Search Results

Creator:

Asch, Moses  Search this

Distler, Marian, 1919-1964  Search this

Folkways Records  Search this

Names:

Courlander, Harold, 1908-1996  Search this

Guthrie, Woody, 1912-1967  Search this

Jenkins, Ella  Search this

Leadbelly, 1885-1949  Search this

Ramsey, Frederic, 1915-1995  Search this

Seeger, Pete, 1919-2014  Search this

Extent:

841 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Business records

Correspondence

Phonograph records

Photographic prints

Audiotapes

Date:

1926-1986

bulk 1948-1986

Summary:

This collection, which dates from 1926-1986, documents the output of Moses Asch through the various record labels he founded and co-founded, and includes some of his personal papers. The Asch collection includes published recordings, master tapes, outtakes, business records, correspondence, photographs, and film.

Scope and Contents:

The Moses and Frances Asch Collection measures 841 cubic feet and dates from 1926-1987, with some contemporary, relevant correspondence, clippings, and ephemera added after 1987.

Most of the collection consists of audio recordings (commercial 78 rpm and long-playing records, open reel tapes, acetate discs, and test pressings), correspondence with recording artists and producers, artwork, photographs, ephemera, clippings, record production materials, writings, and business papers relating to Folkways Records. Materials relating to Folkways Records can be found primarily in the Correspondence, Folkways Production, Business Records, Photographs, Artwork, Sound Recordings, and Film series.

The collection also contains some biographical materials and personal correspondence, including materials related to Asch's first business, Radio Laboratories, located in the Biographical Materials series. Correspondence, ephemera, photographs, record production materials, business papers, and recordings relating to Asch's record labels before Folkways Records (Asch Recordings, Disc Company of America, Cub Records) are located in the Early Label Materials series as well as the Audio Recordings and Photographs series.

Arrangement note:

The collection is arranged in 10 series:

Series 1: Correspondence, 1942-1987

Series 2: Folkways Production, 1946-1987

Series 3: Business Records, 1940-1987

Series 4: Woody Guthrie papers, 1927-1985

Series 5: Early Label Materials, 1940-1949

Series 6: Biographical Materials, 1926-1987

Series 7: Photographs

Series 8: Artwork

Series 9: Audio Recordings

Series 10: Film

At this time, the collection is partially processed. Please contact rinzlerarchives@si.edu for more information.

Biographical/Historical note:

The son of Yiddish writer Sholem Asch, Moses Asch was born in Poland in 1905. His childhood was spent in Poland, France, Germany, and New York. While young, Asch developed an interest in radio electronics, which ultimately lead him to his life's work, recording the music and sounds of the world. He established several record labels in succession, sometimes partnering with other record companies. Two of his fist record companies, Asch Recordings and DISC Co. of America, went bankrupt. They were followed by his best-known label, Folkways Records, which was founded in 1948 with Marian Distler (1919-1964). He was still working on Folkways recordings when he died in 1986.

Folkways Records sought to document the entire world of sound. The 2,168 titles Asch released on Folkways include traditional and contemporary music from around the world, spoken word in many languages, and documentary recordings of individuals, communities, and current events. Asch's business practices revolved around the commitment to keep every recording issued by Folkways in print, despite low sales. Asch stayed afloat by cutting costs where he could (such as color printing) and offering a high-quality product, meticulously recorded and accompanied by extensive liner notes. In doing this, he could charge a slightly higher price than other commercial outfits. Despite a tenuous relationship with financial solvency, Folkways grew to be not only one of the most important independent record companies in the United States in the 20th century, but also one of the largest and most influential record companies in the world.

Moses Asch's record labels featured famous and lesser known American writers, poets, documentarians, ethnographers, and grass roots musicians on commercial recordings. American folk icon Woody Guthrie recorded on the Asch, Disc, and Folkways labels, and the Asch Collection includes some of his correspondence, lyrics, drawings, and writings. The collection also includes correspondence with other notable musicians and artists such as John Cage, Langston Hughes, Margaret Walker, Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, Pete Seeger, Peggy Seeger, Ewan MacColl, Alan Lomax, Henry Cowell, and Kenneth Patchen. Also in the collection are ethnographic field notes and photographs by as well as correspondence with Béla Barók, Sidney Robertson Cowell, Harold Courlander, Helen Creighton, Laura Boulton, and Samuel Charters. Asch hired various prominent artists and graphic designers including David Stone Martin, Ben Shahn, John Carlis, and Ronald Clyne to create album cover art for his recordings. Much of the original art and designs for these covers can be found in the Asch Collection.

Asch's output of recordings on various labels, including published recordings, open reel master tapes, outtakes, and acetate disks, in addition to his business papers, correspondence, photographs, and other files were acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987. The collection came to the Smithsonian with the understanding that all 2168 titles under the Folkways label would be kept available in perpetuity.

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://folklife.si.edu/archives#shared-stewardship.

Provenance:

Ralph Rinzler arranged the Smithsonian's acquisition of the Moses and Frances Asch Collection in 1987, beginning with Asch before his death in 1986 and continuing with extensive discussions between Rinzler and the Asch family. Since its acquisition, archivist Jeff Place and others have added contemporary, relevant correspondence with Folkways artists and related individuals.

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.

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.

Topic:

Folk music  Search this

Folk dance music  Search this

Electronic music  Search this

Oral interpretation of poetry  Search this

Oral interpretation of fiction  Search this

Music -- 20th century  Search this

Music -- 19th century  Search this

Music -- 18th century  Search this

Jazz  Search this

Folk music -- United States  Search this

World music  Search this

Sounds  Search this

Vocal music  Search this

Popular music -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Business records

Correspondence

Phonograph records

Photographic prints

Audiotapes

Citation:

Moses and Frances Asch Collection, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.ASCH

See more items in:

Moses and Frances Asch Collection

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk533b8a927-559a-44ac-98d2-f32d871058b4

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-asch

Collector:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Producer:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Department of Public Programs  Search this

America's Jazz Heritage  Search this

Smithsonian Institution. Traveling Exhibition Service  Search this

Funder:

Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation  Search this

Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund  Search this

National Endowment for the Arts  Search this

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Interviewee:

Adams, Joe, 1922-  Search this

Aguabella, Francisco, 1925-  Search this

Akiyoshi, Toshiko, 1929-  Search this

Alvarado, Alfredo  Search this

Anderson, Chris, 1926-  Search this

Armenteros, Chocolate, 1928-  Search this

Armstrong, Howard, 1909-2003  Search this

Ashby, Harold  Search this

Atkins, Clarence, 1921-  Search this

Avakian, George, 1919-  Search this

Baker, David, 1931-  Search this

Bank, Danny, 1922-  Search this

Barker, Danny, 1909-  Search this

Barker, Louise, 1913-  Search this

Barron, Kenny  Search this

Bass, Fontella  Search this

Bates, Peg Leg, 1907-  Search this

Bauza, Mario, 1911-  Search this

Belli, Remo  Search this

Bellson, Louis  Search this

Benson, George, 1943-  Search this

Berger, Ed  Search this

Bert, Eddie, 1922-  Search this

Betts, Keter, 1928-  Search this

Bey, Chief (James), 1913-  Search this

Bishop, Walter, 1927-  Search this

Brooks, Cecil  Search this

Brown, Oscar, Jr., 1926-  Search this

Brown, Velzoe, 1910-  Search this

Brubeck, Dave  Search this

Bryant, Ardie, 1929-  Search this

Bryant, Clora  Search this

Bryant, Ray, 1931-  Search this

Bufalino, Brenda, 1937-  Search this

Bunnett, Jane  Search this

Burns, Ralph, 1922-2001  Search this

Burrell, Kenny  Search this

Butts, Jimmy, 1917-  Search this

Byrd, Charlie, 1925-  Search this

Calloway, Cab, 1907-  Search this

Camero, Candido, 1921-  Search this

Carbonell, Luis  Search this

Carrington, Terri Lyne  Search this

Carter, Benny, 1907-2003  Search this

Carter, Ron, 1937-  Search this

Casey, Al, 1915-  Search this

Cheatham, Doc, 1905-1997  Search this

Cheatham, Jeannie, 1917-  Search this

Cheatham, Jimmy, 1924-  Search this

Claxton, William  Search this

Cobb, Jimmy, 1929-  Search this

Cohen, Martin, 1939-  Search this

Collins, John, 1913-  Search this

Columbus, Chris, 1902-  Search this

Conover, Willis, 1920-  Search this

Costello, Diosa  Search this

Cruz, Alfredo  Search this

Cruz, Celia, 1920-  Search this

Cugat, Xavier, 1900-  Search this

D'Rivera, Paquito, 1948-  Search this

De Franco, Buddy, 1923-  Search this

DeJohnette, Jack  Search this

Dejan, Harold, 1909-  Search this

Del Puerto, Carlos, 1951-  Search this

Di Novi, Gene, 1928-  Search this

Diaz Ayala, Cristobal  Search this

Donegan, Dorothy, 1922-  Search this

Driggs, Frank, 1930-  Search this

Dudley, Bessie, 1902-  Search this

Edison, Harry, 1915-  Search this

Egũes, Richard, 1923-2006  Search this

Farmer, Art, 1928-  Search this

Favors, Malachi  Search this

Fernandez, Rosita, 1918-2006  Search this

Fernandez, Ruth  Search this

Finegan, Bill, 1917-  Search this

Flynn, Frank (Marimba player)  Search this

Foster, Frank, 1928-  Search this

Fournier, Vernel, 1928-  Search this

Freeman, Von, 1922-  Search this

Fuller, Curtis, 1934-  Search this

Fuller, Gil, 1920-  Search this

Gensel, John  Search this

Gilbert, Peggy  Search this

Golson, Benny  Search this

Gonzalez, Celina  Search this

Goodson, Sadie, 1904-  Search this

Green, Urbie  Search this

Guerrero, Felix, 1916-2001  Search this

Guines, Tata  Search this

Hamilton, Chico, 1921-  Search this

Hampton, Slide  Search this

Harris, Joe  Search this

Harrison, Nelson  Search this

Haynes, Roy, 1926-  Search this

Heath, Jimmy, 1926-  Search this

Heath, Percy, 1923-2005  Search this

Hemphill, Julius, 1938-  Search this

Henderson, Bill, 1930-  Search this

Henderson, Luther  Search this

Hendricks, Jon, 1921-  Search this

Hentoff, Nat  Search this

Hill, Roger, 1928-  Search this

Hinton, Milt, 1910-2000  Search this

Holman, Bill, 1927-  Search this

Horn, Shirley, 1934-  Search this

Humphries, Roger  Search this

Hutcherson, Bobby  Search this

Jarvis, Jane, 1915-  Search this

Jimenez, Flaco  Search this

Johnson, J.J., 1924-  Search this

Jones, Elvin  Search this

Jones, Hank, 1918-2010  Search this

Jones, Jonah  Search this

Jones, Quincy, 1933-  Search this

Jordan, Kidd, 1935-  Search this

Jordan, Sheila, 1928-  Search this

Keepnews, Orrin, 1923-  Search this

Kimball, Narvin, 1909-  Search this

Klein, Manny, 1908-  Search this

Konitz, Lee  Search this

Lateef, Yusef, 1920-  Search this

Laws, Hubert  Search this

LeGon, Jeni, 1916-  Search this

LeRoy Neiman  Search this

Leonard, Herman, 1923-2010  Search this

Levy, John, 1912-2012  Search this

Lewis, Edna, 1907-  Search this

Lewis, Ramsey  Search this

Liebman, Dave  Search this

Lincoln, Abbey, 1930 -  Search this

Liston, Melba  Search this

Livelli, Vincent  Search this

Longoria, Valerio, 1924-2000  Search this

Lopez, Israel, 1918-  Search this

Lucie, Lawrence, 1907-  Search this

Lutcher, Nellie, 1912-  Search this

Lynton, Charles, 1904-  Search this

Mandel, Johnny  Search this

Manning, Frank, 1914-  Search this

Marsalis, Delfeayo  Search this

Marsalis, Ellis  Search this

Marsalis, Jason  Search this

McGettigan, Betty  Search this

McIntosh, Tom, 1927-  Search this

McKibbon, Al, 1919-  Search this

McKusick, Hal, 1924-  Search this

McPartland, Marian  Search this

Mendoza, Lydia  Search this

Miller, Eric  Search this

Miller, Norma, 1919-  Search this

Mondello, Toots, 1911-  Search this

Moody, James, 1925-  Search this

Morgenstern, Dan  Search this

Murray, Albert, 1916-  Search this

Myers, Amina  Search this

Nicholas, Fayard, 1918-  Search this

Nicholas, Harold, 1924-  Search this

Norvo, Red, 1908-1999  Search this

O'Brien, Peter F.  Search this

O'Farrill, Chico, 1921-2001  Search this

Owens, Jimmy, 1943-  Search this

Palmier, Remo, 1923-  Search this

Peraza, Armando, 1924-  Search this

Perez, Graciela  Search this

Peterson, Oscar, 1925-  Search this

Puente, Tito  Search this

Pullen, Don, 1941-  Search this

Rachell, Yank  Search this

Ray, Carline, 1925-  Search this

Reed, Leonard, 1907-  Search this

Richards, Red, 1912-  Search this

Rivers, Sam  Search this

Robinson, Charles  Search this

Robinson, Les, 1912-  Search this

Rogers, Shorty, 1924-  Search this

Rollins, Sonny  Search this

Ross, Annie, 1930-  Search this

Royal, Marshall, 1912-1995  Search this

Rugolo, Pete, 1915-  Search this

Russell, George, 1923-2009  Search this

Rutherford, Rudy  Search this

Sager, Jane, 1914-  Search this

Santamaria, Mongo, 1917-  Search this

Scott, Jimmy  Search this

Settle, Cucell, 1914-  Search this

Shaw, Artie, 1910-2004  Search this

Slyde, Jimmy, 1927-  Search this

Smith, Hale G.  Search this

Smith, Johnny  Search this

Stoll, Jerrold "Jerry" Keith , 1923-2004  Search this

Taylor, Arthur, 1929-  Search this

Taylor, Billy  Search this

Teagarden, Norma, 1911-  Search this

Terry, Clark  Search this

Thielemans, Toots  Search this

Tinney, Al, 1921-  Search this

Toro, Yomo  Search this

Tucker, Bobby, 1923-2008  Search this

Tyner, McCoy  Search this

Valdes, Bebo, 1918-  Search this

Valdez, Carlos, 1926-  Search this

Valdez, Chucho, 1941-  Search this

Valentin, Val, 1920-  Search this

Valeria, Chuy  Search this

Van Gelder, Rudy  Search this

Van Lake, Turk, 1918-  Search this

Viola, Al, 1919-  Search this

Walton, Cedar, 1934-  Search this

Wein, George  Search this

Wess, Frank, 1922-  Search this

Weston, Randy, 1926-  Search this

White, Andrew, 1942-  Search this

Wilder, Joe, 1922-  Search this

Willcox, Spiegle, 1902-  Search this

Williams, Claude, 1908-2004  Search this

Williams, John, 1905-  Search this

Wilson, Gerald, 1918-  Search this

Wilson, Nancy, 1937-  Search this

Wofford, Mike  Search this

Woods, Phil  Search this

Ybarra, Eva  Search this

Yoshida, George, 1922-  Search this

Young, Al (Saxophinist)  Search this

Young, Lee, 1917-  Search this

Young, Webster, 1932-  Search this

Interviewer:

Baker, Lida  Search this

Bluiett, Hamiett  Search this

Brower, William  Search this

Brown, Anthony  Search this

Burstein, Julie  Search this

Carner, Gary  Search this

Cole, Tom  Search this

Coleman, Steve  Search this

Corporan, Hector  Search this

Crease, Bob  Search this

Dantzler, Russ  Search this

Elie, Lolis  Search this

Fernandez, Raul  Search this

Fochios, Steve  Search this

Frank, Rusty  Search this

Geremia, Paul, 1944-  Search this

Haddix, Chuck  Search this

Harris, Barry  Search this

Holley, Eugene  Search this

Jackson, Reuben  Search this

Jenkins, Willard  Search this

Kimery, Kennith  Search this

Kirchner, Bill  Search this

Levin, Floyd, 1922-2007  Search this

Lopez, Rene  Search this

McDaniel, Ted  Search this

McDonough, John  Search this

Murphy, Molly  Search this

Newton, James  Search this

O'Meally, Bob  Search this

Ouelette, Dan  Search this

Pelote, Vincent  Search this

Placksin, Sally  Search this

Porter, Lewis  Search this

Pullman, Peter  Search this

Ritz, David  Search this

Rodrique, Jessie  Search this

Schoenberg, Loren  Search this

Schwartz, Scott  Search this

Smith, Ernie  Search this

Sneed, Ann  Search this

Stitt, Katea  Search this

Talbot, Bruce  Search this

Tucker, Sherrie  Search this

Watson, Matt  Search this

White, Michael  Search this

Whitfield, Weslia  Search this

Willard, Patricia  Search this

Williams, James  Search this

Wong, Herb  Search this

Yamazaki, Paul  Search this

Zimmerman, James  Search this

Extent:

39 Cubic feet (56 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Compact discs

Sound recordings

Oral history

Audiotapes

Interviews

Date:

1992-2014

Scope and Contents:

Audiotapes, CDs and digital files: an ongoing project to interview and preserve the memories of people important in the jazz world, including jazz musicians, singers, dancers, producers, arrangers, and others. A list of interviewees and interviewers follows.

The following is a list of the individuals who conducted the interviews.

1. Brown, Anthony

2. Baker, Lida

3. Burstein, Julie

Interviewer

2. Bluiett, Hamiet

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into six series.

Series 1, DAT and CD Original Interview Recordings, 1992-2012

Series 2, Cassette Reference and Master Interview Tapes, 1992-2012

Series 3, Audio CD Reference Copies, 2000-2012

Series 4, Video/CD, 1994-2012

Series 5, Transcripts and Abstracts, 1992-2014

Series 6, Supplemental Documentation, 1992-2012

Biographical / Historical:

The Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program, a project of "America's Jazz Heritage, A Partnership of the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and the Smithsonian Institution" initiative was created in 1992. More than 150 in-depth oral history interviews were conducted from 1992 through 2002. The collection was transferred to the Archives Center of the National Museum of American History in 2000. Now part of the National Museum of American History's American Music History Initiatives, the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program continues to conduct interviews as funding is available.

The Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program was established to document significant jazz musicians, performers, producers, and business associates in their own words and voices. Program staff contacted and worked with potential interviewees to arrange for interviews. Each interview was conducted by a jazz authority and was recorded on digital audiotape by a professional audio engineer. The interviews averaged 6 hours in length and covered a wide range of topics including early years, initial involvement in music, generally, and jazz specifically, as well as experiences in the jazz music world, including relationships to musicians. The original DAT interview tapes were then dubbed to audiocassettes and CD to create protection and access copies. More recent interviews have been recorded using fully digital technology and the interviews are preserved and made availbel as digital files.

A number of the interviews were conducted as part of the Ella Fitzgerald Oral History Project of the Jazz Oral History Program. Funded by the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, these interviews focus on the life and work of Ella Fitzgerald. The National Endowments for the Arts Jazz Masters Oral Histories Program continues to support new interviews with NEA Jazz Masters.

For more information about jazz concerts, education, collections, Jazz Appreciation Month, and the Jazz Master orchestra, visit Smithsonian Jazz.

Provenance:

The interviews were made for the Smithsonian Institution under the auspices of the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program supported by America's Jazz Heritage, funded by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Oral Histories Program. Additional interviews were conducted with support from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Researchers must use reference copies.

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. Release forms exist for most interviews.

Topic:

Dancers  Search this

Music -- 20th century  Search this

Jazz  Search this

Musicians -- United States  Search this

Jazz musicians -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Compact discs

Sound recordings

Oral history -- 1990-2000

Audiotapes -- 1990-2000

Interviews -- 2000-2010

Interviews -- 1990-2000

Citation:

[Interviewee name] Interview, Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program Collection, 1992-2014, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

The interviews were made for the Smithsonian Institution under the auspices of the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program and supported by America's Jazz Heritage, funded by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Oral Histories Program. Additional interviews were conducted with support from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0808

See more items in:

Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep89ce666f6-61ae-465c-b2e7-262c9c4d7bfe

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0808

Collector:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Donor:

Becker, John M.  Search this

Gay Officers Action League. GOAL  Search this

Heritage of Pride (HOP)  Search this

Rohrbaugh, Richard  Search this

American Federation of Teachers  Search this

Department of Defense, Comprehensive Review Working Group  Search this

Gay Officers Action League. GOAL  Search this

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland  Search this

ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives  Search this

San Diego LGBT Pride  Search this

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network  Search this

Smith College  Search this

University of Connecticut  Search this

William Way Community Center  Search this

Biren, Joan E.  Search this

Bushnell, Megan  Search this

Davidson, James, Dr.  Search this

Dietrich, Joe  Search this

Exline, Gregory  Search this

Florence, Laura  Search this

Huebner, David  Search this

Jain, Shawn  Search this

Karazsia, Amy  Search this

Karazsia, William G.  Search this

Lombardi, Angela  Search this

Lynch, Patsy  Search this

Meinke, Mark  Search this

Nitz, Ryan  Search this

Reichard, Bradley  Search this

Robinson, Franklin A., Jr., 1959- (actor)  Search this

Ros, Silvia  Search this

Sabatino, Michael  Search this

Shannon, Michael A.  Search this

Sheets, Justin  Search this

Snodgrass, Adam  Search this

Voorheis, Robert  Search this

Creator:

Hirsch, Leonard  Search this

Guest, Barbara  Search this

Barna, Joseph T.  Search this

Guest, Michael E.  Search this

Cruse, Howard, 1944-2019  Search this

Other:

Larson, Gordon P., 1910-1988 -- 20th century  Search this

Names:

McWaine, Dwayne, Dr.  Search this

Extent:

66 Cubic feet (198 boxes, 21 map-folders)

64.2 Cubic feet (193 boxes, 21 map-folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Passports

Postcards

Photographs

Posters

Videocassettes

Advertising

Dvds

Songbooks

Periodicals

Place:

Canada -- Description and Travel

Germany -- description and travel

Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Washington, D.C. -- history

Los Angeles (Calif.)

New York, New York

Date:

1825-2023, undated

bulk 1960-2022

Summary:

This collection contains a variety of periodicals, photographs, correspondence, business and advertising ephemera (corporate and non-profit, personal), organizational records and ephemera, created by, for, and in reaction to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) community.

Scope and Contents:

The Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection contains periodicals, ephemera, posters, postcards, advertisements, photographs, organizational records, publications, correspondence, and other materials related to all aspects of the LGBT community and the civil rights issues pertaining thereto. The collection was created by the Archives Center to bring together materials specifically pertaining to the LGBT community. This collection contains material from communities and individuals throughout the United States. The collection is currently strongest in periodicals, newspapers and ephemera and very strong in material from California and New York. The collection continues to add new items and the researcher would be wise to take a broad view in targeting their research topics in the collection.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into twenty-five series.

Series 1: Periodicals, 1937-2021

Series 2: Agencies, Associations, and Organizations, 1965-2023, undated

Series 3: Community Life and Subject Files, 1825-2022, undated

Subseries 3.1: Photographs and Slides, 1870-2009, undated

Subseries 3.2: Ephemera and Buttons, 1969-2022, undated

Subseries 3.3: Posters and Prints, 1825-2018, undated

Subseries 3.4: Subject Files, 1958-2019, undated

Subseries 3.5: Pride, 1976-2022, undated

Subseries 3.6: HIV and AIDS, 1987-2020, undated

Subseries 3.7: Gay Games, 1982-2018

Series 4: Advertising, Business, and Publications, 1970-2021, undated

Subseries 4.1: Advertising, 1970-2018, undated

Subseries 4.2: Business, 1986-2021, undated

Subseries 4.3: Television, Theater, and Motion Pictures, 1978-2022, undated

Subseries 4.4: Bar ephemera and advertisement, 1979-2018, undated

Subseries 4.5: Publications, 1976-2019, undated

Series 5: Biren, Joan E. (JEB), 195-2018, undated

Subseries 5.1: Xerographic Copies of Photoprints, 1971-1995, undated.

Subseries 5.2: Posters and Oversize Advertisement, 1973-2018, undated

Series 6: Dietrich, Joseph A., 1992-2010

Series 7: Mattachine Society Records, 1942-1996, undated

Subseries 7.1: Correspondence, 1952-1991, undated

Subseries 7.2: Board of Directors Minutes, 1954-1974, undated

Subseries 7.3: Organizational Information, 1942-1993, undated

Subseries 7.4: Councils, Chapters, and Committees, 1953-1965, undated

Subseries 7.5: Conventions, 1953-1960, undated

Subseries 7.6: Publications, 1944-1996, undated

Series 8: Rainbow History Community Pioneers, 2003-2012, undated

Series 9: Strub, Sean O., addendum, 1987-2011, undated

Series 10: Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore (GLCCB, 1990-2014, undated

Series 11: Ros, Silvia, 2009-2011

Series 12: Huebner, David, 2009-2014

Series 13: St. George, Philip, 1945-1955, undated

Series 14: Will & Grace, 1995-2006

Series 15: Barna, Joseph T. and Heritage of Pride (HOP), New York, New York, 1910-2014, undated

Subseries 15.1: Photographs, Photographic Negatives, and Slides, 1985-2010, undated

Subseries 15.2: Heritage of Pride (HOP), 1984-2014, undated

Subseries 15.3: Barna, Joseph T., 1910-2013, undated,

Series 16: Becker, John M., 1999-2014, undated

Series 17: Rohrbaugh, Richard, 1972-1986, undated

Series 18: Guest, Michael E., 2001-2009

Series 19: The Fosters, 2013

Series 20: Pride at Work, 1990-2015

Series 21: Sabatino, Michael and Voorheis, Robert, 1980-2016, undated

Subseries 21.1: Archilla, Gustavo A. and Lokkins, Elmer T., 1916-2014, undated

Series 22: Gay Officers Action League (GOAL), 1982-2016, undated

Series 23: Brown, Adele "Del" and Herizon's Bar, 1985-1991, undated

Subseries 1: Changing Herizons, and Herizons Newsletter, 1983-1991

Series 24: Universal Fellowship Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), 1957-2019, undated

Series 25: The Christmas House, Crown Media Family Networks, 2020-2021

Historical Note:

While the quest for equal rights has been pursued by generations, it is generally acknowledged that the modern day Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) civil rights movement began in New York City in June 1969 with the Stonewall Riots. Prior to this time a number of activists, individuals, and organizations such as The Mattachine Society, Daughters of Bilitis and others, fought to bring recognition of LGBT civil rights to the forefront of American society. While the movement was primarily, and most visably, centered in New York City and San Francisco, periodicals, guide books, and ephemeral material interconnected the larger LGBT community throughout the United States. The increased visibility of the LGBT movement inspired affinity groups at odds with the LGBT community's new found visibility and quest for broader civil rights. The challenge to what was termed "traditional" values encouraged these counter-LGBT groups to define and solidfy their constituency and also become more pro-active. This collection comprises material that is generated by individuals and organizations promoting both points of view.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

Michio and Aveline Kushi Macro-Biotics Collection (AC0619)

The Shamrock Bar: Photographs and Interviews (AC0857)

John-Manuel Andriote Victory Deferred Collection (AC1128)

Archives Center Wedding Documentation Collection (AC1131 )

Division of Science, Medicine, and Society HIV/AIDS Reference Collection (AC1134)

John-Manuel Andriote Hot Stuff: A Brief History of Disco Collection (AC1184)

Joan E. Biren (JEB) Queer Film Museum Collection (AC1216)

World AIDS Institute (WAI) Collection (AC1266)

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Records (AC1282)

Helping Persons with AIDS (HPA) Records (AC1283)

DC Cowboys Dance Company Records (AC1312)

Bil Browning and Jerame Davis Papers (AC1334)

David Hadley Rockwell New York Disco Ephemera Collection (AC1342)

Leonard P. Hirsch Federal Globe Records (AC1357)

Corbett Reynolds Papers (AC1390)

Mark Segal Papers (AC1422)

The Mattachine Society of Washington "Love in Action" Collection (AC1428)

Academy of Washington Records (AC1458)

Matthew Shepard Papers (AC1463)

I'm From Driftwood Records (AC1503)

The Division of Political History holds artifacts related to gay activist Franklin Kameny and a variety of political buttons. They also hold LGBT related artifacts from Joan E. Biren (JEB).

The Division of Medical and Science holds objects donated from Dr. Renee Richards, Sean O. Strub, and Leonard Hirsch.

The Division of Entertainment and the Arts holds objects donated by The Fosters, Will & Grace, and The Christmas House.

Provenance:

This collection was assembled by the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian, beginning in 2004.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

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.

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.

Topic:

Women's music  Search this

Transgender people -- Identity  Search this

Sexual orientation  Search this

Political activists  Search this

Lesbianism  Search this

Lesbian and gay experience  Search this

Gay activists  Search this

Homosexuality  Search this

HIV and AIDS  Search this

Feminism  Search this

Bisexuality  Search this

Bars (Drinking establishments)  Search this

Gay Pride  Search this

Genre/Form:

Passports

Postcards

Photographs -- 2000-2010

Posters

Videocassettes

Advertising

DVDs

Photographs -- 20th century

Songbooks

Periodicals

Citation:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1146

See more items in:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep80327b53b-2daa-47d1-8c11-89a7b3f4e1bd

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1146

Artist:

Miguel Covarrubias, 22 Nov 1904 - 4 Feb 1957  Search this

Copy after:

Fortune, founded 1930  Search this

Sitter:

Fred Allen, 31 May 1894 - 17 Mar 1956  Search this

Gracie Allen, 1906 - 1964  Search this

Don Ameche, 31 May 1908 - 6 Dec 1993  Search this

Kenny Baker, 1912 - 1985  Search this

Phil Baker, 1898 - 1963  Search this

Jack Benny, 14 Feb 1894 - 26 Dec 1974  Search this

Edgar Bergen, 16 Feb 1903 - 30 Sep 1978  Search this

Edward Bowes, 14 Jun 1874 - 14 Jun 1946  Search this

Fanny Brice, 29 Oct 1891 - 29 May 1951  Search this

Bob Burns, 1890 - 1956  Search this

George Burns, 20 Jan 1896 - 9 Mar 1996  Search this

Charles Butterworth, 1896 - 1946  Search this

Cab Calloway, 25 Dec 1907 - 18 Nov 1994  Search this

Eddie Cantor, Sept 1892 - 10 Oct 1964  Search this

Boake Carter, 1898 - 1944  Search this

Bing Crosby, 3 May 1903 - 14 Oct 1977  Search this

Milton J. Cross, 1897 - 1975  Search this

Jessica Dragonette, 1910? - 1980  Search this

Deanna Durbin, 4 Dec 1921 - Apr 2013  Search this

Nelson Eddy, 29 Jun 1901 - 6 Mar 1967  Search this

Jimmy Fidler, 24 Aug 1900 - 9 Aug 1988  Search this

William Claude Fields, 29 Jan 1880 - 25 Dec 1946  Search this

Benny Goodman, 30 May 1909 - 13 Jun 1986  Search this

Edwin C. Hill, 1884 - 1957  Search this

Ted Husing, 1901 - 1962  Search this

Al Jolson, 26 May 1886 - 23 Oct 1950  Search this

Hugh Samuel Johnson, 5 Aug 1882 - 15 Apr 1942  Search this

Andre Kostelanetz, 1901 - 1980  Search this

Frances Newbern Langford, 6 Apr 1913 - 11 Jul 2005  Search this

Beatrice Lillie, 29 May 1894 - 20 Jan 1989  Search this

Mary Livingston, 20th century  Search this

Guy Lombardo, 1902 - 1977  Search this

Lily Pons, 12 Apr 1898 - 13 Feb 1976  Search this

Jeannette MacDonald, 1901 - 1965  Search this

Graham Mcnamee, 1888 - 1942  Search this

Jack Oakie, 1903 - 1978  Search this

Walter O'Keefe, 1900 - 1983  Search this

Al Pearce, 1899 - 1961  Search this

Joe Penner, 1904 - 1941  Search this

Dick Powell, 14 Nov 1904 - 02 Jan 1963  Search this

Tyrone Power, 5 May 1914 - 15 Nov 1958  Search this

Martha Raye, 27 Aug 1916 - 19 Aug 1994  Search this

Robert L. Ripley, 1893 - 1949  Search this

Edward G. Robinson, 12 Dec 1893 - 26 Jan 1973  Search this

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 30 Jan 1882 - 12 Apr 1945  Search this

Lancelot Patrick Ross, 1906 - 1988  Search this

Kate Smith, 1 May 1907 - 17 Jun 1986  Search this

Leopold Stokowski, 18 Apr 1882 - 13 Sep 1977  Search this

Robert Taylor, 1911 - 1969  Search this

John Charles Thomas, 1891 - 1960  Search this

Lowell Jackson Thomas, 6 Apr 1892 - Aug 1981  Search this

Lawrence Mervil Tibbett, 16 Nov 1896 - 15 Jul 1960  Search this

Arturo Toscanini, 25 Mar 1867 - 16 Jan 1957  Search this

Rudy Vallee, 28 Jul 1901 - 3 Jul 1986  Search this

Alfred Wallenstein, 1898 - ?  Search this

Paul Whiteman, 28 Mar 1891 - 29 Dec 1967  Search this

Don Wilson, 1900 - 1982  Search this

Walter Winchell, 7 Apr 1897 - 20 Feb 1972  Search this

Alexander Humphreys Woollcott, 19 Jan 1887 - 23 Jan 1943  Search this

Ed Wynn, 9 Nov 1886 - 19 Jun 1966  Search this

James Edward Jordan, 16 Nov 1896 - 1 Apr 1988  Search this

Marian Jordan, 1898 - 1961  Search this

Freeman Fisher Gosden, 5 May 1899 - 10 Dec 1982  Search this

Charles Corell, 1890 - 1986  Search this

Medium:

Watercolor on illustration board

Dimensions:

Image: 37.5 × 59.5 cm (14 3/4 × 23 7/16")

Sheet: 40 × 61.5 cm (15 3/4 × 24 3/16")

Mat (Verified): 56 × 80.1 cm (22 1/16 × 31 9/16")

Type:

Drawing

Date:

1938

Topic:

Nature & Environment\Clouds  Search this

Equipment\Smoking Implements\Cigar  Search this

Exterior\Sky  Search this

Equipment\Sound Devices\Microphone  Search this

Costume\Headgear\Hat\Top hat  Search this

Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses\Monocle  Search this

Costume\Headgear\Helmet\Fire hat  Search this

Symbols & Motifs\Hourglass  Search this

Jack Benny: Male  Search this

Jack Benny: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian  Search this

Eddie Cantor: Male  Search this

Eddie Cantor: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor  Search this

Eddie Cantor: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian  Search this

Eddie Cantor: Literature\Writer\Screenwriter  Search this

Eddie Cantor: Oscar  Search this

Lawrence Mervil Tibbett: Male  Search this

Lawrence Mervil Tibbett: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Theater  Search this

Lawrence Mervil Tibbett: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Opera  Search this

Lawrence Mervil Tibbett: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Baritone  Search this

Alexander Humphreys Woollcott: Male  Search this

Alexander Humphreys Woollcott: Literature\Writer  Search this

Alexander Humphreys Woollcott: Journalism and Media\Journalist  Search this

Alexander Humphreys Woollcott: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio performer  Search this

Alexander Humphreys Woollcott: Literature\Writer\Essayist  Search this

Alexander Humphreys Woollcott: Performing Arts\Theater critic  Search this

Rudy Vallee: Male  Search this

Rudy Vallee: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor  Search this

Rudy Vallee: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer  Search this

Rudy Vallee: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Horn player\Saxophonist  Search this

Bing Crosby: Male  Search this

Bing Crosby: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Songwriter  Search this

Bing Crosby: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Bing Crosby: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Popular  Search this

Bing Crosby: Sports and Recreation\Athlete\Golfer  Search this

Paul Whiteman: Male  Search this

Paul Whiteman: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Conductor  Search this

Paul Whiteman: Performing Arts\Performer\Showman  Search this

Paul Whiteman: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Jazz  Search this

Jeannette MacDonald: Female  Search this

Jeannette MacDonald: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer  Search this

Jeannette MacDonald: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Benny Goodman: Male  Search this

Benny Goodman: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Composer  Search this

Benny Goodman: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Theater  Search this

Benny Goodman: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Benny Goodman: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Jazz  Search this

Benny Goodman: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Clarinetist  Search this

Benny Goodman: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Bandmaster  Search this

Benny Goodman: Grammy  Search this

Walter Winchell: Male  Search this

Walter Winchell: Journalism and Media\Journalist  Search this

Walter Winchell: Journalism and Media\Journalist\Columnist  Search this

Walter Winchell: Performing Arts\Performer\Television personality  Search this

Walter Winchell: Journalism and Media\Broadcast journalist\Radio  Search this

Kate Smith: Female  Search this

Kate Smith: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer  Search this

Kate Smith: Performing Arts\Performer\Vaudeville  Search this

Kate Smith: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Television  Search this

Kate Smith: Presidential Medal of Freedom  Search this

Tyrone Power: Male  Search this

Tyrone Power: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Theater  Search this

Tyrone Power: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Tyrone Power: Military and Intelligence\Marine Corps\Officer\Marine Corps pilot  Search this

Don Ameche: Male  Search this

Don Ameche: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor  Search this

Don Ameche: Oscar  Search this

Kenny Baker: Male  Search this

Kenny Baker: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer  Search this

Phil Baker: Male  Search this

Edward Bowes: Male  Search this

Edward Bowes: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Business executive  Search this

Edward Bowes: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio performer  Search this

Edward Bowes: Performing Arts\Theater manager  Search this

Fanny Brice: Female  Search this

Fanny Brice: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Theater  Search this

Fanny Brice: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer  Search this

Fanny Brice: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Fanny Brice: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian  Search this

Bob Burns: Male  Search this

Charles Butterworth: Male  Search this

Cab Calloway: Male  Search this

Cab Calloway: Literature\Writer  Search this

Cab Calloway: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician  Search this

Cab Calloway: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Songwriter  Search this

Cab Calloway: Performing Arts\Performer\Dancer  Search this

Cab Calloway: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Jazz  Search this

Boake Carter: Undetermined  Search this

Milton J. Cross: Male  Search this

Milton J. Cross: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio performer  Search this

Milton J. Cross: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Tenor  Search this

Milton J. Cross: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio announcer  Search this

Jessica Dragonette: Female  Search this

Deanna Durbin: Female  Search this

Deanna Durbin: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Deanna Durbin: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio performer  Search this

Deanna Durbin: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Soprano  Search this

Nelson Eddy: Male  Search this

Nelson Eddy: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer  Search this

Nelson Eddy: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Jimmy Fidler: Male  Search this

Jimmy Fidler: Journalism and Media\Journalist\Columnist  Search this

Jimmy Fidler: Performing Arts\Performer\Television personality  Search this

Jimmy Fidler: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio performer  Search this

Edwin C. Hill: Male  Search this

Ted Husing: Male  Search this

Frances Newbern Langford: Female  Search this

Frances Newbern Langford: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor  Search this

Frances Newbern Langford: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer  Search this

Frances Newbern Langford: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio performer  Search this

Beatrice Lillie: Female  Search this

Beatrice Lillie: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Theater  Search this

Beatrice Lillie: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Beatrice Lillie: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian  Search this

Beatrice Lillie: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio performer  Search this

Beatrice Lillie: Performing Arts\Performer\Vaudeville  Search this

Mary Livingston: Female  Search this

Guy Lombardo: Male  Search this

Graham Mcnamee: Male  Search this

Jack Oakie: Male  Search this

Jack Oakie: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor  Search this

Walter O'Keefe: Male  Search this

Al Pearce: Male  Search this

Joe Penner: Male  Search this

Dick Powell: Male  Search this

Dick Powell: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor  Search this

Dick Powell: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Martha Raye: Female  Search this

Martha Raye: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Theater  Search this

Martha Raye: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer  Search this

Martha Raye: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Martha Raye: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian  Search this

Martha Raye: Performing Arts\Performer\Entertainer  Search this

Martha Raye: Oscar  Search this

Martha Raye: Presidential Medal of Freedom  Search this

Robert L. Ripley: Male  Search this

Edward G. Robinson: Male  Search this

Edward G. Robinson: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Edward G. Robinson: Oscar  Search this

Lancelot Patrick Ross: Male  Search this

Lancelot Patrick Ross: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Songwriter  Search this

Lancelot Patrick Ross: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer  Search this

Lancelot Patrick Ross: Performing Arts\Performer\Vaudeville  Search this

Lancelot Patrick Ross: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Pianist  Search this

Lancelot Patrick Ross: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Major  Search this

Robert Taylor: Male  Search this

Robert Taylor: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor  Search this

John Charles Thomas: Male  Search this

Lowell Jackson Thomas: Male  Search this

Lowell Jackson Thomas: Literature\Writer\Novelist  Search this

Lowell Jackson Thomas: Performing Arts\Performer\Television personality  Search this

Lowell Jackson Thomas: Sports and Recreation\Traveler  Search this

Lowell Jackson Thomas: Journalism and Media\Broadcast journalist  Search this

Lowell Jackson Thomas: Presidential Medal of Freedom  Search this

Alfred Wallenstein: Male  Search this

Don Wilson: Male  Search this

James Edward Jordan: Male  Search this

James Edward Jordan: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio performer  Search this

Marian Jordan: Female  Search this

Marian Jordan: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio performer  Search this

Freeman Fisher Gosden: Male  Search this

Freeman Fisher Gosden: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian  Search this

Freeman Fisher Gosden: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio performer  Search this

Charles Corell: Male  Search this

Arturo Toscanini: Male  Search this

Arturo Toscanini: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Conductor  Search this

Edgar Bergen: Male  Search this

Edgar Bergen: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Theater  Search this

Edgar Bergen: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Edgar Bergen: Literature\Writer\Screenwriter  Search this

Edgar Bergen: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Television  Search this

Edgar Bergen: Performing Arts\Performer\Entertainer\Ventriloquist  Search this

Edgar Bergen: Oscar  Search this

Lily Pons: Female  Search this

Lily Pons: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Opera  Search this

Gracie Allen: Female  Search this

Gracie Allen: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian  Search this

Gracie Allen: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Television  Search this

George Burns: Male  Search this

George Burns: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

George Burns: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian  Search this

George Burns: Performing Arts\Performer\Vaudeville  Search this

George Burns: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Television  Search this

George Burns: Oscar  Search this

Ed Wynn: Male  Search this

Ed Wynn: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Theater  Search this

Ed Wynn: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

Ed Wynn: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian  Search this

Ed Wynn: Performing Arts\Performer\Television personality  Search this

Ed Wynn: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio performer  Search this

Hugh Samuel Johnson: Male  Search this

Hugh Samuel Johnson: Politics and Government\Public official  Search this

Hugh Samuel Johnson: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General  Search this

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Male  Search this

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Law and Law Enforcement\Lawyer  Search this

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Politics and Government\Governor\New York  Search this

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Politics and Government\President of US  Search this

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Politics and Government\State Senator\New York  Search this

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Politics and Government\Vice-Presidential Candidate  Search this

Andre Kostelanetz: Male  Search this

Leopold Stokowski: Male  Search this

Leopold Stokowski: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Composer  Search this

Leopold Stokowski: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Conductor  Search this

Fred Allen: Male  Search this

Fred Allen: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian  Search this

Fred Allen: Journalism and Media\Journalist\Humorist  Search this

Al Jolson: Male  Search this

Al Jolson: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Theater  Search this

Al Jolson: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer  Search this

Al Jolson: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

William Claude Fields: Male  Search this

William Claude Fields: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Theater  Search this

William Claude Fields: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie  Search this

William Claude Fields: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian  Search this

William Claude Fields: Performing Arts\Performer\Radio performer  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Object number:

NPG.86.34

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

Copyright:

© Time Inc.

See more items in:

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Data Source:

National Portrait Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4478b6d4e-aab3-4d78-aa21-a0fc23cfa6e3

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_NPG.86.34

Provenance:

Middletown Garden Club  Search this

Photographer:

Murawski, Pat  Search this

Murawski, Pat  Search this

Owner:

Gastler, Timothy  Search this

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Scope and Contents:

35 digital images (2016-2018) and 1 file folder. Images 001-035 under copyright: Pat Murawski, photographer.

General:

In 2008 the third generation owner of Gastler farm retired from his nursery and landscape design business, leased most of the original 46 acre property and retained five acres with the 1830's late Federal farmhouse, outbuildings and gently sloping fields, and developed a community venue for music and the arts for the fourth generation, called Kalmia Garden. In the early 20th century the family had a dairy farm while raising wholesale crops and maintaining a roadside stand to sell their flowers, sweet corn and strawberries. There was a poultry farm, field-grown pansies were hybridized and sold in another era, and the nursery business was known for its large field grown trees and shrubs. Native stones that had been unearthed over the last century's cultivation were used to build retaining and free standing walls to develop gardens on five acres. Huge Portland, Connecticut brownstones that had been salvaged from a nearby abandoned bridge abutment also were used in the hardscape. In total more one half mile of dry stone walls was built, evoking the archetypical New England farm and functioning as the bones of the landscape.

Native and specimen trees and shrubs from the nursery business were relocated among towering trees planted by earlier generations that include a Norway spruce and a sugar maple each more than one hundred years old. Historic farm implements are features: a 1910 horse-drawn sickle mower sits under a Japanese cypress near an 18th century carriage house moved here in the 1950's; cast iron wheels from an 1890's steam tractor lean against remnants of the corn crib's stone foundation; a vintage stone well cover is stood upright next to a 1907 stone and cement ice house. A contemporary barn-board sided addition to the farmhouse built in 2014 has a chef's kitchen, and food grown on the farm is shared with neighbors, friends, helpers and visitors. There is interest in developing a farm-to-table business, too.

Entering the property there is a meditation garden with irregular island beds of mixed conifers, and around the bend there is a memory garden, a small triangular space enclosed by stone walls that was a seed bed in the past, now used to cultivate Solomon's seal. The large vegetable garden beds are separated by wide grass walkways with a long herbaceous border opposite the 1916 barn. Crops include herbs, tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, beans, squash, rhubarb and strawberries. There are mixed garden beds around each outbuilding accented with nursery stock. An extended paved patio next to the house has colorful annuals growing in containers and in a 1650 English stone sink. Across the lawn there is another curved dry stone wall known as the wedding wall. There is a Victorian style gazebo built of red cedar that was installed in 1981, its sides covered by morning glory. The newest space, the event garden, is a large walled lawn with native trees and shrubs surrounding the low walls. The parking garden is terraced with a stone retaining wall and an impressive view of the Coginchaug River valley.

Persons associated with the garden include: Charles Miller (former owner, 1873-1875); L.M. and Oscar Leash (former owners, 1875-1884); Olean Miller (former owner, 1884-1905); Nehemiah Burr (former owner, 1905); Gastler family (former owners, 1905-2006); Timothy Gastler (owner, 2006- ).

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.

Topic:

Gardens -- Connecticut -- Durham  Search this

Collection Citation:

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.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, File CT761

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Connecticut

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6373e474b-d618-41e6-8c39-454ee1a9b32c

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref33204

Physical description:

1 online resource (223)

Type:

Electronic resources

Electronic books

Electronic resource

History

Place:

California

Los Angeles

Californie

Date:

2011

20th century

20e si{grave}ecle

Topic:

Mexican Americans--Social life and customs  Search this

Lowriders--Social aspects  Search this

Lowriders--History  Search this

Automobiles--Societies, etc--Social aspects  Search this

Popular culture  Search this

Am{acute}ericains d'origine mexicaine--M{oelig}urs et coutumes  Search this

Voitures surbaiss{acute}ees--Aspect social  Search this

Voitures surbaiss{acute}ees--Histoire  Search this

Clubs automobiles--Aspect social  Search this

Culture populaire  Search this

Lowriders  Search this

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1156498

Author:

Paik, Nam June 1932-2006  Search this

Editor:

Hanhardt, John G  Search this

Zinman, Gregory  Search this

Decker-Phillips, Edith 1953-  Search this

Physical description:

xv, 445 pages illustrations (some color) 29 cm

Type:

Books

Place:

United States

Date:

2019

20th century

Topic:

Authorship  Search this

Medienkunst  Search this

Neue Musik  Search this

Korean American art  Search this

Artists  Search this

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1156778

Donor:

Morton, Azariah  Search this

Author:

Mount Zion Baptist Church (Newark (N.J.))  Search this

Names:

Vaughan, Sarah, 1924-1990  Search this

Extent:

0.1 Cubic feet (1 folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Programs

Date:

1990

Summary:

The collection consists of a single memorial program documenting the April 9, 1990 funeral of Sarah Vaughan at the Mount Zion Baptist Church, Newark, New Jersey.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists of a single memorial program documenting the April 9, 1990 funeral of Sarah Vaughan that took place at the Mount Zion Baptist Church located in Newark, New Jersey. A brief biography of Vaughan's music career, photograph, and the order of the funeral service are included in the memorial program.

Arrangement:

The collection consists of a single item.

Biographical / Historical:

Sarah Lois Vaughan was born to Asbury "Jake" and Ada Vaughan on March 27, 1924 in Newark, New Jersey. In 1942, she won an amateur contest at the Apollo Theatre and by 1943 was working as a singer and second pianist for the Earl Hines band. She was a leading female jazz vocalist between the 1940s and 1980s. During her long career she performed with such leaders in the field of American jazz like Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis. Vaughn died on April 3, 1990 at the age of sixty-six in California.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Bobby Tucker Papers NMAH.AC.1141

Benny Carter Collection NMAH.AC.0757

WANN Radio Station Records NMAH.AC.0800

Earl Newman Collection of Monterey Jazz Festival Posters NMAH.AC.1207

Herman Leonard Photographic Collection NMAH.AC.0445

Leonard and Mary Gaskin Papers NMAH.AC.0900

W. Royal Stokes Collection of Jazz Musicians' Photographs NMAH.AC.0766

Ella Fitzgerald Papers NMAH.AC.0584

Duncan Schiedt Photograph Collection NMAH.AC.1323

Provenance:

Collection donated by Azariah Morton,1991 May 21.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

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.

Topic:

Jazz musicians -- United States  Search this

Jazz  Search this

African American singers  Search this

Singers  Search this

Funeral rites and ceremonies -- 1990-2000  Search this

Music -- 20th century  Search this

Memorial service -- 1990-2000  Search this

Genre/Form:

Programs

Citation:

Sarah Vaughan Memorial Program, 1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0384

See more items in:

Sarah Vaughan Memorial Program

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep86625a6d5-3980-4f27-901e-c4f571f020ee

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0384

Collector:

Gregory, Thelma  Search this

Morris, Gregory  Search this

Names:

Copasetic Club  Search this

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Strayhorn, Billy (William Thomas), 1915-1967  Search this

Extent:

3 Items (3 folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Clippings

Date:

1965-1969

Summary:

Collection consists of two newsclippings, and an advertising yearbook documenting Strayhorn's career as Duke Ellington's chief arranger, co-composer, lyricist, and emergency fill-in at the piano.

Scope and Contents:

The Billy Strayhorn Ephemera Collection consists of two newsclippings, and an advertising yearbook documenting Strayhorn's career as Duke Ellington's chief arranger, co-composer, lyricist, and emergency fill-in at the piano. The newsclippings document the collaborative relationship that existed between Ellington and Strayhorn. The advertising yearbook was published as a tribute to Strayhorn after his death. It includes numerous commentaries to Billy Strayhorn by some of the period's leading jazz musicians.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged into one series.

Biographical / Historical:

Billy Strayhorn, composer and pianist, was born in Dayton, Ohio on November 19, 1915. He joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1939 after a brief period working as the pianist for the Mercer Ellington Orchestra. For nearly three decades Strayhorn served as associate arranger and second pianist for Duke Ellington. Billy Strayhorn remained with the Ellington Orchestra until his death on May 31, 1967.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Gregory & Thelma Morris, May 17, 1991.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

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.

Topic:

Jazz  Search this

Music -- 20th century  Search this

Jazz musicians -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- 1960-1970

Clippings

Citation:

Billy Strayhorn Ephemera Collection, 1965-1969, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0383

See more items in:

Billy Strayhorn Ephemera Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep815c7a2bc-5f80-4e1e-b07b-aa8f6c7a13ce

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0383

Interviewee:

Sun Ra  Search this

Gaskin, Leonard, 1920-  Search this

Taylor, Billy  Search this

Sullivan, Maxine, 1911-1987  Search this

Wells, Ronnie  Search this

Whiting, Margaret  Search this

Towers, Jack  Search this

Venuti, Joe, 1903-1978  Search this

Pullen, Don, 1941-  Search this

Roney, Wallace  Search this

Pizzarelli, Bucky, 1926-  Search this

Pizzarelli, John, 1960-  Search this

Shaw, Artie, 1910-2004  Search this

Shepp, Archie, 1937-  Search this

Sanders, Pharaoh  Search this

Grant, Felix, 1918-1993  Search this

Scott, Jimmy  Search this

McPhail, Jimmy  Search this

McPartland, Marian  Search this

McFerrin, Bobby  Search this

Krall, Diana  Search this

O'Connell, Helen  Search this

Mulligan, Gerry  Search this

Metheny, Pat  Search this

McShann, Jay  Search this

Horn, Shirley, 1934-  Search this

Hinton, Milt, 1910-2000  Search this

Hill, Andrew, 1937-  Search this

Hendricks, Jon, 1921-  Search this

Keane, Helen  Search this

Kaminsky, Max, 1908-  Search this

Jordan, Sheila, 1928-  Search this

Humes, Helen, 1913-1981  Search this

Hampton, Lionel  Search this

Harris, Eddie, 1934-  Search this

Heath, Jimmy, 1926-  Search this

Frishberg, Dave  Search this

Ennis, Ethel  Search this

Farmer, Art, 1928-  Search this

Flanagan, Tommy, 1930-  Search this

Hampton, Slide  Search this

D'Rivera, Paquito, 1948-  Search this

Daniels, Billy  Search this

Davison, Bill  Search this

Donegan, Dorothy, 1922-  Search this

Crouch, Stanley, 1945-2020  Search this

Conyers, John, 1929-  Search this

Cruz, Celia, 1920-  Search this

Byard, Jaki  Search this

Brown, Ruth  Search this

Carter, Betty, 1930-  Search this

Byron, Don  Search this

Betts, Keter, 1928-  Search this

Bellson, Louis  Search this

Bowie, Lester, 1941-  Search this

Blakey, Art, 1919-1990  Search this

Allen, Steve, 1921-2000  Search this

Adderly, Nat, 1931-  Search this

Bailey, Benny, 1925-  Search this

Collector:

Stokes, W. Royal, Dr., 1930-  Search this

Names:

Armstrong, Louis, 1901-1971  Search this

Davis, Miles  Search this

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Gillespie, Dizzy, 1917-  Search this

Extent:

10 Cubic feet (39 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Audiotapes

Photographs

Publicity photographs

Date:

1940s-2005

Summary:

Publicity photographs of musicians and entertainers, mostly jazz musicians, such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie, but including many rock and even a few classical performers. The collection also contains tape recorded radio interviews conducted between 1970 and 2003. In addition there are posters relating to musical performances.

Scope and Contents:

This collection was formed by W. Royal Stokes in the course of his professional work as a music and arts critic. It is composed primarily of publicity portraits of musical performers, both single acts and groups. The emphasis is on jazz musicians and singers, although many rock stars and groups, and other popular musical performers are included. Even a few classical musicians are represented. The pictures are primarily mass-produced black and white publicity photographs distributed to newspapers, writers, etc., by agents for entertainment personalities. Some prints were made from the original negatives, while others clearly were made from copy negatives after typography was stripped together with a print and re-photographed. However, there are some rarer original photographs included in the collection, such as personal color snapshots, higher quality prints by art photographers, etc. Nearly all the prints are unmounted, and are 8 x 10 inches or smaller in size. The bulk of the photographs date from circa 1970 to 2000, however, a number of the earlier photographs are included as well as slightly later examples.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into nine series.

Series 1, Photographs of Musicians and Ensembles, circa 1970-2000; undated

Subseries 1.1, Musicians and Ensembles

Subseries 1.2, Recording Company Photographs

Subseries 1.3, Unidentified Musicians

Series 2, Photographs of Performances, 1987-2002; undated

Subseries 2.1, Music Festivals, 1987-2002; undated

Subseries 2.2, Concerts, Music Clubs and Other Venues, 1920s-1940s and circa 1980s-1990s; undated

Series 3, Formal and Informal Groups, circa 1980s-2000; undated

Series 4, Photographs of Musicians in Films, Radio, Television and Theater, 1940s-2000; undated Series 5, Photographs of Subjects and Products related to Musicians and Music, 1970-2000; undated

Series 6, Photographs of Non-Musicians, circa 1980s-2000; undated

Series 7, Interviews with Musicians, 1970-2003

Series 8, Audiovisual Materials, 1970-2003

Subseries 8.1, Audio Recordings - Audiocassettes

Subseries 8.2, Audio Recordings-Audiotapes

Series 9, Posters, 1976-1990; undated

Biographical / Historical:

Born in Washington, D.C., W. Royal Stokes served in the Army and then embarked on an academic career, teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, Tufts University, Brock University and the University of Colorado. He left the academic profession in 1969 and become a writer, broadcaster and lecturer, journalist, and critic and authority on jazz music. A follower of jazz since his teens in the 1940s, Stokes has written about music for such publications as Down Beat, Jazz Times, and the Washington Post, and hosted the public radio shows "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say . . ." and "Since Minton's". Today he is the editor of the quarterly Jazz Notes, and is the author of The Jazz Scene: An Informal History From New Orleans to 1990 and Swing Era New York: The Jazz Photographs of Charles Peterson.. He is also the author of Living the Jazz Life: Conversations with Forty Musicians about Their Careers in Jazz (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2000). Dr. Stokes lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of Ameican History:

Duke Ellington Collection, 1928-1988 (AC0301)

Herman Leonard Photoprints, 1948-1993

Frank Driggs Collection of Duke Ellington Photographic Reference Prints [copyprints], 1923-1972

Jazz Oral History Collection, 1988-1990

Ernie Smith Jazz Film Collection, 1910s-1970s (mostly 1930s-1960s)

Jeffrey Kliman Photographs

Stephanie Myers Jazz Photographs, 1984-1987, 2005

Chico O'Farrill Papers

Paquito D'Rivera Papers, 1989-2000.

Louis Armstrong Music Manuscripts, undated

Tito Puente Papers, 1962-1965.

Audrey Wells "Women in Jazz Radio Series, 1981-1982

Mongo Santamaria Papers, 1965-2001

Ramsey Lewis Collection, 1950-2007

Earl Newman Collection of Monterey Jazz Festival Posters, 1963-2009

James Arkatov Collection of Jazz Photographs, 1995-2003

Francis Wolff Jazz Photoprints, 1953-1966

Floyd Levin Jazz Reference Collection, circa 1920s-2006

Jazz Oral History Program Collection, 1992-2009

Leslie Schinella Collection of Gene Krupa Materials

Provenance:

Donated by W. Royal Stokes to the Archives Center in 2001.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

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.

Topic:

Jazz musicians -- 1950-2000 -- United States  Search this

Musicians  Search this

Publicity  Search this

Portraits -- Musicians  Search this

Popular music -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Entertainers  Search this

Rock music  Search this

Genre/Form:

Audiotapes

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1950-2000

Publicity photographs

Citation:

W. Royal Stokes Collection of Jazz Musicians' Photographs, ca. 1970-2000, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0766

See more items in:

W. Royal Stokes Collection of Music Photoprints and Interviews

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b79b5a94-c967-451e-bafb-e62dc2d8ff45

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0766

Photograph by:

Unidentified  Search this

Subject of:

Ernie Fields, American, 1904 - 1997  Search this

Unidentified Man or Men  Search this

Unidentified Woman or Women  Search this

Owned by:

Eddie Faye Gates, American, 1934 - 2021  Search this

Medium:

digital

Dimensions:

File size (overall): 51.33 MB

Type:

portraits

digital images

digital media - born analog

Place depicted:

Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States, North and Central America

Date:

early to mid 20th century

Topic:

African American  Search this

American South  Search this

American West  Search this

Instrumentalists (Musicians)  Search this

Jazz (Music)  Search this

Credit Line:

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Eddie Faye Gates, Tulsa OK, author, historian, community activist

Object number:

2014.117.40

Restrictions & Rights:

No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in:

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Collection title:

Eddie Faye Gates Collection, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Classification:

Media Arts-Photography

Data Source:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd532d99d95-6d88-45d3-806d-73668a395929

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmaahc_2014.117.40

Author:

Blanks, Tim  Search this

Writer of foreword:

Campbell, Naomi  Search this

Physical description:

1 online resource (287 pages) chiefly illustrations

Type:

Pictorial works

Ouvrages illustrés

Electronic books

History

Place:

United States

États-Unis

Date:

2017

20th century

Topic:

Women fashion designers  Search this

Fashion--History  Search this

Fashion design--History  Search this

Costume--History  Search this

Clothing and dress--History  Search this

Couturières (Créatrices de mode)  Search this

HEALTH & FITNESS--Beauty & Grooming  Search this

Clothing and dress  Search this

Costume  Search this

Fashion  Search this

Fashion design  Search this

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1156471

Manufactured by:

Miraphone, German, founded 1946  Search this

Subject of:

Florida A&M University, American, founded 1887  Search this

Owned by:

William Patrick Foster, American, 1919 - 2010  Search this

Medium:

brass (alloy)

Dimensions:

H x W x D: 19 7/16 × 8 11/16 × 8 1/4 in. (49.3 × 22 × 21 cm)

Type:

brass instruments

musical instruments

Place used:

Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida, United States, North and Central America

Date:

mid to late 20th century

Topic:

African American  Search this

Band (Music)  Search this

Education  Search this

HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)  Search this

Marching bands (Music)  Search this

Music  Search this

Musicians  Search this

Credit Line:

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from Anthony Foster in memory of William P. Foster

Object number:

2019.94.2.1

Restrictions & Rights:

No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in:

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification:

Musical Instruments

Data Source:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd57b4cca3f-6dfe-4b88-abb3-62da060c7009

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmaahc_2019.94.2.1

Artist:

Cornell, Joseph  Search this

Names:

Benton, Elizabeth Cornell  Search this

Cornell, Robert  Search this

Extent:

196.8 Linear feet

186 Nitrate negatives

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Nitrate negatives

Photographs

Place:

New York, New York

Date:

1750-1980, bulk 1930-1972

Summary:

The Joseph Cornell Study Center collection measures 196.8 linear feet and dates from 1750 to 1980, with the bulk of the material dating from 1930 to 1972. Documenting the artistic career and personal life of assemblage artist Joseph Cornell (1903-1972), the collection is primarily made up of two- and three-dimensional source material, the contents of the artists' studio, his record album collection, and his book collection and personal library. The collection also includes diaries and notes, financial and estate papers, exhibition materials, collected artifacts and ephemera, photographs, correspondence, and the papers of Robert Cornell (1910-1965) and Helen Storms Cornell (1882-1966), the artist's brother and mother.

Scope and Contents:

The Joseph Cornell Study Center collection measures 196.8 linear feet and dates from 1750 to 1980, with the bulk of the material dating from 1930 to 1972. Documenting the artistic career and personal life of assemblage artist Joseph Cornell (1903-1972), the collection is primarily made up of two- and three-dimensional source material, the contents of the artists' studio, his record album collection, and his book collection and personal library. The collection also includes diaries and notes, financial and estate papers, exhibition materials, collected artifacts and ephemera, photographs, correspondence, and the papers of Robert Cornell (1910-1965) and Helen Storms Cornell (1882-1966), the artist's brother and mother.

Correspondence is with collectors, museums, galleries, artists, friends, family, charity organizations, admirers and those admired by Cornell, and World War II European pen pals. Discussions about the appreciation, donation, sale, purchase, and exhibition of Cornell's works are frequent, with the inclusion of shipping and loan documentation or notices of payment installments. Galleries and museums frequently request that Cornell agree to an exhibition, which he often declines, and fans request free works be mailed or affordable works be sold to them. With friends, artists, and those he admired, Cornell discussed topics that fascinate him, included bits of poetry or philosophical musings, sent clippings or a collaged letter, and occasionally discussed a project or work in process. After World War II, when so many were displaced by the war in Europe, Cornell answered ads for pen pals in the "Christian Science Monitor," often responding to requests for clothing or other goods, and sometimes exchanging many letters over several years. Family correspondence is with his mother, sisters, brother, and others, and often notes activities of the day, foods eaten, and general musings, as well as occasionally mentioning a project or artwork. Correspondents of note include Stan Brakhage, Betty Freeman, Charles Henri Ford, Allegra Kent, Yayoi Kusama, Roberto Matta, Marianne Moore, Octavio Paz, Sonia Sekula, Pavel Tchelitchew, Parker Tyler, Dorothea Tanning, and Betsy von Furstenberg, among others.

Cornell was often preoccupied with his thoughts, feelings, memories, a project or thematic "exploration," and jotted notes on seemingly any surface available. Notes and musings are on napkins, the backs of envelopes, newspaper clippings, and paper bags from record and magazine stores. Frequently, an observation would trigger a lengthy nostalgic moment, or a "feé," fairy-like child or girl, would capture his imagination and lead him to thoughts of 18th-century ballerinas and silent film stars. Cornell wrote longer diary notes, sometimes expanding on an earlier notation or emotion, and often wrote when he experienced trouble sleeping or woke early. Drafted letters to imaginary muses or admired individuals are interspersed among diaries, often revealing Cornell's yearnings to find emotional intimacy and human connection. Over time, Cornell revisited his notes and occasionally made further notations about renewed thoughts on a topic, dating the note with "revisited" or "reviewed." Notes are often written in a stream-of-consciousness style, for example, jumping from the mention of a record album or composer, to a ballerina of the same period, a note about a French poet, the memory of childhood, or an observation made earlier in the day, all in the space of a few lines. Notes about artistic processes or meanings behind works or images do occasionally emerge from the tangled, poetic notations. Notes also often provide insights into Cornell's internal emotional state and give clues about his intentions behind an artwork or a particular thematic fixation.

Financial materials document Cornell's professional and personal business activities, including the sale of artworks, annual expenses for supplies and household incidentals, payments and schedules for personal assistants, receipts for donations to charities and nonprofits, and tax documents. There is also information about who worked as assistants, or "helpers," in his later years and where Cornell purchased art supplies. Additionally, specific details are documented through receipts and invoices, such as what kind of paint he purchased. Estate records include preparations made for Cornell's artworks after his death, and clippings about other deceased artist's estates show that he thought often about such arrangements in his later years.

Exhibition files highlight several select solo exhibitions for Cornell, as well as preparations and planning for the "Robert Cornell: Memorial Exhibition" in honor of his brother in 1966. Also included are several early exhibition catalogs and announcements, including "Surréalisme" (January 9-29, 1932) and "Exhibition of Objects (Bibloquet) by Joseph Cornell" (December 6-31, 1939) at the Julien Levy Gallery, and "Romantic Museum: Portraits of Women, Constructions and Arrangements by Joseph Cornell" (December 1946) at the Hugo Gallery.

Film projects and collected film materials consist of files related to Cornell's various experimental film projects: "Aviary," "Cappuccino," "Centuries of June," "Fable for Fountains," "Nymphlight," "Serafina's Garden," and unrealized film scenario "Monsieur Phot." Files include film-making notes, correspondence, and photographs. Cornell's interest in film also led him to collect film-related materials, such as film stills, film posters, and screening programs. Scattered correspondence documents the interest other institutions and individuals had in purchasing and viewing his collection. Though most of his collected film stills and movie posters were donated to the Anthology Film Archives, film stills from "Escape Me Never" (1935) and "The Passion of Joan of Arc" (1928) are still within the collection, as well as film-screening programs for Cornell's collection of films.

Writing and design projects document Cornell's work authoring articles and designing issues of specialty dance magazine "Dance Index," and his layouts for popular magazines like "Good Housekeeping," "House and Garden," and "Mademoiselle." Other writing projects include brochures dedicated to opera singers Maria Malibran and Giulia Grisi, "Maria" and "Bel Canto Pet." Materials used for these brochures, such as copper photo engraving plates, are also found. Design work includes a series of Christmas cards created with The Museum of Modern Art as well as traced patterns ("textile tracings") and design clippings from Cornell's time working as a "textile designer" for Traphagen Commercial Textile Studio.

Cornell acquired troves of source material from bookstalls, antique stores, sporting good and department stores, hardware stores, and magazine and record shops. He kept boxes and files of material on admired individuals, such as actresses, artists, dancers, and singers, as well as on art projects or thematic "explorations." Files are on general topics such as American history, scientific phenomena, animals, plants, and humankind, as well as on series of artworks, such as "Castles," "Homage to the Romantic Ballet," and "Medici Slot Machines." Focused "exploration" projects include "Celestial Theatre," "Colombier," "GC 44," and "Switzerland," among others. Materials include photographs, photostats, maps, book fragments, autographed letters, notes, collage clippings and cutouts, collected prints and engravings, box and collage fragments, and scattered artifacts.

Collected ephemera includes large amounts of blank postcards and greeting cards, stamps, collected bus and train tickets, food labels and packaging, decals, and other materials. Artifacts are three-dimensional collected objects and source objects, which include found objects from the streets, dried flowers, and pieces of nature gathered from walks around his neighborhood. Cornell may have gathered materials because they inspired a memory or nostalgic feeling, or because they fit with a bin of other similar objects to select from for an artwork in progress.

Photographs found within the collection are of Cornell at work and as a child with family. Also found are assorted personal and family photographs, photographs of Cornell's attic and garage storage, and photographs of his Utopia Parkway house. Photographs of artwork include few installation photographs, in addition to photographs of Cornell's boxes and collages. Collected photographic materials include vintage photographs, such as tintypes, a cyanotype, stereoscopic glass slides, albumen prints, cabinet cards, and cartes-de-visite. Cornell also collected cased photographs, such as daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and one opalotype. Negatives and photostats were often produced from various prints and even other photographs and used in Cornell's boxes and collages. Images are of men and women, actors, authors, dancers, performers, well-known men and women, royalty, places, and artwork. Photographs of note include those by Hans Namuth of Willem and Lisa de Kooning and of Edward Hopper's bedroom; photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson; a photograph by Julia Margaret Cameron; photographs by Brassai; and a photogravure by Alfred Stieglitz from "Camerawork."

Also found in the collection are works of art by others, including a sketch by Pavel Tchelitchew, as well as artwork by Cornell, such as unfinished collages, Rorschach drawings or ink blots, and childhood artwork. Printed material includes assorted bulletins, flyers, exhibition materials for other artists, journals, and sent printed membership and charity materials. Magazines, including "View," are also included, and often have annotations by Cornell or a note to "cut" or "review" with page numbers. A large amount of magazine and newspaper clippings are in the collection, sometimes collected with a group of like material by Cornell, and at other times simply gathered in heaps. Occasional annotations are also found on the clippings.

Cornell's personal library and book collection includes over 2500 titles, ranging from fiction, poetry, and cinema, to history, science, and travel. Notable among the titles are "Baedeker's" travel guides that Cornell often sourced for his "Hotel" box series, as well as an influential publication by Max Ernst, "La Femme 100 têtes," which includes a typed letter and exhibition flyer tucked within. Books often have annotations, some fairly extensive, by Cornell, and assorted collected items, notes, and correspondence tucked between pages. Pages were often cut by Cornell, either to make photostats and use in a box, or to file with other thematic "explorations." A wide range of authors and topics provide insight into Cornell's interests and to ideas behind artwork and diary notes. Cornell's collection of record albums includes over 145 records. These contain inserted notes and clippings and are often referenced in diary notes Cornell made, noting a recent album or song listened to while at work in his studio.

The papers of Cornell's mother, Helen Storms Cornell, and his brother, Robert Cornell, are also included in the collection. Both lived with Cornell his whole life, spending the most time with him at their home at 3708 Utopia Parkway. Financial materials document shared responsibilities for billing, utilities, household fixes and chores, and expenditures, and Helen kept detailed financial records in a series of ledgers. Robert notes when he borrowed money from Cornell, or when he means to pay Cornell back for the purchase of a typewriter. Activities documented in diaries also occasionally cross paths with Cornell, noting his visitors or an exchange of letters continued after introductions through Cornell. Personal activities, such as Robert's interest in his train collection and his drawing projects and cartoon series, are also documented.

Arrangement:

The Joseph Cornell Study Center Collection is arranged into 15 series:

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1917-1972 (Boxes 1, 98, OV118; 0.9 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1813, 1934-circa 1973 (Boxes 1-8, 86; 6.5 linear feet)

Series 3: Diaries and Notes, 1940-1976 (Boxes 8-10, 98-99, 135, OV108, OV119; 3.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Personal Business and Estate Records, 1950-1978 (Boxes 10-14; 4.1 linear feet)

Series 5: Exhibition Files, 1932-1973 (Box 14; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 6: Film Projects and Collected Film Materials, circa 1924-1972 (Boxes 14-16, 100, 133; 1.6 linear feet)

Series 7: Writing and Design Projects, circa 1910s, 1936-1962 (Boxes 16-18, 86, 100, 131-132, OV109-OV111, OV120-OV122; 3.6 linear feet)

Series 8: Source Material, 1750-circa 1911, 1926-1972 (Boxes 19-49, 86-92, 96, 100-105, 126-130, 132-137, OV112-OV115, OV125; 42.2 linear feet)

Series 9: Artifacts and Ephemera, 1768, circa 1839-1972 (Boxes 49-52; 3.2 linear feet)

Series 10: Photographic Material, circa 1800s-1972 (Boxes 52-56, 80-86, 93, 106, 128, 133, OV116, OV123-OV124; 7.5 linear feet)

Series 11: Artwork, circa 1810-1972 (Boxes 56-57, 107, OV117; 1.2 linear feet)

Series 12: Printed Material, 1855-1972 (Boxes 57-76, 94-96, 107; 16 linear feet)

Series 13: Book Collection and Personal Library, 1722-1980 (99.8 linear feet)

Series 14: Record Album Collection, circa 1925-1974 (3.2 linear feet)

Series 15: Cornell Family Papers, 1910-1980 (Boxes 77-79, 97, 107; 3.2 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) was a self-taught assemblage and collage artist, and filmmaker, active in New York City. He was born in Nyack, New York on December 24, 1903, and died of heart failure at his home in Queens, New York on December 29, 1972. The oldest of four children, he was born Joseph I. Cornell to his mother, Helen Storms Cornell (1882-1966), and his father, Joseph I. Cornell (1875-1917). Cornell had two younger sisters, Elizabeth ("Betty") Cornell Benton (1905-2000) and Helen ("Sissy") Cornell Jagger (1906-2001), as well as one brother, Robert Cornell (1910-1965), who had cerebral palsy.

Cornell attended the Phillips Academy, a preparatory boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts, beginning shortly after his father's death in 1917. He attended for four years but did not receive a diploma, and soon began work as a textile salesman for the William Whitman Company in Manhattan. His work took him, by foot, through the city, visiting secondhand bookshops on Fourth Avenue, browsing music stores and magazine shops, and catching early shows at the Metropolitan Opera House. He would occasionally wait outside the stage doors for favorite singers and dancers to emerge, requesting signatures on photographs or bits of costumes.

Around 1926, Cornell joined the Christian Science Church, joined by his brother Robert shortly thereafter, and both continued to be lifelong members. Cornell kept a number of books in his personal library on Christian Science teachings and regularly subscribed to "The Christian Science Monitor."

After living in several rental houses in Bayside, New York, Cornell's mother purchased a house for the family in 1929 in Flushing, Queens. Cornell, along with his mother and brother, would live at 3708 Utopia Parkway, for the rest of their lives. His two sisters soon married and moved away, eventually settling in Westhampton, Long Island and in the poultry-farming business.

With no formal art training to speak of, Cornell's first work was a Max Ernst-inspired collage, "Untitled (Schooner)," created in 1931. He was especially inspired by Ernst's collage novel, "La Femme 100 têtes," published in 1929. French artist Odilon Redon was also among the few artists Cornell named as an influence on his art. His first sculptural works were small, cardboard pill boxes with bits of ephemera, costume adornments, and nature hidden inside. Cornell also created a series of glass bell jar works, placing small trinkets and Victorian-era-like compositions within. It was these early collages and bell jar works that were included in Cornell's debut exhibition, "Surréalisme" (January 9-29, 1932), a group show at the Julien Levy Gallery. Cornell designed the announcement for the show and exhibited alongside Max Ernst, Man Ray, Pierre Roy, Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Eugène Atget, George Platt Lynes, Jean Cocteau, and Salvador Dalí. Months later, Cornell was invited to have his first solo show, "Objects by Joseph Cornell: Minutiae, Glass Bells, Shadow Boxes, Coups d'Oeil, Jouets Surréalistes" (November 26-December 30, 1932), also at the Julien Levy Gallery.

In 1932, after eleven years of work, Cornell was laid off from the William Whitman Company due to the Great Depression. Soon after, he took on more responsibility in the church, working part-time as an attendant in the Christian Science Reading Room in Great Neck, New York. Beginning in 1933, he taught Sunday school classes for three years and in 1935, became the Sunday school librarian. However, his religious activities and artistic ventures continued to remain separate.

In the early 1930s, Cornell progressed from movie lover to filmmaker. When Julien Levy began his New York Film Society in 1933, holding screenings of various experimental films in the gallery, Cornell began buying and collecting films and film stills in earnest. He set up a 16-millimeter projector in his home to screen favorites, such as those by Georges Méliès, D.W. Griffith, and Louis Feuillade. His collection quickly grew to over 2,500 film stills and several hundred films, and included silent era films, such as nature documentaries, goofy newsreels, travelogues, early cartoons, and slapstick comedies, as well as several feature films. In 1933, Cornell wrote a screenplay, or "scenario," entitled "Monsieur Phot." Between 1935 and 1937, Cornell also occasionally created publicity photomontages for Universal and Columbia studios. Of the nearly thirty films Cornell created, periods of activity can generally be separated into two areas: collage films of the late 1930s, consisting of combined elements from films in his own collection, and films he directed in the 1950s, which were collaborations with other filmmakers set in New York City. "Rose Hobart," Cornell's most celebrated collage film, was created and shown in the Julien Levy Gallery in 1936 and includes clipped footage from "East of Borneo." Later films were directed and filmed with cinematographers Stan Brakhage, Rudy Burckhardt, and Larry Jordan.

In 1934, Cornell began a job at the Traphagen Commercial Textile Studio as a "textile designer," a job he held for six years. Continuing to work at his kitchen table in the evenings, Cornell completed his first assemblage box construction, "Untitled (Soap Bubble Set)," in 1936. It was first exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art's show, "Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism" (December 9, 1936-January 17, 1937). This work was also the first to be acquired by a museum, purchased for $60.00 by the Wadsworth Atheneum in Massachusetts in 1938. Cornell's European debut was also in 1938, as one of three Americans represented in the "Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme" (January 17-Febuary 24, 1938) at the Galerie Beaux-Arts in Paris, alongside Man Ray and Anne Clark.

At the end of 1939, Cornell began corresponding with poet Charles Henri Ford, founder of avant-garde magazine "View," Pavel Tchelitchew, and Parker Tyler. After his "Soap Bubble Sets," this period saw the development of Cornell's homages to singers and actresses, including "Untitled (Fortune-Telling Parrot for Carmen Miranda)," the destroyed "Garbo (Greta Garbo in the Legendary Film 'The Crystal Mask,' c. 1845)," and "Dressing Room for Gilles." He also began using photostats of art reproduction prints, as with the print of Jean Antoine-Watteau's painting, "Pierrot" (circa 1719), used in his "Gilles" box.

In the 1940s, the Romantic ballet emerged as Cornell's new topic of interest. Through his friend Pavel Tchelitchew, Cornell was introduced to the School of American Ballet and New York City Ballet founders, Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine. Cornell collected dance memorabilia and had a great love of the Romantic ballet. His favorite dancers were primarily ballerinas of the nineteenth century, including Fanny Cerrito, Marie Taglioni, Fanny Elssler, Lucille Grahn, and Carlotta Grisi. Cornell's "Homage to the Romantic Ballet" works largely took the shape of jewel-box style wooden boxes with glass overlays and included bits of velvet, tulle, sequins, crystals, and chiffon, occasionally collected from dancers themselves. His most well-known work of this series is "Taglioni's Jewel Casket" (1940). Cornell also admired several living ballet dancers, including Tamara Toumanova, Zizi Jeanmaire, and Allegra Kent, who would all make their way into Cornell's box works and/or collages. Collecting for the "exploration," "Portrait of Ondine," Cornell's cased portfolio dedication to Fanny Cerrito and her role in the ballet "Ondine," began in the 1940s, though not completed until around 1960.

In late 1940, Cornell quit his job at Traphagen to concentrate on freelance commercial magazine design and editorial work during the day and his artwork at night. That same year, Charles Henri Ford started "View" magazine to promote Surrealists and Neo-Romantics in New York City and often asked Cornell to contribute. Published in the December 1941-January 1942 issue, one of his early contributions was a collage dedication to stage actress Hedy Lamarr: "Enchanted Wanderer: Excerpt from a Journey Album for Hedy Lamarr" (1941). Along with writing the accompanying text, he created a photomontage of Lamarr with her face overlaying the painted portrait of a Renaissance boy by Italian painter Giorgione. Peggy Guggenheim, at the advice of Marcel Duchamp, purchased multiple Cornell works prior to opening her new gallery, Art of This Century. Cornell also befriended Roberto Matta Echaurren, another Surrealist living in exile, who introduced him to Robert Motherwell.

After deciding to fully dedicate his time to his art in early 1940, he set up a studio in his basement. Complete with floor-to-ceiling wooden shelving, he kept his large collection of boxed source material stacked with handwritten labels in cardboard boxes. Themed folders of materials such as "Stamps" or "Maps" were kept in stacks and works in progress and finished works were stored in the basement, garage, and attic. Entering a renewed period of productivity, Cornell embarked on many new and important box projects in 1942. One of the first boxes created in his new basement studio, and the first of the "Penny Arcade" or "Medici Slot Machine" series, was "Medici Slot Machine" (1942), which includes a photostat of "Portrait of Marquess Massimiliano Stampa" (1557) by Sofonisba Anguissola. Another work from this time is the first of his "Castle" or "Palace" series, "Setting for a Fairy Tale" (1942), which uses a photostat of a French building from Jacques Androuet du Cerceau's book, "Les Plus excellents bastiments de France" (1576). "Untitled (Pharmacy)" (circa 1942) was the first of his "Pharmacy" series and included twenty-two apothecary jars. Cornell tended to work in series and created thirteen "Palace" boxes between 1942 and 1951, and ultimately created six "Pharmacy" works.

In 1943, Cornell began working at an electronics company, the Allied Control Company, Inc., to do his part to contribute to the defense effort during the war. He also sent correspondence and care packages to displaced Europeans, who listed their needs in "The Christian Science Monitor." Influenced by World War II, one of his strongest works to emerge in 1943 was "Habitat Group for a Shooting Gallery." Another notable work to come out of this period, "The Crystal Cage (Portrait of Berenice)," was an excerpt from one of his album "explorations" that was published in the January 1943 issue of "View."

Cornell left his job at Allied Control in 1944, but soon began working at the Garden Centre in Flushing, owned by a fellow Christian Scientist. Cornell was often nostalgic for this time in his life, devoting an entire "exploration" of material fondly remembered as "GC 44." He rode a bicycle to work and enjoyed collecting trips gathering dried grasses, driftwood, shells, and other relics of nature on the same bicycle as he rode through the streets of Queens. During this time, he continued to tend to his projects for "Dance Index," a magazine founded in 1942 by Lincoln Kirstein, but taken over by Donald Windham in 1944. Cornell designed several covers for the magazine and was given control of the entire summer 1944 issue, which he devoted to the Romantic ballet. He also devoted a special 1945 issue to Hans Christian Andersen, making great use of the New York Public Library Picture Collection.

Throughout the 1940s, Cornell continued to support himself with commercial design work for magazines like "Vogue," "Good Housekeeping," "Harper's Bazaar," "Town & Country," and "Mademoiselle." In 1946, after thirteen years at the Julien Levy Gallery, he joined the Hugo Gallery. In December 1946, Cornell's solo exhibition, "Romantic Museum at the Hugo Gallery: Portraits of Women by Joseph Cornell," celebrated his favorite movie stars, singers, and ballet dancers, and included his work created for the show, "Untitled (Penny Arcade Portrait of Lauren Bacall)." Cornell's "Greta Garbo" box, as well as "Souvenir for Singleton," an homage to Jennifer Jones and her role in the film "Love Letters," were also included in the show. In late 1948, his West Coast debut was in the exhibition, "Objects by Joseph Cornell," held at the Copley Gallery. The end of the 1940s saw the final issue of "View" magazine in 1947, the closure of the Julien Levy Gallery in April 1949, and Cornell's departure from the Hugo Gallery after his last show in November 1949.

In late 1949, Cornell joined the Charles Egan Gallery, known primarily for showing Abstract Expressionists. At this time, Cornell was working on a new series of boxes known as his "Aviary" works, most of which include a white-painted box with cutouts of birds mounted on wood. Though he had worked on bird-related boxes before, including an "Owl" series in the mid-1940s, his "Fortune Telling Parrot" (1939), and "Object 1941" (1941), these newer works were stripped of French elements and left "clean and abstract" by design. His first show at the Egan Gallery, "Aviary by Joseph Cornell" (December 7, 1949-January 7, 1950), included twenty-six "Aviary" works, nearly all created in 1949. Donald Windham agreed to write the foreword for the exhibition catalog, a single folded sheet, and Cornell gave him one of the boxes in the show, "Cockatoo: Keepsake Parakeet," in appreciation. Through the Egan Gallery, Cornell became friends with a new group of artists, including Franz Kline, Jack Tworkov, and Willem de Kooning. Cornell also held two screenings of a selection of his collected films at Subjects of the Artist, an art school founded by Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko, David Hare, and William Baziotes.

In 1950, Cornell's second show at the Egan Gallery, "Night Songs and Other New Work" (December 1, 1950-January 13, 1951), introduced his new "Observatory" series. These works are largely defined by stark, whitewashed spaces with astronomical charts and constellations replacing colorful birds. The Museum of Modern Art purchased its first Cornell work from this show in early 1951, "Central Park Carrousel, in Memoriam" (1950).

For three months in 1951, Cornell was beset by various ailments and had trouble finding the energy to create new work. He worried more for his aging mother and the health of his brother. After a monthlong vacation with his sisters in Westhampton, he returned with renewed interest in Emily Dickinson's poetry. His whitewashed boxes took on a new form in his newest "Dovecote" series, using grids and circular cutouts. The works then transformed into homages to Dickinson, notably "Toward the Blue Peninsula: For Emily Dickinson" (circa 1953), and then to his "Hotel" series. Cornell's "Hotel" boxes include photostats of vintage European ads for hotels collected from vintage travel guides, especially "Baedeker's," adhered to the back walls of the boxes. Another new series of work, his "Juan Gris" series, was dedicated to Cubist artist Juan Gris. Between 1953 and the mid-1960s, Cornell created at least fifteen "Juan Gris" boxes, which often include a cutout of a white cockatoo in a Cubist-collage habitat. Cornell's third and last show at Egan Gallery, "Night Voyage" (February 10-March 28, 1953), included some of these newest works. After leaving Egan Gallery, his work was introduced to Chicago collectors in a solo show at the Frumkin Gallery, "Joseph Cornell: 10 Years of His Art" (April 10-May 7, 1953), which included nearly thirty pieces. Cornell's first museum retrospective was this same show held at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis (July 12-August 30, 1953).

As New York City continued to change, Cornell grew more nostalgic for the city he had explored since the 1920s. The impending closure of the Third Avenue El train prompted him to dream up a film project to capture its last days, resulting in "Gnir Rednow," a reworking of Stan Brakhage's 1955, "Wonder Ring." During this time, Cornell joined the Stable Gallery, run by Eleanor Ward, interacting often with Robert Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, and Joan Mitchell, remaining there until the end of the 1950s. His astronomy-themed exhibition, "Winter Night Skies" (December 12, 1955-January 13, 1956), included his "Night Skies" series of work with celestial chart fragments, Greek mythological figures, and paint-splattered "windows" representative of star-filled night skies. In 1956, he became aware of ballerina Allegra Kent, and began a series of work devoted to her, the first of which was "Via Parmigianino (Villa Allegra)" (1956), which included a photostat of a painting by Parmigianino, "The Madonna of the Long Neck" (circa 1540). In late 1957, after two years, Cornell had his last show at Stable Gallery, "Joseph Cornell: Selected Works" (December 2-31, 1957), consisting of a series of "Sand Fountain" boxes and "Space Object" or "Celestial Navigation" works. The "Sand Fountain" boxes included different colors of sand meant to flow within, often from the tops into cordial glasses. His "Celestial Navigations" included galaxy-like compositions set within the boxes, with rolling, painted cork balls, metal rings, and constellation charts, sometimes hovering over cordial glasses or clay pipes. This last Stable Gallery show earned him his first published profile, written by Howard Griffin for the December 1957 issue of "Art News." Also in 1957, he won the Kohnstamm Prize for Construction at the Art Institute of Chicago's 62rd Annual Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture.

Towards the end of the 1950s, Cornell spent less time creating new bodies of work, and focused more on revisiting previous series and reviewing piles of collected source material. In 1959, Cornell returned to making collages, frequently sourcing popular magazines. In December 1959, Cornell was awarded $1,500 for his "Orion" collage, entered in the Art Institute of Chicago's "63rd American Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture." Also in December, he was offered a show at Bennington College in Vermont, which he titled, "Bonitas Solstitialis: Selected Works by Joseph Cornell and an exploration of the Colombier" (November 20-December 15, 1959). The show included one of his newest "explorations" of collected material related to "colombier," or pigeon houses.

By 1962, Cornell was working diligently on new collages, using Masonite boards and colorful magazine clippings. He also began creating collages using nude images interspersed with constellation clippings or hazy blue dyes. As in previous decades and art movements, Cornell became acquainted with new artists, spending less time in the city and more time hosting visitors at his Utopia Parkway home. Visitors included artists Walter De Maria, Robert Whitman, Andy Warhol, James Rosenquist, and Robert Indiana. Tony Curtis also became a frequent visitor and friend, introduced by Richard Feigen in 1964. The early 1960s was also the first time Cornell put out an advertisement for assistants in the "Long Island Star-Journal," employing a number of young men and women who helped organize clippings and run errands. Cornell also met Joyce Hunter, a young runaway waitress at a city coffee shop, who would occupy his thoughts and diary notes for the next several years. When she was murdered at the end of 1964, Cornell paid for her funeral. He went on to make several "Penny Arcade" collages in memoriam to her, including, "Penny Arcade (re-autumnal)" (1964).

In 1964, Cornell began friendships with several women including artist Carolee Schneeman, who was his first assistant in the early 1960s. He also met artist Yayoi Kusama through art dealer Gertrude Stein. After becoming friends, she visited him often and they exchanged letters and notes. As he did with other artist friends, Cornell supported her by purchasing several of her early watercolor paintings, and they stayed connected until his death in 1972.

Cornell's life greatly changed in 1965 with the death of his brother, Robert. By this time, his mother lived with his sister in Long Island, and Cornell was alone in the Utopia Parkway house for the first time. He exchanged frequent letters and phone calls with his mother and devoted much time to thinking about Robert and Joyce, often aligning them in his diary notations. Cornell also created a series of collages dedicated to his brother's memory, incorporating photostats of Robert's hundreds of drawings into Cornell's work, as with the later collage, "The Heart on the Sleeve" (1972). Cornell's "Time Transfixed" series of collages were also dedications to Robert's memory, referencing Magritte and Robert's love of trains. He mounted an exhibition, "Robert Cornell: Memorial Exhibition" (January 4-29, 1966), at the Robert Schoelkopf Gallery, where he showed Robert's artwork alongside his newly created collage dedications.

After Robert's death, Cornell relied more heavily on assistants, going through many part-time "helpers." In October 1966, Cornell's mother died, adding her to his constant thoughts and diaries. Though he was still grieving, he was given two major retrospectives in 1967. The first was at the Pasadena Art Museum, put on by James Demetrion and Walter Hopps, "An Exhibiton of Works by Joseph Cornell" (January 9-February 11, 1967). The second retrospective was at the Guggenheim Museum just three months later, "Joseph Cornell" (May 4-June 35, 1967), organized by Diane Waldman. After these shows, he was highlighted in the December 15, 1967 issue of "Life" in the article, "The Enigmatic Bachelor of Utopia Parkway."

In 1968, Cornell was given an "award of merit," which included a medal and $1,000, by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. He was also given a medal and $1,000 by the Brandeis University Creative Arts Awards in the painting category, along with an exhibition. Days later, "The New York Times" announced Cornell the winner, along with Donald Judd, of India's first Triennale of Contemporary World Art. The Brandeis exhibition, "Boxes and Collages by Joseph Cornell" (May 20-June 23, 1968), was organized by William Seitz and concentrated on Cornell's more recent 1960s collages. Cornell was also included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's hundredth anniversary show, "New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940 to 1970" (October 18, 1969-February 1, 1970), where twenty-two of Cornell's boxes were shown in their own gallery. At the end of 1970, Cornell was given a solo show at the Metropolitan, "Collages by Joseph Cornell" (December 10, 1970-January 24, 1971), which included forty-five of his newest collages.

Now preferring to stay closer to his home in Flushing, Cornell was more interested in sharing his art with young adults and children, than an adult audience. He hosted a group of high school students, sponsored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's education department, at his home in conjunction with his collage show (1970-1971). He also showed his work in the art department of Queens College of the City University of New York. Cornell still hosted visitors on occasion, having Yoko Ono and John Lennon at his home at least once. Leila Hadley, Betsy von Furstenberg, and Anne Jackson also made frequent visits. With his deteriorating health, Cornell worried about what would happen to his work after his death and hired lawyer Harry Torczyner to help him plan his estate and get his affairs in order.

In 1972, Cornell had a show at the Cooper Union, a college in New York, specifically for children. He displayed his boxes and collages at child-height and had cherry soda and brownies at the opening reception on February 10. He then held a show at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, also for children: "Children's Preview of the Exhibition of Joseph Cornell – Collages and Boxes (April 18-June 17, 1972). In the winter of 1972, at the request of the Phoenix House drug treatment and prevention program, Cornell contributed to a charity project compiling limited-edition lithographic prints for a portfolio, which included artists like David Hockney, James Rosenquist, and Ellsworth Kelly.

On December 29, 1972, a week after turning sixty-nine, Cornell died of heart failure at his home. He was cremated and interred near the graves of his mother, father, and brother, overlooking the Hudson River in Nyack, New York.

Works Cited:

1. Hartigan, Lynda Roscoe. "Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination." New Haven, Connecticut and London: Yale University Press, 2007. Exhibition Catalog.

2. McShine, Kynaston. "Joseph Cornell." New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1980.

3. San Francisco Cinematheque and The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. "Joseph Cornell: Films." 2007. Exhibition Program. (Presented in conjunction with SFMOMA's exhibition of "Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination").

4. Schaffner, Ingrid and Lisa Jacobs. "Julien Levy: Portrait of an Art Gallery." Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: The MIT Press, 1998.

5. Solomon, Deborah. "Utopia Parkway: The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell." New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997.

Separated Materials:

The Smithsonian Archives of American Art houses the Joseph Cornell papers, 1804-1986, bulk 1939-1972.

Provenance:

The Joseph Cornell Study Center collection was donated to the Smithsonian American Art Museum by Joseph Cornell's sister and brother-in-law, Elizabeth Cornell Benton and John A. Benton, in 1978, which prompted the creation of the Joseph Cornell Study Center. Additional materials were donated in installments by the artist's estate, the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, from 1985 to 1997. Elizabeth and John A. Benton originally donated 66 linear feet of three-dimensional and non-textual source material and 50 linear feet of books to the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, which were subsequently transferred to the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Joseph Cornell Study Center in 1994 and 1995.

Restrictions:

Access to the collection requires an advanced appointment. Contact collection staff at least two weeks prior to preferred date, at AmericanArtCornellStudy@si.edu.

Series 9: Artifacts and Ephemera, Series 13: Personal Library and Book Collection, and Series 14: Record Album Collection, are still undergoing processing and preservation and may not be available for research use. Record albums are unavailable for playback. Contact collection staff for full lists of publications and record albums.

Rights:

Unpublished materials are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Occupation:

Collagists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Assemblage (Art)  Search this

Assemblage artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Found objects (Art)  Search this

Works of art  Search this

Celebrities  Search this

Filmmakers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- 1900-1950 -- Photoprints -- Silver gelatin

Photographs -- 1860-1870 -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver albumen -- Cartes-de-visite

Photographs -- Daguerreotypes -- 1840-1860

Citation:

Joseph Cornell Study Center collection, 1750-1980, bulk 1930-1972. Joseph Cornell Study Center, Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was generously provided by the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.

Identifier:

SAAM.JCSC.1

See more items in:

Joseph Cornell Study Center Collection

Archival Repository:

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Research and Scholars Center

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ih7d97fc249-474d-41bf-953d-5305df1e4c06

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-saam-jcsc-1

Collection Creator:

Ya-Ching, Lee  Search this

Container:

Box 12, Folder 3

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Date:

1942

Collection Restrictions:

No restrictions on access.

Collection Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Collection Citation:

Lee Ya-Ching Papers, NASM.2008.0009, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Lee Ya-Ching Papers

Lee Ya-Ching Papers / Series 2: Professional

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg29e88526f-9151-49c1-b55b-04e5f0f91295

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-2008-0009-ref117

Manufactured by:

Tam Recanati  Search this

Owned by:

Jim Vance, American, 1942 - 2017  Search this

Medium:

metal, plastic

Dimensions:

H x W x D (closed): 18 1/8 × 4 1/2 × 9 13/16 in. (46 × 11.5 × 25 cm)

Type:

stands (support furniture)

Place used:

Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America

Date:

late 20th century

Topic:

African American  Search this

Journalism  Search this

Local and regional  Search this

Credit Line:

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Estate of James H. Vance, III

Object number:

2018.107.18.2

Restrictions & Rights:

No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in:

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification:

Musical Instruments

Data Source:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5791aca37-6c9a-45eb-a429-da8d00eb2515

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmaahc_2018.107.18.2

Manufactured by:

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, American, founded 1946  Search this

Owned by:

Jim Vance, American, 1942 - 2017  Search this

Medium:

cloth

Dimensions:

H x W x D: 47 5/8 × 1 15/16 × 3/8 in. (121 × 5 × 1 cm)

Type:

straps

Place used:

Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America

Date:

late 20th century

Topic:

African American  Search this

Instrumentalists (Musicians)  Search this

Journalism  Search this

Local and regional  Search this

Music  Search this

Credit Line:

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Estate of James H. Vance, III

Object number:

2018.107.18.3

Restrictions & Rights:

No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in:

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification:

Musical Instruments

Data Source:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5687b0b5d-1d39-4c09-ad4b-d0d2bc558477

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmaahc_2018.107.18.3

Creator:

Fast Folk Musical Magazine  Search this

Hardy, Jack, 1947-2011  Search this

Meyer, Richard , 1952-  Search this

Names:

Fast Folk Musical Magazine  Search this

Extent:

59.02 Cubic feet (compact discs, Audiotapes (AMPEX 467), digital audiotapes, phonograph records, Reel-to-reel audiotapes, VHS videotapes)

720 Folders (Business records)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Ephemera

Digital audio tapes

Videotapes

Financial records

Contracts

Correspondence

Phonograph records

Business records

Audiocassettes

Photographs

Audiotapes

Compact discs

Date:

1982-2002

bulk 1982-1995

Summary:

163 reel to reel tapes,136 VHS tapes, 188 cassette tapes, 100 DAT tapes, 20 467 tapes, 6 compact discs, 16 miscellaneous audio materials, all are mostly recordings of Fast Folk events or Fast Folk recording artists; 604 folders containing information and materials relating to magazines, recordings, events and business; objects related to the Fast Folk Musical Magazine

The Fast Folk Musical Magazine records, which date from 1982-2002, document the activities of Fast Folk Musical Magazine. The collection is comprised chiefly of audio/video materials and the paper business records of the company. Audio and video materials include phonograph records, reel-to-reel tapes, VHS videotapes, audiocassettes, digital audiotapes, compact discs and miscellaneous audio material. The paper records include press materials related to Fast Folk and Fast Folk recording artists, magazine source materials, recording agreements, lyrics, artist biographies, photographs, financial documents, correspondence, planning for events and other miscellany. Additionally, there is a Fast Folk t-shirt and a bag of Fast Folk pencils, pens and erasers.

Scope and Contents:

There are two main components of the Fast Folk Musical Magazine Collection: the audio and video materials and the paper records of the company. This finding aid is a guide to the paper records and related materials.

Biographical / Historical:

The Fast Folk Musical Magazine, previously known as The CooP, was a non-profit organization that published recordings with an accompanying magazine from 1982-1996. Fast Folk began as an outlet through which singer-songwriters could perform, as there were few venues that booked folk singers in New York City during that time period. Jack Hardy (1948-2011) headed this endeavor in the Speakeasy club, sharing space with a belly dance club and a falafel restaurant. A musician's co-op was created at the Speakeasy, meaning that everything in the club was to be done by the musicians, from booking to cleaning. The first show by the musicians' co-op at the Speakeasy was in September of 1982. It was considered the best place for a musician to get a gig if he or she did not already have a record deal.

Richard Meyer (1952-2012), who eventually became editor of Fast Folk in 1985, joined the project a couple months after its inception as a performer, writer and graphic designer for the magazine. Jack Hardy introduced himself to Meyer at a concert and invited him to sign up for the Songwriter's Exchange; another project organized by Hardy in which musicians performed songs for each other that they had recently written. Slowly, the number of people working on Fast Folk grew and Meyer trained others to do what he did. An important part of the organization was its community-oriented system; it was almost entirely run by an ever-changing group of volunteers. As the staff at Fast Folk increased, it became continuously involved in shows such as the Greenwich Village Folk Festivals which were used as fundraisers.

Fast Folk provided a good way for musicians to be able to make their own record or to be part of a record, since making a record on one's own was more difficult in that era. Many commercial recording artists such as Lyle Lovett, Tracy Chapman, Michelle Shocked, Christine Lavin, Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin recorded some of their first songs with Fast Folk. While some musicians eventually became commercially successful, Fast Folk consistently stressed that this was not their organization's objective. By releasing many different artists' work on each recording, Fast Folk strove to expand the collective horizons of their audience and spread the power of individual songs as opposed to individual artists. Songwriters were incorporated into an issue of Fast Folk by sending in demo tapes or by being heard by Hardy and Meyer at a Songwriters' Exchange or other performance. The Fast Folk committee also had a significant input as to who was on each album. The magazine was used as an outlet for discussing current issues of songs and songwriting across the country, as well as reviewing albums and interviewing artists. Many issues were devoted to the music of different sections of the United States such as Boston, Los Angeles and the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts. The issues of Fast Folk were sold mostly through subscription, but also at the Speakeasy club. Around the time Richard Meyer contacted the Smithsonian, Fast Folk stopped producing records and magazines, mostly due to a lack of volunteers with enough time to devote to a business of Fast Folk's size.

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://folklife.si.edu/archives#shared-stewardship.

Provenance:

The Smithsonian Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections acquired these materials in 1999, when Fast Folk Musical Magazine donated its records to the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. In 1996, Richard Meyer, on behalf of Fast Folk Musical Magazine, contacted Anthony Seeger, then Director of Smithsonian Folkways Records, offering the Fast Folk materials to the Smithsonian. After several years of correspondence, the Smithsonian received the collection. The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage agreed to keep the recordings available commercially and to retain the records in the archive, as well as to leave Fast Folk with the option to restart publication of the magazine.

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.

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.

Topic:

Popular music -- Publishing and writing  Search this

Popular music -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Folk music -- United States  Search this

Folk singers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Ephemera

Digital audio tapes

Videotapes

Financial records

Contracts

Correspondence

Phonograph records

Business records

Audiocassettes

Photographs

Audiotapes

Compact discs

Citation:

Fast Folk Musical Magazine records, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.FFMM

See more items in:

Fast Folk Musical Magazine records

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk5060cea5e-a675-45e3-9a9e-17f441ffa5b8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-ffmm

Creator:

Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.  Search this

Extent:

7.5 Cubic feet (15 boxes )

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Videotapes

Date:

1996 November 11-16

Summary:

This week-long event explored the intersection of technology and music in the 20th century; it included oral and video histories, exhibitions, concerts, and a symposium discussing the cultural significance of the electric guitar as instrument, technology, and symbol.

Scope and Contents:

The collection contains original, master, and reference videos in several formats: BetaCam SP, 3⁄4" U-matic, 1⁄2" VHS, digital audio tape (DAT), and compact disks (CD). The collection documents Electrified, Amplified, and Deified: The Electric Guitar, Its Makers, and Its Players, as part of the Lemelson Center's series of New Perspectives. Through a series of public events, the Lemelson Center explored the intersection of technology and music in the 20th century. The week-long event included oral and video histories, exhibitions, concerts, and a symposium discussing the cultural significance of the electric guitar as instrument, technology, and symbol and an electronic fieldtrip for school age children.

The collection is arranged into four series: Series 1, Oral Histories, 1996; Series 2, Symposium and Other Programs, 1996; Series 3, Innovative Lives and Electronic Fieldtrip Presentation, 1996; and Series 4, Miscellaneous, 1996, undated. Each series is further divided into subseries arranged by format—BetaCam SP, digital audio tape (DAT), 3⁄4" U-Matic, and 1⁄2" VHS. The symposium footage has multiple camera angles resulting in Camera A and Camera B.

The oral histories contain interviews with some of the best known electric guitar manufacturers, luthiers, and accessory makers discussing major twentieth-century technological and cultural trends. The interviews were conduct by Reuben Jackson, Marge Oustrushko, Robert Santelli and Matt Watson. The interviewees include: Junior Brown; John Ingram; Duke Kramer; Ted McCarty; Pat Metheny; Les Paul; G.E. Smith; Paul Reed Smith; Joe Louis Walker; and Tom Wheeler.

Les Paul was interviewed as part of the Lemelson Center's series Portraits of Invention. Legendary guitarist and innovator Les Paul discusses his work with Marc Pachter, Counselor to the Secretary of the Smithsonian. Additionally, Les Paul discusses his work with Matt Watson.

The Acoustic Guitar Concert held at NMAH's Hall of Musical Instruments on November 14, 1996, included a performance by Howard Aldin, guitarist. Martha Morris, Deputy Director, NMAH; Art Molella, Director, Lemelson Center; and James Weaver, Curator, NMAH provided opening remarks.

The symposium, New Sounds, and other programs explored events surrounding the invention of the electric guitar, past and present technological innovations, and contributions made by early pioneers of guitar making. Two evening concerts included performances by some of the country's finest electric guitarists—Howard Aldin, Jim Hall, Junior Brown, Joe Louis Walker, and The Ventures.

New Sounds explores the intersection of technology and music in the 20th century, focusing on the invention and diffusion of the electric guitar. The symposium brings together inventors, historians, and musicians for a day of conversation and inquiry.

The morning sessions addressed Inventing and Popularizing the Electric Guitar with National Museum of American (NMAH) Curator, Charles McGovern, and Innovators and Entrepreneurs Panel Discussion with participants Ted McCarty, Duke Kramer, John Hall, Richard R. Smith, and moderator Tom Wheeler.

The afternoon sessions addressed The Electric Guitar in Context with an introduction by NMAH archivist, Reuben Jackson, and historians, Susan Horning, James Kraft, and Rebecca McSwain discussing relationships among invention, economics, labor, race, and technological enthusiasm. After the session the panelists fielded audience questions.

The Innovative Lives Presentation and Electronic Fieldtrip were presented in cooperation with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, OH. Robert Santelli, Director of Education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, along with Paul Reed Smith and G.E. Smith, described the invention of the electric guitar, demonstrated the different types of music played on a variety of guitars, and answered student questions about musical innovation and the electric guitar. Student's participation included: Kenmore Middle School (Arlington, VA); Robert Frost Middle School (Rockville, MD); Paul Junior High School (Washington, D.C.); Elkhart Community Schools (Indiana); and Cleveland, OH area middle schools.

The Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation was founded in 1995 at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History through a generous gift from the Lemelson Foundation. The Center's mission is: to document, interpret, and disseminate information about invention and innovation; to encourage inventive creativity in young people; and to foster an appreciation for the central role invention and innovation play in the history of the United States. The Innovative Lives series brings together Museum visitors and especially, school age children, and American inventors to discuss inventions and the creative process and to experiment and play with hands-on activities related to each inventor's product. This collection was recorded by the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into four series.

Series 1, Oral Histories, 1996

Subseries 1, BetaCam SP, 1969 (originals) Subseries 2, BetaCam SP, 1996 (masters) Subseries 3, Digital Audio Tape (DAT), 1996 (originals) Subseries 4, 1⁄2" VHS, 1996 (reference copies) Subseries 5, CD-ROMs, 1996 (reference copies)

Series 2, Symposium and Other Programs, 1996

Subseries 1, BetaCam SP, 1996 (originals)

Subseries 2, BetaCam SP, 1996 (masters)

Subseries 3, 3⁄4" U-matic SP, 1996 (masters)

Subseries 4, 1⁄2" VHS, 1996 (reference copies)

Series 3, Innovative Lives and Electronic Fieldtrip Presentation, 1996

Subseries 1, BetaCam SP, 1996 (original)

Subseries 2, BetaCam SP, 1996 (masters)

Subseries 3, 1⁄2" VHS, 1996 (reference copies)

Series 4, Miscellaneous, 1996, undated

Subseries 1, BetaCam SP, undated (originals)

Subseries 2, BetaCam SP, undated (masters)

Subseries 3, Digital Audio Tape (DAT), 1996 (originals)

Subseries 4, 1⁄2" VHS, undated

Subseries 5, CD-ROM (reference copy), 1996

Biographical / Historical:

Just the words "electric guitar" can conjure up images in our minds. Jimi Hendrix playing "The Star-Spangled Banner." The neighbor's kid whose band practices in the garage. Leather jackets, motorcycles, and slicked-back hair. A Fender Stratocaster. Or a Gibson Flying V or Les Paul. Music that is, depending on your generation, either too loud or not quite loud enough. Rock and roll. Jazz. Blues. Country. The sound of an electric guitar is familiar to most of us. How did that happen? Why has the work of the people who invented, designed, and popularized this instrument become so much a part of everyday life?

These questions and others were raised during Electrified, Amplified, and Deified: The Electric Guitar, Its Makers, and Its Players, the second in the Lemelson Center's annual series on New Perspectives on Invention and Innovation. From November 9-16, 1996, the Center, in cooperation with the National Museum of American History Division of Cultural History, sponsored concerts, movies, interviews, makers' displays, an exhibit, and a symposium, all spotlighting those inventors and players who plugged in and forever changed the sound of American music.

Provenance:

This collection was created by the Lemelson Center and NMAH staff from the Division of Music, Sports and Entertainment in November of 1996.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research butthe original videos are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Series 1, Oral Histories, the Les Paul oral history interviews are restricted Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Musical instruments industry -- 20th century  Search this

Music -- 20th century  Search this

Musicians  Search this

Musical instruments -- 20th century  Search this

Guitar -- 20th century  Search this

Electric Guitar -- 1920-2000  Search this

Genre/Form:

Videotapes -- 1990-2000

Citation:

Electric Guitar Video Documentation, 1996 November, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0610

See more items in:

Electric Guitar Video Documentation

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep889eac379-42e1-4156-b5ed-df7b41e6829f

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0610

Performer:

Basie, Count, 1904-  Search this

Webster, Ben  Search this

Armstrong, Louis, 1901-1971  Search this

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Fitzgerald, Ella, 1917-1996  Search this

Goodman, Benny (Benjamin David), 1909-1986  Search this

Jamal, Ahmad, 1930-  Search this

Robinson, Bill, 1878-1949  Search this

Davis, Miles  Search this

Collector:

Smith, Ernie  Search this

Names:

Apollo Theatre (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Extent:

30 Cubic feet (352 film reels , 16 mm)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Motion pictures (visual works)

Place:

Harlem (New York, N.Y.) -- 20th century

Date:

1894-1979

Summary:

More than 300 reels of 16mm black and white and color film, silent and sound, fiction and documentary motion picture film documenting jazz and related musical performances, social and popular dance styles and performances, jazz musicians, performance locales, and documentation of African-American popular culture. A list of featured performers in the collection is shown below. The films are frequently compilations produced by Smith for lectures.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists of 352 reels of 16mm motion picture film. Most of the film is 16mm black and white and sound (composite optical track print), although a few titles are silent or in color. The collection is comprised of compilation reels created by Ernie Smith to accompany his lectures, topical compilation reels created by Ernie Smith, compilation reels created by the Archives Center, and single title reels. The Archives Center produced master and reference video copies using a wet-gate telecine film-to-tape transfer system. Titles were often combined to allow for increased ease of handling, storage, and duplication.

The collection is strongest in the areas of jazz dance styles including Lindy Hop and tap, overviews of jazz musical performers and styles; specific jazz musicians and performers including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Woody Herman, Artie Shaw, Bob Crosby, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Jack Teagarden as well as a wide range of female vocalists; and documentation of the New York jazz and club scene. The collection includes feature films and excerpts from feature films, Soundies and other film shorts, television kinescopes, and documentary films.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into one series and is not arranged in accordance with standard archival procedures. The breadth of the collection and the existence of so many multiple topic and/or performer compilation reels made it impossible to impose traditional archival series order. Therefore, each reel is described at the item level in the container list.

Biographical:

Ernest (Ernie) Smith began collecting jazz and jazz dance films during the mid-1950s. An Art Director for a New York advertising agency, Smith had a long-standing interest in jazz and jazz dance that began during his youth in Pittsburgh, Pa. Early on, Smith discovered that jazz music was best appreciated while dancing. He became an accomplished Lindy Hopper, frequenting both white and African American ballrooms.

His job at the advertising agency supported Smith's two passions - painting and jazz dance and music. Smith was also a film enthusiast so, in 1954, after taking a jazz class at the New School taught by Marshall Stearns, a leading jazz scholar, he began collecting examples of jazz and jazz dance on film. In the process of creating his film collection, Smith became one of the leading authorities on jazz and jazz dance films. He collaborated with Stearns on the 1964 book Jazz Dance, compiling the book's jazz dance film listing. He also wrote the extensive entry on jazz film for the 1988 edition of New Grove Dictionary of Jazz .

Smith built his film collection by identifying films of potential interest and acquiring them through trade and purchase. He created lecture reels on specific topics -- the history of jazz, social dance, tap dance, Duke Ellington, Lindy Hop -- and presented lecture/screenings nationally and internationally. He also provided footage for numerous documentaries and maintained active relationships with filmmakers, other film collectors, jazz scholars, the swing dance community, and musicians.

Ernie Smith donated his film collection to the Archives Center in 1993. He continues to lecture and participate in swing dance activities, but he devotes the majority of his time to painting and related artistic pursuits.

Provenance:

The Archives Center acquired the collection from Ernie Smith in 1993.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but the films are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

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.

Topic:

Tap dancing -- 1930-1970  Search this

Motion pictures and music -- 1930-1970  Search this

Dancing in motion pictures, television, etc. -- 1930-1970  Search this

Television and music -- 1930-1970  Search this

Jazz -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Jazz musicians -- 1930-1970  Search this

Jazz dance -- 1930-1970  Search this

African Americans in the performing arts -- 1930-1970  Search this

Genre/Form:

Motion pictures (visual works) -- 20th century

Citation:

Ernie Smith Jazz Film Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

America's Jazz Heritage: A Partnership of the The Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and the Smithsonian Institution provided the funding to produce many of the video master and reference copies.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0491

See more items in:

Ernie Smith Jazz Film Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep85baeb0e0-8e94-4ce0-8c80-7f25800ee24a

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0491