Brumbaugh, Thomas B. (Thomas Brendle), 1921- Search this
Extent:
10 Items (Letters, written in ink)
Type:
Archival materials
Correspondence
Date:
1891-1915
Scope and Contents:
This folder is an amalgamation of letters written by Abbott H. Thayer to various people, mostly relatives. The recipients include Moses Beach, Ella Beach, Violet Beach, Maria Oakey Dewing, Gertrude Bloede, and Dr. Samuel T. King.
Arrangement:
Organized alphabetically by recipient.
Biographical / Historical:
Abbott Handerson Thayer was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 12, 1849 to a distinguished family. He moved from Boston to Brooklyn during his childhood, where he attended the National Academy of Design. Thayer often used his wife, Kate Bloede Thayer, her sister Gertrude, and his three children Mary, Gerald and Gladys as models. He also used Clara A. May as a model. His subjects included ethereal angels, landscapes, women, children, and flowers. When Kate died, Thayer's entire outlook on art and life changed. It had been Kate's family that introduced Thayer to the sense of idealism that comes from a German family who had immigrated to the United States. He had learned about the romanticism surrounding art and literature from the Bloedes, all of which encouraged the artist to paint perfectly beautiful figures. Later in life, Thayer established a permanent household in Dublin, New Hampshire, with his new wife, Emma Beach. He loved to paint the surrounding mountains and birds. Interestingly, Charles Lang Freer was one of Thayer's patrons.
Kate Bloede (1846-1890) was Abbott Thayer's first wife, who tragically died following a long battle with depression. Abbott used Kate as a model during his painting career. The couple lived in Paris, where their first two children were born. Upon their return to New York, the Thayers had three more children. In May 1888, Kate developed "melancholia," or depression, following the death of her father, Gustav Bloede. She was admitted to Bloomingdale Hospital, where she was treated for six months. Although her family visited her often, she did not respond well. Abbott transferred Kate to McLean Asylum in the winter of 1888, and then to a sanitorium in 1890. Pulmonary complications developed and Kate died on May 3, 1891. Animosities between Abbott and the Bloede family developed soon after Kate's death.
Emma Beach was Abbott Thayer's second wife, whom he married four months to the day after Kate Bloede's death. She met the couple during the summer of 1881, when they were vacationing in Nantucket. Beach was the daughter of Moses Beach, the former owner of the New York Sun. She was an art student, and over the next few years she visited the Thayers often, developing a close relationship with the children. Emma actually helped Thayer transfer Kate to the McLean Asylum. On July 27, 1891, Abbott wrote to Emma, imploring her to move in permanently with the family for the sake of the children. Her family was quite against this proposal, but the two were married in Nantucket on September 3, 1891. This caused problems between Abbott and the Bloedes, particularly offending Gertrude Bloede and Indie Bloede King, Kate's sisters.
Violet and Ella Beach were Emma Beach's sisters.
Dr. Samuel T. King was Abbott's brother-in-law, the husband of Indie Bloede. Thayer was quite close with King, and therefore it was King to whom he wrote in an attempt to patch things over with the Bloede family, especially Gertrude Bloede. This relationship later deteriorated, with King supporting his wife as opposed to Thayer.
Gertrude Bloede was Kate's sister and was married to Dr. King. It was Gertrude who was most offended when Thayer quickly remarried after Kate's death, and it was Gertrude whom Abbott attempted to reach out to after she refused to speak to him. Gertrude lived a double life as a poet. She published several pieces under the name "Stuart Sterne" in the 19th century.
William Endicott was an American politician from Massachusetts who served as Secretary of War and was influential on the Board on Fortification. Following his retirement, he returned to Boston, was overseer of Harvard College (his Alma mater) and president of the Peabody Academy of Science and Peabody Education Fund. It appears that Thayer's letter responds to a request from Endicott that Abbott participate in a mural in Massachusetts.
Maria Oakey Dewing was the wife of Thomas Wilmer Dewing, an American painter at the turn of the century. Maria herself was an artist who painted mostly flowers, although she began by painting figures. She studied art at the Cooper Union in New York City.
Local Numbers:
FSA A2009.06 1
Other Archival Materials:
Thomas B. Brumbaugh research material on Abbott Handerson Thayer and other artists, 1876-1994 (bulk 1960s-1994); Also located at Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
The 1968 Festival saw a large program of music and dance performances, in three venues: a Ballads Stage, a City-Country Stage, and a Main Stage. As with the 1967 Festival, the majority of the performers represented Anglo American and African American traditions, but there were also Lummi, Basque, and Serbian dance groups, as well as a Louisiana French ballad singer and a Native American singer and storyteller. Anglo American performers presented old-time string band music as well as bluegrass, ballads and various instrumental traditions. African American traditions ranged from a country songster and a fife-and-drum group to Muddy Waters' Chicago blues band and the Preservation Hall Band of New Orleans. Concerts were complemented by more informal workshops in which participants spoke about their cultural traditions and the importance of maintaining them. Evening concerts on the Main Stage presented a diversity of traditions and - to close the Festival - a tribute to the John A. Lomax Family that featured the diverse Texas performers.
Participants:
Anthony Alderman, 1900-1978, fiddler, Virginia
Alma Barthélémy, ballad singer, Louisiana
Loman Cansler, 1924-1992, ballad singer, Missouri
Gaither Carlton, 1901-1972, fiddler, North Carolina
Sara Cleveland, 1905-1987, ballad singer, New York
Fred Cockerham, 1905-1980, fiddler and banjo player, North Carolina
Libba Cotten, 1895-1987, singer and guitarist, Washington, D.C. (originally from North Carolina)
Henry Crow Dog, 1899-1985, Indian singer and storyteller, South Dakota
St. Nikola dancers, traditional Serbian dancers, Wisconsin
Mr. and Mrs. Aubrey Smith, fiddler and guitar player, West Virginia, Arlington, Virginia
George Smith, square dance caller, Maryland
Dewey Shepherd, 1906-1996, fiddler and ballad singer, Kentucky
John Kilby Snow, 1905-1980, autoharp player, Pennsylvania
Ralph Stanley (1927-2016) and the Clinch Mountain Boys, bluegrass band Virginia, Florida
Swan Silvertones, gospel, New York
Odell Tolliver, 1918-, fiddler, Virginia
Leslie Walls, guitar player, Arkansas
Muddy Waters (1915-1983) and group, blues band, Illinois
Arnold Watson, singer, banjo player, North Carolina
Doc Watson, 1923-2012, singer, guitar player, banjo player, North Carolina
Merle Watson, 1949-1985, guitar player, North Carolina
Rosa Lee Watson, 1931-2012, singer and guitar player, North Carolina
Ed Young (1910-1972), G.D. Young, and Lonnie Young (1903-1976), fife and drum, Tennessee
Collection 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.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1968 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections , Smithsonian Institution.
Gay and Gay Friendly Bars and Restaurants (Baltimore, Maryland and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware) Donna's Coffee Bar and Cafe, Sheridans, Shot Tower Bar, Allegro, Atlantis, Numbers, Stallions, Splash, Ethels, The Irish Pub, One World Café, Caldron Crafts, P...
Collection Collector:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History Search this
Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.
Do not use original materials when available on reference video or audio tapes.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
