Bobby Short was a singer and pianist whose career spanned seven decades. An interpreter of American popular music, he became a performer in childhood and remained active until his death. He is best known for his more than 35 years as performer-in-residence at the Hotel Carlyle's Café Carlyle in New York City. This collection contains personal papers and photographs as well as business papers, musical materials and photographs relating to Mr. Short's career as a performing artist.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of personal materials relating to Mr. Short's childhood, family, and friends as well as business materials relating to his career as a performer. These include photographs, correspondence, business documents, periodicals, musical materials, manuscripts and awards. Most of the material is arranged chronologically. The container list is detailed as to the type and date of the materials.
Series 1, Personal Materials, circa 1908-2005. This series is divided into four Subseries:
Early Life in Danville, Illinois; Awards, Honors, and Milestones; Personal Ephemera and Miscellaneous Publications; and Original Artworks owned by Bobby Short.
Subseries 1 includes poems written in childhood and two high school annuals. Subseries 2 includes numerous citations and awards as well as three Grammy nominations. Subseries 4 contains small prints and sketches as well as larger works by various artists.
Series 2, Correspondence, circa 1950-2005. This Series is divided into three Subseries: Personal Correspondence; Correspondence with Celebrities and Notable People; and Business Correspondence and Related Materials. The material is arranged chronologically.
The material in Subseries 1 and 2 consists of letters, telegrams, invitations, and notes.
Series 3, Photographs, circa 1908-2005. This Series is divided into six Subseries:
With and of Family and Friends; With Celebrities and Notable People; Other Performers, Notable People, and Autographed; In Performance; Publicity, Fashion, and Advertising; and Photographs of Artworks Depicting Bobby Short.
Subseries 1 contains a number of early family photographs and early photographs of Bobby Short. Subseries 1 and 3 include photographs by Carl Van Vechten. Subseries 1 and 5 include photographs by Horst, Hurrell, and Scavullo. Subseries 4 contains photographs of Bobby Short in performance, both alone and with others.
Series 4, Contracts and Related Documents, 1953-2005. This series is divided into six Subseries: Appearances in the United States and Foreign Countries; Film, Radio and Television Appearances; Recording Contracts, Royalty Statements and Related Materials; Print, Radio and Television Advertising; Licensing Proposals; and Union and Labor Department Documents.
Subseries 1 is arranged as follows: Hotel Carlyle Contracts; United States Contracts arranged alphabetically by state. These are followed by foreign contracts arranged alphabetically by name of country. Subseries 2 is arranged as follows: contracts and related materials for radio appearances, television appearances and appearances in films. Subseries 3 consists of recording contracts and royalty statements arranged chronologically and by company. Subseries 4, 5, and 6 are arranged chronologically.
Series 5, Programs, Publicity, and Promotion, 1956-1996. This series is divided into three Subseries: Programs for Performances by Bobby Short; Newspaper Clippings and Magazines; and Promotional Materials.
Subseries 1 consists primarily of programs for performances at concert halls. Subseries 2 consists largely of newspaper and entertainment magazine notices from the 1950s and 1960s. Subseries 3 includes flyers, announcements and table cards.
Series 6, Special Events, 1963-2003. This series consists of materials relating to special events such as charity benefits and anniversary celebrations at which Short performed or was otherwise involved. Several of these events benefited the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Series 7, Musical Materials, circa 1920s-1995. This series consists of a variety of materials relating to music; publications, sheet music, lyrics, recording contracts, album covers, and two 45 rpm recordings. Song lists, discographies, and articles about music are included.
Series 8, Theatrical Productions as Producer or Investor, 1979-1988 This series consists of contracts and performance materials for productions for which Bobby Short acted as a producer and/or investor. Programs, correspondence, and publicity materials are included; also partnership documents and financial statements.
Series 9, Manuscripts, Research, and Publishing Materials, circa 1954-1997. This series is arranged in two Subseries: Writings: Bobby Short; Writings: Others.
Subseries 1 includes a partial manuscript for Black and White Baby and research and other materials for a proposed volume, Black Lady Singers, that was not written. Subseries 2 consists of miscellaneous writings by others including a partial script for a play, Tinsel Town, and a film script, Johnny Twennies.
Arrangement:
The papers are arranged in nine series
Series 1, Personal Materials, circa 1908-2005
Subseries 1, Early Life in Danville, Illinois, 1924-1942
Subseries 2, Awards, Honors and Milestones, 1964-2005
Subseries 3, Personal Ephemera and Miscellaneous Publications, 1937-2002
Subseries 4, Original Artworks Owned by Bobby Short, 1841-1990s
Series 2, Correspondence, circa 1938-2005
Subseries 1, Personal Correspondence, 1950s-2004
Subseries 2, Correspondence with Celebrities and Notable People, 1962-2004
Subseries 3, Business Correspondence and Related materials, 1938-2005
Series 3, Photographs, circa 1908-2005
Subseries 1, With and of Family and Friends, circa 1908-2005
Subseries 2, With Celebrities and Notable People, circa 1953-1990s
Subseries 3, Other Performers, Notable People, and Autographed, circa 1920s-1990s
Subseries 4, In Performance and Related Subjects, circa 1940s-2001
Subseries 5, Publicity, Fashion, and Advertising, circa 1930s-2000s
Subseries 6, Photographs of Artworks Depicting Bobby Short, circa 1960s-1990s
Series 4, Contracts and Related Documents, circa 1953-2005
Subseries 1, Appearances in the United States and Foreign Countries, circa 1953-2005
Subseries 2, Radio, Television, and Film Appearances, 1978-2000
Subseries 3, Recording Contracts, Royalty Statements and Related Materials, 1955-2003
Subseries 4, Print, Radio and Television Advertising, 1976-1997
Subseries 5, Licensing Proposals, 1984-2000
Subseries 6, Union and Labor Department Documents, 1981-2005
Series 5, Programs, Publicity, and Promotion, 1956-1996
Subseries 1, Programs for Performances by Bobby Short
Subseries 2, Newspaper Clippings and Magazines
Subseries 3, Promotional Materials
Series 6, Special Events, 1963-2003
Series 7, Musical Materials, circa 1920-1995
Series 8, Theatrical Productions as Producer or Investor, 1979-1988
Series 9, Manuscripts, Research, And Publishing Materials, circa 1954-1997
Subseries 1, Writings: Bobby Short
Subseries 2, Writings: Others
Biographical / Historical:
Bobby Short (Robert Waltrip Short) was born to Rodman and Myrtle Short on September 15, 1924, in Danville, Illinois. He was one of six surviving children. As part of the town's relatively small African American community, the Short family maintained a middle-class standard of living, even during the Great Depression. Rodman Short pursued several occupations but spent most of his life as a coal miner in West Virginia and was seldom at home. Myrtle Short, a domestic worker, was a fastidious housekeeper who expected a high standard of deportment in her children. In Bobby Short's first memoir, Black and White Baby, he wrote: "Except for our color, we conformed in almost every degree to the image of the white Anglo-Saxon Protestant-in our manners, our mores, and our way of life." Music was an important part of that life; many members of the extended family played instruments or sang, some professionally. Short first played a song by ear at the family upright piano when he was four years old and began his life-long love affair with words and music. Church, school, vaudeville, and minstrel shows provided his earliest musical influences and repertoire; his innate musicality and enthusiasm enabled him to become a skilled performer at an early age. By the time he was ten years old, he was playing and singing in local night spots and as far away as Indianapolis. At twelve, he was playing in vaudeville, at times billed as "the Miniature King of Swing." At thirteen, he returned to Danville, attended high school, and after graduating in 1942, left his home town to begin his professional life in earnest.
Short spent the 1940s and early 1950s as an increasingly successful entertainer in sophisticated night clubs and jazz venues in Chicago and other Midwestern cities, California, and New York, as well as Paris and London. While his early repertoire featured novelty songs and boogie-woogie, as he matured he embraced the standards of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and other notable composers and song writers. He enthusiastically promoted the work of African American composers such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller and Andy Razaf. His encyclopedic knowledge of popular songs, both the well-known and the obscure, gave his performances a freshness that delighted his audiences.
In 1956, Short moved to New York City, taking up residence in a Carnegie Hall studio apartment. His career as a "saloon singer" (his words) continued in New York and in frequent visits to the Midwest and California. He appeared in theatrical roles and began recording for Atlantic Records. In 1968 his concert at Carnegie Hall with Mabel Mercer led to his engagement at the intimate Café Carlyle at the Hotel Carlyle. He remained there, playing for six months of the year, for the rest of his life. His performances at the Carlyle made him a darling of society and an icon of sophisticated New York style. In the early 1970s his album "Bobby Short Loves Cole Porter" introduced him to a larger audience; he published his first memoir, Black and White Baby, in 1971.
Short recorded numerous albums, earning several Grammy nominations. He appeared on radio and television, occasionally acted on stage and was seen in small roles in several films. He produced "Black Broadway," a theatrical review featuring many veteran performers he had long revered; he was instrumental in the revival of Alberta Hunter's career. Four Presidents--Nixon, Carter, Clinton and Reagan--invited him to perform at the White House. When he was not at the Café Carlyle, he traveled extensively in the United States and abroad, appearing in both night clubs and symphony halls. Success enabled him to purchase a villa in the south of France. His second memoir, Bobby Short, the Life and Times of a Saloon Singer, was published in 1995. Short earned many awards and honors during his lengthy career and was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 1999. He died in New York on March 21, 2005.
Sources: Short, Bobby. Black and White Baby, New York: Dodd, Mead & Company,1971.
Short, Bobby (with Robert Mackintosh). Bobby Short, the Life and Times of a Saloon Singer, New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1995.
Related Materials:
Objects (2006.0071): awards, clothing, medals, and a music portfolio, including thirteen sound recordings (1984.0134), are housed in the Division of Music, Sports, and Entertainment, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Provenance:
Bequeathed to the Smithsonian Institution by Bobby Short.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research use.
Physical Access: 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. Researchers must use photocopies of scrapbooks due to the fragility of the originals, unless special access is approved.
Technical Access: Listening to sound recordings requires special appointment; please inquire.
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.
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.
Collection Citation:
Leonard and Mary Gaskin Papers, 1923-2006, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
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.
Collection Citation:
Leonard and Mary Gaskin Papers, 1923-2006, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
The papers of painter, educator, and writer Louis Finkelstein measure 11.2 linear feet and date from 1930 to 2001. The papers document his career in New York through biographical material; correspondence with friends and colleagues; printed material such as exhibition catalogs, announcements, and published articles; sketches and sketchbooks; and professional material, including exhibition records and documents related to his time on the board of directors of the National Academy of Design. Also found are teaching materials and extensive writings, including notes and lecture outlines in over 40 notebooks and draft articles and lectures written by Finkelstein and others. The collection also includes over 40 sound recordings of lectures and audio notes by Finkelstein. Photographic materials include personal photographs, photographs of artwork, and slides used for lectures.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter, educator, and writer Louis Finkelstein measure 11.2 linear feet and date from 1930 to 2001. The papers document his career in New York through biographical material; correspondence with friends and colleagues; printed material such as exhibition catalogs, announcements, and published articles; sketches and sketchbooks; and professional material, including exhibition records and documents related to his time on the board of directors of the National Academy of Design. Also found are teaching materials and extensive writings, including notes and lecture outlines in over 40 notebooks and draft articles and lectures written by Finkelstein and others. The collection also includes over 40 sound recordings of lectures and audio notes by Finkelstein. Photographic materials include personal photographs, photographs of artwork, and slides used for lectures.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1944-1999 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1, OV 12)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1969-2000 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 3: Printed Material, 1942-2001 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Series 4: Professional Activity Files, 1974-1999 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 2)
Series 5: Teaching Materials, circa 1980-1993 (0.6 linear feet; Box 2-3)
Series 6: Writings, circa 1950-2000 (5.5 linear feet; Boxes 3-8)
Series 7: Photographs, circa 1930-2000 (0.5 linear feet; Box 9, OV 12)
Series 8: Artwork, circa 1970-2000 (0.5 linear feet; Box 9, OV 13)
Series 9: Sound Recordings, 1960-1980 (2.1 linear feet; Boxes 9-11
Biographical / Historical:
Louis Finkelstein (1923-2000) was a painter, educator, and writer in New York, NY. Finkelstein was born in New York City and studied painting at the Cooper Union, Art Students League of New York, and the Brooklyn Museum School of Art. Finkelstein was an educator and a lecturer at Philadelphia College of Art, Yale School of Art, and Queens College, where he was head of the Art department for over 25 years. Finkelstein was also a member of the National Academy of Design.
Provenance:
The Louis Finkelstein papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Jane Culp, widow of Louis Finkelstein, in 2001.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art teachers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Citation:
Louis Finkelstein papers, 1930-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
The collection consists of archival materials assembled by National Museum of American History Curator William Lawrence Bird. The materials were used as background research for the publication of his book Holidays on Display (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2007), and as exhibit objects for the exhibit by the same name that opened shortly after the museum's architectural renovation (November 2009-September 2010). The materials include advertising and trade literature, especially for department stores and with emphasis on the display of toys; catalogs; photographs and slides; postcards; parade programs; design drawings; correspondence; stock certificates, and miscellaneous items relating to department stores and their displays, parades and the amusement industry.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of archival materials assembled by National Museum of American History Curator William Lawrence (known as Larry) Bird. The materials were used as background research and as exhibit objects for the exhibit "Holidays on Display" (November 2009-September 2010). The materials include advertising and trade literature (especially for department stores and with emphasis on the display of toys); catalogs; photographs and slides; postcards; parade programs; design drawings; correspondence; stock certificates, and miscellaneous items relating to department stores and their displays, parades, and the amusement industry.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into fourteen series.
Series 1, Advertisements, 1925, 1954, undated
Series 2, Articles/Newspaper clippings, 1922-2009 and undated
Series 3, Artwork/Drawings, 1952, 1966
Series 4, Buttons/Pins (souvenir), 1901-2009
Series 5, Certificates, 1975-1976
Series 6, Correspondence, 1928
Series 7, Department Stores, 1903-2001
Series 8, Design/Display Companies, 1890-2001
Subseries 8.1, Adler-Jones Company, 1947
Subseries 8.2, American Decorative Flower Company, Inc., undated
The collection consists of archival materials assembled by National Museum of American History Curator William Lawrence Bird. The materials were used as background research for the publication of his book Holidays on Display (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2007), and as exhibit objects for the exhibit by the same name that opened shortly after the museum's architectural renovation (November 2009-September 2010).
Related Materials:
Materials held in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Messmore & Damon Company Records, 1892-1998 (AC0846)
Landy R. Hales Papers, 1908-1969 (AC0906)
Hudson-Fulton Celebration Photograph Album, 1909 (AC1149)
Provenance:
The collection was assembled and donated by William L. Bird.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs, negatives, and slides.
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.
Citation:
William L. Bird Holidays on Display Collection, 1877-2010, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Videotaped interview with Charles Townes, inventor of the MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). The interview was part of the "Innovative Lives" public program series. Videotapes include VHS and Beta Cam SP formats.
Arrangement:
Divided into four series.
Series 1: Original videos
Series 2: Master videos
Series 3: Reference videos
Series 4; Digital images
Biographical / Historical:
Charles Townes was born in Greenville, S.C., July 28, 1915. Graduated from Furman University (1935), Duke University (1936), and the California Institute of Technology (Ph.D., 1939). Appointed to faculty of Columbia University, 1948, where he conceived the idea for the maser. Received Nobel Prize for physics for advances in quantum electronics, 1964.
Provenance:
Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.,Room 1016, MRC 604, 12th and Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20560.
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use of Series 3 on site, by appointment.
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. Signed oral history releases on file.
Physicists -- Chronological subdivision--1930-2000 Search this
Extent:
1 Cubic foot (4 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Videotapes
Betacam sp (videotape format)
Oral history
Interviews
Mini dv (videotape format)
Photographs
Date:
2001-04-27
Summary:
Approximately 5-1/2 hours of video footage documenting an interview with Dr. William Phillips, a physicist and Nobel Laureate (Physics, 1997). Phillips discusses his background, work at the National Institute of Standards (NIST) using laser light to cool gases to the lowest temperature ever achieved, and his memories of winning the Nobel Prize.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains approximately 5-1⁄2 hours of original (digital), master (BetaCam SP), and reference videos (VHS) documenting William Phillips, physicist and Nobel Laureate (Physics, 1997). Audience participants are students from Ormond Stone Middle School (Centreville, Virginia); Queen Anne School (Upper Marlboro, Maryland); Nysmith School (Herndon, Virginia): and Gwynn Park Middle School (Brandywine, Maryland).
Arrangement:
The collection is organized into three series.
Series 1, Original Videos, 2001
Series 2, Master Videos, 2001
Series 3, Reference Videos, 2001
Biographical / Historical:
Dr. William Phillips was born November 5, 1948 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He received his B.S. from Juniata College in 1970 and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1976. Phillips was awarded the Chaim Weizmann Fellowship at MIT to work on collisions and Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in spin-polarized hydrogen. After leaving MIT in1978, Phillips joined the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) which was renamed the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). At NIST, Phillips worked on precision measurements of the proton gyromagnetic ratio and of the Absolute Ampere. Also, he pursued laser cooling experiments which led him and colleagues Steve Chu and Claude Cohen-Tannoudji to win the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1997.
The Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation was founded in 1995 at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History through a generous gift from the Lemelson Foundation. The Center's mission is: to document, interpret, and disseminate information about invention and innovation; to encourage inventive creativity in young people; and to foster an appreciation for the central role invention and innovation play in the history of the United States. The Innovative Lives series brings together museum visitors and, especially, school aged children, and American inventors to discuss inventions and the creative process and to experiment and play with hands-on activities related to each inventor's product. This collection was recorded by the Innovative Lives Program of the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center
Nobel Voices Video History Project (AC0771)
Provenance:
Transferred by the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, May 17, 2001.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
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. Signed releases on file.
Ella Fitzgerald, often called the "First Lady of Song," was one of the 20th century's most important musical performers. The collection reflects her career and personal life through photographs, audio recordings, and manuscript materials.
Scope and Contents:
The Ella Fitzgerald Papers document the performing and personal life of the "First Lady of Song." The collection contains music manuscripts, sheet music, photographs, scripts, correspondence, clippings, business records, sound recordings and video. The bulk of the materials reflect Fitzgerald's career as a singer and performer. The collection comprises materials found in Ella Fitzgerald's home at the time of her death.
Arrangement:
The collection is organized into 10 series.
Series 1: Music Manuscripts and Sheet Music, 1919-1973
Suberies 1.1: Television Shows
Series 2: Photographs, 1939-1990
Subseries 2.1: Ella Fitzgerald Performing Alone
Subseries 2.2: Ella Fitzgerald Performing With Others
Subseries 2.3: Publicity
Subseries 2.4: Ella Fitzgerald With Family, Colleagues, and Friends
Subseries 2.5: Ella Fitzgerald Candid Photographs
Subseries 2.6: Performing Venues
Subseries 2.7: Photographs From Friends and Fans
Series 3: Scripts, 1957-1981
Series 4: Correspondence, circa 1960-1996
Series 5: Business Records, 1954-1990
Series 6: Honorary Degrees and Awards, 1960-1996
Series 7: Concert Programs and Announcements, 1957-1992, undated
Series 8: Clippings, 1949-1997
Subseries 8.1: Magazine Articles, 1949-1997
Subseries 8.2: Newspapers, circa 19650-circa 1990
Series 9: Emphemera, 1950-1996
Subseries 9.1: Album Jackets
Subseries 9.2: Miscellaneous
Series 10: Audiovisual, 1939-1995
Subseries 10.1: Sound Discs: Test Pressings, Transcription Discs, and Performer Copies
Subseries 10.2: Commercial Sound Recordings
Subseries 10.3: Demonstration Sound Discs: Other Artists
Subseries 10.4: Videotapes
Biographical / Historical:
Born in Newport News, Virginia on April 25th, 1918, Ella Fitzgerald was sent to an orphanage in Yonkers, New York at the age of six. In 1934, she was discovered as a singer in New York's famed Apollo Theater Amateur Contest. This led to a stint with drummer Chick Webb's Band, with whom she recorded her first big hit, "A -tisket A-tasket" in 1938.
After Webb died in 1939, Fitzgerald took over leadership of the band for three years, during which time they were featured on a live radio series. She then embarked upon a solo career, which included recording for Decca Records, and in 1946, she began a pivotal association with producer Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic series, which brought her a large international following.
In 1956, Fitzgerald left Decca Records to join Granz's newly formed Verve label. Among her notable Verve recordings were a series of "songbooks" featuring the work of major American composers such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Harold Arlen as well as classic collaborations with Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Fitzgerald's toured and performed extensively and her immense popularity also led to appearances on television, in movies, and in commercials and magazine ads.
Despite increasing health problems, Fitzgerald continued to tour, perform and record into her seventies with musicians such as guitarist Joe Pass, arranger-producer Quincy Jones, and pianist Oscar Peterson. Throughout her life, Fitzgerald was active in charitable work with particular emphasis on the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the Ella Fitzgerald and Harriette E. Shields Child Care Centers.
Ella Fitzgerald was admired and honored world-wide. In addition to receiving more than a dozen Grammy awards, she was awarded numerous honorary degrees and many states and cities had commemorative Ella Fitzgerald days. Fitzgerald was a Kennedy Center honoree in 1979 and Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Club named her "Woman of the Year" in 1982.
The "First Lady of Song" died on June 17, 1996, of complications from diabetes.
Related Materials:
Materials at the Archives Center
Benny Carter Collection, 1928-2000 (AC0757)
Charismic Productions Records of Dizzy Gillespie, 1940s-1993 (AC0979)
Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program Collection, 1992-2012 (AC0808)
Milt Gabler Papers, 1927-2001 (AC0849)
Tad Hershorn Collection, 1956-1991 (AC0680)
Ernie Smith Jazz Film Collection, circa 1910- circa 1970 (AC0491)
Separated Materials:
The National Museum of American History, Division of Culture ands the Arts holds Ella Fitzgerald artifacts including costumes and clothing.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by the Fitzgerald 1989 Trust, Richard Rosman, trustee on April 14, 1997. The Ella Fitzgeral Charitable Foundation is the successor to the Fitzgerald 1989 Trust.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Only reference copies of audiovisual materials can be used.
Rights:
The Archives Center can provide reproductions of some materials for research and educational use. Copyright and right to publicity restrictions apply and limit reproduction for other purposes. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
The Millard Sheets papers comprise 27.6 linear feet of material dating from circa 1907 to 2000 with bulk dates spanning 1956 to 1981. The collection documents Sheets's career as a designer, painter, and muralist, and his personal and professional interests through correspondence, writings, lectures, printed material, drawings, slides, photographs, and ephemera.
A small addition donated 2018 by Carolyn Owen-Toole, Sheet's daughter. There is a 4.6 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated 2018 that includes writings; sketchbooks and sketches; photographs and negatives of works of art, images of Millard Sheets and others; printed material, including two scrapbooks; and scattered correspondence regarding Sheet's projects.
Scope and Content Note:
The personal papers of Millard Sheets (1907-1990) measure 27.6 linear feet and date from circa 1907-2000, with bulk dates of 1956-1981. The collection reflects Sheets's career as a designer, painter, and muralist, as well as his other personal and professional interests, through correspondence, writings, lectures, clippings, blueprints, drawings, slides, photographs, and ephemera.
The Project Files comprise the largest group of materials in the collection and document design work undertaken by Sheets through his company Millard Sheets & Associates Designs. Sheets and his associates produced concept drawings and blueprints and supervised the construction for a wide range of design projects that ranged in scale from architectural plans for private residences to bid proposals for shopping malls and financial institutions located in California and the Southwest.
Sheets designed interior and exterior plans for over forty Home Savings and Loan bank branches in California. The distinctive modular design which Sheets created and then customized by integrating interior and exterior art elements that highlighted local historical events or natural features became synonymous with the image of Home Savings and Loan. Sheets also teamed up with the architect Edward Durrell Stone to produce a proposal for the Capitol Mall Project, an urban renewal project for the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Sacramento. Researchers will find correspondence, job costs and billing statements, and notes that trace the development of these and other building construction projects. In some instances the documents are supplemented by blueprints, photographs, and/or drawings of the project, but in many cases, visual documentation is missing.
The Project Files also document work done by Millard Sheets on public projects such as the Family of Man mural in the Los Angeles City Hall Annex, a mosaic dome in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C., and the Word of Life mural at the University of Notre Dame, Ind., along with numerous other murals and mosaics created for private individuals and corporations.
The Correspondence Series primarily reflects the interaction between Sheets and his clients, colleagues, and personal acquaintances. These files will prove valuable to researchers who are interested in the way that Sheets's beliefs about the role of art in everyday life impacted the way he conducted business and managed both large and small design projects. The correspondence also reflects Sheets's interest in popular American culture, travel, political issues of the day, and art collecting.
The Membership Files document the wide variety of interests that Sheets maintained through active membership in associations and organizations. The material in this series consists primarily of correspondence, minutes of meetings, and notes which Sheets created or used as he served as a board member or trustee on a number of organizational boards, such as the California Institute of the Arts, the Claremont Colleges, Virginia Steele Scott Foundation, Webb School of California, and Goodwill Industries of Southern California.
Also found in this series is material that documents his interest and participation in various recreational and professional organizations. Sheets maintained a long association with the Economic Roundtable, a group of businessmen who met regularly to give presentations and share discussion on contemporary political and social issues. Sheets was a frequent speaker and his talks given at the Economic Roundtables can be found in Lectures and Speeches, a subseries of the Writings Series.
Included in the Millard Sheets & Associates Designs, Inc. series are records that reflect the day-to-day operations of Sheets's design firm. Found here are chronological copies of correspondence that were sent out, files Sheets maintained on various independent contractors that the design firm frequently used, resumes and letters of recommendation that Sheets received regarding potential employees, as well as records relating to the cost and maintenance of Sheets's office building.
The Teaching and Workshop Files document the instructional activities undertaken by Sheets throughout his career in the arts. Although Sheets became pivotal in establishing a regionally recognized art department at Scripps College in Claremont, California, the files that reflect his academic position there are limited in scope and depth. Researchers will find more substantive the files that he maintained on the numerous art demonstrations and paintings workshops that he conducted privately throughout his career. Sheets traveled extensively around the world through his teaching activities and the files in this series track his path.
Closely related to the Teaching and Workshop Files is the Painting Trips series. The material in these files document Sheets's service as an American Specialist in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the USIS, Department of State. Sheets served two times as a cultural arts representative in Turkey in 1960 and in the former USSR in 1961. Sheets also made numerous trips to South East Asia, which had proved an area of fascination for him since his experiences as a war correspondent in Burma and India in World War II. The files in this series document his painting trips to Tahiti, the Pacific Ocean Rim, and Hawaii. Also found are files that detail his painting activities in Mexico.
The Exhibition Files reflect the records that Sheets maintained regarding his participation in art exhibitions, as well as his files on art shows that he personally directed or organized for public or private groups or organizations. Although Sheets exhibited his work predominantly in the West and Southwest, the files in this series demonstrate that he exhibited both nationally and internationally as well.
Also found within the records for this series are files relating to Sheets's representation of his artwork through established galleries and art agents. The Dalziel Hatfield Galleries of Los Angeles, California, served as his primary agent for most of his painting career. Correspondence between Sheets and the Hatfields provide insight into Sheets's development into a regionally and nationally significant watercolorist and painter. The files relating to the Kennedy Galleries in New York and the Circle Gallery in Chicago reflect Sheets's efforts to maintain a national presence in the arts community.
The Jury Files document Sheets's involvement as a juror in regional, as well, as national shows. The files reveal the great variety of professional watercolor and painting exhibitions in which Sheets participated as either a jury panelist or solo judge.
The Writings Files provide an excellent source for researchers interested in Sheets's philosophical beliefs about the relationship between art and everyday life. His articles, lectures, and speeches predominantly address the role of the artist, the relationships that exist between artists and the community, and the role that art can play in making a fuller, more productive life. Also found in the files of this series are articles written by others about Sheets.
The Biographical Material series provides a short introduction to Millard Sheets. The files consist of the calendars maintained by Sheets and his wife and staff, which were used to coordinate his many commitments and appointments. Also found in the files of this series are family chronologies that were created by Mary Baskerville Sheets. Medical records and resumes provide personal information about Sheets's background and health. A small file of military memorabilia provides information about Sheets's contributions to the war effort in World War II.
The Printed Matter series documents family activities and personalities through publicity clippings. Also found are exhibition catalogs and announcements that Sheets saved regarding other artists. Miscellaneous interests and activities of Sheets are found through magazine articles, brochures, and flyers.
The Photographs series includes photographic documentation for Sheets's artwork, horses, and major projects. A small group of photographs of Sheets are also in this series.
The files in the Artwork series include original drawings by Mary Baskerville Sheets and Millard Sheets.
There is a 4.6 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated 2018 that includes writings; sketchbooks and sketches; photographs and negatives of works of art, images of Millard Sheets and others; printed material, including two scrapbooks; and scattered correspondence regarding Sheet's projects.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into fifteen series. Small series, such as Biographical Material are generally based on type of document. Larger series, such as Correspondence or Project Files, are arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent or project. General correspondence has been made into its own series, but other series or subseries may also contain some correspondence. Within particular series, materials have been further divided into subseries which represent particular aspects of the project or event. For example, the Writings Series is further divided into subseries of books and articles, eulogies, and lectures and speeches. An outline listing series and subseries titles and dates follows.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1907-1982, undated (boxes 1-2; 1.25 linear ft.)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1929-1990, undated (boxes 2-4; 2.75 linear ft.)
Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1933-1980, undated (boxes 5-6; 1.25 linear ft.)
Series 4: Membership Files, 1946-1982, undated (boxes 6-8; 2.5 linear ft.)
Series 5: Millard Sheets & Associates Designs, 1934-1982, undated (boxes 8-9; 1.0 linear ft.)
Series 6: Project Files, 1956-1981, undated (boxes 9-18; 8.25 linear ft.)
Series 7: Teaching and Workshop Files, 1932-1982 (box 18; 0.5 linear ft.)
Series 8: Painting Trips, 1959-1980, undated (box 18; 16 folders)
Series 9: Exhibition Files, 1932-1937, 1951-1988, undated (box 19; 0.75 linear ft.)
Series 10: Jury Files, 1941-1982 (boxes 19-20; 42 folders)
Series 11: Writings, 1936-1988, undated (boxes 20-22; 2.5 linear ft.)
Series 12: Printed Matter, 1936-1922, undated (boxes 22-23; 20 folders)
Series 13: Photographs, 1934-1983, undated (box 23; 17 folders)
Series 14: Artwork, circa 1929, undated (box 23; 2 folders)
Series 15: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1930-2000 (boxes 24, 26-30, OV25: 4.6 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
"Your painting is a measure of your mind"-Millard Sheets
Millard Sheets, as one of the founding members of the "California Scene Painters," exerted a lasting influence upon subsequent generations of Western painters. He and the small group of painters who worked in California during the 1930s and 1940s, developed a new style of watercolor painting that was at the forefront of the American watercolor movement of the time, and that later gave rise to a subsequent generation of painters who became known as the California Regionalist school.
Sheets was born in Pomona, California on June 24, 1907. His mother died in childbirth, and his father, John Sheets, unprepared to raise a baby alone, sent Millard to Pomona, California to be raised by his maternal grandparents, Lewis and Emma Owen. Sheets's grandfather proved to be a guiding force in his life, and when Sheets's father remarried and offered Millard the opportunity to return to the Sheets household, Millard chose instead to remain with his grandparents.
Sheets's love of horses can be directly traced back to his childhood years spent living at his grandfather's horse ranch. Millard rode his first horse when he was three years old. Throughout his life, Sheets returned to the theme of horses in his paintings, as well as maintaining a private stable of horses, and raising and breeding racehorses.
His interest in art also began in childhood. When he was still a young boy, his two maternal aunts encouraged him to play with crayons and pencils. Sheets took his first painting lesson from a neighbor at the age of seven, and by 1919 he had already submitted artwork to the copy division of the Los Angeles County Fair fine arts show competition. He submitted a drawing he had copied of a tinted photograph of Lake KIlarney, California. Sheets won first prize in his division.
It was through this competition that Millard met Theodore B. Modra, a Polish artist who had retired to the Pomona area. After giving Sheets a lecture on the evils of copying art, Modra offered to give him art lessons.
Sheets continued to pursue his interest in art and enrolled in the Choinard School of Art in Los Angeles, California. By the time that he graduated in 1929, Sheets had also managed to come to the attention of Dalzell and Ruth Hatfield of the Dalzell Hatfield Galleries in Los Angeles, California. The Hatfields were one of the most influential art dealers in Southern California, and that same year, they sponsored Sheets in his first one-man exhibition in 1929. The exhibition brought Sheets to the attention of Western Coast art critics and launched Sheets on his painting career.
In 1929 Sheets also learned that he had won second place in the annual Edgar B. Davis art competition held in San Antonio, Texas. The award came with a cash prize and Sheets made plans to travel to Europe to study and paint. Shortly before his departure, however, he met an art student, Mary Baskerville, and they began a whirlwind romance. With Baskerville's enthusiastic support for European plans, and with her promise that she would wait for him, Sheets departed for New York and then Europe.
While overseas during 1929 and 1930, Sheets studied under Dorfinant, a master printer in Paris. Through his work at this studio workshop, he met Henri Matisse.
Five months after Millard returned to the California in 1930, Sheets and Mary Baskerville married. Sheets worked as the director of the Fine Arts Exhibition of the Los Angeles County Fair. In 1932 Sheets returned to school to study art and humanities at Scripps College in Claremont, California. After graduating from Scripps, school officials approached Sheets with an offer to set up a separate fine arts program and asked him to chair the new department. This was the beginning of a twenty year association with the school. In 1938, he also became the Director of Art at Claremont Graduate School.
Sheets left the school during the years of World War II to serve as a war-time artist and journalist for Life magazine, and from 1943-1944 was stationed on the Burma-India Front. His experiences in Asia appeared to affect him deeply. In contrast to his earlier works which featured backgrounds with neutral tones and brilliant shades that highlighted and punctuated the compositions, the paintings from the wartime featured somber tones. Sheets remarked of this time:
During the fighting and the time I spent in the C-B-1 theater, I was too shaken and intellectually stunned to do any complete paintings. I made many, many sketches, though, as well as a real effort to remember each scene that particularly affected me. Then, once I returned to America, I painted frantically, for months, exorcising demons. [Lovoos, Janice and Edmund F. Penney, Millard Sheets: One-Man Renaissance, Northland Press, Flagstaff, AZ, 1984]
Sheets returned from the war in 1944 and resumed his position at Scripps College until 1955 when he was approached by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and asked to overhaul the fledgling Los Angeles County Art Institute. Sheets accepted the position and spent the next five years reshaping the mission and format of the school, renaming it the Otis Art Institute. In the years after Sheets left the directorship, the school eventually became part of the Parson's School of Design on the West Coast.
In 1953 Sheets founded the Millard Sheets Designs company. He hired between twenty-five and thirty artisans for large projects, with Susan Hertel, a former student of his, serving as his assistant in all the operations of the design studio. The working staff included engineers, registered architects, draftsmen, and artists, and the projects that the firm produced included murals, mosaics, stained glass, and sculpture for private homes and public and commercial businesses.
The design studio completed several major architectural projects throughout the late 1950s through the mid 1970s, including the design and construction of Cal Aero, a flight training school for the US Air Force, the National American Insurance Company offices for the California financier, Howard Ahmanson, Ahmanson Bank and Trust Company in Beverly Hills, many Home Savings and Loan Association Buildings, private residences, and the Scottish Rite Memorial Temples in Los Angeles and San Francisco, among many other projects.
Sheets also designed and completed mural and mosiac work for numerous public buildings in the Los Angeles area, as well as across the nation. Many of the murals and mosiacs were for those buildings designed by his firm while others were done as independent commissions.
In 1968 Sheets first proposed the murals he designed for the Los Angeles City Hall. His design was approved and he was awarded a commission to complete The Family of Man murals over the two main entrances to the Los Angeles City Hall. The murals were completed in 1971 and installed in 1972. Sheets also designed mosiacs and murals for the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, the Library at Notre Dame University, the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Los Angeles, several Home Savings and Loan Association buildings in the Los Angeles area, the Detroit Public Library, and the Dome of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.
During the early 1960s Sheets participated in the American Specialist Program of the US Department of State. His first assignment was to Turkey in 1960, where he served as a visiting artist. The following year he went to the USSR in the same capacity.
During the early to mid 1950s Sheets became involved with Columbia Pictures and was technical advisor and production designer for a few years.
Millard Sheets was a member of the National Watercolor Society, the American Watercolor Society, the National Academy of Design, the Society of Motion Picture Art Directors, and the Century Association. Sheets actively promoted his own work and was a businessman, an active and prolific artist, instructor, and designer. Millard Sheets died on March 31, 1989 in Gualala, California.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reels LA 10) including a biographical sketch, career resume, and a list of sheets' work prepared in 1964. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Millard Sheets lent material for microfilming in 1965. Mary B. Sheets, Millard's widow, donated the papers to the Archives of American Art in 1992. Carolyn Owen-Toole, Sheet's daughter, gave a small addition of material in 2018.
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.
Rights:
The Millard Sheets papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Begun, S. Joseph (Semi Joseph), 1905-1995 Search this
Extent:
21 Cubic feet (46 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Memorandums
Patents
Personal papers
Photographs
Business records
Professional papers
Reports
Speeches
Awards
Biography files
Correspondence
Date:
1888-2000
bulk 1927-1995
Summary:
Semi Joseph Begun was a pioneer in magnetic recording. The papers document Begun's professional career in the field of magnetic recording.
Scope and Contents:
The S. Joseph Begun papers contain correspondence, memoranda, patents, printed matter, reports, speeches and writings, awards, biographical materials, and autobiographical and historical material documenting the life and career of S. Joseph Begun.
Series 1: Personal Papers, 1927-1998, is arranged alphabetically by general subject and contains materials related to Begun's education, biographical files and obituaries, and awards.
Series 2: Professional Files, 1924-1992, is organized in general chronological order. Following broad subdivisions covering his early activities in Germany and America, these materials are grouped by corporate affiliation: Brush, the National Defense Research Committee, Clevite, Gould, Science and Management, Inc., and Auctor Associates, Inc. It should be noted that Begun's involvement with various organizations often overlaps; his continuous employment with Brush, Clevite, and Gould means that similar letterheads may be found under different corporate bodies.
Series 3: Writings and Speeches, 1930-1988, documents Begun's publications and presentations, and includes drafts, correspondence, programs, printed matter, magazines, and reprints. It should be stressed that this series is not a bibliography. The series is arranged chronologically.
Series 4: Autobiographical and Historical Materials, 1888, 1930-2000, reflects Begun's efforts in his last years to write his autobiography. He wrote drafts, interviewed former co-workers such as Al Dank and Otto Kornei from the Brush Development Company, and accumulated a considerable number of articles and other materials on the history of magnetic recording. Additional materials include a copy of Begun's autobiography, My Years in Magnetic Recording: Dr. Semi Joseph Begun, as edited by Dr. Mark Clark.
Arrangement:
The collection is organized into four series.
Series 1: Personal Papers, 1927-1998
Subseries 1, Academic Records, 1927-1933
Subseries 2, Awards, 1929-1994, undated
Subseries 3, Biographical files, circa 1935-1994; 1998
Subseries 4, Correspondence, 1946-1992
Subseries 5, Diary fragments, 1969-1970
Subseries 6, Wire Recorder, 1983-1994
Subseries 7, Financial Records, 1960
Subseries 8, Obituaries, 1995
Subseries 9, Photographs, circa 1940s-1987
Series 2: Professional Files, 1924-1992
Subseries 1, Early Career in Germany, 1929-1949
Subseries 2, Early Career in America, 1935-1948
Subseries 3, Brush Development Company, 1936-1960s
Subseries 4, National Defense Research Committee, 1942-1948
Subseries 8, Science and Management, Inc., circa, 1969-1970
Subseries 9, Auctor Associates, Inc., circa, 1968-1992
Series 3: Writings and Speeches, 1930-1988
Series 4: Autobiographical and Historical Materials, 1888 (bulk 1930-2000)
Biographical / Historical:
Semi Joseph Begun, a pioneer in magnetic recording, was born in the Free City of Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland) on December 2, 1905. He earned an M.S. in Engineering in 1929 and a doctorate in 1933 from the Institute of Technology in Berlin for work related to magnetic recording. In 1929, he began working for Schuchhardt A.G., where he designed the first commercially successful magnetic recorder. Later, he worked for Echophon A.G. and C. Lorenz A.G., where he designed the first magnetic tape recorder for use by the German Broadcasting System. Begun emigrated to America in 1935 and worked in New York City both for the Guided Radio Corporation and independently. He and Sidney Wolf formed two companies Acoustic Consultants and Magnetone, a holding company for Begun's patents. In 1938, he joined the Brush Development Company in Cleveland, Ohio. During World War II, Begun served as a member of the National Defense Research Committee. After the war, he wrote Magnetic Recording (1949), the first textbook on the subject. In 1952, the Brush Development Company merged with the Cleveland Graphite Bronze Company to form the Clevite Corporation. Begun held several executive positions at Clevite, including Director of Advanced Development and Vice President for International Operations. He was a member of Clevite's Board of Directors and assisted in the merger between Clevite and Gould National Battery in 1968. In 1969, Begun formed Science Management, Inc., (SMI) to serve investment groups and other interested clients with the evaluation of new and existing products and to appraise management ability of new ventures with high technology products. In 1971, Begun founded Auctor Associates, Inc., a consulting firm focused on high technology markets. In 1983, he founded the Society for Prevention of Violence, a non-profit educational organization. Begun held over 50 patents and was the recipient of numerous professional awards. He died in Cleveland on January 5, 1995.
Provenance:
The bulk of the collection was donated by the widow of S. Joseph Begun, Mrs. Ruth W. Begun, in July 1995.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
The Marvin E. Mundel Industrial Engineering Collection contains correspondence, reports, data, notes, publications, books, charts, certificates, awards, writings, photographs, films and videos that document the life and career of Marvin Mundel, a well-known expert in the field of work management and productivity enhancement.
Scope and Contents:
The Marvin E. Mundel Industrial Engineering Collection contains correspondence, reports, data, notes, publications, books, charts, certificates, awards, writings, photographs, films and videos that document the life and career of Marvin Mundel and demonstrate his work practices and teaching techniques.
The collection is organized chronologically into eleven series: Biographical Materials, Writings, Industrial Engineering, Work Methods, Purdue University, Time and Motion Study, Government Work, Japanese Consulting, Asian Productivity Organization, Dupont Case Study, and Films and Videos. While the years in each series may overlap, the separation of series demonstrates the evolution of Mundel's work and teachings. Photographs can be found throughout the collection. Information about the film and video series is located in Appendix A.
Series 1, Biographical Materials, 1953-1996, consists of documentation about Mundel and his career. The series contains bibliographies and curriculum vitae, correspondence, documentation on his memberships in Industrial Engineering groups, photographs, and certificates.
Series 2, Writings, 1937-1994, brings together Mundel's papers, speeches, books, and publications. When possible, the writings are arranged chronologically. The remaining writings are arranged by topic. This series should not be considered a definitive bibliography of Mundel's writings.
Series 3, Industrial Engineering, 1954-1995, combines Mundel's research with correspondence to and from other Industrial Engineers. It also includes Mundel's contributions to the Encyclopedia Britannica on "Industrial Engineering," "Work Measurement," and "Memomotion."
Series 4, Work Methods, undated, contains documents such as forms, office procedure manuals, visual aids, and printed matter about office equipment that offer insight into Mundel's work methods and innovative methods of making his own office more efficient.
Series 5, Purdue University, 1951-1957, documents his teaching career at the Industrial Engineering Department as well correspondence from his trip to England where he taught classes on industrial engineering.
Series 6, Time and Motion Study, 1952-1984, includes notes, data, printed matter, correspondence, charts, and photographs from his consultant work for various companies. This series contains seven subseries: Subseries 1, Consulting Work, 1954-1966; Subseries 2, Correspondence, 1956-1960; Subseries 3, Course work, undated; Subseries 4, Equipment, undated; Subseries 5, Film, 1952-1984; Subseries 6, Memberships, 1970-1977; and Subseries 7, Research, 1957.
Subseries 1, Consulting work, 1954-1966, contains correspondence and data from the corporations that hired Mundel as a consultant. Subseries 2, Correspondence, 1956-1960, the contains letters to and from people with diverse interests in time and motion study. Many people wrote to Mundel asking for advice with projects. Visual aids and handouts make up Subseries 3, Course work. In order to create memomotion, Mundel needed to refine certain electrical and motor parts on the cameras and projectors with which he worked. Subseries 4, Equipment, undated, have brochures on many different kinds of motors and switches. Subseries 5, Film, 1952-1984, contains most of the documentation that relates directly to films and video cassettes in this collection. Mundel was active in many organizations related to industrial engineering that shared his interests in time and motion study. Finally, copies and clippings make up the research subseries, 1957.
Series 7, Government Work, 1952-1971, documents Mundel's work for the government, from his work at Rock Island Arsenal to seminars for NASA. This series contains correspondence, data, reports, course work, visual aids, and photographs. The consulting work is arranged in a chronological manner and, in some instances, alphabetically.
Series 8, Japanese Consulting, 1959-1987, documents Mundel's consulting work for Japanese corporations. The files are arranged alphabetically by company and contain research, data, charts, notes, reports, and correspondence about each manufacturing firm. His notebooks and trip files give insight into his cultural understanding of Japanese firms and his teaching practices. Of special interest are the notebooks that contain photographs and firsthand experiences of adapting to Japanese culture and understanding Japanese work practices.
Series 9, Asian Productivity Organization, 1973-1994, consists of year and country files of Mundel's seminars throughout the Far East. The course work, notes, visual aids, reports, and photographs demonstrate Mundel's shift in emphasis from work measurement to managerial organization. This series also contains books published by the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) that give a context to Mundel's work and writings.
Series 10, Dupont Case Study, 1978-1984, contains correspondence, data, notes, reports, research, and visual aids concerning one of the many American companies where Mundel consulted. Dupont was selected because of its prominence in the American business world.
Series 11, Films and Videos, circa 1939-1973, is comprised of 16mm films and 1⁄2" VHS videocassette tapes. The bulk of the series is 16mm films. The films relate to the documents in Series 6: Time and Motion Studies. There are six subseries: Rating Films, 1939-1973; Memomotion Films, circa 1948-1959; Multi-Image Loops, circa, 1956-1958; Instructional Films, circa 1939-1962; Travel Films, circa 1955-1958 and Papers, undated.
Films are labeled either OF, RF, OV, or RV, for Original Film, Reference Film, Original Video, and Reference Video, respectively. [Example: For "676.24 OF Roll Edge on Sheet Metal Disc, circa 1960 (REF. FILM 676.24 and REF. VIDEO 676.70)," 676 is the collection number; 24 is the item number; OF means original film; "Roll Edge on Sheet Metal Disc" is the title; 1960 is the date followed by any reference copies. In this case there are both a reference film and a reference video. The Archives Center will eventually have reference copies for all of the films. for researchers to view.
Subseries 1, Rating Films, circa 1939-1973, represents Mundel's work with rating or pace films. This technique films a worker doing a repetitive work unit and allows trained motion study analysts to establish time standards. These films show a wide variety of jobs held by both men and women, American workers and Japanese workers. There are three groups of films:
Demonstration Rating Films: These films have the same format as titles with 10 scenes of workers doing a work unit at different paces. The films are arranged according to Mundel's numerical system and retain the original titles. These films should be projected at 1000 frames per minute.
Poultry Rating Films: These are rating films that Mundel did for the USDA and the Consumer Protection Programs.
Miscellaneous Films: These are Mundel's rating films for Tung Sol, ASF, Woods Veterans Hospital, and Montfort. There is also a rating film taken by an English company.
Subseries 2, Memomotion Films, circa 1948-1959, includes memomotion examples that were incorporated into instructional films. Memomotion is a filming technique created by Mundel. Time and motion analysts film a non-repetitive or extended crew activity at one frame per second and then project the film at normal speed. In this manner, the analyst can record a longer work period at a fraction of the cost and be able to analyze the film much more quickly. Memomotion is often used in conjunction with work flow diagrams.
Subseries 3, Multi-Image Loops, circa 1956-1958, combines seven of Mundel's multi-image loops onto one film core. The films display twelve images of rating films at the same time. The worker in each image is working at a different pace (fastest in the top left-hand corner and the slowest in the bottom right-hand corner). Time and motion study analysts could watch the loops for as long as they needed to get an idea of what the range of paces for a certain job could be. The loops were disassembled and spliced together for preservation and viewing purposes.
Subseries 4, Instructional Films, circa 1939-1962, includes Mundel's attempts to educate others about his filming techniques and overall industrial engineering themes. The films teach ways to improve productivity through motion studies, how to make memomotion films, and the College of Technology, Birmingham, England's method of making microscope slides.
Subseries 5, Travel Films, circa 1955-1958, includes films that combine Mundel's love for travel and different cultures with film documentation of Japanese seminars.
Subseries 6, Papers, undated, contains papers directly related to the films. Of importance are the rating sheets which associate different percentages of efficiency to the paces in the film.
Arrangement:
This collection is divided into eleven series.
Series 1, Biographical Materials, 1953-1996
Series 2, Writings, 1937-1994
Subseries 1, Books, 1942-1994
Subseries 2, Papers, 1959-1989, undated
Subseries 3, Publications, 1937-1993, undated
Subseries 4, Speeches, undated
Subseries 5, University of Iowa Studies, 1938-1940
Series 9, Asian Productivity Organization, 1973-1994
Subseries 1, Annual Reports, 1973-1994
Subseries 2, Books, 1985-1989
Subseries 3, General, 1976-1995, undated
Subseries 4, Seminars, 1973-1989
Subseries 5, Presentation Album of Jakarta Seminar, 1973
Series 10, DuPont Case Study, 1978-1984
Series 11, Films and Videos, circa 1939-1973
Subseries 1, Rating Films, circa 1939-1973
Subseries 2, Memomotion Films, circa 1948-1959
Subseries 3, Multi-Image Loops, circa 1956-1958
Subseries 4, Instructional Films, circa 1939-1962
Subseries 5, Travel Films, circa 1955-1958
Subseries 6, Papers, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Marvin Everett Mundel, born April 20, 1916, was a major figure in the fields of industrial engineering and time and motion studies. He is known particularly for his consulting work, seminars and teaching, as well as numerous publications based on his expertise in work management and productivity enhancement. He began his engineering career in 1936 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from New York University (1936), followed by an M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering earned in 1938 and 1939, respectively, from the State University of Iowa.
In the late 1930s and 1940s, work measurement studies were considered the state-of-the-art method for improving industrial production. Mundel continued and built upon the achievements of pioneers Frank and Lillian Gilbreth during his teaching career at both Bradley and Purdue Universities. He also conducted seminars at Marquette University Management Center and the University of Wisconsin's Extension Center in Milwaukee. In addition to his American teaching career, Mundel was a visiting professor at both the University of Birmingham in England and Keio University in Tokyo, Japan.
In 1952, Mundel started a consulting firm which aided corporations and governments in either work measurement consulting or, later in his career, industrial engineering consulting. His first clients were United States government agencies that wanted to gain control over lost revenue or manpower. His position from 1952 to 1953 at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois, as the first Director of the Army Management Engineering Training Program, transformed management techniques in the Army.
After his employment at Rock Island, Mundel began a series of consultant roles with corporations eager to standardize labor practices and make production more efficient. From 1953 to 1963, Mundel conducted time and motion studies at various manufacturing companies and developed techniques to measure work units. His most important contribution to the field of time and motion study was the development of memomotion, a stop-action filming technique used to determine time standards for work tasks.
Following his refinements of time and motion study, Mundel took his expertise to Japan where he offered his consultant services to various Japanese manufacturing firms during the 1960s. His interests evolved from time and motion studies to include work management and overall management organization consulting. During the 1960s and 1970s, Mundel also returned to government consulting in the United States with these new techniques, in offices such as the Bureau of the Budget and United States Department of Agriculture. This period marked an important evolution in Mundel's career, from time and motion study to work measurement and then to industrial consulting. Mundel was among the first consultants to export American management techniques to Japan, and, in his later career, to other Asian countries. He became an integral part of the Asian Productivity Organization, a group that helped developing Asian countries learn how to increase productivity. His seminars sought to provide corporations and governments with efficient management techniques so that Asia would become a strong economic center. Mundel was sensitive to cultural differences as well as varied methods of management and standards of productivity.
Mundel won the Gilbreth Award in 1982. He continued conducting seminars and writing books and articles well into the 1980s, until failing health prevented him from traveling. When Mundel died in 1996, he was well respected in the field of industrial engineering for his many contributions.
Provenance:
This collection was donated to the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History by Marvin Mundel's wife, Takako Mundel, in January, 1999.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
Rights:
Copyright held by the Smithsonian Institution. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Mostly newspaper publicity and rodeo programs. 67 full- and half-page sheets from mostly small-town papers, with predominantly local news. The programs for performances at fairs sometimes include agricultural information, what was being judged, and the cash prize amounts. Most of the programs contain advertisements for small-town services and products. A description of the sponsors indicate close community-business relationships. Some shows were near Indian reservations and Native Americans took part in the shows.
Most of the material consists of newspaper publicity and rodeo programs. There are 67 full and half page sheets from newspapers, mostly from small towns with local news predominating. The programs for performances at fairs sometimes include agricultural information, what was being judged, and the cash prize amounts. Most of the programs contain advertisements for small town services and products. A description of the sponsors indicate close community business relationships. Some of the shows were near Indian reservations and Native Americans took part in the shows.
Arrangement:
Divided into 4 series: 1) Rodeo Programs; 2) Newspaper clippings and newspaper sheets; 3) Contracts; 4) Magazines. Arranged chronologically by type of material.
Biographical/Historical note:
Chet and Juanita Howell were trick riders and ropers who played many of the rodeos and fairs throughout the country in the 1930s until the latter 1950s. They averaged thirty shows per year, with most of their performances being in the western and southwestern United States.
Chet was born in San Jose, California, where he learned to ride broncs and bulls and to do trick riding and roping. He doubled for Gene Autrey in "Oh Susanna" and worked in other movies. During the spring of 1935 he performed his act in Yokohama, Japan. Juanita Howell started with the King Brothers rodeo and Wild West in 1931. In 1933 she won a championship trophy as a steer rider. Juanita and Chet were married on horseback in August of 1936 in Centralia, Washington.
Chet was drafted in 1943 and served in the South Pacific. Juanita worked in Ogden, Utah, during World War II, in the quartermaster depot, first in the teletype office and then doing guard duty mounted on horseback. After World War II, Chet continued with the rodeo. In the 1950's, the Howells settled in Phoenix, Arizona, where he worked in manufacturing for five years. His last job before he passed away in 1973 was with the post office. Juanita Howell, born in 1910, is still living in their retirement home.
Related Archival Materials:
Related artifacts in NMAH Community Life collection. Mrs. Howell has
also contributed a substantial part of her collection to the Cowgirl Hall of Fame.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Juanita Howell, December 14, 1985.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
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.
Item title and date, Chet and Juanita Howell Rodeo Collection, 1934-1958, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Juanita Howell.
A scorecard and program from the 1925 World Series; a scorecard and program for the 1937 All-Star Game; a program from the National Football League's World Championship game, 1942; and a program and scorecard from the 1956 All-Star Game. All of these games were played in Washington, D.C. Also includes some articles and two ticket stubs from the 1956 All-Star Game.
Arrangement:
1 series.
Biographical / Historical:
Eleanor Linkous is a Smithsonian volunteer and baseball fan. She offered the items, which she inherited from her aunt, to the Archives Center after attending a Smithsonian Associates event on April 18, 2001, highlighting the Archives Center=s baseball collections.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Eleanor Linkous in 2001.
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research access on site by appointment.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Football -- 1940-1950 -- Washington (D.C.) Search this
The game was played in Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC.
Arrangement:
Located in box 1
Local Numbers:
AC0774-0000003.tif (AC scan number)
Collection Restrictions:
Unrestricted research access on site by appointment.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Sports -- Washington (D.C.) -- 1930-1940. Search this
Football -- Washington (D.C.) -- 1940-1950. Search this
National Football League Championship Game -- 1942 Search this
Genre/Form:
Programs -- 1930-2000
Collection Citation:
Eleanor Linkous Washington, D.C. Sports Memorabilia Collection, 1925-1956, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
The game was played in Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC. An illustration of President Franklin Roosevelt throwing a baseball is on the cover.
Local Numbers:
AC0774-0000002.tif (AC scan number)
Collection Restrictions:
Unrestricted research access on site by appointment.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Sports -- Washington (D.C.) -- 1920-1960 Search this
Baseball -- 1930-1940 -- Washington (D.C.). Search this
Genre/Form:
Programs -- 1930-2000
Collection Citation:
Eleanor Linkous Washington, D.C. Sports Memorabilia Collection, 1925-1956, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
The game was played in Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC.
Local Numbers:
AC0774-0000004.tif (AC scan number)
Collection Restrictions:
Unrestricted research access on site by appointment.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Sports -- Washington (D.C.) -- 1930-1940. Search this
Baseball -- 1930-1970 -- Washington (D.C.). Search this
Genre/Form:
Programs -- 1930-2000
Collection Citation:
Eleanor Linkous Washington, D.C. Sports Memorabilia Collection, 1925-1956, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
The United States has always been a country of immigrants and, thus, the proud inheritor of the artistic styles of many different peoples. The section of the Festival that focused on this particular feature of American culture was called "Old Ways in the New World". Here were brought together the sons and daughters of people who immigrated to the United States from various parts of the world and their cultural cousins who stayed at home. These two groups joined together at the Festival in the practice of their traditional artistic and creative behavior; thus they could celebrate a kind of family reunion while they examined together the changes that their different experiences had brought about.
Where possible, participants were invited from the same region or even the same village - both those who migrated and those who stayed at home. Where this was impossible or impractical, attention focused on behavior or style, tracing parallels in all aspects of tradition from cooking to dance. As in past years of the Festival, this program stimulated a healthy kind of self-examination for domestic communities that drew strength from discovering their relationship with older cultures as well as for the foreign guests, who could return to their homelands proud of the vitality of their own art forms that remained clearly identifiable, although removed by oceans of time and space.
June 16-20, Israeli and American Jewish, Romanian
June 23-27, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish, Finnish, Faroese
July 1-5, French, Canadian, Polish
July 7-11, British, Canadian, Portuguese
July 14-18, Yugoslav, Irish
July 21-25, Belgian, Egyptian
July 28-August 1, German, Pakistani
August 4-8, Spanish, Mexican
August 11-15, Japanese, Greek
August 18-22, Austrian, Indian
August 25-29, Swiss, Hungarian
September 2-6, Italian
Program Coordinator for the Old Ways in the New World was Shirley Cherkasky, with Assistant Program Coordinators Suzanne Cox, Jeffrey LaRiche, Genie Kitlaus, and Larisa Lucaci. An advisory group included Conrad Arensberg, Svatava Pirkova Jakobson, Alan Lomax, and David McAIIester.
Fieldworkers and presenters:
Héctor Aguíñiga, Richard González, Antony Hellenberg, Nazir Jairazbhoy, Anna Lomax, John McDowell, Daniel Sheehy, Gordon Thompson, Roger Welsch, Maria Behr, David Bjork, Calogero Cascio, Svatava Pirkova Jakobson
Participants:
Israeli
Mord'chai Abrahamov, 1945-, singer, dancer, instrumentalist, Tel Aviv, Israel
David Levi, 1934-, dancer
Mord'chai 'Aziz, 1935-, dancer
Yosef Gum'ah, 1923-, drummer, Tel Lachish, Israel
Elijahu Israel Lassa, 1932-, zurna player, Tel Lachish, Israel
Mord'chai 'Ezra, 1935-, singer, dancer, Tel Lachish, Israel
Yosef Rahamim, 1937-, dancer, Kiryat Malakhi, Israel
Rivka Levi, 1945-, singer, dancer, Kiryat Malakhi, Israel
Bathia Rahamim, 1947-, singer, dancer, Kiryat Malakhi, Israel
Bathia Levi, 1919-, dancer, instrumentalist, Kiryat Ono, Israel
Shoshana Danukh, 1920-, singer, instrumentalist, Kiryat Ono, Israel
Zehava Gedasi, 1957-, dancer, singer, Tel Aviv, Israel
Ahuva Gedasi, 1948-, dancer, singer, Givatayim, Israel
Moshe 'Oved, 1953-, singer, dancer, Amka, Israel
Amnon 'Oved, singer, dancer, Amka, Israel
Avraham Daniel 'Arussi, 1968-, singer, dancer, Kiryat Ono, Israel
Menachem 'Arussi, 1930-, dancer, singer, drummer, Kiryat Ono, Israel
Saadia Gur-Esh, 1928-, singer, drummer, dancer, Midrakh Oz, Israel
Ziona Nagar, 1951-, dancer
Binyamin Hershkowitz, 1946-, accordion, singer, drummer, Netanya, Israel
Arie Polak, 1956-, drummer, Herzlia, Israel
Moshe Choen, 1929-, singer, dancer, Bnei Brak, Israel
Yosef Pinchas Reimer, 1955-, dancer, drummer, Jerusalem, Israel
Yitzhak Meier Tritel, 1951-, dancer, clarinetist, Jerusalem, Israel
Levi 'Ochayom, 1927-, singer, drummer, Jerusalem, Israel
Yosef Ben-Nun, 1927-, singer, Jerusalem, Israel
David Weissman, 1933-, 'ud player, Jerusalem, Israel
Dr. Daniel Ronen, leader
Itimar Gurevitch, tour administrator
Uri Sharvit, folklorist
Jewish American
Ira Axelrod, badkhn, Brooklyn, New York
Nechama Biderman, succah maker, Flushing, New York
Avram Dahari, 1923-1999, singer, Brooklyn, New York
Naomi Dahari, 1924-1988, singer, food demonstrator, Brooklyn, New York
Ray Faust, 1900-1993, painter, New York, New York
Miriam Haymie, singer, food demonstrator, Brooklyn, New York
Shlomo Hymie, singer, Brooklyn, New York
Meyer Kirshenblatt, 1916-2009, toy maker, immigrant narrator, Downsview, Ontario
Rivka Kirshenblatt, food demonstrator
Lillian Klempner, 1897-1984, Yiddish folksinger, Brooklyn, New York
Tuvia Mekhabar, scribe, New York, New York
Mazel Nagar, singer, dancer, cook, Brooklyn, New York
Nissim Nagar, singer, dancer, Brooklyn, New York
Arie Ovagia, cantor, singer, Brooklyn, New York
Jerold Roschwalb, shofar demonstrator
William Shuster, 1904-2002, tailor, New York, New York
Tsirl Waletsky, paper cutter, Bronx, New York
Workmen's Circle Mandolin Orchestra -- Workmen's Circle Mandolin OrchestraRosario Carcione, 1909-1984, mandolinist, Bronx, New YorkFrances Darvick, mandolinist, Brooklyn, New YorkSophie Fuchs, mandolinist, Jamaica, New YorkBeverly Frierman, mandolinist, New York, New YorkMuriel Isbitts, mandolinist, New Milford, New JerseyFani Jacobson, mandolinist, leader, New York, New YorkNorman Levine, mandolinist, Brooklyn, New YorkTessie Nerenberg, mandolinist, Yonkers, New YorkMeyer Schein, mandolinist, Bronx, New YorkCharles Slater, mandolinist, Brooklyn, New YorkHenry Wurman, 1900-1981, mandolinist, Bronx, New York
Walter Pardon, 1914-, singer, North Walsham, Norfolk, England
Anne Rosetta Springfield, 1911-, Pearlie Queen, London, England
The Watersons and Martin Carthy -- The Watersons and Martin CarthyLal Waterson, 1943-1998, singerMike Waterson, 1941-2011, singer, Robin Hoods Bay, Yorkshire, EnglandNorma Waterson, 1939-, singer, Robin Hoods Bay, EnglandMartin Carthy, 1941-, singer, Robin Hoods Bay, England
A. L. (Albert Lancaster) Lloyd, 1908-1982, folklorist
S. A. Matthews, folk dance specialist, London, England
British-American
United States
John Ashby, 1915-1979, fiddler
Dillard Chandler, 1907-1992, ballad singer, Rosedale, New York
Lloyd Chandler, 1896-1978, ballad singer, Marshall, North Carolina
Nell Fernandez, singer, Summer Shade, Kentucky
Ray Hicks, 1922-2003, storyteller, Banner Elk, North Carolina
Wiktor Mikolajski, 1910-, tour administrator, Warsaw, Poland
Ludwik Bielawski, 1929-, folklorist, Warsaw, Poland
Polish American
The Gromada Family -- The Gromada FamilyAniela Gromada, 1908-1984, cellist, singer, Elmwood Park, New JerseyAnn Gromada, 1965-, dancer, Wyckoff, New JerseyJan Gromada, 1905-1996, fiddler, embroiderer, Elmwood Park, New JerseyJohn Gromada, 1964-, dancer, Wyckoff, New JerseyTadeusz Gromada, 1929-, second fiddler, dancer, Wyckoff, New JerseyTeresa Gromada, 1930-, dancer, singer, Wyckoff, New JerseyHenryk Kedron, 1926-, dancer, singer, metal worker, Hasbrouck Heights, New JerseyJanina Kedron, 1931-, fiddler, singer, dancer, Hasbrouck Heights, New JerseyTadeusz Koziek, 1930-1979, fiddle, bass player, singer, Garfield, New JerseyEdward Nowobielski, 1924-2006, singer, dancer, Garfield, New Jersey
Stephanie Batory, 1913-1994, decorative paper cuttings, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Portuguese
Grupo Coral da Aldeia Nova de São Bento -- Grupo Coral da Aldeia Nova de São BentoManuel de Mira Monge, 1925-, singer, São Bento, PortugalSilvestre Charraz Morais, 1945-, singer, São Bento, PortugalJosé Candeias Rosa, 1935-, singer, São Bento, PortugalManuel Carrasco Valadas, 1949-, singer, São Bento, PortugalManuel Toira Varela, 1934-, singer, São Bento, PortugalBento Charraz Calvinho, 1922-, singer, São Bento, PortugalJosé Francisco Esparteiro Serrano, 1951-, singer, São Bento, PortugalJosé Lopes Carrilho, 1919-, singer, São Bento, PortugalBento Brito Coelho, 1937-, singer, São Bento, PortugalJosé Valadas Mata-Setam, 1936-, singer, São Bento, Portugal
Grupo Folclórico Mirandes de Duas Igrejas -- Grupo Folclórico Mirandes de Duas IgrejasAntonio Maria Moorinho, 1917-, director, Duas Igrejas, PortugalJosé Pires Martins, 1912-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalAlexandre Feio, 1914-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalAlfredo Augusto Ventura, 1912-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalDelmiro Braz Antão, 1915-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalDomingos Augusto Ruano, 1955-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalLuciano de São Pedro Martins, 1953-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalAdão Dos Santos Moreira, 1926-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalClemente de Jésus Amaro Dias, 1957-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalMateus Augusto Martins Fidalgo, 1927-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalArtur Raposo Alves Galego, 1956-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalManuel João Alves, 1927-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalManuel Baltazar Fernandes Aires, 1959-, musician, Duas Igrejas, Portugal
Maria Ernestina Costa Rodrigues, interpreter, Murtal São Pedro Do Estoril, Portugal
Portuguese American
Odete Amarelo, 1950-, food demonstrator, Fall River, Massachusetts
Manuel Azuvedo, 1917-2004, singer, dancer, Sacramento, California
Maria Alice Cordeiro, 1961-, singer, Fall River, Massachusetts
Elaine C. Oliveira, 1938-, singer, musician, Somerset, Massachusetts
Armindo I. Paira, 1963-, singer, Fall River, Massachusetts
Scheeseler Beekschepers -- Scheeseler BeekschepersWilhelm Leuenroth, 1906-, clarinet player, Wittkopsbostel, GermanyBernd Meyer, accordion player, Visselhoevede, GermanySiegfried Johann Karl Lott, 1933-, friction drum, flute, jaws harp player, Rohr, GermanyHans Johannes Almering, 1941-, clarinet player, Ahaus-Wüllen, GermanyUrsula Christina Wassing Almering, 1942-, accordion player, Ahaus-Wüllen, GermanyUrsula Blomeier, 1920-, street organ player, Berlin, GermanyKonrad Koestlin, 1940-, folklorist and presenter, Hoffeld über Bordesholm, Germany
German American
Albert Fahlbusch, 1925-2005, hackbrett player and maker, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Mary Fahlbusch, 1932-2013, food demonstrator, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Roger Fahlbusch, 1958-, hackbrett player and maker, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Ray Stahla German-Russian Band -- Ray Stahla German-Russian BandRay Stahla, 1929-, accordion player, Grand Island, NebraskaPhil Stahla, 1949-, trombone player, Gillette, WyomingRandy Stahla, 1952-, drummer, Greeley, ColoradoJohn Klein, 1919-1982, hackbrett player, Lincoln, Nebraska
Dorf Musikanten -- Dorf MusikantenJohn Braun, 1938-, accordion player, Mequon, WisconsinRoland A. Braun, 1923-2004, clarinet and zither player, Milwaukee, WisconsinEarl Hilgendorf, 1934-, trumpet and fluegel horn player, Mequon, WisconsinHarold Pipkorn, 1927-, baritone player, Mequon, WisconsinJacob Skocir, 1913-2008, guitar and mandolin player, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Die Tiefen Keller-Kinder -- Die Tiefen Keller-KinderLarry Bobe, 1955-, trombone player, Amana, IowaJeff Ehrmann, 1956-, cornet player, Amana, IowaPatrick H. Kellenberger, 1951-, tuba player, South Amana, IowaDennis Kraus, 1955-, cornet player, Middle Amana, IowaMark H. Rettig, 1951-, baritone player, Middle Amana, IowaCarol Schuerer, 1958-, clarinet player, Amana, IowaPaul R. Staman, 1958-, cornet player, Amana, IowaAlan J. Trumpold, 1953-, tuba player, South Amana, IowaGuy H. Wendler, baritone and cornet player, Amana, IowaBrad Zuber, 1956-, manager, Amana, IowaRobert Zuber, 1957-, trombone player, Homestead, Iowa
Spanish American
Andalusian
Manuel "Agujetas" De Los Santos, flamenco singer, New York, New York
Tibulina De Los Santos, flamenco dancer, New York, New York
Asturian
Sixto Alonso, singer, Kearney, New Jersey
Basque
Elisa Vidasolo, dancer, Brooklyn, New York
Luis Vidasolo, dancer, Brooklyn, New York
Maria Luisa Vidasolo, cook, Brooklyn, New York
Alys Viña, 1914-1993, tambourine player, Cranford, New Jersey
Angelo Viña, 1914-2003, drummer and fife player, Cranford, New Jersey
Galician
Domingo Casais, bombo player, Bayonne, New Jersey
Francisco Castineira, dancer, Kearny, New Jersey
Manuel Galan, bagpiper, Seaford, New York
Manolo Garcia, dancer, North Tarrytown, New York
Fina Meizoso, dancer, Woodside, New York
Kim Munoz, dancer, Queens, New York
Manuel Pena, tambor player, Corona, New York
Carlos Rodriguez, bagpiper, Elizabeth, New Jersey
Old Spanish
Cleofes Vigil, 1917-1992, singer, San Cristobal, New Mexico
Puerto Rican
Cuarteto Isabelino, instrumental ensemble -- Cuarteto Isabelino, instrumental ensembleWilfredo Cordero, Isabela, Puerto RicoJoaquin Rivera, 1910-1995, Isabela, Puerto RicoMatildo Rosado Santiago, Isabela, Puerto RicoDomingo Ruiz, Isabela, Puerto Rico
Mexican
Los Caporales -- Los CaporalesRicardo Gutierrez Villa, violin, Apatzingán, Michoacán, MexicoRubén Cuevas Maldonado, harp, Apatzingán, Michoacán, MexicoCarlos Cervantes Mora, guitarra de golpe, Michoacán, MexicoOvaldo Ríos Yañez, five string guitar, Tomatlán, Michoacán, MexicoJesús Espinoza Mendoza, violin, Apatzingán, Michoacán, Mexico
Pokar de Ases -- Pokar de AsesMartín Ruíz Luciano, small drum, San Juan, Guerrero, MexicoZacarías Salmerón Daza, violin, Tlapehuala, Guerrero, MexicoJuan Taviera Simón, violin, Ajuchitlán, Guerrero, MexicoSalomón Echeverría de la Paz, bass guitar, Tlapehuala, Guerrero, MexicoNicolas G. Salmerón, guitar and lead singer, Tlapehuala, Guerrero, Mexico
Grupo de Musica Azteca – Puebla -- Grupo de Musica Azteca – PueblaJulio Ocelo Abrajan, huehuetl playerFrancisco García, redoblante, Tlacopac, San Angel, MexicoCrescenciano Chantes Misnáhuatl, chirimia, Tlacopac, San Angel, Mexico
Los Gavilanes -- Los GavilanesAlberto Hernández Carmona, Veracruz, MexicoFortino Hoz Chávez, jarana, Boca del Rio, Veracruz, New MexicoRamon Hoz Chávez, arpa, Boca del Rio, Veracruz, MexicoEvaristo Silva Reyes, pandero, Tlacotlalpan, Veracruz, MexicoJosé Aguirre Vera, requinto, Tlacotlalpan, Veracruz, Mexico
Banda Sinaloense -- Banda SinaloenseJuventino Cruz, bass drum, Los Angeles, CaliforniaFrancisco Garcia, trombone, Los Angeles, CaliforniaPascual Garxiola, trombone, Los Angeles, CaliforniaAntonio Ibarra, snare drum, Los Angeles, CaliforniaManuel Luna, clarinet, Los Angeles, CaliforniaMiguel Nuñez, clarinet, tuba, Los Angeles, California
Isabella Ortega, 1926-2000, food demonstrator, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Ben Ortega, 1923-1998, wood carver, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Luis Eligio Tapia, 1950-, wood carver, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Conjunto Jarocho -- Conjunto JarochoRoberto Murillo, 1941-2001, Vera Cruz harp player, La Mirada, CaliforniaHarry González, 1932-, guitar and requinto jarocho player, Walnut Creek, CaliforniaSteve Luévano, 1939-, jarana jarocho player, Los Angeles, CaliforniaCarlos Gonzalez, 1936-, jarana jarocho player
José Mariano Ortega, 1921-, corrido singer, guitar player, Los Angeles, California
María Elena Villarreal, corrido singer, guitar player, Los Angeles, California
The Tyrolers -- The TyrolersEmery Wechselberger, 1933-, zither player, yodeler, Leavenworth, WashingtonEric Wechselberger, 1961-, trumpet player, Leavenworth, WashingtonRoy Wechselberger, 1963-, trumpet and bells player, schuhplatt dancer, Leavenworth, WashingtonFranz Schauer, drummer, Seattle, Washington
The Alpiners -- The AlpinersDick Theml, 1922-2003, violin player, singer, Glenview, IllinoisJohn Weber, 1945-, tuba player, Chicago, IllinoisMiles G. Soumar, 1933-2013, clarinet player, Chicago, IllinoisEdward C. Richter, 1917-1998, accordion player, Chicago, IllinoisRichard A. Jenson, 1942-, trumpet player, Palatine, IllinoisJerome C. Olson, 1934-1991, drummer, Chicago, IllinoisHeidi Siewert, 1938-, singer, yodeler, Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Sara Schwarz, 1912-1992, embroiderer, Chicago, Illinois
Rosegger Steirer Group -- Rosegger Steirer GroupBeryl Rossner, 1925-2010, folk dancer, Highland, IndianaCarl Rossner, 1921-1993, folk dancer, Highland, IndianaBarbara Rossner, 1958-, folk dancer, Highland, IndianaMichael Rossner, 1955-, folk dancer, Highland, IndianaBetty Wagner, 1930-, folk dancer, Chicago, IllinoisEdward Wagner, 1958-, folk dancer, Chicago, IllinoisAdolph Wagner, 1924-1982, accordion player, Chicago, IllinoisSharon Schuch, folk dancerMary Schuch, 1928-, folk dancer, Oak Lawn, IllinoisRoberta Schuch, 1961-, folk dancer, Oak Lawn, IllinoisAnthony Schuch, 1928-, folk dancer, Oak Lawn, IllinoisEllen Guenther, 1962-, folk dancer, Oak Lawn, IllinoisHedwig Guenther, folk dancer, Oak Lawn, IllinoisPaul Coglianese, 1957-, folk dancer, Oak Lawn, IllinoisFred Semmler, 1939-, folk dancer, Chicago, Illinois
Indian
The Chetana Indian Women's Organization, traditional food preparation
Dancers & singers from Manipur
Dancers & singers from Rajasthan and Gujarat
Dancers & singers from the Punjab and Haryana
Mrs. Battobai, folk doll maker
Surya Dev, madhubani painter
Bindeshwari Devi, sikki grass work
Sita Devi, madhubani painter
Mohan Mehar, ikat weaving from Orissa
Shantantra Prakash, craft program coordinator, New Delhi, India
Raghunath Singha, loin loom weaving of Manipur
Indian American
Arun Agrawal, 1945-, singer, dancer, musician, Fall River, Massachusetts
Paul Anderson, 1935-, singer, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Brigitte Geiser, 1941-, field researcher and presenter, Bern, Switzerland
Swiss American
Kapelle Werner Blaser -- Kapelle Werner BlaserWerner Blaser, 1926-, clarinet and saxophone player, Chehalis, WashingtonJoe Blaser, 1956-, clarinet and saxophone player, Chehalis, WashingtonDon Blaser, 1961-, accordion player, Chehalis, WashingtonMary Ann Ackerman, piano player, Orting, WashingtonJoe Burgi, 1906-1990, bass and accordion player, Tacoma, WashingtonRandy Grab, 1953-, bass player, Tacoma, Washington
Young Swiss Musicians -- Young Swiss MusiciansHelen Rast, 1961-, accordion player, San Jose, CaliforniaFrank Rast, 1959-, trumpet and alphorn player, San Jose, CaliforniaFred Rast, 1958-, clarinet, saxophone and alphorn player, San Jose, CaliforniaChristine Anderson, 1961-, bass player, Newark, CaliforniaKaren Anderson, 1959-, clarinet and alto saxophone player, Newark, CaliforniaSonja Ruckli, 1958-, piano player and singer, Newark, CaliforniaMichael Imhof, 1959-, accordion player, Fremont, California
Aelplergruppe -- AelplergruppeSergio Sartori, 1927-1978, accordion player and singer, San Francisco, CaliforniaDennis Sartori, 1954-, accordion player and singer, San Francisco, CaliforniaConrad Grass, 1954-, wrestler, San Bruno, CaliforniaRobert Wipfli, 1953-, wrestler, Fremont, California
Kaspar Hunkeler, flag thrower, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Robbi Hunkeler, flag thrower and alphorn player, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Italian
Calabria
Francesco Crudo, 1933-, piffero (oboe) player, Rombiolo, Italy
Michele Monteleone, 1918-, zampogna player (bagpiper), Rombiolo, Italy
Liguiria
Squadra Nuova Pontedecima, polyphonic chorus
Alessandro Anzini, 1940-, escort, Rome, Italy
Italian American
Basilicata
Antonio Davida, singer, drum player
Calabria
Anunziata Chimento, 1917-2006, singer, masker in Carnevale
Anunziato Chimento, singer, dancer, castanets player, "Doctor" in Carnevale
Franco Cofone, singer, dancer, quadrille caller, "Pulcinella" and master of ceremonies in Carnevale
Giuseppe DeFranco, 1933-, musician, singer, dancer
Raffaela DeFranco, 1935-, singer, dancer
Antonio DiGiacomo, tambourine player, singer, dancer
Carmine Ferraro, singer, dancer, masker in Carnevale
Francesco Feraco, singer, dancer, tambourine player
Angelo Gabriele, 1921-2006, singer, tambourine player, dancer, masker in Carnevale
Angelo Gencarelli, 1920-2004, singer, dancer, "La Quaresima" (Lent) in Carnevale
Federico Gencarelli, singer, tambourine player
Giuglio Gencarelli, singer, "Carnevale" in Carnevale
Maria Melito, dancer, masker in Carnevale
Molise
Vincenzo Deluca, 1933-1983, bagpiper
Sicily
Vincent Ancona, 1915-2000, chanty singer
Nino Curatolo, 1928-1980, singer of chanties, carittiere and fish vendors' songs, jaws harp player
Gaetano D'Angelo, 1906-1996, chanty singer
Giovanni Pellitteri, friscalettu (cane flute) player
Collection Restrictions:
Access by appointment only. Where a listening copy or viewing copy has been created, this is indicated in the respective inventory; additional materials may be accessible with sufficient advance notice and, in some cases, payment of a processing fee. Older papers are housed at a remote location and may require a minimum of three weeks' advance notice and payment of a retrieval fee. Certain formats such as multi-track audio recordings and EIAJ-1 videoreels (1/2 inch) may not be accessible. Contact the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at 202-633-7322 or rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1976 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
"Regional America" cut across all the other sections of the Festival by looking at the assemblages of different peoples scattered across our land. In this area, therefore, visitors could see working people and children, ethnics and blacks and Native Americans brought together to celebrate not so much their individual identities but the space in which they all live together, their homeplace within the wide American land.
A region was acknowledged to be a hard thing to create on the Mall; it is an abstract made up of a thousand concrete details: the lay of the land, the slant of the sunlight, the way a person says "Good morning," the particular records on the jukeboxes in the diner, the depth of the topsoil, the smell of Sunday dinner. So in Regional America the Festival brought together the people who lived in a particular place and asked them to demonstrate the arts and the skills that make it possible to live in that place and that most powerfully characterize it. It is the sense of home that the Smithsonian sought to capture here.
June 16-20, the Northeast. The Northeast Region combines the peoples and the traditions of the Atlantic Northeast (Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware) and those of New England. There were demonstrations of lobster trap making, whittling, quilting, and snowshoe making, traditional food preparation, and presentations of Anglo, French, and German American traditional music.
June 23-27, the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes region is a large area consisting of diverse peoples and traditions. Scandinavian, Eastern European, Mediterranean, and Native American music, crafts, and food demonstrations included birch bark canoe building, bread baking, and pysanky decorating. From the farming and dairy areas, skills such as shingle making and wood carving were presented, along with dairy cattle demonstrations of milking, calf feeding, and caring for livestock. Demonstrations of maritime activities included fish net making, waterfowl decoy carving, dock building, and storytelling. Blues and other transplanted styles of Southern music were also performed.
July 1-5, the South. Presentations included Alabama folk painting, traditional boat building, stitchery by Ethel Mohamed (who did the tapestry on the cover of the 1976 program book), decoy carving and painting, a Freedom Quilting Bee, pottery, and splint basket making. Regional America's presentation of Southern foodways traditions included the preparation of pecan pralines, various gumbos, crawfish, and sorghum.
July 7-11, the Upland South. Crafts presented this week included quilting, blacksmithing, stone carving, barrel making, and whittling. Vinegar pie, hominy, biscuits and gravy were made for sampling, with barbequed chicken, corn on the cob, cobbler, and barbequed beans for sale.
July 14-18, the Heartland. Craft presentations included the making of apple head dolls, corn husk dolls, tree branch dolls and spurs, wood carving, and pysanky (egg decorating.) Foodways demonstrations includes the preparation of such regional specialties as kolaches (a Bohemian fruit-filled bun), sweet braided bread, New Year cookies, cheese, and sauerkraut.
July 14-18, the Great West. Featured crafts included quilting by seven different participants, wagon wheel making, horse hair rope making, wood carving, braided and woven rug making, and the demonstration of traditional fence building styles. Preparation of foods from the Great West was demonstrated including bratzells (cookies baked over an open fire), whole wheat bread, and the canning of sauerkraut, pickles, relish, and jelly.
July 28-August 1, the Pacific Northwest. Craft presentations included fly tying and casting, snow sled making, fiddle making, a logging demonstration, weaving, whittling, net making, boat building, and paper cutting. Foodways demonstrations featured a camp cook making pancakes and sourdough bread, traditional to the logging life of the Pacific Northwest.
August 4-8, the Southwest. Visitors could see cowboy boot making, adobe making, mural painting, calf roping, saddle making, rawhide work, and soap making demonstrated as part of the presentation of the culture of the Southwest. Traditional ranch cooking was demonstrated, with chili, beans, and sourdough biscuits among the featured specialties.
Barbara LaPan Rahm was Program Coordinator; William K. McNeil was Folklorist; and Diana Parker was Assistant Program Coordinator.
Clarence E. Smith, 1940-, Oakland, California, ex-Texas
Lorence L. Smith, Colorado
Elaine Sylvia, California
Ron Sylvia, California, ex-Massachusetts
Elizabeth Rose Tea, 1920-, Clifton, Arizona
Pablo Trujillo, 1916-, New Mexico
Florentino Urias, Presidio, Texas
Jose Urias, Texas, Presidio, Texas
Maria Velasquez, California
Ossie White, California
Roscoe White, California
Jesse Wright, California
Jimmy Wright, singer, Fresno, California
Walter Wright, singer, Fresno, California
William Wright, 1914-1982, singer, Selma, California
Collection Restrictions:
Access by appointment only. Where a listening copy or viewing copy has been created, this is indicated in the respective inventory; additional materials may be accessible with sufficient advance notice and, in some cases, payment of a processing fee. Older papers are housed at a remote location and may require a minimum of three weeks' advance notice and payment of a retrieval fee. Certain formats such as multi-track audio recordings and EIAJ-1 videoreels (1/2 inch) may not be accessible. Contact the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at 202-633-7322 or rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1976 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
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 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:
Irena Brynner papers, circa 1914-2003. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
