Search Results

Creator:

Norton, Robert H.  Search this

Cooper-Hewitt Museum.  Search this

Kass, Marcia  Search this

Names:

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

New York World's Fair (1964-1965)  Search this

Extent:

0.5 Cubic feet (2 boxes, 1 map folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Maps

Guidebooks

Cartoons (humorous images)

Brochures

Menus

Posters

Souvenir programs

Tickets

Date:

1873-2010

Scope and Contents note:

An artificial collection of ephemera from World's Fairs, intended as a growing repository for such miscellany from multiple sources. The initial donation consists of a season ticket, a booklet of souvenir tickets, and one menu from the 1939 New York World's Fair. The 2010 addendum contains eleven graphic works relating to World's Fairs. Eight of the items relate to the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, including a poster, a map, a souvenir booklet, and several views of the Fair printed in Harper's Weekly; in addition to a cartoon depicting the Crystal Palace in New York in 1883, and two ads for the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Also in the collection are souvenir books and pamphlets from the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair.

Arrangement:

1 series.

Provenance:

Collection materials donated by Robert Norton, Marcia Kass, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum (through Stephen Van Dyke, Craig P. Morton, John Anderson, and Capt. George and Ginger Vance,

Restrictions:

Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.

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:

Exhibitions  Search this

Crystal Palace -- (New York, New York)  Search this

World's fairs  Search this

Genre/Form:

Maps

Guidebooks

Cartoons (humorous images)

Brochures

Menus

Posters

Souvenir programs

Tickets -- World's Fair, 1939 -- New York (N.Y.)

Citation:

Archives Center World Expositions Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0825

See more items in:

Archives Center World Expositions Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0825

Donor:

Shafer, Mary C.  Search this

Sheppard, Stephen  Search this

Landor, Josephine  Search this

Landor, Walter  Search this

Lindsay, Elizabeth R.  Search this

Meggars, Edith R.  Search this

Hallwig, Elizabeth Ann  Search this

Hallwig, O.Morton  Search this

Holt, C.W.  Search this

Krause, Roy  Search this

Willcutts, Viola E.  Search this

Carmody, Stella  Search this

Annis, Esther Pauline  Search this

Coppola, John  Search this

Grossman, Walter  Search this

Frick, Margaret  Search this

Annis, Esther Pauline  Search this

Carmody, Stella  Search this

Coppola, John  Search this

Frick, Margaret  Search this

Grossman, Walter  Search this

Hallwig, Elizabeth Ann  Search this

Hallwig, O.Morton  Search this

Holt, C.W.  Search this

Krause, Roy  Search this

Landor, Josephine  Search this

Landor, Walter  Search this

Lindsay, Elizabeth R.  Search this

Meggars, Edith R.  Search this

Shafer, Mary C.  Search this

Sheppard, Stephen  Search this

Willcutts, Viola E.  Search this

Collector:

Vogel, Robert M.  Search this

Political History, Division of (NMAH)  Search this

Community Life, Div. of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Political History, Division of (NMAH)  Search this

Vogel, Robert M.  Search this

Source:

Warner, Peter M.  Search this

Names:

Ameriflora '92 (Columbus, Ohio)  Search this

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)  Search this

Century of Progress International Exposition (1933-1934 : Chicago, Ill.)  Search this

Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee (Genova, Italy: 1992)  Search this

Expo '93 (Stuttgart, Germany)  Search this

Expo '93 (Taejŏn-si, Korea)  Search this

Exposición Universal de 1992 (Seville, Spain)  Search this

Exposition universelle et internationale (1958 : Brussels, Belgium)  Search this

Floriade Zoetermeer (The Hague, Netherlands: 1992)  Search this

Golden Gate International Exposition (1939-1940 : San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

New York World's Fair (1964-1965)  Search this

Salon International de l'Aeronautique et de l'Espace (Paris, France: 1991)  Search this

World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)  Search this

Former owner:

Warner, Peter M.  Search this

Extent:

3.3 Cubic feet (10 boxes, 12 map-folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Programs

Clippings

Leaflets

Stickers

Guidebooks

Brochures

Commemoratives

Schedules

Stationery

Fans

Calendars

Postcards

Shopping bags

Press releases

Tickets

Certificates

Bumper stickers

Pamphlets

Maps

Catalogs

Date:

1876-1993

Summary:

Collection documents World's Fairs from 1876 to 1993.

Scope and Contents:

The collection is a compilation of gifts from numerous donors, of printed materials and ephemera relating to World's Fairs.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into one series chronologically by fair.

Provenance:

Collected from numerous donors by the Division of Community Life (now called the Division of Home and Community Life.) A number of items in the collection were also collected for the National Museum of American History by the Division. Donors include Viola E. Willcuts, Peter M. Warner, Edith B. Meggars, Elizabeth R. Lindsay, C.W. Holt, Walter Grossman, Margaret Frick, Peter M. Warner, Esther Pauline Annis, Roy Krause, Ameriflora, Expo '92, Expo '93, Colombo, O. Morton Hallwig and Elizabeth Ann Hallwig, Mary C. Shafer, Robert Vogel, John Coppola, Stella M. Carmody, Walter and Josephine Landor, and Stephen Sheppard.

Restrictions:

The 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:

Exhibitions  Search this

World's fairs  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- Color transparencies -- 1950-2000

Programs

Clippings

Leaflets

Stickers

Guidebooks

Brochures

Commemoratives

Schedules

Stationery

Fans

Calendars

Postcards

Shopping bags

Press releases

Tickets

Certificates

Bumper stickers

Pamphlets

Maps

Catalogs

Citation:

Division of Community Life World's Fairs Collection, 1876-1993, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1132

See more items in:

Division of Community Life World's Fairs Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1132

Collector:

Cultural History, Division of (NMAH, SI).  Search this

Cooper-Hewitt Museum.  Search this

Zim, Larry (Larry Zimmerman), 1931-1987  Search this

Cultural History, Division of (NMAH, SI).  Search this

Names:

Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (1909 : Seattle, Wash.)  Search this

Appalachian Exposition. (Knoxville, Tennessee: 1911)  Search this

Art and Techniques Exposition (Paris, France: 1937)  Search this

British Empire Exhibition (London, England : 1924-1925)  Search this

British Empire Exposition (Glasgow, Scotland: 1938)  Search this

Bronx International Exposition (New York, New York: 1917-1918)  Search this

Brussels International (1910 )  Search this

California Midwinter International Exposition (1894 : San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this

California-Pacific International Exposition (San Diego, California: 1935-1936)  Search this

Canadian National Exposition (1937)  Search this

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)  Search this

Centennial Exposition of the Ohio Valley and Central States (1888 : Cincinnati, Ohio)  Search this

Century of Progress International Exposition (1933-1934 : Chicago, Ill.)  Search this

Chicago Autumn Festival (1899)  Search this

Cincinnati Industrial Exposition (1882 : Cincinnati, Ohio)  Search this

Cotton States Exposition (1895 : Atlanta, Ga)  Search this

Esposizione Internationale (1911 : Turin, Italy)  Search this

Esposizione Internationale D'Arte (Venice, Italy: 1910)  Search this

Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte (1895 : Venice, Italy)  Search this

Exhibition of Art Treasures (1857 : Manchester, England)  Search this

Exhibition, Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association (1878 : Boston, Massachusetts)  Search this

Expo 67 (Montréal, Québec)  Search this

Exposicion Centro-Americana (1897 : Guatemala City, Guatemala)  Search this

Exposition Coloniale Internationale (Paris, France: 1931)  Search this

Exposition International (1894 : Lyons, France)  Search this

Exposition International Coloniale Maritime et d'Art Flammand (Antwerp, Belgium: 1930)  Search this

Exposition International de Liege (1930)  Search this

Exposition Internationale Maritime (1887 : Le Havre, France)  Search this

Exposition Nationale Belge (1880 : Belgium)  Search this

Exposition Universelle (1885 : Antwerp, Belgium)  Search this

Exposition Universelle de Paris (1855 : Paris, France)  Search this

Exposition Universelle de Paris (1878 : Paris, France)  Search this

Exposition universelle de 1867 (Paris, France)  Search this

Exposition universelle de 1889 (Paris, France)  Search this

Exposition universelle et internationale (1958 : Brussels, Belgium)  Search this

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)  Search this

Fiera di Milano (1939)  Search this

Foreign Exhibition (1883 : Boston, Massachusetts)  Search this

Franco-British Exhibition (London, England: 1908)  Search this

Franklin Institute Exhibition (1874 : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)  Search this

Gewerbe Austellung (1896 : Berlin, Germany)  Search this

Golden Gate International Exposition (1939-1940 : San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this

Great Exhibition of 1851 (London, England)  Search this

Great Industrial Exhibition (1853 : Dublin, Ireland)  Search this

Great Lakes Exposition (Cleveland, Ohio: 1936-1937)  Search this

Hemisfair '68 (San Antonio, Texas: 1968)  Search this

Hudson-Fulton Celebration (1909)  Search this

Imperial International Exhibition (London, England: 1909)  Search this

International Exhibition (1897 : Brussels, Belgium)  Search this

International Exhibition of 1862 (London, England)  Search this

International Exhibition of 1871 (London, England)  Search this

International Exhibition of 1872 (London, England)  Search this

International Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures (1865: Dublin, Ireland)  Search this

International Exposition (Barcelona, Spain: 1929-1930)  Search this

International Exposition (Brussels, Belgium: 1935)  Search this

International Exposition of Decorative Arts and Modern Industries (1925 : Paris, France)  Search this

International Exposition on the Environment (Spokane, Washington: 1974)  Search this

International Fire Exhibition 1903 : London, England)  Search this

International Marine Exhibition of Marine Hygiene and Exhibition of the Italian Glories (Genoa, Italy: 1914)  Search this

International Ocean Exposition (Okinawa, Japan: 1975)  Search this

Interstate and West Indian Exposition (Charleston, South Carolina: 1901-1902)  Search this

Italian Exposition (1904 : London, England)  Search this

Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition (Hampton Roads, Virginia: 1907)  Search this

Japan World Exposition (Osaka, Japan: 1970)  Search this

Japan-British Exhibition (London, England: 1910)  Search this

Knoxville International Energy Exposition (1982)  Search this

Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition (1905 : Portland, Or.)  Search this

Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904: Saint Louis, Mo.)  Search this

National Ecuadorian Exposition (Quito, Ecuador: 1909)  Search this

National Export Exposition (1899 : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

New York World's Fair (1964-1965)  Search this

Pan-American Exposition (1901: Buffalo, N.Y.)  Search this

Panama-California Exposition (1915 : San Diego, Calif.)  Search this

Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915: San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this

Scottish National Exposition (Edinburgh, Scotland: 1908)  Search this

Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition (1926 : Philadelphia, Pa.)  Search this

Sydney International Exhibition (Sydney, Australia: 1879)  Search this

Texas Centennial Central Exposition (Dallas, Texas: 1936)  Search this

Universal Exhibition (1873 : Vienna, Austria)  Search this

Western Pennsylvania Exposition (1915 : Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)  Search this

World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)  Search this

World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition (1884-1885 : New Orleans, La.)  Search this

Extent:

46 Cubic feet (123 boxes and 148 map-folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Motion pictures (visual works)

Postcards

Greeting cards

Stationery

Panoramas

Sheet music

Posters

Shopping bags

Photographs

Stereographs

Menus

Place:

Disneyland (California)

Date:

1841-1988

Scope and Contents:

Memorabilia of fairs and World's Fairs throughout history, both in the United States and abroad, including photographs, stereographs, panoramas and slides; printed materials; postcards; sheet music; philatelic material; stationery and greeting cards; menus and food service items; posters; shopping bags; motion picture films; and other items.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into three series.

Series 1: World's Fair Materials, 1841-1988

Series 2: Reference and Miscellaneous Materials

Series 3: Larry Zim Materials

Series 4: Oversize Materials, 1909-1968

Biographical / Historical:

Larry Zim, whose actual name was Larry Zimmerman, was an industrial designer, a historian of World's Fairs who wrote extensively on the subject, and a collector of World's Fair memorabilia.

Provenance:

Collection by bequest of Larry Zim.

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:

Crystal Palace -- (New York, New York)  Search this

Exhibitions  Search this

Genre/Form:

Motion pictures (visual works)

Postcards

Greeting cards

Stationery

Panoramas

Sheet music -- 20th century

Posters

Shopping bags

Photographs -- 19th century

Sheet music -- 19th century

Stereographs

Menus

Citation:

Larry Zim World's Fair Collection, 1841-1988, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0519

See more items in:

Larry Zim World's Fair Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0519

Creator:

Refregier, Anton, 1905-  Search this

Names:

ACA Galleries  Search this

Bard College -- Faculty  Search this

Gosudarstvennyĭ Ėrmitazh (Russia)  Search this

National Council of American-Soviet Friendship (U.S.)  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Woodstock Artists Association (Woodstock, N.Y.)  Search this

World Peace Council  Search this

De Diego, Julio, 1900-  Search this

Dreyfuss, Henry, 1904-  Search this

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973  Search this

Fast, Howard, 1914-  Search this

Geddes, Norman Bel, 1893-1958  Search this

Greenwood, Marion, 1909-1970  Search this

Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this

Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953  Search this

Morley, Eugene, 1909-1953  Search this

O'Higgins, Pablo, 1904-  Search this

Packard, Emmy Lou, 1914-1998  Search this

Randall, Byron, 1918-1999  Search this

Refregier, Lila  Search this

Siqueiros, David Alfaro  Search this

Yavno, Max  Search this

Extent:

35.9 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Travel diaries

Greeting cards

Interviews

Cartoons (working drawings)

Scrapbooks

Transcripts

Photographs

Diaries

Sketches

Place:

Chile

Soviet Union

Guatemala

Mexico

Date:

circa 1900-circa 1990

Summary:

The papers of Woodstock area painter, muralist, and designer, Anton Refregier (1905-1979) date from circa 1900 to circa 1990 and measure 35.9 linear feet. The collection records Refregier's early commercial work and murals for the Works Progress Adminstration (WPA) and documents his career through to the 1970s with records of commissions for many public and private buildings, exhibitions in the United States and abroad, teaching positions, essays and publications, and extensive travel, particularly to the Soviet Union and Mexico. The collection contains scattered biographical material, personal and business correspondence, notes and writings, 15 diaries and journals, mural and tapestry files, exhibition files, personal business records, printed material, 10 scrapbooks, artwork including sketches and cartoons for murals, and photographs of Refregier, his friends, family and travels.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Woodstock area painter, muralist, and designer, Anton Refregier (1905-1979) date from circa 1900 to circa 1990 and measure 35.9 linear feet. The collection records Refregier's early commercial work and murals for the Works Progress Adminstration (WPA) and documents his career through to the 1970s with records of commissions for many public and private buildings, exhibitions in the United States and abroad, teaching positions, essays and publications, and extensive travel, particularly to the Soviet Union and Mexico. The collection contains scattered biographical material, personal and business correspondence, notes and writings, diaries and journals, mural and tapestry files, exhibition files, personal business records, printed material, scrapbooks, artwork including sketches and cartoons for murals, and photographs of Refregier, his friends, family and travels.

Biographical material contains legal records such as Refregier's will and marriage and death records, passports, resume material and 2 interview transcripts.

Correspondence, both chronological and alphabetical, constitutes almost a third of the collection and documents all aspects of Refregier's career including his work for the WPA, private commissions, representation by ACA Galleries, his involvement with groups such as the Woodstock Artists Association and his teaching work for institutions such as Bard College. Also documented are his involvement with local political groups and international organizations such as the National Council of American-Soviet Friendship and the World Peace Council, and travels including visits to the Soviet Union. Notable correspondents include Henry Dreyfuss, Philip Evergood, Rockwell Kent, Emmy-Lou Packard, and Byron Randall. Correspondence also includes family letters written primarily by Refregier to Lila Refregier, in addition to greeting cards received by the Refregier family, many of which contain original arwork.

Writings are primarily by Refregier and include drafts of many essays and autobiographical writings, in addition to copies of published works including Natural Figure Drawing, An Artists Journey and Sketches of the Soviet Union.

The collection contains diaries and journals from 12 years in various formats including published and handmade day planners and typed and handwritten journal entries. They include sketches and primarily record travel and daily activities including specific projects such as the New York World's Fair mural (1938-1939).

Mural and Tapestry files document individual commissions bid on and/or completed by Refregier. The creation of the Rincon Annex Post Office mural and subsequent controversies over its subject matter are well-documented here, as are many of Refregier's commissions for banks, hospitals, hotels, shopping centers, and schools.

Exhibition files document at least 15 of Refregier's exhibitions, including his first one-man show at ACA Galleries (1942) and his exhibition of paintings at the Hermitage Museum (1967) in what was then Leningrad.

Personal business records contain addresses of contacts. Scattered records referencing market values for Refregier's work can be found throughout the series in records such as bills and receipts, financial notes and tax records.

Printed material provides extensive coverage of Refregier's entire career through announcements, invitations, catalogs, and news clippings. His interests in art, literature, music, theater and politics are also well-represented in these files.

The collection contains 10 scrapbooks, mostly in fragmented condition, which contain a mixture of photographs, sketches and other artwork, notes and fragments of writings, and printed material. The scrapbooks document a variety of subjects including Refregier's family life, travels to Guatemala and the Soviet Union, and the artist at work.

Artwork consists primarily of artwork by Refregier in the form of mural design sketches and cartoons in various media, including pencil, ink and pastel, in addition to 21 sketchbooks, many of which also contain journal entries and notes. Also found here are prints and reproductions of Refregier's "Peace card" block engravings for every year from 1950-1973, with the exception of 1970.

Photographs document all phases of Refregier's career and include family photographs dating from circa 1900, photos of Refregier in the studio including work for the WPA, Refregier and other artists and individuals at events and parties from the 1940s-1970s, travel snapshots probably taken in Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, and the Soviet Union, and photographs of artwork and installations. Individuals pictured include Julio de Diego, Marion Greenwood, Rockwell Kent, Pablo O'Higgins and David Siqueiros; also, a series of press photographs by Albert A. Freeman pictures Refregier with Howard Fast, Norman Bel Geddes, Marion Greenwood, John Kingsbury, Yasuo Kuniyoshi and Harry Stockwell. One photograph by Eliot Elisofon, 2 by Eugene Morley and 4 by Max Yavno can also be found here.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 11 series:

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1925-1980 (Box 1; 0.25 linear ft.)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1912-circa 1990s (Boxes 1-11, 36, OVs 38, 45; 10.2 linear ft.)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1930s-circa 1970s (Boxes 11-14, OV 45; 3.3 linear ft.)

Series 4: Diaries and Journals, 1923-1979 (Box 15; 0.6 linear ft.)

Series 5: Mural and Tapestry Files, circa 1930s-circa 1970s (Boxes 15-18, 36, OVs 38, 45, 46, RD 42; 3.65 linear ft.)

Series 6: Exhibition Files, 1942-1981 (Boxes 18-19; 0.6 linear ft.)

Series 7: Personal Business Records, 1920s-1980s (Boxes 19-20; 1.8 linear ft.)

Series 8: Printed Material, circa 1920s-1980s (Boxes 21-28, 36; 7.4 linear ft.)

Series 9: Scrapbooks, 1930s-1960s (Boxes 28, 37, BV 47; 1.1 linear ft.)

Series 10: Artwork, circa 1930s-circa 1970s (Boxes 28-30, 36, OVs 40, 41, RDs 42-44; 3.5 linear ft.)

Series 11: Photographic Material, ca. 1900-1980s (Boxes 31-35, 39; 4.5 linear ft.)

Biographical Note:

Russian-born Woodstock painter Anton Refregier (1905-1979) immigrated to the United States in 1920. Refregier was well-known for his sometimes controversial social realist murals for the WPA.

After an apprenticeship to the sculptor, Vasilief, in Paris, Anton Refregier attended the Rhode Island School of Design from 1920-1925 and studied with Hans Hofmann in Germany in 1927. He had his first one-man show at ACA Galleries in New York City in 1942 and settled in Woodstock, New York, with his wife, Lila, and three children Anton, Jr., Brigit and Aleksandre, where he became a prominent member of the artist community.

Refregier completed several social realist murals for the federal Works Progress Adminstration (WPA) program, including one at the New York Worlds Fair in 1939 and the controversial Rincon Annex Post Office mural in San Francisco begun in 1941. He also completed interior design installations for businesses such as the nightclub, Cafe Society Uptown, and the restaurant, The Cookery, in New York City. In addition to being an easel and mural painter Refregier worked in tapestry, mosaic, ceramic, and collage, and completed many commissions for hotels, banks, hospitals, restaurants, synagogues, supermarkets and deparment stores throughout the country.

Refregier taught at various institutions including Stanford University, the University of Arkansas, and Bard College and his publications inlcude Natural Figure Drawing (1948), An Artist's Journey (1965), and Sketches of the Soviet Union (1978). He traveled regularly to the Soviet Union to explore and exchange ideas about art and culture and as a representative of the World Peace Council.

Anton Refregier died in Moscow in October 1979 while visiting the Soviet Union. His work can be found in many museums including the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Related Material:

Also found in the Archives of American Art are an oral history interview with Anton Refregier, 1964, Nov. 5 by Joseph Trovato; and Papers regarding Anton Refregier mural controversy, 1953.

Provenance:

Donated 1983 by Lila Refregier, widow of Anton Refregier, and in 1992 by Brigit R. Sutton, Refregier's daughter.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

Authorization to quote or reproduce for purposes of publication requires written permission from Bridget R. Sutton via Bridget's son, Tim Sutton. Contact Reference Services for more information.

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.

Topic:

Tapestry  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Political clubs  Search this

Muralists -- New York -- Woodstock  Search this

Art -- Commissioning  Search this

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

Mural painting and decoration -- Archival resources -- 20th century  Search this

Designers -- New York (State)  Search this

Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this

Genre/Form:

Travel diaries

Greeting cards

Interviews

Cartoons (working drawings)

Scrapbooks

Transcripts

Photographs

Diaries

Sketches

Citation:

Anton Refregier papers, circa 1900-circa 1990. 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.refranto

See more items in:

Anton Refregier papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-refranto

Creator:

Collier, Nina Perera  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project  Search this

Federal Music Project (U.S.)  Search this

Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)  Search this

Federal Writers' Project (U.S.)  Search this

Index of American Design  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

United States. Federal Emergency Relief Administration  Search this

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Extent:

1,500 Items ((on 2 microfilm reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Place:

United States -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945

United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945

Date:

1934-1950

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence and records regarding the Index of American Design, Federal Art Project, Federal Recreation Project, National Symphony Orchestra Summer Concerts, Washington Summer Concerts Association; New York World's Fair, National Fact Finders Exhibition, Federal Writer's Project, Federal Music Project, Federal Theater Project, and the movement for permanent government art programs.

Biographical / Historical:

Administrator for the Section of Professional and non-Manual Projects of Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), Washington, D.C. Became publicist for the Information Service of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). FERA was the forerunner of the WPA.

Provenance:

Lent for microfilming by Nina Perera Collier.

Restrictions:

The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

Occupation:

Arts administrators  Search this

Public officers  Search this

Topic:

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Federal aid to the public welfare  Search this

Art and state  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.collnina

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-collnina

Creator:

Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this

Names:

American Artists' Congress  Search this

American Council of Learned Societies  Search this

American Federation of Arts  Search this

Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Cartoonists Guild  Search this

Federal Art Project (U.S.)  Search this

Federal Music Project (U.S.)  Search this

Federal Theatre Project (U.S.)  Search this

Index of American Design  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Shakers  Search this

The Design Laboratory (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Treasury Relief Art Project  Search this

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Abbott, Berenice, 1898-1991  Search this

Brown, Samuel Joseph, 1907-  Search this

De Rivera, José Ruiz, 1904-1985  Search this

Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this

Hopkins, Harry Lloyd, 1890-1946  Search this

Knaths, Karl, 1891-1971  Search this

Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003  Search this

Morris, Carl, 1911-1993  Search this

Olds, Elizabeth, 1896-1991  Search this

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962  Search this

Rowan, Edward Beatty, 1898-1946  Search this

Scaravaglione, Concetta, 1900-1975  Search this

Segal, George, 1924-2000  Search this

Speck, Walter, 1895-  Search this

Ward, Lynd, 1905-1985  Search this

Weisenborn, Rudolph, b. 1881  Search this

Extent:

15.8 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Prints

Government records

Interviews

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Slides (photographs)

Photograph albums

Drawings

Place:

United States -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945

United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945

Date:

1910-1993

bulk 1910-1960

Summary:

The papers of Holger Cahill (1887-1960) date from 1910 to 1993, with the bulk of the material dating from 1910-1960, and measure 15.8 linear feet. The collection offers researchers fairly comprehensive documentation of Cahill's directorship of the Works Progress/Projects Administration's (WPA) Federal Art Project (FAP) in addition to series documenting his work as a writer and art critic. Material includes correspondence, reports, artist files, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Holger Cahill (1887-1960) date from 1910 to 1993, bulk 1910-1960, and measure 15.8 linear feet. The collection offers researchers fairly comprehensive documentation of Cahill's directorship of the FAP in addition to series documenting his work as a writer and art critic. FAP records include national and state administrative reports, records of community art centers, photographic documentation of state activities, artist files, divisional records about teaching, crafts, murals, and poster work, files concerning the Index of American Design, scrapbooks, and printed material.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into nine series:

Series 1: Biographical Material and Personal Papers, 1931-1988 (Box 1; 19 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence Files, 1922-1979, 1993 (Boxes 1-2; 1.5 linear ft.)

Series 3: Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project, 1934-1970 (Boxes 2-14, 18, MMs009; 10.75 linear ft.)

Series 4: Writings, Lectures and Speeches, 1916-1960 (Boxes 14-15, 18; 1.0 linear ft.)

Series 5: Minutes of Meetings and Panel Discussions, Non-FAP, 1939-1947 (Box 15; 5 folders)

Series 6: Notes and Research Material, 1935-1970 (Boxes 15-16; 0.25 linear ft.)

Series 7: Artwork, undated (Boxes 16, 18; 2 folders)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1910-1985 (Boxes 16-17; 1.8 linear ft.)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1917-1960 (Box 17; 6 folders)

Biographical Note:

Holger Cahill was born Sveinn Kristjan Bjarnarson in Iceland in a small valley near the Arctic Circle, on January 13, 1887. His parents, Bjorn Jonson and Vigdis Bjarnadottir, immigrated to the United States from Iceland sometime later in the 1880s. In 1904, his father deserted the family, forcing Sveinn to be separated from his mother and sister to work on a farm in North Dakota. He ran away and wandered from job to job until settling in an orphanage in western Canada, where he attended school and became a voracious reader.

As a young man, he worked at many different jobs and attended night school. While working on a freighter, he visited Hong Kong, beginning his life-long interest in the Orient. Returning to New York City, he eventually became a newspaper reporter, continued his studies at New York University, and changed his name to Edgar Holger Cahill. In 1919 he married Katherine Gridley of Detroit. Their daughter, Jane Ann, was born in 1922, but the couple divorced in 1927.

Cahill met John Sloan circa 1920, and they shared a residence. Cahill also wrote publicity (until 1928) for the Society of Independent Artists, through which he made many friends in the arts. From 1922 to 1931, he worked under John Cotton Dana at the Newark Museum, where he received his basic experience in museum work, organizing the first large exhibitions of folk art.

From 1932 to 1935, he was the director of exhibitions for the Museum of Modern Art. In 1935, Cahill was appointed director of the Works Progress/Projects Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project (FAP), until its end in June 1943. In 1938, Cahill organized a countrywide exhibition "American Art Today" for the New York World's Fair. He also married MoMa curator Dorothy Canning Miller in that year.

Profane Earth, Cahill's first novel, was published in 1927, followed by monographs on Pop Hart and Max Weber, miscellaneous short stories, and a biography of Frederick Townsend Ward, entitled A Yankee Adventurer: The Story of Ward and the Taiping Rebellion. Following the end of the Federal Art Project, Cahill wrote two novels, Look South to the Polar Star (1947) and The Shadow of My Hand (1956).

Holger Cahill died in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in July 1960.

Provenance:

The Holger Cahill papers were donated to the Archives of American Art through a series of gifts by Cahill's widow, Dorothy C. Miller, between 1964 and 1995.

Restrictions:

The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art website.

Rights:

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

Occupation:

Arts administrators  Search this

Topic:

Federal aid to the public welfare  Search this

Art and state  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this

Public officers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Prints

Government records

Interviews

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Slides (photographs)

Photograph albums

Drawings

Citation:

Holger Cahill papers, 1910-1993, bulk 1910-1960. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the digitization of the microfilm of this collection was provided by Jane Blumenfeld.

Identifier:

AAA.cahiholg

See more items in:

Holger Cahill papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-cahiholg

Interviewee:

Abbenseth, William, 1898-1972  Search this

Interviewer:

McChesney, Mary Fuller  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this

Group f.64  Search this

Index of American Design  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Cunningham, Ben, 1904-1975  Search this

Dannenbaum, Ray  Search this

Danysh, Joseph A., 1906-1982  Search this

Hirsch, Hy  Search this

Ryan, Beatrice Judd  Search this

Extent:

13 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1964 November 23

Scope and Contents:

An interview of William Abbenseth conducted 1964 November 23, by Mary Fuller McChesney, for the Archives of American Art.

Abbenseth discusses his training in photography; his WPA assignments including photomurals of San Francisco architecture, for the Index of American Design, and the California Housing Authority, the Artists at Work series, documentation of the New York World's Fair, and other projects; his relationship with Benjamin F. Cummingham, Ray Dannenbaum, Joseph A. Danysh, Hy Hirsch, and Beatrice Judd Ryan; and his involvement with the f/64 Group.

Biographical / Historical:

William Abbenseth (1898-1972) was a photographer in San Francisco, California.

General:

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

Provenance:

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:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Photography, Artistic -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Photographers -- California -- San Francisco -- Interviews  Search this

Photography -- Study and teaching  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.abbens64

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-abbens64

Photographer:

Stauffer, Clyde Weaver, 1899-1984 (policeman)  Search this

Stauffer, Clyde Weaver, Mrs.  Search this

Names:

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States -- 1930-1940  Search this

Anderson, Eddie "Rochester"  Search this

Robinson, Bill, 1878-1949  Search this

Extent:

0.1 Cubic feet (1 box)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Tickets

Albums

Photographs

Postcards

Place:

Bryce Canyon National Park -- photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Utah

Wyoming -- photographs -- 1930-1940

Colorado -- photographs -- 1930-1940

Los Angeles (Calif.) -- photographs -- 1930-1940

South Dakota -- photographs -- 1930-1940

Florida -- photographs -- 1930-1940

Georgia -- photographs -- 1930-1940

Tennessee -- photographs -- 1930-1940

Zion National Park (Utah) -- photographs -- 1930-1940

Kentucky -- photographs -- 1930-1940

Mt. Rushmore S.D. -- photographs -- 1930-1940

Black Hills (S.D. and Wyo.) -- photographs -- 1930-1940

Badlands National Park (S.D.) -- 1930-1940 photographs

Date:

1935 - 1940

Summary:

The collection consists of a disassembled photograph album, featuring images from the travels of Stauffer and his wife.

Scope and Contents:

This album consists of 109 loose pages, bearing a total of 134 black and white silver gelatin photoprints, some postcards, and a photomechanical reproduction clipped from a publication, with a 1939 World's Fair ticket stub. The subjects of the photographs include: Lincoln's birthplace and other sites in Kentucky; Tennessee; Georgia; Florida; Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts; the 1939 New York World's Fair, ships in Battery Park and Manhattan buildings; the ships The Normandie, The Queen Mary, and The U.S.S. Constitution and the Southern Clipper airplane; the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota, Cathedral Spires and Mount Rushmore portrait busts during construction; Yellowstone National Park and Wyoming; Rocky Mountain National Park, Pikes Peak and Denver, Colorado; Bryce Canyon, the Mormon Temple, Zion National Park, Salt Lake City and other areas of Utah; Boulder Dam; Santa Catalina Island; Carlsbad Caverns; and celebrities Bill Robinson and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson at a barbecue in Los Angeles. There are also photographs of the Stauffers and of friends whom they visited during their travels.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into

Biographical / Historical:

Born in Alliance, Ohio on November 28, 1899, Clyde Stauffer served in the U.S. Navy from November 8, 1917 to July 31, 1919. He later worked as a police officer in Detroit, Michigan. He and his wife were active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars police post in Detroit, serving terms as post commander and president of the Women's Auxiliary, respectively. They traveled extensively throughout the United States to attend VFW meetings, and the album forms a record of their travels during the years 1935-1940. After retirement from the Detroit police force, the Stauffers moved to Oscoda, Michigan, and he worked at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Later they lived in Tucson, Arizona. Stauffer died in August, 1984.

Album forms a record of vacation travel by Mr. and Mrs. Clyde W. Stauffer, 1935-1940. Their travels were occasioned by Mr. Stauffer's position as commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars police post of Detroit, Michigan, and the need to attend V.F.W. meetings around the country. Mrs. Stauffer was president of the V.F.W. auxiliary. Mr. and Mrs. James H. Stern met the Stauffers in Oscoda, Michigan, and both families eventually relocated in Tucson, Arizona.

Provenance:

This collection was bequeathed by Clyde W. Stauffer in August 1984. Mr. Stern, as administrator of the estate, sent the album to the Museum.

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:

Automobile travel -- Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- U.S.A.  Search this

National parks and reserves  Search this

Vacations -- Photographs -- 1930-1940  Search this

Travel -- Photographs -- 1930-1940  Search this

Parks -- Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- U.S.A.  Search this

Recreation -- Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- U.S.A.  Search this

Veterans -- societies, etc -- United States  Search this

African American entertainers -- 20th century  Search this

Veterans -- Photographs -- 1930-1940  Search this

Exhibitions -- 1930-1940 -- New York  Search this

Entertainers -- 1930-1940  Search this

Genre/Form:

Tickets -- World's Fair, 1939 -- New York (N.Y.)

Albums

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- 1900-1950

Postcards

Citation:

Clyde W. Stauffer Family Photograph Album, 1935-1940, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0139

See more items in:

Clyde W. Stauffer Family Photograph Album

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0139

Creator:

Smith, Margery Hoffman, 1888-1981  Search this

Names:

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Timberline Lodge (Mount Hood, Or.)  Search this

United States. Works Progress Administration  Search this

Dell, Floyd, 1887-1969  Search this

Griffith, Emerson J.  Search this

Extent:

1 Reel (ca. 280 items (on 1 microfilm reel))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Reels

Date:

1939-1948

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence; writings, speeches and notes; clippings and other printed material; a list of requisitions for interior decoration; sketches; correspondence of Emerson J. Griffith, State Administrator for Oregon's Works Progress Administration; lyrics of George Natanson's song "Hail to Timberline"; and photographs of Griffith and Floyd Dell at Timberline Lodge. Also included is correspondence regarding the WPA crafts exhibit at the New York World's Fair.

Biographical / Historical:

Painter, craftsman, and interior decorator. Timberline is a ski lodge in Oregon which was built under the authority of the Works Progress Administration in the 1940s; Smith contributed to its design.

Provenance:

Lent by Sarah Munro, 1982, who served as the Vice President of Friends of Timberline.

Restrictions:

The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

Occupation:

Interior decorators -- Oregon  Search this

Painters -- Oregon  Search this

Topic:

Women artists -- Oregon  Search this

Handicraft -- Exhibitions  Search this

New Deal art  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.smitmarg

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-smitmarg

Creator:

Loew, Michael, 1907-1985  Search this

Names:

Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors  Search this

Holland-Goldowsky Gallery  Search this

Landmark Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Marilyn Pearl Gallery  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

United States. Work Projects Administration  Search this

University of California, Berkeley  Search this

Albers, Josef  Search this

De Kooning, Elaine  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997 -- Photographs  Search this

Dehner, Dorothy, 1901-1994  Search this

Gottlieb, Adolph, 1903-1974  Search this

Hasen, Burt  Search this

Jensen, Alfred, 1903-1981  Search this

Johnson, Philip, 1906-2005  Search this

Kahn, Louis I., 1901-1974  Search this

Kaprow, Allan  Search this

Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this

Lahey, Richard, b. 1893  Search this

McDarrah, Fred W., 1926-2007  Search this

McNeil, George, 1908-1995  Search this

McPherson, Sarah Freedman, 1895-1978  Search this

Morris, George L. K., 1905-1975  Search this

Odets, Clifford, 1906-1963  Search this

Schempp, Theodore  Search this

Schnitzler, Max, 1903-  Search this

Siskind, Aaron  Search this

Slivka, Rose  Search this

Extent:

1.8 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 2 reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1930-1997

Scope and Contents:

Biographical material, correspondence, notes, writings, photographs, business and financial records, works of art, and printed material document the career of painter and educator Michael Loew.

REEL N68-94: Biographical material, 1957-1967, includes 5 biographical sketches, a bibliography of Loew's publications, and an artist's statement. Correspondence, 1935-1968, is with colleagues, galleries, and educational institutions. There are one or two letters each from colleagues Josef Albers, Willem de Kooning, Adolph Gottlieb, Philip Johnson, Richard Lahey, George L.K. Morris, and Clifford Odets. Nine letters relate to Loew's work for the U.S. Works Progress Administration and the New York World's Fair. Writings, 1966, consist of several drafts for essay "Is It the Function of the Artist to Communicate with his Audience." A contract, 1938, is between Loew and Willem de Kooning and the New York World's Fair 1939 Inc. Printed material, 1944-1968, consists of exhibition announcements and catalogs. Photographs, 1960-1964, are of Loew and his art works. Notes consist of 2 undated notebooks and a typescript concerning Josef Albers. A scrapbook, 1938-1965, contains 4 photographs of art works, clippings, and exhibition announcements and catalogs.

REEL 5053: Correspondence, 1944-1990, is with galleries, including the Holland-Goldowsky Gallery, educational institutions, including the University of California at Berkeley, and colleagues including Dorothy Dehner, Burt Hasen, and Aaron Siskind. Correspondence, 1956-1957, with Rockwell Kent concerns the rental of Kent's Monhegan Island cabin. One letter, 1959, includes 3 photographs of Loew, Louis Kahn, Allan Kaprow, and George McNeil. Lecture notes are for an Artists Equity symposium, 1956, and a panel discussion on painting, 1968. Writings, 1968-1979, consist of 3 essays by Loew and tributes written to Sarah Freedman McPherson by Loew and others. Printed material, 1932-1992, consists of clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and a book "The Artist's World" by Fred W. McDarrah. Photographs, 1930-1979, are of Loew, his friends, and his art works. One photograph is of Alfred Jensen, Theodore Schempp, Max Schnitzler, and Loew in Tunis, 1930.

UNMICROFILMED Biographical material incudes curriculum vita, obituaries, and birth announcements of Jonathan Loew, Michael Loew's son. Correspondence is with Willem and Elaine de Kooning. Writings include notes and a transcription of Loew's 1966 MoMA talk Must the Artist Communicate with his Audience, drafts of an article by Loew regarding Joseph Albers NEA and Guggenheim grant applications. Photographs are of Loew, his artwork, and his travels in Mexico as well as a color photograph of Loew and Willem de Kooning in de Kooning's studio taken by Rose Slivka. Artwork includes original off-prints for book covers. Business files relate to the 1939 World's Fair mural commission and include information about gifts of artwork to museums. Financial material includes a sales record book and records of sales with the Marilyn Pearl and Landmark galleries. Also included are literature and directories from the Federation of Modern Painters & Sculptors, exhibition announcements,and newspaper clippings.

Biographical / Historical:

Born in New York City, Michael Loew (1907-1985) studied at the Art Students League from 1926-1929, Academie Scandinave in Paris from 1929-1930, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Art from 1947-1949, and at the Atelier Fernand Leger from 1949-1950. Loew worked as a stained glass artist from 1926 to 1929, and painted murals with Willem de Kooning for the New York World's Fair of 1939. Between 1956 and 1966, he taught painting at the Portland (Oregon) Art Museum, University of California at Berkeley, and at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

Provenance:

Material on reel N68-94 lent for microfilming 1968 by Michael Loew; approximately 50 letters and an artists' statement were later received in subsequent donations. Additional papers were donated in 1981-1982 by Loew, and in 1994 and 2008 by his widow, Mildred C. Loew, a portion of which was microfilmed on reel 5053. The photograph of Loew and de Kooning taken by Rose Slivka was donated by Loew's niece, Jackie Cohen, in 2007.

Restrictions:

Microfilmed portion must be accessed on film. Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Occupation:

Painters  Search this

Art teachers  Search this

Topic:

Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.loewmich

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-loewmich

Interviewee:

Lewis, Monty, 1907-1997  Search this

Interviewer:

McGlynn, Betty Hoag  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Coronado School of Fine Arts  Search this

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Extent:

1 Sound tape reel (Sound recordings, 5 in.)

15 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound tape reels

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1964 June 25

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Monty Lewis conducted 1964 June 25, by Betty Hoag, for the Archives of American Art.

Interview conducted at Coronado School of Fine Arts in San Diego, Calif. Lewis discusses his art training at the Art Students' League in N.Y., his study of mural and easel painting in Europe, and his freelance mural work before his involvement with the Public Works of Art Project. He describes the developing presence of mural art in New York with Diego Rivera's mural at Rockefeller Center and the 1939 New York World's Fair. Lewis tells of the Artists, Painters, and Sculptors Collaborators, a collaborative group interested in developing community art projects, and discusses the use of murals in the 1939 New York World's Fair and the different techniques used for those and other public projects.

Biographical / Historical:

Monty Lewis (1907-1997) was a painter, designer, muralist in New York and California.

General:

Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav files. Duration is 49 min.

Provenance:

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:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Painters -- California -- San Diego -- Interviews  Search this

Muralists -- California -- San Diego -- Interviews  Search this

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.lewis64

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-lewis64

Creator:

Du Mont, Allen B. (Allen Balcom), 1901-1965  Search this

Source:

Electricity and Modern Physics, Division of, NMAH, SI.  Search this

Names:

Du Mont Laboratories, Inc.  Search this

Former owner:

Electricity and Modern Physics, Division of, NMAH, SI.  Search this

Extent:

46 Cubic feet (150 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Clippings

Newsletters

Scrapbooks

Notebooks

Motion pictures (visual works)

Photographs

Date:

1884-1965

Scope and Contents:

While the collection is focused rather specifically on the development of television in America, including technical details, legal proceedings, marketing and advertisement, and manufacturing, it is also a rich source for the history of American advertising, work cultures, sales, and entertainment. There is also information about radio, mostly in periodicals collected by Du Mont. Information about Allen Du Mont is largely limited to his professional development and activities, except for a few travel photographs and information about and logbooks from his boat.

Materials date from 1884 to 1965, but the bulk come from the years 1931 1960; mostly scattered periodicals comprise the earlier years.

The collection includes correspondence, photographs, blueprints, films, videotapes, pamphlets, books, periodicals, newspaper and magazine clippings, annual reports, organization charts, stock records, ticker tape, legal documents, patent documents, bills, accountants' reports, meeting minutes, scrapbooks, technical drawings, advertisements, catalogs, and technical manuals. Processing included revising the previous series order, refoldering and reboxing all items, and completely revising the finding aid. Duplicates were weeded out; two copies were retained of any multiple item. Materials in binders were unbound. An example of each binder with the DuMont logo was retained, and the materials once contained therein refer to the appropriate binder in the container list. Plain office binders were discarded.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into 16 series.

Series 1: Personal Files, 1920s-1965

Series 2: Executive Records, 1938-1964

Series 3: Stock Records, 1937-1962

Series 4: DuMont Laboratories, Inc., Patents and Legal Proceedings, 1884-1960

Series 5: DuMont Laboratories, Inc., Financial Records, 1931-1964

Series 6: DuMont Laboratories, Inc., Operations, 1938-1958

Series 7: Radio Technical Planning Board, 1944-1946

Series 8: Federal Communications Commission, 1940-1959 and undated

Series 9: DuMont Laboratories, Marketing and Sales, 1939-1961 and undated

Series 10: Telecommunications for Venezuela, 1952-1957 and undated

Series 11: Du Mont Network, 1944-1952 and undated

Series 12: Du Mont Publications, 1933-1963 and undated

Series 13: Photographs, 1928-1960 and undated

Series 14: Clippings/Scrapbooks, 1933-1962

Series 15: Non-Du Mont Publications, 1892, 1907-1963 and undated

Series 16: Audiovisual Materials, 1948-1955

Series 17: Addenda, 1933-1959

Biographical / Historical:

Allen Balcom Du Mont was born Jan. 29, 1901, in Brooklyn, NY to S. William Henry Beaman and Lillian Felton Balcom Du Mont. He contracted poliomyelitis when he was eleven and was confined to bed for nearly a year. During his illness, he began to amuse himself with a crystal radio set; by year's end, he had built a receiving and transmitting set. He was licensed as a ship's wireless operator when he was fifteen, and took a job a year later as a radio operator on a passenger vessel that ran between New York and Providence, RI. He worked as a radio operator for the next seven years.

Du Mont graduated in 1924 from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, with a degree in electrical engineering. He had already begun his first invention for the Sound Operated Circuit Controller, a device that turns a switch on or off when it hears a sharp sound; he used it to turn off his radio during commercials with a hand clap. Du Mont began working for the Westinghouse Lamp Company (later a division of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation), raising their output of radio tubes from 500 a day to 5,000 an hour in four years. For this, he received the Westinghouse Achievement Award in 1927. He left Westinghouse to become chief engineer at the De Forest Radio Company in 1928; his inventions increased output there to 30,000 radio tubes a day, and he was promoted to vice president in charge of production. In 1929, he received his first patent, for a radio tube mounting device.

He also worked with television at De Forest, using mechanical receivers with a spinning "Nipkow disk" that scanned electrical impulses and gave the effect of a motion picture. The De Forest experimental transmitter, W2XCD, in Passaic, NJ, broadcast television programs in 1930. Du Mont quickly concluded that there was no future in scanning discs; they produced a small, dark picture, and were difficult to build correctly. Others had developed television pictures that were produced by an electronic beam scanning rapidly across a florescent screen at the end of a tube. However, those cathode ray tubes were still imported from Germany, were very expensive, and burned out after only twenty five to thirty hours.

Du Mont left his job at De Forest in 1931 and started a cathode ray manufacturing business in a garage laboratory at his home. He developed a tube that lasted a thousand hours and could be manufactured inexpensively. There was almost no market for his tubes; gross sales income the first year was only $70. However, the tubes were an integral part of the cathode ray oscillograph, an instrument widely used in physics laboratories that measures and records changes in electrical current over time. The business, incorporated in 1935 as DuMont Laboratories, Inc., prospered in the oscillograph market. DuMont Labs moved in 1933 into a series of empty stores, then to a plant in Passaic, NJ, in 1937. Du Mont also acted as consultant to manufacturers with cathode ray tube problems and served as an expert witness in patent litigations.

Du Mont used the money he made from oscillographs to develop television. His innovations in making precise, quickly manufactured, inexpensive, long lasting cathode ray tubes made commercial television possible. In 1938, Du Mont sold a half interest in his company to the Paramount Pictures Corporation to raise capital for broadcasting stations. In 1939, the company became the first to market a television receiver for homes, and was part of a major display at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. Television development and sales were cut off by World War II, since DuMont Laboratories converted entirely to wartime production of oscillographs and to radar research. DuMont Laboratories returned to television production in 1946 and was the first company to market a postwar television set. By 1951 the company grossed $75 million a year and had four plants manufacturing television sending and receiving equipment in Passaic, Allwood, East Paterson, and Clifton, NJ. Du Mont had become the television industry's first millionaire. He was chosen in a Forbes magazine poll as one of the twelve foremost business leaders of America that same year, and was once characterized as "one of the very few inventors in the annals of American industry who have made more money from their inventions than anyone else has" (Rice, 36).

Du Mont began an experimental television station, W2XTV, in Passaic, NJ, in 1939. He added WABD (later WNEW TV) in New York City, WTTG in Washington, D.C., and WDTV (later KDKA) in Pittsburgh, PA. He concentrated on technology and business, leaving entertainment to others in the company. However, the DuMont Network "featured such names as Ernie Kovacs, Morey Amsterdam, Ted Mack, Ernest Borgnine, Jan Murray, and Dennis James. Its long running variety hour, Cavalcade of Stars, showcased not only Jackie Gleason but The Honeymooners, which made its debut as a Cavalcade sketch" (Krampner, 98). The 1950s superhero Captain Video became famous on the DuMont network, and Bishop Fulton Sheen's inspirational show, "Life is Worth Livinq," won surprisingly high ratings (Watson, 17). Ultimately, America's fourth network failed: in 1955, DuMont Broadcasting separated from Du Mont Laboratories, Inc., becoming the Metropolitan Broadcasting Company and, with the addition of other properties, Metromedia, Inc.

Du Mont testified frequently before the Federal Communications Commission to set technical standards for American television broadcast between 1945 and 1952. In 1946, Du Mont's company was one of several to oppose the Columbia Broadcasting System's petition to the FCC to establish color television standards; Du Mont preferred to wait for further research to develop all electronic color television, rather than the mechanical method CBS favored. He felt that method produced a picture far less than optimal, and would have required persons who did not own color sets to purchase adapters to receive broadcasts being produced in color. Standards were developed by the National Television Standards Committee in 1951 1953; the Federal Communications Commission accepted them in 1953, and regular transmission of color programs began on the major networks, including the DuMont Network, in 1954.

Sales of television receivers from DuMont Laboratories, Inc. peaked in 1954; by the late 1950s, the company was losing money. The Emerson Radio and Phonograph Company purchased the division that produced television sets, phonographs, and high fidelity and stereo equipment in 1958. In 1960 remaining Du Mont interests merged with the Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation. Du Mont was president of DuMont Laboratories, Inc., until 1956, when he became chairman of the Board of Directors. His title changed to Chairman and General Manager in 1959. In 1961 he became Senior Technical Advisor, Allen B. Du Mont Laboratories, Division of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation.

Du Mont received many awards for his work, including honorary doctorates from Rennselaer (1944), Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute (1949), Fairleigh Dickinson College (1955), and New York University (1955). He received the Marconi Memorial Medal for Achievement in 1945, and an American Television society award in 1943 for his contributions to the field. In 1949, he received the Horatio Alger Award, "a yearly prize bestowed by the American Schools and Colleges Association on the man whose rise to fortune most nearly parallels the virtuous careers of Ben the Luggage Boy and Tattered Tom" (Rice, 35). He held more than thirty patents for developments in cathode ray tubes and other television devices. His inventions included the "magic eye tube" once commonly seen on radios and the Duovision, a television that could receive two programs simultaneously. Du Mont was also noted for success in predicted log power boat racing; in his television equipped Hurricane III, he became the national champion of the power cruiser division of the American Power Boat Association in 1953 1955 and 1958. Du Mont died November 15, 1965; his obituary appeared on the front page of the New York Times. He was survived by Ethel Martha Steadman, whom he married in 1926, and their two children, Allen Balcom, Jr., and Yvonne.

Sources

Current Biography 1946, pp. 162 164. Krampner, Jon. "The Death of the DuMont [sic] Network: A Real TV Whodunit." Emmy Magazine (July August 1990): 96 103.

Obituary, New York Times, 16 November 1965, 1:3.

Rice, Robert. "The Prudent Pioneer." The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 1951.

Watson, Mary Ann. "And they Said 'Uncle Fultie Didn't Have a Prayer . . . "11 Television Quarterly 26, no. 3(1993): 16 21.

Who's Who in America, 1962.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the New York World's Fair, 1939-1940

Warshaw Collection, Worlds Expositions, New York World's Fair, 1939 (AC0060)

Larry Zim World's Fair Collection (AC0519)

George H. Clark "Radioana" Collection, ca. 1880-1950 (AC0055)

Division of Work and Industry

Related artifacts consist of cathode ray tubes, oscillographs, television receivers (including a Duoscope), and other instruments. See accession #:EM*315206, EM*315208, EM*315209, EM*327728, EM*327735, EM*327742, EM*327743, EM*327745, EM*327749, EM*327751, EM*327756, EM*327758, EM*327759, EM*327760, EM*327763, EM*327770, EM*328155, EM*328178, EM*328182, EM*328193, EM*328198, EM*328200, EM*328209, EM*328212, EM*328224, EM*328231, EM*328247, EM*328253, EM*328258, EM*328264, EM*328269, EM*328271, EM*328277, EM*328280, EM*328282, EM*328283, EM*328286, EM*328299, EM*328305, EM*328306, EM*328315, EM*328316, EM*328322, EM*328325, EM*328327, EM*328336, EM*328337, EM*328343, EM*328348, EM*328352, EM*328353, EM*328366, EM*328368, ZZ*RSN80323A74, ZZ*RSN80552U05, ZZ*RSN80748U09, ZZ*RSN80748U11, ZZ*RSN80844U09, and ZZ*RSN81576U01.

Library of Congress

Records of the Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, Inc. 1930 1960 (bulk 1945 1960). 56 lin. ft. Consists of nine series: Administrative Files, 1935 1960; General Correspondence, ca. 1930 1960; Interoffice Correspondence, ca. 1935 1960; Financial Records, 1932 1960; Sales and Advertising File, 1936 1960; Production and Engineering File, 1932 1960; Television File, ca. 1935 1960; Hearings File, 1935 1957; and General Miscellany, ca. 1937 1960. National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections number 68 2021; National Inventory of Documentary Sources number 2.1.243.

Wayne State University, Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs

John H. Zieger Papers, 1942 1980. 1 box (type not specified). Correspondence, clippings, leaflets, and memoranda, related to Zieger's union activities with Western Electric Employees Association and Allen B. Du Mont Laboratories. National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections number 91 2872.

Provenance:

Immediate source of acquisition unknown.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. 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. Only reference copies of audiovisual materials may be used. Contact the Archives Center for more information: archivescenter@si.edu.

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:

Electricity  Search this

Television broadcasting  Search this

Televisions -- advertising  Search this

Television  Search this

Genre/Form:

Clippings -- 20th century

Newsletters

Scrapbooks -- 20th century

Notebooks

Motion pictures (visual works)

Photographs -- 20th century

Citation:

Allen Balcom Du Mont Collection, 1929-1965, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0018

See more items in:

Allen Balcom Du Mont Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0018

Creator:

Heythum, Antonin, 1901-1954  Search this

Names:

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Heythum, Charlotta, ca. 1900-  Search this

Hutchins, Robert Maynard, 1899-  Search this

Extent:

3.7 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1920-1959

Scope and Contents:

Primarily subject files containing letters, photographs, and printed material pertaining to various international expositions and Heythum's teaching activities.

Subject files containing letters, photographs, and printed material for the Industrial Design exposition, 1942-1948; International Exposition in Brno, Czechoslovakia, 1928; Paris Exposition, 1937; Swiss Exposition in Zurich, 1939; San Francisco Bay Exposition, 1939; New York World's Fair, 1937-1940; Cleveland International Exposition, 1941; and the International Exposition in Rome, 1942;

draft manuscripts for books by Heythum and his wife, Charlotta, DESIGN FOR USE and PACKAGING DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS; typescripts, 1941-1942, of essays by Robert M. Hutchins, concerning education and World War II; teaching files containing letters, student reports, photographs, and printed material for the California Institute of Technology, 1942-1945, and Syracuse University, 1949-1958;

photographs, 1920-1936, of Czechoslovakian countryside, people, museums, and expositions; a typescript, "Industrial Design", by Donald Dohner; exhibition catalogs, 1931-1939, for the National Society of Mural Painters members' "portfolio"; Exposition Coloniale Internationale (Paris); Czech art at the American Fine Arts Building (New York); Exposition Internationale de la Technique de L'Eau; Danish Industrial Art; and United Scenic Artists; and miscellaneous display publications and industrial supply catalogs.

Other material includes; 6 undated drafts of letters; a letter, 1935, from Jacques Lambert concerning the Czechoslovakian pavilion at the Exposition de Bruxelles; and a postcard, 1939, from Czechoslovakia.

Biographical / Historical:

Industrial designer. Czechoslovakian born, Heythum received his degree in Architectural Engineering from the Prague Institute of Technology in 1934. Came to the United States in 1939 to survey the New York and San Francisco World's Fairs and research exhibition techniques. In 1941, Heythum was appointed to the California Institute of Technology to organize and direct the Industrial Design Department. He also taught Design at Columbia University and was a consultant to the firm of Norman Bel Geddes. From 1946 until his death, he was engaged by Syracuse University as head of Industrial Design.

Provenance:

Donated 1985 by Arthur Pulos, who succeeded Heythum as head of Industrial Design at Syracuse. Pulos received material in 1956 from Charlotte Heythum.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.

Occupation:

Designers  Search this

Topic:

Design, Industrial  Search this

Design, Industrial -- Study and teaching  Search this

Function:

Exhibitions

Identifier:

AAA.heytanto

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-heytanto

Creator:

Bear, Donald, 1905-1952  Search this

Names:

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Fremantle, Anne Jackson, 1909-  Search this

Lansner, Jules, 1911-1967  Search this

Extent:

2 Linear feet ((on 3 microfilm reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1923-1960

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence, writings, notes, photographs, catalogs, printed material, and scrapbooks.

REELS 1713-1715: 285 letters; drafts and notes for lectures, critical works, and radio talks; paper relating to the design of the "Contemporary American Art" exhibit at the New York's World Fair; a curriculum vitae; essays by other individuals, including Jules Lansner and Anne Fremantle; photographs of Bear's art works; exhibition catalogs and announcements; clippings; periodicals; and printed material.

REEL 1286: Three scrapbooks of clippings, including articles written by Bear while director of the Denver Art Museum and Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Biographical / Historical:

Museum director, critic, author, and artist; Santa Barbara, Calif.; b. 1905; d. 1952; full name: Donald Jeffries Bear.

Provenance:

Lent and donated by Esther Bear, widow of Bear.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Occupation:

Museum directors -- California  Search this

Art critics -- California -- Santa Barbara  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Art criticism  Search this

Function:

Art museums -- California -- Santa Barbara

Art museums -- Colorado -- Denver

Identifier:

AAA.beardona

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-beardona

Creator:

Meiere, M. Hildreth, d. 1961  Search this

Names:

Exposition internationale (1937 : Paris, France)  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Peter A. Juley & Son  Search this

United States. Navy  Search this

Abbott, Berenice, 1898-1991  Search this

Dunn, Louise Meière  Search this

Extent:

27.3 Linear feet

0.068 Gigabytes

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gigabytes

Slides (photographs)

Transcripts

Video recordings

Photographs

Poetry

Diaries

Sketchbooks

Place:

Spain -- History -- Civil War, 1936-1939

Date:

1901-2011

bulk 1911-1960

Summary:

The papers of Hildreth Meière measure 27.3 linear feet and 0.068 GB and date from 1901 to 2011, with the bulk of material dating from 1911 to 1960. The collection documents Meière's life and travels, and her long and prolific career as an architectural muralist through biographical material, correspondence, writings, thirteen diaries, files regarding her war relief work during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, printed and digital materials, extensive photographs and slides, eight sketchbooks, and two videocassettes and 93 reels of motion picture film documenting her travels, her volunteer efforts in Spain following the civil war, artwork, and home movies.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of Hildreth Meière measure 27.3 linear feet and 0.068 GB and date from 1901 to 2011, with the bulk of material dating from 1911 to 1960. The collection documents Meière's life and travels, and her long and prolific career as an architectural muralist through biographical material, correspondence, writings, thirteen diaries, files regarding her war relief work during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, printed and digital materials, extensive photographs and slides, eight sketchbooks, and two videocassettes and 93 reels of motion picture film documenting her travels, her volunteer efforts in Spain following the civil war, artwork, and home movies.

Biographical material includes an autobiographical narrative written by Meière, her many awards and certificates, membership information, passports, her U.S. Navy service records from World War I, documentation of her brief marriage and family genealogy, obituaries, and memorial service documentation. Also found are extensive writings and research conducted by Meière's daughter, Louise Meière Dunn, which include a complete list of Meière's commissions, detailed biographical narratives, and records of Meière's works held elsewhere.

The papers contain Meière's personal and family correspondence, travel correspondence, and business correspondence regarding professional activities. Much of the correspondence with family and friends was written during Meière's extensive travels over the world. Both family and travel correspondence have extensive indexes, summaries, and in some cases, transcripts prepared by Meière's daughter, Louise Meière Dunn. Some of the indexes, summaries and transcripts are digital. Writings include poetry and diaries kept during childhood and school years, travel diaries, essays and talks written about Meière's work, writings Meière prepared for committees of the National Mural Painters Association, and detailed travelogues of her trips to Constantinople and the Balkans in 1933, to Russia in 1936, her "Grand Tour" to Australia, Southeast Asia, India, Africa, and Europe in 1952-1953, and her "Holy Land" tour of the Middle East in 1954.

Civilian War Service Records document Meière's efforts at war relief organization during and after the Spanish Civil War and during World War II. The Spanish Civil War files include extensive photographs provided by the Spanish government as well as three motion picture films documenting refugees and damaged architecture and public artwork shot by Meière during a trip sponsored by Franco's government. World War II activities concern Meière's efforts to organize artists in the United States to design and execute murals and other works of public art at military facilities around the U.S.

Travel records include maps, ephemera, slides, and 83 motion picture films taken on trips abroad between 1933 and 1958. Trips include Eastern and Western Europe, the Mediterranean Region and the Middle East, South America, Mexico and Guatemala, India, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, and the UK. The motion picture films are mostly shot in Kodachrome color and many contain intertitles prepared by Meière to identify locations for travel lectures.

Printed materials consist primarily of clippings and publications that reference Meière's work, contain profiles of her, or contain published writings by her. A single published educational film is also found, given to her by an Australian filmmaker friend. Additional photographs, digital photographs and moving images include personal photographs of Meière, with portraits by Peter A. Juley and Sons and Berenice Abbott, photographs of many of her commissioned works, and a few photographs of artwork by others. Home movies show Meière with friends in 1926 and 1940. Among the photographic documentation of artworks by Meière and others are motion picture films of the 1939 New York World's Fair, the D.C. Municipal Building Frieze, and the 1937 Paris Fair; also found are 311 lantern slides and 201 glass copy negatives of her own completed works as well as murals she documented while traveling, notably murals in Norway and Oberammergau, Bavaria, taken in the 1930s.

Eight sketchbooks date to her early years as an art student and artist and include many figure studies, landscapes, and theatrical sketches made at home and abroad.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in 8 series. Indexes, summaries, and transcripts prepared by Louise Meière Dunn that relate directly to archival materials in the collection are found throughout the collection with the material they describe. These indices are particularly rich in Series 2, Correspondence.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1915-2003 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 1, 14, OV18)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1901-2011 (3 linear feet; Boxes 1-4, RD19, 0.038 GB; ER01-ER03)

Series 3: Writings, 1904-1960 (1.3 linear feet; Boxes 4-5)

Series 4: Civilian War Service Records, 1938-2006 (1.3 linear feet; Boxes 5-6, 15, FC 28-30)

Series 5: Travel Records, 1933-1958 (12.8 linear feet; Boxes 6-10, 15, OV18, FC 31-111)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1913-1998 (2.1 linear feet; Boxes 10-12, 15, FC 112)

Series 7: Photographs and Moving Images, 1915-1966 (5.8 linear feet; Boxes 12-13, 16, 20-27, FC 17, 113-127, 0.029 GB; ER04)

Series 8: Sketchbooks, 1911-1922 (0.4 linear feet; Box 13)

Biographical / Historical:

Hildreth Meière (1892-1961) was born in Flushing, New York, and had a prolific career from 1921-1961 as an architectural muralist working primarily in an Art Deco style. Meière painted murals and designed for various mediums including mosaic, metal, and stained glass. In 1956 the American Institute of Architects awarded Meière their Fine Arts Medal.

Meière was educated at New York's Convent of the Sacred Heart, Manhattanville, the Art Students League in New York, the California School of Fine Arts (now San Francisco Art Institute), and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, in addition to pursuing studies in Italy. Her major commissions include the Nebraska State Capitol at Lincoln, the National Academy of Sciences, the Resurrection Chapel of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. In New York, she designed the Art Deco plaques on the exterior wall of Radio City Music Hall; created mosaic interiors for the Irving Trust Building at 1 Wall Street; and provided ecclesiastical decorations for St. Patrick's Cathedral, St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, Temple Emanu-El, and elsewhere. She also created murals for the Chicago 1933 Century of Progress Fair, and the 1939 New York World's Fair.

She was also an active officer in the Art Students League and the National Society of Mural Painters. Some of her most inspired collaborations were with the architect Bertram Goodhue in the 1920s, and only his sudden death in 1924 put an end to them, although some projects were finished with the successor firm.

Meière died in 1961 at the age of 68. Her work is remembered in several major publications, including The Art Deco Murals of Hildreth Meière by Catherine Coleman Brawer and Kathleen Murphy Skolnik, with photographs by Meière's granddaughter, Hildreth Meière Dunn, published in 2014; and the catalog of the 2009 exhibition at St. Bonaventure University, curated by Brawer and photographed by Dunn, entitled Walls Speak: the Narrative Art of Hildreth Meière.

Provenance:

A majority of the collection placed on deposit 2001 by Louise Meière Dunn, daughter of Hildreth Meière. The collection was donated incrementally by Dunn through 2012. Donations occurred 2001-2007, and again in 2010-2012.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires and appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Rights:

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

Occupation:

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

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

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

Topic:

War relief  Search this

Travel  Search this

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

World War I, 1914-1918  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Art commissions  Search this

Motion pictures (visual works)  Search this

Genre/Form:

Slides (photographs)

Transcripts

Video recordings

Photographs

Poetry

Diaries

Sketchbooks

Citation:

Hildreth Meière papers, 1901-2011, bulk 1911-1960. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the digitization of 84 reels of motion picture film in the collection was provided by The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University through a generous grant from the Ruth Dayton Foundation. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.

Identifier:

AAA.meiemari

See more items in:

Hildreth Meière papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-meiemari

Collector:

Zim, Larry (Larry Zimmerman), 1931-1987  Search this

Donor:

Zim, Larry (Larry Zimmerman), 1931-1987  Search this

Names:

New York Telephone  Search this

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Collection Collector:

Cultural History, Division of (NMAH, SI).  Search this

Cooper-Hewitt Museum.  Search this

Zim, Larry (Larry Zimmerman), 1931-1987  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (8"x10".)

Type:

Archival materials

Photographs

Place:

New York (N.Y.) -- 1930-1940

Date:

1939

Scope and Contents:

Decals on booth for New York Telephone; photographer unidentified.

Local Numbers:

AC0519-0000043.tif (AC Scan)

General:

In Box 48.

Restrictions:

Unrestricted research use on site by appointment. Photographs must be handled with cotton gloves unless protected by sleeves.

Collection 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:

Telephone booths  Search this

telephone  Search this

Exhibitions -- 1930-1940 -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin

Collection Citation:

Larry Zim World's Fair Collection, 1841-1988, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

See more items in:

Larry Zim World's Fair Collection

Larry Zim World's Fair Collection / Series 1: World 's Fairs Materials / New York, black and white photographs (2 volumes)

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0519-ref979

Creator:

Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969  Search this

Extent:

9.09 Cubic feet (consisting of 17.5 boxes, 1 folder, 19 oversize folders, 12 map case folders, 3 flat boxes (1 full, 2 partial), plus digital images of some collection material.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Business ephemera

Ephemera

Date:

1851-1965

Summary:

A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: World Expositions forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Subseries 1.1: Subject Categories. The Subject Categories subseries is divided into 470 subject categories based on those created by Mr. Warshaw. These subject categories include topical subjects, types or forms of material, people, organizations, historical events, and other categories. An overview to the entire Warshaw collection is available here: Warshaw Collection of Business Americana

Scope and Contents:

This material consists primarily of guide books, souvenir books, catalogs, brochures, maps, general images, lithographs, advertising cards, postcards, commemorative stamps, tickets and correspondence created for the World's Fairs. A few trade catalogs (Chicago, 1893), magazines, bubble gum cards (Chicago, 1933-1934) and photographs are also included in the materials. One remarkable item in the world exposition's material is a "peephole" paper toy viewer from the New York 1939-1940 fair.

The amount of material for each fair varies widely. Most of the fairs including Paris 1855, Lausanne 1857, Boston 1883-1884, Bordeaux 1895, Philadelphia 1899, Milan 1906, Albuquerque 1908 and Seattle 1962 have very little information. The Philadelphia 1876 and Chicago 1893 expositions, however, contain a substantial amount of material. A number of expositions are not included among the materials. The container list indicates which fairs the Archives Center has information on in this collection.

A number of the expositions were given a nickname, mostly as a result of the architecture dominating the fair. Examples of those nicknames include the White City (Chicago 1893), the Magic City (Omaha 1898), the Rainbow City (Buffalo 1901), the Ivory City (St. Louis 1904), the Jewel City (San Francisco 1915), and Treasure Island San Francisco 1939-1940).

The World Expositions tend to have a theme or celebrate a special event. "The Age of Steam" was the theme for the first world exposition, held in London in 1851. In 1876, the Philadelphia exposition celebrated a century of American independence. The common name was the "Philadelphia Centennial." The Chicago 1893 fair celebrated the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America and was referred to as the "World's Columbian Exposition." The Omaha exposition in 1898 is known as the "Invitation to Renewed Expansion of the West." Buffalo's theme in 1901 was "All Americas Exposition", demonstrating the cultural, commercial and technical progress of the Western Hemisphere. Expanding the West was the theme for the St. Louis fair in 1904 to celebrate the lOOth anniversary of the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France. In 1915, San Francisco celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal. American independence was celebrated again in Philadelphia in 1926 marking 150 years. Chicago's fair in 1933-1934 was called "A Century of Progress" it was incorporated as a city in 1833. The exposition in New York in 1939-1940 had two themes: "Building a World for Tomorrow" in 1939 and "For Peace and Freedom" in 1940. San Francisco's world's fair in 1939-1940 also had two themes: "Dawn of a New Day" in 1939 and "Fun in the Fourties" in 1940. The theme for New York's exposition in 1964-1965, "Peace Through Understanding", celebrated the 300th anniversary of the naming of New York by the British and the 15th anniversary of the United Nations in New York City.

Researchers interested in women's history will find little information on that subject. Most of the expositions had a Women's building, however, there are only a few items referring to them in this collection. Such materials include a book from the Philadelphia 1876 fair which discusses women's work. Another book from the Chicago 1893 fair examines the art and handicraft in the Women's building. A pamphlet also from the Chicago fair contains the official minutes of the Board of Lady Managers.

The materials in boxes one through seventeen are organized in chronological order by the name of the location of the fair. A number of manufacturers and distributors of various products created advertising for the expositions. Such materials remain with those created about the fair. A photocopy of product advertising has been filed in the appropriate subject category in the Warshaw Collection. Box eighteen contains miscellaneous items that could not be identified with a particular exposition. Such materials include photographs, advertising cards and souvenir books.

Other collections in the Archives that relate to world expositions are the Orth and Zimm collections. The Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the New York World's Fair 1939-1940 primarily documents the general organization of the New York fair and specific national or corporate pavilions. Holdings include advertising and promotional literature, press kits, maps and official guides, photographs and brochures. Additional material includes scrapbooks, photo album, diaries, postcards and posters. Among the personal papers of Mr. Orth are correspondence and copies of the newsletter, Exposition Collectors and Historians Organization (ECHO). ECHO was organized by Mr. Orth in 1976 for collectors and historians of world's fairs and disbanded upon his death. This collection is stored off site. Researchers are requested to make an appointment to use the materials. The Zimm Collection contains materials from a number of the world's fairs. These materials are also stored off site and researchers will need to make an appointment.

Materials in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History that relate to the world's fairs can also be found in its Library. The Library has both primary and secondary sources. All of the primary materials have been microfilmed. The library also contains a comprehensive collection of secondary sources on the expositions. Among the secondary sources is a publication The Book Fairs, Materials about World's Fairs, 1834-1916, in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries (1992).

Special collections (Dibner Library) contains about thirty very rare items from various world expositions mostly dating from the 1851 fair and those occurring in the 1880s. Such items are mostly coffee table books created about the fairs. All items can be searched in SIRIS (Smithsonian Institution Research Information Service.) located in the library or the Archives Center's reference room. Researchers will need to contact the Dibner library to make an appointment to see original materials.

The Museum's curatorial divisions hold a number of three dimensional objects relating to the fairs. For information on the objects researchers should contact the divisions.

Materials in the Archives Center:

Archives Center Collection of Business Americana (AC0404)

Forms Part Of:

Forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana.

Series 1: Business Ephemera

Series 2: Other Collection Divisions

Series 3: Isadore Warshaw Personal Papers

Series 4: Photographic Reference Material

Provenance:

World Expositions is a portion of the Business Ephemera Series of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Accession AC0060 purchased from Isadore Warshaw in 1967. Warshaw continued to accumulate similar material until his death, which was donated in 1971 by his widow, Augusta. For a period after acquisition, related materials from other sources (of mixed provenance) were added to the collection so there may be content produced or published after Warshaw's death in 1969. This practice has since ceased.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.

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.

Genre/Form:

Business ephemera

Ephemera

Citation:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: World Expositions, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0060.S01.01.World

See more items in:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: World Expositions

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0060-s01-01-world

Physical Description:

metal (overall material)

glass (rhinestones material)

Measurements:

overall: 1 3/4 in x 2 1/2 in; 4.445 cm x 6.35 cm

Object Name:

Brooch

Place made:

United States: New York, Queens

Date made:

1939-1940

Subject:

Expositions and Fairs  Search this

Related event:

New York World's Fair (1939)  Search this

Credit Line:

The Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the New York World's Fair 1939-1940

ID Number:

1990.0542.0614

Accession number:

1990.0542

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Entertainment

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ac-0081-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_1314610

Physical Description:

paper (overall material)

fiberglass (overall material)

glassine (enevelop material)

Measurements:

overall: 8 3/4 in x 1 1/4 in; 22.225 cm x 3.175 cm

Object Name:

Bookmark

Place made:

United States: New York, Queens

Date made:

1939-1940

Subject:

Expositions and Fairs  Search this

Related event:

New York World's Fair (1939)  Search this

Credit Line:

The Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the New York World's Fair 1939-1940

ID Number:

1990.0542.0684

Accession number:

1990.0542

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Entertainment

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ac-14a9-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_1314681

Physical Description:

fabric, satin (overall material)

fiber, cotton (overall material)

glass (jewels material)

Measurements:

overall: 6 in x 1 in x 6 in; 15.24 cm x 2.54 cm x 15.24 cm

Object Name:

Purse

Place made:

United States: New York, Queens

Date made:

1939-1940

Subject:

Expositions and Fairs  Search this

Related event:

New York World's Fair (1939)  Search this

Credit Line:

The Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the New York World's Fair 1939-1940

ID Number:

1990.0542.1055

Accession number:

1990.0542

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Entertainment

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ac-1256-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_1315051