Search Results

Creator:

National Association of Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni  Search this

Ward, C.E.  Search this

Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.)  Search this

Bidwell, Timothy  Search this

Bires, Andrew, G.  Search this

Extent:

155 Cubic feet (331 boxes, 57 map folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Panoramas

Photographs

Newspapers

Pamphlets

Audiovisual materials

Newsletters

Books

Blueprints

Cartoons (humorous images)

Logs (records)

Manuals

Magazines (periodicals)

Menus

Memoirs

Rosters

Poems

Sheet music

Date:

1853-2009, undated

bulk 1933-1942

Summary:

The Archival collections of the National Association of Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni (NACCCA) donated in 2006. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), created as part of the New Deal legislation initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, was a public work relief program for unemployed men designed to reduce high unemployment during the Great Depression. The CCC carried out a broad natural resource conservation program on national, state, and municipal lands from 1933 to 1942. This collection contains papers, photographs, and ephemera collected and created by alumni of the CCC and donated to the NACCCA archives.

Scope and Contents:

This material was acquired by the National Association of Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni (NACCCA)from CCC alumni and originally housed in the NACCCA archives in St. Louis, Missouri. Photographic materials, including loose photos, slides, snapshots, group photos, panoramic photos, and albums and binders of photographs; printed materials, including newspapers published by individual companies, camps and districts, and the national CCC newspaper, Happy Days; materials documenting each camp, including camp histories, personal memoirs, blueprints of camps and projects worked on; the papers of C.E. Ward, Educational Director of the CCC's 3rd Corps, which document the planning and implementation of educational activities in that region; miscellaneous materials, including camp rosters, cartoons, menus, poems, pamphlets, booklets, magazines, manuals, enrollee discharge papers, work logs, and sheet music; and other more recent materials such as research papers, books on the CCC, selected audiotape and video interviews with some of the alumni; and other miscellaneous items. The collection is arranged into nine series.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into nine series.

Series 1: Scrapbooks, 1853-2003, undated

Series 2: State Material, 1922-2008, undated

Series 3: Publications, 1924-2006, undated

Series 4: C.E. Ward, 3rd Corps, 1933-2001, undated

Series 5: Photographs, 1929-2008, undated

Series 6: General Ephemera, 1915-2006, undated

Series 7: Bidwell Addendum, 1933-1987, undated

Series 8: Bires Addendum, 1934-1985, undated

Series 9: Audiovisual Materials, 1933-2009, undated

Biographical / Historical:

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a New Deal era program, created in 1933 to reduce unemployment, a direct result of the Great Depression. The CCC provided national conservation work across the United States for young, unmarried men. Veterans could be enrolled in the CCC after verification of their service by the Veteran's Administration. Veterans were exempt from the age and marriage restriction. Projects included planting trees, bulding flood barriers, combatting forest fires, maintaining forest roads and trails, and building recreational facilities in the National Park system and a host of other projects. There were separate CCC programs for Native Americans of recognized tribes and African Americans. In 1942, with the waning of the Great Depression and America's entry into World War II in December 1941, resources devoted to the CCC (men and materials) were diverted to the war effort. Congress ceased funding for the CCC and liquidation of the CCC was included in the Labor-Federal Security Appropriation Act (56 Stat. 569) on July 2, 1942, and for the most part completed by June 30, 1943. Appropriations for the liquidation of the CCC continued through April 20, 1948.

Related Materials:

Materials at Other Organizations

National Archives and Records Administration

Record Group 35, Civilian Conservation Corps

Provenance:

Collection donated by National Association of Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni in 2006.

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research use.

Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with cotton gloves. Researchers may 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 and as resources allow.

Viewing film portions of the collection requires special appointment, please inquire; listening to LP recordings is only possible by special arrangement.

Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view materials in cold storage. Using cold room materials requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 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:

Conservation of natural resources -- 1930-1950  Search this

Depressions -- 1929 -- United States  Search this

National parks and reserves  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

State parks  Search this

Genre/Form:

Panoramas

Photographs -- 20th century

Newspapers

Pamphlets

Audiovisual materials

Newsletters

Books

Blueprints -- 20th century

Cartoons (humorous images)

Logs (records)

Manuals

Magazines (periodicals) -- 20th century

Menus

Memoirs

Rosters

Poems

Sheet music -- 20th century

Citation:

Civilian Conservation Corps Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0930

See more items in:

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8f608a47e-d1a4-4b39-8a85-c1a7bf9c84b6

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0930

Interviewee:

Hamlin, Edith  Search this

Interviewer:

Martin, Minette  Search this

Subject:

Cravath, Dorothy, 1901-1974  Search this

Rivera, Diego  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Edith Hamlin, 1964 May 27. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art and state -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Federal aid to the public welfare  Search this

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Theme:

New Deal  Search this

Women  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12280

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215779

AAA_collcode_hamlin64

Theme:

New Deal

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_215779

Interviewee:

Hamlin, Edith  Search this

Cravath, Dorothy, 1901-1974  Search this

Interviewer:

Martin, Minette  Search this

Names:

Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this

Extent:

1 Sound tape reel (Sound recordings, 7 in.)

16 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound tape reels

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1964 May 27

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Edith Hamlin conducted 1964 May 27, by Minette Martin, for the Archives of American Art. She discusses her work on PWAP and WPA murals, including murals decorating the Coit Tower, San Francisco.

Biographical / Historical:

Edith Hamlin (1902-1992) was a mural painter from San Francisco, California.

General:

Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 54 min.

Provenance:

This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Restrictions:

This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Occupation:

Muralists -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Painters -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Topic:

Art and state -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Federal aid to the public welfare  Search this

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.hamlin64

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a2270b1f-6ead-491c-8763-4e7df209f3ef

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-hamlin64

Artist:

Marion Post Wolcott, born Montclair, NJ 1910-died Santa Barbara, CA 1990  Search this

Medium:

gelatin silver print

Dimensions:

sheet: 14 x 11 in. (35.6 x 27.9 cm.)

Type:

Photography-Photoprint

Date:

1940, printed later

Topic:

Figure male\full length  Search this

New Deal\Farm Security Administration  Search this

Landscape\Louisiana\Melrose  Search this

Architecture Interior\detail\fireplace  Search this

Architecture Interior\domestic\hut  Search this

Credit Line:

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. John H. and Jann Arrington Wolcott

Object number:

1998.120.42

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection

Department:

Graphic Arts

Data Source:

Smithsonian American Art Museum

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7cf7928da-54cb-4e97-8119-35c42f824f8f

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:saam_1998.120.42

Artist:

Marion Post Wolcott, born Montclair, NJ 1910-died Santa Barbara, CA 1990  Search this

Sitter:

unidentified  Search this

Medium:

gelatin silver print

Dimensions:

sheet: 14 x 11 in. (35.6 x 27.9 cm.)

Type:

Photography-Photoprint

Date:

1940, printed later

Topic:

Portrait male\bust  Search this

New Deal\Farm Security Administration  Search this

Landscape\Louisiana\Melrose  Search this

Credit Line:

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. John H. and Jann Arrington Wolcott

Object number:

1998.120.48

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection

Department:

Graphic Arts

Data Source:

Smithsonian American Art Museum

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk74e2f4261-c223-4a74-b656-2218508dce27

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:saam_1998.120.48

Interviewee:

Falkenstein, Claire, 1908-1997  Search this

Interviewer:

McGlynn, Betty Lochrie Hoag  Search this

Subject:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Claire Falkenstein, 1965 Apr. 13. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women designers  Search this

Women educators  Search this

Women authors  Search this

Theme:

Women  Search this

New Deal  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)13126

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213450

AAA_collcode_falken65

Theme:

Women

New Deal

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213450

Creator:

Hamlin, Edith  Search this

Subject:

Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this

Citation:

Edith Hamlin photographs of murals, 1937. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art and state -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Federal aid to the public welfare  Search this

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Theme:

Women  Search this

New Deal  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)9826

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212288

AAA_collcode_hamledit

Theme:

Women

New Deal

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_212288

Creator:

Bruce, Edward, 1879-1943  Search this

Names:

Public Works of Art Project  Search this

United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Fine Arts  Search this

Biddle, George, 1885-1973  Search this

Dornbush, Adrian  Search this

Dows, Olin, 1904-1981  Search this

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962  Search this

Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945  Search this

Stein, Leo, 1872-1947  Search this

Sterne, Maurice, 1878-1957  Search this

Extent:

8.9 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Diaries

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Place:

United States -- Politics and government -- 1933-1945

United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945

Date:

1902-1960

bulk 1932-1942

Summary:

The Edward Bruce papers measure 8.9 linear feet and date from 1902 to 1960, with the bulk of the material dating from 1932 to 1942. The collection documents Bruce's work as an artist, art collector, exhibition juror, and federal government art administrator, particularly his tenure as Director of the U. S. Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts. Well over one-half of the collection consists of extensive correspondence with artists, art collectors and dealers, arts associations, galleries, and government officials, including President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Scope and Content Note:

The Edward Bruce papers measure 8.9 linear feet and date from 1902 to 1960, with the bulk of the material dating from 1932 to 1942. The collection documents Bruce's work as an artist, art collector, exhibition juror, and federal government art administrator, particularly his tenure as Director of the U. S. Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts. Well over one-half of the collection consists of extensive correspondence with many notable artists and government officials. Also found is scattered biographical material, office diaries and speeches, personal financial material, printed material, four scrapbooks, and photographs.

A small amount of biographical material includes birth records and many awards and certificates. Bruce's correspondence files comprise over half of this collection, containing correspondence with family, friends, artists, art organizations, political figures, museums, art galleries, and government agencies. Found within the files is extensive correspondence with friend and art critic Leo Stein and artist friend Maurice Sterne. Additional artists Bruce corresponded with include George Biddle, Adrian Dornbush, and Olin Dows. Also included is correspondence documenting his career as Chief of the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts with government colleagues and officials, much of it concerning his role on various federal arts committees, including the Commission of Fine Arts. There is also extensive correspondence with Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt concerning federal and public art projects.

Writings include office diaries and notebooks containing notes, addresses, lists of Section of Fine Arts projects, and dated work entries. There are copies of numerous written speeches given by Bruce on the importance of art, public art projects, and political issues. Financial material consists of a small number of items documenting Bruce's financial activity such as tax and insurance records, bills, a cash book, and house leases. Printed material documents Edward Bruce's career as an artist and federal arts projects and programs. Found are news clippings and magazine articles, exhibition catalogs, brochures, bulletins from the Section of Fine Arts, published speeches, and miscellaneous publications. Four scrapbooks contain news clippings, letters, photographs, and other printed material highlighting Bruce's career.

Extensive photographs include photographs of Bruce's artwork, portraits of Bruce, the Bruces with family and with friends and at many special events, including an NBC radio broadcast and at an exhibition with Eleanor Roosevelt. There are also photographs taken by Bruce during his travels and while living in Anticoli Carrado, Italy.

Arrangement:

The Edward Bruce collection is arranged into 7 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1904-1938 (Box 1, OV 11; 3 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1921-1957 (Boxes 1-6; 5.5 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1931-1942 (Box 6; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 4: Financial Material, circa 1909-1913, circa 1928-1943(Box 6, 0.3 linear feet)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1919, circa 1926-1943, 1960 (Box 7, 0.5 linear feet)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1922-1941 (Box 7-8; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 7: Photographs, circa 1902-1943 (Box 7, 9-10; 1.0 linear foot)

Although the collection no longer matches the exact filmed order, large groups of materials have been maintained in film order, particularly the correspondence. Microfilm reel and frame number notations are provided at the folder level when known.

Biographical Note:

Edward Bruce was born in 1879 in Dover Plains, New York. Though he enjoyed painting at a young age, he pursued a career in law and graduated from Columbia Law School in 1904. He practiced law in New York and in Manila, Philippines and was actively involved in international issues. He became president of the Pacific Development Corporation of California, was a lobbyist for the Philippine Independence Bill, and, in 1933, attended the London Economic Conference as a silver expert.

In 1923 Bruce gave up his career in law and business and began to paint, particularly landscapes. He and his wife Peggy spent the next six years in Anticoli Carrado, Italy where he studied painting from his friend and fellow artist Maurice Sterne. Bruce returned to the United States in 1929 and settled in California, exhibiting his artwork to much public and critical praise. In addition, Bruce was an avid collector of Chinese art.

In 1933 Bruce was appointed Chief of the newly established Public Works of Art Project, a federal government New Deal program within the U.S. Treasury Department, that employed artists to decorate numerous public buildings and parks. Though this federal program lasted less than a year, Bruce worked with Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr., to establish the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture in 1934 - later renamed the Section of Fine Arts in 1938. Bruce was appointed Director of the department and played a primary role in securing federal government support for American artists. In 1940 he was appointed to the Commission of Fine Arts by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Bruce received many honors and awards during his lifetime both for his work as an artist and for his capable and dedicated administration of federal arts programs. Despite poor health, he continued his work for the Section of Fine Arts until shortly before his death in 1943.

Related Material:

Other resources in the Archives relating to Edward Bruce include an oral history interview with Margaret (Peggy) Bruce on October 11, 1963 conducted by Harlan Phillips. Miscellaneous Manuscript Collections include one file of material, 1933-1960, concerning Edward Bruce that was donated by the U.S. General Services Administration in 1986 and microfilmed on reel 3960.

Also available at the Archives are two collections of records loaned by the U.S. National Archives from their Public Buildings Administration records and the records of the Public Works of Art Project for microfilming by the Archives. Microfilm reels DC1-DC 13 and DC116-DC128 contain Edward Bruce's files and correspondence, respectively.

Separated Material:

A book Art in Federal Buildings by Forbes Watson and Edward Bruce was donated to AAA with Bruce's papers and microfilmed with the rest of collection on Microfilm Reel D91-D92, and then transferred to the Smithsonian American Art Museum Library.

Provenance:

The Edward Bruce papers were donated by Margaret (Peggy) Bruce, Edward Bruce's wife, in 1962. Additional printed material, financial records, and photographs of artwork were donated by Mrs. Bruce's niece, Maria Ealand in 1979.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research. The collection is partially microfilmed. Use of material not microfilmed requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Painters  Search this

Arts administrators  Search this

Topic:

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Art, American  Search this

Art and state  Search this

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

Genre/Form:

Diaries

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Citation:

Edward Bruce papers, 1902-1960 (bulk 1932-1942). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Identifier:

AAA.brucedwa

See more items in:

Edward Bruce papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw974a5ae73-b9a3-4cce-a3ec-77c07cc1ce18

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-brucedwa

Interviewee:

Bloch, Lucienne, 1909-1999  Search this

Interviewer:

McChesney, Mary Fuller  Search this

Subject:

McChesney, Robert, 1913-2008  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Lucienne Bloch, 1964 August 11. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women photographers  Search this

Women designers  Search this

Women muralists  Search this

Theme:

Women  Search this

New Deal  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12814

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213314

AAA_collcode_bloch64

Theme:

Women

New Deal

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213314

Interviewee:

Harris, Wilma, 1910-  Search this

Interviewer:

McChesney, Mary Fuller  Search this

Subject:

Arnautoff, Victor Mikhail  Search this

Bufano, Beniamino  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Wilma Harris, 1964 Apr. 22. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women textile artists  Search this

Theme:

Craft  Search this

New Deal  Search this

Women  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12681

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213548

AAA_collcode_harris64

Theme:

Craft

New Deal

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213548

Interviewee:

Henry, Mary, 1913-  Search this

Interviewer:

McChesney, Mary Fuller  Search this

Subject:

Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Mary Dill Henry, 1964 May 12. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women designers  Search this

Women printmakers  Search this

Theme:

New Deal  Search this

Women  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12650

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213564

AAA_collcode_henry64

Theme:

New Deal

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213564

Interviewee:

Holmes, Jean, 1910-  Search this

Interviewer:

McChesney, Mary Fuller  Search this

Subject:

Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Jean Holmes, 1965 Apr. 12. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women printmakers  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Theme:

New Deal  Search this

Women  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)11745

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213571

AAA_collcode_holmes65

Theme:

New Deal

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213571

Artist:

Allan Rohan Crite, born Plainfield, NJ 1910-died Boston, MA 2007  Search this

Medium:

oil on canvas

Dimensions:

30 1/4 x 36 1/8 in. (76.9 x 91.8 cm.)

Type:

Painting

Date:

1936

Topic:

Cityscape\street  Search this

Figure group\female  Search this

African American  Search this

New Deal\Works Progress Administration, Federal Art Project\Massachusetts  Search this

Architecture Exterior\domestic\apartment  Search this

Architecture Exterior\education  Search this

Credit Line:

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from General Services Administration

Object number:

1971.447.18

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection

Department:

Painting and Sculpture

Data Source:

Smithsonian American Art Museum

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk780a04281-7b41-4db2-b491-2b12506c1612

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:saam_1971.447.18

Creator:

Mamer, Stuart M.  Search this

Mamer, Louisan E., 1910-2005  Search this

Names:

Rural Electrification Administration  Search this

Tennessee Valley Authority  Search this

United States. Department of Agriculture  Search this

Extent:

10.1 Cubic feet (31 boxes, 1 oversized folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Trade catalogs

Manuals

Scrapbooks

Newsletters

Lecture notes

Articles

Specifications

Publications

Photographs

Correspondence

Date:

1927-2002

Summary:

The Mamer collection includes a wide range of materials used to teach concepts and the usage of electricity to predominately rural audiences. Mamer kept many of her materials in labeled notebooks; other papers were filed loosely with no apparent order. The collection materials date pre-dominantly from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s. There are some materials from the late 1930s. There is only one item from 1927 and one from 1999.

Scope and Contents:

The Mamer collection materials date pre-dominantly from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s. There are some materials from the late 1930s. There is only one item from 1927 and one from 1999. Many materials are undated. The collection includes a wide range of materials used to teach concepts and the usage of electricity to predominately rural audiences. Mamer kept many of her materials in labeled notebooks; other papers were filed loosely with no apparent order.

The arrangement is generally by type or purpose of document. Original order and subject headings have been maintained where it is readily apparent. Mamer filed some materials in broad subject categories, for instance L.P. Gas, Lighting and Electric Ranges; are in Series 1, Subseries 1.2. One of Mamer's systems of keeping notes for presentations was to type talking points on paper, and then cut them into strips, and file them in envelopes under broad categories. These may have been used during oral presentations as mnemonic devices or as simple maxims pertaining to the topic being discussed. (In an October 2004 phone interview Mamer could not recall their specific use.) These can be found in Series 1, Subseries 1.1. Many of the documents in this collection were originally printed on highly acidic paper and extreme care is recommended in handling them.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into three series. The arrangement is generally by type or purpose of document. Many materials are undated.

Series 1: Demonstration & Training Materials, 1932-2002

Subseries 1.1: Demonstrator Notes and Resources, 1936-1994

Subseries 1.2: Electrical Appliance and Subject Files, 1932-1952

Subseries 1.3: Cooperative Study Courses, 1938-1953

Subseries 1.4: Adviser Packets and Co-op Shop Paks, circa 1948-1974

Series 2: Publications, 1927-1999

Series 3: Photographs, Filmstrips, Slides and Vu-Graphs, 1943-1952, undated

Biographical / Historical:

Louisan E. Mamer (1910-2005) was born on August 28, 1910 to Louis H. and Anna Mary Elizabeth Mies Mamer. She graduated from the University of Illinois, College of Agriculture with an AB in 1931. Mamer begin her government career with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), moving to the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1935. The REA was one of President Franklin Roosevelt's programs described collectively as the New Deal. The REA's goal was to bring affordable electricity to rural America. Electrification brought prosperity and an elevated standard of living to rural areas, but initially there was a great deal of ignorance about electricity in its applications and uses. Mamer was hired by the REA as a Home Electrification Specialist, or "demonstrator," to educate people in the uses of electricity.

Mamer was based at the REA headquarters in Washington, DC but traveled extensively throughout the Midwest performing demonstrations of electrical appliances, planning and teaching "training schools" for rural electrical co-op advisors, demonstrators, and home economics teachers initially in the states of Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska. This traveling show came to be known as the "electric circus." Her first show was in the Maquoketa Valley Rural Electric Co-op near Anamoso, Iowa. Mamer described the process in a 1975 interview: "We would usually move into a town over the weekend. Having made the move and set up the tents [two large circus tents] and gotten ready for the show during the daytime, say, on a Monday, that night we would have the home electrification specialist (which was my job) demonstrate lighting equipment. I believe the next morning we had a laundry equipment demonstration at about 10 a.m., and in the afternoon, we demonstrated small appliances and some kitchen and laundry planning along the way. The last evening, the home electrification specialist conducted a big cooking duel between two local men. That was a highlight of the whole program." [1]

The electric circus was discontinued in 1941, a victim of WWII gas shortages. Mamer continued educating rural America with the Electro-Economy Tour designed to help the war effort. This was also discontinued due to WWII shortages. After the war, Mamer began traveling and demonstrating again while also developing training courses for the REA and REA co-ops nationwide. Through her demonstrations and training materials, Mamer was not only teaching rural America in the uses of electricity but in a lifestyle reflecting the goals of the New Deal - a better life for average Americans. Mamer's largest audiences seem to have been rural housewives but men were included as well, especially in the "cooking duel". Mamer identified with these women and from her notes and interviews she seems to have firmly believed in her mission to better people's lives through electricity.

In a 1948 article for Practical Home Economics magazine, Mamer briefly described her background and work:

My background is rural; locale, southern Illinois. As I grew, 'college' like 'mama's bank account' was always with us, and we worked to get the money for it --selling pecan meats, mowing, raking, doing everything but plowing for the same pay as the hired men. Finally I had almost $1,000, a fashionable suntan, unfashionable broad shoulders and a "harrowing" walk that served me well in getting about at the University of Illinois.

That first year I planned to become a writer, but by my sophomore year I decided that I should learn something to write about. So I spent my last three years and four summers more becoming a home economist and satisfied my craving for writing on The Daily Illini and the Illinois Agriculturist, college sheets of which I was woman's editor.

My background was, as astrologers would put it, propitious to home economics. My mother had already mothered one family of seven brothers, and she operated on a big scale. We butchered; we churned; we canned; we baked bread; we had two acres of garden, fruit, chickens and a milk route. All this-sans electricity, sans running water.

When I started teaching, an all-electric foods laboratory was a rarity, but I got one and was very proud of it. I also got a great deal of experience which came in handy when I left teaching to take a job in Washington writing for NYA.

REA was so new then that home economics hadn't entered the picture, so I went in as a writer. In 1937, after a training period in TVA, REA sent me to Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska as a regional home economist. Except for being lent briefly to WPB I've been in REA ever since.

My secret ambition is to build a modern house; furnish it modern and Chinese; equip it all-electric and with a husband guaranteed not to wander; operate the whole arrangement at enough profit to provide myself with all the secretarial and other help I would like to have to do my job the way I would like to do it and write besides. [2]

Mamer married Arthur C. Hagen (1911-2000), an REA electrical engineer, on March 20, 1954. She devoted her working life to the REA retiring in 1981. Mamer died in Washington, DC in December 2005.

Footnotes

1. "Bringing Light to Rural America," Rural Cooperatives magazine, March 1998.

2. "Methods of Teaching Home Use of Electricity," part 1 by Louisan E. Mamer, Practical Home Economics magazine, April and May 1948.

Sources

"Bringing Light to Rural America," Rural Cooperatives magazine, March 1998. Campbell, Dan, "When the Lights Came On," Rural Cooperatives Magazine, August 2000.

Troppa, Gina M., "The REA Lady --A Shining Example," Illinois Currents, 2002

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

Reddy Kilowatt Records (AC0913)

Provenance:

Donated by Louisan E. Mamer to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian in June 2004.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is 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:

Cookery  Search this

Electric toasters  Search this

Farms  Search this

Electric lighting  Search this

Electricity  Search this

Stoves  Search this

Refrigerators  Search this

Recipes  Search this

Electric apparatus and appliances  Search this

Laundry  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Home economics  Search this

Rural electrification  Search this

Kitchens  Search this

Kitchen appliances  Search this

Genre/Form:

Trade catalogs

Manuals

Scrapbooks

Newsletters -- 20th century

Lecture notes

Articles

Specifications

Publications

Photographs -- 20th century

Correspondence -- 20th century

Citation:

Louisan E. Mamer Rural Electrification Administration Papers, 1927-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0862

See more items in:

Louisan E. Mamer Rural Electrification Administration Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8e48c475b-3cc5-435c-9e69-00db28125c0b

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0862

Creator:

Adams, Kenneth M.  Search this

United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Fine Arts  Search this

Subject:

Rowan, Edward Beatty  Search this

Jones, Cecil H.  Search this

Public Works of Art Project  Search this

Treasury Relief Art Project  Search this

Federal Art Project  Search this

Place:

United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945

United States -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945

Citation:

Kenneth Miller Adams papers, 1933-1938. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Mural painting and decoration -- Kansas  Search this

Mural painting and decoration -- New Mexico  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939 -- Kansas  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939 -- New Mexico  Search this

Federal aid to the arts -- Kansas  Search this

Federal aid to the arts -- New Mexico  Search this

Art and state -- Kansas  Search this

Art and state -- New Mexico  Search this

Theme:

New Deal  Search this

Patronage  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)5613

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208447

AAA_collcode_adamkenn

Theme:

New Deal

Patronage

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208447

Creator:

Treasury Relief Art Project  Search this

Treasury Relief Art Project  Search this

Subject:

Watson, Forbes  Search this

Corcoran Gallery of Art  Search this

United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Painting and Sculpture  Search this

Citation:

Treasury Department Art Projects : painting and sculpture for federal buildings, November seventeen to December thirteen, nineteen hundred thirty-six, Corcoran Gallery of Art / introduction by Forbes Watson, 1936. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Painting, American -- Exhibitions  Search this

Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- United States -- Exhibitions  Search this

Art and state -- United States  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Public sculpture -- United States -- Exhibitions  Search this

Sculpture, American -- Exhibitions  Search this

Federal aid to public welfare  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Public sculpture -- United States -- Exhibitions  Search this

Theme:

New Deal  Search this

Patronage  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)5929

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208761

AAA_collcode_treareli

Theme:

New Deal

Patronage

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208761

Creator:

Egri, Ruth, 1911-1996  Search this

Subject:

Egri, Charles  Search this

Egri, Ted  Search this

Egri, Ilona  Search this

Egri, Lajos  Search this

Fabri, Ralph  Search this

Federal Art Project  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Type:

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Citation:

Ruth Egri papers, 1923-1988. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Figurative painting, American  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women muralists  Search this

Theme:

Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this

Women  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)9934

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212484

AAA_collcode_egriruth

Theme:

Sketches & Sketchbooks

Women

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_212484

Creator:

Egri, Ruth, 1911-1996  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Egri, Charles  Search this

Egri, Ilona  Search this

Egri, Lajos, 1888-1967  Search this

Egri, Ted, 1913-  Search this

Fabri, Ralph, 1894-1975  Search this

Extent:

1 Linear foot

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Date:

1923-1988

Summary:

The papers of muralist and illustrator Ruth Egri measure 1.0 linear feet and date from 1934 to 1988. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, printed material, photographs of Egri and works of art, printed materials, sketches and sketcbooks, and writings. Also found are records relating to Egri's work with the Works Progress Administration.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of muralist and illustrator Ruth Egri measure 1.0 linear feet and date from 1934 to 1988. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, printed material, photographs of Egri and works of art, printed materials, sketches and sketcbooks, and writings. Also found are records relating to Egri's work with the Works Progress Administration.

Arrangement:

Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.

Biographical / Historical:

Figure painter, muralist, illustrator, educator Ruth Egri (1911-1996) was active in New York City, New York and Wilmington, Delaware. She studied at the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League, and the Master Institute of the Roerich Museum with Howard Giles. She painted and exhibited in Taos, N.M. with her brother Ted Egri. Primarily, her subject was the female figure.

Provenance:

The donor, Ted Egri, is the younger brother of Ruth Egri Holden.

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

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

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

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

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

Topic:

Figurative painting, American  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women muralists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Citation:

Ruth Egri papers, 1934-1988. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.

Identifier:

AAA.egriruth

See more items in:

Ruth Egri papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c9f98857-7845-45bd-8593-11c78499b171

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-egriruth

Creator:

Bunn, William E. L. (Edward Lewis), 1910-2009  Search this

Subject:

Wood, Grant  Search this

Allen, Lee  Search this

United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Painting and Sculpture  Search this

United States. General Services Administration  Search this

W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company  Search this

United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Fine Arts  Search this

Type:

Photographs

Blueprints

Sketchbooks

Drawings

Transcriptions

Watercolors

Sketches

Interviews

Designs

Diaries

Citation:

William E. L. Bunn papers, 1863-2009. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Designers -- Iowa  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Muralists -- Iowa  Search this

Mural painting and decoration -- Middle West  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Theme:

Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)7067

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209200

AAA_collcode_bunnwill

Theme:

Sketches & Sketchbooks

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209200

Creator:

Biddle, George, 1885-1973  Search this

Subject:

Brooks, Van Wyck  Search this

Kuniyoshi, Yasuo  Search this

Shahn, Ben  Search this

Sterne, Maurice  Search this

Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano)  Search this

Pascin, Jules  Search this

Diederich, William Hunt  Search this

Poor, Henry Varnum  Search this

Poor, Anne  Search this

Pound, Ezra  Search this

Berenson, Bernard  Search this

Brewer, Bessie Marsh  Search this

Federal Art Project  Search this

United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Fine Arts  Search this

United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Painting and Sculpture  Search this

Supreme Court Building (Mexico City, Mexico)  Search this

National Library Building (Rio de Janerio, Brazil)  Search this

Justice Dept. Building (Washington, D.C.)  Search this

Type:

Diaries

Place:

United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945

Citation:

George Biddle papers, circa 1910-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Mural painting and decoration, American  Search this

Art and state -- United States  Search this

Muralists  Search this

Theme:

Diaries  Search this

New Deal  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)7126

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209260

AAA_collcode_biddgeor

Theme:

Diaries

New Deal

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209260