Interview of Ellen Lanyon conducted 1975 December 5-1976 January 18 by James Crawford for the Archives of American Art.
Lanyon speaks of family background; interests in art and music and collecting objects and antiques; her early art education; remembrances of 1933 Chicago World's Fair; Art Institute of Chicago; Momentum group; Oxbow Summer School of Painting; her work and techniques; exhibitions; Institute of Design; marriage and move to University of Iowa; Iowa art department, Iowa print group; Fulbright to England; travel in France and Italy; return to Chicago; founding of graphic workshop; Hairy Who group; The Imagists; Seven and Up exhibitions; Red Grooms in Chicago; and commissions. She recalls George Buehr, Margo Hoff, Dudley Crafts Watson, Vera Berdich, Joseph Hirsch, Carl Schneiwind, Kathleen Blackshear, Mauricio Lasansky, Gertrude Abercrombie, Julius Carleback, Roland Ginzel, and Edgar Rupprecht. She also discusses her family; changes in medium and style of her artwork; symbolism, and feminism.
Biographical / Historical:
Ellen Lanyon (1926-2013) was a painter and printmaker from Chicago, Illinois.
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:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Funding for this interview was provided by Matilda Wilson. This interview received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative Pool.
1 Photograph (lantern slide, hand-colored, 3.25 x 4 in.)
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Lantern slides
Place:
Illinois -- Lake Forest
United States of America -- Illinois -- Lake County -- Lake Forest
Date:
[between 1914 and 1949?]
General:
The 1933 Garden Club of America Annual Meeting Book.
Historic plate number: "56."
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
A resume; personal and business correspondence; financial receipts; correspondence with the Treasury Department regarding murals painted by Pels in Wilmington, De. and Normal, Ill. for the Section of Fine Arts during the Depression; ca. 450 sketches of street scenes, figures, and mural studies for government murals; signatures and notes from Kenneth Hayes Miller and William Palmer; photographs of Pels and his work; clippings; exhibition catalogs; and a scrapbook containing clippings, announcements, and letters.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, art school administrator; Cincinnati, Ohio and New York, N.Y. Born May 7, 1910; died 1998. Painted murals for the Section of Fine Arts under the Department of the Treasury government work-relief art projects.
Provenance:
Donated 1979 by Albert Pels.
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.
The papers of artist Ellen Lanyon measure 62.6 linear feet and 84.47 GB and date from circa 1880-2015, bulk 1926-2013. Biographical material; correspondence; interviews; writings; journals; project files; teaching files; exhibition files; personal business records; printed and broadcast material; scrapbooks; photographic material; artwork; sketchbooks; as well as sound and video recordings and digital material, provide a comprehensive view of Lanyon's career and of art circles in Chicago and New York. Correspondence with artists and friends make up a significant portion of the collection. Project and exhibition files reflect her professional and artistic career. Thousands of slides and photographs document her life and artwork over seven decades, and over seventy sketchbooks are filled with student sketches, portraits of friends and family, and preliminary drawings.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of artist Ellen Lanyon measure 62.6 linear feet and 84.47 GB and date from circa 1880-2015, bulk 1926-2013. Biographical material; correspondence; interviews; writings; journals; project files; teaching files; exhibition files; personal business records; printed and broadcast material; scrapbooks; photographic material; artwork; sketchbooks; as well as sound and video recordings and digital material, provide a comprehensive view of Lanyon's career and of art circles in Chicago and New York.
Biographical material documents Lanyon's major life events and includes calendars; addresses and contacts; life documents; awards; diplomas and school records; resumes; horoscope readings and natal chart; residence documents; personal memorabilia; family papers and memorabilia; digital material; and items relating to Lanyon's memorial.
Correspondence, both personal and professional, consists of letters, postcards, holiday and greeting cards exchanged with family, friends, artists, collectors, publishers, print shops, museums, galleries, and cultural and educational institutions. Some material is in digital format. Notable correspondents include Judy Chicago, Leon Golub, Red Grooms, Richard Hunt, Joyce Kozloff, Lucy Lippard, Gladys Nilsson, Irving Petlin, Edward Plunkett, Dorothea Rockburne, Miriam Schapiro, Buzz Spector, May Stevens, and Michelle Stuart.
Fourteen interviews are with Ellen Lanyon conducted by various interviewers on behalf of a number of organizations and consist of transcripts, sound recordings, and video recordings, some in digital format.
Writings include general writings, lectures, presentations, and thirty-seven notebooks by Lanyon. A few writings by others about Lanyon and several sound recordings of lectures by other artists are also found here.
Twenty-five journals intermittently record Lanyon's reflections on her day-to-day life including her work, obligations, and relationships.
Project files include professional activities and files documenting projects and commissions. Files may contain project proposals, correspondence, printed and digital material, applications, contracts, research notes, invoices, receipts, notebooks, sketches, plans, organizational records, and photographic material. Three multi-year projects are extensively documented, including theMiami Metamorphosis mural, Riverwalk Gateway mural, and Hiawatha Rail Line mural.
Teaching files consist of correspondence, memoranda, course descriptions and proposals, rosters, administrative documents, and printed material from a number of institutions, including Cooper Union, where Lanyon taught from the 1970s to her retirement in 1993.
Exhibition files include files for individual exhibitions, exhibitions by women artists, and chronological files. Files may contain correspondence, inventories, consignment records, layout plans, printed and digital material, and photographic material.
Personal business, inventory, and estate records document the financial and administrative history of Lanyon's career and artworks.
Printed material, broadcast material, and published video recordings document Lanyon's career, art movements in Chicago and New York, and the women's movement in art. Files may contain books, booklets, broadsides, radio and television broadcasts, brochures, exhibition announcements and catalogs, lecture announcements, news and magazine clippings, newspapers and newsletters, periodicals, press releases, programs, video recordings, digital material, source material, and posters.
Eight scrapbooks contain predominantly clippings and exhibition material documenting Lanyon's career.
Photographic material consists of thousands of prints, slides, transparencies, digital photographs, and negatives of Lanyon, family, friends, artists, places, and artwork.
A small number of artworks include a self-portrait Lanyon carved in wood, a childhood painting, a photo collage, sketches, and one folder of assignments for an art course. Artworks by others are a hand colored photograph album by Marcia Palazzolo and prints distributed by Landfall Press.
Seventy-one sketchbooks are filled with student sketches, portraits of friends and family, and preliminary drawings done in pencil, watercolor, and colored pencil.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as fifteen series
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1880-2014, bulk 1926-2015 (5.3 linear feet; Box 1-6, 62, 3.94 GB; ER01-ER04)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1936-2013 (14.3 linear feet; Box 6-20, 1.51 GB; ER05-ER11)
Series 3: Interviews, circa 1975-2012 (0.7 linear feet; Box 20-21, 7.07 GB; ER12-ER19)
Series 4: Writings, Lectures, and Notebooks, circa 1947-2015 (3.2 linear feet; Box 21-24, 0.712 GB; ER20-ER24)
Series 5: Journals, 1967-2013 (1 linear foot; Box 24-25)
Series 6: Project Files, 1952-2014 (5.8 linear feet; Box 25-31, 62, OV 66, 13.42 GB; ER25-ER32)
Series 7: Teaching Files, 1953-2010 (0.9 linear feet; Box 31)
Series 8: Exhibition Files, circa 1944-2013 (2.7 linear feet; Box 32-34, 63, 3.87 GB; ER33-ER37)
Series 9: Personal Business, Inventory, and Estate Records, circa 1950-2015 (3 linear feet; Box 34-37, 9.10 GB; ER38-ER46)
Series 10: Printed and Broadcast Material, and Published Video Recordings, 1937-2013 (13.3 linear feet; Box 37-49, 63, OV 67-77, 2.18 GB; ER47-ER49)
Series 11: Scrapbooks, 1946-2013 (0.6 linear feet; Box 49-50)
Series 12: Photographic Material, circa 1920-2015 (7.7 linear feet; Box 50-57, 63, 42.44 GB; ER50-ER71)
Series 13: Artwork, circa 1938-1979 (0.2 linear feet; Box 58, 63)
Series 14: Sketchbooks, circa 1940-2010 (3.4 linear feet; Box 58-60, 64, 65)
Series 15: Unidentified Sound and Video Recordings, and Electronic Records, circa 1974-2013 (0.5 linear feet; Box 60-61)
Biographical / Historical:
Ellen Lanyon (1926-2013) was an American painter and printmaker working in Chicago and New York. She was born in Chicago, Illinois to Howard and Ellen (Nellie) Lanyon. Lanyon received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1948 and married classmate and artist Roland Ginzel that same year. In 1950, she received her MFA from the University of Iowa. As part of her post graduate work, Lanyon studied at the Courtauld Institute, University of London on a Fulbright Fellowship.
In the late 1940s, Lanyon began exhibiting her work and was featured in several Chicago and Vicinity Annual shows as well as the Momentum exhibitions. Influenced by surrealism, magic realism, and the work of the Chicago Imagists and the Hairy Who, Lanyon's subjects range from portraits of friends and family, to objects from her collection of curios, to flora and fauna. She produced paintings, drawings, print editions, artist's books, and some ceramics. In addition to her own artwork, Lanyon took on numerous commissions including the Riverwalk Gateway murals in Chicago, the Hiawatha Transit murals in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a variety of illustration work.
Lanyon was active in many professional organizations and women's organizations including the College Art Association (CAA) and the Women's Caucus for Art. She organized panels at CAA, contributed writings and editing to journals, including Heresies, and served on a variety of panels and juries. Lanyon was also on the Board of the Ox-Bow Summer School of Painting, which she attended in her youth. Over the course of her career, she taught at many colleges and universities, including Cooper Union, where she was Associate Professor.
Throughout her career, Lanyon participated in exhibitions around the country, including a retrospective of her work at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in 1999. She was also the recipient of many awards and grants including the Logan Price and a National Endowment for the Arts grant.
Lanyon and Ginzel had two children, Andrew and Lisa Ginzel.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Ellen Lanyon conducted by James Crawford in 1975.
Provenance:
A majority of the collection was donated in 2015 by Andrew Ginszel, Ellen Lanyon's son and executor. Lanyon also donated material in 1990. Portions of the collection were lent for microfilming from 1977-1981 by Lanyon and subsequently donated.
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.
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.
The papers of painter and muralist Alson Skinner Clark measure 7.2 linear feet and date from 1870 to 1971, with the bulk of the material from 1890 to 1940. Clark's career is documented through biographical material; correspondence with family, friends, galleries, and dealers; eleven diaries by the artist as well as 16 by his wife Medora Clark; stories and essays by Medora; financial records and business files of art and civilian concerns; assorted printed material including exhibition catalogs and announcements, maps, news clippings (singly and in scrapbooks), advertisements, and ephemera; and photographs of the artist, his friends and family, studio, travels, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter and muralist Alson Skinner Clark measure 7.2 linear feet and date from 1870 to 1971, with the bulk of the material from 1890 to 1940. Clark's career is documented through biographical material; correspondence with family, friends, galleries, and dealers; eleven diaries by the artist as well as 16 by his wife Medora Clark; stories and essays by Medora; financial records and business files of art and civilian concerns; assorted printed material including exhibition catalogs and announcements, maps, news clippings (singly and in scrapbooks), advertisements, and ephemera; and photographs of the artist, his friends and family, studio, travels, and artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1890-1958 (Box 1; 6 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1895-1962 (Boxes 1-2; 1.7 linear feet)
Series 3: Diaries, 1889-1922 (Boxes 2-4; 1.5 linear feet)
Series 4: Writings, circa 1900-1962 (Boxes 4-5; 0.9 linear feet)
Series 5: Personal Business Records, 1889-1930 (Boxes 5, 8; 0.7 linear feet)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1890-1971 (Boxes 5-6; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 7: Artwork, circa 1910-1920 (Box 6; 2 folders)
Series 8: Photographs, circa 1885-1935 (Boxes 6, 8, 9; 1.6 linear feet)
Series 9: Scrapbooks, 1902-1955 (Boxes 7, 8; 0.5 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Alson Skinner Clark (1876-1949) was a painter and muralist who travelled and worked in Europe, Mexico, Canada, Panama, and the United States, ultimately settling in southern California.
Clark was born in Chicago, Illinois, and began training in 1891 at the age of 11 at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1896 he studied under William Merritt Chase at the Art Students' League of New York and briefly at the Chase School of Art before moving to Paris to train with James Abbott McNeill Whistler at the Academia Carmen in 1898. Alongside his wife, Medora (married 1902), Clark travelled extensively, painting the landscapes and urban activity of Chicago, New York, Quebec, France, Dalmatia, and Spain.
In 1913, Clark journeyed to Panama to document the construction of the canal, and in 1919, after serving as a military photographer in World War I, he settled in Pasadena, California, where he adopted the landscapes and colonial architecture of Mexico and the American West as subjects en plein air. It was during this time that Clark began to take on work as a muralist, accepting commissions from the local bank and theatre while also embarking on a teaching career at Occidental College and eventually the Stickney Memorial School of Fine Arts, where he served as director.
Provenance:
The 1897 diary, sales notebook, glass negatives, and albums of negatives were donated in 1986 by Joseph Moure, an art historian who purchased the material from occupants of Clark's former studio. The remainder was donated by Clark's son, Alson Clark, in 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1997 and by Clark's grandniece, Deborah Clark, in 2006.
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.
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.
Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957 -- Nightmare of War, Dream of Peace Search this
Extent:
3 Photographic prints (b&w:, 8.89 cm X 8.89 cm)
1 Photographic print (col., 7.62 cm X 7.62 cm)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Photographs
Date:
1952
Scope and Contents:
Four photographs of Diego Rivera's portable fresco "Nightmare of War, Dream of Peace" 1952, now missing. One photograph of Rivera at work on the fresco; one of Frida Kahlo in a wheelchair, posing for the fresco; one of a segment of the fresco; and one color snapshot of Rivera and Kahlo with the work in progress, dated "week of April 7, 1952." Photographer unknown.
Provenance:
Donated 2003 by Wendy Greenhouse who found the photographs among the papers of her deceased great-aunt Henrietta Leonard Feith. Ms. Greenhouse did not know if her great-aunt had any contact with Diego Rivera or how she acquired the photographs.
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.
200 Items (Ca. 200 items (on 3 partial microfilm reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1893-1954
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence, sketches and sketchbooks, printed material, writings and photographs.
REEL 3257: Norton's passport; 2 photographs of him and his work; a bibliography; letters to Norton's wife (some illustrated), his mother, ca. 1898, when he was with the Rough Riders, and correspondence concerning mural commissions; subject files on the Jefferson County Court House murals in Birmingham, Ala. and at the Logan Museum, Beliot College; his memorial exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, and obituaries and condolence letters received by his wife; cancelled checks; a typescript of writings by his children regarding a trip to Mexico City; a contract for a mural; an award; clippings; his memorial biography, JOHN W. NORTON: AMERICAN PAINTER; a sketchbook and sketches; and a scrapbook containing illustrated letters, photographs and sketches.
REEL 3367: A typed draft of Norton's story "White Man's Luck"; Norton's United Scenic Artists' union card; 9 sketches and a sketchbook of drawings, notes and a draft of Norton's last letter to Tom Lea, 1933.
REEL 4074: Twelve letters, many illustrated, from John to his family including his son "Bud" (John Francis Norton); a magazine article on Norton from Northwest Architect; an address and a poem by Norton; and 19 photographs and a 5 page manuscript written by Madge Norton, John's wife, describing their trip to Arizona in 1904.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, muralist; Chicago, Ill. Taught at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Provenance:
Passport and photographs donated 1984 by Mr. and Mrs. John Norton Garrett, Norton's grandson. Material on reels 3257 & 3367 lent for microfilming by Mr. & Mrs. Garrett, 1984, as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas Project. Material on reel 4074 lent for microfilming, 1987, by John C. Norton, John Norton Garrett and Katherine Norton Smalley, grandsons and granddaughter of John W. Norton as part of AAA's Chicago project.
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, biographical material, photographs, and printed material.
REEL N69-110: An autobiography to 1918, in which Katz writes of his childhood in a Jewish community in Austro-Hungary, his education there, cultural life in Vienna, studies in Munich, effects of art masterpieces on him, a visit to London, the prominent persons he knew, service in the Austro-Hungarian army, his art, and other topics. Also included are a resume; retrospective catalog with prices; clippings; photographs of his paintings; and an essay by Katz, "Atelier 17," on boredom; interpretations of his own work and of others'.
REEL 2081: Two published articles by Katz; four photographs of him and seven photographs of his works of art; a seven page career resume; a brochure on his 1933 mural "Give Us This Day Our Daily Light," and clippings.
REEL 3090: A pamphlet, "Give Us This Day Our Daily Light," about Katz's now destroyed 1933 mural in the Johns-Manville Building, Century of Progress Exposition, Chicago.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, writer; Bronx, N.Y. b. 1887, in Austria; d. 1982
Provenance:
Material on reel N69-110 donated 1969 by Katz. Material on reel 2081 lent for microfilming 1980 by Allan Armstrong for AAA's Texas Project. Material on reel 3090 donated 1979 by Ruth Guernsey.
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:
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Mural painting and decoration -- Illinois -- Chicago Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- United States Search this
Correspondence; slides and photographs of art work; catalogs and clippings; photographs, watercolor studies, and a detailed listing of mural projects in civic buildings and schools done by Pollock and other artists, including Mitchell Siporin, for the Illinois Federal Art Project; clippings and photocopied correspondence concerning the portrait of Lt. Commander Waldron painted by Pollock; Syracuse University School of Art annual reports; lithographs; and watercolors.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, educator; Chicago, Ill. and Syracuse, N.Y. Teaches at Syracuse University School of Art. Was a muralist as well as supervisor of the Chicago Federal Art Project.
Provenance:
Donated 1979-1983 by Merlin F. Pollock.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
The papers of Martyl Langsdorf, professionally known by just her first name, Martyl, date from 1918 to 1977 and measure 2.6 linear feet. Included within the collection is correspondence; subject files; biographical data; writings and notes; sketches; photographs; exhibition catalogs and announcements; guest books; price lists; receipts; reproductions; clippings; and printed materials.
Sketches, 1936-1975, made in the United States, Mexico, Europe, and Japan. In addition there is a 1929 newspaper clipping.
Biographical data; letters, 1936-1937, to her mother Aimee Schweig from Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, Joe Jones and Grant Wood; files of letters from Carl Holty, Horst W. Janson and Lancelot Law Whyte; a file on Charles Hawthorne containing his painting notes and a photo; subject files on the ACA Gallery, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Art Institute of Chicago, Feingarten Gallery, Kovlar Gallery, Oriental Institute, the Renaissance Society, and the Unitarian Church of Evanston, Illinois, containing correspondence and financial material; writings and notes; sketches of Langsdorf by friends; exhibition catalogs and announcements; guest books; price lists; receipts for sales and rentals of her paintings; printed material on the St. Genevieve School of art; and photographs, ca. 1935-1970, of Langsdorf, her family, her paintings, exhibition installations, Langsdorf at work on a mural for the Unitarian Church of Evanston, Illinois, and artists Thomas Hart Benton, Arnold Blanch, Adolf Dehn, Doris Lee, Boardman Robinson, Sequieros, and others, and a photograph by Fritz Henle, 1940, of a picnic at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.
Correspondence with Edward Rowan of the Public Buidlings Administration, Section of Fine Arts, and contracts, 1940-1944, concerning Langsdorf's watercolors for the Carville, La. Marine Hospital, murals for post offices in Russell, Kansas and St. Genevieve, Missouri, and for the Recorder of Deeds Building in Washington, D.C., and for related exhibitions; a photocopy of a letter from collector Joseph Hirshhorn, Jan. 18, 1943, regarding his purchases of Langsdorf's work; general correspondence, 1958-1972; price lists; and printed material, 1937-1976, including press releases, archaelogical newsletters, exhibition announcements and clippings.
Biographical / Historical:
Martyl (1917-2013) was a painter in Chicago, Illinois. Full name is Martyl Schweig Langsdorf.
Provenance:
Material on reels 2992-2994 donated 1977 by Martyl S. Langsdorf. Material on reel 1364 lent for microfilming 1977 by Langsdorf. Unmicrofilmed material is a combination of the unfilmed portion of the 1977 gift and the 1990 transferred material from General Services Administration. The GSA received the material originally from Martyl Langsdorf for their files on New Deal 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.
An interview with Merlin F. Pollock conducted 1979 July 30 and 1980 July 30, by Robert Brown, for the Archives of American Art. Pollock speaks of his training at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Fontainebleau, France; his work as instructor of mural painting at the Art Institute of Chicago, 1935-1943; his paintings of Alaska commissioned by the government in 1937 and his work as supervisor of mural painting for the Illinois WPA, 1940-1943. He also discusses Chicago artists and his own murals for the government.
Biographical / Historical:
Merlin F. Pollock (1905-1996) was a painter and teacher, Chicago, Ill.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 3 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.
Occupation:
Painters -- United States -- Interviews Search this
Topic:
Mural painting and decoration, American -- Illinois -- Chicago Search this
Arts administrators -- Illinois -- Interviews Search this
Muralists -- United States -- Interviews Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
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.
Correspondence; notes and lectures on art; biographical data; clippings; and photographs of his murals and other works of art. All materials relate to Millman's work for the Federal Art Project in Illinois and Missouri.
Biographical / Historical:
Mural painter; Chicago, Illinois. Painted murals for the Federal Art Project in Chicago, Illinois.
Related Materials:
Edward Millman papers also at Syracuse University.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1965 by Mrs. Harry Millman, the sister-in-law of Edward Millman.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
An interview of Chicana painter and educator Judithe Hernandez conducted in Chicago, Ill., 1998 Mar. 28, by Jeffrey Rangel.
Hernandez discusses her family background and encouragement to become professional; training at Otis Art Institute and admiration there for African-American teacher Charles White; the intellectual influence of Carlos Almaraz's father on her as well as him, artists in L.A. such as Magu and Patssi Valdez; working with Judy Baca on the Great Wall of Los Angeles project; description and characterization of members of Los Four and sexism in the work of some Chicano male artists; her disillusionment over the reception of Chicano art and her own work in particular, the fact that she was not included in the big Hispanic Art in the United States: Thirty Contemporary Painters and Sculptors exhibition and catalogue; becoming an educator; and the debate with Shifra Goldman.
Biographical / Historical:
Judithe Hernandez (1948- ) is a painter and educator from Los Angeles, Calif. and Chicago, Ill. Hernández was a leading Latina artist in Los Angeles during the 1970s, an important decade in the development of the Chicano mural movement and Latino art in general. Hernández now teaches in Chicago, but during her time in Southern California she came to represent both Chicana and feminist viewpoints, and was an articulate spokesperson for those interests and the rights of individual artists to transcend political identity in their careers.
Provenance:
Donated 2001 by Jeffrey Rangel. From 1996-2000, Jeffrey Rangel was contracted by the AAA to conduct oral histories of Latino and Latina artists who worked in Los Angeles and were part Chicano art groups such as Los Four and Asco. This interview was conducted by Rangel independently for his own research. The interview was transcribed with funding from the Smithsonian Latino Initiative funds.
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.
United States. Work Projects Administration Search this
United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Extent:
1 Linear foot ((on 2 partial microfilm reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Date:
1909-1961
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence, New Deal materials, exhibition and financial records.
Two brief biographies by Frances Foy for "Leading American Women"; Illinois Academy of Fine Arts membership cards for Foy and Dalstrom; correspondence, with the Art Institute of Chicago and other museums, local galleries, dealers, and arts organizations such as the Renaissance Society, American Federation of Arts, and Chicago Society of Etchers; a letter of 3/26/34 from fellow artist Rifka Angel regarding selection of artists for Public Works of Art Projects; New Deal art project materials, including correspondence about a mural commemorating Marian Anderson's 1939 concert at Lincoln Memorial and with federal agencies,concerning commissions, contracts, vouchers, drawings and blueprints for projects, announcements, speeches, and articles on the government art programs.
Exhibition records include receipts, loan agreements, checklists, and shipping forms. Financial records include invoices, pricelists, purchase orders, receipts, remittances, and vouchers from private customers. Printed materials include news clippings, brochures, advertisements from art supply companies; articles on exhibitions, newsletters from arts organizations, announcements and catalogs of exhibitions, and a copy of Dali's "Declaration of the Independence of the Imagination and the Rights of Man to His Own Madness" 1939.
Arrangement:
I. Biographical. II. Correspondence. III. New Deal materials. IV. Exhibitions. V. Financial. VI. Printed matter. VII. Lists and notes.
Biographical / Historical:
Muralists and painters; Chicago, Ill. Married in 1923. Worked on the Public Works of Art Project and Federal Art Project. Painted several post office murals. Belonged to local arts organizations such as the Renaissance Society and the No-Jury Society of Artists. Foy, who used her maiden name professionally, gained recognition locally for her paintings of flowers.
Provenance:
Donated 1987 by Lars M. Dalstrom, son of Frances Foy and Gustaf O. Dalstrom.
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.
Tobey, Alton S. (Alton Stanley), 1914-2005 Search this
Extent:
2.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Video recordings
Photographs
Date:
1913-2000
Summary:
The Abraham Joel Tobias papers date from 1913 to 2000 and measure 2.8 linear feet. Through project and exhibition files, printed material, correspondence, and photographs, the collection provides an overview of Tobias's career as a painter and muralist in New York City.
Scope and Content Note:
The Abraham Joel Tobias papers date from 1913 to 2000 and measure 2.8 linear feet. Through project and exhibition files, printed material, correspondence, and photographs, the collection provides an overview of Tobias's career as a painter and muralist in New York City.
General correspondence regards mural proposals, exhibitions, professional activities, and museums' acquisitions of artwork by Tobias. A file of correspondence with the Fine Arts Federation of New York concerns efforts to recognize murals by Irving Block, James Brooks, Philip Evergood, Abraham Lishinsky, José Clemente Orozco, and Max Spivak as landmarks; it also includes minutes of meetings, 1988-1995, that reflect Tobias's service as a board member. Other correspondence is with friends and artists including Edward Caswell, George Gaber, Filia Holtzman, Vincent La Gambina, and Alton S. Tobey.
Project files document murals such as: The Four Freedoms, Midwood High School, Brooklyn, New York, honoring students and teachers who died in World War II (circa 1946); Birth for the maternity ward at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City (1951-1953); and Medical Science and Medical Research, Long Island Jewish Hospital (1954). The Science and Engineering project file (1958) contains a patent certificate for striated plastic, a material Tobias used in two murals. Also of interest is correspondence with the Harman Foundation regarding a documentary film about Tobias's use of ethyl silicate for outdoor murals. Among the exhibitions documented are: "Plastics U.S.A.," "New York WPA Artists Then and Now," and "Abraham Joel Tobias: Sculptural Paintings of the 1930s."
Printed material consists of announcements, invitations, solo and group exhibition catalogs, and clippings relating to Tobias's artistic career. Also found are pamphlets he designed for the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Photographs are of Tobias's artwork and the artist with friends and family. There is a video recording of an interview with Tobias conducted by Brendan Gill in 1995.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1913-1996 (Boxes 1, 4; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1933-1997 (Box 1; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 3: Project and Exhibition Files, 1938-2000 (Boxes 1, 2, 4, OV 5; 1.6 linear feet)
Series 4: Writings, circa 1928-1992 (Box 2; 0.1 linear feet)
Series 5: Printed Material, 1913-1999 (Boxes 3, 4; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 6: Artwork, circa 1990s (Box 3; 1 folder)
Series 7: Photographs, 1929-1970 (Box 3; 0.1 linear feet)
Series 8: Video Recording, 1995 (Box 3, 1 folder)
Biographical Note:
Abraham Joel Tobias (1913-1996) was a painter, muralist, and educator in New York City. He was a pioneer in the use of shaped canvases.
A native of Rochester, New York, Tobias came to New York City to study at the Cooper Union School of Art, 1930-1931, and at the Art Students League, 1930-1933. He worked for the Federal Arts Project,1938-1940, where he continued his training as a muralist, working with artist and technicians.
During World War II, Tobias served in the armed forces. He was an art director with the Intelligence Division, Army Air Force, and in 1945 was employed as a graphic designer for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Tobias was artist-in-residence and served as instructor in painting and drawing at Adelphia College, Garden City, Long Island, 1947-1957. He also was was a visiting lecturer at various schools including Howard University, Brooklyn Museum Art School, Pratt Institute Art School, as well as at colleges in Illinois and Kansas.
Tobias completed over ten mural commissions for governmental agencies and educational institutions, including: United States Post Office, Clarendon, Arkansas; Howard University, Washington, D.C.; James Madison High School, Brooklyn, New York; Beth Israel Hospital, New York City; Domestic Relations Court Building, Brooklyn, New York; and Adelphi College, Garden City, New York. In 1962, Tobias began The History of Science mural for the lobby of the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn; it was never completed.
Tobias experimented with diverse materials such as terrazzo and mosaic for mural application. He also broke new ground with the use of ethyl silicate paint as a permanent medium for outdoor murals. In 1958, he patented striated plastic, a pliable material used to achieve an effect similar to stained glass.
He participated in many solo and group exhibitions. In 1935, Tobias presented his shaped canvas painting in the "Sculptural Painting" exhibition at Delphic Studios in New York City. In 1987, Tobias was recognized for his earlier pioneering work with a retrospective exhibition, "Abraham Joel Tobias: Sculptural Paintings" at The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum of Rutgers University. Other exhibitions included: "Plastics U.S.A.," the United States Information Service's exhibition in Moscow (1961); "New York City WPA Art," Parsons School of Design, New York City (1977); "For a Permanent Public Art," Tweed Gallery, New York City (1989); and "The Technological Muse," Katonah Museum of Art, New York (1991).
Tobias's professional memberships included the Architectural League of New York, National Society of Mural Painters, and New York Artists Equity Association. He served on the Board of Directors for the Fine Arts Federation of New York from 1988-1996. He won the Architectural League Award in 1952. The Art Commission of the City of New York recognized Tobias, posthumously, for distinguished service to public art.
Abraham Joel Tobias married Carolyn Pratt in 1949; the couple had one daughter. Abraham Joel Tobias died in Rego Park, New York, in 1996 at the age of 82.
Provenance:
The papers were donated in 2001 by Carolyn Tobias, the widow of Abraham Joel Tobias.
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.
The papers of Victoria Hutson Huntley measure 1.3 linear feet and date from 1929-1999. Biographical material, correspondence, writings, artwork, printed material and photographs chronicle the professional activities and personal life of the lithographer and muralist.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of Victoria Hutson Huntley measure 1.3 linear feet and date from1929-1999. Biographical material, correspondence, writings, artwork, printed material and photographs chronicle professional activities and personal life of the lithographer, painter, and muralist.
Biographical materials highlight Huntley's achievements. Her professional correspondence illustrates an active career; correspondents include Old Bergen Art Guild and Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Autobiographical notes convey her passion for art, feelings about her health, and the hindrances faced by female artists. Her other writings include "An Artist's Experience in the Everglades" and "On Making a Lithograph," articles that reflect her personality, ideas, rationale and procedures for executing her work.
Artwork consists of a mural design and 10 sketchbooks that also include notes. Printed material includes newspaper clippings and pamphlets that provide insight into the art world of the 1930s and 1940s as it chronicles Huntley's art endeavors and exhibitions. Books are Le Colophon Book Collector's Quarterly containing a reproduction of work by Huntley, and Victoria Hutson Huntley, an article she made into a volume as a gift for her mother.
The majority of the photographs are of Huntley's artwork. They show her growth as an artist and the influences of the places she lived. Also found are some family photographs.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 6 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1946-circa 1968 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1954-1997 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, 1946-1999 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 4: Artwork, 1939-1952 (Box 1-2; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 5: Printed Materials, 1929-1999 (Box 1; 0.50 linear feet)
Series 6: Photographs, 1929-circa 1970's, undated (Box 1; 0.20 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Victoria Hutson Huntley (1900-1971) was a painter, printmaker, muralist, and educator who worked in New York City, Florida, and New Jersey.
Beginning in 1919, Victoria Ebbels studied at the Art Students League with John Sloan, George Bridgman, Max Weber, Kenneth Hayes Miller, George Luks, and William C. Palmer. After her father's death, circa 1920, she briefly attended teacher's college and moved to Denton, Texas.
At the time of her first solo exhibition at Weyhe Gallery, New York City, in 1930, she was encouraged by Mr. Weyhe and his gallery director, Carl Zigrosser, to explore lithography. Hutson followed their suggestion. George Miller was her lithography instructor from 1930-1948. For the first five years, she devoted herself to lithography exclusively; during the first year, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and Newark Public Library purchased prints. After developing chronic health problems and undergoing surgery in 1954, the physical demands of lithography greatly limited her ability to work, and when she did, assistance was required.
Huntley considered herself to be a modern artist but felt it was going nowhere. Around 1935, she explored Cubism and other modern movements. After experimenting with other techniques she adopted the Mixed Technique, using egg emulsion underpainting with resin-oil overpainting. Subjects included lyrical landscapes of the Florida Everglades, industrial themes, people, flora, and fauna. She also painted murals commissioned by the U.S. Treasury Department Section of Fine Arts for post offices in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Springfield, New York.
From 1921-1930 she was an Associate Professor of Art at the College of Industrial Arts, which later became the State College for Women. Huntley taught painting and drawing at Birch-Wathen School in New York City. In Connecticut she was resident artist at Redding Ridge School, 1939-1942 and at Pomfret School for Boys, 1942-1946. She served on the faculty of Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, from 1946-1953. Although Huntley stopped teaching when health problems curtailed her activities and they had to move to a cooler climate, she continued to paint and, when able, produced prints.
Victoria Hutson Huntley exhibited widely. She had solo exhibitions in New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., and participated in group shows throughout the United States, and in Algeria, England, France, Italy, Scotland, South America, and Sweden.
When Kopper's Coke won The Philadelphia Print Club's Mary Collins prize for Lithography in 1932, the donor found it difficult to accept that a woman would find a factory suitable subject matter, and made it clear she had no part in selecting the winner. (When Huntley's industrial scenes were exhibited in London, it was assumed the artist was a man and she received checks written to Victor Huntley.) Huntley also won awards from the Library of Congress (1945), Association of American Artists (1946), and Society of American Graphic Artists (1950 and 1951). In 1947, the National Academy of Arts and Letters funded an Everglades expedition. The following year, a Guggenheim fellowship enabled her to create 25 lithographs in Florida.
The work of Victoria Hutson Huntley is represented in the permanent collections of many institutions, including: Metropolitan Museum of Art; Boston Museum of Fine Arts; Art Institute of Chicago; IBM Corporation; University of Florida; Art Students League Memorial Collection; Bureau of Education, Italy; Collection of the Government of Italy; and University of Glasgow, Scotland.
She married William K. Hutson in 1925 and they had one daughter. The marriage ended in divorce in 1933 and Ralph Huntley, a scientist and mathematician, became her second husband. By the following year, she was using the name Victoria Hutson Huntley professionally. His academic career took them to Connecticut, New York City, back to Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey. After her husband retired, the Huntleys remained in Chatham, New Jersey, where she had two studios, one for painting and another for lithographic work.
Victoria Hutson Huntley died in 1971.
Provenance:
The Victoria Hutson Huntley papers were donated by Derek Cocovinis of DDC Fine Arts, which purchased the artist's estate.
Restrictions:
Use of original material 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:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The papers of mural painter and illustrator Arthur Sinclair Covey measure 5.7 linear feet and date from 1882 to 1960. Found within the papers are biographical material; correspondence with art institutions, patrons, and colleagues; scattered business and financial records; notes and writings by Covey and others, including a transcript of an interview with Covey by a radio station; art work and sketchbooks by Covey and his colleagues including Paul Bransom, Harvey Dunn, and Edward Penfield; project files concering Covey's mural projects; a scrapbook of clippings; additional printed material; and photographs of Covey, family members, colleagues, and art work.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of mural painter and illustrator Arthur Sinclair Covey measure 5.7 linear feet and date from 1882 to 1960. Found within the papers are biographical material; correspondence with art institutions, patrons, and colleagues; scattered business and financial records; notes and writings by Covey and others, including a transcript of an interview with Covey by a radio station; art work and sketchbooks by Covey and his colleagues including Paul Bransom, Harvey Dunn, and Edward Penfield; project files concering Covey's mural projects; a scrapbook of clippings; additional printed material; and photographs of Covey, family members, colleagues, and art work.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into nine series according to type of material and further arranged in chronological order. Oversized material from various series has been housed in Boxes 6-8 and Oversized Folders 9-12, and is noted in the Series Descriptions/Container Listing section at the appropriate folder title with see also/see references.
Series 2: Correspondence, 1915-1960, undated (Box 1, OV 9; 28 folders)
Series 3: Business Records, 1915-1958, undated (Box 1; 14 folders)
Series 4: Notes and Writings, 1923-1958, undated (Box 1; 10 folders)
Series 5: Art Work, 1921-1957, undated (Box 1, 6, OV 9-10; 23 folders)
Series 6: Project Files, 1916-1959 (Box, 1-2, 6, OV 9-12; 68 folders)
Series 7: Scrapbook, 1914-1960 (Box 8; 1 folder)
Series 8: Printed Material, 1882-1959, undated (Box 2-4, 7; 2.4 linear feet)
Series 9: Photographs, 1891-1959, undated (Box 5, 7-8; 21 folders)
Biographical Note:
Arthur Sinclair Covey was born June 13, 1877 in Leroy, Illinois, son of Byron and Emeline Edwards Covey. His boyhood was spent in various small towns in Missouri and Kansas. As a teenager in 1893, Covey "made the run" to claim land at the opening of the Cherokee Strip in Oklahoma.
From 1895 to 1896, Covey attended Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, followed by three years of study under Frank Duveneck, among others, at the Chicago Art Institute, from which he graduated in 1899. From 1900 to 1901, he worked as a staff artist and art editor for the Indianapolis Press and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. For the next two years, he taught at the Chicago Art Institute and established his own studio.
In 1904, Covey traveled to the Royal Academy in Munich where he was a student of Karl Marr, and, from 1905 to 1908, served as assistant to British mural painter Frank Brangwyn and taught at the London School of Art. In 1908, Covey returned to New York and married Mary Dorothea Sale, with whom he had two children, Margaret Sale Covey and Laird Fortune Covey.
Covey received official recognition for his artwork when he assisted Robert Reid and Jules Guerin on murals for the 1914-1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition and received the Bronze Medal. The following year, Covey completed his first commission to paint murals for the Wichita, Kansas, Library, and continued to work steadily on mural projects for the rest of his career.
Following the death of his wife in 1917, Covey married children's book illustrator Lois Lenski in 1921. They had a son, Stephen John Covey.
In 1925, Covey received the Architectural League's Gold Medal of Honor in Painting for his murals at the Kohler Company. From 1926 to 1929, he served as President of the national Mural Painters Society, and from 1929 to 1942, he taught pictorial composition at the National Academy Schools in New York. From 1938 to 1939, Covey created pierced brass on redwood murals for the exterior of the Contemporary Arts Building at the New York World's Fair. In 1939, he decorated the dome and globe of the Land Plane Building at La Guardia Airport in New York.
In the 1950s, Lois Lenski Covey's failing health required that the couple move permanently to Florida's warmer climate.
Arthur Sinclair Covey died on February 5, 1960, in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
Provenance:
The Arthur Sinclair Covey papers were donated from 1961 to 1965 by the artist's widow, Lois Lenski Covey.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use 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.
