The Marcia M. Mathews papers relating to Henry Ossawa Tanner consist of 54 items and date from 1937 to 1969, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1963 to 1969. The collection primarily consists of correspondence preceding Mathew's 1969 book Henry O. Tanner, American Artist and related printed material.
REEL 64: 26 letters, January 21, 1966 through March 5, 1968, to Mathews from Jesse O. Tanner, son of Henry Ossawa Tanner, conveying information about his father and particular art works; as well as a letter from Edith D. [Mrs. William] Glackens, August 7, 1937, to Charles C. Tough, Jesse O. Tanner's uncle, advising with regard to Tough's plans of selling Henry O. Tanner's paintings. Also included is a biographical questionnaire completed by Henry O. Tanner for the Art League Publishing Company.
REEL 3268: 23 letters to Mathews regarding her book and exhibitions of Tanner's work; and printed material, 1968-1969. Correspondents include Jesse O. Tanner, Erwin S. Barrie, Romare H. Bearden, George Biddle, Mrs. Samuel M. Bryant, Benjamin Mays, James A. Porter, and Warren Robbins.
Biographical / Historical:
Marcia M. Mathews is a writer and art historian in Durham, North Carolina.
Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) was an African American painter born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who spent much of his life in Paris, France. His work often depicts biblical scenes. Tanner trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts under Thomas Eakins. In 1891, Tanner traveled to Europe and settled in Paris, where he remained for the rest of his life.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Henry Ossawa Tanner papers, 1860s-1978; the Henry O. Tanner letters to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1885-1909; and the Alexander family papers relating to Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1912-1985. The Atlanta University Center, Robert W. Woodruff Library holds the Henry Ossawa Tanner collection, 1907-1937.
Provenance:
Donated 1969 and 1976 by Marcia Mathews.
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.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Macbeth Gallery records, 1838-1968, bulk 1892 to 1953. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Getty Grant Program. Digitization of the scrapbooks was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee. Correspondence, financial and shipping records, inventory records, and printed material were digitized with funding provided by the Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.
