Biographical material, writings, scrapbooks, correspondence, photographs, artwork, printed material and miscellany relating to William and Thomas Birch.
Biographical material includes research material on the Birch coat of arms; notes, including two scrapbooks, concerning the Birch family genealogy compiled by David Walter Harry and Thaddeus Harry, ancestors of William and Thomas Birch. Writings include thesis notes by Doris Jean Creer on William and Thomas Birch. Photographs are of Birch family members and works of art by William and Thomas Birch.
Artwork includes lithographs of oil paintngs by William and Thomas Birch, including Girard's Bank (1800), Second Street (1799), and If that Fellow Wants to Fight, We Won't Disappoint Him (1812); one black and white engraving and one aquatint of Bethlehem, Pa (circa 1820) by artist William Strickland based on an oil painting by Thomas Birch, and two black and white engravings and one aquatint of View of the Water Gap and Columbia Glass Works, River Delaware (circa 1820) by William Strickland based on an oil painting by Thomas Birch.
Printed material include exhibition catalogs and books, newspaper clippings and magazine articles. Also included is documentation of a donation of William Birch's paint box to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Biographical / Historical:
Enamel painters, miniaturists, engravers, etchers, publishers; Philadelphia, Pa. William Russell Birch (1755-1834) is best known for his miniature and enamel portraits and this series of Views of Philadelphia which he worked on with his son Thomas Birch (1779-1851) and published in 1799-1800.
Provenance:
Donated in 2008 by Cindy Keene, daughter of David Walter Harry.
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:
Engravers -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Miniature painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Correspondence, biographical and genealogical information, poems, notes, diaries, artwork, sketchbooks, photographs, business papers and printed material relating to the Longacre family, especially James Barton Longacre and Andrew Longacre.
REEL P1-P2: Correspondence and papers of James Barton Longacre, 1819-1857, mostly concerned with his position as engraver of the U.S. Mint, Philadelphia, and his publication THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS. Letters include correspondence with Asher B. Durand, James Herring, John Neagle, Thomas Sully and George Catlin. Additional material includes diaries, sketches and designs for coinage, a biography, autobiographical notes, and printed material.
REEL 986: Five sketchbooks, ca.1861-1894, of Reverend Andrew Longacre. Sketches depict landscapes, interiors, and monogram designs made in the United States, Europe, North Africa and the Near East. In addition there is a memoranda book kept by Longacre, ca. 1890.
REELS 1046-1048: Letters, including: correspondence between James and his wife; between James and Andrew during the Civil War; and Lydia Longacre's letters from Europe, 1899-1900; and letters from Theodore Bolton to Mrs. James M. Longacre about including James in his book, EARLY AMERICAN PORTRAIT DRAUGHTSMEN IN CRAYONS. Also included are biographical notes on James; an autobiography of Andrew; poetry and writings by James; accounts of a trip to Egypt by Andrew; financial documents relating to James; artwork; designs for coins and sketchbooks by James, Andrew and Lydia and material relating to an engraving of Charles Carroll by James.
REELS 1083 & 1050: Genealogical information on the Stiles and Longacre families; letters from Andrew to his father, James Barton Longacre, and his sister, Sallie, and other family members and friends; a copy of James Barton's 1825 diary; poems and compositions by Andrew; financial and business papers, 1898-1918; 28 photographs depicting portraits of James and Andrew, Lydia E. Longacre and her miniature paintings.
REEL 3091: Two engravings by James after paintings by Benjamin West and a letter from Augusta M. Longacre to Bolton regarding Bolton's biography of James.
Biographical / Historical:
Artists; Philadelphia and New York. James Barton Longacre was an engraver and portrait painter. Chief engraver at the U.S. Mint, Philadelphia, from 1844-1869. His engravings and portraits illustrate several books including THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS, and BIOGRAPHY OF THE SIGNERS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. His son, Andrew Longacre was an engraver, watercolorist, and Methodist minister. His daughter, Lydia Longacre was a miniature painter, pupil of the Art Students League of New York, under Chase and Mowbray, and under Whistler in Paris.
Provenance:
Material on reels P1-P2 lent for microfilming by the Library Company of Philadelphia; Material on reel 986 lent 1975 by Fred Longacre; material on reels 1050 and 1083 lent 1975-1976 by Mrs. Andrew Longacre who also donated the material on reels 1046-1048 in 1982; material on reel 3091 donated 1981 by the NMAA-PG Library.
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.
Writings, notes; drawings of ships, submarines, and parts of sailing vessels; a rough draft of an essay on the Steamship Slipper, and an incomplete essay addressed to the Consular Agency of the U. States of America...Belgium.
Biographical / Historical:
Portrait painter and miniaturist, ethnographer, best known for his paintings of the American Indian. Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Provenance:
Donated 1976 by Judith Catlin, relationship to George Catlin is not known.
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.
A letter to W.C. Crane sending him a copy of a sonnet written by Stockton Bates after having seen Sartain's "Irene," and a copy of the sonnet; and to H.G. Jones about a portrait engraving which Sartain is preparing of the Rev. Dr. Jones about whom Jones is writing a book.
Donated 1955-1962 by Charles E. Feinberg, an active donor and friend of AAA.
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:
Engravers -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Pamphlets, speeches, transactions, reviews, auction and exhibition catalogs, and other printed materials relating to art and art organizations mainly in the Philadelphia area, but also including New York, Boston, Baltimore, Louisianna, Europe and elsewhere. Among the societies represented are the National Academy of Design, National Art Association, Artists' Fund Society, Philadelphia Museum Company, Northern Society of Painters in Watercolor, American Art Union, Apollo Association, Columbian Society of Artists and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; correspondence between committees of the Artists Fund Society, headed by John Sartain, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; and charters and by-laws of the Artists Fund Society.
Biographical / Historical:
Portrait and miniature painter. Born in Pittsburgh, Pa. and studied art in Philadelphia under Edward Miles and Thomas Sully. Upon his return to Pittsburgh, he was a proprietor of a museum and oversaw his own art gallery. He later spent many years as an officer of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts before his death in Philadelphia.
Provenance:
This collection was compiled by Lambdin and housed at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Lent for microfilming, 1955, by the PAFA.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Topic:
Art, American -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
The collection comprises 2.3 feet of papers concerning George Catlin's creation and promotion of his famed "Indian Gallery" of paintings, drawings, and artifacts of North American Indians. Dating from 1821 through 1904, with one item dated 1946, the papers include letters, notebooks and journals, receipt books and loose receipts, printed materials, and other documentation. The bulk of the collection focuses on Catlin's efforts to promote the sale of his gallery to the United States government through tours, including London and Paris, and petitions to various governments to purchase the Gallery. Among the rare printed catalogs and petitions in the collection are exhibition catalogs for the U.S., London, and Paris tours, the earliest dating from 1837. Letters and other documents include letters dating from the 1830s from Henry Clay, Thomas Sully, and William Henry Seward commending Catlin's work, as well as Catlin family correspondence and papers dating from 1821 through the 1870s.
Scope and Contents note:
The collection comprises 2.3 feet of papers concerning George Catlin's creation and promotion of his famed "Indian Gallery" of paintings, drawings, and artifacts of North American Indians. Dating from 1821 through 1904, with one item dated 1946, the papers include letters, notebooks and journals, receipt books and loose receipts, printed materials, and other documentation. The bulk of the collection focuses on Catlin's efforts to promote the sale of his gallery to the United States government through tours, including London and Paris, and petitions to various governments to purchase the Gallery. Among the rare printed catalogs and petitions in the collection are exhibition catalogs for the U.S., London, and Paris tours, the earliest dating from 1837. Letters and other documents include letters dating from the 1830s from Henry Clay, Thomas Sully, and William Henry Seward commending Catlin's work, as well as Catlin family correspondence and papers dating from 1821 through the 1870s.
Of particular interest in the collection are letters to and from Catlin, including two written by Catlin during his early travels to the west in the 1830s. Other letters include ones from Henry Clay, John Adams Dix, Ralph Randolph Gurley, James Hall, William Henry Seward, Thomas Sully (illustrated), and Baron Friederich von Humbolt, among others. Most wish Catlin well and offer support in his endeavors to sell his collection.
Also found within the collection are several notebooks and notes describing Native American ceremonies, name translations, customs, and other information pertinent to Catlin's catalog, two volume book, and exhibitions of the "Indian Gallery." There are also numerous loose receipts and account and receipt books documenting the 1840s London and Paris venues of the "Indian Gallery" exhibition. The collection also houses printed catalogs for the exhibitions, including a rare 1837 catalog for the first show in New York.
Additional materials include certificates of authenticity testifying to the authenticity of Catlin's paintings from life of Native American sitters, announcements relating to exhibition openings, printed memorials and petitions to Congress, printed letters of support, envelopes and name cards, and handwritten tickets to Catlin lectures. Also found are a handwritten journal of Theodore B. Catlin, photogravures of Catlin, obituaries for Catlin, and printed reviews of the exhibitions.
Arrangement note:
The George Catlin papers are arranged into five series based primarily on document type. Within each series, materials are arranged in chronological order.
Series 4: Catalogs, 1837-1871 (Boxes 3-5; Reel 5825; 1 linear foot)
Series 5: Ephemera and Miscellaneous Printed Material, 1832-1904, 1946 (Boxes 5-6, OV 7; Reel 5825; 14 folders)
Biographical/Historical note:
George Catlin was born in 1796 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Although trained as a lawyer, Catlin quit his law practice and moved to Philadelphia in 1823 to begin a career as a portrait painter. He gained membership in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1824, but his career in formal portraiture met with little success. In 1830, Catlin embarked upon his lifetime achievement of documenting the lives, customs, and culture of the declining native American population of the Plains. He spent the next six years traveling, drawing, painting, and writing about the Plains Indians. By 1837, he had amassed enough documentation to hold a major exhibition in New York of Catlin's Indian Gallery of Portraits, Landscapes, Manners and Customs, Costumes, etc. The same exhibition, with an added live show, traveled to London in 1842 and Paris in 1845, where it was met with rave reviews.
Catlin spent the remainder of his life gathering support for the sale of the Indian Gallery to the U.S. Congress. Between 1841 and 1842, at his own expense, Catlin wrote and published his two volume set Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American Indians. He also wrote numerous petitions and "memorials" to Congress, often including statements from national and international reputable supporters, such as Daniel Webster, General Lewis Cass, the Joint Committee on the Library (of Congress), and the American Ambassador to France. The Smithsonian Institution's first Secretary Joseph Henry strongly supported congressional acquisition of Catlin's work and even provided Catlin with a small studio in the Castle building. All of the appeals to the government for the purchase of the collection were, in the end, unsuccessful and Catlin died almost penniless in 1872.
Related Archival Materials note:
The Archives holds several related collections of differing provenances related to George Catlin, including a small collection of manuscripts and drawings microfilmed on reel 1191 related to Catlin's work in marine art and documentation. A microfilmed loan of circa 500 items is also available on reel 3277 of letters between Catlin and Sir Thomas Phillipps, 1840-1860, writings by Catlin and material on Catlin's Indian Gallery, including clippings, catalogs, handbills, invitations, drawings and portrait sketches of native Americans, and printed material; a watercolor sketchbook; a list of paintings; and miscellany. Also found within the Archives is one undated letter microfilmed on reel D8 from Catlin, and a collection of art historian William Truettner's research papers on George Catlin.
Provenance:
The papers of George Catlin were transferred to the Archives of American Art by the Library of the Smithsonian's National Collection of Fine Arts, now the Smithsonian's American Art Museum. Accession records indicate that the papers were once maintained by the Smithsonian's Bureau of Ethnology and were probably part of the orginal 1879 acquisition of Catlin's Indian Gallery by the Smithsonian. Businessman Joseph Harrison rescued the "Indian Gallery" from Catlin's creditors in the 1850s and stored the collection in a Philadelphia warehouse, where it suffered damage from at least two fires before Harrison's widow donated the collection to the Smithsonian.
Restrictions:
A digitized version of the microfilm of this collection is available online via the Archives of American Art 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.
Correspondence, 1888-1934, concerning Clark's paintings and exhibitions; a list of paintings owned by Congressman Brewer, handwritten by Clark; exhibition catalogs and announcements of the School of Industrial Design, Trenton, New Jersey, the Society of American Artists, New York City, the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the National Academy of Design, New York City, and the American Society of Miniature Painters; an etching by William Merritt Chase; a paper fan from the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, 1876; and clippings and miscellaneous printed material.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, portrait painter, art administrator. Born in Trenton, New Jersey. Studied with William Merritt Chase. Painted murals for the State House in New Jerey. Key in establishing Trenton's School of Industrial Design in 1890, and served for 18 years on its' board of trustees. Died in Martha's Vineyard.
Provenance:
Received 1982 through J. M. Edelstein, Librarian of the National Gallery of Art.
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.
"The life and anecdotes of William Russell Birch, enamel painter, " including a list of his copies in enamel of drawings by Sir Joshua Reynolds, the master he studied under, a short detail about enamel painting, the names of purchasers or persons for whom they were painted, his British views, anecdotes upon the loss of his friends, his departure from England for America, William Russell, his friendship with Sir Joshua Reynolds, his Philadelphia views, and a trip to the South. [Original typescript on reel P20, copies on reel 800 & P21. Also on P21 are notes on the history of the autobiography by Albert Rosenthal].
Biographical / Historical:
Enamel painter, miniaturist, engraver, etcher, publisher; Philadelphia, Pa. Born in England.
Provenance:
Material on reels P20 & P21 microfilmed by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for the Archives of American Art, 1955. Material on reel 800 lent for microfilming 1974, by the New York Historical Society.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Engravers -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Enamelers -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Etchers -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Miniature painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Topic:
Art, American -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Archambault, Anna Margaretta, 1856-1956 Search this
Extent:
2 Microfilm reels (partial microfilm reels)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilm reels
Date:
circa 1880-1946
Scope and Contents:
The microfilmed Anna Margaretta Archambault selected papers contain correspondence and papers relating primarily to Archambault's work in miniatures. Omitted from microfilming are photographs of Archambault's sitters and models.
Biographical / Historical:
Anna Margaretta Archambault (1856-1956) was a portrait painter, miniaturist, author, and educator in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is also known for editing the book A guide book of art, architecture, and historic interests in Pennsylvania, published in 1924.
Provenance:
Microfilmed by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for the Archives of American Art, 1955. Donated to the HSP by Anna Archambault, 1933-1946.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Miniature painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Portrait painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Educators -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Authors -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
The life and anecdotes of William Russell Birch, enamel painter / William Russell Birch, [ca. 1800]. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, American -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Benjamin West. Benjamin West letter to William Rawle, 1816 August 10. Charles Henry Hart autograph collection, 1731-1918. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Catalogue of an exhibition of miniature paintings by living artists : a Century of Progress, General Exhibits Building, Graphic Arts Pavilion, May 27 to October 31, 1933
Author:
American Society of Miniature Painters Search this
Brooklyn Society of Miniature Painters Search this
California Society of Miniature Painters Search this
