne; Giacometti; Reinhardt; Chryssa; Tony Smith; Segal; Lachaise; Zorach; Manship; Flannagan; Kelly; Lassaw; David Smith; Hare; Lipton; Ferber; Lippold; Roszak; Nakian; Noguchi; Hague; Kohn; di Suvero; Chamberlain; Kaprow; Sugarman; Stankiewicz; Bontecou; Scarpitta; Cornell; Keinholz; Rivera; Judd; Robert Morris; O'Keeffe; Samaras; Mark Tobey; Marin; Pollock; Hartley; Dove; Macdonald-Wright; Demuth; Sheeler; Hopper; Mirot; Matisse; DuBuffet.

Biographical / Historical:

Peter Agostini (1913-1993) was a sculptor from New York, New York.

General:

Originally recorded on 3 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 28 digital wav files. Duration is 10 hrs., 37 min.

Transferred from 4 3" reels.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics, and administrators.

Topic:

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

Abstract expressionism  Search this

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

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Sponsor:

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

Identifier:

AAA.agosti68

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw94f33a1ab-e475-4a6f-8b0b-f9822b288239

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-agosti68

Creator:

Hood, Richard, 1910-  Search this

Names:

American Color Print Society  Search this

Federal Art Project (Pa.)  Search this

Philadelphia College of Art -- Faculty  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Extent:

4.8 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1930-1983

Scope and Contents:

Material primarily relating to Hood's work on the Federal Art Project, the Philadelphia College of Art, and the American Color Print Society. Hood's earlier work as a printmaker is not well represented. Included are correspondence, notes, writings, sketches, scrapbooks, printed material and photographs.

Materials on the WPA, 1936-1942, include correspondence regarding exhibitions, appointments of district directors and artists to the project rolls, and the project's day to day operations; minutes of meetings; material on Art Week including correspondence, minutes, reports, and printed matter; artist supply requisitions; field reports on the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the L.A. Visual Aids to Education project, and the Terrace Village Art Center, as well as official reports from various departments, illustrated with photographs of the museum extension project; WPA publicity transcripts of radio interviews; photographs of sculpture, murals, painting, and museum extension exhibitions, views of the Graphic Workshop, and 2 scrapbooks of clippings.

Materials on the Philadelphia College of Art, 1951-1982, include teaching files with course outlines for advertising design, color and design, experimental design, and lettering; handouts; teaching notes; student assignments; slide lists; and faculty and student lists. Project files include memorandums, receipts, certificates, and material relating to the alumni association. Printed matter include school calendars, brochures and catalogues; and materials relating to exhibitions organized at the college.

The American Color Print Society materials, 1954-1983, include correspondence regarding exhibitions, membership, and board meetings; membership files and lists; newspaper clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, press releases, and a scrapbook of clippings.

The collection also contains biographical material; correspondence, 1930-1989, regarding exhibitions, awards and commissions; writings by Hood, including the essay "The Constant and the Variable"; sketches by Hood; printed material; miscellaneous project and subject files on the Army Navy Library, Rittenhouse Square Clothesline Exhibitions, and camouflage; photographs of Hood, artwork, and the Army Navy Medical Library displays; and miscellany.

Arrangement:

I. Biographical materials, 1942-1975. II. Correspondence, 1930-1989. III. Writings and notes, undated. IV. Works of Art, undated. V. WPA files, 1940-1943. VI. American Color Print Society files, 1952-1983. VII. Philadelphia College of Art, 1951-1982. VIII. Misc. Project and subject files, 1941-1974. IX. Artists' biographies, undated. X. Print labels, 1969-1976. XI. Exhibition papers, undated. XII. Printed material, 1930-1982. XIII. Photographs, ca. 1936-1942 and 1958. XIV. Scrapbooks.

Material concerning the WPA, the Philadelphia College of Art, and the American Color Print Society may also be found in the chronological correspondence, printed material, and photographs.

Biographical / Historical:

Arts administrator, art instructor, printmaker; Philadelphia, Pa. Full name Thomas Richard Hood. District Supervisor, 1936-1938, Federal Field Supervisor, 1938-1939, and State Director, 1939-1942, for the Pennsylvania Works Project Administration; instructor and gallery director, Philadelphia College of Art, 1951-1982; and President of the American Color Print Society, 1956-1983.

Provenance:

Donated 1990 by Marianne Vadorsky for the Hood estate. Hood's estate and gave papers on Hood's behalf.

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:

Printmakers -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia  Search this

Topic:

Prints -- 20th century -- United States -- societies, etc  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.hoodrich

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw977a75f55-6f24-47f0-9fa3-55eb2fdfd03d

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-hoodrich

Creator:

Taylor, Francis Henry, 1903-1957  Search this

Names:

Addison Gallery of American Art  Search this

Federal Art Project  Search this

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Worcester Art Museum  Search this

Sawyer, Charles Henry, 1906-2005  Search this

Extent:

6 Items ((on 1 partial microfilm reel))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1935-1937

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence between Francis Henry Taylor, director of the Worcester Art Museum, and Charles Sawyer, curator of the Addison Gallery of American Art regarding the WPA Federal Art Projects in New England. Included are: a letter from Sawyer to Taylor, Sept. 11, 1935, regarding "the Government art projects. ... I am anxious to keep these projects from getting into the wrong hands, but I am not, on the other hand, anxious to get involved in the political complications of the 'New Deal.' In another exchange, Taylor thanks Sawyer for sending him a copy of his letter, July 8, 1937, to Richard Morrison, Ass't to Holger Cahill, in which Sawyer compares the FAP to the PWAP, comments on the organization of the FAP,

and recommends that an "advisory committee, regionally organized, within each state, might be definitely useful to you...if they were...informed of what the Federal Art Project was trying to do." In a letter of Aug. 30, 1937, Sawyer encloses a copy of a letter he received from Morrison regarding FAP funding. Also included are a carbon of a letter from Taylor to Sawyer, Sept. 14, 1937, regarding his opinion that the Advisory committee not get involved in WPA funding; and a letter from Sawyer to Taylor, Oct. 28, 1937, enclosing Sawyer's letter to Morrison (never sent) regarding a controversy over a loan of murals in a WPA exhibition. [Microfilm title: Addison Gallery of American Art papers].

Biographical / Historical:

Gallery at Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts.

Other Title:

Addison Gallery of American Art (microfilm title)

Provenance:

Donated 1964 by the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, Mass.

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.

Topic:

Art and state  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.taylfrah

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99e27b37d-4bce-4c99-99ee-82158fd20d51

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-taylfrah

Creator:

Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this

Names:

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

McChesney, Mary Fuller  Search this

Extent:

6 Reels (ca. 700 items (on 6 partial microfilm reels.))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Reels

Place:

United States -- Social conditions -- California

United States -- Economic conditions -- California

Date:

1935-1964

Scope and Contents:

Photographs, clippings, writings, and publications relating to the Federal Art Project in California, particularly San Francisco.

Reel NDA 1, frames 752-767: Correspondence and lists relating to exhibitions of works by San Francisco artists.

Reel NDA 2: Articles from the San Francisco Art Association BULLETIN, 1934-1940 and MAGAZINE OF ART, October 1937.

Reel NDA 3(frames 13-20): Exhibtion catalog of Federal Art Project work at the University of California, Berkeley, Art Gallery, 1936.[Microfilm title University of California Art Gallery]

Reel NDA 14: Clippings, photographs, and press releases relating to the decoration by the FAP of the Enlisted Men's Club at Fort Ord, California; and photographs and biographical information relating to about 20 artists employed by FAP in Northern California.[Microfilm title Fort Ord, California and WPA-FAP, San Francisco]

Reel NDA 17: Photographs of sculpture, murals, easel work, graphics, and other works of art by various artists working for the FAP in California; and a list of artists on the Graphic Arts Project, San Francisco.

Reel NDA 20: Photographs of artists and works of art for the FAP in San Francisco.

Reel NDA 27: One publication of the University of California's Medical School murals, 1939; one photograph of project personnel, San Francisco; one newspaper article: "Bernard Zakheim and the U.C. Medical School," December 6, 1964.

Biographical / Historical:

Federal aid art project during the Depression. The Federal Art Project (FAP) fell under the jurisdiction of Federal Project No. 1 of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Established in May 1935 specifically as a work relief program for unemployed artists. Each state and territory had its own programs and were administered aid from the federal government via a local agency.

Other Title:

Fort Ord, California [microfilm title, reel NDA 14]

WPA-FAP, San Francisco [microfilm title, reel NDA 14]

Provenance:

Material on reels NDA 1, NDA 3, NDA 14, NDA 17, NDA 20 and NDA 27 lent for microfilming 1964 by Lewis Ferbrache; and material on reel NDA 2 lent for microfilming 1964 by Marian Simpson.

Restrictions:

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

Topic:

New Deal, 1933-1939 -- California  Search this

Federal aid to the arts -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Federal aid to the public welfare -- California  Search this

Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- California -- Fort Ord  Search this

Function:

Programs (organizations)

Agencies

Identifier:

AAA.fedeartp02

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a6c96a20-2643-4e49-8283-7ee17bfa9ee7

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-fedeartp02

Creator:

Greene, Balcomb, 1904-1990  Search this

Names:

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Gallatin, A. E. (Albert Eugene), 1881-1952  Search this

Greene, Gertrude, 1904-1956  Search this

Greene, Terryn  Search this

Extent:

9.8 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Short stories

Collages

Photographs

Poems

Theses

Articles

Interviews

Lecture notes

Sound recordings

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Video recordings

Date:

circa 1880s-2009

Summary:

The Balcomb and Gertrude Greene papers, circa 1880s-2009, bulk circa 1905-1990, measure 9.8 linear feet. Balcomb Greene's career as a painter, educator, and writer - and to a lesser extent his personal life - is documented by biographical material, letters, subject files,writings, artwork, audio-visual recordings, printed material, and photographs. Documentation about sculptor Gertrude Greene, from 1926 until her death in 1956, consists of printed material, photographs, two letters to her, and a brief handwritten list of paintings and constructions.

Scope and Content Note:

The Balcomb and Gertrude Greene papers, circa 1880s-2009, bulk circa 1905-1990, measure 9.8 linear feet. Balcomb Greene's career as a painter, educator, and writer - and to a lesser extent his personal life - is documented by biographical material, letters, subject files,writings, artwork, audio-visual recordings, printed material, and photographs. Documentation about sculptor Gertrude Greene, from 1926 until her death in 1956, consists of printed material, photographs, two letters to her, and a brief handwritten list of paintings and constructions.

All biographical material relates to Balcomb Greene. Letters are almost exclusively incoming letters; two copies of outgoing letters written by Terryn Greene are included. Those addressed to Balcomb Greene regard articles, his will, an appraisal of a painting by him, and greeting cards with notes from friends. The two letters addressed to Gertrude Greene are photocopies. One from A. E. Gallatin concerns her work selected for the permanent collection of the Museum of Living Art at New York University; the other, a fragment from an unidentified correspondent, is about American Abstract Artists dues and exhibitions. The letters addressed to Terryn Greene concern her husband's career or mention him.

Subject files relate to activities and topics of interest to Greene or aspects of Greene's career; some concern estate matters. Of particular interest are: "Balcomb and Gertrude Greene in the WPA," consisting of Terryn Greene's research correspondence on the subject; and a file documenting a Judith Rothschild Foundation grant for conservation of paintings damaged in the 1996 fire that destroyed Balcomb Greene's studio.

Writings are by Balcomb Greene, Gertrude Greene, and other authors. Balcomb's writings include articles, novels, short stories, poems, journal entries, lecture notes, student writings, and a thesis. Gertrude Greene's writings consist of a handwritten list of paintings and constructions, noting the dimensions, date, and price of each piece. The writings of other authors are about Balcomb and Gertrude Greene. They include notes for an interview, a poem, student papers, and a thesis.

Art work consists of a collage probably by Balcomb Greene, and a sketchbook containing two of his drawings dated January 1976. Another drawing is signed [H?.] R. Balcomb Greene's register of paintings documents each completed painting on a separate sheet containing a small photograph or sketch, title, date of execution, and code or negative number, along with notes relating to exhibitions, loans, and ownership; some sheets bear the notation "destroyed." The register is incomplete, and the surviving portion bears evidence of the 1996 fire that gutted his studio. The least damaged portion documents works from 1941-1948, 1963-1964, and 1980-1982; the remaining part of the register consists of partial pages that are missing titles, dates of execution, or other salient information.

Exhibition catalogs and articles from newspapers and periodicals represent the majority of the printed material about or mentioning Balcomb and Gertrude Greene. In addition, there are articles by Balcomb published in a number of periodicals. Museum publications, annual reports, bulletins and newsletters mention the Greenes. Also found are issues of Art Front, 1934-1938 (Balcomb served on the editorial board and contributed articles), and his well-used copy of Modern Art by Katherine S. Drier.

Audio-visual recordings consist of interviews with Balcomb Greene and a "McCarthy tape" (Balcomb and Terryn helped organize "Montauk's Day for McCarthy"). Among the video recordings is a videocassette of Greene's 1990 memorial service.

Photographs are of art work, events, exhibition installations, miscellaneous subjects, people, and places. Art work of both Balcomb and Gertrude is documented. Among the photographs of people are images of Balcomb Greene, Gertrude Greene, Terryn Greene, family, friends and other individuals (identified and unidentified). Greene family photographs, some surviving from the 19th century, portray three generations. Photographs of events include documentation of the damage caused by the 1996 fire that destroyed Balcomb Greene's studio. Installation photographs document exhibitions that featured Balcomb Greene, the couple, and Gertrude Greene. Of particular interest is a view of Gertrude's contribution to the American Abstract Artists' 1937 show at Squibb Gallery. Miscellaneous subjects are Greene's Rolls Royce and pets. Places recorded include Greene's boyhood homes and churches, the house Balcomb built at Montauk, Gertrude's studio, and travel pictures of Europe and Asia. Also found are a small number of negatives, 35-mm slides, and color transparencies of art work, miscellaneous subjects, and people.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 9 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1926-1981 (Box 1; 0.2 linear ft.)

Series 2: Letters, 1936-2005 (Box 1; 3 folders)

Series 3: Subject Files, 1939-2008 (Box 1; 0.2 linear ft.)

Series 4: Writings, circa 1927-1984 (Boxes 1-3; 2.1 linear ft.)

Series 5: Art Work, 1976 (Box 3; 2 folders)

Series 6: Register of Paintings, undated (Box 3; 0.4 linear ft.)

Series 7: Printed Material, circa 1930-2009 (Boxes 4-7, 11, OV 12; 3.9 linear ft.)

Series 8: Audio-visual Recordings, 1963-1990 (Box 7; 0.3 linear ft.)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1880s-1996 (Boxes 7-11; 2.6 linear ft.)

Biographical Note:

Balcomb (1904-1990) and his wife Gertrude (1904-1956) were painters in New York, N.Y. John Wesley Greene (known professionally as Balcomb Greene), born May 22, 1904 in Millville, New York, was the youngest child of Reverend Bertram Stillman Greene, a Methodist minister. After his wife died in 1907, Reverend Greene and the children moved several times when he accepted assignments at small town churches in Iowa, South Dakota, and Colorado.

The recipient of a scholarship for sons of Methodist ministers, Greene entered Syracuse University in 1922, intending to become a minister. He studied philosophy, psychology, literature, and art, eventually deciding to pursue a career as a writer. When visiting the Metropolitan Museum during his senior year, Greene was introduced to Gertrude Glass by her cousin. They married soon after his graduation in 1926.

The newlyweds moved to Austria where he had a fellowship to study psychology at the University of Vienna. Greene was very interested in Freud's work and hoped to become his student; although he attended Freud's lectures and met the eminent psychologist once, this ambition was not realized. After returning to New York in 1927, Greene began studying for a master's degree in English literature at Columbia University. He specialized in the novel, and wrote three (none were published). When his thesis about prostitutes as portrayed in seventeenth century literature was submitted, Greene's major professor was on sabbatical; although the subject had been approved, the interim replacement rejected it as unsuitable. Greene left Columbia without obtaining a degree.

Greene then accepted a position at Dartmouth College where he taught literature from 1928-1931. The Greenes spent summers together in the city and visited frequently throughout the academic year. He continued writing and in 1930 began painting. Because there were already two artists named John Green then in New York, Greene soon adopted the name Balcomb (his maternal grandmother's maiden name). Although he was known as Balcomb for the remainder of his life, his name was never changed legally.

Balcomb Greene's first solo exhibition was held at Dartmouth College in 1931. After his resignation from the Dartmouth faculty in 1931, Balcomb and Gertrude spent a year in Paris. She found a studio and set to work. He planned to write, but was distracted by the desire to paint. He began independent study at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and in 1932 exhibited his work in Paris. Throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s Greene produced very flat geometric abstractions, adding biomorphic and anthropomorphic forms over time. By the mid-1940s, he found himself bored by pure abstraction and introduced figures, focusing on mass and space rather than line.

Greene quickly established himself as an artist, developed a wide circle of friends and was recognized as a leader of the abstract movement. He and Gertrude were both drawn to political causes that affected artists; along with friends they began the Unemployed Artists' Group (which later became the Artists' Union) and staged public demonstrations demanding government assistance so that artists would not be completely dependent on private patronage. He published articles in Art Front, the magazine of the Artist's Union, and served on its editorial board between 1935 and 1936. Balcomb and Gertrude Greene were among the founding members of American Abstract Artists; he served as the group's first chairman.

Like many artists during the Great Depression, Balcomb Greene found it very difficult to maintain a steady income. During this period he held many different jobs, among them: writing for the sensationalist newspapers Broadway Brevities and Graft, serving on the crew of a schooner searching for pirate gold in the South Pacific, and working at the non-profit Emily Francis Contemporary Gallery. Eventually, he secured a teaching position with the Federal Art Project. He later switched to the mural section where assignments included painting murals for the Williamsburg Housing Project in Brooklyn and the Federal Hall of Medicine at the 1939 World's Fair, and designing a stained glass window for a school in the Bronx.

Because he did not want to support his career by teaching painting, in 1940 Balcomb Greene began graduate work in art history at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. He earned a master's degree in 1942 and that same year began teaching history of art and culture at Carnegie Institute of Technology, a position he held until 1959. Gertrude set up a studio in their Pittsburgh home, but continued to maintain her New York studio, commuting between the two cities until war conditions made the trip too difficult. They returned to New York each summer, and in 1947 bought property on Long Island at Montauk Point where Balcomb constructed a modern house of cement blocks.

In addition to teaching and painting, Greene continued to write. Several articles about art and philosophy appeared between 1936 and 1950 in publications such as Art Front, College Art Journal, Art News, and Art Journal. He also wrote many poems. During his tenure at Carnegie Tech Balcomb Greene worked on but did not complete a book tentatively titled "The Villain and the School" and formulated ideas for another.

While Gertrude was terminally ill with cancer, and after her death in 1956, Balcomb reduced his teaching commitments, staying in Pittsburgh for only one semester each year. After retiring in 1959, he painted at Montauk and traveled. While in Paris, Greene met journalist Terryn Trimpen, whom he married in 1961.

Balcomb Greene was represented by Bertha Schaefer Gallery, Saidenberg Gallery and ACA Gallery, in New York, and by the Harmon-Meek Gallery in Naples, Florida. He exhibited widely, participating in the annual exhibitions of the Whitney Museum of American Art and Art Institute of Chicago, and in group shows at the Walker Art Center, Brooklyn Museum, and other venues. Solo shows included exhibitions at the Forum Gallery, ACA Gallery, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York; Fairweather-Hardin Gallery, Chicago; and the Oceanographic Institute and Harmon-Meeks Gallery in Florida. Greene's work is in the permanent collections of many museums, among them the Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

During the last five years of his life, Balcomb Greene was in frail health and unable to paint. He died November 12, 1990 at his Montauk Point home.

Gertrude Glass (who worked as an artist using her married name Gertrude Greene) was the daughter of Siegfried and Berta Glass, prosperous Latvian immigrants who owned a Brooklyn department store. At age 18, Gertrude and an older sister left home and organized a pre-school. From 1924 to 1928, Gertrude attended evening sculpture classes at the newly opened Leonardo Da Vinci Art School, a very traditional school in Manhattan that offered free instruction. Although the school itself was conservative, there Gertrude met and identified with a group of fairly radical students who were interested in the abstract art then emerging.

Glass and Greene were married in 1926 and spent the next year in Vienna. Upon returning to New York, she continued to make sculpture. Once they relocated to New Hampshire Gertrude was able to have her own sculpture studio. New Hampshire did not suit her and she gradually drifted back to the art world of New York. After Balcomb resigned from the Dartmouth faculty in 1931, the couple spent a year in Paris. They met many artists and frequented galleries where they saw the latest contemporary art. Gertrude worked on her sculpture and Balcomb, who had planned to write, began concentrating on painting; this was the only time the two shared a studio. When they moved to Pittsburgh, Gertrude kept her New York studio, expecting to commute regularly between the two cities, but war constraints soon made that plan impractical.

Gertrude Greene was active in liberal political causes, especially ones that affected artists and encouraged the formation of WPA programs to help struggling artists. She was an active member of the Federation of Painters and Sculptors, the Artists' Union, and a founding member of American Abstract Artists. As AAA's first paid employee, Gertrude served as gallery attendant. Before moving to Pittsburgh, both Greenes were very active on AAA committees, worked to further acceptance of abstract art, and picketed on many occasions. Typical of AAA actions was a 1937 demonstration against Museum of Modern Art exhibition policies that gave short shrift to abstract work by American artists.

Gertrude Greene was among the very earliest of American artists - quite possibly the first - to produce non-objective relief sculptures in the early 1930s. Over time, she absorbed Cubist tradition and ideas of the Russian Constructivists, synthesizing them into her own work. By the 1940s, she had become interested in Mondrian and Neo-Plasticism, influences that are reflected in her constructions of the period. Her final sculpture was produced in 1946 and for the remainder of her career she focused exclusively on abstract painting.

She participated in many group exhibitions, the first of which was at Wildenstein Gallery in 1945. Grace Borgenicht Gallery presented the first solo exhibition of Gertrude Greene's work in 1952, and another was held at the Bertha Schaefer Gallery in 1955. In 1982, there was a major retrospective of her work at ACA Gallery. Gertrude Greene's work is represented in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Mass.

Gertrude Greene's health began deteriorating in 1956; eventually, cancer was diagnosed. Later that year, on November 25, she died at a New York City hospital.

Related material:

Among the Bertha Schaefer papers and gallery records, 1914-1975, owned by the Archives of American Art are 58 letters from Balcomb Greene about sales and exhibitions (reel 271), and a scrapbook containing printed material about him (reel 42).

The holdings of the Archives of American Art include several interviews with Balcomb Greene. In 1972, he was interviewed by Paul Cummings for the Archives of American Art's oral history program (reel 4210). Greene is included among the Karl E. Fortess taped interviews with artists conducted 1963-1985 (not transcribed). Marian L. Gore's "Art Scene" interviews aired on Los Angeles radio station KPFK, 1962-1964, include one with Balcomb Greene (not transcribed). An interview with Balcomb Greene (transcribed) is among the Brooklyn Museum interviews of artists conducted by Arlene Jacobowitz, circa 1965-1985. The Anne Bowen Parsons collection of interviews on art, 1967-1968, contains an interview with Balcomb Greene (transcribed). Susan C. Larsen's interview with Balcomb Greene is part of oral history interviews relating to the American Abstract Artists Group, 1973-1978 (not transcribed).

Also available at the Archives of American Art is a video recording (VHS videocassette) "Balcomb Greene: 50 Years of Painting, Harmon Gallery," edited and directed by George Mauro, 1982.

Provenance:

Donated in 2009 by Terryn Trimpen Greene, widow of Balcomb Greene.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.

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:

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

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

Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Genre/Form:

Short stories

Collages

Photographs

Poems

Theses

Articles

Interviews

Lecture notes

Sound recordings

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Video recordings

Citation:

Balcomb and Gertrude Greene papers, circa 1880-2009. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.greebalc2

See more items in:

Balcomb and Gertrude Greene papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d511d161-4c2b-4b76-8ba7-32ae83aa85af

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-greebalc2

Interviewee:

Burlin, Paul, 1886-1969  Search this

Interviewer:

Seckler, Dorothy Gees, 1910-1994  Search this

Names:

American Artists' Congress  Search this

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

National Academy of Design (U.S.) -- Students  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this

Boas, Franz, 1858-1942  Search this

Gleizes, Albert, 1881-1953  Search this

Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this

Huneker, James, 1857-1921  Search this

Matisse, Henri, 1869-1954  Search this

O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986  Search this

Extent:

5 Items (Sound recording: 5 sound files (2 hr., 39 min.), digital, wav)

65 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Sound recordings

Place:

Europe -- description and travel

Southwestern States -- Description and Travel

Date:

1962

Scope and Contents:

Interview of Paul Burlin, conducted on December 5-6, 1962, by Dorothy Gees Seckler, for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Burlin speaks of his childhood education in England; working for the magazine Delineator; his education at the National Academy of Design; his travels in the American Southwest; his early exhibitions in New York; his first wife's writings on folk music; visiting Europe before the first World War; discovering Cubism and Fauvism; working on the WPA under the Whitney Museum; joining and then leaving the American Artists' Congress in protest; his thoughts on overtly political art; exhibiting at the Downtown Gallery; his image-making process; and his critique of Pop art. Burlin also recalls James Huneker, Franz Boas, Albert Gleizes, Henri Matisse, Edith Halpert, Georgia O'Keeffe, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Paul Burlin (1886-1969) was a painter in New York, New York.

General:

Originally recorded on 5 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 39 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Art -- Political aspects  Search this

Cubism  Search this

Fauvism  Search this

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

Pop art  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Sponsor:

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

Identifier:

AAA.burlin62

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9eb9c540b-b1e1-4898-9d25-193966292e9b

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-burlin62

Creator:

Milton, Peter, 1930-  Search this

Names:

Associated American Artists  Search this

Franz Bader Gallery  Search this

Maryland Institute, College of Art -- Faculty  Search this

Print Club (Philadelphia, Pa.)  Search this

Albers, Josef  Search this

Finkelstein, Irving L.  Search this

Hooven, Peter, 1934-  Search this

McNulty, Kneeland  Search this

Peterdi, Gabor  Search this

Extent:

3 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1950-2010

Scope and Contents:

The papers of printmaker and educator, Peter Milton measure 3.0 linear feet and date from circa 1950-2010. A majority of the collection contains files relating to Milton's sales of works and exhibitions. Also included are teaching files, Milton's coursework as a student, writings by Milton, biographical material, inventories, receipts and price lists of prints, and printed material documenting Milton's printmaking career.

Files relating to Milton's sales and exhibitions contain correspondence with galleries, museums, art organizations, collectors and colleagues; clippings; inventories; consignment agreements; receipts; and few photographs. Included are the Alma Pelis Gallery, Associated American Artists, C. Troup Gallery, Comsky Gallery, FAR Gallery, Fein/Art, Franz Bader Gallery, Graphics Gallery, Imprint Gallery, Kneeland McNulty (includes information on Josef Albers and Gabor Peterdi), Museo La Tertulia, Optik Gallery, Orr's Gallery, Gabor Peterdi, Pickard Art Galleries, Pratt Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Priscilla Hartley Gallery, Print Club, Talisman Prints, and Joan Weinberg among others.

Printed material includes exhibition announcements, newspaper clippings and reproductions of Milton's work.

Biographical / Historical:

Peter Milton (1930- ) is a printmaker and educator in New Hampshire. Milton studied with Josef Albers and Gabor Peterdi at Yale University, where he received a BFA (1954) and an MFA (1962). He also taught at the University of Bridgeport (1959-1960), Yale University (1960-1961) and the Maryland Institute College of Art (1961-1968).

Provenance:

Donated 1988 and 2022 by Peter Milton.

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:

Etchers -- New Hampshire  Search this

Printmakers -- New Hampshire  Search this

Educators -- New Hampshire  Search this

Topic:

Prints -- Technique -- United States  Search this

Prints, American  Search this

Prints -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.miltpete

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f89e690d-32ae-4454-af5e-b38927d4e22c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-miltpete