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E.P. (Edgar Preston) and Constance Richardson papers, 1814-1996, bulk 1921-1996

Creator:
Richardson, Edgar Preston, 1902-1985  Search this
Richardson, Constance Coleman, 1905-2002  Search this
Subject:
Rutledge, Anna Wells  Search this
Simper, Fred  Search this
McDermott, John Francis  Search this
Speck, Walter  Search this
Stevens, William B.  Search this
Fredericks, Marshall M.  Search this
Castano, Giovanni  Search this
Soria, Regina  Search this
Lynes, Russell  Search this
Frankenstein, Alfred V. (Alfred Victor)  Search this
Hardy, Jeremiah Pearson  Search this
Pleasants, J. Hall (Jacob Hall)  Search this
Garrison, Eve Josephson  Search this
Bishop, Isabel  Search this
Allston, Washington  Search this
Woolfenden, William E. (William Edward)  Search this
Ripley, S. Dillon (Sidney Dillon)  Search this
Morse, John D.  Search this
Watkins, Franklin Chenault  Search this
Lewis, W. S. (Wilmarth Sheldon)  Search this
Marsh, Reginald  Search this
Sheeler, Charles  Search this
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo  Search this
Bostick, William A.  Search this
Jungwirth, Irene G. (Irene Gayas)  Search this
Oliver, Andrew  Search this
Simpson, Corelli C. W.  Search this
Andrews, Wayne  Search this
Valentiner, Wilhelm Reinhold  Search this
Middeldorf, Ulrich Alexander  Search this
Spark, Victor D. (Victor David)  Search this
Fleischman, Lawrence A. (Lawrence Arthur)  Search this
Sellers, Charles Coleman  Search this
Heil, Walter  Search this
Lee-Smith, Hughie  Search this
Bouché, Louis  Search this
Moser, Liselotte  Search this
Flexner, James Thomas  Search this
Vose, Robert C. (Robert Churchill)  Search this
Cohn, Harold  Search this
Aram, Siegfried F.  Search this
Mast, Gerald  Search this
Krentzin, Earl  Search this
Groce, George C.  Search this
Peale, Charles Willson  Search this
Culver, Charles B. (Charles Beach)  Search this
Wedda, John  Search this
Boyd, Julian P. (Julian Parks)  Search this
O'Keeffe, Georgia  Search this
Wyeth, Andrew  Search this
Hopper, Edward  Search this
Rockefeller, Nelson A. (Nelson Aldrich)  Search this
Rockefeller, John D.  Search this
Copeland, Lammot du Pont  Search this
Freeman, Michael W.  Search this
Allen, Joseph  Search this
Peale family  Search this
Castano Galleries (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Historical Society of Pennsylvania  Search this
Macbeth Gallery  Search this
Archives of American Art  Search this
Philadelphia Museum of Art  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
White House (Washington, D.C.)  Search this
Detroit Institute of Arts  Search this
Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Manuscripts
Interviews
Diaries
Transcripts
Sketches
Lectures
Place:
Detroit (Mich.)
Citation:
E.P. (Edgar Preston) and Constance Richardson papers, 1814-1996, bulk 1921-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
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
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)10104
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212990
AAA_collcode_richedga
Theme:
Diaries
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_212990
Online Media:

Gene Davis papers

Creator:
Davis, Gene, 1920-1985  Search this
Names:
White House (Washington, D.C.)  Search this
Baro, Gene  Search this
Colby, Carl  Search this
Davis, Douglas  Search this
Davis, Florence  Search this
Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this
McGowin, Ed, 1938-  Search this
Naifeh, Steven, 1952-  Search this
Nordland, Gerald  Search this
North, Percy, 1945-  Search this
Seitz, William C. (William Chapin)  Search this
Thomas, Alma  Search this
Wall, Donald  Search this
Extent:
17.7 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Transcripts
Photographs
Interviews
Video recordings
Date:
1920-2000
bulk 1942-1990
Summary:
The papers of the artist Gene Davis measure 17.7 linear feet and date from 1920-2000, with the bulk of materials dating from 1942-1990. Papers document Davis's personal life and his career as an artist and educator, as well as his career as a journalist in the 1940s and 1950s, through biographical materials, correspondence, interviews, business records, estate records, writings by and about Gene Davis, printed materials concerning Davis's art career, personal and art-related photographs, and artwork by Davis and others.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of the artist Gene Davis measure 17.7 linear feet and date from 1920-2000, with the bulk of materials dating from 1942-1990. Papers document Davis's personal life and his career as an artist and educator, and to a lesser degree his early career as a journalist in the 1940s and 1950s, through biographical materials, correspondence, interviews, business records, estate records, writings by and about Gene Davis, printed materials concerning Davis's art career, personal and art-related photographs, and artwork by Davis and others.

Biographical materials include birth and death certificates, awards, biographical narratives by Gene Davis and others, CVs, résumés, personal documents from Davis's family and childhood, documents related to his work as a White House correspondent, documentation related to his death and memorial service, and papers for the family pets. A video documentary about Davis by Carl Colby is found on one videocassette.

Correspondence is mainly of a professional nature, and correspondents include gallery and museum curators, private art collectors, publishers, fellow artists, art educators, academics, and students. Letters document exhibitions, sales, book projects, teaching jobs, visits to studios, local art community events in the Washington, D.C. area, and other projects. Significant correspondents include Gene Baro, Douglas Davis, Clement Greenberg, Gerald Nordland, William Seitz, Alma Thomas, and Donald Wall. Interviews and lectures include sound recordings and transcripts. Many of the interviews were broadcast or published. Also found is a single lecture by Davis given in 1969 at the National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution, entitled "Contemporary Painting." Sound recordings are found for three of the interviews and for the lecture, on 4 sound reels and 1 sound cassette.

Business records include artwork documentation, price lists, sales records, contracts, financial and legal records, gallery and museum files documenting sales and exhibitions, records related to the construction of Davis's home studio in 1970, and a few teaching records. Estate records mainly reflect Florence Davis's efforts to document the works of her husband, and to manage their exhibition, promotion, and sale after his death in April 1985. Estate records include an inventory of artworks, documentation of gifts to museums, correspondence, legal, and financial records. Writings include notes, drafts of essays, artist statements, and articles by Davis, and many articles by others about Davis. Several of Davis's articles reflect specifically on the Washington, D.C. art scene. Also found are drafts of monographs on Davis including one by Donald Wall (1975) and one by Steven Naifeh (1982). Records of Naifeh's book also include photographs of all black and white and color plates from the published book. Among the writings are also notes and research files of Percy North, who worked on an update to Naifeh's 1982 bibliography after Davis's death.

Printed materials include annual reports of museums, published arts-related calendars, auction catalogs, brochures from organizations with which Davis had some affiliation, exhibition announcements and invitations, exhibition catalogs, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, newsletters, posters, press releases, and other published material. Photographs include personal photographs of Gene and Florence Davis and their families, portraits of Gene Davis, photographs of Gene Davis with artworks and working in the studio, Davis' art classes and students, installations of site-specific works, conceptual and video works, exhibition openings, and photographs of artwork, both installed in exhibitions and individually photographed. Found among the photographs are also four videocassettes documenting the Gene Davis retrospective as installed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American Art in 1987.

Artwork includes photographs, drawings, moving images, and documentation of conceptual art. Works by Davis include documentation of the 1969 "Giveaway" with Douglas Davis and Ed McGowin, "The Artist's Fingerprints Except for One which belongs to someone else," documentation of his "Air Displacement" happening, a short film entitled "Patricia," and a video entitled "Video Puzzle." Other moving images include four reels of film of Davis's stripe paintings, and other experiments with motion picture film and photographs.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1930-1987 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 1, 17)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1943-1990 (1.7 linear feet; Boxes 1-3)

Series 3: Interviews and Lectures, 1964-1983 (0.3 linear feet; Box 3)

Series 4: Business and Estate Records, 1942-1990 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 3-5, 17, OV 20)

Series 5: Writings, 1944-1990 (2 linear feet; Boxes 5-6, 17, OV 19)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1942-1990 (5.5 linear feet; Boxes 7-11, 17-18, OV 20, FC 35-37)

Series 7: Photographs, 1920-2000 (3.8 linear feet; Boxes 11-15, 17, OV 19)

Series 8: Artwork, 1930-1985 (2.2 linear feet; Boxes 15-16, 18, FC 21-34)
Biographical / Historical:
Gene Davis (1920-1985) was a Washington, D.C.-based artist and educator who worked in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, collage, video, light sculpture, and conceptual art. Davis is best known for his vertical stripe paintings and his association with the Washington Color School.

Davis was born in 1920 in Washington, D.C. and began his career as a writer. In his twenties he wrote pulp stories and worked as a journalist, reporting for United Press International and serving as a White House correspondent for Transradio Press Service during the Truman administration. Later, he worked in public relations for the Automobile Association of America. A self-taught artist, Davis began painting while still working full-time as a writer, influenced by the prevailing abstract expressionist artists of the time, his frequent visits to the Corcoran Gallery and Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and by his friend and mentor, Jacob Kainen. His first one-man show was held in the lobby of the Dupont Theater in Washington in 1952. He had a drawing accepted in the Corcoran Area Show in 1953, and won several local art prizes in the 1950s. He began showing work regularly in galleries around Washington, such as the Watkins Gallery at American University, the Gres Gallery, and the Henri Gallery, and had solo exhibitions at Jefferson Place Gallery in 1959 and 1961. Many of the painters who made up what became known as the Washington Color School also showed there, including Kenneth Noland, Howard Mehring, and Sam Gilliam. In 1965, the Washington Gallery of Modern Art held a seminal exhibition entitled Washington Color Painters, which included Davis, Noland, Mehring, Morris Louis, Thomas Downing, and Paul Reed.

Davis began showing outside of Washington regularly in the 1960s, including the Poindexter and Fischbach galleries in New York City, and in several important group shows at museums such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He had three works shown in the 1964 exhibition Post-Painterly Abstraction, organized by the influential art critic Clement Greenberg at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In the late 1960s, he began teaching art classes at the Corcoran School, and spent the summer of 1969 as artist in residence at Skidmore College's "Summer in Experiment" program.

Davis experimented with form continuously throughout his career, including a period of conceptual work in the late 1960s. In 1969 he participated in the "Giveaway," organized by Douglas Davis and Ed McGowin, in which multiple copies of a Davis painting were given away to invited guests in a gesture intended to subvert the art market. Davis also began experimenting with scale, creating a series of tiny paintings he called "Micro-paintings," which were exhibited at Fischbach Gallery in 1968. Around this time he also began working with film and video, recruiting models from his art classes to enact tightly choreographed movement pieces that played with rhythm and interval. Convinced by a lawyer that his videos were a liability without having obtained releases from the models, Davis destroyed all but one of his video works. The surviving video, "Video Puzzle," shows a foreshortened view of a model on the floor of a gallery spelling out a statement by Clement Greenberg at predetermined intervals.

Davis made several large-scale site-specific works using the stripe motif in public places. The first of these was created in the Bal Harbour, Florida, Neiman Marcus department store in 1970. Later works included Franklin's Footpath, executed in the road leading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1972, and Niagara (1979) at ArtPark in Lewistown, NY, promoted at the time as the largest painting in the world. Interior large-scale works were created twice at the Corcoran Gallery, with Magic Circle (1975) and Ferris Wheel (1982), both executed in the museum's rotunda. Black Yo-Yo was created for the Cranbrook Academy in 1980, and Sun Sonata (1983), an illuminated wall of colored liquid-filled tubes, was created as an architectural feature of the Muscarelle Museum of Art in Williamsburg, Virginia. Plans for an unexecuted work called "Grass Painting," for a site near the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., were exhibited in the 1974 "Art Now" festival.

In the late 1970s and 1980s Davis consistently exhibited his work in several solo gallery shows a year, and also had numerous solo exhibitions in major museums. A major exhibition, Recent Paintings, was organized by the Walker Art Center in 1978, and traveled to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1979. A drawing retrospective was held at the Brooklyn Museum of art in 1983, and the same year the Washington Project for the Arts organized an exhibition entitled Child and Man: A Collaboration, featuring drawings Davis made in response to childrens' drawings. Davis died suddenly in April 1985 at the age of 65, and a major retrospective of his work was held at the Smithsonian National Museum of American Art in 1987.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Gene Davis conducted by Estill Curtis Pennington on April 23, 1981. A transcript is available on the Archives of American Art website.
Provenance:
Donated 1981 by Gene Davis and 1986 by his wife, Florence. Additional material donated 1991 and 1993 from Smithsonian American Art Museum via a bequest to them from the Gene and Florence Davis estate. Much of the 1993 addition was assembled by art historian Percy North at the request of Florence Davis. An additional folder of photographs of Davis taken in 1969 but printed in 2000 was later added to the collection.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Reporters and reporting -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Video artists -- Washington, D.C.  Search this
Conceptual artists -- Washington, D.C  Search this
Painters -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Collagists -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Topic:
Color-field painting  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Transcripts
Photographs
Interviews
Video recordings
Citation:
Gene Davis papers, 1920-2000, bulk 1942-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.davigene
See more items in:
Gene Davis papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90a230f67-650f-483a-acdf-50b6ca91fe59
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-davigene
Online Media:

Hide/Seek: "Camouflage Self-Portrait" by Andy Warhol - National Portrait Gallery

Creator:
National Portrait Gallery  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2011-04-07T22:41:17.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Portraits  Search this
See more by:
NatlPortraitGallery
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
YouTube Channel:
NatlPortraitGallery
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_C0IAZ6DwloQ

Conservation Panel: Duchamp Portraits by Jean Crotti - National Portrait Gallery (5/5)

Creator:
National Portrait Gallery  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2009-07-13T19:36:14.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Portraits  Search this
See more by:
NatlPortraitGallery
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
YouTube Channel:
NatlPortraitGallery
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_DY02epeIpfQ

Portrait in a Minute: Charles Willson Peale

Creator:
National Portrait Gallery  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2014-05-13T19:19:31.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Portraits  Search this
See more by:
NatlPortraitGallery
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
YouTube Channel:
NatlPortraitGallery
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_nx_o_RbApQc

Watercolor Rediscovered: Whistler in the Nineteenth Century

Creator:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this
Type:
Conversations and talks
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2019-05-19T20:33:14.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
See more by:
FreerSackler
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel:
FreerSackler
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_XLUmeYlvfLQ

The Gross Clinic

Alternate Title:
Dr. Samuel David Gross and Dr. James H. Barton
Artist:
Thomas Cowperthwaite Eakins, 25 Jul 1844 - 25 Jun 1916  Search this
Sitter:
Samuel David Gross, 1805 - 6 May 1884  Search this
Dr. James H. Barton, 19th century  Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
243.8 x 198.1cm (96 x 78")
Type:
Painting
Date:
1875
Topic:
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair  Search this
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table  Search this
Printed Material\Papers  Search this
Interior\Academic  Search this
Equipment\Medical Equipment  Search this
Equipment\Medical Equipment\Surgical instruments  Search this
Human Figures\Corpse\Cadaver  Search this
Samuel David Gross: Male  Search this
Samuel David Gross: Medicine and Health\Physician\Surgeon  Search this
Samuel David Gross: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Professor\University  Search this
Samuel David Gross: Literature\Writer\Medical  Search this
Samuel David Gross: Literature\Writer\Biographer  Search this
Dr. James H. Barton: Male  Search this
Dr. James H. Barton: Medicine and Health\Physician  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
Owner: Philadelphia Museum of Art
Owner: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Object number:
2007-1-1 PMA / 2007.2 PAFA
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Catalog of American Portraits
Data Source:
Catalog of American Portraits
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4a40a94ac-484a-4d67-823d-c1fdc2feae84
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_2007-1-1_PMA___2007.2_PAFA

Marius de Zayas, conjurer of souls : [exhibition] Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, Kansas, September 27, 1981-November 8, 1981; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, December 18, 1981-February 14, 1982; Center for Inter-American Relations, New York, March 2, 1982-April 4, 1982 / by Douglas Hyland

Title:
De Zayas, conjurer of souls
Author:
Hyland, Douglas  Search this
Helen Foresman Spencer Museum of Art  Search this
Philadelphia Museum of Art  Search this
Center for Inter-American Relations  Search this
Subject:
Zayas, Marius de  Search this
Physical description:
133 p. : ill. ; 26 cm
Type:
Books
Exhibitions
Date:
1981
Call number:
N6559.Z38 A4 1981X
N40.1.Z48 H9
N40.1.Z48H9
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_144989

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Collection Creator:
Segura, Joe (Joseph M)  Search this
Container:
Box 9, Folder 15
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1998-2001
Collection 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.
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:
Segura Publishing Company records, 1976-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Segura Publishing Company records
Segura Publishing Company records / Series 5: Commission Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9cee1d4e9-0abf-47b2-bdf5-cd00cb5d90f2
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-segurjoe-ref401

Katherine Dunn Pagon papers relating to the Barnes Foundation

Creator:
Pagon, Katherine W. Dunn, 1892-1988  Search this
Names:
Barnes Foundation  Search this
Philadelphia Museum of Art  Search this
Barnes, Albert C. (Albert Coombs), 1872-1951  Search this
Kimball, Fiske, 1888-1955  Search this
Extent:
0.4 Linear feet ((75 items))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
[ca. 1938-1961]
Scope and Contents:
Letters, notes, writings and printed material collected by Pagon regarding the Barnes Foundation, Albert C. Barnes, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Included are letters, 1948-1952, from Pagon to the editors of Philadelphia area newspapers regarding the Barnes Foundation, and several letters received, 1948-1953, including one from Barnes, 1950; Pagon's notes from a Barnes Foundation class taught by Angelo Pinto, 1946, and other notes; a file containing copies of correspondence between Barnes, Henry Clifford and Fiske Kimball regarding a 1948 Matisse exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; writings by Barnes, including pamphlets on art education and writings on Fiske Kimball, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the arts in Philadelphia, 1938-1948.
Printed material includes a pamphlet, 1938, by Harry Fuiman, "The Progressive Decay of the Pennsylvania Museum of Art," an article on Matisse, and pamphlets and clippings on Barnes and the Foundation, primarily focused on the lawsuit after Barnes' death to force the Foundation to open its gallery to the public, 1943-1961.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, Philadelphia, Pa., and Baltimore, Md. Studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts between 1910 and 1918, and later at the Barnes Foundation. Albert C. Barnes was a collector of modern art who acquired over 800 paintings, particularly French Impressionists and other modern painters such as Cezanne, Renoir, Matisse and Picasso. The collection is housed in the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pa. Barnes directed in his will that the collection never be allowed to tour or be reproduced.
Provenance:
Donated by Pagon's granddaughter, Katherine Pagon Tawney and her husband, Lee Tawney, 1992.
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.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Pennsylvania  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.pagokath
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f2b60957-e97e-487d-89c8-13305cc55287
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-pagokath

Sam Gilliam papers

Creator:
Gilliam, Sam, 1933-2022  Search this
Names:
Carl Solway Gallery  Search this
Philadelphia Museum of Art  Search this
Studio Museum in Harlem  Search this
Andrews, Benny, 1930-2006  Search this
Driskell, David C.  Search this
Gilliam, Dorothy Butler, 1936-  Search this
Krebs, Rockne, 1938-2011  Search this
Mondale, Walter F., 1928-  Search this
Extent:
7.9 Linear feet
7.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Sound recordings
Date:
1957-1989
1957-1989
Summary:
The papers of contemporary Color Field painter and educator Sam Gilliam measure 7.9 linear feet and date from 1957 to 1989. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, writings, business records, printed material, subject files, a scrapbook, artwork, and photographic material that document Gilliam's life beginning as a student, through to his teaching, professorial, and artistic career based in Washington D.C. The collection highlights Gilliam's close involvement with the art institutions, racial politics, and artistic innovation from the 1960s through the 1980s, and particularly showcases the planning and creation of Gilliam's large-scale three-dimensional paintings, often associated with the Washington Color School.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of contemporary Color Field painter and educator Sam Gilliam measure 7.9 linear feet and date from 1957 to 1989. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, writings, business records, printed material, subject files, a scrapbook, artwork, and photographic material that document Gilliam's life beginning as a student, through to his teaching, professorial, and artistic career based in Washington D.C. The collection highlights Gilliam's close involvement with the art institutions, racial politics, and artistic innovation from the 1960s through the 1980s, and particularly showcases the planning and creation of Gilliam's large-scale three-dimensional paintings, often associated with the Washington Color School.

Biographical material includes résumés, passports, exhibition lists, artists' statements and essays, interview transcripts and recordings. Also included are audio recordings of conversations between Sam Gilliam and artist Benny Andrews, between Gilliam and artist Rockne Krebs, as well as recordings of a 1968 interview conducted by Dorothy Gilliam.

Correspondence spans over 20 years and includes letters to and from museums and galleries such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, Carl Solway Gallery, collectors, artists including David Driskell, friends, family, students, and fans.

Writings include notes, statements, and essays by and about Gilliam, writings by university students of Gilliam, and writings related to Gilliam's artwork and public commissions including measurements for artworks, material research, and information regarding prints created for the private home of Walter Mondale.

Business records primarily include the daily records of activities kept by Sam and Dorothy Gilliam's secretary, Debby, from 1973 to 1978. Also present are resumes for a studio assistant for Gilliam, certificates of originality, legal documents, receipts and invoices, a record of donated paintings, financial records, ledgers, contracts, records and paperwork for the Gilliam's company Enterprise 101, and miscellany.

Printed materials include photocopies, exhibition announcements, magazines, and clippings regarding exhibitions, specific artworks, and commissions, and Gilliam and/or his then-wife, Dorothy Gilliam.

The subject file series contains letters, photographic material, business records, sketches, and printed materials concerning specific galleries, public art commissions, arts organizations, workshops, teaching positions, Gilliam's studio, art suppliers, and other topics.

A disbound scrapbook contains photographs, notes, and printed material related to Gilliam and his studio practice.

The artwork series includes sketches, personal notes, and small preparatory drawings by Gilliam.

Photographic material includes negatives, slides, and transparencies of artworks, Gilliam in his studio, and Gilliam and staff preparing museum and gallery exhibition spaces. Also included are records of student artwork, and photos and slides of artwork sent to Gilliam by students and aspiring artists.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 9 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1958-1988, (Box 1; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1965-1989, (Boxes 1-2; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1962-1988, (Box 2; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 4: Business Records, 1957-1986, (Boxes 2-3; 1.0 linear foot)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1962-1987, (Boxes 3-4; 1.0 linear foot)

Series 6: Subject Files, 1963-1988, (Boxes 4-7; 2.2 linear feet)

Series 7: Scrapbook, 1958-1968, (Box 7; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 8: Artwork, 1970-1980, undated, (Boxes 7-9; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 9: Photographic Material, 1960-1985, (Boxes 8-9; 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Sam Gilliam (1933-2022) was an African American artist based in Washington, D.C. He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, where he began painting as a child, eventually attending the University of Louisville where he received his B.A. in Fine Art and M.A. in Painting. He went on to teach art to high school students in the Washington D.C. public school system, and university-level students at the Corcoran School of Art, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), the University of Maryland, and Carnegie Mellon University. His numerous grants and awards include the 1971 Solomon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and multiple Honorary Doctoral degrees.

As an artist, Gilliam is best known for his three-dimensional draped and suspended paintings, covered with large fields of poured paint, pigment, and colorful staining influenced by the movement and colors of Abstract Expressionist painters. He created many public works that incorporated new materials such as custom designed metal forms, quilted canvas, and textiles; his works often included subtle social commentaries through their titling. His suspended paintings cemented Gilliam as an innovative and influential presence in 20th century American art.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are two oral history interviews with Sam Gilliam, one conducted by Kenneth Young, September 18, 1984, and the other by Ben Forgey, November 4-11, 1989.
Provenance:
The Sam Gilliam papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Sam Gilliam in 1989.
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.
Rights:
Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Sam Gilliam. 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.
Occupation:
Educators -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Painters -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Color-field painting  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Washington Color School (Group of artists)  Search this
African American artists  Search this
African American educators  Search this
African American painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Sound recordings
Citation:
Sam Gilliam papers, 1957-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.gillsam
See more items in:
Sam Gilliam papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90b5177ef-7a80-48b3-bcdb-3f1f74d21b5c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-gillsam

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Photographs

Collection Creator:
Gilliam, Sam, 1933-2022  Search this
Container:
Box 6, Folder 15
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1966
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Sam Gilliam. 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.
Collection Citation:
Sam Gilliam papers, 1957-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Sam Gilliam papers
Sam Gilliam papers / Series 6: Subject Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f26e8c7e-31d9-41f1-a616-182883033b6b
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-gillsam-ref279

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Letters and Business Records

Collection Creator:
Gilliam, Sam, 1933-2022  Search this
Container:
Box 6, Folder 16
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1974-1975
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Sam Gilliam. 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.
Collection Citation:
Sam Gilliam papers, 1957-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Sam Gilliam papers
Sam Gilliam papers / Series 6: Subject Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b6d2eb73-0670-4358-b249-c0410fcd3d25
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-gillsam-ref280

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Writings and Printed Material

Collection Creator:
Gilliam, Sam, 1933-2022  Search this
Container:
Box 6, Folder 17
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1975
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Sam Gilliam. 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.
Collection Citation:
Sam Gilliam papers, 1957-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Sam Gilliam papers
Sam Gilliam papers / Series 6: Subject Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9fd7c04af-1fe7-49b1-9ff1-05aa81cb42f1
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-gillsam-ref281

Subject Files

Collection Creator:
Gilliam, Sam, 1933-2022  Search this
Extent:
2.2 Linear feet (Boxes 4-7)
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1963-1988
Scope and Contents:
The subject files series includes background information for a variety of projects including Gilliam's Art-in-Architecture commission for the Atlanta Airport, a work called Sculpture with a "D", created for the Davis subway station in Cambridge Massachusetts, and a Philadelphia Museum of Art commission. Also included are a complete collection of artist's protestations and correspondence regarding a controversial 1979 exhibition at Artists Space, and files concerning Gilliam's exhibitions at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Fendrick Gallery, Art Park, The Brooklyn Museum, Brandywine Museum of Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and Galerie Darthea Speyer. Additional files include insight into Gilliam's process of art supply research and purchasing, with materials from purveyors such as Golden, Philip Fibers, and Rohm Hass. Documents related to Gilliam's years of teaching, and records from his own education and acceptance of his Honorary Doctorate degrees are also included.
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Sam Gilliam. 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.
Collection Citation:
Sam Gilliam papers, 1957-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.gillsam, Series 6
See more items in:
Sam Gilliam papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c81ab362-4305-4064-abbc-e9e31eb24c06
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-gillsam-ref6

Photographic Material

Collection Creator:
Gilliam, Sam, 1933-2022  Search this
Extent:
0.3 Linear feet (Boxes 8-9)
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1960-1985
Scope and Contents:
Photographic materials include photographs, slides, and transparencies of Gilliam's artwork, personal studio, exhibition preparation, and exhibition spaces, including preparation photographs for Gilliam's installation on the exterior of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. There are formal portraits of Gilliam, a portrait of Gilliam and one of his daughters, and candid photographs of Gilliam at work in his studio. Also included are records of student artwork and photos and slides of artwork sent to Gilliam by art students and aspiring artists.
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Sam Gilliam. 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.
Collection Citation:
Sam Gilliam papers, 1957-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.gillsam, Series 9
See more items in:
Sam Gilliam papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ae1b79f7-5b25-4c83-aee7-27c63d7d4029
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-gillsam-ref9

Alfred Stieglitz Film Project

Collection Creator:
Namuth, Hans  Search this
Extent:
0.8 Linear feet (Box 1, OV 11)
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1945-circa 1981
Scope and Contents:
Hans Namuth's film Alfred Stieglitz, Photographer is documented through research articles, correspondence, exhibition materials, grant program request sheets, magazines and catalogs, photo requests and photographic materials featured in the film, project outline papers, and various forms of the film script and interview transcripts. Correspondence is with Ansel Adams, Henri-Cartier Bresson, Peter C. Bunnell, Harold Clurman, Aaron Copland, Arthur Fellig (Weegee), the Guggenheim Museum, Juan Hamilton, Lincoln Kirstein, Arnold Newman, Isamu Noguchi, Dorothy Norman, Georgia O'Keeffe, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Elizabeth Pollock, School of American Ballet, William Woolfenden, and the Zabriskie Gallery. Interviewees include Ansel Adams, Arnold Newman, Aaron Copland, Dorothy Norman, and others. Also of note are two oversized photographs of Alfred Stieglitz by Arthur Fellig (Weegee).
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
All Photographs by Hans Namuth: All requests for image reproductions are to be sent to: Assistant Registrar for Rights & Reproductions; Center for Creative Photography. 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.
Collection Citation:
Hans Namuth photographs and papers, 1945-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.namuhans, Series 1
See more items in:
Hans Namuth photographs and papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw92ce4fc86-efe8-4870-a5a5-eeb43b2583df
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-namuhans-ref1

Photographs, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Collection Creator:
Namuth, Hans  Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 31
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1970s
Scope and Contents:
Copyprints of historical photographs, circa 1922-1931.
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
All Photographs by Hans Namuth: All requests for image reproductions are to be sent to: Assistant Registrar for Rights & Reproductions; Center for Creative Photography. 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.
Collection Citation:
Hans Namuth photographs and papers, 1945-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Hans Namuth photographs and papers
Hans Namuth photographs and papers / Series 1: Alfred Stieglitz Film Project
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97ae7887e-f3aa-4b5a-a349-df908124d681
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-namuhans-ref32

Photographs, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Collection Creator:
Namuth, Hans  Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 32
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1970s
Scope and Contents:
Copyprints of historical photographs, circa 1931-1939.
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
All Photographs by Hans Namuth: All requests for image reproductions are to be sent to: Assistant Registrar for Rights & Reproductions; Center for Creative Photography. 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.
Collection Citation:
Hans Namuth photographs and papers, 1945-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Hans Namuth photographs and papers
Hans Namuth photographs and papers / Series 1: Alfred Stieglitz Film Project
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9998eaac8-8cf5-45f2-968f-d79fb2328886
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-namuhans-ref33

Paul Vanderbilt papers

Creator:
Vanderbilt, Paul  Search this
Names:
Graphic History Society of America  Search this
Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division  Search this
Philadelphia Museum of Art  Search this
State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Division of Archives and Manuscripts  Search this
Union Library Catalogue of the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area  Search this
United States. Farm Security Administration. Historical Section  Search this
Allen, Mary North  Search this
Blake, William  Search this
Conniff, Gregory, 1944-  Search this
Crane, Barbara, 1928-  Search this
Guthrie, Woody, 1912-1967  Search this
Haywood, Carl  Search this
Holzhueter, Jack  Search this
Lange, Dorothea  Search this
Lesy, Michael, 1945-  Search this
Newhall, Beaumont, 1908-1993  Search this
Pilling, Arnold R.  Search this
Plunkett, Jane  Search this
Shera, Jesse Hauk, 1903-1982  Search this
Stryker, Roy Emerson, 1893-1975  Search this
Talbot, George  Search this
Vanderbilt, Julia  Search this
Extent:
25.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Diaries
Interviews
Photographs
Sound recordings
Date:
1854-1992
bulk 1945-1992
Summary:
The papers of librarian, curator, and photographer Paul Vanderbilt (1905-1992) measure 25.2 linear feet and date from 1854 to 1992 with the bulk of the material dating from 1945 to 1992. The papers are comprised of biographical materials, personal and business correspondence, interviews, writings and notes, fourteen diaries and two diary fragments, reference and project files, photographic materials, sound recordings, and professional files.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of librarian, curator, and photographer Paul Vanderbilt (1905-1992) measure 25.2 linear feet and date from 1854 to 1992 with the bulk of the material dating from 1945 to 1992. The papers are comprised of biographical materials, personal and business correspondence, interviews, writings and notes, fourteen diaries and two diary fragments, reference and project files, photographic materials, sound recordings, and professional files.

Biographical materials include seven appointment books, family letters and documents, and an honorary degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Vanderbilt's correspondence is with colleagues, and organizations including Dorothea Lange, Beaumont Newhall, Roy Stryker, and Julia Vanderbilt.

Sound recordings of interviews of Vanderbilt conducted by Mary North Allen, Barbara Crane, Carl Haywood, Jack Holzhueter, and Jane Plunkett. Other recordings are of Vanderbilt discussing his personal and professional life.

Writings by Paul Vanderbilt include drafts of Between the Landscape and its Other, poems, lectures, student papers, and notes on a variety of subjects. Writings by others are found for William Blake, Gregory Conniff, Woody Guthrie, Michael Lesy, Arnold R. Pilling, Jesse H. Shera, and Roy Stryker.

Fourteen of Vanderbilt's personal diaries and two diary fragments date from 1926 to 1990.

Reference files consist of printed materials on art, art historians, book reviews, library and information studies, photography and microphotography techniques, and other themes of interest to Vanderbilt. Project files include material from Vanderbilt's various projects, including a guide to the iconography of Iran, the reclassification of FSA photographs, and the Union Library Catalog of Philadelphia.

Included in professional files are administrative records, correspondence, exhibition files, project files, printed material, and research files created during Vanderbilt's career at the Library of Congress, Graphic History Society, State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Farm Security Administration. Also found are materials for Vanderbilt's work as a consultant for several organizations, lecture documents, and art-related workshops.

Photographs are by and of Paul Vanderbilt, the staff of the Library of Congress, and George Talbot. Negatives include images for the Farm Security Administration. Bibliography cards and photographs of artwork from the Library of Congress can be found on microfilm reels within the collection.

Also found are fourteen unidentified sound recordings.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 10 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1894-1992 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1933-1992 (1.5 linear feet; Box 1-2)

Series 3: Interviews, 1967-1992 (1.5 linear feet; Box 2-4)

Series 4: Writings and Notes, 1887-1992 (4.0 linear feet; Box 4-8)

Series 5: Diaries, 1926-1990 (0.5 linear feet; Box 8)

Series 6: Reference Files, 1877-1992 (2.5 linear feet; Box 8-10, 26)

Series 7: Project Files, 1935-1990 (3.0 linear feet; Box 10-13)

Series 8: Professional Files, 1854-1991 (11.7 linear feet; Box 13-24)

Series 9: Photographic Materials, 1912-1980s (0.5 linear feet; Box 24)

Series 10: Sound Recordings, circa 1980s (0.5 linear feet; Box 24-25)
Biographical / Historical:
Paul Vanderbilt (1905-1992) was a librarian, curator, and photographer active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and Madison, Wisconsin.

Paul Vanderbilt was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and educated in Germany, Switzerland, and Massachusetts. He attended Amherst College from 1923 to 1925 before transferring to Harvard where he graduated with a BA in art history in 1927. After graduation, Vanderbilt traveled to Europe where he studied at the American School of Librarianship in Paris and the Institut de Psychologie Bibliogique in Lausanne. In 1929, he returned to the United States and became a librarian at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and director of the Union Library Catalog project for the Philadelphia area.

In 1941 Vanderbilt began working under Roy Stryker cataloging the extensive photographic survey collection of the Farm Security Administration and U.S. Office of War Information. The collection is a rich resource of images of American life between 1935 and 1944. In 1943, the FSA photograph collection was transferred to the Library of Congress and Vanderbilt went with it as the curator of the newly formed Prints and Photographs Division, eventually becoming the Division chief of fine arts.

During the early 1950s, Vanderbilt also served as the director of the Graphic History Society of America. There he published a quarterly bulletin Eye to Eye and developed a guide to iconography in Iran. In 1954, he became the Curator of Iconographic Collections at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin and worked there until he retired in 1972.

Vanderbilt remained active after retirement. He became an artist-in-residence at the Apeiron Workshops, worked as a photographer for the Seagram courthouse project and the George Eastman House, and was a presenter at multiple conferences. Vanderbilt devoted much of his later life to working on his book titled Between the Landscape and its Other which was published posthumously after Vanderbilt's death in 1992.
Related Materials:
Also found at the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Paul Vanderbilt conducted by Richard Doud on November 10, 1964.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 1981 by Paul Vanderbilt and in 1993 by his estate through John W. Winn, executor.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
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 historians -- United States  Search this
Topic:
Curators -- United States  Search this
Documentary photography -- United States  Search this
Photography  Search this
Photomicrography  Search this
Graphic arts -- Historiography  Search this
Graphic arts -- Iran  Search this
Librarians  Search this
Photographers  Search this
Genre/Form:
Diaries
Interviews
Photographs
Sound recordings
Citation:
Paul Vanderbilt papers, 1854-1992, bulk 1945-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.vandpaul
See more items in:
Paul Vanderbilt papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f5292a20-c4ee-4b9e-95fe-8eb16871962c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-vandpaul
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