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Oral history interview with Ralph Coburn, 1995 May 25-June 23

Interviewee:
Coburn, Ralph, 1923-  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F  Search this
Subject:
Kelly, Ellsworth  Search this
Nelson, Carl Gustaf  Search this
Netsch, Walter  Search this
Plaut, James S. (James Sachs)  Search this
Polonsky, Arthur  Search this
Saltonstall, Nathaniel  Search this
Swetzoff, Hyman Wulf  Search this
Wilson, John  Search this
Zerbe, Karl  Search this
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Massachusetts Institute of Technology  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Ralph Coburn, 1995 May 25-June 23. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Architecture -- Study and teaching  Search this
Designers -- Massachusetts -- Gloucester -- Interviews  Search this
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Gloucester -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
Architecture & Design  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13209
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)216509
AAA_collcode_coburn95
Theme:
Architecture & Design
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_216509
Online Media:

Oral history interview with S. Morton Vose, 1986 July 24-1987 April 28

Interviewee:
Vose, S. Morton (Seth Morton), 1909-2007  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F  Search this
Subject:
Karolik, Maxim  Search this
Richardson, Edgar Preston  Search this
Valentiner, Wilhelm Reinhold  Search this
Paxton, Elizabeth Okie  Search this
Robinson, Thomas V.  Search this
Homer, Winslow  Search this
Hunt, William Morris  Search this
Sample, Paul  Search this
Whorf, John  Search this
Murphy, Hermann Dudley  Search this
Seyffert, Leopold  Search this
Vose Galleries of Boston  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with S. Morton Vose, 1986 July 24-1987 April 28. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12367
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)216517
AAA_collcode_voses86
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_216517
Online Media:

Oral history interview with George Condo, 2017 May 5-June 20

Interviewee:
Condo, George, 1957-  Search this
Interviewer:
Lyon, Christopher, 1949-  Search this
Subject:
Basquiat, Jean-Michel  Search this
Bishofberger, Bruno  Search this
Clements, Dawn  Search this
Dagley, Mark  Search this
Dahn, Walter  Search this
Haring, Keith  Search this
Herman, Roger  Search this
Hughes, Frederick W.  Search this
Kantor, Ulrike  Search this
Kelly, Gene  Search this
Sharp, Willoughby  Search this
Smith, Rupert Jasen  Search this
Tyrrell, Susan  Search this
Warhol, Andy  Search this
Devo (Musical group)  Search this
Massachusetts College of Art  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Place:
Europe -- description and travel
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with George Condo, 2017 May 5-June 20. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Jazz  Search this
Music  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Photo-realism  Search this
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Punk rock music  Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)17498
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)389603
AAA_collcode_condo17
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_389603
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Peter and Paula Lunder, 2017 October 19-20

Interviewee:
Lunder, Peter  Search this
Interviewer:
McElhinney, James, 1952-  Search this
Subject:
Lunder, Paula Crane  Search this
Stern, Max  Search this
Broun, Elizabeth  Search this
Abbott, Jere  Search this
Gourley, Hugh J.  Search this
Colville, Thomas L.  Search this
Twombly, Cy  Search this
Walton, Alice  Search this
Corwin, Sharon  Search this
Cantor, Jay E.  Search this
Bixler, Julius Seelye  Search this
Greenbaum, Michael D.  Search this
Gurney, George  Search this
Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this
Norton Gallery and School of Art  Search this
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute  Search this
Colby College. Museum of Art  Search this
Boston Red Sox (Baseball team)  Search this
Art Collectors: A Project in Partnership with the Center for the History of Collecting in America at The Frick Collection  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Peter and Paula Lunder, 2017 October 19-20. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Massachusetts -- Boston -- Interviews  Search this
Philanthropists -- Massachusetts -- Boston -- Interviews  Search this
Women art collectors  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)17520
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)391113
AAA_collcode_lunder17
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_391113

Oral history interview with John Wilson

Interviewee:
Wilson, John, 1922-2015  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F.  Search this
Names:
Boston University. School of Fine and Applied Arts  Search this
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. School  Search this
Aronson, David, 1923-2015  Search this
Bengtz, Ture, 1907-1973  Search this
Gaither, Edmund B.  Search this
Hurwitz, Sidney, 1932-  Search this
Kay, Reed  Search this
Kramer, Jack  Search this
Lewis, Elma  Search this
Léger, Fernand, 1881-1955  Search this
Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this
Siqueiros, David Alfaro, 1896-1974  Search this
Zerbe, Karl, 1903-1972  Search this
Extent:
497 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1993 March 11-1994 August 16
Scope and Contents:
An interview of John Woodrow Wilson conducted 1993 March-1994 August, by Robert F. Brown, for the Archives of American Art.
Wilson discusses his childhood as a member of a family of middle class Black people from British Guiana (now Guyana); his father's grave disappointments in the face of racial discrimination; his parents' push for their children to succeed; early urge to read and draw; encouragement by School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston students who taught at the Roxbury Boys Club; his secondary education; and friends.
He talks about his education at the MFA School, Boston, and comments on such teachers as Ture Bengtz and Karl Zerbe and compares their exacting methods with those of Fernand Leger, his teacher in Paris.
His work of the 1940s prior to going to Paris; the importance of early awards and sales received while still a student at the MFA School; the excitement of sharing a studio with fellow students, Francesco Carbone and Leo Prince; and encouragement to stay in school during WW II with the promise of a European study fellowship after the war.
The great impact of his years in Paris (1948-49); the lack of racial prejudice; the liberating effect of Leger's teaching; his awe of the work of Masaccio and Piero della Francesca during a trip to Italy; and the deep impression made on him by seeing tribal art in the Musee de l'Homme, Paris.
Continued discussion of Leger; his teaching methods; and influences on his work.
His first teaching position at the MFA School; his involvement in civil rights in Boston; his gregariousness and the use of his studio as a meeting place for artists and political activists; his involvement with socialism in Boston and New York; and working in a socialist children's camp. He remembers meeting Paul Robeson, Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, and Bob Blackburn, who was then setting up his printmaking atelier in New York; marriage to a fellow socialist (June 1950); move to Mexico on a fellowship to study with Jose Orozco on the advice of Leger, only to find that Orozco had died; terrors of travel as an interracial couple through the U.S.; and different racial attitudes in Mexico and the U.S.
Living in Mexico (1950-56) and anecdotes of David Alfaro Siqueiros and Diego Rivera; his wife's meeting with Frieda Kahlo and seeing her collection of folk art; their free and cosmopolitan, if impoverished, life in Mexico; his work in a printmaking atelier and on the production of frescoes, and a lengthy aside about his brilliant brother, Freddie, who because he was black was not allowed to pursue his first love, geology, for many years.
Continued discussion of his experiences in Mexico; the dreary year (1957) he spent doing commercial art for a meatpackers' union in Chicago, a city he disliked; his move to New York in 1958, taking on commercial work to support his family, and teaching anatomy at the Pratt Institute.
Teaching art at a junior high school in the Bronx, and his gaining respect of students through special projects; teaching drawing at Boston University (1965-86), his approach to teaching including his demanding standards, the seriousness of the students, his opposing rigid attendance and grading rules, and colleagues, such as David Aronson who had created the School, Reed Kay, Jack Kramer, Sidney Hurwitz, and the University president, John Silber.
Working with the black arts entrepreneur, Elma Lewis, in setting up a visual arts program for the Boston black community (late 1960s-1970s), including the selection of a curator, Edmund Barry Gaither, a young art historian, who eventually established a museum of African-American art; his participation in various black art exhibitions, despite his belief that art should be seen regardless of the ethnic origins of artists; his move toward sculpture, beginning in the early 1960s, as a medium most expressive of black persons, culminating in the 1980s in a series of colossal heads and a statue of Martin Luther King, Jr. for the U.S. Capitol (1985-86); and why he makes art and will so long as he is able.
Biographical / Historical:
John Wilson (1922- ) is an African American painter, sculptor, illustrator, printmaker, and educator from Boston, Massachusetts. Full name John Woodrow Wilson.
General:
Originally recorded on 11 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 22 digital wav files. Duration is 16 hr., 2 min.
Uneven transcription reflects Wilson's unusual speech pattern.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for the transcription and microfilming of the interview provided by the Newland Foundation.
Occupation:
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Educators -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Printmakers -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Sculptors -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
African American educators  Search this
African American painters  Search this
African American printmakers  Search this
African American sculptors  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.wilson93
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f3601751-82e4-488d-b246-deda68bea613
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-wilson93
Online Media:

Henry Botkin papers

Creator:
Botkin, Henry, 1896-1983  Search this
Names:
Artists Equity Association  Search this
Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors  Search this
Gallery 256 (Provincetown, Mass.)  Search this
Extent:
3 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
circa 1927-1982
Summary:
The papers of painter Henry Botkin measure 3 linear feet, date from circa 1927-1982, and illustrate his career through biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed and photographic material, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The Henry Botkin papers measure 3 linear feet and date from circa 1927-1982. Biographical materials include multiple interviews with Botkin, one of which is for the Today Show, membership cards for the Audubon Artists and Artists Equity Association, and Botkin's resume. Correspondence is with George Gershwin, Syracuse University, and others. Writings include autobiographical writings, lectures and speeches by Botkin, artwork reviews of Botkin's art, and miscellaneous writings by others. Personal business records consist of materials regarding various professional organizations, materials on Judy Cimaglia, materials on Botkin's daughter Toinette (Botkin) Laurent, and other business records. Printed material includes exhibition announcements and catalogs, press releases, and picture postcards. Photographic material consists of photographs of Botkin, his wife Rhoda Lehman, friends and family, and various exhibitions. Artwork includes pieces by Botkin and others.
Arrangement:
This collection consists of seven series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1945-1972 (.1 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1928-1979 (.2 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1936-1977 (.3 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1927-1977 (.6 Linear feet: Boxes 1-2)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1927-1982 (.8 Linear feet: Box 2)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1928-1977 (.9 Linear feet: Boxes 3-5)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1965-1967 (.1 Linear feet: Box 5)
Biographical / Historical:
Henry Botkin (1896-1983) was a painter who worked primarily in New York. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and trained at both the Massachusetts School of Art and the Art Students League before moving to New York City. While in New York, Botkin worked as an illustrator for Harper's, The Saturday Evening Post, and Century magazine. In the early 1920s he moved to Paris to begin exploring Impressionism as a painting style. Botkin is known for painting the theater, still lifes, and landscapes. He is also known for his paintings of Black people in the South Carolina low country which have faced criticism about their lack of social realism. Botkin returned to New York in 1930, married his wife Rhoda Lehman, and in 1934 became an art agent to his cousin art collector George Gershwin and others.

In the late 1930s, Botkin switched to the abstract painting style in oils, and took an active role in bringing the style to public attention. He became part of the Artist's Equity Association, The American Abstract Artists Group 256 in Provincetown, and the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors where he served as president from 1957-1961.

In 1955, Botkin put together the first exhibition of American abstract art at the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, Japan and organized the sale of five hundred and forty paintings at the Whitney Museum in New York in 1959. Botkin participated in various public events and programs and taught privately in New York, California, and Provincetown, Massachusetts. In the early 1950s Botkin began working with collages which became his main art form until his death. Botkin died in 1983 at the age of eigthy-seven in New York City.
Related Materials:
Henry Botkin papers also held at Syracuse University.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels D388, N69-67, N69-68, N69-91, N70-25, N70-68, 2895-2897, and 4314) including biographical material, letters, notes, writings, business records, artworks, scrapbook pages, printed material, and photographs, from 1969-1982. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Papers were lent for microfilming from 1969 to 1982 by Henry Botkin, his son Glenn Botkin, and his assistant Rene Barilleaux.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References 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
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Provincetown  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Henry Botkin papers, circa 1927-1982, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.botkhenr
See more items in:
Henry Botkin papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9556a5d7f-65c5-4c7f-827f-d4664d1cfc35
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-botkhenr

Perry Townsend Rathbone papers

Creator:
Rathbone, Perry Townsend, 1911-2000  Search this
Names:
Allied Forces. Supreme Headquarters. Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section  Search this
Christie, Manson & Woods International Inc.  Search this
City Art Museum of St. Louis  Search this
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston  Search this
Beckmann, Max, 1884-1950  Search this
Faison, S. Lane (Samson Lane), 1907-2006  Search this
Gonzalez, Xavier, 1898-1993  Search this
Howe, Thomas Carr, 1904-1994  Search this
Moore, Lamont  Search this
Parkhurst, Charles  Search this
Ritchie, Andrew Carnduff  Search this
Sabersky, Jane, 1911-1983  Search this
Stout, George L. (George Leslie)  Search this
Swarzenski, Hanns, 1903-1985  Search this
Valentin, Curt, 1902-1954  Search this
Valentiner, Wilhelm Reinhold, 1880-1958  Search this
Willard, Marian, 1904-  Search this
Wittmann, Otto, 1911-2001  Search this
Extent:
6.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Transcripts
Photographs
Interviews
Date:
1929-2022
Summary:
The papers of museum director Perry Townsend Rathbone measure 6.1 linear feet and date from 1929 to 2022. The papers document Rathbone's career as museum director of the City Art Museum of St. Louis and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and his later work with Christie's New York office. Found within the papers are biographical materials, correspondence with friends and colleagues, writings, professional and project files, printed materials, and photographs, mostly of exhibitions.

There is a 1.8 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2023 that includesfiles on exhibitions, speeches, lectures; files on artists; slides and photographs of works of art; correspondence; writings by Belinda Rathbone and others. Materials date from circa 1940-2022.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of museum director Perry Townsend Rathbone measure 6.1 linear feet and date from 1929 to 2022. The papers document Rathbone's career as museum director of the City Art Museum of St. Louis and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and his later work with Christie's New York office. Found within the papers are biographical materials, correspondence with friends and colleagues, writings, professional and project files, printed materials, and photographs, mostly of exhibitions.

Biographical materials contain curriculum vitae, biographical sketches, citations for honorary degrees and for Rathbone's appointment as Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor, a passport, a transcript of an interview with Rathbone and articles written by others about Rathbone, including one by S. Lane Faison.

Correspondence is with Rathbone's friends and colleagues. Notable correspondents include Max Beckmann, Xavier Gonzalez, Hanns Swarzenski, Curt Valentin, Jane Sabersky, William R. Valentiner, and Marian Willard, among others. Rathbone knew several art historians and conservators who served in the U.S. Army as members of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section, also known as the Monuments Men. Correspondence with these colleagues is arranged together as a subseries and includes correspondence with S. Lane Faison, Thomas Carr Howe, Lamont Moore, Charles Parkhurst, Andrew Ritchie, George Leslie Stout, and Otto Wittman. Most of the correspondence with other Monuments Men is post World War II.

Writings by Rathbone consist of student papers, typescript drafts of articles and entries for exhibition catalogs, notes and notebooks from European trips, and lectures.

Professional files encompass a range of documents related to Rathbone's museum directorships, projects, travels and professional affiliations. The folders about his work at the City Art Museum of St. Louis and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston include correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, press releases and notes. There are also folders on specific projects such as the renovation of the historic Dederer-Blodgett House and Rathbone's membership on various art commissions and committees. Also found within this series are correspondence, notebooks, receipts, itineraries and vouchers for Rathbone's business trips to Europe and other locations while working for the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Printed materials include news clippings, articles, press releases, a few art magazines and exhibition catalogues, and invitations to events. There are also black and white photographs of exhibitions, including a Max Beckmann exhibit, and a few images of Rathbone.

There is a 1.8 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2023 that includesfiles on exhibitions, speeches, lectures; files on artists; slides and photographs of works of art; correspondence; writings by Belinda Rathbone and others. Materials date from circa 1940-2022.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 7 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1930-1982 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1940-1985 (1.1 linear feet; Box 1-2)

Series 3: Writings, 1929-1967 (0.8 linear feet; Box 2)

Series 4: Professional Files, 1938-1984 (2 linear feet; Box 2-4, OV 6)

Series 5: Printed Materials, 1954-1975 (0.2 linear feet; Box 4-5, OV 6)

Series 6: Photographs, 1936-1972 (0.1 linear feet; Box 5)

Series 7: Unprocessed Addition, (1.8 linear feet; Box 7-9)
Biographical / Historical:
Perry Townsend Rathbone (1911-2000) was a prominent museum director who worked primarily in Boston and New York City. He was an early supporter of German Expressionism in America.

Rathbone was director of the City Art Museum of St. Louis from 1940-1955, moving on to direct the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston from 1954-1972, where he led a period of extensive reform. After retiring from the museum, he worked for one year for the Chase Manhattan Bank as an art consultant. Rathbone worked as director and senior vice president of Christies USA auction house from 1973-1987. After 1987, he continued working at Christies as a consultant.

Rathbone was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on July 3, 1911 and grew up in New Rochelle, New York. He attended Harvard College, majoring in Art History and graduating in 1933. He then completed the graduate "museum course" taught by Professor Paul Sachs in 1934. The Paul Sachs museum course was famous for cultivating future directors at some of this country's most prestigious museums. After Harvard, Rathbone was appointed as curator of Alger House (later renamed the Grosse Pointe War Memorial), a branch of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Rathbone directed the ''Masterpieces of Art'' exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The success of the exhibit led to his appointment as director of the City Art Museum of St. Louis, Missouri in 1940 at the age of 29, making him the youngest American museum director at the time.

During World War II, Rathbone served in the U.S. Navy from late 1942-1945. He was a commissioned officer in charge of the Navy Art and Poster Section, Office of Public Relations in Washington, D.C. He supervised five Navy "combat artists," who painted naval battles and depicted the daily lives of soldiers. He also served as an officer in New Calcedonia. He separated from service as a Lieutenant Commander in late 1945. This collection does not contain records directly related to his military service. In 1945 Rathbone married Euretta de Cosson while on leave in Washington, D.C. They had three children together: Peter, Eliza, and Belinda.

Rathbone resumed his position as the director of the City Art Museum of St. Louis after the war. The Detroit Institute of Arts director William R. Valentiner introduced Rathbone to German Expressionism. Rathbone helped the German Expressionist painter Max Beckmann, labeled a ''degenerate artist'' by Hitler, and his wife immigrate to America and then arranged a teaching position for Beckmann at Washington University. Rathbone and Beckmann became close, and in 1948, Rathbone organized a Beckmann retrospective at the City Art Museum. Beckmann made a portrait of Rathbone and one of his wife Euretta. Rathbone gave the eulogy at Beckmann's funeral in 1950.

In 1955 Rathbone became the director of the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston. During his tenure there he expanded the museum by 80,000 square feet, doubled the staff, and oversaw the renovations of 57 of the Museum's 189 galleries. He mounted exhibitions of Rembrandt, Matisse, Modigliani, Cezanne, van Gogh and Courbet. The Boston Museum's first acquisitions of Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Constantine Brancusi, Paul Klee, Alberto Giacometti and other works by 20th-century artists occurred under Rathbone's directorship. Rathbone also served as curator of paintings and wrote the catalog essays for many of the museum's exhibitions. Working with Frances Weeks Hallowell, he established the first "Ladies Committee" for the museum, which substantially increased membership. He was appointed as Chevalier de Légion d'Honneur by the French government in 1964.

In 1969, the Museum of Fine Arts purchased what was believed to be a Raphael portrait of Eleonora Gonzaga, 1505, from a Genoa art dealer. The work was meant to be the highlight of the museum's centennial celebration. However controversy arose when the Italian government alleged that the work was smuggled out of the country and the museum was forced to return the painting to the Italian government. The situation caused Rathbone to resign in 1972.

At the request of David Rockefeller, Rathbone became an art consultant to Chase Manhattan Bank for one year. In 1973, he became director of Christie's auction house in New York and senior vice president in 1977, working there until 1987, when he retired but still worked as a consultant.

Perry Townsend Rathbone died on January 22, 2000 at the age of 88.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds an oral history interview of Perry Townsend Rathbone conducted in 1975-1976 by Paul Cummings for the Archives of American Art's oral history program.
Provenance:
Perry Townsend Rathbone donated his papers to the Archives of American Art in 1977 and 1988. Additional material donated by the heirs to Parry T. Rathbone represented by his daughter, Belinda Rathbone, in 2023.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
The donor has retained all intellectual property rights, including copyright, that they may own in the following material: Art is for Everyone: The Life and Times of Perry T. Rathbone by Belinda Rathbone, 2022.
Topic:
Museum directors -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Genre/Form:
Transcripts
Photographs
Interviews
Citation:
Perry Townsend Rathbone papers, 1929-2022. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.rathperr
See more items in:
Perry Townsend Rathbone papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99ceffd13-4519-4277-b68d-2369944ef893
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-rathperr
Online Media:

John McLaughlin papers

Creator:
McLaughlin, John, 1898-  Search this
Names:
Tamarind Lithography Workshop  Search this
Extent:
4.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketches
Photographs
Date:
1922-1979
bulk 1936-1976
Summary:
The papers of Southern California art dealer and abstract painter John McLaughlin measure 4.2 linear feet and date from 1922 to 1979, bulk 1936 to 1976. The collection documents John McLaughlin's personal life and career through biographical material, correspondence, writings, Tamarind Lithography fellowship files, scattered personal business records, printed materials, preliminary sketches and designs, and photographic material.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Southern California art dealer and abstract painter John McLaughlin measure 4.2 linear feet and date from 1922 to 1979, bulk 1936 to 1976. The collection documents John McLaughlin's personal life and career through biographical material, correspondence, writings, Tamarind Lithography fellowship files, scattered personal business records, printed materials, preliminary sketches and designs, and photographic material.

Biographical material includes McLaughlin's military service records, art awards, and resumes.

Correspondence is with friends, artists, museums, and galleries. Notable correspondents include Eugene Anderson, Karl Benjamin, Frederick Hammersley, Jules Langsner, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, and others.

Writings include artist statements, lectures, and notes. Researchers will find McLaughlin's ideas about his work and aesthetics are also referenced in much of the correspondence. There are also writings about McLaughlin by others.

The Tamarind Lithography fellowship files consists of the letter of appointment, printed material, and profiles for fellow artists at the workshop.

Personal business records include assorted legal and financial papers, such as contracts with galleries, art loan agreements, consignment records, and art shipment expenses. There are business papers about McLaughlin's Japanese print gallery, The Tokaido, Inc.

Printed material consists of exhibition catalogs for McLaughlin's shows at the Andre Emmerich Gallery, Felix Landau Gallery, a retrospective at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1968, and the seminal 1959 Four Abstract Classicists exhibition in Los Angeles, among others. Also included are exhibition announcements, news clippings, and press releases.

Artwork includes annotated sketches, collages and designs for paintings, and one painting.

Photographs, negatives, and slides are of McLaughlin, artwork, and exhibition installations. There is one album of photographs from a 1963 retrospective exhibition at the Pasadena Art Museum.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 8 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1941-circa 1975 (8 folders; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1936-1976 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1936-1976 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 4: Tamarind Lithography Fellowship Files, 1958-1970 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 5: Personal Business Records, circa 1937-1975 (0.2 linear feet; Box 2)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1932-1979 (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 2-3, 5)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1948-circa 1976 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 4-6)

Series 8: Photographic Material, 1922-1979 (0.3 linear feet; Box 4)
Biographical / Historical:
John Dwyer McLaughlin (1898-1976) was best known as one of the leading Los Angeles "hard-edge" geometric abstractionist painters and one of the artists featured in the seminal 1959 exhibition "Four Abstract Classicists" curated by Jules Langsner. McLaughlin was also a dealer of Japanese art prints.

McLaughlin was born and educated in Massachusetts. He served in the United States Navy during World War I from 1917-1921 and married Florence Emerson in 1928. McLaughlin began painting around 1932 with no formal training. In 1935, the couple moved to Japan and lived there for several years before moving back to Boston, where they opened The Tokaido, Inc., a Japanese art print gallery. From this time up to the start of World War II, McLaughlin worked primarily as a print dealer. During World War II, he served as a language intelligence officer in the Marines, thanks to his knowledge of Japanese.

After the war, McLaughlin and his wife settled in Dana Point, California, where he began painting in earnest, gaining some early local success. His painting, Hope Deferred was awarded first prize for oil painting in the 1948 San Diego Art Guild Annual. He became associated with the Felix Landau Gallery in Los Angeles and was one of four painters included in the historic 1959 Four Abstract Classicists, exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art organized by critic Jules Langsner which also featured the work of Frederick Hammersley, Lorser Feitelson, and Karl Benjamin. The phrase "hard-edge painting" was first used in association with this exhibition as a description of a unique California style of geometric abstractionist painting.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s McLaughlin exhibited widely and became a mentor for many younger Los Angeles area reductive painters. He was admired for his integrity and independent position regarding the art market. John McLaughlin died in Dana Point, California in 1976 at the age of 77.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds an oral history interview of John D. McLaughlin conducted July 23, 1974, by Paul J. Karlstrom.
Provenance:
The John McLaughlin papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in multiple installments. John McLaughlin donated material in 1973 and his widow Florence McLaughlin donated material in 1976. Additional papers were donated by the artist's nephew John McLaughlin in 1998 and 1999. A painting was donated 2015 by the Stephne' Hesen estate.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- California  Search this
Painters -- California  Search this
Topic:
Art, Modern -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Painting, Abstract -- California -- Exhibitions  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketches
Photographs
Citation:
John McLaughlin papers, 1922-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.mclajohn
See more items in:
John McLaughlin papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90baa8e3e-4554-441e-beef-c10b28d25768
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-mclajohn
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Lawrence Kupferman

Interviewee:
Kupferman, Lawrence Edward, 1909-1982  Search this
Interviewer:
Swift, Geoffrey  Search this
Creator:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Names:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Extent:
45 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1965 Nov. 12
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Lawrence Kupferman conducted 1965 Nov. 12, by Geoffrey Swift, for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Lawrence Kupferman (1909-1982) was a painter and printmaker from Newton Centre, Mass. Born in Boston. Studied at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 1 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:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Boston -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- History -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Printmakers -- Massachusetts -- Boston -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.kupfer65
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ddd2d26d-0fe1-4576-bde0-e1e69f20cadd
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-kupfer65
Online Media:

Joseph Lindon Smith papers

Creator:
Smith, Joseph Lindon, 1863-1950  Search this
Names:
Académie Julian  Search this
Alma-Tadema, Lawrence, Sir, 1836-1912  Search this
Beaux, Cecilia, 1855-1942  Search this
Benson, Frank Weston, 1862-1951  Search this
Brush, George de Forest, 1855-1941  Search this
Carson, Kit, 1809-1868  Search this
Gardner, Isabella Stewart, 1840-1924  Search this
James, Henry, 1843-1916  Search this
Loring, Charles Greely, 1828-1902  Search this
Manship, Paul, 1885-1966  Search this
Pershing, John J. (John Joseph), 1860-1948  Search this
Ross, Denman Waldo, 1853-1935  Search this
Sargent, John Singer, 1856-1925  Search this
Smith, Corinna Lindon, 1876-  Search this
Thayer, Abbott Handerson, 1849-1921  Search this
Extent:
8.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Notebooks
Photographs
Prints
Interviews
Drafts (documents)
Sound recordings
Scrapbooks
Diaries
Sketchbooks
Drawings
Place:
Egypt -- Antiquities
Egypt -- description and travel
Date:
1647-1965
bulk 1873-1965
Summary:
The papers of Boston and New Hampshire painter Joseph Lindon Smith date from 1647-1965, with the bulk of papers dating from 1873-1965, and measure 8.8 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials; letters from family members, artists, museums, and art patrons; seven diaries by Smith and two by his wife Corinna, personal business records, notes and writings, files concerning charitable theatrical productions, one sketchbook and other art work, a scrapbook, printed material, photographs, and sound recordings of radio interviews and a radio program on Smith.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of Boston and New Hampshire painter Joseph Lindon Smith date from 1647-1965, with the bulk of papers dating from 1873-1965, and measure 8.8 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials; letters from family members, artists, museums, and art patrons; seven diaries by Smith and two by his wife Corinna, personal business records, notes and writings, files concerning charitable theatrical productions, one sketchbook and other art work, a scrapbook, printed material, photographs, and sound recordings of radio interviews and a radio program on Smith.

Scattered biographical material consists of family history documents for the Smith and Putnam families, a Jenkes family tree, and passports for Joseph Lindon Smith and his family.

Over three linear feet of letters are from family members, artists including Cecilia Beaux, Frank Benson, George DeForest Brush, and Denman Ross, museum staff concerned with work in Egypt, and art patrons including Isabella Stewart Gardner, and individuals involved with Smith's charitable pageants. There are scattered letters from Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Henry James, Charles G. Loring, Paul Manship, General John J. Pershing, John Singer Sargent, and Abbott Handerson Thayer. Among the subjects discussed are student life at the Académie Julian, the Smiths' travels, and individuals known by Smith.

Seven diaries written by Joseph Lindon Smith document his ravels in Egypt, Persia, Europe, and New Mexico. Two diaries were written by Corinna Smith during her travels to Beiram and Egypt.

Personal business records business records include contracts, price lists, lists of securities, and miscellaneous receipts of the Smith and Putnam families, Joseph Lindon Smith, Corinna Smith, and their daughter Lois Smith.

Notes include engagement calendars, notebooks, lists of art work, lecture notes, minutes of meetings, notes on family history and on travel, and an autograph by Kit Carson. Writings include miscellaneous typescripts by the Smiths and others concerning travel, work in Egypt and elsewhere, and anecdotes about various friends and acquaintances. There are also three drafts of "Egypt - My Winter Home."

Theatrical production files concern plays, pageants, and masques written and/or produced by the Smiths. Many of the performances were benefits, dedication or anniversary celebrations, such as a pageant given at Fenway Court in honor of Isabella Stewart Gardner, a pageant at the dedication of a memorial to Abbott Handerson Thayer, and the centenary celebration of the founding of Amherst, Massachusetts.

Art work includes a sketchbook with extensive notes, a painting, drawings by Joseph Lindon Smith, and prints by other artists.

A scrapbook contains clippings and an exhibition catalog from the St. Botolph Club. Additional printed material includes clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, press releases, programs, booklets, brochures, and books by others.

Photographs are of Smith, his family, friends including classmates from the Académie Julian, Isabella Stewart Gardner, Abbott Handerson Thayer, exhibition installations, military camp sites from World War I, travel scenes, and art work by Smith.

Audio recordings consist of four sound disc recordings of interviews for WKNE Radio, Keene, New Hampshire, with Corinna Smith and Barry Faulkner talking about Smith, and a program about Smith and his book Tombs, Temples, and Ancient Art.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 11 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1711-1948 (Box 1, 10; 5 folders)

Series 2: Letters, 1768-1965 (Box 1-4, OV 11; 3.5 linear feet)

Series 3: Diaries, 1904-1949 (Box 4; 11 folders)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1647-1959 (Box 4, 10; 11 folders)

Series 5: Notes and Writings, 1783-1963 (Box 4-6; 2.0 linear feet)

Series 6: Theatrical Production Files, 1897-1950 (Box 6-7, 10; 1.2 linear feet)

Series 7: Art Works, 1932-1943 (Box 8, 10; 8 folders)

Series 8: Scrapbook, 1888-1901 (Box 8; 1 folder)

Series 9: Printed Material, 1723-1963 (Box 8, OV 11; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 10: Photographs, 1884-1956 (Box 8-10; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 11: Audio Recordings, 1956 (Box 9-10; 2 folders)

All material is arranged chronologically except for the writings by others and travel photographs that are arranged alphabetically.
Biographical Note:
Joseph Lindon Smith (1863-1950) of Boston, Massachusetts and Dublin, New Hampshire, was a painter primarily known for his ability to meticulously depict the murals and tomb sculpture of Egypt and other ancient cultures.

Joseph Lindon Smith was born on October 11, 1863 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the son of wholesale lumberman Henry Francis Smith and Emma Greenleaf Smith, a cousin of John Greenleaf Whittier.

From 1880 to 1882, Smith studied drawing and painting at the Art School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts under Frederic Crowninshield and Otto Grundman. Accompanied by his friend, Frank Benson, he attended the Académie Julian and studied under William Bouguereau, Gustave Boulanger, and Jules Lefebvre from 1883 to 1885.

Upon his return to Boston, Smith established a studio as a portrait and landscape painter, attracting the attention of Denman Ross, a professor of History of Fine Arts at Harvard University. In the early 1890s Smith and Ross began to travel extensively and Smith became interested in ancient civilizations of Mexico, China, and Southeast Asia. In 1892, during a trip to Italy, Smith befriended Isabella Stewart Gardner, for whom he copied famous paintings, and occasionally acted as agent in purchasing art work.

Making his first trip to Egypt in 1898, Smith became enthralled with the art work of the ancient civilization and devoted himself to painting copies of the tomb sculptures and murals for educational uses in museums and other public institutions. In 1899, he married Corinna Haven Putnam and the couple spent much of their married life traveling between the United States and the Middle East, especially Egypt. From 1910 to 1939, Smith was a member of the Joint Expedition of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and Harvard University directed by Dr. George A. Reisner.

For fifty years, Smith was also sought out as a writer and producer of plays and theatrical pageants, fetes, and masques primarily staged for various charitable fund-raising events.

Joseph Lindon Smith died on October 18, 1950 in Dublin, New Hampshire.
Related Material:
The papers of Smith's wife, Corinna Putnam Smith, are available at The Schlesinger Library of Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Provenance:
The Joseph Lindon Smith papers were donated by Jessie T. Hale, Smith's granddaughter, in 1977 and 1978.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New Hampshire -- Dublin  Search this
Topic:
Historical drama  Search this
Community theater  Search this
Art, Egyptian  Search this
Art, Ancient  Search this
Art, Egypt  Search this
Genre/Form:
Notebooks
Photographs
Prints
Interviews
Drafts (documents)
Sound recordings
Scrapbooks
Diaries
Sketchbooks
Drawings
Citation:
Joseph Lindon Smith papers, 1647-1965, bulk 1873-1965. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.smitjose
See more items in:
Joseph Lindon Smith papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw957fba9cb-a7d1-40b4-9a66-a5f4d2a0b7ed
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-smitjose
Online Media:

E.P. (Edgar Preston) and Constance Richardson papers

Creator:
Richardson, Edgar Preston, 1902-1985  Search this
Richardson, Constance, 1905-  Search this
Names:
Archives of American Art  Search this
Castano Galleries (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Detroit Institute of Arts  Search this
Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum  Search this
Historical Society of Pennsylvania  Search this
Macbeth Gallery  Search this
National Collection of Fine Arts (U.S.)  Search this
National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian Institution)  Search this
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts  Search this
Philadelphia Museum of Art  Search this
White House (Washington, D.C.)  Search this
Peale family  Search this
Allen, Joseph  Search this
Allston, Washington, 1779-1843  Search this
Andrews, Wayne  Search this
Aram, Siegfried F.  Search this
Bishop, Isabel, 1902-1988  Search this
Bostick, William A.  Search this
Bouché, Louis, 1896-1969  Search this
Boyd, Julian P. (Julian Parks), 1903-  Search this
Castano, Giovanni, 1896-1978  Search this
Cohn, Harold  Search this
Copeland, Lammot du Pont  Search this
Culver, Charles B. (Charles Beach), 1908-1967  Search this
Fleischman, Lawrence A. (Lawrence Arthur), 1925-1997  Search this
Flexner, James Thomas, 1908-2003  Search this
Frankenstein, Alfred V. (Alfred Victor), 1906-1981  Search this
Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998  Search this
Freeman, Michael W.  Search this
Garrison, Eve Josephson, 1903-2003  Search this
Groce, George C., 1899-  Search this
Hardy, Jeremiah Pearson, 1800-1889  Search this
Heil, Walter, 1890-1973  Search this
Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967  Search this
Jungwirth, Irene G. (Irene Gayas), 1913-  Search this
Krentzin, Earl, 1929-  Search this
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953  Search this
Lee-Smith, Hughie  Search this
Lewis, W. S. (Wilmarth Sheldon), 1895-1979  Search this
Lynes, Russell, 1910-1991  Search this
Marsh, Reginald, 1898-1954  Search this
Mast, Gerald, 1908-1971  Search this
McDermott, John Francis, 1902-  Search this
Middeldorf, Ulrich Alexander, 1901-  Search this
Morse, John D., 1906-  Search this
Moser, Liselotte, 1906-1983  Search this
O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986  Search this
Oliver, Andrew, 1906-  Search this
Peale, Charles Willson, 1741-1827  Search this
Pleasants, J. Hall (Jacob Hall), 1873-1957  Search this
Ripley, S. Dillon (Sidney Dillon), 1913-2001  Search this
Rockefeller, John D., 1906-  Search this
Rockefeller, Nelson A. (Nelson Aldrich), 1908-1979  Search this
Rutledge, Anna Wells  Search this
Sellers, Charles Coleman, 1903-  Search this
Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this
Simper, Fred, 1914-  Search this
Simpson, Corelli C. W.  Search this
Soria, Regina, 1911-  Search this
Spark, Victor D. (Victor David), 1898-1991  Search this
Speck, Walter, 1895-  Search this
Stevens, William B.  Search this
Valentiner, Wilhelm Reinhold, 1880-1958  Search this
Vose, Robert C. (Robert Churchill), 1911-1998  Search this
Watkins, Franklin Chenault, 1894-1972  Search this
Wedda, John  Search this
Woolfenden, William E. (William Edward), 1918-1995  Search this
Wyeth, Andrew, 1917-2009  Search this
Extent:
28.7 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Manuscripts
Interviews
Diaries
Transcripts
Sketches
Lectures
Place:
Detroit (Mich.)
Date:
1814-1996
bulk 1921-1996
Summary:
The papers of art historian E. P. Richardson measure 28.7 linear feet and date from 1814-1996, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1921-1996. Within the papers are scattered biographical materials; acquisition files for Richardson's personal art collection; professional and personal correspondence with colleagues, art historians and critics, artists, museums, galleries, and dealers; numerous writings, including manuscripts and research files for his published books, articles, and lectures; general research notebooks and files compiled by Richardson on a wide variety of art-related topics and artists; professional and committee files; as well as a smaller amount of Constance C. Richardson's papers.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of art historian E. P. Richardson measure 28.7 linear feet and date from 1814-1996, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1921-1996. Within the papers are scattered biographical materials; acquisition files for Richardson's personal art collection; professional and personal correspondence with colleagues, art historians and critics, artists, museums, galleries, and dealers; numerous writings, including manuscripts and research files for his published books, articles, and lectures; general research notebooks and files compiled by Richardson on a wide variety of art-related topics and artists; professional and committee files; as well as a smaller amount of Constance C. Richardson's papers.

Biographical materials include certificates, awards, and honorary degrees, membership information, personal and family photographs, a few sketches, and a transcript of an oral history Interview with E.P. Richardson conducted by the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1982.

There are acquisitions files for the Richardsons' personal art collection that invoices, photographs, correspondence with galleries and collectors, appraisals, price lists, and artwork examination forms.

Correspondence is with colleagues, art dealers, collectors, museums and museum curators, foreign scholars, organizations, galleries, artists, art historians and critics, publishers, editors, librarians, friends, and family. Topics regard purchasing art for various collections, consultations about art and collecting including authentications and attributions, publishing, general art history, lectures, and personal matters, among other topics. There is correspondence with the Archives of American Art, Castano Galleries, Lawrence Fleischman, James Thomas Flexner, Alfred V. Frankenstein, George Croce, Walter Heil, Earl Krentzin, Wilmarth Lewis, Russel Lynes, John Francis McDermott, Philadelphia Museum of Art, J. Hall Pleasants, Anna Rutledge, Charles Sellers, Smithsonian Institution, Regina Soria, Victor Spark, William Stevens, Robert Vose, William Woolfenden, and many others. Scattered correspondence with artists is with Isabel Bishop, Louis Bouche, William Bostick, Eve Garrison, Edward Hopper, Irene Jungwirth, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Hughie Lee-Smith, Reginald Marsh, Gerald Mast, Georgia O'Keeffe, Charles Sheeler, Walt Speck, and John Wedda, among many others. The greatest extent of correspondence is with Andrew Wyeth, Harold Cohn, and Frederick Simper. There is also personal correspondence with family and friends, and between E.P. and Constance Richardson.

E.P. Richardson's prominence as an art historian, writer, and expert on collecting is well documented through his prolific writings. Materials include drafts, notes, typescripts, and outlines for articles, exhibition catalog essays, and lectures. Also found are research files and publishing documentation for Richardson's books, including Washington Allston: A Study of the Romantic Artist in America (1948), Painting in America (1956), Charles Willson Peale and his World (1983), and American Romantic Painting (1944). There are also miscellaneous notes and four diaries. Two of the diaries comment on the social and cultural life of Detroit; the authenticity of paintings; Richardson's reflections on contemporary American painting, thoughts about museums, dealers, artists, and art historians (especially Wilhelm R. Valentiner); and travel.

Notebooks compiled by Richardson on a wide variety art-related topics cover nearly six decades. There are also numerous research files organized Richardson about individual artists and art history. And, the art collector files contain reference materials about art collectors and their collections including Lamont du Pont Copeland, Michael W. Freeman, Nelson Rockefeller, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Allen, and the Marquis de Somerlous. There are three index card file boxes containing bibliographic data on published books and articles.

Professional and committee files document Richardson's professional and consulting work for the Art Quarterly, Detroit Institute of Arts, National Collection of Fine Arts, the National Portrait Gallery, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the John D. Rockefeller III collection, Winterthur Museum, the White House, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Constance C. Richardson's papers include business and professional correspondence with various institutions, most extensively with the Macbeth Gallery. In addition, there is a smaller amount of personal correspondence, photographs and slides of her artworks, printed materials, two illustrated notebooks on her work, and miscellaneous notes. Also included is Constance's artist palette.
Biographical / Historical:
Art historian, museum director, and writer E. P. (Edgar Preston) Richardson (1902-1985) served as director of the Detroit Institute of Arts (1945-1962) and Winterthur Museum (1963-1966). He was also a board member of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1966-1977 and, in 1954, co-founded the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

E. P. Richardson was born in 1902 in Glens Falls, New York and died in Philadelphia in 1985. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1925 and studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for the three years following graduation. In 1930 he became educational secretary at the Detroit Institute of Arts, was quickly named assistant director in 1933, and served as director from 1945 to 1962. He left Detroit to take the position of director of the Winterthur Museum, where he remained until 1966. Richardson married Constance Coleman in 1931. Born in Berlin, Germany in 1905, Constance Coleman Richardson was an award-winning and widely exhibited realist style painter of American landscapes. She gave up painting in the 1960s and died in 2002.

While at the Detroit Institute of Arts, E. P. Richardson co-founded the Archives of American Art with Lawrence Fleischman, and served as the Archives' first director. Richardson was also art advisor to John D. Rockefeller III for over ten years, editor of Art Quarterly from 1938 to 1967, and a member of various boards, including the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Smithsonian Arts Commission, and the National Portrait Gallery. He authored numerous books including ones on artists Washington Allston and Charles Willson Peale, and The Way of Western Art: American Romantic Painting (1939), Painting in America: The Story of Four Hundred and Fifty Years (1956), A Short History of Painting in America (1963), and American Art, an Exhibition of the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, 3d (1976).
Related Materials:
Related collections among the holdings of the Archives of American Art include an interview with E.P. Richardson dated February 6, 1978 conducted by Linda Downs; and several miscellaneous manuscripts that include an E.P. Richardson Letter to Rockwell Kent, June 15 1959; E.P. Richardson letters to Lawrence Arthur Fleischman, May 13, 1962 and August 22 1954; and a Yasuo Kunioshi letter to E.P. Richardson, July 25 1948.

Additional E.P. Richardson papers are found at the Detroit Institute of Arts and in the archives of the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reel D46) including E.P. Richardson's research material on Jeremiah P. Hardy. These materials are housed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Library and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Edith Wilkinson first donated a letter to E. P. Richardson from herself in 1957. E.P. Richardson donated papers to the Archives of American Art in 1958 and 1960 and lent materials for microfilming in 1961. Addition material was donated by Constance Richardson in 1985, and by Martha Fleischman in 2003.
Restrictions:
Use of original material requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact References 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:
Authors -- Michigan -- Detroit  Search this
Art historians -- United States  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Painting, American  Search this
Art, American  Search this
Romanticism  Search this
Art -- History -- Study and teaching  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Manuscripts
Interviews
Diaries
Transcripts
Sketches
Lectures
Citation:
Edgar P. Richardson papers, 1814-1996, bulk 1921-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.richedga
See more items in:
E.P. (Edgar Preston) and Constance Richardson papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f0a154af-52ef-402b-b06d-60a290eec749
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-richedga
Online Media:

Discussion about Samuel Frazer

Creator:
Falmouth Historical Society  Search this
Names:
Fitts, Florence C.  Search this
Frazer, Gertrude  Search this
Frazer, Samuel Wilson, 1866-1954  Search this
Otis, Mary Hamlin  Search this
Wood, George  Search this
Extent:
1 Sound cassette
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound cassettes
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1989 Oct. 3
Scope and Contents:
Florence Fitts, Director, Falmouth Historical Society, discusses Samuel Frazer with Gertrude Frazer, daughter of Samuel Frazer, Mary H. Otis, great-niece of Samuel Frazer and George Wood, a volunteer at the the Falmouth Historical Society. The discussions took place to gain background information on Frazer.
Biographical / Historical:
Samuel Frazer (1866-1954) was a painter, airbrush artist, and photographer in Boston, Mass.
Provenance:
Copied and donated 1991 by the Falmouth Historical Society, whose collection includes glass negatives of some of Frazer's work. The discussions took place to gain background information on Frazer.
Restrictions:
Untranscribed; use requires an appointment.
Topic:
Painting -- Massachusetts  Search this
Airbrush art  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.falmhist
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d69f5a59-bdcd-43ca-8e35-3a0f7726f8fb
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-falmhist

John Wilson papers

Creator:
Wilson, John, 1922-2015  Search this
Interviewer:
Trachtenberg, Alan  Search this
Extent:
5 Microfilm reels
1 Cassette (Sound recording, analog)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilm reels
Cassettes
Drawings
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Date:
circa 1939-1993
Scope and Contents:
This microfilm collection of the papers of African American painter, sculptor, illustrator, printmaker, and educator John Woodrow Wilson contains biographical material such as autobiographical notes, school records, personal documents, and a bibliography; personal and business correspondence, undated and 1938-1993; files on the New York City Board of Education, 1959-1965, regarding his teaching; and project files, including Wilson's submission for the competition for a Frederick Douglass statue, Eternal Presence, Father and Child Reading, and Wilson's monuments and bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. Correspondents represented include the Albany Institute of History and Art, Atlanta University, Carnegie Institute, Ebony, David Porter of the G Place Gallery, the Institute of Modern Art, Alain Locke, Gloria May, the Museum of Modern Art, Frederick G. Rice, and Hale Woodruff.

Also included in the collection are files on exhibitions; notebooks, 1958-1960; lesson plans, 1959, 1963; notes, writings, and lectures, circa 1945-1993; transcripts of interviews of Wilson and related correspondence, 1978-1987; legal material, 1978; financial records 1944-1991, including a notebook of sales and expenses 1945-1950; photographs, 1940-1990, of Wilson, his work, sculpture, and exhibition installations; a scrapbook, 1939-1967; artwork, including sketchbooks, 1970-1992, life studies completed as a student, 1939-1947, and miscellaneous art work, 1939-1992; and printed material, 1939-1993, including exhibition catalogs, illustrated books and book jackets, and ephemera. The collection also includes a copy of a sound recording of an interview of Wilson conducted by Alan Trachtenberg, circa 1979 (untranscribed).
Biographical / Historical:
John Woodrow Wilson (1922-2015) was an African American painter, sculptor, illustrator, printmaker, and educator in Boston, Massachusetts. Wilson studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston under Ture Bengtz and Karl Zerbe, graduating in 1945. He lived in Paris through the MFA fellowship and studied with modern artist Fernand Leger. He then attended Tufts University, graduating in 1947. Wilson received a John Hay Whitney fellowship and lived in Mexico for five years with his wife, Julie Kowtich. After his return from Mexico in 1956, Wilson made artwork for Chicago labor unions and taught in New York City before returning to teach at Boston University in 1964. During his career, Wilson won competitions to execute statues of Martin Luther King, Jr. for the city of Buffalo, New York and for the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1993 by John W. Wilson, except for the 1979 sound recording which he lent for copying.
Restrictions:
Microfilm portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of untranscribed interview requires an appointment.
Occupation:
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Sculptors -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Educators -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
African American artists  Search this
African American educators  Search this
African American painters  Search this
African American sculptors  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.wilsjohn
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ea018d94-6ec4-4d8f-9d56-9428d4c92e78
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-wilsjohn

Katharine Lane Weems papers, 1865-1989

Creator:
Weems, Katharine Ward Lane, 1899-  Search this
Subject:
Cornell, Katharine  Search this
Cresson, Margaret French  Search this
Grafly, Charles  Search this
Huntington, Anna Hyatt, 1876-1973  Search this
Manship, Paul  Search this
Monjo, Enric  Search this
Putnam, Brenda  Search this
Wong, Anna May  Search this
Gildersleeve, Basil L. (Basil Lanneau)  Search this
Lane, Gardiner M.  Search this
Hancock, Walker Kirtland  Search this
Kroll, Leon  Search this
Marans, Moissaye  Search this
Weinman, Adolph A. (Adolph Alexander)  Search this
Lane, Katharine Ward  Search this
Brookgreen Gardens  Search this
World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)  Search this
Type:
Sketchbooks
Video recordings
Place:
Saranac Lake N.Y. -- Photographs
Citation:
Katharine Lane Weems papers, 1865-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
Animal sculpture  Search this
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Women  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)8603
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210783
AAA_collcode_weemkath
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Women
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210783

Oral history interview with John Wilson, 1993 March 11-1994 August 16

Interviewee:
Wilson, John Woodrow, 1922-  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F.  Search this
Subject:
Aronson, David  Search this
Bengtz, Ture  Search this
Gaither, Edmund B.  Search this
Hurwitz, Sidney  Search this
Kay, Reed  Search this
Kramer, Jack  Search this
Léger, Fernand  Search this
Lewis, Elma  Search this
Rivera, Diego  Search this
Siqueiros, David Alfaro  Search this
Zerbe, Karl  Search this
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. School  Search this
Boston University. School of Fine and Applied Arts  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with John Wilson, 1993 March 11-1994 August 16. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
African American educators  Search this
African American painters  Search this
African American printmakers  Search this
African American sculptors  Search this
Theme:
African American  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)11501
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)216507
AAA_collcode_wilson93
Theme:
African American
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_216507

John Wilson papers, circa 1939-1993

Creator:
Wilson, John Woodrow, 1922-  Search this
Subject:
Trachtenberg, Alan  Search this
Type:
Drawings
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Citation:
John Wilson papers, circa 1939-1993. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
African American artists  Search this
African American educators  Search this
African American painters  Search this
African American sculptors  Search this
Theme:
African American  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6395
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215365
AAA_collcode_wilsjohn
Theme:
African American
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_215365

Oral history interview with George D. Yater, 1974 July 18

Interviewee:
Yater, George D. (George David), 1910-1993  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with George D. Yater, 1974 July 18. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Photography, Artistic -- Interviews  Search this
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
Photography  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12115
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213206
AAA_collcode_yater74
Theme:
Photography
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213206

Oral history interview with George Condo

Interviewee:
Condo, George  Search this
Interviewer:
Lyon, Christopher  Search this
Names:
Devo (Musical group)  Search this
Massachusetts College of Art -- Students  Search this
Basquiat, Jean-Michel, 1960-1988  Search this
Bishofberger, Bruno  Search this
Clements, Dawn  Search this
Dagley, Mark  Search this
Dahn, Walter, 1954-  Search this
Haring, Keith  Search this
Herman, Roger  Search this
Hughes, Frederick W., 1943-2001  Search this
Kantor, Ulrike  Search this
Kelly, Gene, 1912-1996  Search this
Sharp, Willoughby  Search this
Smith, Rupert Jasen  Search this
Tyrrell, Susan  Search this
Warhol, Andy, 1928-1987  Search this
Extent:
5 Items (sound files (3 hr., 19 min.) Audio, digital, wav)
88 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Place:
Europe -- description and travel
Date:
2017 May 5-June 20
Scope and Contents:
An interview with George Condo conducted 2017 May 5 and June 20, by Christopher Lyon, for the Archives of American Art, at Condo's studio in New York, New York.
Condo speaks of his childhood and adolescence in New England; his Italian grandparents and heritage; his early obsession with drawing; the mathematical dimension of his mind; his Catholic upbringing and its influence on his art; exposure to literature, art, and music through his family; his decision to pursue visual art rather than music; the influence of jazz on his approach to making art; his understanding of tradition and originality; the influence of a wide range of literature on his approach to making art; dropping out of Mass College of Art; playing in a Boston punk rock band called The Girls in the late 1970s; moving to New York in 1981; working on Andy Warhol's silk-screening assembly line; moving to Los Angeles in 1982; being shown in Ulrike Kantor's gallery with Roger Herman's help; formative trips to Europe in the 1980s; important romantic relationships; changes in the New York art world in the 1990s; developing the concept of Artificial Realism; and his appreciation for the old masters of painting. Condo also recalls Dawn Clements, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Devo, Mark Dagley, Rupert Smith, Fred Hughes, Susan Tyrrell, Gene Kelly, Willoughby Sharp, Walter Dahn, Bruno Bischofberger, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
George Condo (1957- ) is a contemporary visual artist working in New York, New York. Christopher Lyon (1949- ) is a publisher and writer in Brooklyn, New York.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Topic:
Art -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Jazz  Search this
Music  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Photo-realism  Search this
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Punk rock music  Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.condo17
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c2fc582c-0e52-4a03-9166-815594b66f8e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-condo17
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Bernard Chaet

Interviewee:
Chaet, Bernard  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F.  Search this
Names:
Boris Mirski Gallery (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Yale University. School of Art  Search this
Albers, Josef  Search this
Zerbe, Karl, 1903-1972  Search this
Extent:
5 Items (sound files (3 hrs., 30 min.), digital, wav file)
92 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1997 June 18-August 15
Scope and Contents:
An interview with Bernard Chaet conducted 1997 June 18-August 15, by Robert Brown, for the Archives of American Art, at Chaet's home in Rockport, Massachusetts.
Chaet briefly speaks of his life growing up in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston and his family, in particular his father, before segueing into his early beginnings as an artist and his acceptance into the School of the Museum of Fine Arts; he discusses his training there, as well as the three-year interim after he quit and before he completed his education at Tufts University when he worked alone; he refers to his teacher and the head of the Department of Painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Karl Zerbe, often, including his falling out with Zerbe, citing this as the reason his quit the school; he recalls his relationship with Boston art gallery owner Boris Mirski, who supported him from an early stage and sent him to Europe when he was young, the evolution of his relationship with Mirski, and the reason for their eventual falling out; Chaet describes his trip to Europe, where he traveled for several months with friends, at length, including the art museums and the suffering he witnessed in Italy and Spain, as well as accidentally meeting Picasso in Antibes, and the influence the trip had on his work; he recalls how he became an art teacher, how he was hired by Josef Albers at Yale, his tenure at Yale, some of the students there, including Chuck Close, Nancy Graves, and Richard Serra, as well as the internal politics and his accomplishments; he discusses his own evolution as an artist, including his use of watercolors, as well as his return to certain themes, such as his painting of cows (and how, more generally, artists do return to themes throughout their lives), and the balance between teaching and being an artist; Chaet mentions the beginnings of Artists Equity and Cold War politics. Chaet also recalls his wife, the artist Ninon Lacey, his former roommate, the artist David Aronson, and art world figures: Hyman Swetzoff, Edith Halpert, Dorothy Adlow, Charles Sawyer, Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Hyman Bloom, Willem de Kooning, Rico Lebrun, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Bernard Chaet (1924-2012) was a painter and teacher from New Haven, Connecticut and Rockport, Massachusetts.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 29 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire audio recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- Connecticut -- Interviews  Search this
Art teachers -- Connecticut -- New Haven -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.chaet97
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ece6734d-fae8-47b2-b7af-301c64a1ccdd
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-chaet97
Online Media:

The Zorach family papers

Creator:
Zorach Family  Search this
Names:
Art Students League (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Brooklyn Museum  Search this
Adams, Ansel, 1902-1984  Search this
Cunningham, Imogen, 1883-1976  Search this
Ipcar, Dahlov, 1917-2017  Search this
Newman, Arnold, 1918-2006  Search this
Partridge, Roi, 1888-1984  Search this
Zorach, Marguerite, 1887-1968  Search this
Zorach, Tessim  Search this
Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this
Extent:
4.4 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Prints
Articles
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Notes
Writings
Date:
1900-1987
Summary:
The Zorach family papers measure 4.4 linear feet and consist of materials relating to the lives and careers of sculptor and painter William Zorach, his wife painter and weaver Marguerite, and their children, painter and multi-media artist Dahlov Ipcar and collector and art dealer Tessim Zorach. The bulk of the papers consists of letters to Tessim regarding his parent's artwork. Additional materials include scattered letters to William Zorach; writings and notes by William, Marguerite, and Tessim; a sketchbook and drawings by William; prints by Marguerite; Marguerite's scrapbook; printed materials; and photographs of the Zorach family and of William Zorach in his studio and at work.
Scope and Content Note:
The Zorach family papers measure 4.4 linear feet and consist of materials relating to the lives and careers of sculptor and painter William Zorach, his wife painter and weaver Marguerite, and their children, painter and multi-media artist Dahlov Ipcar and collector and art dealer Tessim Zorach. The bulk of the papers consists of letters to Tessim regarding his parent's artwork. Additional materials include scattered letters to William Zorach; writings and notes by William, Marguerite, and Tessim; a sketchbook and drawings by William; prints by Marguerite; Marguerite's scrapbook; printed materials; and photographs of the Zorach family and of William Zorach in his studio and at work.

The majority of correspondence is between Tessim Zorach and various museums and galleries concerning exhibitions and donations of his parents' works of art. There are scattered letters to William Zorach among the correspondence. Business records consist of materials relating to the Collection of the Zorach Children, including lists of works of art by the Zorach's, a file relating to an exhibition of Zorach artwork at the Brooklyn Museum, and photographs of works of art considered for donation.

Writings and Notes include a typescript of an article written by Marguerite Zorach, writings by William Zorach, a typescript of Young Poems by William and Marguerite, as well as articles written by others about the Zorachs. Artwork by Marguerite Zorach includes two prints and a tracing. Also found is one sketchbook, and additional drawings by William Zorach. There is one unsigned lithograph.

The majority of exhibition announcements, catalogs, and clippings concern William and Marguerite Zorach although there are two announcements for Dahlov Ipcar. There is one scrapbook of clippings about Marguerite.

The papers include photographs of Marguerite and William Zorach, their parents, baby photos of Tessim and Dahlov, family pictures of the Zorachs, and of Marguerite and William in their studios. There are several folders of William Zorach working in his studios and additional photos of him carving a relief sculpture and a sculpture for the Southwest Bank. Most of these photographs contain detailed annotations written by William Zorach about the work. There is one folder of photographs of William in France in 1910-1911, including one of Zorach in Roi Partridge's studio. There is one photograph of Zorach taken by Ansel Adams in Yosemite, a photo of Zorach working by Arnold Newman, and several taken by Imogen Cunnigham.

Other photographs are of works of art, most of which depict William's works.

Artifacts include Marguerite's batik tools and approximately fifty commercially made printing blocks.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 9 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Information, circa 1907-1969 (Box 1, 6; 3 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1922-1982 (Box 1-2; 1.75 linear feet)

Series 3: Business Records, 1967-1971, circa 1960s-1970s (Box 2-3; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 4: Writings and Notes, circa 1930s-1973, 1987 (Box 3; 8 folders)

Series 5: Artworks, 1900-circa 1920s (Box 3, 6; 12 folders)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1922-1953 (Box 3; 1 folder)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1912-1982 (Box 3; 0.25 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographs, 1908-1966 (Box 3-5; 1.0 linear feet)

Series 9: Artifacts, circa 1910s, circa 1950s (Box 4; 0.5 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
William Zorach (1887-1966) was a modernist painter and sculptor working primarily in New York city, along with his wife Marguerite (1887-1968) who worked as a fauvist painter, printmaker, and textile artist. Their children were painter Dahlov Ipcar (1917-) and art collector Tessim Zorach (1915-1995.)

Born in Lithuania, William Zorach immigrated to the United States where his family settled in Cleveland, Ohio. An early interest in art led to a printmaking apprenticeship. He then moved to New York City and enrolled in the National Academy of Design where he studied painting and drawing. In 1910, Zorach traveled to Paris to study and where he met his wife Marguerite Thompson at the La Palette art school. Marguerite grew up in Fresno, California and studied art at Stanford University. Both artists were heavily influenced by the fauvist and cubist art movements.

Returning to America, Marguerite and William married and both continued to create and experiment with varied media. Their paintings were featured in the 1913 New York City Armory Show and they are credited with being among the first artists to introduce European modernist styles to American modernism. The Zorachs were very close both as a couple and as working active artists.

In the 1920s, Marguerite began to experiment with textiles and created large, fine art tapestries and hooked rugs. Also, she used batik dying techniques on fabrics. William also expanded his genre by creating direct sculpture in 1918, which would become his primary medium.

In 1915, William and Marguerite started a family with their son, Tessim. Two years later, their daughter Dahlov was born. The Zorachs divided the year and lived in New York City, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. In 1923, the family bought a farm on Georgetown Island, Maine where they lived, worked, and entertained friends.

Dahlov and Tessim were exposed to art from an early age. Dahlov showed artistic promise as a child and her parents supported her creativity by allowing her to express herself without formal training. Dahlov pursued painting and later became an illustrator for children's books. Additionally, she wrote fantasy novels and short stories. Dahlov married Adolf Ipcar in 1936. Like the rest of his family, Tessim Zorach developed an interest of art and along with his wife Peggy, he amassed a large private collection of ancient to modern art.

William and Marguerite continued to sculpt and paint until their deaths in 1966 and 1968, respectively.

Together, Dahlov and Tessim established the Collection of the Zorach Children which coordinated donations of their parents' art to many museums throughout the United States and the world. The artwork of both artists is found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, Delaware Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Farnsworth Art Museum, Portland Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Philips Collection, and educational institutions such as Colby College, University of Vermont, Williams College, Bowdoin College, and the University of Virginia. In addition William has works associated with many public buildings, among them: Radio City Music Hall, New York City Municipal Court, the U.S. Post Office in Washington D.C. as well as Farleigh Dickinson University.
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art holds the Dahlov Ipcar papers, 1906-1997. Also found is one oral history interview with William Zorach conducted by by John D. Morse on April 2, 1959 and an oral history interview with Dahlov Ipcar conducted by Robert F. Brown on November 13, 1979.

The bulk of William Zorach's papers are held by the Library of Congress.
Separated Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming on reels NY59-1-NY59-4 and NY59-19. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are now held by the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division. This material is not described in the collection container inventory or finding aid.
Provenance:
William Zorach lent papers for microfilming to the Archives of American Art in 1959. Tessim Zorach donated materials between 1976-1987.
Restrictions:
Use of originals requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Weavers  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Artist couples  Search this
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Prints
Articles
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Notes
Writings
Citation:
The Zorach Family papers, 1900-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.zorazora
See more items in:
The Zorach family papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99b759247-30c2-4d06-9c75-1c7b0054f5d5
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-zorazora

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