An interview of William E. Woolfenden and Irving Burton conducted 1992 December 12, by Garnett McCoy for the Archives of American Art, concerning the development of the Archives of American Art.
Woolfenden speaks about E.P. Richardson and his intent in founding of the Archives of American Art; the earliest development and collecting activities; his role as assistant director and Richardson's role as director; receiving a Ford foundation grant and other early financial support; fundraising events; auctions; trustees; the founding of regional offices; early employees; forming an alliance with the Smithsonian Institution; and the impact of the AAA on American art history. Irving Burton discusses his involvement.
Biographical / Historical:
William E. Woolfenden (1918- 1995) was the director of the Archives of American Art from 1963-1983.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 35 min.
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.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- Michigan -- Detroit -- Interviews Search this
Funding for the digital preservation of these recordings was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Dorothy Dehner, 1965 October-1966 December. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Roy C. Gamble, 1968 August 26. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with William E. Woolfenden and Irving Burton, 1992 December 12. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An interview of Dorothy Dehner conducted 1965 October-1966 December, by Garnett McCoy and Rosalind Krauss, for the Archives of American Art.
Both interviews involve discussion of Dehner's husband, David Smith.
Biographical / Historical:
Dorothy Dehner (1901-1994) was a sculptor, painter, and printmaker from New York, New York. Dehner was married to sculptor David Smith.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav file. Duration is 2 hr., 40 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.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
An interview of Roy C. Gamble conducted 1968 August 26, by Garnett McCoy, for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Roy C. Gamble (1887-1972) was a painter from Detroit, Michigan.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 1 hr., 33 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.
Occupation:
Painters -- Michigan -- Detroit -- Interviews Search this
Smithsonian Institution Office of Public Affairs Search this
Physical description:
35mm;
Type:
Black-and-white negatives
Date:
1970
May 4, 1970
Local number:
SIA Acc. 11-008 [OPA-1630R2]
Restrictions & Rights:
No access restrictions Many of SIA's holdings are located off-site, and advance notice is recommended to consult a collection. Please email the SIA Reference Team at osiaref@si.edu
No access restrictions Many of SIA's holdings are located off-site, and advance notice is recommended to consult a collection. Please email the SIA Reference Team at osiaref@si.edu
Abram Lerner. Abram Lerner letter to Garnett McCoy, 1988 October 21. Abram Lerner letter to Garnett McCoy, 1988 Oct. 21. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Arline Custer, 1975 April 7. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Ernest Junker, 1967 Dec. 5. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Betty Burroughs Woodhouse, 1977 May 24. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Elisabeth Ross Zogbaum, 1981 December 3. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This series includes personal and professional correspondence of Paul Bransom from the beginning of his career until the end of his life. Correspondence includes letters from other artists, art directors and editors, writers, nature and wildlife conservators and zoologists, curators, collectors, printers, engravers, family, and friends. Also found are letters Bransom wrote to his wife, Grace Bond Bransom, early in their relationship, and scattered correspondence to Grace Bond Bransom and Althea Bond, Bransom's niece and heiress. Many illustrated letters are found among the correspondence, including several lavishly illustrated letters from Charles Sarka. Photographs, clippings, and other enclosures such as membership cards, are scattered throughout the series.
Correspondence is divided into three groups: that between Paul Bransom and his wife, general correspondence, and cards. General correspondence is arranged chronologically except for occasional instances where letters were originally grouped together by author or subject. Drafts and carbon copies of outgoing letters written by Paul Bransom are interfiled with general correspondence, and undated drafts are filed at the end of the general correspondence. Greeting cards with significant written messages are interfiled with general correspondence, and cards without messages are arranged alphabetically at the end of the series. Many of the cards are made with original artwork, as indicated in the folder notes below.
General correspondence contains letters and records of transactions with Bransom's publishing clients, as well as letters from many authors whose stories Bransom illustrated, especially between the 1900s and the 1940s. Among the authors are Albert Payson Terhune, Donald Culross Peattie, J. Frank Dobie, Dorothy Cottrell, Attilio Gatti, Charmian London (wife of Jack London), and Herbert Sass. Artists represented in Bransom's correspondence include Charles Sarka, Joe Back, Walter Biggs, Patricia Bott, Chen Chi, John Clymer, Paul Fair, Charles Hargens, Bob Kuhn, Dorothy and Gertrude Lathrop, Bob Lougheed, George McLean, Ugo Mochi, Bill and Rachel Scott, Donald Teague, and Clarence Tillenius.
Letters and envelopes are often annotated by Bransom giving the full name of the author and sometimes the nature of their relationship or other biographical information. Additional correspondence can be found in Personal Business Records, and some drafts of outgoing letters are found in the notebooks filed in Notes and Writings.
See Appendix for a list of selected correspondents from Series 2.
Appendix: Selected Correspondents from Series 2:
This selected index to Series 2: General Correspondence, includes selected artists, writers whose works Bransom illustrated, art editors and directors, collectors, printers and engravers, and other significant correspondents. Illustrated letters are indicated in parentheses. This index is not comprehensive.
The bulk of the collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not digitized requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Paul Bransom papers, 1862-1985. 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
