The collection consists of posters created for the Indian Court exhibit at the Golden Gate International Exposition. The posters were created as part of the Federal Art Project (FAP) of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The designs were adapted by Louis Siegriest from work produced by indigenous artists. The artists who contributed resource material received limited recognition for their work; some remain unknown.
Siegriest created eight (8) posters for the Indian Court exhibit. This collection includes one complete set of all eight (8) posters and one (1) explanatory label, and one incomplete set of seven (7) posters.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Biographical Note:
Louis Bassi Siegriest (1899-1989) was an American painter and commerical artist based in California.
Historical Note:
The Golden Gate International Exposition (1939=1940) was a World's Fair celebrating "Pacific Unity" and the opening of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 4883
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art holds the Louis Siegriest papers and an Oral history interview with Louis Siegriest.
Provenance:
The provenance of the collection is unknown. It is possible that the two sets of posters were received from different sources.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Works of art
Posters
Citation:
MS 4883 Posters from the Indian Court in the Federal Building at the Golden Gate International Exposition, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Correspondence; notes and writings by Woods and his students; printed material; photographs of Woods and his work; 4 sketches and drawings by his students, undated; 1 certificate from San Francisco Art Institute, undated, various subject files, 1948-1981.
Included are: correspondence with Grace McCann Morley, Jock Reynolds, Richard Hayton, Sean Elwood and others, 1960-1987; notes and writings by Woods and his students; student drawings by Joan Brown and others, and original Christmas cards received; clippings, 1955-1978; files on the San Francisco Art Festival, 1950-1951, San Francisco Art Association, the San Francisco Art Commission, the San Francisco Museum of Art, and other events and topics; gallery announcements, posters and exhibition catalogs;
writings by Woods including commencement addresses, lectures, proposals and one manuscript "New Prospects in Design Education"; proposals for long range development of the visual arts program at the University of California at Santa Cruz (1970-1979); and photographs and slides of Woods and his artwork.
ADDITION: One b&w photograph of Louis Siegriest and his son Lundy; one b&w photograph of Jay DeFeo, ca. 1960; and two exhibition catalogs on the Siegriests, 1980 and 1986; newspaper review of Woods' 1993 exhibit.
Biographical / Historical:
Sculptor and art instructor; San Francisco and Santa Cruz, California.
Provenance:
Material donated 1991 and 1992 by Gurdon Woods.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Occupation:
Art teachers -- California -- Santa Cruz Search this
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Louis Siegriest, 1978 June 21. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Painters -- California -- Oakland -- Interviews Search this
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Louis Siegriest, 1975 April 5. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
0.9 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 2 reels))
4.3 Linear feet (Addition)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Date:
1927-1981
Scope and Contents:
Art works, biographical material, correspondence, an interview, exhibition material, writings, and printed materials.
REELS 3978-3979: Biographical material; letters from Selden Gile, 1927-1928, photocopies of letters from Siegriest to Mae Westaway, 1951-1956, and other letters; a typescript of an essay, "The Society of Six," by Edward Dora; a transcript of an interview with Siegriest conducted by Corinne Gilb, 1954; photographs of Siegriest, Edna Stoddart, Hazel Guggenheim, and others; financial and legal documents; and exhibition catalogs, announcements, clippings and other printed material.
UNMICROFILMED: Works of art by Siegriest, including 3 progressive proofs and 37 completed silkscreen posters for the Indian Court Federal Building, Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco, 1939; a signed silkscreen poster for the Frontiers of American Art National Exhibition, M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, 1939; and nine signed studies for posters. Many of the posters were done for the Federal Art Project.
ADDITION: Correspondence, clippings, catalogs, announcements, personal photographs, junior high school notebooks, and family papers.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter and graphic artist; Oakland, California.
Other Title:
Louis Siegriest and Edna Stoddart papers (microfilm title)
Provenance:
Donated 1980-1981 by Louis Siegriest, and in 1992 by the Siegriest estate via Suzanne Westaway, executor.
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.
Addition: Unmicrofilmed; use requires an appointment and is limited to AAA's Washington, DC, office.
Photographs taken or compiled by Karlstrom as Director and Area Collector for the Archives of American Art, including: six color snapshots and five negatives of Louis Siegriest and Nathan Oliveira taken during an oral history interview of Siegriest conducted by Karlstrom; 7 color slides of Edward Kienholz, taken at Kienholz's home in Hope, Idaho, 1975; and 2 snapshots of Beatrice Wood, 1992, taken during an oral history interview session. Also donated is one snapshot of Wood taken by an unknown photographer, Nov. 3, 1993, at Scripps College, Calif.
Biographical / Historical:
Karlstrom: Director and area collector of the Archives of American Art, San Francisco office. Siegriest: painter and graphic artist; Oakland, California. Oliveira: painter and teacher; Stanford, California. Keinholz: assemblage artist; California and Idaho. Wood: Ceramist, Calif.
Provenance:
Donated by Paul Karlstrom 1980-2001.
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.
Interview of Louis B. Siegriest, conducted 1975 April 5, by Paul Karlstrom and Nathan Oliveira, for the Archives of American Art, at Mr. Siegriest's home, in Oakland, California. Siegriest and Oliveira speak of his early career; the Society of Six; and the Bay Area figurative school. He recalls Perham Nahl, Bernard "Red" von Eichman, Bob Howard, Frank Van Sloun, Ruth Armer, Constance Macky, Lee Randolph, John Winkler, Maurice del Mue, Maynard Dixon, Willard Cox, Louis Hughes, Seldon Gile, August Gay, Xavier Martinez, Gottardo Piazzoni, Ralph Stackpole, Theodore Wores, Bill Gaw, William Henry Clapp, Terry St. John, Galka Scheyer, Maurice Logan, C.S. Price, Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Richard Diebenkorn, David Park, Elmer Bischoff, Frank Lobdell, Clifford Still, Diego Rivera, Otis Oldfield, Edna Stoddart, Johan Hagemeyer, and many others.
Biographical / Historical:
Louis Siegriest (1899-1989) was a painter from Oakland, California. Full name is Louis Bassi Siegriest.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 13 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 is available on the Archives of American Art's website.
United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Extent:
2 Posters
Container:
Folder 1
Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Graphic Materials
Posters
Local Numbers:
NAA INV 08818200
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
MS 4883 Posters from the Indian Court in the Federal Building at the Golden Gate International Exposition, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Extent:
2 Posters
Container:
Folder 1
Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Graphic Materials
Posters
Local Numbers:
NAA INV 08818300
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
MS 4883 Posters from the Indian Court in the Federal Building at the Golden Gate International Exposition, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Extent:
2 Posters
Container:
Folder 1
Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Graphic Materials
Posters
Local Numbers:
NAA INV 08818400
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
MS 4883 Posters from the Indian Court in the Federal Building at the Golden Gate International Exposition, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Extent:
2 Drawings
Container:
Folder 1
Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Graphic Materials
Drawings
Local Numbers:
NAA INV 08818500
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
MS 4883 Posters from the Indian Court in the Federal Building at the Golden Gate International Exposition, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Extent:
2 Posters
Container:
Folder 1
Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Graphic Materials
Posters
Local Numbers:
NAA INV 08818600
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
MS 4883 Posters from the Indian Court in the Federal Building at the Golden Gate International Exposition, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Extent:
2 Posters
Container:
Folder 1
Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Graphic Materials
Posters
Local Numbers:
NAA INV 08818700
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
MS 4883 Posters from the Indian Court in the Federal Building at the Golden Gate International Exposition, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Extent:
2 Posters
Container:
Folder 1
Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Graphic Materials
Posters
Local Numbers:
NAA INV 08818800
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
MS 4883 Posters from the Indian Court in the Federal Building at the Golden Gate International Exposition, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Extent:
1 Poster
Container:
Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Graphic Materials
Posters
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
MS 4883 Posters from the Indian Court in the Federal Building at the Golden Gate International Exposition, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Extent:
1 Poster
Container:
Folder 1
Type:
Archival materials
Graphic Materials
Posters
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
MS 4883 Posters from the Indian Court in the Federal Building at the Golden Gate International Exposition, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
An interview of Louis Siegriest conducted 1978 June 21, by Terry St. John and Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.
Siegriest speaks of his background; studying with Frank Van Sloun at the Mark Hopkins School; the Society of Six and its members, Seldon Gile, Bernard Von Eichman, Maurice Logan, William Clapp, and August Gay; living in Milwaukee and working in commercial art; returning to San Francisco and pursuing landscape painting; working for the WPA under Rene D'Harnoncourt; doing camouflage work with the U.S. Army in World War II; a controversy about and cancellation of an exhibit of his work at the De Young Museum; collage in the 1950s; his travels; the Bay area art scene; his associations with younger artists; his recent work.
Biographical / Historical:
Louis Siegriest (1899-1989) was a painter from Oakland, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 15 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.
Topic:
Painters -- California -- Oakland -- Interviews Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sponsor:
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Thirty-nine letters, mostly thank-yous, to Sinton from mainly San Francisco Bay Area artists Carlo Anderson, Bella T. Feldman, Nathan Oliviera, Henri Marie Rose, Louis Siegriest, Wayne Thiebaud, Beth Van Hoesen and others; and a clipping dated September 16, 1967, about the poetry of Kenneth Patchen.
Biographical / Historical:
Art collector; Hillsborough, Calif.
Provenance:
Donated 1985 by Ruth Steiner, daughter of Marian Sinton. The material formed part of a larger collection of prints and drawings from the estate of the late Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Sinton and donated to the Achenbach Foundation for the Graphic Arts, California Palace of the Legion of Honor (Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco).
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.
