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Gardner Cox papers, 1920-1995

Creator:
Cox, Gardner, 1906-1988  Search this
Massachusetts Art Commission  Search this
Subject:
Forbes, Edward Waldo  Search this
Saint-Gaudens, Augustus  Search this
Shaw, Robert Gould  Search this
Morison, Samuel Eliot  Search this
Stevens, Austin  Search this
Driver, Phoebe Barnes  Search this
American Academy in Rome  Search this
Saint Botolph Club (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Putnam & Cox, (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Portraits (Firm: New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. School  Search this
Boston Arts Festival  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sketchbooks
Sound recordings
Citation:
Gardner Cox papers, 1920-1995. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Portrait painting -- 20th century -- Massachusetts  Search this
Politicians -- Portraits  Search this
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)8156
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210327
AAA_collcode_coxgard
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210327

Oral history interview with Gardner Cox, 1974 March 19-July 8

Interviewee:
Cox, Gardner, 1906-1988  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Gardner Cox, 1974 March 19-July 8. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Portrait painting -- 20th century -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12625
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213379
AAA_collcode_cox74
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213379
Online Media:

Emmet family papers

Creator:
Emmet family  Search this
Names:
Berkshire Museum  Search this
Danforth Museum  Search this
World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)  Search this
Beaux, Cecilia, 1855-1942  Search this
Casals, Pablo, 1876-1973  Search this
De Glehn, Jane Erin Emmet, 1873-1961  Search this
De Glehn, Wilfrid-Gabriel, 1870-1951  Search this
Doyle, Nancy  Search this
Emmet, Julia Colt Pierson, 1829-1908  Search this
Emmet, Lydia Field, 1866-1952  Search this
Emmet, Robert, 1778-1803  Search this
Fontanne, Lynn  Search this
James, Henry, 1843-1916  Search this
La Farge, Bancel, 1865-1938  Search this
Lunt, Alfred  Search this
MacMonnies, Frederick William, 1863-1937  Search this
Metcalfe, Susy  Search this
Millay, Edna St. Vincent, 1892-1950  Search this
Monod, Lucien  Search this
Morgan, Elizabeth Emmet, d. 1934  Search this
Ormond, Violet Sargent  Search this
Quilter, Roger, 1877-1953  Search this
Rand, Ellen Emmet, 1875-1941  Search this
Saint-Gaudens, Augustus, 1848-1907  Search this
Sargent, Emily, 1857-  Search this
Sargent, John Singer, 1856-1925  Search this
Sherwood, Robert E. (Robert Emmet), 1896-1955  Search this
Sherwood, Rosamond, 1899-  Search this
Sherwood, Rosina Emmet, 1854-1948  Search this
White, Stanford, 1853-1906  Search this
Extent:
9.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Video recordings
Drawings
Diaries
Sound recordings
Date:
1792-1989
bulk 1851-1989
Summary:
The Emmet Family papers document the lives and careers of two generations of the Emmet family from New Rochelle, New York and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, whose artistic talents flourished during the later 19th through the mid-20th centuries. The collection dates from 1792 to 1989, with the bulk of the material dating from 1851-1989, and measures 9.1 linear feet. Through biographical material, two diaries, correspondence, writings and notes, exhibition files, business records, printed material, two scrapbooks, artwork, and photographs of family, friends, exhibitions, and artwork, the papers provide both a rich overview and detailed insights into the daily lives, relationships, and careers of many members of the family. The collection focuses in particular on sisters Lydia Field Emmet, Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn, and Rosina Emmet Sherwood, their mother, Julia Colt Pierson Emmet, and their cousin Ellen Gertrude "Bay" Emmet, all noted painters and illustrators.
Scope and Content Note:
The Emmet Family papers document the lives and careers of two generations of the Emmet family from New Rochelle, New York and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The collection dates from 1792 to 1989, with the bulk of the material dating from 1851-1989, and measures 9.1 linear feet. Through biographical material, two diaries, correspondence, writings and notes, exhibition files, business records, printed material, two scrapbooks, artwork, and photographs of family, friends, exhibitions, and artwork, the papers provide both a rich overview and detailed insights into the daily lives, relationships, and careers of many members of the family. The collection focuses in particular on sisters Lydia Field Emmet, Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn, and Rosina Emmet Sherwood, their mother, Julia Colt Pierson Emmet, and their cousin Ellen Gertrude "Bay" Emmet, all noted painters and illustrators, whose artistic talents flourished during the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries.

Biographical material consists of family trees and family histories; individual biographical accounts, award certificates, and documentation for Julia Colt Pierson Emmet, Rosina Emmet Sherwood, Lydia Field Emmet, Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn, and Wilfrid de Glehn; a diary titled "Sedgemere Diary" containing drawings and entries primarily by Rosina Emmet Sherwood, and a smaller diary which mentions Rosina's son, future playwright Robert Sherwood; a documentary by Nancy B. Doyle on two VHS videocassettes, entitled The Emmets: Portrait of a Family; and artifacts comprising a rear-view optical device and locks of hair from an early nineteenth century generation of the Emmet family.

Correspondence forms the bulk of the collection and illustrates the interaction between members of this large and influential family and their colleagues and friends, offering a wide-ranging view of life in the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries, and through two World Wars. The series consists of letters between family members, primarily Julia Colt Pierson Emmet and her daughters, as well as cousins Henry James, Ellen "Bay" Emmet Rand, and Rosamond Sherwood, and friends Cecilia Beaux, Louis Bancel LaFarge, Frederick MacMonnies, Lucien Monod, Roger Quilter, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Emily and John Singer-Sargent, Violet Sargent Ormond, and Stanford White. Topics include experiences of the Emmets while studying art in Paris, Rosina's presentation at Queen Victoria's court, Lydia's work at the Columbia Exposition, Jane's marriage to Wilfrid de Glehn and her friendship with John Singer Sargent, portrait painting activities, the troubles of their friend Susy Metcalfe in her marriage to Pablo Casals, and the activities of Rosina's son, playwright Robert Emmet Sherwood, and friends Alfred Lund and Lynn Fontanne.

Writings and notes consist of scattered manuscripts and poems by family members, two notebooks, one identified as belonging to Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn, and typescripts about Wilfrid de Glehn following his death. Also found is a book, Out of Town, written and illustrated by Rosina Emmet Sherwood, and Edna St Vincent Millay's poem "Autum Daybreak" written in Millay's handwriting.

Exhibition files document an exhibition held at the Berkshire Museum/Danforth Museum in Pittsfield/Farmingham, Massachusetts in 1982 entitled The Emmets: A Family of Women Painters, and include two audio cassettes of recordings from the "Art for Lunch" series at the Berkshire Museum discussing the exhibition.

Business records include account books belonging to Lydia Field Emmet and Rosina Emmet Sherwood, both of which document income from artwork and other sources, and expenses; a contract for the reproduction of Lydia Field Emmet's artwork; and a document concerning ownership of property, possibly of Emmet family ancestors.

Printed Material consists of clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and reproductions of artwork by Emmet family members and others.

Two scrapbooks contain a combination of drawings, primarily by Rosina Emmet Sherwood, reproductions of artwork, and photographs.

Artwork includes drawings and sketchbooks by Julia Colt Pierson Emmet, Rosina Emmet Sherwood, Lydia Field Emmet, Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn Ellen Emmet Rand, and other Emmet relatives, illustrating the early development of their talent.

Photographs are of family members, including Julia Colt Pierson Emmet and William Jenkins Emmet, their daughters Lydia Field Emmet, Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn and husband Wilfrid de Glehn, Rosina Emmet Sherwood and husband Arthur Murray Sherwood, and Robert Emmet Sherwood as a young man. Also found are photos of friends Richard Harding Davis, Frederick MacMonnies, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens; a series of photographs of the installation at Arden Galleries, New York (1936) for the exhibition Paintings, Drawings and Sculptures by Five Generations of the Emmet Family; and photographs of artwork by Emmet family members.
Arrangement:
The Emmet family papers are arranged as nine series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1855-1988 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 1, 10, OV 12)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1792-1985 (6.2 linear feet; Boxes 1-7)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1870s-1981 (11 folders; Box 7)

Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1947-1983 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 7-8)

Series 5: Business Records, circa 1799-1945 (7 folders; Box 8)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1872-1989 (0.35 linear feet; Boxes 8, 10)

Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1870-1890 (0.2 linear feet; Boxes 8, 10)

Series 8: Artwork, circa 1850-circa 1920 (0.35 linear feet; Boxes 8, 10)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1870s-circa 1950s (1 linear foot; Boxes 8-9, 11)
Biographical Note:
The Emmet family, descended from patriot Thomas Addis Emmet, brother of Irish martyr Robert Emmet, counts many physicians, lawyers, and writers (including cousin Henry James) among its ranks. Although evidence of artistic talent existed in several previous generations, it flourished during the later 19th through the mid-20th centuries in the professional portraiture of sisters Rosina Emmet Sherwood, Lydia Field Emmet, Jane Erin Emmet de Glehn, and their cousin Ellen "Bay" Emmet Rand.

The eldest daughter of Julia Colt Pierson Emmet (1829-1908), herself a talented illustrator who had studied under Daniel Huntington, Rosina "Posie" Emmet (1854-1948) studied under William Merritt Chase at his Tenth Street Studio in New York and under Robert-Fleury at the Academie Julian in Paris. Before her marriage to Arthur Murray Sherwood in 1887, Rosina established a studio in New York and continued to submit illustrations to various publications. During her marriage, she slowed her creative activities, until financial reverses dictated her return to her career around the turn of the 20th century. Her daughter Rosamond Sherwood (1899-1990) was also a portrait painter. Her son, Robert Emmet Sherwood (1896-1955) became a four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright.

Lydia Field Emmet (1866-1952) studied under Collin, Bouguereau, MacMonnies, and Robert-Fleury at the Academie Julian. Upon her return to New York, Lydia continued her studies under Chase, Kenyon Cox, H. Siddons Mowbray, and Robert Reid at the Art Students League, as well as at Chase's Shinnecock Summer School of Art. She established her portrait studio in New York City and began spending summers at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where she built her home, "Strawberry Hill," in 1905. Best known for her portraits of children, Lydia's subjects were members of the socially prominent families of New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.

The youngest sister, Jane Erin Emmet (1873-1961), also studied with Chase in New York, and in Paris. In 1904, she married British landscape painter Wilfrid Von Glehn, who had visited the United States with his friend John Singer Sargent. (The Von Glehns' surname was changed to De Glehn, in 1919.) Settling in London, Jane continued her painting, befriended many artists and composers, and accompanied her husband and Sargent on several art-related journeys through Europe.

The Emmet sisters' cousin, Ellen Gertrude "Bay" Emmet (1875-1941), studied in New York at the Art Students League and under Frederick MacMonnies in Paris, becoming a National Academician in 1934. She married William Blanchard Rand in 1911 and settled in Salisbury, Connecticut. After the stock market crash of 1929, Bay's portraits of prominent society figures provided most of her family's income.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel 4544) including one scrapbook, compiled by Rosina Emmet Sherwood, consisting of portrait sketches, drawings of her dogs, genre scenes, travel views, and photographs of travels, friends, actors, and the ship "Scythia,". Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
In 1988-1991, the bulk of the Emmet family papers were donated by Rosamond Sherwood, daughter of Rosina Emmet Sherwood (via Katharine Emmet Bramwell of New York), by Rosamond Sherwood's estate (via F. Douglas Cochrane, executor, from Boston), and by Rosamond's nieces, Virginia Sherwood and Julia Shipway. Additionally, one scrapbook was lent for microfilming in 1990 and subsequently donated by Mrs. Earl Maize. Douglas Cochrane then loaned another scrapbook for microfilming (reel 4344) in 1991 which was returned to Mrs. Earl Maize.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. 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:
Painters -- England -- London  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching -- France -- Paris  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Painting, American -- New York (State)  Search this
Illustrators -- New York (State)  Search this
Playwrights  Search this
Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Singers  Search this
World War, 1914-1918  Search this
World War, 1939-1945  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Video recordings
Drawings
Diaries
Sound recordings
Citation:
Emmet family papers, 1792-1989 (bulk 1851-1989). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.emmefami
See more items in:
Emmet family papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d9921791-cc0b-425c-810b-1da218cafcec
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-emmefami
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Gardner Cox

Interviewee:
Cox, Gardner, 1906-1988  Search this
Interviewer:
Brown, Robert F.  Search this
Extent:
3 Items (sound files, digital, wav file)
107 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1974 March 19-July 8
Scope and Contents:
Interview of Gardner Cox conducted by Robert F. Brown for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, in Boston, MA, from March 19-July 8.
Cox speaks of his childhood friends, his parents' artistic leanings, his early painting instructors, his education at Harvard, his training and early career in architecture; his portraits of socialites and Democratic party notables, and describes his sketches and their relationship to his portraits. He also recalls Amy Lowell, R.H. Ives Gammell, Charles Webster Hawthorne, Frank Shay, John Frazier, Aldro Hibbard, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Gardner Cox (1906-1988) was a painter from Boston, Massachusetts.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav file. Duration is 4 hr., 14 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 others.
Occupation:
Painters -- Massachusetts -- Boston -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Portrait painting -- 20th century -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.cox74
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a160f5b3-75fb-4d93-b43c-009716b0c5d6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-cox74
Online Media:

Gardner Cox papers

Creator:
Cox, Gardner, 1906-1988  Search this
Massachusetts Art Commission  Search this
Portraits (Firm: New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Putnam & Cox (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Saint Botolph Club (Boston, Mass.)  Search this
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. School  Search this
American Academy in Rome  Search this
Names:
Boston Arts Festival  Search this
Forbes, Edward Waldo, 1873-1969  Search this
Morison, Samuel Eliot, 1887-1976  Search this
Saint-Gaudens, Augustus, 1848-1907  Search this
Shaw, Robert Gould, 1837-1863  Search this
Stevens, Austin  Search this
Interviewer:
Driver, Phoebe Barnes, 1908-  Search this
Extent:
7.8 Linear feet ((on 9 microfilm reels))
12 Linear feet (Addition)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Sketchbooks
Sound recordings
Date:
1920-1995
Scope and Contents:
Biographical material, correspondence, business records, extensive portrait files, sketches and drawings, notes and writings, art works, subject files, printed materials, photographs, audio-visual material and palette samples relate chiefly to Cox's career as a portrait painter.
Included are: short biographical sketches, a résumé, and membership cards; correspondence, primarily with the gallery Portraits, Inc. and with sitters; early letters of recommendation and letters from Austin Stevens, who painted Cox's portrait; contracts, insurance records, leases, frame invoices, and extensive income tax records; ten cassette tapes and transcript of an interview conducted by Phoebe Barnes Driver; notebooks, notes and writings, including a biographical sketch of Edward W. Forbes, a transcription of a portrait dedication, invitation lists; notebooks; appointment calendars; sketchbooks and loose sketches.
Also included are extensive portrait files of sitters containing correspondence, invoices; some contain photographs. Sitters include Dean Acheson, Judge Bailey Aldrich, Hamilton Fish Armstrong, Dean George Baker, Ann Banks, Talcot M. Banks, Barry Bingham, Sr., Eleanor Bowman, Justice William Joseph Brennan, Jr., Kingman Brewster, Jr., John Nicholas Brown, Orville H. Bullitt, William A.M. Burden and sons, J. B. CanantHammond E. Chaffetz, Secretary William T. Coleman, Abram T. Collier, Mary Crocker, Nathan Cummings, Justice R. Ammi Cutter, Dr. Francis de Marneffe, Dr. Derek Denny-Brown, Douglas Dillon, Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, Frederick M. Eaton, Daughter of Frederick M. Eaton, Dr. Frank Elliott, John Franklin Enders, Justice Felix Frankfurter, Robert Frost, Richard Glenn Gettell, Justice Arthur Goldberg, Honorable and Mrs. Gordon Gray, General Wallace M. Greene, Burton Grey, Najeeb E. Halaby, Justice John M. Harlan, Averell and Pamela Harriman, Judge William Hastie, Francis W. Hatch, Hatcher, Paul V. Hayden, Alfred Hayes, Ralph Helverson, Christian Herter, Hopkinson, V.P.H. Humphrey, R. Keith Kane, John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Rev. Kinsolving, Secretary Henry Kissinger, Henry Laughlin, Martina Lawrence, Lessing, Edward H. Levi, Wilmarth Sheldon Lewis, Lippman, Stacy Lloyd, Professor Louis Loss, Robert Lovett
Professor Edward Mason, Jean Mayer, Secretary Robert S. McNamara, Professor Donald H. Menzel, Hary Myers, Dr. Francis D. Moore, Maurice Needham, William Oates, John Lord O'Brian, Daniel H. O'Leary, Howard C. Peterson, Edwin H.B. Pratt, Norman S. Raab, R. Stewart Rauch, Herbert Read, Dr. Duncan Reid, Resor, Arthur Ross, Eugene V. Rostow, Dean Rusk, Dean Albert M. Sacks, Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger, Sally Scott, George C. Seybolt, Dr. Howard Sprague, Justice Potter Stewart, J. Statton, Lewis Toepfer, Marian Vaillant, Margaret Vaughan, Chief Justice Earl Warren, James Webb, Fred Weed, E. A. Weeks, Professor Fred L. Whipple, Justice Byron White, George M. White, Judge Raymond Wilkins, Michael Wiseman, Professor Arnold Wolfers, and Judge Charles Wyansky.
Also found are institution files relating to activities with the American Academy in Rome, Boston Arts Festival and its revival in 1985, Massachusetts Art Commission, St. Botolph Club, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and memorials to Samuel Morison, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and Robert Gould Shaw; exhibition files, containing correspondence, catalogs and announcements; and files relating to Cox's home and studio and the publication of LAWYERS PAINTED BY GARDNER COX. Also, clippings, invitations, announcements and printed material from clubs and other organizations; and photographs of Cox, his family, a bust of Cox, and many of his portraits.
ADDITION (UNMICROFILMED; ca. 12 ft.): Biographical material; correspondence; writings; notebooks; sketches and drawings; financial papers; photographs of portrait and non-portrait work; printed material; exhibition announcements; lists of work; posthumous inventory with photographs of selected work. The strength of this group lies in the abundance of studies for portraits, ranging from quick sketches in notebooks to studies of aspects of sitters to preliminary drawings, to photographs of his work, predominantly portraits but also including his paintings of forms abstracted from nature.
Biographical / Historical:
Portrait painter; Cambridge, Mass. Died 1988. Cox was a friend or acquaintance of many leading cultural figures in Boston and Cambridge, painted the portraits of many of them, and often developed friendly relations with his eminent sitters.
Provenance:
Papers on reels 4486-4494 were donated 1982-1985 by Gardner Cox and by his widow, Phyllis Byrnes Cox, 1989-1990. Additional papers received in 1998 from Cox's sons, James and Benjamin, and his daughter, Phyllis Koch.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Lawyers -- Portraits  Search this
Portrait painters -- Massachusetts  Search this
Topic:
Portrait painting -- 20th century -- Massachusetts  Search this
Politicians -- Portraits  Search this
Function:
Art festivals
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sketchbooks
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.coxgard
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93ecb2ba6-bc77-41a0-94f4-c35cfc342652
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-coxgard

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