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:
Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection, 1813-1953, bulk 1915-1925. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This file includes notes from an interview with Kim Kodani and Beth Blake, a transcript of Beth Blake's oral history, and a profile of Blake in the February 1939 California Monthly.
Collection 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.
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:
Chiura Obata papers, circa 1891-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.
The papers of southwest painter and illustrator Ernest Blumenschein measure 2.1 linear feet and date from 1873-1964. The collection documents Blumenschein's artistic career, his relationship with his wife and daughter, his love of the American southwest, and his involvement in the art community of Taos, New Mexico. Found are biographical materials, personal and professional correspondence, scattered personal business records, writings, a large amount of juvenilia artwork, and photographs of artwork.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of southwest painter and illustrator Ernest Blumenschein measure 2.1 linear feet and date from 1873-1964. The collection documents Blumenschein's artistic career, his relationship with his wife and daughter, his love of the American southwest, and his involvement in the art community of Taos, New Mexico. Found are biographical materials, personal and professional correspondence, scattered personal business records, writings, a large amount of juvenilia artwork, and photographs of artwork.
Biographical materials include biographical sketches, school notebooks and curriculum vita, family genealogical materials and other family records, certificates, diplomas, and materials commemorating Blumenschein's election to the National Academy of Design. Also found are scattered ephemera items, such as membership cards, tickets, and travel materials.
Correspondence consists primarily of letters between Blumenschein, his wife Mary, and his daughter Helen. These discuss Blumeschein's career, domestic life, financial matters, Helen's schooling, and travel. Blumenschein's activities during World War I are documented by correspondence with the Committee of Public Information, the Salmagundi Club, and with Aide de Camps of army bases. There are a few letters from other artists and writers including William Glackens, Walt Kuhn, Ward Lockwood, Booth Tarkington, and a long letter from Cass Gilbert.
Scattered personal business records consist of a guest list, a list of Blumenschein works in a private collection, a jury duty certificate, and a car payment record.
Writings include personal, critical, and creative writings. There are writings by Blumenschein about the founding of the Taos Society of Artists and the artistic community of Taos and his memoirs about his first trip to Taos. Additional writings include a satirical discussion of modern art, and essays about artists John Gaw Meem, Joseph Henry Sharp, and Walter Ufer, and discussions of select paintings. Blumenschein also wrote of his travels in Paris, Switzerland, and Pittsburgh, as well as about French churches and cemeteries. Creative writings explore the landscape, life and culture of the American southwest.
Artwork consists primarily of fourteen folders of Blumenschein's illustrations for "Tomfoolery," a handwritten and hand drawn magazine that Blumenschein contributed to in high school. His illustrations for "Tomfoolery" include portraits, caricatures, and sequential art. Also found is one folder of small sketches.
Printed materials about Blumenschein include clippings, exhibition announcements, and exhibition catalogs. There are also brochures related to the Taos Art Colony and a 1902 menu for a Salmagundi Club program/dinner Also found here is a 1915 signed menu from a National Academy of Design event signed by Gifford Beal, George Bellows, and Eugene Spiecher among others.
Photographs include two portraits of Blumenschein and a group portrait of National Academy of Design members that includes Blumenschein. There are also photographs of Blumeschein's artwork and installation views of Blumenschein exhibitions.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 7 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1873-1971 (Boxes 1, OV1; 17 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1891-1970 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1918-1950s (Box 1; 4 folders)
Series 4: Writings, 1880s-1959 (Box 1-2; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 5: Artwork, 1888-1925 (Box 2; 0.25 linear feet)
Series 6: Printed Materials, 1891-1964 (Box 2, OV1; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 7: Photographs, 1880s-1955 (Box 2, OV1; 0.25 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Ernest Blumenschein was born on May 26th, 1874 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He moved to Dayton, Ohio at the age of four, the same year his mother died. His father was a professional musician and composer, who chiefly made his living as a conductor of large choruses. During high school he contributed illustrations to "Tomfoolery," a handwritten and hand drawn weekly humor magazine. Besides his artistic talents, Ernest Blumenschein was a skilled violin player, and was awarded a scholarship to the Cincinnati College of Music. In 1892, Blumenschein auditioned for the New York National Conservatory, and was chosen by Anton Dvorak for the role of first violin. With the income from playing violin, Blumenschein attended classes at the Art Students League.
In 1892, Ernest Blumenschein first traveled to Paris to study at the Académie Julian. While in Paris, he met Joseph Henry Sharp who inspired Blumenschein with his stories and sketches of the American southwest, particularly the Taos area. He returned to American in 1896, rented a studio with another Académie Julian student Bert Phillips, and began a successful career as a commercial illustrator working for magazines such as Century, Harper's, Scribner's, and McClure's.
Blumenschein first visited Taos in the fall of 1898 while traveling en route to Mexico on a sketching trip with Phillips. A wheel on the wagon carrying their belongings broke and they took it to the nearest blacksmith in the area, which was in Taos. Upon arriving at Taos, Blumenschein was struck by the "the superb beauty and serenity" of the landscape and was "stirred deeply." The town made a strong impact on both Blumenschein and Phillips, but while Phillips decided to stay, Blumenschein returned to New York for a short while and continued working as an illustrator. The following year Blumenschein decided to concentrate on painting, and re-enrolled at the Académie Julian while supporting himself with his commercial work. In 1903, he met Mary Greene, an American painter living in Paris and they married in 1905, and began sharing a Paris studio. Their daughter and only child, Helen, was born in November of 1909.
While Ernest Blumenschein continued to study in Paris, he also kept working as an illustrator, supporting himself easily. His illustration work was much in demand by American magazines and book publishers. Blumenschein was commissioned to illustrate Jack London's first book, Love of Life, in 1904. He also worked with other famous writers such as Stephen Crane, Willa Cather, and Joseph Conrad.
Upon returning to New York after the birth of their daughter, Ernest and Mary taught at the Pratt Institute. Ernest spent every summer in Taos. In 1919, the family moved permanently to Taos, with Helen returning to New York for school. It was during this time that Blumenschein co-founded the Taos Society of Artists and became part of the Taos art colony. For four decades, Blumenschein created paintings of the landscape, local inhabitants, the Taos Pueblo culture, and city skylines. He won numerous awards for his work and exhibited widely. His work was responsible for changing perceptions about the native culture and peoples of the area - the Navajo and Pueblo Indians. Blumenschein also indulged his love of the outdoors and sports. He avidly camped, played tennis, and was part of the Taos amateur baseball team. His artistic output in the 1950s was hampered by his declining health, and the death of Mary in 1958. Blumenschein died in June of 1960, and his ashes are repositioned at the Taos Pueblo Reservation.
Related Material:
Found in the Archives of American Art is a small collection of "Ernest Blumenschein letters and transcripts", available on microfilm reel 3281, and consisting of eleven letters between Blumenschein and Thomas Gilcrease, a letter between Helen Blumenschein and Gilcrease, and the transcript of a 1958 radio interview with Blumenschein.
Additionally, the Fray Angélico Chávez History Library in Santa Fe, New Mexico holds papers related to Ernest Blumenschein, Mary Greene Blumenschein, and Helen Greene Blumenschein.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art by Helen Greene Blumenschein, Ernest Blumenschein's daughter, in 1971.
Restrictions:
Use of the original papers requires an appointment.
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.
[Notes For Talk On Early Days Of Taos Society Of Artists]
Collection Creator:
Blumenschein, Ernest Leonard, 1874-1960 Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 110
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1920s-1940s
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the original papers requires an appointment.
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:
Ernest Blumenschein papers, 1873-1964. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Blumenschein, Ernest Leonard, 1874-1960 Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 5
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1965
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the original papers requires an appointment.
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:
Ernest Blumenschein papers, 1873-1964. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference 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:
Mary Fanton Roberts papers, 1880-1956. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
1 Microfilm reel (21 items on partial microfilm reel)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilm reels
Place:
United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945
United States -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945
Date:
1933-1938
Scope and Contents:
This microfilm collection of the Kenneth Miller Adams papers consists of a letter, dated December 1933, from a Public Works of Art Project official on a routine matter, and a letter, dated May 1933, from Cecil H. Jones of the Treasury Relief Art Project in which Jones tells Adams he is trying to have him transferred to the WPA Federal Arts Project. Also included is correspondence, 1936-1937, with Edward Rowan and others of the Section of Fine Arts regarding Section mural competitions. This correspondence includes contracts for two murals painted by Adams – one in Goodland, Kansas (1936) depicting a scene with a figure and a buggy, and one in Deming, New Mexico (1937) entitled Mountains and Yucca. A photograph of each of the murals is also included.
Biographical / Historical:
Kenneth Miller Adams (1897-1966) was a painter, muralist, and lithographer in New Mexico. Born in Topeka, Kansas, he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League before serving in World War I. In 1924 he moved to Taos, New Mexico and joined the Taos Society of Artists. In 1933 he worked for the Treasury Relief Art Project and the Public Works of Art Project. He moved to Albuquerque in 1938 and later taught at the University of New Mexico until he retired in 1963. Adams was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1961.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the oral history interview with Kenneth M. Adams, 1964 April 23 conducted by Sylvia Glidden Loomis.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1964 by Kenneth Miller Adams.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Constitution and by-laws; minutes of meetings, 1915-1925; reports of the President, Secretary and Treasurer, 1921-1925; letters, 1922-1925, from the American Federation of Arts, Art Association of Boulder, Cyrus Boutwell, Cleveland Museum of Art, Feragil Galleries, George E. Gage, The H. Lieber Company, Indianapolis, Howard Young Galleries, New York City, Robert Henri, School of American Research, Museum of New Mexico, Birger Sandzen, Springfield Art Association, Traxel Art Company, Cincinnati, Worcester Art Museum, Yunt Art Galleries, Oklahoma City and others; financial data, 1922-1925; a list of members, 1924-1925; a price list of paintings, ca. 1923; exhibition catalogs and clippings; Ernest L. Blumenschein's article, 1926, "Origin of the Taos Art Colony;" and correspondence, 1946 and 1948, of Reginald Fisher with Joseph H. Sharp and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Art society; Taos, New Mexico. Founded 1914.
Provenance:
Microfilmed as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project.
Donated 1984 by the Museum of New Mexico. Photocopies of originals discarded after microfilming.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Ca. 100 artists' files, 1920s-1980s, compiled by the Harwood Foundation, Taos, New Mexico. Also included are files on the Taos Society of Artists, the "Taos Six," and Taos Writers. The files contain biographical data, correspondence, letters from researchers, price lists for works of art, exhibition announcements, catalogs and invitations, newspaper clippings, press releases, printed material, and photographs of works of art.
REELS 3255-3256: Files on: William Acheff, Kenneth Adams, Patrocinio Barela, Gustave Baumann, Tom Benrimo, Oscar E. Berninghaus, Morris Blackburn, Ernest L. Blumenschein, Mary Shepard Blumenschein, Helen Greene Blumenschein, Dorothy Engeme Brett, Lawrence Calcagno, Elizabeth Campbell, Louis Catusco, Howard Norton Cook, Regina Tatum Cooke, Ron Cooper, Eanger Irving Couse, Catherine Carter Critcher, Andrew Dasburg, Rex Dolmith, William Herbert Dunton, Ted Egri, R. C. Ellis, Nicolai Fechin, Joseph Amadeus Fleck and Alyce Frank.
REELS 3241-3243: Files on: Louise Ganthiers, Leon Gaspard, R. C. Gorman, Blanche Chloe Grant, Worthington E. Hagerman, Barbara Harmon, Elihu Buritt Harwood, Lucy Case Harwood, Claire Haye, Margaret Henn, E. Martin Hennings, Victor Higgins, Joseph Adam Andrew John Imhof, Ned Jacob, Rebecca Salsbury James, Juanita Jaramillo, Walter Willard Johnson, Dora Deborah Kaminsky, Eleanora Kissel, Alice Geneva Glasier Kloss, Jonathan Krout, Susan Kulbacki, Mario Larrinaga, Barbara Latham, D. H. Lawrence, Gisella Loeffler, John Ward Lockwood, Mabel Dodge Luhan, Max Luna, Ila Turner Mcafee, Leal Mack, Beatrice Mandelman, John Marin, Agnes Martin, Willard Midgette, Loren Norman Mozley, Georgia O' Keeffe, Bert G. Phillips, Kenneth G. Price, Angelino Ravagli, Robert Donald Ray, Doel Reed, Charles Henry Reynolds, Louis Ribak, Wesley A. Russell, Leon Gorge Salazar, Bob Saltzman, Fritz Scholder, Jonathan Scott, Joseph Henry Sharp, Mary Shiras, Eugenie Frederica Shonnard, Hyde Solomon, Clay Edgar Spohn, Charles C. Stewart, Bettina Blair Steinke, Earl Stroh, Rita Sutcliffe, Michio Takayama, Yaki Takayma, The Taos Six: Ron Barsano, Robert A. Daughters, Rod Goebel, Walter Gonske, Julian Robles, Ray Vinella, Taos Society of Artists, Taos Writers, Charles W. Thwaites, Mildred Tolbert, Walter Ufer, Harold Joe Waldrum, Randy Lee White, Connie Witt, John Young-Hunter and Artists Biography Files, General A-Z.
Biographical / Historical:
Art organization; Taos, New Mexico. Founded 1923 by Lucy Harwood, and conveyed to the University of New Mexico in 1935.
Provenance:
Microfilmed as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project.
Lent for microfilming 1984 by the Harwood Foundation of the University of New Mexico.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
