Search Results

Artist:

George Kendall Warren, 1834 - 29 Nov 1884  Search this

Sitter:

Thomas Greene Wiggins, 25 May 1849 - 13 Jun 1908  Search this

Medium:

Albumen silver print

Dimensions:

Image: 11.5 x 9.1 cm (4 1/2 x 3 9/16")

Sheet: 14.7 x 10.2 cm (5 13/16 x 4")

Mount: 16.5 x 10.7 cm (6 1/2 x 4 3/16")

Mat: 45.7 x 35.6 cm (18 x 14")

Type:

Photograph

Date:

c. 1882

Topic:

Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair  Search this

Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table  Search this

Photographic format\Carte-de-visite  Search this

Interior\Studio\Photography  Search this

Thomas Greene Wiggins: Male  Search this

Thomas Greene Wiggins: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician  Search this

Thomas Greene Wiggins: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Composer  Search this

Thomas Greene Wiggins: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Pianist  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Object number:

NPG.2000.14

Restrictions & Rights:

CC0

See more items in:

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Exhibition:

Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900

On View:

NPG, East Gallery 123

Data Source:

National Portrait Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm490b177f9-d18b-4ae7-9af6-75598ae473f7

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_NPG.2000.14

Artist:

Edgar Degas, 19 Jul 1834 - 27 Sep 1917  Search this

Sitter:

Mary Stevenson Cassatt, 22 May 1844 - 14 Jun 1926  Search this

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

Stretcher: 73.3 x 60 x 3.8cm (28 7/8 x 23 5/8 x 1 1/2")

Frame: 94.6 x 80.3 x 8.9cm (37 1/4 x 31 5/8 x 3 1/2")

Type:

Painting

Date:

c. 1880-1884

Topic:

Interior  Search this

Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair  Search this

Costume\Headgear\Hat  Search this

Interior\Studio\Art  Search this

Mary Stevenson Cassatt: Female  Search this

Mary Stevenson Cassatt: Visual Arts\Artist\Printmaker\Etcher  Search this

Mary Stevenson Cassatt: Visual Arts\Artist\Painter  Search this

Mary Stevenson Cassatt: Visual Arts\Artist\Painter\Portraitist  Search this

Mary Stevenson Cassatt: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Dealer\Art dealer  Search this

Mary Stevenson Cassatt: Visual Arts\Artist\Painter\Pastelist  Search this

Mary Stevenson Cassatt: Legion of Honor  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and the Regents' Major Acquisitions Fund, Smithsonian Institution

Object number:

NPG.84.34

Restrictions & Rights:

CC0

See more items in:

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Exhibition:

Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900

On View:

NPG, East Gallery 131

Data Source:

National Portrait Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm41e908770-0b58-4acb-99b9-c3d3a250df73

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_NPG.84.34

Creator:

Brookman, Philip  Search this

Names:

Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery  Search this

Washington Project for the Arts (D.C.)  Search this

Avalos, David  Search this

Hock, Louis  Search this

Extent:

3.5 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1977-1993

Summary:

The papers of curator Philip Brookman measure 3.5 linear feet and date from 1977 to 1993. The collection documents Brookman's exhibition, writing, and filmmaking projects in the form of artist files, exhibition files, professional files, and subject and research files. Much of the material concerns the production and distribution of Brookman's 1988 video documentary about Chicano art in California, Mi Otro Yo (My Other Self), that grew out of the exhibition and conference "Califas: An Exhibition of Chicano Art and Culture in California," held at University of California, Santa Cruz in 1981 and 1982.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of curator Philip Brookman measure 3.5 linear feet and date from 1977 to 1993. The collection documents Brookman's exhibition, writing, and filmmaking projects in the form of artist files, exhibition files, professional files, and subject and research files. Much of the material concerns the production and distribution of Brookman's 1988 video documentary about Chicano art in California, Mi Otro Yo (My Other Self), that grew out of the exhibition and conference "Califas: An Exhibition of Chicano Art and Culture in California," held at University of California, Santa Cruz in 1981 and 1982.

Artist files are for David Avalos, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Louis Hock, Elizabeth Sisco, and others. Exhibition files include correspondence, notes, loan agreements, and printed material concerning Made in Aztlán, Photographing Ourselves: Contemporary Native American Photography, Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation/CARA among others. Professional files provide documentation on "El Centro Cultural de la Raza - Fifteen Years," Culture Wars: Documents from the Recent Controversies in the Arts, and various projects at Washington Project for the Arts.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as five series.

Series 1: Artist Files, 1981-1991 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 2: Exhibition Files, 1982-1992 (Boxes 1-2; 1.0 linear feet)

Series 3: Professional Files, 1982-1991 (Boxes 2-3, OV 5; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 4: Subject and Research Files, 1977-1993 (Box 3; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 5: Califas Documentation, 1981-1993 (Boxes 3-4, OV 5; 0.8 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

Philip Brookman is a curator in California and Washington, D.C. He was director of the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery at the University of California at Santa Cruz from 1974 to 1983, a curator at El Centro Cultural de la Raza in San Diego from 1985 to 1986, and a curator at the Washington Project for the Arts from 1987 to 1997. Brookman was also Curator of Photography and Media Arts at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and is a consulting curator at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Amy Brookman, co-directed the documentary Mi Otro Yo (My Other Self) about Chicano art in California which grew out of the Califas conference held at the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) in 1982.

Provenance:

The papers were donated by Philip Brookman in 1999.

Restrictions:

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

Occupation:

Art museum curators -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this

Art museum curators -- California  Search this

Topic:

Mexican American art  Search this

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Chicano art  Search this

Citation:

Philip Brookman papers, 1977-1993. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.

Identifier:

AAA.broophil

See more items in:

Philip Brookman papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-broophil

Collection Creator:

Brookman, Philip  Search this

Extent:

1 Linear foot (Boxes 1-2)

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1982-1992

Scope and Contents:

The series consists of correspondence, notes, loan agreements, and printed material concerning Asco 83 (1983), held at the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery at the University of California at Santa Cruz; correspondence, printed material, and Brookman's draft catalog essays for the exhibitions Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation or CARA and Forty Years of California Assemblage; and correspondence, transcripts, printed material, slides, and photographs regarding the exhibition War and Memory: In the Aftermath of Vietnam (1987), held at the Washington Project for the Arts. Files for other exhibitions include Third World Artists in California (1983), Photographing Ourselves: Contemporary Native American Photography (1986), and Made in Aztlán (1985), an exhibition coinciding with the fifteenth anniversary of Centro Cultural de la Raza.

Collection Restrictions:

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

Collection Citation:

Philip Brookman papers, 1977-1993. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.

Identifier:

AAA.broophil, Series 2

See more items in:

Philip Brookman papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-broophil-ref2

Collection Creator:

Brookman, Philip  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 24

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1986

Collection Restrictions:

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

Collection Citation:

Philip Brookman papers, 1977-1993. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.

See more items in:

Philip Brookman papers

Philip Brookman papers / Series 2: Exhibition Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-broophil-ref21

Collection Creator:

Brookman, Philip  Search this

Container:

Box 3, Folder 1-3

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1982-1989

Scope and Contents:

Includes correspondence regarding exhibitions and projects, clippings and printed exhibition material, a Fund for Documentary Photography proposal, and notes.

Collection Restrictions:

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

Collection Citation:

Philip Brookman papers, 1977-1993. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.

See more items in:

Philip Brookman papers

Philip Brookman papers / Series 3: Professional Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-broophil-ref33

Collection Creator:

Morehouse, Harold E., 1894-1973  Search this

Container:

Box 4, Folder 20

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Collection Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Collection Rights:

Permissions Requests

Collection Citation:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies Collection, Acc. XXXX-0450, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection / Series 1.1: Biographies of Flying Pioneers 1.1

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-0450-ref121

Collection Creator:

Morehouse, Harold E., 1894-1973  Search this

Container:

Box 8, Folder 14

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Collection Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Collection Rights:

Permissions Requests

Collection Citation:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies Collection, Acc. XXXX-0450, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection / Series 1.1: Biographies of Flying Pioneers 1.1

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-0450-ref217

Collection Creator:

Morehouse, Harold E., 1894-1973  Search this

Container:

Box 9, Folder 5

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Collection Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Collection Rights:

Permissions Requests

Collection Citation:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies Collection, Acc. XXXX-0450, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection / Series 1.1: Biographies of Flying Pioneers 1.1

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-0450-ref232

Collection Creator:

Morehouse, Harold E., 1894-1973  Search this

Container:

Box 10, Folder 16

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Collection Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Collection Rights:

Permissions Requests

Collection Citation:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies Collection, Acc. XXXX-0450, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection / Series 1.1: Biographies of Flying Pioneers 1.1

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-0450-ref268

Collection Creator:

Morehouse, Harold E., 1894-1973  Search this

Container:

Box 11, Folder 21

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Collection Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Collection Rights:

Permissions Requests

Collection Citation:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies Collection, Acc. XXXX-0450, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection / Series 1.1: Biographies of Flying Pioneers 1.1

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-0450-ref297

Collection Creator:

Morehouse, Harold E., 1894-1973  Search this

Container:

Box 13, Folder 20

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Collection Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Collection Rights:

Permissions Requests

Collection Citation:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies Collection, Acc. XXXX-0450, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection / Series 1.1: Biographies of Flying Pioneers 1.1

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-0450-ref347

Collection Creator:

Morehouse, Harold E., 1894-1973  Search this

Container:

Box 3, Folder 20

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Collection Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Collection Rights:

Permissions Requests

Collection Citation:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies Collection, Acc. XXXX-0450, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection

Harold E. Morehouse Flying Pioneers Biographies collection / Series 1.1: Biographies of Flying Pioneers 1.1

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-0450-ref96

Creator:

Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946  Search this

Names:

Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this

Rhoades, Katharine N., 1885-1965  Search this

Collection Creator:

Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (photographic print, Platinum print)

Container:

Box 274

Type:

Archival materials

Portraits

Photographs

Date:

1915

Scope and Contents:

One platinum print, showing the American artist Katharine Nash Rhoades (1885-1965) likely taken during her exhibition at the New York gallery 291. The portrait was likely presented to Freer by Rhoades who worked as his personal assistant in his final years.

Portrait of Katharine Rhoades

Arrangement:

Stored in one box.

Biographical / Historical:

Katharine Nash Rhoades (1885-1965) graduated from Brearley School in New York in 1904 and subsequently studied paining for several years before making her first trip to Paris. On her return to New York, Rhoades participated in the famous Armoury show of 1913. Rhoades met Alfred Stieglitz and was introduced to his circle. Also in 1915, Rhoades met Charles Freer and soon became his closest assistant.

Alfred Stieglitz was born in New Jersey in 1864, but lived and studied in Germany in his teens and 20s, where he became recognized as a talented photographer and writer about photography. Stieglitz returned to New York in 1894, where he soon became president of the prestigious New York Camera Club. The club's newsletter Camera Notes, became a major publication advocating photography as an art form. In 1902, Stieglitz led a group of like-minded photographers to form the Photo-Secession. Stieglitz also founded the gallery 291, which begame a center for avant-garde culture in New York.

Local Numbers:

FSA A.01 12.03.01

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Genre/Form:

Portraits -- Women

Photographs

Collection Citation:

Charles Lang Freer Papers. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.

Identifier:

FSA.A.01, Item FSA A.01 12.03.01

See more items in:

Charles Lang Freer Papers

Charles Lang Freer Papers / Series 12: Photographs / 12.3: Portraits of Others

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-01-ref2515

Creator:

Steichen, Edward, 1879-1973  Search this

Names:

Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this

Collection Creator:

Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this

Extent:

3 Items (photographic prints, black and white)

Type:

Archival materials

Portraits

Photographs

Platinum prints

Place:

New York (N.Y.)

Date:

1916

Scope and Contents:

Three photographic platinum prints, signed by Steichen in pencil on the image, numbered in an unidentified hand in pencil on the reverse.

Arrangement:

Stored in one box.

Biographical / Historical:

Edward Steichen (1879-1973) was an American painter and photographer born in Bivange, Luxembourg. He became a naturalized citizen in 1900. Steichen began his career as a fine art painter, but he soon took up the pictorialist approach to photography, going on to establish the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession with Alfred Stieglitz. During World War I, Steichen moved into straight photography, serving as Director of the Naval Photographic Institute during World War II and winning an Academy Award for Best Documentary for his 1945 film "The Fighting Lady". He is perhaps most well-known for his curatorial work for the 1955 photography exhibition "The Family of Man" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Steichen selected more than 500 images from professional and amateur photographers in over 68 countries to depict universal themes of the human experience, such as birth, death, war and illness. The exhibition traveled to 38 countries and was viewed by over 9 million people, resulting in an equally successful book of the same name, which included an introduction by Steichen's brother-in-law, the poet Carl Sandburg.

Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919) was an American railroad-car manufacturer from Detroit, Michigan who amassed a large fortune as one of the founders of the Peninsular Car Company, which would go on to become American Car and Foundry. In the latter part of the 19th century, Freer was diagnosed with neurasthenia, the prescribed treatment for which was usually rest and avoidance of stressful activities. Freer began collecting art, starting with American masters and impressionist painters. Early on, Freer met and began collecting the works of James Whistler, who advised him to start collecting Asian art. Freer traveled to China, Japan and Korea, amassing a large private collection. Early in the twentieth century, Freer decided to donate his art to the public; in 1916, construction began on what is now known as the Freer Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian Institution. The building, which was paid for by Freer, cost one million dollars. Completion was delayed by World War I and the gallery was not opened until 1923. Freer died in 1919, leaving the bulk of his art collection to the federal government. This photograph comes originally from the Estate of Clarence P. Freer, nephew of Charles Lang Freer.

Local Numbers:

FSA A.01 12.01.1

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Genre/Form:

Portraits -- Men

Photographs

Platinum Prints

Collection Citation:

Charles Lang Freer Papers. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.

Identifier:

FSA.A.01, File FSA A.01 12.01.1

See more items in:

Charles Lang Freer Papers

Charles Lang Freer Papers / Series 12: Photographs / 12.1: Portraits of Freer

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-01-ref3163

Creator:

Coburn, Alvin Langdon, 1882-1966  Search this

Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this

Names:

Freer Gallery of Art  Search this

Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this

Collection Creator:

Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (linear foot)

Type:

Archival materials

Photographs

Date:

1909

Scope and Contents:

Photographs of Charles Lang Freer taken by Alvin Langdon Coburn, February 1909. They depict Freer in a variety of poses, such as leaning against a desk, examining some artwork, or simply facing the camera. One print was sent to the Freer Gallery in 1955 by a relative of Freer's business partner Frank Hecker. Two autochromes and 14 platinum prints.

Arrangement:

Organized by country.

Biographical / Historical:

Alvin Langdon Coburn (1882-1966) was born in Boston, Massachusetts to a middle class British family. Coburn began exploring photography after receiving a camera for his eighth birthday. However, it was not until a few years later that he began exploring photography seriously. Coburn opened his first studio in New York City in 1902 to exhibit his prints, and became part of a crowd that wanted to establish photography as art. He moved to London in 1904 to take portraits of celebrities, including an iconic one of George Bernard Shaw posed nude as Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker." Coburn not only shot portraits, but also unique street scenes of New York City. He was quite interested in creating the fractured affects of cubism and futurism through use of photography, as demonstrated in his "vortographs." He experimented with perspective and abstract patterns. Later in his life, Coburn became disinterested in photography as his interest in mysticism grew. He resumed photography in the 1950s before his death in 1966.

Local Numbers:

FSA A.01 12.01.2

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Topic:

Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Art, American -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Collection Citation:

Charles Lang Freer Papers. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.

Identifier:

FSA.A.01, File FSA A.01 12.01.2

See more items in:

Charles Lang Freer Papers

Charles Lang Freer Papers / Series 12: Photographs / 12.1: Portraits of Freer

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-01-ref3165

Series Creator:

Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969  Search this

Container:

Box 7

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1867-1915

Scope and Contents note:

Including seven Centennial Exhibition views, one of Machinery Hall, published by Burr & Manley Dry Goods, Groceries and Clothing (Manchester Depot, Vt.); four miscellaneous subjects by Centennial Photographic Co.; one from the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association Thirteenth Exhibition (1878); twenty-five views of the World's Columbian Exposition; one Pan-American Exposition; one Panama-California Exposition; two A.Y.P. Exposition; one Paris exposition; one Exposition Universelle; and two unidentified. See also: Agriculture, Animals, Bicycles, Birds, Boats and Boating, Bridges, Electricity, Foreign, Groups, Interiors, Louisi- ana, Machinery, Military, Monuments and Sculpture, Native Americans, New York and New York City, Oregon, Parades, Photography, Railroads

Series Restrictions:

Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalogs restricted due to fragile condition. Researchers should consult microfilm in NMAH library for 1880-1983 editions, drawer 692.

Series 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.

Series Citation:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Sponsor:

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

See more items in:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series 2: Other Collection Divisions

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series 2: Other Collection Divisions / 2.5: Photographs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0060-s02-ref1770

Series Creator:

Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969  Search this

Extent:

41 Items

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1867-1915

Scope and Contents note:

including seven Centennial Exhibition views, one of Machinery Hall, published by Burr & Manley Dry Goods, Groceries and Clothing (Manchester Depot, Vt.); four miscellaneous subjects by Centennial Photographic Co.; one from the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association Thirteenth Exhibition (1878); twenty-five views of the World's Columbian Exposition; one Pan-American Exposition; one Panama-California Exposition; two A.Y.P. Exposition; one Paris exposition; one Exposition Universelle; and two unidentified

See also:

Agriculture, Animals, Bicycles, Birds, Boats and Boating, Bridges, Electricity, Foreign, Groups, Interiors, Louisi-ana, Machinery, Military, Monuments and Sculpture, Native Americans, New York and New York City, Oregon, Parades, Photography, Railroads

Series Restrictions:

Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalogs restricted due to fragile condition. Researchers should consult microfilm in NMAH library for 1880-1983 editions, drawer 692.

Series 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.

Series Citation:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Sponsor:

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

See more items in:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series 2: Other Collection Divisions

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series 2: Other Collection Divisions / 2.6: Stereographs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0060-s02-ref2130

Creator:

Gordon, Elizabeth, 1906-2000  Search this

Names:

Claiborne, Craig  Search this

Gordon, Elizabeth, 1906-2000  Search this

Leach, Bernard, 1887-1979  Search this

Extent:

3 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Periodicals

Photographs

Correspondence

Personal papers

Place:

Japan

Date:

1958-1987

Summary:

Papers, 1959-1987, of Elizabeth Gordon, editor of the periodical, House Beautiful from 1941-1964, mostly related to her research for the August and September 1960 issues of House Beautiful regarding the Japanese aesthetic concept of "shibui", and the subsequent travelling "shibui exhibition" from 1961-1964. Included are correspondence, some photocopies, 1959-1963; notes; drafts for articles and lectures; printed material including magazine and newspaper clippings, 1959-1987; 2 books, and exhibition announcements; drawings of paper and foil art; a photo album containing photos of exhibition installations; and photographs, slides, color transparencies, and lantern slides depicting people, sites, and objects reflecting the "shibui" aesthetic.

Scope and Contents:

The Elizabeth Gordon Papers measure 4.5 linear feet and span the years 1959-1987. The collection mainly documents Ms. Gordon's research for the August and September 1960 issues of House Beautiful regarding the Japanese aesthetic concept of "shibui", and the subsequent travelling "shibui exhibition" from 1961-1964. Included are correspondence, some photocopies, 1959-1963; research notes and materials; articles; lectures; printed material including magazine and newspaper clippings, 1959-1987; 2 books, and exhibition announcements; article materials; a photo album containing photos of exhibition installations; and photographs, slides, color transparencies, and lantern slides depicting people, sites, and objects reflecting the "shibui" aesthetic.

Arrangement note:

This collection is organized into eight series. 1. Biographical data, 2. Shibui research, 3. Shibui issues of, House Beautiful, 4. Correspondence, 5. Shibui promotion, 6. Exhibition files, 7. Printed materials, and 8. Photographs.

Biographical Information:

Born in Logansport, Indiana in 1906, Elizabeth Gordon served as editor of House Beautiful magazine 1941 to 1964. Ms. Gordon first became interested in Japanese aesthetics during the mid-1950s. As a result she began to read and study Japanese art, history and culture. In 1959, Gordon travelled to Japan with three staff people from, House Beautiful. In Kyoto she met Eiko Yuasa, a young woman then employed by the City of Kyoto to handle foreign V.I.P.s, who was assigned to assist Gordon during her stay there. It was Ms. Yuasa who, in the course of discussions of Japanese aesthetics, introduced the term "shibui." Around that term and its related concepts ("iki", "jimi", "hade") the theme for the issue began to crystallize. In August and September, 1960, House Beautiful, under the editorial control of Ms. Gordon, published two extremely popular issues devoted to the subject of "shibui". Due to the popularity of the issues, museum exhibits devoted to the concept of "shibui" travelled around the United States. Ms. Gordon died in Adamstown, Maryland in 2000.

Biographical Overview

1906 -- Born in Logansport, Indiana

1920s -- Attended the University of Chicago

1930s -- Moved to New York to work as a promotional copywriter for several newspapers

1930s -- Syndicated columnist on home maintenance for The New York Herald Tribune

1930s -- Editor at Good Housekeeping (here for 8 years)

1937 -- More House for your Money by Elizabeth Gordon and Dorothy Ducas published by W. Morrow and Company: New York.

1937 -- Married Carl Hafey Norcross

1939 -- Appointed editor of House Beautiful

1964 -- Left the magazine world

1972 -- Published a special issue on Scandinavian design and awarded the insignia of a knight, first class, in the Finnish Order of the Lion

1987 -- American Institute of Architects made her an honorary member

1988 -- Carl Hafey Norcross died

September 3, 2000 -- Died in Adamstown, MD

(The following biography of Elizabeth Gordon comes courtesy of curator Louise Cort. Written in consultation with Elizabeth Gordon, October 23, 1987)

The research papers, memoranda, magazines, books, photographs and color transparencies and other materials in this archives are related to the publication by Elizabeth Gordon (Mrs. Carl Norcross), editor of House Beautiful from 1941 to 1964 and creator of the August, 1960 issue of the magazine on the special theme of the Japanese aesthetic concept of "shibui". The "shibui issue" was followed by the September, 1960, issue of the same publication on the theme, "How to be shibui with American things." As a by-product of the issues, a "Shibui Exhibition" travelled to eleven museums in the United States during 1961-1964. Each exhibition was opened with a slide lecture by Elizabeth Gordon.

Miss Gordon first became curious about Japanese aesthetics in the mid-1950s when she began to see Japanese objects being displayed and used in the homes of Americans who had spent time in Japan during the Occupation and Japanese influence began to appear in wholesale showrooms of home furnishings manufacturers. It was clear that the time had come: she HAD to go to Japan!

She read for five years before going to Japan - history, social mores, art history. (Many of the books on Japan that she collected during this time have been presented to the library at the University of Maryland, College Park.)

An important bit of advice came from Alice Spaulding Bowen, owner of Pacifica, the highest quality shop of Asian antiquities in Honolulu, who told her, "Be sure to read, The Tale of Genji - then you'll understand everything."

She made her first trip to Japan in April, 1959, accompanied by three staff people from, House Beautiful. In Kyoto she met Eiko Yuasa, a young woman then employed by the City of Kyoto to handle foreign V.I.P.s, who was assigned to assist Miss Gordon during her stay there. It was Ms. Yuasa who, in the course of discussions of Japanese aesthetics, introduced the term "shibui." Around that term and its related concepts ("iki", "jimi", "hade") the theme for the issue began to crystallize.

Miss Gordon came home, planning to spend the summer researching "shibui" with the aid of the Japan Society. But she found virtually nothing written in English on the concept. So she returned to Japan in December, 1959 together with staff member Marion Gough, to dig deeper and to work out details and get better educated with Eiko Yuasa. One of their devices was to walk through department stores and discuss with sales personnel whether objects for sale were "shibui", or were "jimi" or "hade", and why. Between themselves, they did the same for the costumes of women they saw on the streets.

Lacking printed sources for information on "shibui", Miss Gordon sought out and interviewed experts, including Douglas Overton, head of the Japan Society in New York. In Japan in December, 1959, she met Yanagi Soetsu, founder of Japan's Folk Craft Movement and head of the Craft Museum in Tokyo (with an introduction from Tonomura Kichinosuke, head of the Craft Museum in Kurashiki). She met the chef Tsuji Kaichi, who was commissioned to write an article on "kaiseki" (that could not be used because of an inadequate English translation) and Frances Blakemore. She met several times with Bernard Leach and attended his lecture at Bonnier's while he was in New York in March, 1960. (He would later write a "fan letter" for the issue)

As the concept of "the shibui issue" began to take shape, a third trip in the spring of 1960 focused on photography - to produce the shooting script decided on the preceding December. This was executed by the noted photographer Ezra Stoller of Rye, New York, and John DeKoven Hill, House Beautiful's Editorial Director. (Mr. Hill worked with Frank Lloyd Wright except for the ten years that he was a member of the House Beautiful editorial staff)

Miss Gordon was back in Japan in Mid-August 1960 as the "shibui issue" was causing a sensation. Altogether she spent sixteen months in Japan.

As one of the experiences that influenced her strong interest in Japanese costumes and textiles, Miss Gordon remembers a spectacularly thorough exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno on, 1200 Years of Japanese Costume. She saw it on the last day of its exhibition (possibly 1964).

The August 1960 issue sold out quickly. Copies of the magazine, which sold for fifty cents, were sold on the "black market" for ten dollars.

The publication of the August 1960 issue was followed by an unprecedented avalanche of "fan mail". Many department heads in colleges and universities, including the Harvard-Yenching Institute and the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (where Miss Gordon had worked as an undergraduate) wrote to comment on the issue. Many people in other fields of endeavor wrote: heads of firms concerned with interior design, landscape architecture, and related areas expressed their interest in the concept of "shibui" Other writers include Bernard Leach, Gertrude Natzler, Laura Gilpin, Mainbocher, the architect Yoshimura Junzo, the textile artist Marianne Strengell, Walter Kerr, Craig Claiborne, and Oliver Statler.

The "shibui issue" was followed immediately by the September issue dealing with the use of non-Japanese objects to express the concept of "shibui." (Miss Gordon convinced her advertisers, who had been skeptical about the potential success of the August issue, by promising the September issue dealing with American products.) Four American firms were involved in the production of an integrated line of paints, wallpaper, furniture and carpets expressive of the concept. Products were designed by the firms' designers following the clues offered by objects and fabrics purchased by Miss Gordon in Japan in December 1959 and spring 1960. Miss Gordon has expressed her dissatisfaction with the September issue, although public opinion was positive. She feels that some of the firms failed in the "shibui" project, though some "caught" the message: namely the paint company and the fabric/wallpaper company.

In response to strong public interest, the House Beautiful staff prepared a travelling exhibition to introduce the concept of "shibui" through a series of vignettes, mixing fabrics and objects, colors and textures. The museum installation was designed by John Hill of House Beautiful. Japan Air Lines underwrote shipping costs.

The exhibition began in Philadelphia in late 1961. Ezra Stoller was sent to photograph the installation in considerable detail at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts in January, 1962, so that his photographs cold serve as guidelines for installations at the other museums, which included the San Francisco Museum of Art (April 1962), the Newark Pubic Library, and the Honolulu Academy of Art. Miss Gordon presented a lecture on "shibui" at each of the museum installations.

In appreciation of her work to introduce Americans to the concept of "shibui", the city of Kyoto presented a bolt of especially "shibui" kimono fabric executed by a Living National Treasure textile artist. Miss Gordon eventually tailored the fabric into a dress and jacket. She received the 1961 Trail Blazer Award from the New York Chapter of the National Home Fashions League, Inc. In June, 1987, Miss Gordon was named an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects, with her introduction of the concept of "shibui" and her promotion of an understanding of other culture cited as her major contributions to American architecture.

Provenance:

Elizabeth Gordon donated her papers to the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives in 1988.

Elizabeth Gordon donated her papers to the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives in 1988.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

No restrictions on use.

Topic:

Interior decoration -- Periodicals  Search this

Landscape gardening  Search this

Art, Japanese  Search this

Aesthetics, Japanese  Search this

House funishings  Search this

Interior decoration  Search this

Museum exhibits  Search this

Interior decorators  Search this

Gardens -- Japan  Search this

Genre/Form:

Periodicals -- 1940-1970

Photographs

Correspondence

Personal papers -- 1950-2000

Citation:

The Elizabeth Gordon Papers. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Elizabeth Gordon, 1988

Identifier:

FSA.A1988.03

See more items in:

Elizabeth Gordon Papers

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-fsa-a1988-03

Collection Creator:

Kondratas, Ramunas A.  Search this

Collection Source:

Science, Medicine and Society, Division of (NMAH, SI).  Search this

Container:

Box 8, Folder 20

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1992

Collection Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Please ask staff to remove any staples before copying.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: reproduction fees may apply.

Collection Citation:

Division of Science, Medicine, and Society HIV/AIDS Reference Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Division of Science, Medicine and Society HIV/AIDS Reference Collection

Division of Science, Medicine and Society HIV/AIDS Reference Collection / Series 3: Ramunas Kondratas, Correspondence and Collecting Materials

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1134-ref336