Society of Independent Artists (New York, N.Y.) Search this
Extent:
179 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1979 January 16-1980 October 22
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Allan Rohan Crite conducted 1979 January 16-1980 October 22, by Robert F. Brown for the Archives of American Art. Also participating in the interview is Crite's assistant, Susan Thompson.
Crite describes his family background and his youth in Boston. He gives great detail about his childhood interest in art and the art classes he took as a child, sharing drawings he did then with the interviewer. He remembers his art education at the Museum of Fine Arts School and involvement with the Society of Independent Artists. Crite discusses his ideas about the Episcopal church, his religious beliefs, and his interest in the liturgy and spirituals in his artwork. He recounts his engagement in the Navy, participation in the WPA, and work with the Rambusch Company. Crite describes paintings he did of street life in Black communities of Boston in the 1930s, a series of portraits, and paintings he did to illustrate spirituals and the Episcopal liturgy. He speaks about race relations and explains his motivations for an educational project in progress entitled, "The Cultural Heritage of the United States: a Rediscovery," promoting a multicultural view of American history. The last segment of the interview includes Susan Thompson, a fabric artist and close friend collaborating with Crite on projects mostly of a religious nature, including vestments and altar cloths.
Biographical / Historical:
Allan Rohan Crite (1910-2007) was a painter and illustrator from Boston, Massachusetts.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 7 hr., 8 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Africa, West -- Description and Travel -- 1851-1950
Date:
1923-1986
Scope and Contents:
Photographs, artwork, scrapbooks, and Tulk's autobiography document his career as an artist. Over 160 photographs (ca. 1920's-1980's) depict Tulk and his work. Eighty-three drawings and paintings range from student work at Yale to professional designs for the Rambusch Company and other design firms. Two scrapbooks assembled by Tulk contain reviews and exhibit announcements. His autobiography, describing his two-year residence in West Africa in the 1930's, and a descriptive list of murals painted between 1925-1960 are included among his notes and writings. Letters (1940-1986) are mostly business-related correspondence between Tulk and the Rambusch Company. Clippings (1936-1984) discuss the altar designs Tulk created for ships and camps during World War II and his work for the Rambusch Company. Other materials include a 1985 video-taped interview with Tulk and many copyright certificates for his designs.
Biographical / Historical:
Born in London, England. Tulk received his Bachelors Degree from Yale University in 1923 and his Masters Degree from the University of Guanajualo, Mexico. Mural painting occupied most of his earlier years with commissions in painting, stained glass, and mosaics. He painted over 300 large murals between 1925 and 1954 for theatres, churches, hotels, restaurants, and private homes. During World War II Tulk worked with camouflage and the painting of altar triptychs for U.S. Chaplains in camps and on battleships. From 1960 to 1987 he painted landscapes, portraits, and abstract paintings.
Provenance:
Papers were bequeathed to Tulk's daughter, Sheila Tulk Payne, who donated them to the Archives.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Society of Independent Artists (New York, N.Y.) Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Allan Rohan Crite, 1979 January 16-1980 October 22. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
