Correspondence of Roosevelt, Edward Bruce, Nelson Rockefeller, Hopkins, George Biddle, William Zorach, Olin Dows, Rockwell Kent and others regarding the Public Works of Art Project, the Federal Theater Project, and the Federal Art Project; reports on regional Federal Art Project offices in Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Pennsylvania; shipping receipts for works of art; clippings; photographs of works of art; correspondence between White House staff and members of the American Institute of Architects concerning federal architecture, 1934; correspondence of Edgar Chambless regarding his urban design, "Roadtown"; and miscellaneous correspondence.
Biographical / Historical:
President of the United States of America, 1933-1945. Instituted the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and its programs. Harry L. Hopkins was the Director of the WPA. The Federal Art Project was one of five projects in Federal Project No. 1 of the WPA. Holger Cahill was director.
Provenance:
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library donated the microfilm copies of these papers to AAA in 1982. The microfilming was done by the donor.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Rights:
Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park N.Y. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Milliken, William Mathewson, 1889-1978 Search this
Extent:
5 Linear feet ((on 3 microfilm reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1932-1973
Scope and Contents:
Research material and papers emanating from a seminar conducted by Dr. Marling at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, 1972-1973. The material concerns WPA-FAP, PWAP, and TRAP projects carried on in Ohio, 1932-1943. Included are correspondence and transcripts of interviews with William McVey, Edris Eckhardt, William Milliken, Clarence Carter and other federally employed artists and supervisors. In addition there are employment records, records of a PWAP exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1934, photographs, clippings, and other printed material.
Biographical / Historical:
Historian; Ohio.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1973 by Dr. Karal Marling.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
United States. Dept. of the Treasury. Section of Fine Arts Search this
Milliken, William Mathewson, 1889-1978 Search this
Extent:
1 Linear foot ((on 2 microfilm reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Place:
United States -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945
United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945
Date:
1933-1939
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence; financial reports; project reports and bulletins of the Public Works of Art Project; correspondence with William Milliken, Director of Region 9 of the PWAP, relating to the administration of PWAP and Treasury Relief Art Project; applications; work reports and letters from aritsts about their projects, analyses of their work in questionnaire format; minutes; photographs; clippings; and miscellaneous papers relating to Treasury Department art projects in Indiana.
Biographical / Historical:
Wilbur D. Peat (1898-1966) was the Divisional Manager of the Public Works of Art Project in Region 9, which included Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky. He was also the director of the John Herron Museum of Art in Indianapolis (later the Indianapolis Museum of Art), from 1929-1965.
Provenance:
Donated 1965 by Wilbur D. Peat.
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.
The papers of sculptor and educator Concetta Scaravaglione measure 2.9 linear feet and date from 1916 to 1976. The papers document Scaravaglione's career through biographical material, correspondence, writings, professional files, personal business records, printed material, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor and educator Concetta Scaravaglione measure 2.9 linear feet and date from 1916 to 1976. The papers document Scaravaglione's career through biographical material, correspondence, writings, professional files, personal business records, printed material, and photographs.
Arrangement:
The papers are arranged as 7 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1916-1975 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1920-1976 (1 linear foot; Boxes 1-2)
Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1930-1970s (0.1 linear feet; Box 2)
Series 4: Professional Files, 1931-1968 (0.2 linear feet; Box 2)
Series 5: Personal Business Records, 1937-1973 (3 folders; Box 2)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1924-1974 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 2-4)
Series 7: Photographs, circa 1920s-1970s (0.4 linear feet, Box 4, OV5)
Biographical / Historical:
Concetta Maria Scaravaglione (1900-1975) was a sculptor and educator from New York City, New York. She participated in the Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture under the Works Progress Administration.
Scaravaglione was born to Italian immigrants in 1900 in New York City. She began her study of art at the National Academy of Design, but her classes were cut due to the institution's decision to end co-educational classes. She secured a scholarship to the Art Students League in the mid-1920s and also accepted a grant to study at the Louis Comfort Tiffany Institute in Oyster Bay, New York.
During the Great Depression, Scaravaglione completed four commissions for the Treasury Relief Art Project, notably works for a post office in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania and the Federal Trade Commission Building in Washington, D.C. Subsequently, she had a long teaching career at Vassar College, the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, the American Academy in Rome, and Black Mountain College.
Concetta Scaravaglione died in New York City in 1975.
Provenance:
The papers were donated in 1976 by Edward J. Scarvalone, Scaravaglione's nephew.
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 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:
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Sculpture -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Concetta Maria Scaravaglione papers, 1916-1976. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Processing of this collection received federal support from the Collections Care Initiative Fund, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative and the National Collections Program
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:
Concetta Maria Scaravaglione papers, 1916-1976. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Processing of this collection received federal support from the Collections Care Initiative Fund, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative and the National Collections Program
The papers of Holger Cahill (1887-1960) date from 1910 to 1993, with the bulk of the material dating from 1910-1960, and measure 15.8 linear feet. The collection offers researchers fairly comprehensive documentation of Cahill's directorship of the Works Progress/Projects Administration's (WPA) Federal Art Project (FAP) in addition to series documenting his work as a writer and art critic. Material includes correspondence, reports, artist files, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of Holger Cahill (1887-1960) date from 1910 to 1993, bulk 1910-1960, and measure 15.8 linear feet. The collection offers researchers fairly comprehensive documentation of Cahill's directorship of the FAP in addition to series documenting his work as a writer and art critic. FAP records include national and state administrative reports, records of community art centers, photographic documentation of state activities, artist files, divisional records about teaching, crafts, murals, and poster work, files concerning the Index of American Design, scrapbooks, and printed material.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into nine series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material and Personal Papers, 1931-1988 (Box 1; 19 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence Files, 1922-1979, 1993 (Boxes 1-2; 1.5 linear ft.)
Series 3: Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project, 1934-1970 (Boxes 2-14, 18, MMs009; 10.75 linear ft.)
Series 4: Writings, Lectures and Speeches, 1916-1960 (Boxes 14-15, 18; 1.0 linear ft.)
Series 5: Minutes of Meetings and Panel Discussions, Non-FAP, 1939-1947 (Box 15; 5 folders)
Series 6: Notes and Research Material, 1935-1970 (Boxes 15-16; 0.25 linear ft.)
Series 7: Artwork, undated (Boxes 16, 18; 2 folders)
Series 8: Printed Material, 1910-1985 (Boxes 16-17; 1.8 linear ft.)
Series 9: Photographs, circa 1917-1960 (Box 17; 6 folders)
Biographical Note:
Holger Cahill was born Sveinn Kristjan Bjarnarson in Iceland in a small valley near the Arctic Circle, on January 13, 1887. His parents, Bjorn Jonson and Vigdis Bjarnadottir, immigrated to the United States from Iceland sometime later in the 1880s. In 1904, his father deserted the family, forcing Sveinn to be separated from his mother and sister to work on a farm in North Dakota. He ran away and wandered from job to job until settling in an orphanage in western Canada, where he attended school and became a voracious reader.
As a young man, he worked at many different jobs and attended night school. While working on a freighter, he visited Hong Kong, beginning his life-long interest in the Orient. Returning to New York City, he eventually became a newspaper reporter, continued his studies at New York University, and changed his name to Edgar Holger Cahill. In 1919 he married Katherine Gridley of Detroit. Their daughter, Jane Ann, was born in 1922, but the couple divorced in 1927.
Cahill met John Sloan circa 1920, and they shared a residence. Cahill also wrote publicity (until 1928) for the Society of Independent Artists, through which he made many friends in the arts. From 1922 to 1931, he worked under John Cotton Dana at the Newark Museum, where he received his basic experience in museum work, organizing the first large exhibitions of folk art.
From 1932 to 1935, he was the director of exhibitions for the Museum of Modern Art. In 1935, Cahill was appointed director of the Works Progress/Projects Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project (FAP), until its end in June 1943. In 1938, Cahill organized a countrywide exhibition "American Art Today" for the New York World's Fair. He also married MoMa curator Dorothy Canning Miller in that year.
Profane Earth, Cahill's first novel, was published in 1927, followed by monographs on Pop Hart and Max Weber, miscellaneous short stories, and a biography of Frederick Townsend Ward, entitled A Yankee Adventurer: The Story of Ward and the Taiping Rebellion. Following the end of the Federal Art Project, Cahill wrote two novels, Look South to the Polar Star (1947) and The Shadow of My Hand (1956).
Holger Cahill died in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in July 1960.
Provenance:
The Holger Cahill papers were donated to the Archives of American Art through a series of gifts by Cahill's widow, Dorothy C. Miller, between 1964 and 1995.
Restrictions:
The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art website.
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.
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:
Alice Neel papers, 1933-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This small collection of letters to and from painter and arts administrator Olin Dows measures 0.2 linear feet and dates from 1938 to 1949. The letters primarily document his work as director of the Treasury Relief Art Project, as an admistrator for the American Federation of Arts, and his work as a war artist. Much of the correspondence is with arts administrators Edward Bruce and Forbes Watson.
Scope and Content Note:
This small collection of letters to and from painter and arts administrator Olin Dows measures 0.2 linear feet and dates from 1938 to 1949. The letters primarily document his work as director of the Treasury Relief Art Project, as an admistrator for the American Federation of Arts, and his work as a war artist. Much of the correspondence is with arts administrators Edward Bruce and Forbes Watson.
Much of the correspondence is from 1941. Also of note is correspondence relating to the controversy over one of Maurice Sterne's murals for the Justice Department in 1940 and efforts to form a "Corps of Pictorial War Correspondents" in 1942. Some letters include attached documents including exhibition lists, announcements, news clippings, and reports.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 1 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Olin Dows Letters, 1938-1949 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Olin Dows (1904-1981) was a painter and arts administrator; he primarily lived and worked in Rhinebeck, New York. Dows was born in Irvington-on-Hudson, NY. He graduated from Harvard University in 1926 and also studied at the Yale School of Fine Arts. In 1935 he was appointed director of the Treasury Relief Art Project, funded by the Works Progress Administration. In 1938 he painted a series of murals for the post office in Rhinebeck, NY, and in 1941 painted murals for the post office in Hyde Park, NY. From 1938 to 1941 Dows was on the Board of Directors of the American Federation of Arts. In 1942 he enlisted in the Army Engineers Corps and was commissioned as a war artist, covering the European Theater of Operations. An exhibit of works produced by this project was held in 1944, entitled "The Army at War." Dows was discharged from the army in 1945. A book of his watercolors, Franklin Roosevelt at Hyde Park, was published in 1949.
Related Material:
Also at the Archives of American Art is an interview of Olin Dows conducted on October 31, 1963, by Harlan Phillips.
Provenance:
Letters were donated in 1962 by Olin Dows; the provenance of one letter (on microfilm reel 2803) is unknown.
Restrictions:
Use of 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.
An interview of Margaret T. Bruce conducted by Harlan Phillips on 1963 October 11 for the Archives of American Art.
Bruce speaks of her husband, Edward Bruce, his family and educational background; his early career in law, foreign trade and lobbying; his career change to painting during the Depression; living in Italy; and his experiences as an administrator for the Treasury Relief Art Project.
Biographical / Historical:
Margaret T. Bruce is the wife of Edward Bruce, administrator of the Treasury Relief Art Project, Washington, D.C.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 39 min.
Provenance:
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Papers relating to work done for the Federal Art Project; business and personal letters; printed material; biographical data; correspondence; and photographs.
REEL 79: Correspondence, memoranda, and other material relating to federal art programs in New Mexico and Arizona. Includes correspondence with Public Works of Art Project administrators about a mural in Taos County Court House done by Bisttram, Bert G. Phillips, and Victor Higgins; memoranda; press releases and reports; catalogs of Treasury Department art projects shown at the Corcoran Gallery; and Federal Art Project dismissals and a proposal for a Bureau of Fine Arts.
REEL 581: Business and personal letters to and from Bisttram, including a letter from Lily and Eero Saarinen, and letters from Raymond Jonson; clippings; 91 catalogs; 22 reproductions of Bisttram's work; newspaper and magazine articles describing the artist colony at Taos and Santa Fe.
REEL 2787: Baptismal and naturalization records; correspondence; a photograph of Bisttram; clippings and printed material.
REELS 2892-2894: Biographical material; one or more letters from Ray Jonson, Stanton Macdonald-Wright; Oscar Berninghaus, Mrs. Walter Ufer, and other artists; correspondence with Olin Dows and others involved in the Treasury Relief Art Project, with galleries, museums, art organizations, and students; writings and notes; the draft for a book about Dynamic Symmetry; drafts for a book The Creative Process in the New Age; sketches and drawings; business, financial, and legal records; exhibition catalogs and announcements; certificates and awards; transcripts of interviews of Bisttram; and photographs of Bisttram and his paintings.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter; Taos, N.M. Was an exponent of Dynamic Symmetry, a painting technique.
Provenance:
Papers microfilmed on reel 581were lent for microfilming 1973, and some was subsequently donated with a gift in 1983 (and refilmed on reels 2892-2894).
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.
An interview of Paul Sample conducted 1971 October 10, by Robert F. Brown, for the Archives of American Art. Sample speaks of his studies with Jonas Lie and Stanton Macdonald-Wright; teaching at the University of Southern California and at Dartmouth College; working on frescos with David Alfaro Siqueiros in California; working on murals for the Treasury Department's art project; exhibitions in New York galleries; his series of paintings for the American Tobacco Company. He discusses his subject matter.
Biographical / Historical:
Paul Sample (1896-1974) was a painter from Norwich, Vt.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav files. Duration is 59 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.
United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Extent:
2.4 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Diaries
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Date:
1920-1970
Summary:
The papers of African-American painter Palmer C. Hayden date from 1920-1970 and measure 2.4 linear feet. The collection contains biographical material, including 32 diaries documenting Hayden's daily activities, scattered correspondence relating to art sales and Hayden's work for the Works Progress Administration, printed material, 47 sketchbooks compiled over a period of almost forty years, and photographs of Hayden and his artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of African-American painter Palmer C. Hayden date from 1920-1970 and measure 2.4 linear feet. The collection contains biographical material, including 32 diaries documenting Hayden's daily activities, scattered correspondence relating to art sales and Hayden's work for the Works Progress Administration, printed material, 47 sketchbooks compiled over a period of almost forty years, and photographs of Hayden and his artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 6 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1920-1969 (Box 1; 2 folders)
Series 2: Diaries, 1938-1967 (Boxes 1-2; 0.5 linear ft.)
Series 3: Correspondence, 1922-1967 (Box 2; 2 folders)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1926-1969 (Box 2; 2 folders)
Series 5: Sketchbooks and Sketches, 1924-circa 1960 (Boxes 2-6; 1.8 linear ft.)
Series 6: Photographs, 1932-1970 (Box 6; 4 folders)
Biographical / Historical:
Born Peyton Cole Hedgeman, in Widewater, Virginia in 1890, Palmer Hayden received his first art instruction through correspondence courses, then studied in 1925 with Asa Grant Randall at the Boothbay Art Colony, in Maine, specializing in marine subjects. In 1927, Hayden's seascape, Schooners, won first prize for "Distinguished Achievement in Fine Arts" in the Harmon Foundation's first awards ceremony. With that award, and an additional grant from a patron, Hayden was able to continue his studies in Paris, where he further developed his skills in seascapes and ethnic subject matter. Hayden was among the first African-American artists to use African-American subjects and designs in his painting.
Hayden returned to the United States in 1932 and worked steadily over the next several years for the United States government, including the Treasury Relief Art Project and the Works Progress Administration. In 1944 Hayden began work on his noted Ballad of John Henry series of twelve paintings that would occupy him for a decade. In his later work, Hayden continued to focus on African-American themes, capturing both rural gatherings in the South and the urban milieu of New York.
Palmer Hayden died in 1973.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Palmer C. Hayden in 1970 and a portion of it was microfilmed shortly after receipt.
Restrictions:
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
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:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
United States. Dept. of the Treasury. Section of Fine Arts Search this
United States. Dept. of the Treasury. Section of Painting and Sculpture Search this
Extent:
1 Linear foot ((partially filmed on 1 reel))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1933-1978
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence, writings, clippings, photographs, and financial records.
Unmicrofilmed material: Correspondence regarding Palmer's commissions with the Federal Art Project, Public Works of Art Project, and the Treasury Relief Art Project; an essay by Palmer on gesso painting; financial records; contracts; clippings; photographs of Palmer's murals; and 9 panels entitled "Qualities that Developed the Middle West", submitted to the Section of Fine Arts as entries for the St. Louis Post Office competition, 1939.
Reel 290: Correspondence, financial records; contracts; and printed material emanating from Palmer's mural assignments for the FAP, PWAP, and the Section.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, muralist, educator; Clinton, New York Worked for the federal government on the Federal Art Project in Iowa, for the Public Works of Art Project in New York, and the Treasury Section of Fine Arts in Washington, D.C. and Massachusetts. Artist-in-residence at Hamilton College, Clinton, New York.
Provenance:
Material on reel 290 lent for microfilming, lender unknown; unmicrofilmed material donated 1981 by Joseph C. Palmer.
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.
Found are three sketchbooks, two with watercolor drawings of landscapes and one with scattered pencil sketches of animals. An autograph book, in German, contains small bits of poetry from the 1890s. Additional artworks consist of unsigned etchings and pencil sketches, likely by Fulda. Biographical materials include artist statements and self-critiques, awards and certificates, biographical sketches, a baby book, and vital records including a marriage certificate for Rungius's marriage to Carl Fulda, and birth certificates for herself and daughter Irene Fulda.
Correspondence is primarily professional and includes letters from the American Museum of Natural History, Glenbow Foundation, the Library of Congress, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Association of women Artists, Inc., National Geographic, and the Treasury Relief Art Project. Of note are greeting and holiday cards featuring original artworks including prints, paintings, and sketches sent to Fulda by artist friends.
Personal business records include loan and sales records and legal material regarding Fulda's divorce in 1916. Also found are housing and rental information. Photographs depict Fulda, family, and friends. Some photographs of the Rungius family are reprints from a photo album. Also found are photographs of works of art. Printed materials include scattered clippings and exhibition announcements and catalogs from Fulda's career. Writings are by Fulda and include a copy of a biography she wrote on her brother, Carl Rungius, and a printed booklet of poems written and illustrated by Fulda.
Also found are records from the Society of Animal Artists including correspondence, administrative information, lists, and drafts of memoranda.
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:
Elisabeth Rungius Fulda papers, 1893-1968. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
Selected records of the PWAP include the following series: Central Office (Washington, D.C.) Correspondence and Related Records, including progress reports, minutes of meetings, and finance records (reels DC1-3); Correspondence and Personal Files of Edward P. Rowan, Technical Director (reels DC3-4); Central Office Correspondence With Artists (reels DC5-7); Central Office Files and Publicity Materials, including correspondence of project director Edward Bruce (reel DC8); Newspaper Clippings (reels DC8-9); Correspondence and Related records of Cecil Jones, Business Director (reels DC9-12); Final Reports on Projects, Report Materials and Project Issuances (reel DC12); Regional Office Records (reels DC12-13); and selected Correspondence of the New York Regional Office (Region 2) With Artists concerning administrative details of employing artists (DC 112-115).
Biographical / Historical:
The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), the first of the New Deal art programs, was established under the Department of the Treasury in December 1933 to assist unemployed artists by enabling them to work on the decoration of non-federal public buildings. Although it lasted only until the following summer, it engaged nearly 4,000 artists in all parts of the country and served as an important precedent for subsequent federal art programs, such as the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration. Later art projects administered under the Department of the Treasury were the Section of Fine Arts, originally the Section of Painting and Sculpture, and the Treasury Relief Art Project, both of which served to employ artists to decorate federal buildings across the United States.
Related Materials:
AAA has filmed, and described separately, selected records of the Treasury Relief Art Project (reels DC14-38) and the Section of Fine Arts (reels DC38-43) from record group 121. In addition, selected records of the WPA Federal Art Project (National Archives record group 69) were also filmed (reels DC44-DC111 and DC129-130).
Provenance:
Series microfilmed by AAA were selected from the National Archives record group 121, Records of the Public Buildings Service. Additional records of the PWAP are preserved at the National Archives. Series which were not microfilmed include: correspondence of L.W. Roberts, assistant secretary of the Treasury; the central file of the Advisory Committee and the Project; card lists of allocated paintings and other works of art; and receipt cards for works of art.
An interview of Boris Gilbertson conducted 1964 June 25 by Sylvia Loomis for the Archives of American Art.
Gilbertson speaks of his background; his education at the Art Institute of Chicago; starting out as a sculptor; his early involvement with the Treasury Relief Art Project; his work in Wisconsin for the project; how the Project functioned and how his work was supervised; the TRAP's effect on the politics of the time; his views of abstract art; the uses of humor in sculpture and in art; animal subject matter in his work.
Biographical / Historical:
Sculptor; Santa Fe, N.M.
General:
An unrelated interview of Gene Kloss conducted by S. Loomis is also on this tape.
Provenance:
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Treasury Department Art Projects : painting and sculpture for federal buildings, November seventeen to December thirteen, nineteen hundred thirty-six, Corcoran Gallery of Art / introduction by Forbes Watson
Catalog for an exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Includes a list of artists and the works they did for TRAP and the Section. [Microfilm title Treasury Relief Art Project].
Biographical / Historical:
The Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) was established in 1935 under the Department of the Treasury with funds allocated from the Works Progress Administration (later the Work Projects Administration). It operated as a relief agency for unemployed artists and engaged them specifically for the decoration of federal buildings, choosing artists through a system of juried competition.
Other Title:
Treasury Relief Art Project (microfilm title).
Provenance:
Provenance unknown.
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.
