Interview of Philip Guston conducted on January 29, 1965, by Joseph Trovato, in the artist's home in Woodstock, New York, for the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project.
Guston briefly provides biographical information and spends the remainder of his time speaking of his experiences working on the Mural Project (PWAP) in Los Angeles; his move to New York working under Reginald Marsh as a non-relief artist; his multiple mural projects in New York (Penn Station Subway, Queensbridge Housing Project, WPA Mural for the World's Fair, etc.); his success in WPA Fine Arts competitions; his move to Woodstock, New York; his time spent teaching at the University of Iowa; his many influences (Renaissance, Modern and Abstract Painters); his personal/professional feelings about the WPA as well as his political feelings about it.
Biographical / Historical:
Philip Guston (1913-1980) was a painter in both New York and Los Angeles.
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.
A receipt for {dollar}15.00 paid to "Howard Everett Giles, Esq." from the Current Literature Publishing Company, New York, "for illustrations in Nov. no. Short Stories".
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, writer; Woodstock, Vermont.
Related Materials:
Howard Giles papers also at Syracuse University.
Provenance:
Donated 1965 by the estate of Mrs. Howard Giles.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Four photographs of painter Ivan Albright (1897-1983) working on a self-portrait series in his Woodstock, Vermont studio.
Biographical / Historical:
Photographer, graphic artist, illustrator, and sculptor; born 1910 in Atlanta, Ga.
Provenance:
Donated 1986 by Frank Joseph Lieberman.
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.
Biographical sketches; membership cards; correspondence, chiefly with family members; an account book; lists of work; writings; art work, including sketches, watercolors, etchings, lithographs, charcoal sketches and 10 sketchbooks, and oils on canvas; photographs of Wilder, Henry C. White and others, and of Wilder's and White's work and studios; exhibition catalogs, and other printed material.
Biographical / Historical:
Landscape painter; Woodstock, Vt. Studied at the Art Students League and the Art Guild in Brooklyn, N.Y., where Thomas Eakins was his instructor.
Provenance:
Donated 1993 by Lyle C. Pearsons, Wilder's grandson. Additional papers are expected.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Landscape painters -- Vermont -- Woodstock Search this
This collection is primarily the work of one individual, Donald Harvey Sultner, known professionally as Donald Sultner-Welles (1914-1981). The collection forms a written and visual record of Sultner's family, life, and career from 1913-1980. Its major strength is Sultner's photographic documentation of the world during his travels, ca. 1950-1980. Work by other photographers and artists, correspondence, greeting cards, and contemporary memorabilia and ephemera are included, along with fewer than fifty examples of earlier materials, ca. 1790-1900, collected by Sultner.
The entire collection reflects Sultner's lifework and interests. Housed in boxes the collection is organized into eleven series: Personal Papers; Professional Papers; Lecture Materials; Biographical Materials; Transparencies; Photoprints; Photonegatives; Prints, Drawings, Mixed Media; Audio Tapes; Miscellaneous; and Steve Eyster Addenda. The arrangement within each series is based as closely as possi-ble on Sultner's own organization of the materials. However, in several instances similar materials were found separated and have been placed together. In addition, obvious filing mistakes and spelling errors have been corrected. The spelling of geographic place names is based on Official Standard Names prepared by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, Office of Geography, U.S. Department of the Interior. Not all names given by Sultner were found in the gazetteers, so there may be errors.
The bulk of the collection consists of 2-1/4-inch by 2-1/4-inch color transparencies (Series 5). However, the manuscript materials (Series 1-4) provide a detailed complement to the transparencies. For example, from the mid-1950s until the late 1970s, Sultner kept a travel diary (Se-ries 1). Written on the backs of postcards, this stream-of-consciousness journal reflects not only his daily trips, but his impressions of the countries and thoughts on his photography. A juxtaposition of cards with images is especially useful in understanding what Sultner photographed as well as why and how he photographed it. Sultner's professional corre-spondence (Series 2) documents the various types of groups before which he performed and equipment manufacturers dealt with for cameras, projectors, and so on. Notes, drafts, and final lectures (Series 3) present the performance side of Sultner. This material, when viewed with tapes of concerts and slides, begins to recreate the photo-concert as Sultner presented it. Scrapbooks (Series 4), kept by Sultner from the 1940s to the 1980s, present Sultner's life and career in chronological fashion.
The transparency portion of the collection (Series 5), containing over 87,000 images, is especially rich because of its documentation of the countries of the world. People are seen at their daily tasks, such as washing clothes, marketing, shopping, and eating. Cities are documented as they changed over the years. Two areas in particular will be of spe-cial interest to European and Asian researchers. The first is Sultner's USIS Asian tour in 1959. He visited Japan, Java, India, Korea, the Phil-ippines, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The serene, prewar cities and coun-tryside of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam evince nothing of the devastation to come in the 1960a and 70s.
The second area of interest is Sultner's passion for documenting archi-tecture. As a guest of the German government in 1954, Sultner documented the devastation of World War II and photographed both the reconstruction of bombed buildings and the construction of buildings reflecting "new" postwar architectural styles. In addition to photographing post-WW II styles, throughout his career Sultner documented Palladian, baroque and Rococo architecture. This interest manifested itself in several of his lectures.
A third subject area of interest to Sultner was gardens. Among his first lectures following his USIS tour was "Gardens of the World." Sultner de-veloped this theme into an ongoing commitment to ecology, culminating in a filmstrip, "The Time is Now" (Series 10), prepared for the Hudson River Conservation Society in the 1960s. Carl Carmer, a noted author, wrote the text for the filmstrip. Sultner's taped interviews, lectures, and program music (Series 9) complement the transparencies. During his USIS-sponsored Asian tour in 1959, Sultner recorded impressions of his trip on tape. Interviews with people living in the countries he visited, radio interviews, and his own personal reflections are included. Of particular interest are his "No Harm Asking" interviews in Manila (tape #2), his interview of two French hotel managers in Saigon discussing post-French control conditions (tape #9), and--perhaps the most unusual--his discussion with Erna Hanfstaengl about her personal relationship with Adolf Hitler (tape #107). Scripts for lectures (Series 3) round out the documentation of Sultner's profes-sional work.
Because of the arrangement of the transparencies, it is necessary to check several areas for the same subject. For example, Vietnam images are in the "World" section alphabetically under Vietnam (box 81). Sult-ner also lectured on Vietnam, so there are Vietnamese images in the "framed subjects" (Boxes 137-138). Another example, perhaps more compli-cated, but more common to Sultner, was his distinguishing between images of unidentified "People" and identified "Portraits." Transparency stud ies of human beings will be found under the subseries "People." "Subjects --Portraits," various countries in the subseries "World," and "Lectures." There are also individuals in the black-and-white photoprints (Series 6), and photonegatives (Series 8). The painter and print-maker Charles Shee-ler appears in a number of locations, as does tenor Roland Hayes. Another area of complexity with regard to people concerns the transparencies and negatives. Sultner interfiled his transparencies and negatives of iden-tified individuals. For appropriate storage, these two different formats have been arranged in separate series. Therefore, instead of container lists for the two series, there is a combined alphabetical index to both (pp. 166-206).
Of tangential interest are the photoprints (Series 6), etchings, wood-cuts, and other prints (Series 8) collected by Sultner. One particular subseries of interest contains photographs presented to Sultner by Asian photographers during his 1959 tour. Over 45 images were given to Sultner and represent the standards of camera-club photography in the 1950s. Thesecond subseries consists of over 25 prints by the Italian-American art-ist Luigi Lucioni (1900- ). For further information on this artist,see The Etchings of Luigi Lucioni, -A Catalogue Raisonne', by Stuart P.Embury (Washington, 1984). Lucioni also painted Sultner's portrait in1952 and the "People" section of the transparencies contains a number of images of Lucioni at work. Another significant category is the Japanese prints, including two by a major nineteenth-century artist, Ando Hiro-shige (1797-1858).
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into eleven series.
Series 1: Personal Papers, 1923-1981
Series 2: Professional Papers, 1954-1980
Series 3: Lecture Materials, 1952-1980
Series 4: Biographical Materials, 1954-1980
Series 5: Transparencies, 1947-1980
Series 6: Photoprints, 1913-ca. 1980
Series 7: Photonegatives, 1929-1981
Series 8: Prints, Drawings, Mixed Media, ca. 1790-1979
Series 9: Audio Tapes, 1947-1980
Series 10: Miscellaneous, 1947-1980
Series 11: Steve Eyster Addenda, 1937-1980
Biographical / Historical:
Donald Harvey Sultner was bom in York, Pennsylvania, on April 13, 1914, the son of Lillian May Arnold Sultner and Harvey A. Sultner. In 1923 Sultner attended the Lewis Institute in Detroit, Michigan, to overcome a speech impediment. He entered the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1932 and graduated in 1936. Sultner studied merchandising and sang in the glee club, then under the direction of composer Harl MacDonald. Sultner, a baritone, continued his interest in music and studied voice with Reinald Werrenrath and with Florence Benedict and Bruce Benjamin in New York City. In the late 1940s and early 1950s he appeared in concert with accompanists at schools, clubs, and resort hotels along the East Coast.
It appears that photography was always an important part of Sultner's life. Using a small format (120) camera, he recorded his vacation travels around the United States and Canada, parties, and his family. While living in New York, Sultner continued photographing friends and family and began photographing the famous people he encountered on his concert tours. In the early 1950s he began taking 2-1/4-inch by 2-1/4-inch color transparencies (slides) of landscapes and architecture as he traveled giving concerts.
Sultner, who had taken the stage name of "Sultner-Welles," began what was to be his lifework as a professional "photo-lecturer" in 1952. He illustrated his talks on nature, art, architecture, and the environment with his color slides. In 1954 Sultner toured West Germany as a guest of the Bonn government, and in 1959 he lectured in Asia under the auspices of the U.S. State Department. He was dubbed the "camera ambassador." Constantly adding new material to his collection of slides, Sultner traveled extensively throughout the United States, speaking before garden clubs, cultural organi-zations, and schools. He also appeared aboard various ships of the Holland-America line during a number of cruises abroad.
Sultner had established his performance style by the early 1960s. He expanded his lectures to include a combination of art, words, and music. The expanded presentation resulted in the "photo-concert," a unique synthesis of light and sound that Sultner frequently per-formed with a symphony orchestra. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra commissioned "Concertino for Camera and Orchestra" by Eric Knight with Sultner in mind. The world premiere was in Baltimore in March 1979. While he spoke on many art, garden, and architectural topics, Sultner specialized in subjects relating to the baroque and rococo periods and Palladian architecture.
Sultner died of cancer in York, Pennsylvania, on March 25, 1981, at the age of 67.
1914 -- April 13, born York, Pennsylvania.
1929 -- In Detroit at Lewis Institute to overcome a speech impediment.
1932 -- To University of Pennsylvania.
1935 -- Summer trip to Roanoke (VA), Picketts, Hershey (PA); fall trip to New England for fraternity (AXP) convention.
1936 -- Spring glee club trip; graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; summer trips to Newport News (VA), northern trip to Canada, Picketts (PA).
1937 -- Fall trip to Williamsburg (VA), Duke University (NC); Sultner family begins building "Glen Hill" (Dover, PA).
1938 -- Summer at home, and Picketts (PA), Camp Pratt.
1939 -- Spring trip to Washington, D.C.; September trip to The Homestead (WV), Hot Springs (WV), Virginia; Lake Mohonk (NY).
1940 -- Summer trip to New Orleans, Blowing Rock (NC); winter trip to Skytop Club (NY); fall trip to Atlantic City (NJ), Philadelphia (PA), Annapolis (MD).
1941 -- Winter 1941-42 appearance in "Hit the Deck." Lake Mohonk (NY) with Ted Walstrum (Sept. 22-23); Skytop Club (NY) (February); summer trip to Canada, Lake Chazy (NY) (Aug. 17-23).
1942 -- Spring in Atlantic City (NJ); summer to Buck Hill Falls, Lakes Chazy and Mohonk.
1943 -- Summer trip to Mohonk (NY).
1944 -- Summer: To Toronto (Ontario), Muskoka Lake, Bigwin Island, Montreal (Quebec), Mohonk (NY).
1946 -- To Mohonk (NY), Ogunquit (ME), Old Saybrook (CT), Nantucket (RI).
1947 -- Singing tour of Canada and New England; winter-spring tour to Georgia and Florida.
1948 -- To Florida and Nassau, Feb.-Mar., Vermont, July-Aug.; Nassau-Havana-Miami-Bermuda, October.
1949 -- Singing tour of North and South Carolina.
1950 -- Summer trip to South.
1951 -- To District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, [New Jersey?], New York, Vermont.
1952 -- January 9: first public photo-concert, Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts, Philadelphia; trips to Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont.
1953 -- To Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont.
1954 -- Guest of German government for a study tour in the fall. To District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia.
1955 -- To Holland; Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia.
1956 -- To California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia.
1957 -- Holland-America Cruise to Germany, Austria, Italy. To Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia.
1958 -- Holland-America Cruises to Germany, Austria, Holland, Italy, Switzerland. To Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota., Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin.
1959 -- United States Information Service (USIS)-sponsored tour of Asia: Burma, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaya, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam. Also visited Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Spain; Alaska, California, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania.
1960 -- Holland-America Cruise to Austria, Belgium, Caribbean, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Morocco. To Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.
1961 -- To Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland; Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode.Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.
1962 -- Portfolio, "Autumn in Vermont," with introduction by Carl Carmer, published in Autumn issue of Vermont Life. Holland-America Cruise to Denmark, England, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Sweden. To Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia.
1963 -- Holland-America Cruise to Caribbean, Canada, Sweden, Thailand. To Alabama, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, N;w York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington.
1964 -- Holland-America Cruise to Germany, Canada, England, Holland, Wales. To Delaware, District of Columbia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia.
1965 -- Holland-America Cruise to Austria, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Holland, Portugal, Wales. To Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia.
1966 -- Holland-America Cruise to Caribbean, Germany, France, Holland, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland. To New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia.
1967 -- Holland-America Cruise to Caribbean, Austria, Denmark, England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Wales. To Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia.
1968 -- To Germany; Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia.
1969 -- To England, France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland; Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia.
1970 -- Holland-America Cruise to Caribbean, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden. To Alabama, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia.
1971 -- Holland-America Cruise to Caribbean, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Portugal, Sweden. To Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania.
1972 -- Holland-America Cruise to Asia, Pacific, Caribbean, Africa, Austria, Italy, Japan, Thailand, Turkey. To California, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia.
1973 -- Holland-America Cruise to Austria, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Sweden. To California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont.
1974 -- To Germany, Switzerland; California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia.
1975 -- To Austria; California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia.
1976 -- To Canada; Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah.
1977 -- To Canada, Germany; New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia.
1978 -- To Scotland; Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina.
1979 -- To England; Florida.
1980 -- To Florida.
1981 -- March 25: Sultner dies of cancer, York, Pennsylania.
Introduction:
The Donald H. Sultner-Welles Collection, ca. 1790-1981, came to the National Museum of American History in 1982 from the estate of Mr. Sultner. The collection was created by Sultner over his adult life and represents one of the most extensive collections of color transparencies created by one individual and held in a public repository. Sultner's emphasis was on world culture. He took the majority of his photographs in the eastern United States, western Europe, and Asia. Gardens, architecture, and people are the three major subject areas represented in the collection. Of additional interest are Sultner's taped impressions of his 1959 United States Information Service (USIS)-sponsored Asian tour. The collection occupies 309 boxes and covers more than 83 cubic feet.
The Donald H. Sultner-Welles Collection is open to researchers in the Archives Center, third floor east, of the National Museum of American History, between 12th and 14th Streets, on Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20560. The Archives Center is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Written and telephone (202/357-3270) inquiries are welcome and researchers are encouraged to contact the Archives Center before their arrival. The FAX number is 202/786-2453.
This is the eleventh in a series of occasional guides to collections in the Archives Center. Finding aids to other collections are available. The Guide to Manuscript Collections in the National Museum of History and Technology (1978) and an updated compilation contain brief descriptions of all archival holdings in the Museum. All current Archives Center holdings are available for search on the Smithsonian Institution Bibliographic Information System (SIBIS), an online database.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but a portion of the collection is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
A small number of letters and photographs are restricted until the year 2031. Identification list in box.
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.
The 19 scrapbooks in this series are the collection's main source of Macbeth Gallery exhibition catalogs and related news clippings. Although incomplete, the scrapbooks provide fairly comprehensive coverage of the gallery's history and include material on day-to-day events at the gallery as well as important occasions such as the gallery's fortieth, fiftieth and sixtieth anniversaries, news of the art world in general and some photographs. Some of the scrapbooks also contain printed material related to art, exhibitions and events elsewhere. Many of the exhibition catalogs found here are annotated with prices and other notes. Notably missing is the catalog for the 1908 exhibition, The Eight.
See Appendix for a list of Macbeth Gallery exhibitions documented in Series 5: Scrapbooks.
Arrangement:
As some of the dates of the scrapbooks overlap, they were numbered 1-19 for clarity. The scrapbook cover for #3 is housed in Box 120, and the contents are housed in Box 122.
Appendix: Macbeth Gallery Exhibitions Documented in Scrapbooks:
This chronological list of Macbeth Gallery exhibitions is extensive, but incomplete. While an attempt has been made to establish the accuracy of the information provided here, dates and titles of exhibitions are not guaranteed to be accurate. Most of the exhibitions listed here are documented in the scrapbooks through exhibition catalogs and/or invitations, lists of artwork and news clippings. The list is annotated with AAA microfilm reel and frame numbers to assist researchers in locating material on specific exhibitions.
Scrapbook 1, 1892-1901
Dec. 7-21, 1892 -- Water Colors by American Artists (NMc1: 273-275)
Jan.23-Feb.11, 1893 -- Landscapes in Oil (NMc1: 276-277)
Feb. 27-Mar. 18, 1893 -- Landscapes in Oil by William Keith (NMc1: 278-279)
Mar. 20-Apr. 8, 1893 -- Watercolors by Dutch Artists (NMc1: 281-282)
Nov. 8-29, 1893 -- Second Annual Exhibition of Watercolors by American Artists (NMc1: 283-285)
Dec. 2-16, 1893 -- Drawings in Watercolors and in Black and White by C. R. Grant and Wilson De Meza (NMc1: 287-290)
Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 1894 -- Pictures and Sketches by Anton Mauve (NMc1: 291-292, 311-313)
Feb. 6-17, 1894 -- Paintings by Henry W. Ranger (NMc1: 295-296)
Jan. 21-Feb. 2, 1901 -- Pictures and Portraits by Wilbur A. Reaser (NMc1: 385)
Feb. 25-Mar. 9, 1901 -- Frederick Ballard Williams (NMc1: 394-395)
Feb. 4-16, 1901 -- Landscapes by Alexander H. Wyant and George Inness (NMc1: 390-391)
May 9-31, 1901 -- Paintings by Arthur B. Davies (NMc1: 400-402)
Nov. 29-Dec. 14, 1901 -- Watercolors, Color Prints from Wood Blocks and Etchings Printed in Color by Helen Hyde (NMc1: 405-406)
Scrapbook 2, 1893-1898
Primarily news clippings.
Scrapbook 3, 1902-1910
Feb. 3-15, 1902 -- Private Collection of American Pictures (NMc1: 2-5)
Mar. 17-29, 1902 -- Some Phases of London When the Lamps Are Lighted, Done in Pastel by Fernand Lungren (NMc1: 10-13)
Mar. 31-Apr. 5, 1902 -- Group of Pictures by Sidney Starr (NMc1: 13)
Apr. 1-12, 1902 -- Pictures by Robert Henri (NMc1: 15-16)
Apr. 14-26, 1902 -- Drawings by Jane Erin Emmet (NMc1: 21-22)
Apr. 28-May 11, 1902 -- Landscapes by W. L. Lathrop (NMc1: 20)
Jan 19-31, 1903 -- Drawings and Sketches by Homer D. Martin, 1836-1897 (NMc1: 27)
Jan. 27-Feb. 11, 1905 -- Pictures by William Sartain (NMc1: 37-39)
Feb. 23-Mar. 8, 1905 -- Paintings by Arthur B. Davies (NMc1: 62-64)
May 1-6, 1905 -- Oil Paintings by American Artists from the Macbeth Gallery (at the Galleries of George D. Brodhead, Rochester, NY) (NMc1: 69-72)
Jan 29-Feb. 10, 1906 -- Abbot H. Thayer and Gladys Thayer (NMc1: 77-78)
Feb. 19-Mar. 3, 1906 -- Pictures by Charles H. Davis (NMc1: 79-80)
Mar. 10-24, 1906 -- Stephen Parrish (NMc1: 81-82)
Nov. 9-24, 1906 -- A Group of American Paintings (NMc1: 91-92)
Jan. 11-26, 1907 -- Paintings by William Sartain (NMc1: 100-101)
Feb. 1-16, 1907 -- Paintings by Paul Dougherty (NMc1: 105-106)
Feb. 23-Mar. 9, 1907 -- Paintings by Charles H. Davis (NMc1: 107-108)
Mar. 11-23, 1907 -- Portraits by Ellen Emmet (NMc1: 112-113)
Mar. 28-Apr. 3, 1907 -- Paintings by William Keith (NMc1: 115-117)
Nov. 11-23, 1907 -- Paintings by Augustus Vincent Tack (NMc1: 124-125)
Nov. 27-Dec. 12, 1907 -- Paintings by John La Farge (NMc1: 127-131)
Jan. 6-18, 1908 -- Paintings by Jerome Myers (NMc1: 133-134)
Jan. 20-Feb. 1, 1908 -- Paintings by Paul Dougherty (NMc1: 137-138)
Feb. 3-15, 1908 -- Exhibition of Paintings by Arthur B. Davies, William J. Glackens, Robert Henri, Ernest Lawson, George Luks, Maurice B. Prendergast, Everett Shinn, John Sloan (NMc:142-143 Catalog missing from scrapbook)
Feb. 19-Mar. 7. 1908 -- Forty Selected Paintings by Living American Artists (NMc1: 147-149)
Mar. 11-24, 1908 -- Paintings by a Group of American Artists (Deceased), Copley to Whistler (NMc1: 151-152)
1908 -- Kwaunon Meditating on Life by John La Farge (NMc1: 155)
Nov. 10-25, 1908 -- Paintings by Howard Pyle (NMc1: 158-159)
Nov. 27-Dec. 10, 1908 -- Paintings by Charles Melville Dewey (NMc1: 161-162)
Dec. 15-31, 1908 -- Bronzes by a Group of American Artists (NMc1: 165-166)
Jan. 7-21, 1909 -- Forty Selected Paintings by Living American Artists (NMc1: 168-169)
Jan. 22-Feb. 4, 1909 -- Paintings by Henry W. Ranger (NMc1: 171-172)
Feb. 5-18, 1909 -- Paintings by Paul Dougherty (NMc1: 176
Feb. 19-Mar. 4, 1909 -- Arthur B. Davies (NMc1: 178)
Mar. 5-Mar. 18, 1909 -- Paintings by Charles H. Davis, N.A. (NMc1: 183-184)
Mar. 19-Apr. 1, 1909 -- A Group of Figure Subjects by Blendon Campbell, Charles W. Hawthorne, Robert Henri, George Luks, Kenneth Miller (NMc1: 186-187)
Apr. 2-15, 1909 -- Paintings by Louis Loeb (NMc1: 188-189)
Apr. 16-29, 1909 -- Paintings by a Group of Boston Artists (NMc1: 191-192)
May 10-22, 1909 -- Paintings by American Artists from the Macbeth Galleries, New York [at Findlay Art Co., Kansas City, MO] (NMc1: 195-197)
Nov. 18-Dec. 4, 1909 -- Paintings by Albert P. Lucas (NMc1: 203-205)
Dec. 7-24, 1909 -- Watercolors and Pastels by American Artists (NMc1: 207-210)
Dec 7-24, 1909 -- Second Annual Exhibition of Bronzes by American Sculptors (NMc1: 211-212)
Jan. 6-19, 1910 -- Sixteen Paintings of the Cornish Coast by Paul Dougherty (NMc1: 213-215)
Jan. 20-Feb. 2, 1910 -- Paintings by Mary Curtis Richardson of San Francisco (NMc1: 218-220)
Jan. 20-Feb. 2, 1910 -- First Exhibition of Paintings by Ben Foster (NMc1: 216-218)
Feb 3-16, 1910 -- Landscapes and Figures by Frederick Ballard Williams (NMc1: 227-229)
Feb. 3-16, 1910 -- Spanish Paintings by F. Luis Mora (NMc1: 225-227)
Feb. 17-Mar. 2, 1910 -- The Fur Jacket by J. McNeill Whistler (NMc1: 231-232)
Feb. 17-Mar. 2, 1910 -- Paintings by William Sartain (NMc1: 233-235)
Mar. 3-16, 1910 -- Fourteen Landscapes by Charles H. Davis (NMc1: 237-239)
Mar. 3-16, 1910 -- Recent Portraits by Cecilia Beaux (NMc1: 239-240)
Mar. 17-30, 1910 -- Paintings by Hermann Dudley Murphy (NMc1: 244-246)
Mar. 17-30, 1910 -- Figure Paintings by Charles W. Hawthorne (NMc1: 242-244)
Mar. 31-Apr. 13, 1910 -- Paintings of Baily's Island by Frederick J. Waugh (NMc1: 249-251)
Mar. 31-Apr. 13, 1910 -- Nineteen Landscapes by Chaucey F. Ryder (NMc1: 247-249)
Apr. 14-27, 1910 -- George B. Luks (NMc1: 253-255)
Apr. 30-May 14, 1910 -- The Woman's Art Club of New York, Exhibition of Works in Oil and Sculpture (NMc1: 259-262)
Scrapbook 4, 1907-1913
Primarily news clippings.
Scrapbook 5, 1910-1915
Nov. 3-16, 1910 -- Recent Paintings by Charles W. Hawthorne (NMc2: 1-2)
Nov. 17-30, 1910 -- The Navajo Country in Watercolors by Frederick J. McComas (NMc2: 4-6)
Dec. 6-24, 1910 -- Watercolors, Pastels and Small Bronzes (NMc2: 7-14)
Jan. 5-18, 1911 -- Portraits by Ellen Emmet (NMc2: 15-16)
Jan. 19-Feb. 1, 1911 -- Paintings by Henry B. Snell (NMc2: 17-24)
Feb. 2-22, 1911 -- A Group of Thirty Selected Paintings (NMc2: 25-28)
Feb. 23-Mar. 8, 1911 -- A Group of Forty Selected Paintings (NMc2: 29-32)
Mar. 9-22, 1911 -- Paintings by Charles H. Davis, Paul Dougherty, Daniel Garber, William Sartain, F. Ballard Williams (NMc2: 33-35)
Mar. 23-Apr. 5, 1911 -- A Group of Paintings by Ben Foster, Albert L. Groll, Leonard Ochtman, Chauncey F. Ryder, Gardner Symons (NMc2: 36-38)
Apr. 8-22, 1911 -- The Woman's Art Club of New York, Exhibition of Works in Oil and Sculpture (NMc2: 39-42)
Nov. 16-29, 1911 -- Landscapes, Marines and Wood Interiors by Robert Henri (NMc2: 45-48)
Dec. 6-30, 1911 -- Small Bronzes by American Sculptors (NMc2: 49-52)
Dec. 2-15, 1913 -- Second Exhibition by the Society of Men Who Paint the Far West (NMc2: 172-176)
Jan. 1914 -- Drawings of Game Birds by Frank W. Benson (NMc2: 179-180)
Jan. 6-19, 1914 -- Paintings by Emil Carlsen, Paul Dougherty, Frederick C. Frieseke, Childe Hassam, Willard L. Metcalf, Kenneth H. Miller, J. Alden Weir (NMc2: 179, 181-183)
Feb. 10-Mar. 2, 1925 -- Water Colors of Egypt and Jerusalem by Taber Sears (NMc3: 126, 129-130)
Feb. 10-Mar.2, 1925 -- The New England Year in Paintings by Charles H. Davis (NMc3: 126-128)
Mar. 3-23, 1925 -- Paintings by E. W. Redfield (NMc3: 131-133)
Mar. 24-Apr. 13, 1925 -- Paintings by Daniel Garber (NMc3: 135-138)
Apr. 14-May 4, 1925 -- Recent Paintings by Robert Henri (NMc3: 140-143)
Apr. 14-May 4, 1925 -- C. W. Hawthorne: Watercolors of Bermuda (NMc3: 139)
Oct. 13-26, 1925 -- Collection of American Masters Loaned for Exhibition (NMc3: 152-154)
Oct. 27-Nov. 16, 1925 -- Memorial Exhibition of Paintings by the Late William Sartain (NMc3: 155-158)
Nov. 7-23, 1925 -- Paintings by Contemporary American Artists Loaned by the Macbeth Galleries, New York, Engaged by the Muncie Art Students' League, Muncie, Indiana (NMc3: 147-148)
Nov. 17-Dec. 7, 1925 -- Paintings by DeWitt and Douglass Parshall (NMc3: 159-162)
Dec. 4-31, 1925 -- Easel Paintings by American Artists, Loaned by Macbeth Galleries to the Springfield Art Association (NMc3: 205, 207)
Dec. 8-Jan. 4, 1926 -- Watercolors by Distinguished American Artists (NMc3: 163-166)
Jan. 5-25, 1926 -- Recent American Portraits (NMc3: 168, 172-173)
Jan. 5-18, 1926 -- American Society of Miniature Painters, 27th Annual Exhibition (NMc3: 168-171)
Jan. 26-Feb. 15, 1926 -- Paintings by Jonas Lie (NMc3: 176-179)
Jan. 26-Feb. 15, 1926 -- First Exhibition of Paintings by John Huffington (NMc3: 176, 180-181)
Feb. 7-Mar. 17, 1926 -- Exhibition of Oil Paintings by American Artists Lent by the Macbeth Galleries to the Utica Public Library Art Gallery (NMc3: 205-206)
Feb. 16-Mar. 8, 1926 -- New Paintings by Charles W. Hawthorne (NMc3: 186-189)
Feb. 16-Mar. 8, 1926 -- Chauncey F. Ryder (NMc3: 184)
Jan. 18-31, 1927 -- Watercolors by John Lavalle of Boston (NMc3: 253-255)
Jan. 22-Feb. 7, 1927 -- Crapo Gallery Opening Exhibition: Thirty Paintings by Thirty Artists assembled by Macbeth Gallery at Swain School, New Bedford, Mass. (NMc3: 245-249)
Feb. 1-14, 1927 -- Recent Paintings by Frank W. Benson (NMc3: 259-262)
Feb. 2-14, 1927 -- American Society of Miniature Painters, 28th Annual Exhibition (NMc3: 253, 256-258)
Feb. 8-26, 1927 -- Works by American Artists Selected by the Associated Dealers in American Paintings, Inc. at Anderson Galleries (Macbeth Gallery one of nine participants (NMc3: 263, 265-271)
Feb. 15-28, 1927 -- New Paintings by Chauncey F. Ryder (NMc3: 278-281)
Mar. 1-14, 1927 -- Watercolors by Aiden L. Ripley (NMc3: 282, 286)
Mar. 1-14, 1927 -- Paintings by a Group of Members of the Guild of Boston Artists (NMc3: 282-285)
Mar. 15-28, 1927 -- Paintings by Malcolm Parcell (NMc3: 287-290)
Mar. 15-28, 1927 -- Recent Pastels of Chartres by Carl Schmidt (NMc3: 287)
Mar. 29-Apr. 18, 1927 -- Thirty-fifty Anniversary Exhibition, Retrospect and Prospective (NMc3: 291-294)
Apr. 19-May 9, 1927 -- Frank A. Brown, Watercolors (NMc3: 296, 302-303)
Aug. 22-Sept. 5, 1927 -- American Art Exhibition arranged for Eastern Long Island by the Macbeth Gallery at Southampton, NY (NMc3: 297-301)
Oct. 18-29, 1927 -- American Art Exhibition, Art League of Fort Worth, Assembeled by the Macbeth Gallery (NMc3: 304, 306-311)
Oct. 18-31, 1927 -- Etchings by Walter Raymond Duff (NMc3: 313-315)
Oct. 18-31, 1927 -- Paintings by Max Bohm (NMc3: 313-315)
Nov. 1-14, 1927 -- Yankee Whalers by Clifford W. Ashley (NMc3: 316-317)
Scrapbook 11, November 1927-June 1930
Nov. 15-28, 1927 -- Paintings of Mallorca by Bernhard Gutmann (NMc3: 319-320)
Nov. 15-28, 1927 -- Paintings of Flowers by Carle J. Blenner (NMc3: 319, 321)
Nov. 29-Dec. 12, 1927 -- The Bathers , Paintings by William S. Horton (NMc3: 322-325)
Nov. 29-Dec. 12, 1927 -- Sidewalks of New York, Chalk Drawings by H. Devitt Welsh (NMc3: 326-327)
Dec. 13-31, 1927 -- Joint Exhibition of Paintings by Daniel Garber and Stanley Woodward (NMc3: 328)
Jan. 3-23, 1928 -- Recent Paintings by Jonas Lie (NMc3: 329-330)
Jan. 24-Feb. 13, 1928 -- Watercolors by John Lavalle (NMc3: 332-334)
Jan. 24-Feb. 13, 1928 -- Walter Ufer: Pictures from Taos (NMc3: 332, 334)
Jan. 24-Feb. 6, 1928 -- American Society of Miniature Painters, 29th Annual Exhibition (NMc3: 337-340)
Feb. 7-21, 1928 -- Small Pictures of Mountain and Sea by Jay Connaway (NMc3: 342)
Feb. 14-27, 1928 -- The Canadian Rockies by Belmore Brown (NMc3: 342-343)
Feb. 14-27, 1928 -- Sculpture by Gleb Derujinsky (NMc3: 342-344)
Feb. 21-Mar. 5, 1928 -- Watercolors of Venice, Spain and Brittany by Frank A. Brown (NMc3: 351-356)
Feb. 21-Mar. 10, 1928 -- Works by American Artists Selected by the Associated Dealers in American Paintings, Inc., at Anderson Galleries; Macbeth Gallery one of sixteen participants (NMc3: 346-352)
Feb. 25-Mar. 17, 1928 -- The Macbeth-Milch Circuit Exhibition of Contemporary American Paintings at Grand Rapids Art Gallery (NMc3: 385-387)
Feb. 28-Mar. 12, 1928 -- Paintings by Frank L. Schenk, 1856-1927 (NMc3: 357-358)
Mar. 20-Apr. 2, 1928 -- Lanscapes of Italy by A. Sheldon Pennoyer (NMc3: 366, 368)
Mar. 20-Apr. 9, 1928 -- Recent Landscapes, Switzerland and Other Subjects by Carl Lawless (NMc3: 366-367)
Apr. 2-15, 1928 -- Water Colors by Earl Winslow (NMc3: 355)
Apr. 10-30, 1928 -- St. Ives by Hayley Lever (NMc3: 369)
Apr. 29-May 20, 1928 -- The Macbeth-Milch Circuit Exhibition of Contemporary American Paintings at the University of Wyoming (NMc3: 385-386)
Spring, 1928 -- American Painting for Home Decoration (NMc3: 370-377)
Oct. 16-29, 1928 -- The Canadian Rockies in Watercolors by J. Olaf Olson (NMc3: 389-392)
Nov. 7-24, 1928 -- Etchings by Sears Gallagher (NMc3: 393)
Nov. 13-26, 1928 -- Sand Dunes and Flowers by Frederick Lowell (NMc3: 393-394)
Nov. 26-Dec. 17, 1928 -- Etchings by Carlton T. Chapman (NMc3: 395)
Nov. 27-Dec. 10, 1928 -- Portraits by Ernest L. Ipsen (NMc3: 396-397)
Dec. 4-31, 1928 -- Etchings by Margery A. Ryerson (NMc3: 395)
Dec. 11-24, 1928 -- Landscapes in Watercolor and Gouache by H. Anthony Dyer and Character Studies in Watercolor and Pastel by Nancy Dyer (NMc3: 398-400)
Jan. 2-14, 1929 -- Figures and Landscapes by the Late J. Alden Weir, 1852-1929 (NMc3: 401-402)
Jan. 15-28, 1929 -- Paintings by H. Dudley Murphy; Watercolors by Nellie Littlehale Murphy (NMc3: 404-405)
Jan. 15-28, 1929 -- Portraits by William James (NMc3: 406-407)
Feb. 4-18, 1929 -- Twenty-five Etchings by Harold Denison (NMc3: 410, 416-417)
Feb. 5-18, 1929 -- Paintings by Emil Carlsen and Dines Carlsen (NMc3: 408-409)
Mar. 5-18, 1929 -- Marine Paintings by Stanley W. Woodward (NMc3: 419-423)
Mar. 19-Apr. 1, 1929 -- Watercolors by Frederick C. Frieseke (NMc3: 424-425)
Mar. 19-Apr. 1, 1929 -- Pastels of Louisiana by Will H. Stevens (NMc3: 424)
Apr. 1929 -- Paintings by Childe Hassam (NMc3: 433-438)
Apr. 2-15, 1929 -- Paintings by Arthur Meltzer (NMc3: 431)
Apr. 2-15, 1929 -- Watercolors by Earle B. Winslow (NMc3: 431)
June, 1929 -- Old Mill Afternoon by Childe Hassam, Ainslie Galleries, Inc., Detroit in collaboration with Macbeth Gallery (NMc3: 465-467)
Oct. 1-14, 1929 -- Portraits in Oil and Pastel by Paul Swan (NMc3: 472-473)
Oct. 15-28, 1929 -- Exhibitions from the Summer Colonies: No. 1, Lyme (NMc3: 476-477)
Oct. 19-29, 1929 -- Milch-Macbeth Exhibition of Prints and Paintings by American Artists at the High Museum under the auspices of the Atlanta Art Association (NMc3: 462)
Oct. 20-Nov. 11, 1929 -- Memorial Exhibition of Paintings by John Huffington (NMc3: 476-479)
Nov. 12-25, 1929 -- Exhibition from the Summer colonies: No. 2, Selections from the North Shore Arts Association of Gloucester (NMc3: 480-481)
Nov. 26-Dec. 3, 1929 -- Recent Landscapes by Charles H. Davis (NMc3: 482-483)
Dec. 10-Dec. 23, 1929 -- Watercolors by J. Olaf Olson (NMc3: 484-486)
Dec. 24-Jan. 6, 1930 -- Exhibitions from the Summer Colonies: No. 3, Mystic (NMc3: 487-488)
Jan. 7-20, 1930 -- Paintings of Wyoming Days and Nights by Ogden N. Pleissner (NMc3: 490, 492)
Jan. 21-Feb. 3, 1930 -- Landscapes by Aldro T. Hibbard (NMc3: 490-491)
Feb. 8-21, 1938 -- Vermont in Watercolors by Stanford Stevens (NMc4: 541-542)
Feb. 8-21, 1938 -- Modern American Interior: Prizewinning Design and Selected Drawings from a Competition Sponsored by James H. Blauvet and Associates, Interior Designers (NMc4: 543)
Feb. 23-Mar. 7, 1938 -- Herbert Dickens Ryman (NMc4: 546)
Mar. 1-14, 1938 -- Paintings and Watercolors by Anne Goldthwaite (NMc4: 546-547)
Mar. 8-21, 1938 -- Recent Watercolors of Woodstock, Charleston, New England by John W. Taylor (NMc4: 548-549)
Mar. 22-Apr. 11, 1938 -- Jon Corbino (NMc4: 554-561)
Apr. 12-25, 1938 -- Paintings by Ohio Artists (NMc4: 580-571)
Apr. 26-May 9, 1938 -- Paintings by Furman Joseph Finck (NMc4: 572-573)
May-June 1938 -- Winslow Homer: Watercolors and Early Oils from the Estate of Mrs. Charles S. Homer and Other Sources (NMc4: 574-579)
Oct. 4-28, 1938 -- Opening Exhibition (NMc4: 581)
Nov. 1-23, 1938 -- Dale Nichols, Watercolors and Tempera of Alaskan Subjects (NMc4: 582-583)
Nov. 29-Dec. 19, 1938 -- Sea Island Country Watercolors by Horace Day (NMc4: 584)
Jan. 10-30, 1939 -- Herbert Meyer (NMc4: 588-589)
Feb. 7-27, 1939 -- American Watercolors Past and Present (NMc4: 592-597
Mar. 7-Apr. 3, 1939 -- Monhegan by Jay Connaway (NMc4: 602-603)
Apr. 5-24, 1919 -- Oils and Watercolors by Ogden M. Pleissner (NMc4: 606-607)
May 2-22, 1939 -- Paintings by Francis Chapin, Antonio P. Matino, and Moses Soyer and Drawings by Jon Corbino (NMc4: 609-611)
Fragile original scrapbooks are closed to researchers. For more information, please contact Reference Services.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Macbeth Gallery records, 1838-1968, bulk 1892 to 1953. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Getty Grant Program. Digitization of the scrapbooks was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee. Correspondence, financial and shipping records, inventory records, and printed material were digitized with funding provided by the Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Philip Guston, 1965 January 29. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of painter and naturalist, Abbott Handerson Thayer, and the Thayer family date from 1851 to 1999, with the bulk of the material dating from 1881 to 1950, and measure 5.12 linear feet. Thayer's painting career, interest in concealing coloration (camouflage) in nature, and relationships with artists, patrons, family, and friends are documented through correspondence, writings, scattered legal and financial records, printed materials, and a scrapbook. Photographs are of Thayer, his family, studio, and friends, including artists. The collection also contains family papers created by his second wife, Emma Beach Thayer, his son Gerald, his daughters Mary and Gladys, and Gladys' husband David Reasoner, who managed Thayer's estate after his death.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of painter and naturalist, Abbott Handerson Thayer, and the Thayer family date from 1851 to 1999, with the bulk of the material dating from 1881 to 1950, and measure 5.12 linear feet. Thayer's painting career, interest in concealing coloration in nature, and relationships with artists, patrons, family, and friends are documented through correspondence, writings, scattered legal and financial records, printed materials, and a scrapbook. Photographs are of Thayer, his family, studio, and friends, including artists. The collection also contains family papers created by his second wife, Emma Beach Thayer, his son Gerald, his daughters Mary and Gladys, and Gladys' husband David Reasoner, who managed Thayer's estate after his death.
Scattered Biographical Material includes a brief autobiographical statement and chronology by Abbott Thayer, lists of artworks by Abbott Thayer and Gladys Thayer Reasoner, and biographical information about Thayer's granddaughter, Jean Reasoner Plunket. Two linear feet of family correspondence includes Abott Thayer's correspondence with patrons Charles L. Freer and John Gellatly; with many artists, several of whom were close friends, including Samuel Colman, Thomas Millie Dow, Daniel Chester French, Richard Meryman, Everton Sainsbury, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and E. M. Taber; and former students, such as Ben Foster and Barry Faulkner; and with other friends, many of them prominent members of society, such as Samuel Clemens, Royal Cortissoz, Edward Waldo Emerson, and Stanford White. Also found is Thayer's correspondence with scientists and naturalists discussing his theories on protective coloration in nature. Correspondence of his second wife Emma Beach Thayer, his first wife, Kate Bloede Thayer, his daughter, Gladys Thayer Reasoner, her husband and executor of Thayer's estate, David Reasoner, and other family members are also included in the papers.
Writings and notes by Thayer record his thoughts on concealing coloration, nature, restoration of artwork, and other topics. Writings by others include those by Emma Beach Thayer, daughters Mary and Gladys, and Thayer scholars. The collection also contains correspondence of David Reasoner and other family members, as well as financial and legal documents regarding the estate of Abbott Handerson Thayer and Emma Beach Thayer. Additional financial and legal material includes ledgers, accounts statements, bills, a patent granted to Thayer and Gerome Brush, legal agreements, property deeds, and a map of Thayer's property.
Printed material include books, including one written by Theodore Roosevelt in response to Thayer's book on concealing coloration. Also found are newspaper and magazine clippings, and exhibition announcements and catalogs. Photographs are of Abbott Thayer, his wife Emma; his studio and home in Dublin, New Hampshire; friends, including Rockwell Kent and Ralph Waldo Emerson; and of unidentified people. Artwork includes a few drawings by Thayer, drawings and paintings by his children, and sketchbooks belonging to David Reasoner and Jean Reasoner Plunket. The collection also includes one large scrapbook kept by David Reasoner documenting Abbott Thayer's artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 10 series. Glass plate negative is housed separately and closed to researchers.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1878 - circa 1966 (Box 1; 7 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1867-1987 (Box 1-3; 2.0 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, 1888-1945 (Box 3; 0.8 linear feet)
Series 4: Estate Papers, 1921-1954 (Box 3-4; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 5: Other Financial Records, 1889-1957 (Box 4; 7 folders)
Series 6: Legal Records, 1891-1927 (Box 4; 4 folders)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1851, 1896-1999 (Box 4-5; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 8: Photographs, circa 1861-1933 (Box 5, MGP 2; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 9: Artwork, 1887 - circa 1940s (Box 5-6, 8; 8 folders)
Series 10: Scrapbook, circa 1910-1920 (Box 7; 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849-1921) was born in Boston to Dr. William Henry Thayer and Ellen Handerson Thayer. After his birth his family moved to Woodstock, Vermont, and in 1855 settled in Keene, New Hampshire. As a child Thayer developed a love of nature that was encouraged by his close family, which included three sisters, Ellen, Margaret, and Susan. At the age of fifteen he was sent to the Chauncy Hall School in Boston, and while there he met Henry D. Morse, an amateur animal painter. Under Morse's instruction Abbott developed his skill in painting birds and other wildlife and began painting animal portraits on commission. In 1867 he moved to Brooklyn, New York and attended the Brooklyn Academy of Design where he studied under J. B. Whittaker for two years. In 1868 he began showing his work at the National Academy of Design and enrolled there in 1870, studying under Lemuel Wilmarth. He met many emerging artists during this period, including his future first wife, Kate Bloede and his close friend, Daniel Chester French. Thayer became part of progressive art circles, showing his work at the newly formed Society of American Artists, while continuing to develop his skill as an animal and landscape painter.
Despite family tragedies, Thayer became a leader in the New York art world during the 1880s and 1890s. He was a successful portraitist and painted allegorical figures of angels, women, and children, which were popular among collectors of this period, including his patrons Charles Lang Freer and John Gellatly. He often used his children as models, especially his eldest daughter, Mary.
In the late 1880s one of Thayer's students, Mary Amory Greene, built a house and studio for the Thayer family on her land in Dublin, New Hampshire, and in 1901 the family settled there permanently. Many of Thayer's artist friends lived nearby, such as Richard Meryman and George de Forest Brush, and the Thayer family frequently entertained prominent visitors such as Edward Waldo Emerson and Samuel Clemens. Abbott Thayer taught painting to his children, and Gerald and Gladys both became artists and art educators. Gladys married David Reasoner, a student of Abbott Thayer who later became his assistant. Other students of Thayer included Rockwell Kent, Ben Foster, Barry Faulkner, and Louis Agassiz Fuertes.
Greatly influenced by transcendentalism and the spirituality of nature, Thayer again began to paint landscapes, especially of nearby Mount Monadnock. He was very interested in the study of protective coloration in the wild, and was an advocate for nature conservation and bird sanctuaries. He published the book Concealing Coloration in the Animal Kingdom in 1909 with his son Gerald, but encountered much resistance to his theories. Thayer also wrote about how his camouflage theories could be applied to military warships and uniforms. These theories failed to gain widespread government interest and after suffering from nervous exhaustion, he spent the rest of his life painting landscapes at his home in Dublin, until his death in 1921.
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art holds several collections related to Abbott Handerson Thayer. These include research material on Abbott Handerson Thayer and other artists, 1895-1990, donated by Thomas B. Brumbaugh; the Abbott Handerson Thayer letter and drawings to Caroline Peddle Ball, circa 1890-1893; "The Drawings of Abbott Thayer", by Elizabeth Robins Pennell, circa 1921; and the Nelson and Henry C. White research material, 1898-1978, which includes many letters, photographs, and other material originally belonging to the Thayer family.
Separated Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reels 48 and 3417) including a diary kept by Thayer, a "Family Record" written by William Henry Thayer, correspondence, printed material, photographs, and original artwork by Abbott Handerson Thayer. Lent materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Anne Whiting, a niece of Abbott Handerson Thayer, loaned the Archives of American Art material for microfilming in 1971 and Jean Reasoner Plunket, Thayer's granddaughter, loaned original artwork for microfilming in 1985. The rest of the Abbott Handerson Thayer and Thayer Family papers were donated in 1999 by Abbott Thayer's great-grandson, John Plunket, who received the papers from his mother Jean Reasoner Plunket. In 2005 Bruce Gimelson donated additional material purchased from the relatives of Emma Beach Thayer.
Restrictions:
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
Rights:
Reel 3417 (art works): Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission from Jean Reasoner Plunket. 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.
Abbott Handerson Thayer and Thayer Family papers, 1851-1999 (bulk 1881-1950). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
Letters; photographs and photograph albums; diaries; notes and notebooks; writings; sketchbooks; business records; catalogs; periodicals; clippings; and miscellany.
REELS 9-12: Detailed autobiographical or diary-type notes of Thomas's activities and notes on his paintings, October 1928-August 1970, plus a few clippings, inventories of paintings, and miscellaneous items.
REEL 1197: A typescript of Thomas's autobiography, "For the Life of Me"; a volume of painting notes, 1966-1977; a notebook entitled "Record of Painting, 'Baseball at Rum Point'", 1968; and miscellany.
REEL 1202: An album containing photos of Thomas, his works, and a few exhibition catalogs and letters; and loose photographs of Thomas, his works, and an Artists Equity group leaving for a trip to Europe.
REEL 1417: Letters from friends and colleagues about Thomas's exhibitions; two diaries of European travels, and a notebook on European art; "Journal no. 8" (1975-1978) with sporadic entries concerning activities and work; manuscripts of four unpublished children's books written and illustrated by Thomas; drawing notes, 1968; six sketchbooks, 1929-1931; business records include files on Babcock Galleries, 1965-1971; catalogs, periodicals, clippings, and miscellaneous printed matter.
REEL 1427: Photographs, ca. 1909-1978, of Thomas, his work, his family, and friends; and a World War II photograph album.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter; Woodstock, Vt.
Provenance:
Material on reels 9-12, 1197 & 1202 lent for microfilming 1971 & 1977 by Byron Thomas; material on reels 1417 & 1427 lent for microfilming 1978 by Virginia Thomas, widow of Thomas.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
This series consists of the business and personal correspondence of Edith Gregor Halpert and the Downtown Gallery. For the most part, this series is general business correspondence concerning routine activities of the Downtown Gallery, including the American Folk Art Gallery and the Daylight Gallery, both operated by the Downtown Gallery on the same premises. Included are correspondence with clients, employees, other galleries, and colleagues concerning sales, loans, purchases, appraisals, and so forth; arrangements for shipping, framing, photography, reproduction permissions, and insurance; and gallery housekeeping and improvements, ordering of supplies, and other administrative concerns.
Also included is personal correspondence of Edith Gregor Halpert. There are letters and greeting cards from nieces, nephews, and other relatives; correspondence with longtime friends, including some who were art collectors, museum curators, or museum directors; and correspondence concerning upkeep and improvement of her Newtown, Connecticut, country home and entertaining there.
See Appendix A for a list of selected correspondents from Series 1
Arrangement note:
Letters (with enclosures) are arranged chronologically, with those of the same date alphabetized by name of correspondent; undated material is arranged alphabetically, followed by unidentified correspondents and letters bearing illegible signatures.
Box numbers provided in the Container Listing are approximate.
Appendix A: List of Selected Correspondents in Series 1:
Names and titles indicated in this list are those that appear on the letters. Where appropriate, terms have been standardized and cross-referencing provided. Because filing is not always consistent, researchers are advised to check both the name of an individual and the institution that he or she represented.
Abate Associates, Inc., 1956
Abbot and Land, 1965
Abbot, B. Vincent, 1944
Abbot, Bernice, 1957
Abbot, John E., 1945, 1948
Abbot Laboratories, 1950, 1952
ABC Employment Agency, 1951
Richard Abel and Co., Inc., 1968
Abendroth, Robert W., 1966-1967
Abercrombie and Fitch Co., 1962
Abilene Museum of Fine Arts, undated, 1949, 1954
Abingdon Square Painters, 1965
Abraham and Straus, 1930, 1960, 1965-1966, 1968
Abraham, Mae C., 1965
Abrahamsen, Mrs. David, 1962
Abramowitz, M., 1958
Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1958-1960, 1965-1966, 1968-1969
"HemisFair '68," 1968 (see also: "International Exposition, HemisFair '68")
Hemmenway, Catherine C., 1961
Hemmingsen, R. V., 1963
Hemmingson, Victoria, 1965
Henderson, Hanford, 1960
Henderson, Priscilla A. B. (Mrs. A. I.), 1934-1955
Henderson, Ray, 1956
Hendrick, Mrs. James Pomeroy, 1961
Heninger, Helen, undated, 1963, 1969
Henquet, Roger, 1948, 1965
Henri, Robert, 1926-1927
Henry, David T., 1964
Henry, Helen (Mrs. Charles), undated, 1949
Henry, James F., 1958
Henry Street Settlement, 1958, 1962-1963
Hentschel, R. A. A., 1951-1954
Hepburn, Katharine, 1952
Herbert, Elmer, 1962
Herbert, James D., 1962
Herider, Ed. L., 1961
Heritage Gallery, 1960, 1964
Herman, Stanley, 1964
Herman, Vic, 1968
Herring, Audrey L., 1964
Herrington, Nell Ray (Mrs. A. W. S.), 1962, 1965
John Herron Art Institute, undated, 1934, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1957-1958, 1962-1964, 1967 (see also: Art Association of Indianapolis; Art School of the John Herron Art Institute)
Hertslet, G. Gordon, 1962, 1966
Hertz, Richard C., 1965
Hertzberg, Stuart E., 1967-1968
Heschel, Mrs. Abraham, 1961
Hess, Elaine Marie, 1965
Hess, Mrs. Thomas B., 1954
Hetzel, Margaret deL. (Mrs. Joseph L.), 1948
Hewitt, Ada M., 1953
Edwin Hewitt Gallery, 1953
Heydenryk, Henry, 1954, 1960, 1964
Heynick, Carla Marian, 1965
Hickok, M., 1958
Hiddens, Mrs. Earl, 1952
Hiersoux, Arne, 1966
Hi Fi/Stereo Review, 1960
High Museum of Art, 1950, 1955, 1961-1962, 1965-1968 (see also: Atlanta Art Association; Atlanta Art Association and High Museum of Art)
Highway Antique Shop, 1954
R. Hill and Son, Ltd., 1960
Hill, Ralph Nading, 1952, 1962
Hille, Elise B., undated
Hille and Curran, 1954
Hilleman, Alex L., 1956
Hiller, Paula, 1962
Hilles, Mrs. Frederick W., 1956
Hillman, Mrs. Joel, II., 1960
Hillside Hospital Clinic, 1949, 1953
Hillstrom, Richard L., 1958, 1962, 1964-1965
Hilltop Theatre, Incorporated, 1952
Hilsenrath, Yakov R., 1965
Hilson, Catherine [Katy] and/or John S., undated, 1958-1959, 1961-1966
Himel, Irving, 1963
Himmelsfarb, Samuel, 1955
Hines, Felrath, 1961
Hinkhouse, Inc., 1960, 1964
Hirsch, B., 1961
Hirsch, E. W., 1954
Hirschberg, J. Cotter, 1956
Hirschl and Adler Galleries, Inc., 1958, 1960, 1963-1965, 1968
Hirschland, Dr. and/or Mrs. F. H., undated, 1959
Hirschland, Paul Michael, 1945
Hirschburg, Mrs. Roy, undated
S. A. Hirsh Manufacturing Co., 1966
Hirshberg, Henrietta, 1961
Hirshhorn, Mrs. Arthur, 1960
Hirshhorn, Joseph H., 1946, 1948, 1951-1954, 1956, 1960, 1963, 1965
Joseph H. Hirshhorn Collection, 1959-1960, 1962-1963, 1965-1966
[incomplete; without signature], undated, 1953, 1961, 1967, 1968
Collection Restrictions:
The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art website.
Collection Rights:
The Downtown Gallery records are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws. Prior to publishing information regarding sales transactions, researchers are responsible for obtaining written permission from both artist and purchaser involved. If it cannot be established after a reasonable search whether an artist or purchaser is living, it can be assumed that the information may be published sixty years after the date of sale.
Collection Citation:
Downtown Gallery records, 1824-1974, bulk 1926-1969. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing, microfilming and digitization of the microfilm of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
![view [Receipt for illustrations] digital asset: Finding aid](https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?max=170&id=https://sirismm.si.edu/siris/findingaid.gif "Finding aid")
