Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Monica Borglum Davies, 1990 May 8-August 27. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Sculpture, Modern -- 19th century -- United States Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States Search this
Sculptors -- United States -- Interviews Search this
The papers of sculptor and portrait painter Henry Kirke Brown measure 1 linear feet and date from 1836 to 1893. The collection includes Brown's correspondence with his wife, Lydia Louise Udall, his nephew, Henry Kirke Bush-Brown, and other family members. Also included are letters from artists George Catlin, George Fuller, Sanford R. Gifford, James Reid Lambdin, Louis Lang, Erastus Dow Palmer, Hiram Powers, Horatio Stone, and others; five news clippings; and miscellaneous notes.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor and portrait painter Henry Kirke Brown measure 1 linear feet and date from 1836 to 1893. The collection includes Brown's correspondence with his wife, Lydia Louise Udall, his nephew, Henry Kirke Bush-Brown, and other family members. Also included are letters from artists George Catlin, George Fuller, Sanford R. Gifford, James Reid Lambdin, Louis Lang, Erastus Dow Palmer, Hiram Powers, Horatio Stone, and others; five news clippings; and miscellaneous notes.
Brown's lengthy letters to his wife reveal his devotion to her and the conflict he felt between his art and his personal life. He discusses his work, including progress on his statue of George Washington, located in Union Square, New York City. Letters to his family from Rome and Florence allude to his awe of Italy's monuments. Also included are letters from Washington, D.C. during Brown's tenure as a member of the U.S. Art Commission in the 1860s.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Henry Kirke Brown (1814-1886) was an American sculptor and portrait painter born in Leyden, Massachusetts and died in Newburgh, New York.
Provenance:
The Henry Kirke Brown papers were donated to the Archives of American in 1981 by Dorothy Young, who acquired the papers from her husband, an art dealer.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
0.6 Linear feet (ca. 150 photographic prints (partially microfilmed on one reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1877-1931
Scope and Contents:
Primarily photographs, but also includes certificates of award, photocopies of notes and writings; and clippings.
Approximately 150 photographs found in a photo album and loose of art works by Linder. The photos of his sculptures are of female figures and children which he incorporated to create andirons, candleholders, holy water fonts, jewel boxes, punch bowls, decorative wall panels, and other household items. Photographs also include his entries for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 of which his "Oriental Art" won a bronze medal and other exhibition installations. There are three portraits of Linder including a wedding portrait with his wife, Caroling Bock Linder, ca. 1877.
Also found are certificates of award from the Exposition Universelle de 1900, Paris, France and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition; biographical writings and notes collected and created by Raymond Linder regarding his grandfather, ca. 1972 and 1976; and a few clippings (1910-1951).
Biographical / Historical:
Sculptor; born in Brooklyn, New York.
Provenance:
Donated 1976 by Raymond J. Linder, the grandson of Henry Linder, and in 1996 by Raymond J. Linder and Edward P. Taudien, great-grandson of Henry Linder.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Correspondence; biographical material; writings; photographs of Moretti, his wife, his studio, home, gardens, and works of art; and scrapbooks. Some material compiled by Moretti's assistant, Geneva Mercer. Material on Moretti's wife, Dorothea, also included.
Biographical / Historical:
Sculptor; New York City, Alabama, Pittsburg, Pa., and Italy. Born in Tuscany, Italy. Moved to NYC in 1888. He relocated to Alabama in 1901 or 1902 after working on a commission for the Alabama Worlds Fair.
Provenance:
Microfilm purchased from the Birmingham Public Library, 1990.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
The papers of William Couper date from 1872 through 1971 with the bulk of the material dated 1872 through 1908. The collection consists of 0.9 linear feet of letters, photographs, and printed material that document William Couper's career as a sculptor and his family life. Letters are from Couper and his wife to his parents, and to his brother John, discussing family matters, his art training, his travels, and his work in New York. There are also several letters from his father-in-law, sculptor Thomas Ball.
Scope and Content Note:
The William Couper papers span the years 1872 to 1971 with the bulk of the material dated 1872 to 1942, and measure 0.9 linear feet. They consist of letters, photographs, and printed material that document William Couper's career as a sculptor. Letters are from Couper and his wife to his parents, and to his brother John, discussing family matters, his art training, his travels, and his work in New York. There are also several letters from his father-in-law, sculptor Thomas Ball. An index of the letters and transcripts of approximately 70 of the letters were prepared by Couper's nephew Monroe Couper and are filed within the collection.
Also found within the papers are 0.4 linear feet of photographs of Couper and family members, his home in Florence, Italy, and a photograph album and unbound photographs of his art work. There are also clippings and 3 theater programs for productions in which William Couper performed.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 3 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Letters, 1874-1908 (Box 1; 0.4 linear feet; reel 5883)
Series 2: Photographs, 1886-1887 (Box 2-3; 0.4 linear feet; reel 5883)
William Couper was born September 20, 1853 in Norfolk, Virginia, son of John Diedrich Couper and Euphania Monroe Couling Couper. He acquired an interest in sculpture from time spent at his father's company, Couper Marble Works.
After studying at the Cooper Institute in New York, Couper won a scholarship to the Royal Academy at Munich in 1875. Disliking the atmosphere in Munich, he took a place in the studio of Thomas Ball in Florence, Italy in the same year. Couper married Mr. Ball's daughter, Eliza Chickering Ball in 1878, and remained in Florence for over two decades, returning to New York to open a studio in 1897.
In 1901, Couper received a bronze medal at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. His notable works include a series of thirteen heroic busts of scientists for the American Museum of Natural History, a relief sculpture for the Sailors' Memorial in Annapolis, a statue of Capt. John Smith at Jamestown, and a portrait bust of John D. Rockefeller.
Couper retired in 1913 and died later in 1942 in Easton, Maryland.
Provenance:
The William Couper papers were donated by the artist's nephew Monroe Couper to the Archives of American Art in 1992.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy.
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.
3 versions of Alexander P. Rogers' typescript "John Rogers - The Man," and correspondence with magazines regarding it's publication, 1950; typescripts "Recollections of my father, John Rogers (sculptor)," and "Recollections of my mother, Harriet Frances Rogers (1841-1927)," 1940; a handwritten list of John Rogers' finished and unfinished bronzes in the studio at New Canaan, Conn.; clippings on Rogers, 1920-1966; a 1939 wall calendar with prints of Rogers' sculptures; family photographs and a carte-de-visite of John Rogers in his studio; a list of family photographs collected by Alexander P. Rogers which were presented in his memory to the New York Historical Society, and correspondence regarding the NYHS donation.
Biographical / Historical:
Son of American sculptor John Rogers, best known for his popular statuary groups.
Provenance:
Transferred from the National Museum of Art Library, 1990, which purchased the papers along with books on Rogers from Mary Hamilton, of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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.
20.3 Linear feet ( (partially microfilmed on 10 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Place:
New York N.Y. -- Photographs
Date:
1883-1962
Scope and Contents:
Photographs, scrapbooks, printed material, correspondence and business records.
UNMICROFILMED MATERIAL: 4 photograph albums, glass negatives and photographs of works of art by society members; exhibition records; bank records and check stubs; scrapbooks and clippings on the New York Architectural League; and books on Karl Bitter and John Quincy Adams Ward.
REEL D132: 414 photographs and reproductions of sculpture by society members. Information on the back of photographs includes artist, title, location, dimensions, date, price and material.
REEL NJ1: Complete run of National Sculpture Review, the quarterly publication put out by the National Sculpture Society from Dec. 1951 to Spring 1962.
REELS 488-494: Financial and general correspondence; financial records, ledgers, cash books, tax records and check books; a catalog distribution book; publications and clippings; War Memorials Project material; a constitution, membership lists, minutes and an exhibitors' roster.
REEL 3097: Lantern slides of the work of 262 sculptors and views of New York City.
REEL 3161: Mimeographed copies of minutes of the Council of the National Sculpture Society, 1951-1952, kept by Katherine Lane Weems, Chairman of the Library and Research Committee, 1951, and Recording Secretary, 1952.
Biographical / Historical:
Founded in 1893 The society works with architects, art councils, and sponsoring committees in selecting sculptors to execute new works. Assists governmemt art councils with advice on rules for competitions and in preparing exhibitions. Conducts research, maintains an archives and library, and sponsors exhibitions and competitions.
Provenance:
Material on reel D132 lent for microfilming by the National Sculpture Society, 1964. All other material was donated by the society, 1964-1972.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
11.8 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 1 reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1942-ca. 1995
Scope and Contents:
Personal and professional files, the bulk consisting of research material used in publications and his teaching career at Stanford University. Included are correspondence, writings, notes, artists' files, photographs and printed material. A portion of Elsen's files on Seymour Lipton have been microfilmed.
REEL 4047 (0.6 linear ft.): Correspondence between Elsen and Lipton, 1955-1984, including an autobiographical letter written April 1960 by Lipton; draft manuscripts by Elsen, "The Sculpture of Seymour Lipton," with comments by Lipton and his family on Elsen's manuscript, 1965 and 1967, "The Sculpture of Seymour Lipton as a Portrait of the Artist," 1963, and "The Inclusive Sculpture of Seymour Lipton," 1969; writings and notes by Lipton, including his reflections on aesthetics, 1942, and an autobiographical note, 1960; ca. 70 photographs of Lipton's works executed between 1936 and 1968, and nine of exhibition installations at Betty Parsons Gallery, 1958, and the Marlborough-Gerson Gallery, 1965; a few clippings; and exhibition catalogs, 1960-1967.
UNMICROFILMED (11.2 ft.): Personal documents, including draft card, army papers, certificates and awards, and a school yearbook; correspondence with art historians, artists, publishers and others; research files for publications on Auguste Rodin, including Elsen's catalog for the 1981 exhibition "Rodin Rediscovered" at the National Gallery of Art, Paul Jenkins (1973), Law, Ethics and the Visual Artists (1979), and others; transcripts of interviews with Leon Golub, Oct. 12, 1986 (20 p.) and Miriam Schapiro, Nov. 9, 1986 (40 p.), both regarding artistic freedom; teaching files; artists' files; and files on various other art topics.
Biographical / Historical:
Art historian and educator; Stanford, California. Died 1995. Author of several publications on Auguste Rodin, and on sculptors Seymour Lipton, Paul Jenkins, James Rosati, and other general works on sculpture and art appreciation, including Purposes of Art: Introduction to the History of Appreciation of Art.
Related Materials:
Papers of Albert Edward Elsen, 1965-1994, are also located at Stanford University's University Archives.
Provenance:
Lipton related material on reel 4047 donated 1987 by Elsen. He donated an additional 0.2 ft. on Lipton in 1991. The remainder donated 1995 by his widow, Sharon Elsen.
5.7 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 3 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Date:
[187-]-1979
Scope and Contents:
Biographical material, correspondence, writings, art works, legal and financial records, scrapbook, photographic and printing material, and printed matter.
Biographical materials include a copy of Henry Hudson Kitson's birth certificate; his confirmation certificate; a copy of the death certificate of his father, John Kitson; a photograph of the honorable mention certificate received by Theo Ruggles (Kitson) for "Young Orpheus" from the Societe des Artistes Francais, 1890; a letter of reference for her from sculptor George F. Bissell, 1901; her will; calling cards from those who attended her funeral, 1932; biographical data on Henry Kitson; genealogical data on the Kitson family; an incomplete list of works by the Kitsons compiled by Dorothy Patricia Cavanagh; and a diary by Henry Kitson, 1902-1904, containing brief entries pertaining to his daily life and work.
Personal and professional correspondence includes letters from Theo to Henry from Paris, 1890, including an illustrated letter to "my own darling child" (? Henry Kitson) describing her award ceremonies at the Salon, an illustrated letter to her father, written from Rome, describing the city, a letter from Henry Kitson to Miss Tower, ca. 1899, about putting the Minutemen Memorial in Tower Park, Lexington, Mass., letters from him to his wife, 1903, and to "Babsy" (his daughter, Theo), undated, with sketches for constructing a fence and a stone wall, a letter from Alexander J. Schottes, 1905?, containing descriptions and sketches of the studios of Daniel Chester French, Charles Grafly, Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Louis Saint-Gaudens, copies of letters from Kitson to the secretary of Queen Wilhelmina of Holland requesting photos preparatory to making a bust of the Queen, letters from the War Dept. to the Kitsons about their work at Vicksburg, Miss., and letters to Theo from the Gorham Manufacturing Company. Posthumous correspondence includes letters to the Kitsons' son John, his wife Helen, and her sister, Dorothy P. Cavanagh, from sculptor Lee Lawrie, sculptor Milton Horn and his wife, Estelle.
Writings include a poem by Henry Kitson; a description of a "Visit to a Bronze Foundry" (Gruet, Fils, Paris), author unknown, undated; reminiscences by sculptor Lee Lawrie; and a remembrance of Lawrie by Dorothy P. Cavanagh, 1963.
Art works include a childhood sketch by Theo Kitson of her home in Brookline, Massachusetts; sketches of animals; several sketches by her, possibly for monuments; unidentified sketches, chiefly of possible monument designs, probably by one of the Kitsons; a rendering by an architectural firm of a bas-relief designed by Henry Kitson, 1935; 2 caricatures of Kitson by Hiram Jay; an etching by Robert Kitson, 1891; various sketches of Japanese figures and costumes by Hiroshi Yoshida, 1910; and 2 pastels by T. (?) Walser of "Stonegate" (?), home of the Kitsons in Framingham Centre, Mass. Also iIncluded are 4 steel dies for bas-reliefs.
Legal records 1895-1940, include specifications for the Soldiers' Memorial, Vicksburg, Miss., numerous contracts for works by the Kitsons, copyright receipts and certificates, and deeds for sale of real estate. Financial records, 1882-1946, include invoices for casting for Henry Kitson, his bank statements, 1931-32, and his promissory notes.
A large scrapbook, 1888-1954, annotated by Dorothy P. Cavanagh, contains clippings, genealogical information on the Kitson family, photos of works by the Kitsons, personal photographs, correspondence, including letters from Henry Kitson to his future wife, 1892, and postcards to her and their children, a humorous resolution about the "Regiment of Macaroonies," written by Henry Kitson's friends in Paris, 1888, invitations, agreements for sculpture, copies of speeches given at the University of Minnesota for the Student Soldier Memorial Monument dedication.
Photographs are of the Kitsons, their family, homes, studios, Paris, ca. 1900, and their work, including photos of oxen hauling the granite boulder for the base of the "Volunteer" by Theo Kitson from Quincy, Mass. to Vicksburg, Miss., 1904, and scenes of the dedication of the monument. In addition, there are 7 photos of "Work in Progress" by Ellin and Kitson and Company for the Equitable Building, New York, 1887, a photo of the Astor Memorial, Trinity Church, New York, which the firm also worked on, and 6 undated photographs of works by Samuel Kitson.Also included are glass negatives of the Kitson's work.
Printed materials date from 1884-1979.
Biographical / Historical:
Sculptors; Boston, Mass. Henry Hudson Kitson's actual name was Harry Kitson. Theo(dora) Alice Ruggles became his student in 1886 at the age of 15; in 1893 they were married and were notable monumental and portrait sculptors by the turn of the century. They had three children: Theo (also known as Babsy or Babbins), Dorothy and John. Three years after Theo's death, in 1935, Henry married Marie Hobron.
Related Materials:
Additional Kitson letters also located at: New York Historical Society.
Provenance:
The donor, Dorothy P. Cavanagh, was the sister of the Kitsons' daughter-in-law Helen (wife of John), and was writing a biography on the Kitsons up until her death in 1986. The microfilmed material was originally loaned by Cavanagh June 28, 1982 and September 12, 1986, and then donated upon her death by her nephew and executor, Paul Bennet. The unmicrofilmed material was donated by Cavanagh in 1973 and 1976.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Correspondence, biographical sketch, account records, notebooks, sketchbooks, photographs and catalogs.
REEL 501: 15 letters, most regarding commissions, one describing a method of cleaning marble sculptures, and two from ----- Miller asking advice on the casting of bronze and clarifying a working agreement between Miller and Rogers. In addition there are 6 articles of agreement, a biographical sketch of Rogers by his wife Rosa G. Rogers, account records, a daybook, a notebook "Brevi Appunti di Storia Moderna", 2 sketchbooks and 20 loose sketches, 2 photographs of Rogers, 35 photographs of Rogers' work, catalogs of Rogers' work at the University of Michigan Art Museum, and 5 letters of his son John R. Rogers.
REEL 3471: Letters from Rogers' granddaughter Elizabeth Torson to Mrs. Soria about Rogers; 10 sketches by Rogers; photographs, and family tree.
Biographical / Historical:
Sculptor; Rome, Italy. Born Waterloo, N.Y. Works include figures on Washington Monument, Richmond, Va., military commissions in Cincinnati, Detroit, Providence, seated Lincoln in Philadelphia, and others.
Provenance:
Material on reel 501 was lent for microfilming in 1973 by the Michigan Historical Collection, who received the papers along with Rogers' unfinished plaster casts. The photographs and family tree on reel 3471 weredonated by Elizabeth Torson and Mrs. Daddi, Rogers' granddaughters. Mrs. Lita Bloodgood, a friend of Rogers' descendants, donated the sketches.
0.2 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 2 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1858-1982
Scope and Contents:
Letters, typescripts, notes, printed material and photographs regarding sculptor Edmond Romulus Amateis, and artist Francis Davis Millet.
REEL 1817 (fr. 136-141): Three copyprint photographs, including: one of Amateis, ca.1960; one of Amateis and other sculptors of the Labor and Interstate Commerce Building, Washington, D.C., ca. 1934; and one of Amateis seated in front of his work for the Department of Labor and Interstate Commerce Building in Paul Denivelle's studio hangar, San Francisco Presido, 1935. Photographers are unidentified. All are loaned copyprints and cannot be scanned.
REEL 2813: A letter (9 p.) from Amateis to Goode describing his life and work, May 27, 1975.
UNMICROFILMED: Letters, notes, typescripts and printed material regarding artist Francis Davis Millet. Included are typed extracts from the diary of Millet, 1858, 1864, and 1904, and published printed material by Goode.
Biographical / Historical:
Curator, architectural historian; Washington, D.C. Born 1939.
Provenance:
Photographs on reel 1817 lent for copying by Goode, 1973; copyprints were microfilmed in 1980 with AAA's Photographs of Artists-Collection II. The letter on reel 2813 donated 1975 by Goode via curator Harry Lowe, and the unmicrofilmed material re Millet was donated 1983 by Goode.
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 19th century -- United States Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States Search this
