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Diaries

Collection Creator:
Mowbray, H. Siddons (Harry Siddons), 1858-1928  Search this
Extent:
1.2 Linear feet (Box 1-2)
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1876-1929
Scope and Contents:
This series consists of nineteen total diaries, seventeen of which are written by Harry Siddons Mowbray (1876-1927). The additional two diaries are by Elsie Mowbray in (1901) and Florence Mowbray (1929).

Harry Siddons Mowbray diaries discuss Mowbray's day-to-day life including his relationship with family and friends; his career spanning his service on numerous public art committees and of his works of art; and current events. The first diary (1876) focuses on Mowbray's journey to the Archipelago of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean. The diaries jump to 1912 and are complete until 1927. From 1912 until 1920, Mowbray gives descriptions of the weather and quick comments on his days. He includes tips for plaster casts (1915). Mowbray's discussion of world affairs includes the sinking of the Titanic the United States' declaration of war in 1917. He relates these larger events by describing their relation to his personal life and family by discussing his colleague Francis Millet's death upon the Titanic and his son's return from World War I.

Starting in the 1920s, Mowbray focuses his diaries on his service on the Commission of Fine Arts based in Washington, D.C.. These later diaries discuss the construction of Memorial Bridge and Key Bridge and Mowbray's opinions of their location and design; a proposed memorial to be dedicated to President Harding; the process of standardizing the flag of the United States; diplomatic receptions and visits to the White House; the dedication and design of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery; the Navy Memorial; public pool placement in the District of Columbia and related racial tension; federal buildings along Pennsylvania Avenue; and the proposed memorial to George Washington at Wakefield House.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
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:
Harry Siddons Mowbray and Mowbray family papers, 1872-1976. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.mowbharr, Series 3
See more items in:
Harry Siddons Mowbray and Mowbray family papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d8d9350d-ca7a-4ee6-b621-bc9c2343983c
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-mowbharr-ref45

Oversized William Zorach Making a Plaster Cast

Collection Creator:
Zorach Family  Search this
Extent:
(See Box 3, F49)
Container:
Box 5, Folder
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1950s
Collection Restrictions:
Use of originals requires an appointment.
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:
The Zorach Family papers, 1900-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
The Zorach family papers
The Zorach family papers / Series 8: Photographs
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9252207c6-6e44-4617-936a-f1a54be53651
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-zorazora-ref130

Photographs

Collection Creator:
Zorach Family  Search this
Extent:
(Box 3-5; 1.0 linear feet)
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1908-1966
Scope and Contents note:
Photographs are of the Zorach family, including William, Marguerite, Tessim, and Dahlov, and the parents of William and Marguerite. Some photographs of the Zorach family were taken at their home in Maine, Yosemite Valley, and Europe. Other photos are of Marguerite and William in their studios in Paris and New York. Also found are a series of photographs depicting William carving a relief sculpture and making a plaster cast. Most of these photographs contain detailed annotations written by William Zorach about the work. There are photographs of models and friends of the Zorach family including Gaston and Isabella Lachaise, Bertram Harman, Elmer Brubeck, and Alex Warshawsky. Photographers of Zorach include Ansel Adams, Imogene Cunningham and Arnold Newman. Also found are photographs of works of art by William Zorach.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of originals requires an appointment.
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:
The Zorach Family papers, 1900-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.zorazora, Series 8
See more items in:
The Zorach family papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91b178631-2789-472b-9a3b-f1dae656ce0c
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-zorazora-ref93

MS 4780 Frank Hamilton Cushing papers

Creator:
Cushing, Frank Hamilton, 1857-1900  Search this
Culture:
A:shiwi (Zuni)  Search this
American Indian -- Alaska  Search this
Tlingit  Search this
Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America  Search this
Indians of North America -- Southwest, New  Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Date:
undated
Scope and Contents:
Includes draft of manuscript "Manual Concepts..."; water color and tempera drawings of Zuni dancers; ground plans of Zuni; copies of publications by Cushing, including poems entitled "Tenatsali's Leaves;" 2 photographic portraits of Cushing; and miscellaneous photographs of Alaskan Indians.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 4780
Local Note:
Casts were referred to Anthropology Processing Lab. Among them was a face mask of the Zuni priest of the Macaw clan, Lai-iu-ah-tsai-lun-k'ai, Cushing's adoptive father.
water color and tempera drawings
Other Title:
Manual Concepts...
Tenatsali's Leaves
Topic:
Dance -- Zuni  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Citation:
Manuscript 4780, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NAA.MS4780
See more items in:
MS 4780 Frank Hamilton Cushing papers
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3c4969c25-9cad-4dfa-a7b3-d220b3adc967
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-naa-ms4780

"Iconography of Desolation"

Collection Creator:
Smithson, Robert  Search this
Container:
Box 3, Folder 15
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1961
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 audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, holds the intellectual property rights, including copyright, to all materials created by Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt with the exception of the following items: two holiday cards found in box 11, folders 22-23. For these two items, copyright held by Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Requests for permission to reproduce should be submitted to ARS.
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:
Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt papers, 1905-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt papers
Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt papers / Series 4: Writings / 4.1: By Robert Smithson
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw975d5dad2-4ff1-4fed-a4f6-4146973a0372
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-smitrobe-ref177
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Plaster Cast Stela

Donor Name:
Smithsonian Institution  Search this
Culture:
Neolithic  Search this
Object Type:
Cast
Place:
Not Given
Accession Date:
9 Feb 1971
Topic:
Archaeology  Search this
Accession Number:
292836
USNM Number:
A461098-0
See more items in:
Anthropology
Data Source:
NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/33d54a260-dad4-4c2d-8351-044a4dd8e34d
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhanthropology_8214275

Artist Talk with John Grade

Creator:
Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2016-03-04T21:46:39.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
See more by:
americanartmuseum
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
YouTube Channel:
americanartmuseum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_0aadZBIYYEc

Model of the Greek Slave

Artist:
Hiram Powers, born Woodstock, VT 1805-died Florence, Italy 1873  Search this
Medium:
plaster and metal pins
Dimensions:
66 3/8 x 21 1/2 x 18 3/8 in. (168.6 x 54.6 x 46.6 cm)
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
1843
Topic:
Figure female\full length  Search this
History\ancient\Greece  Search this
State of being\other\enslaved  Search this
State of being\other\imprisonment  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Object number:
1968.155.8
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department:
Painting and Sculpture
On View:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 18A
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk77c7af855-3131-4238-a434-08595218c169
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_1968.155.8
Online Media:

The Greek Slave, (sculpture)

Artist:
Powers, Hiram  Search this
Medium:
Marble, serravezza
Type:
Sculptures
Exhibition Catalogs
Date:
1876
Topic:
Figure female--Nude  Search this
Ethnic  Search this
State of Being--Other--Enslaved  Search this
Control number:
AECI 00240001
Data Source:
Pre-1877 Art Exhibition Catalogue Index
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_aeci_3001

Listening Slave, (sculpture)

Artist:
Unknown  Search this
Type:
Sculptures
Exhibition Catalogs
Date:
1876
Topic:
State of Being--Other--Enslaved  Search this
Figure  Search this
Control number:
AECI 03330190
Data Source:
Pre-1877 Art Exhibition Catalogue Index
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_aeci_69181

Casts of Abraham Lincoln's Face and Hands

Associated person:
Lincoln, Abraham  Search this
Saint-Gaudens, Augustus  Search this
Volk, Leonard Wells  Search this
Physical Description:
white (overall color)
plaster (overall material)
painted (overall production method/technique)
Measurements:
overall: 7 in x 9 in; 17.78 cm x 22.86 cm
Object Name:
Mask, Life
Associated date:
1860
Subject:
Presidents  Search this
Credit Line:
Thirty Three Subscribers (Augustus St. Gaudens, Thomas B. Clarke, Richard W. Gilder)
ID Number:
PL.4412
Catalog number:
4412
Accession number:
20084
See more items in:
Political and Military History: Political History, Presidential History Collection
Government, Politics, and Reform
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a3-4400-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_524360

Milo Hellman papers

Creator:
Hellman, Milo  Search this
Names:
Angle, Edward H. (Edward Hartley), 1855-1930  Search this
Bogue, E.A.  Search this
Correspondent:
Boas, Franz, 1858-1942  Search this
Depicted:
Hrdlička, Aleš, 1869-1943  Search this
Extent:
16.75 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1900-1947
Summary:
The Milo Hellman Papers focus on his research into the racial characteristics of human dentition and his studies on the evolution and variation of teeth, jaws, and faces. The collection contains correspondence, lecture, notes, manuscripts, notes, photographs, publications, and student exams. There is also information on the 1930 White House Conference on Child Health and Protection which Hellman attended. This collection includes photographs of eminent anthropologists and dentists including E.H. Angle, Edward A. Bogue, and Ales Hrdlicka and correspondence from Franz Boas.
Biographical Note:
Milo Hellman was born in 1872 in Romania. He came to the United States at the age of 16. He earned his D.D.S from the University of Pennsylvania in 1905. He was an Instructor at New York University's Dental School and a research associate in Physical Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History. His research focused on racial characteristics in human teeth and the study of the evolution and variation of teeth, jaws, and faces. Milo Hellman died in 1947.
Separated Materials:
The plaster casts of teeth and lantern slides from the Hellman Collection are part of the Physical Anthropology Collections.
Topic:
Dentistry  Search this
Physical anthropology  Search this
Citation:
Milo Hellman Ppapers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NAA.1998-34
See more items in:
Milo Hellman papers
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3e38f6a90-0da9-488a-9ff3-b11eb26e442b
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-naa-1998-34

Oral history interview with Raymond Charles Pierotti

Interviewee:
Pierotti, Raymond Charles, 1932-  Search this
Interviewer:
Herman, Lloyd E.  Search this
Creator:
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Names:
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts  Search this
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Extent:
30 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2005 September 4
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Raymond Charles Pierotti conducted 2005 September 4, by Lloyd Herman, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Herman's home, in Seattle, Washington.
Pierotti speaks of his childhood in Bountiful, Utah; his Italian grandfather, who made ornamental plaster casts in a barn near their home; his time in France as a Mormon missionary; his military service in Korea, which led him to Paris on the GI Bill, allowing him to take classes at La Sorbonne; his early years in New York, which included a job at Rizzoli's Books starting up their music department; his sale during that time of his first paintings, and the opening of a gallery on 34th and 2nd; his position working for Paul Smith at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (now the Museum of Arts and Design); his initial involvement with the American Craft Council; his eventual acceptance of the executive director position at Arrowmont; the various improvements and changes he instituted while director of the school; his reasons for leaving Arrowmont; and his involvement with other craft schools and art centers, including the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences and the Sawtooth Center for Visual Art. Pierotti also recalls Don Wykoff, Marian G. Heard, Sandra J. Blain, Aileen Osborne Webb, Joan Mondale, Lucy Morgan, Mary Crovatt Hambidge, Verne Funk, Mark Peiser, Jim Wallace, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Raymond Charles Pierotti (1932- ) is a former director of the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Lloyd E. Herman (1936- ) is a curator and former director of the Smithsonian Institution's Renwick Gallery from Seattle, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 27 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.pierot05
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90f1e48ed-e746-4b68-8ff1-7ff869559ec6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-pierot05
Online Media:

Model Relating to a Spherical Representation, by Richard P. Baker, Baker #430*

Maker:
Baker, Richard P.  Search this
Physical Description:
plaster (overall material)
white (overall color)
black (overall color)
plaster cast. (overall production method/technique)
Measurements:
average spatial: 10.7 cm x 15.8 cm x 13.2 cm; 4 7/32 in x 6 7/32 in x 5 3/16 in
Object Name:
geometric model
Date made:
ca 1906-1935
Subject:
Mathematics  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Frances E. Baker
ID Number:
MA.211257.081
Accession number:
211257
Catalog number:
211257.081
See more items in:
Medicine and Science: Mathematics
Science & Mathematics
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a9-2dd8-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_1087010
Online Media:

National Academy of Design records

Creator:
National Academy of Design (U.S.)  Search this
Names:
American Federation of Arts  Search this
Abbey, Edwin Austin, 1852-1911  Search this
Durand, Asher Brown, 1796-1886  Search this
Lanyon, Ellen  Search this
Ranger, Henry Ward, 1858-1916  Search this
Extent:
92.7 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Interviews
Date:
1817-2012
Summary:
The records of New York City's National Academy of Design measure 92.7 linear feet and date from 1817-2012. The records pertain to all three constituents of the tripartite organization consisting of the Academy, a membership body of artists founded in 1825; the school, founded at the same time to promote arts education; and the exhibition program, inaugurated in 1826. Extensive administrative records include minutes, committee files, director files, annual reports, constitutions, and correspondence and subject files of council officers. Exhibition records, also substantive, date to the Academy's first annual exhibition and include gallery and special exhibitions, as well as exhibitions at the Academy's museum, established in 1979. The collection also includes gifts and funding files, especially relating to endowments and prizes; membership records; National Academy Association records; Ranger Fund assignments; extensive files pertaining to the school's administration, courses of instruction, registrations, and attendance; twenty scrapbooks containing clippings and ephemera; Society of American Artists records; correspondence and ephemera from other organizations; transcripts from oral histories with Academy members; extensive photographic material documenting artists, members, the school, exhibitions, buildings, and artwork created by Academy members; artist files containing correspondence, writings, and sketches from those associated with the Academy; and assorted printed material and ephemera.
Scope and Contents:
The records of New York City's National Academy of Design measure 92.7 linear feet and date from 1817-2012. The records pertain to all three constituents of the tripartite organization consisting of the Academy, a membership body of artists founded in 1825; the school, founded at the same time to promote arts education; and the exhibition program, inaugurated in 1826. Extensive administrative records include minutes, committee files, director files, annual reports, constitutions, and correspondence and subject files of council officers. Exhibition records, also substantive, date to the Academy's first annual exhibition and include gallery and special exhibitions, as well as exhibitions at the Academy's museum, established in 1979. The collection also includes gifts and funding files, especially relating to endowments and prizes; membership records; National Academy Association records; Ranger Fund assignments; extensive files pertaining to the school's administration, courses of instruction, registrations, and attendance; twenty scrapbooks containing clippings and ephemera; Society of American Artists records; correspondence and ephemera from other organizations; transcripts from oral histories with Academy members; extensive photographic material documenting artists, members, the school, exhibitions, buildings, and artwork created by Academy members; artist files containing correspondence, writings, and sketches from those associated with the Academy; and assorted printed material and ephemera.

The Academy minutes and committee files consist of official, original, and transcribed proceedings for the council, annual, business, and some committee meetings, as well as related correspondence, reports, financial documents, notes, drafts, and ballots pertaining to the Academy's administration and activities from its 1825 founding until 2006. As an organization actively engaged in the development of art and art education in the United States, the Academy minutes and committee files are a valuable resource on subjects and topics in the Academy's history; in particular, its founding, administration, school, and exhibition program.

Director files date from 1942-1990 and document the activities of four of the Academy's chief administrators, including Vernon Porter (1950-1966), Earl Tyler (1966-1967), Alice Melrose (1967-1977), and John H. Dobkin (1978-1990). Items include correspondence, memoranda, minutes, and printed material.

Annual reports, dating from 1828-2003, summarize the activities of the Academy over the course of a year, and may include presidents' reports, treasurers' reports, audits of financial operations by public accountants, and printed annual reports containing summaries from multiple council officers. Information pertains to the year's activities including finances, exhibitions, membership, the school, committee activities, awards, and other business.

Academy constitutions date from 1826-2012 and include the printed constitutions and by-laws as well as constitutional proposals. Constitutions and by-laws name the current council officials, professors, academicians, associates, and honorary members, and state the mission and guidelines for operation in regards to membership, officers, annual meetings, elections, school, exhibitions, and how the constitution can be amended or altered. Constitutional proposals contain amendment drafts, alterations, and related correspondence.

Council officer files, dating from 1848-1980, contain the correspondence and subjects files of Academy officers—presidents, vice presidents, corresponding secretaries, and treasurers—concerning all matters of Academy business and operations including membership, gifts and funds, the federal charter, exhibitions, juries, the school, scholarships, committee affairs, anniversaries, publicity, administrative matters, resignations, and relationships with other organizations.

General administrative files date from 1825-1982 and include ledgers, certificates, correspondence, and legal documents pertaining to the Academy's founding, building, financial accounts, art collection, and other administrative matters.

Exhibition files, dating from 1826-2003, document the Academy's long exhibition history and includes annual, gallery, special, and museum exhibitions. Files may include exhibition catalogs, photographs, press clippings, sales records, and correspondence related to jury selection, awards and prizes, and logistical planning. Files pertaining to the Academy's annual exhibitions comprise a bulk of the series. Held since 1826, the Annuals were organized and curated by Academy members, and considered to be an important and sweeping survey of contemporary American art.

Gifts and funding files date from 1860-2009 and include financial documents, ledgers, legal material, and correspondence concerning the bequests, endowments, donations, and other gifts that financed the operations of the Academy and school. A significant number of records pertain to the Abbey Trust Fund and the Archer M. Hunting Fund.

Membership files, 1826-2012, document Academy members, honorary members, fellows, and the nominations and elections whereby members were voted into the Academy. Materials include registers, certificates, nomination ledgers and proposals, candidate biographies, and ballots.

The National Academy Association files date from 1911-1959 and contain a constitution, plan, and agreement, as well as correspondence, meeting minutes, and reports for the Association, incorporated in 1912 with the aim to erect a building shared by several New York art societies. At the time of incorporation, the Association consisted of members from the National Academy of Design, American Water Color Society, American Institute of Architects, Architectural League of New York, New York Water Color Club, National Sculpture Society, Municipal Art Society, Society of Beaux-Arts Architects, Mural Painters, Society of Illustrators, and a number of city representatives and citizens.

The Ranger Fund assignment files, 1919-2008, document the distribution of artworks by living American artists to institutions throughout the United States, in accordance with the will of Henry Ward Ranger. The Ranger Fund was initiated to stimulate public interest in the work of contemporary American painters in 1919, when the Academy received a bequest from Henry Ward Ranger, totaling $400,000. Ranger stated in his will that the capital should be invested and the income used as a purchase fund to facilitate gifts of paintings by living American artists to arts institutions throughout the United States. Files document the assignment of particular works of art to institutions through the official agreement, related correspondence, and in some instances, photographs of the artwork.

Extensive school records, dating from 1826-2008, contain administrative files, enrollment records, course files, student affairs files, and printed material documenting all aspects of the school's activities aligned with the Academy's mission to educate aspiring professional artists. A bulk of this series consists of student course registrations, documented in registers, then on index cards beginning in the 1930s. While information collected varied over the decades, registrations document student names and the year, and may additionally include course name, instructor, and cost.

Twenty Academy scrapbooks document the organization's activities from 1828-1939 and include clippings and ephemera. Three of the scrapbooks are devoted to specific topics, including one for the Society of American Artists, one for both the Society of American Artists and the Society of American Fakirs, and one for the Academy's centennial exhibition.

The Society of American Artists files, 1878-1906, document the formation of the Society as a departure from the Academy in 1877, its independent operations and activities, and its eventual consolidation with the Academy in 1906. The Society's members have included Edwin Abbey, James Carroll Beckwith, Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, Thomas Eakins, George Inness Jr., John La Farge, Albert Pinkham Ryder, among many others.

Files from other organizations date from 1817-1997 and may include correspondence, ledgers, and printed material. Many of these organizations had business with the Academy, and records pertain to events, meetings, and exhibitions. Notable organizations include the American Academy of Fine Arts, American Federation of Arts, American Watercolor Society, Art Students League, Fine Arts Federation of New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Etching Club, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and Salmagundi Club.

Oral history transcripts date from 2002-2007. Eight comprehensive interviews, conducted by Avis Berman for the Academy, are with Academy members and cover all aspects of the artists' lives, including family, early life, beginning career, mentors, contemporaries, influences, patrons, awards, residencies, as well as the artists' relationship with the Academy. The interview transcripts provide first-hand accounts of the organization, particularly from circa 1940 up to the time of the interview. Artists interviewed include Will Barnet, Hyman Bloom, Richard Haas, Ellen Lanyon, Jules Olitski, Bernard Olshan, Paul Resika, and Dorothea Rockburne.

Photographic material, dating from 1845-2010, includes a wide variety of formats and processes including 19th and 20th photographic prints, glass plate negatives, copy prints, contact sheets, slides, and 35mm negatives. Subjects include artists and others associated with the Academy, the school, exhibitions and events, Academy buildings, artwork, and reference photographs. Many 19th century photographs contain descriptive annotations. Supplementary inventories and guides prepared by Academy archivists are scattered throughout the series.

Artist files date from 1826-2004 and include the correspondence, writings, manuscripts, diaries, exhibition catalogs, and clippings of many notable artists involved with the Academy, including Asher B. Durand and Rembrandt Peale. Of particular note are two notebooks Durand gifted to the Academy, both containing notes and sketches from anatomy lectures.

While printed material is scattered throughout, the final series collects a small number of additional announcements, brochures, clippings, illustrations, and other ephemera not filed in other series.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nineteen series.

Series 1: Minutes and Committee Files, 1825-2006 (11.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-11, BV 100-106)

Series 2: Director Files, 1942-1990 (0.5 linear feet; Box 11)

Series 3: Annual Reports, 1828-2003, circa 2010 (2.1 linear feet; Boxes 11-13, OV 139-142)

Series 4: Constitutions, 1826-2012 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 13-14)

Series 5: Council Officers, 1848-1980 (4 linear feet; Boxes 14-18)

Series 6: General Administration, 1825-1982 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 18, 126)

Series 7: Exhibitions, 1826-2003, 2008 (14.4 linear feet; Boxes 18-33)

Series 8: Gifts and Funding, 1860-2009 (4.1 linear feet; Boxes 33-37)

Series 9: Membership, 1826-2012 (3.4 linear feet; Boxes 37-39, 127-131)

Series 10: National Academy Association, 1911-1959 (0.4 linear feet; Box 39)

Series 11: Ranger Fund Assignments, 1919-2008 (4.3 linear feet; Boxes 39-44)

Series 12: School, 1826-2008 (28.5 linear feet; Boxes 44-56, 68-99)

Series 13: Scrapbooks, 1828-1939 (4 linear feet; Box 56, BV 107-125)

Series 14: Society of American Artists, 1878-1906 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 56-57)

Series 15: Other Organizations, 1817-1997 (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 57-59, 131)

Series 16: Oral History Transcripts, 2002-2007 (0.7 linear feet; Box 59)

Series 17: Photographic Material, 1845-2010 (6.1 linear feet; Boxes 60-63, 131-138, OV 143-144)

Series 18: Artist Files, 1826-2004 (3.5 linear feet; Boxes 63-66)

Series 19: Printed Material, 1839-1954 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 67, 131, OV 145)
Biographical / Historical:
The National Academy of Design (1825- ) based in New York City, is a tripartite organization consisting of a membership body of artists, a school, and an exhibition program. The Academy was founded in 1825 by a group of professional artists with the mission to promote the fine arts in America through exhibition and education. Originally named the New York Drawing Association, the Academy was the first organization in the United States established and managed by professional artists. Samuel F.B. Morse, the Academy's first president, was influenced by the organization of the Royal Academy in London, which was comprised of professional artist members and elected government council, an art school, and a venue for exhibitions. After unsuccessful negotiations to unite with the American Academy of Fine Arts, the New York Drawing Association reformed as the National Academy of The Arts of Design on January 19, 1826. Among the founders were mostly young artists who became prominent figures in American art, including Frederick S. Agate, Thomas Cole, Thomas S. Cummings, Asher B. Durand, John Frazee, Charles C. Ingham, Henry Inman, Gerlando Marsiglia, Samuel F. B. Morse, Samuel L. Waldo, and Charles Cushing Wright.

The first Academy members were elected in January 1826, and levels of membership were established shortly thereafter. Originally there were four levels of Academy membership: associates, academicians, artists, and honorary corresponding members. The category of artists was eliminated in 1829, and the honorary member category, established to recognize American artists living outside New York, distinguished foreign artists, and patrons and friends of the Academy, was eliminated in 1862 (the constitution was not amended with this change until 1896). Since 1869, the residency requirement for election to active membership was eliminated and membership was opened to all American artists. In 1920, the classification of honorary corresponding member was re-introduced to recognize representatives of other national academies. With the 1997 constitution, the honorary corresponding member classification was again eliminated, and in 1994 the associate category was eliminated.

Artists are proposed for membership by academicians through the membership committee and are elected for life by a sixty percent majority, based on recognized excellence and significant contributions to the field. Procedures and rules for nominating and choosing new academicians changed over the years, as detailed in the constitutions. Associates were at one time required to present a portrait of themselves upon election and academicians were required to provide an additional representative work upon election. With the elimination of the category of associate in 1994, only one representative work is currently required. These works of art become part of the Academy's permanent collection.

The original classes of professional artists were painting, sculpture, architecture, and engraving. These professional classes were modified over the years. In 1936 the engraving class was made more comprehensive, including all of the graphic arts. Watercolor was added as a class in 1943 and was codified in the 1945 constitution. However, the division into five distinct classes started to create difficulties in how specific works of art were to be categorized. In 1981 the council eased the rules regarding separate media classification so that members could submit a work in any medium to the annual exhibitions regardless of the class to which they had been elected. The constitution of 1994 restated four professional classes—painting, sculpture, graphics, and architecture—which were further reduced in the 2011 constitution to two: visual arts and architecture.

Until 2009, the governing body of the Academy was the council. The seven officers of the council were president, vice-president, treasurer, assistant treasurer, corresponding secretary, assistant corresponding secretary and recording secretary, all of whom were required to be academicians. In 2009, a new constitution provided for a board of governors, replacing the council. The five officers of the board of governors are chair, vice-chair, president, vice-president, and treasurer. Only the offices of president and vice-president are required to be held by academicians.

Central to the Academy's mission, the school began with an anatomy lecture for the New York Drawing Association, delivered by Dr. Frederick G. King in November 1825. The first drawing session took place in November 1826 in the Old Alms House at City Hall Park with two academicians and twenty students. In the school's early years, professional artists met with students to draw from plaster casts of antique sculpture in the academic tradition. Both lectures and studio training were central the school's early curricula. Life classes, the practice of drawing from live models, were introduced in 1837, but only to advanced male students. A life class for women was not instituted until 1857, even though women were allowed membership to the Academy since its beginning. Due to financial difficulties at the Academy, the school was forced to move locations and shut down its operations for extended periods. Mounting dissatisfaction and frustration led several students and Lemuel E. Wilmarth, one of the school's leaders and first full-time professional instructor, to leave the Academy in 1875 and form a new school, the Art Students League. While charging tuition was unpopular, the Academy realized that it was necessary to ensure the school's sustainability, and implemented fee structures with varying success over the second half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th. Eventually, tuition was established by 1951, when the school was reopened at a new location, 5th Avenue and 89th Street.

Exhibitions have always been an important activity for the Academy, even prior to the opening of the National Academy Museum in 1979. Since 1826, the Academy has held annual exhibitions intended to reflect contemporary art currents in America. Any American artist was eligible to submit work to be reviewed by a jury of selection, comprised of academicians. Throughout the 19th century, the annual exhibitions at the Academy were one of the most significant and influential in the country. The selection process for these exhibitions was a critical topic, at times actively discussed in the press, and continually undergoing modification and change. In addition to the Annuals, the galleries of the Academy were often rented or loaned to outside organizations such as the American Watercolor Society, Audubon Artists, and the National Association of Women Artists. The galleries also mounted special exhibitions curated by its members and hosted a certain number of travelling exhibitions organized by other museums or art organizations. The museum, opened in 1979, hosted and presented major exhibitions, many focusing on historic European subjects.

Official Names of the Academy 1825-2017

1825 -- The New York Drawing Association

1826 -- The National Academy of The Arts of Design

1828 -- The National Academy of Design

1997 -- The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Art

2017 -- The National Academy of Design

National Academy of Design Meeting, Exhibition, and School Locations

1826 -- Old Alms House at City Hall Park in lower Manhattan

1827-1830 -- Chambers Street over the Arcade Baths

1831-1840 -- Corner of Nassau and Beckman Streets, the Mercantile Library on the third floor of Clinton Hall

1841 to 1849 -- 346 Broadway (at Leonard Street), the third and fourth floors of the New York Society Library

1850-1854 -- 663 Broadway, where the Academy erected a suite of six galleries

1855-1856 -- 548 Broadway (over Dr. Chapin's Church)

1857 -- 663 Broadway

1858-1861 -- 10th Street and 4th Avenue, the upper floor of a building

1861-1863 -- 625 Broadway, the Institute of Art

1865-1899 -- 23rd Street and Fourth Avenue (now Park Avenue South)

1899-1940 -- 109th Street and Amsterdam Avenue; exhibition galleries at 215 West 57th Street

1940-2017 -- 1083 Fifth Avenue at East 89th Street
Provenance:
The bulk of the collection was donated by the National Academy of Design in 2018. The trustees' ledger book in series 6 was donated in 1979 by Warder Cadbury of the Adirondack Museum; it is unclear how Cadbury acquired the ledger. Microfilm reels 798-799 containing transcriptions of minutes were given to the Archives by Lois Fink in 1974.
Restrictions:
This bulk of this collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Function:
Arts organizations -- New York (State)
Art Schools -- New York (State)
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Interviews
Citation:
National Academy of Design records, 1817-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.natiacad
See more items in:
National Academy of Design records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9790a36d2-0f17-4470-b1e2-0292dba3dd20
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-natiacad
Online Media:

Durand, Asher Brown

Collection Creator:
National Academy of Design (U.S.)  Search this
Container:
Box 64, Folder 14
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1867-1887
1900
Collection Restrictions:
This bulk of this collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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:
National Academy of Design records, 1817-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
National Academy of Design records
National Academy of Design records / Series 18: Artist Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw904e8b170-3bde-4605-88e7-7e06ebda50f5
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-natiacad-ref1120
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Peale, Rembrandt, Notebook Fragments

Collection Creator:
National Academy of Design (U.S.)  Search this
Container:
Box 65, Folder 36
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1830s
Collection Restrictions:
This bulk of this collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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:
National Academy of Design records, 1817-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
National Academy of Design records
National Academy of Design records / Series 18: Artist Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9fcd37931-8fc2-40ce-84c9-0ac6815e1ccc
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-natiacad-ref1147
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Peale, Rembrandt, "Notes of the Painting Room," Handwritten Volume

Collection Creator:
National Academy of Design (U.S.)  Search this
Container:
Box 66, Folder 1
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1837
Collection Restrictions:
This bulk of this collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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:
National Academy of Design records, 1817-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
National Academy of Design records
National Academy of Design records / Series 18: Artist Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9bd0c6766-afa7-4bd7-91aa-288f0b9ffb0c
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-natiacad-ref1335
4 Page(s) matching your search term, top most relevant are shown: View entire project in transcription center
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Peale, Rembrandt, "Notes of the Painting Room," Handwritten Volume

Collection Creator:
National Academy of Design (U.S.)  Search this
Container:
Box 66, Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1837
Collection Restrictions:
This bulk of this collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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:
National Academy of Design records, 1817-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
National Academy of Design records
National Academy of Design records / Series 18: Artist Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e483e743-54c0-41f4-8748-8a204f9ed902
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-natiacad-ref1336
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Peale, Rembrandt, Research on Peale Notebooks

Collection Creator:
National Academy of Design (U.S.)  Search this
Container:
Box 66, Folder 3
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1983
Collection Restrictions:
This bulk of this collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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:
National Academy of Design records, 1817-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
National Academy of Design records
National Academy of Design records / Series 18: Artist Files
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b9d87eb4-7454-4969-923c-b9afd7c89467
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-natiacad-ref1337
2 Page(s) matching your search term, top most relevant are shown: View entire project in transcription center
  • View Peale, Rembrandt, Research on Peale Notebooks digital asset number 1
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