Correspondence, articles, clippings, and gallery literature.
Among the correspondents are Charles Avery Aiken, Grace Albee, Ernfred Anderson, John Taylor Arms, Ralph H. Avery, William J. Aylward, Merrill A. Bailey, Vernon Howe Bailey, George Biddle, Louis Bouche, Fiske Boyd, J. Paul Bransom, Charles Burchfield, Clarence H. Carter, Asa Cheffetz, Eliot C. Clark, Howard N. Cook,Dean Cornwell, James H. Daugherty, E. Hubert Deines, Fritz Eichenberg, Ralph Fabri, Robert Fawcett, James D. Havens, Wilmot Emerton Heitland, Peter Helck, J. Lars Hoftrup, Philip Kappel, Rockwell Kent, Julius J. Lankes, Clare Leighton, Warren B. Mack, Roy M. Mason, Leo Meissner, John C. Menihan, Henry C. Pitz, Ogden Pleissner, Grant T. Reynard, William S. Rice, Norman Rockwell, Sven Birger Sandzen, Alice P. Schafer, Eric Sloane, Charles W. Smith, James Swann, Donald Teague, Nora S. Unwin, Robert Von Neumann, Lynd Ward, Herbert O. Waters, Aldren A. Watson, Stow Wengenroth, Frederic Whitaker, Esther Williams, Edward A. Wilson, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Illustrator, educator, lithographer, engraver, painter and writer; studied at Rochester Institute of Technology and was active in New York State. Former editor of AMERICAN ARTIST.
Related Materials:
Additional Norman Kent papers pertaining to American Artist also located at: George Arent Research Library Syracuse University.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1965 by Norman Kent.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Jerome Viola's lecture and research notes kept while a student at New York University Institute of Fine Arts (1955-68) and research materials and mss. draft of the book, The Painting and Teaching of Philip Pearlstein (N.Y. : Watson-Guptill, 1982), correspondence includes letters from Philip Pearlstein (an original, 1982; and an facsimile, 1997(?)); and various printed material. Exhibition files kept by Mary Jo Viola for "The Lithographic Art of Stow Wengenroth," 1988; also included are photographs of Stow Wengenroth's lithographs; audio recording of an interview with Harriet Wengenroth and of Stow Wengenroth playing the mandolin.
Biographical / Historical:
Art historians; Brooklyn, NY.
Provenance:
Donated 1996 by the widow, Mary Jo Viola.
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.
Occupation:
Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The records of New York based Audubon Artists, a national exhibiting organization of painters, sculptors, and graphic artists, measure 6.7 linear feet and date from 1944-2001. The collection documents the organization's adoption of its constitution and first major expansion in the mid-1940s, and its subsequent growth to the present day. The records include correspondence with artist members, administrative files, exhibition files, financial records, printed material including an almost complete run of annual exhibition catalogs and prospectuses, and photographs of artwork, juries, and other groups involved in the annual exhibitions from the 1970s to 1999.
Scope and Contents:
The records of New York based Audubon Artists, a national exhibiting organization of painters, sculptors, and graphic artists, measure 6.7 linear feet and date from 1944-2001. The collection documents the organization's adoption of its constitution and first major expansion in the mid-1940s, and its subsequent growth to the present day. The records include correspondence with artist members, administrative files, exhibition files, financial records, printed material including an almost complete run of annual exhibition catalogs and prospectuses, and photographs of artwork, juries, and other groups involved in the annual exhibitions from the 1970s to 1999.
Administration and correspondence files document all aspects of the organization's activities and include founding documents; records of individual officers including presidents Domenico Facci, Joseph Domareki, Mark Freeman, Hughie Lee-Smith, Renee McKay and Frederic Whitaker, and historians Michael Engel and Jan Gary; correspondence with members and prospective members including artists such as John Taylor Arms, Thomas Hart Benton, Peter Blume, Stuart Davis, Walt Disney, Lyonel Feininger, Malvina Hoffman, William Meyerowitz, Henry Varnum Poor, Stow Wengenroth, and Stark Young; agenda, meeting minutes and reports to the Executive Board; and the correspondence and related records of various committees.
Exhibition files document a variety of activities related to exhibition planning, and include correspondence, entry forms, information on juries and awards, and lists of selected artwork and award winners.
Financial records include scattered treasurer correspondence and notes, records of bills paid, and some reports, investment and tax records from the 1960s-1990s.
Printed material includes an early brochure issued in 1944, and a brochure on the organization's history by Jan Gary, as well as annual exhibition catalogs and/or prospectuses from 1944 to 2000.
Photographic material consists of copy prints and negatives of photographic material used in the annual exhibition catalogs, including photos of artwork, juries and scattered exhibition installations.
Arrangement:
Before processing, much of the collection was unsorted, and there was little indication of original record keeping practices for a large portion of the material. Some of the earlier material from the 1940s had been sorted by name or activity and where possible this arrangement has been maintained. Researcherss should be aware, however, that similar types of material such as correspondence, financial, and administrative records, can be found in various places throughout the collection, particularly throughout Series 1. The collection is arranged as 5 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Administration and Correspondence Files, 1944-2000 (2.43 linear feet; Boxes 1-3, OV 9)
Series 2: Exhibition Files, 1944-1999 (0.67 linear feet; Box 3)
Series 3: Financial Records, 1962-1999 (0.5 linear feet; Box 4)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1944-2001 (1.7 linear feet; Boxes 4-6)
Series 5: Photographic Material, circa 1969-1999 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 6-8)
Biographical / Historical:
Audubon Artists, a national exhibiting society of painters, sculptors, and graphic artists, was founded in New York, New York, in 1940. The organization took its name from the homestead of John James Audubon where it met in December, 1941, to discuss a less regional name than the one it had initially adopted: Professional Arts Group of Washington Heights. The group's association with Audubon, however, begins and ends with the name.
Audubon Artists held its first exhibition at 8th Street Gallery in Apri-May, 1942, with an exhibiting group of 22 members. In 1943 the group was able to attract a wider pool of recognized professional artists, and by 1944 the membership had increased to 60 and the organization issued its first annual exhibition catalog with the newly adopted eagle and palette emblem.
A reorganization meeting took place on March 27, 1944, to address the growing responsibilities for the annual exhibition. President Frederic Whitaker subsequently oversaw the creation of the original consitution, the credo and the 1946 incorporation of the organization, and led a membership campaign designed to attract nationally renowned artists of various aesthetic persuasions and gain the organization more prestige.
Since then, Audubon Artists has continued to hold an annual exhibition in a variety of locations throughout New York City, including the National Academy of Design, National Arts Club, and the Salmagundi Club. The latter has been the exhibition's preferred home since 1997, and with circa 350 members Audubon Artists remains a thriving organization dedicated to "artistic progress" today.
Provenance:
The records were donated by Audubon Artists in 1978 (via Mark Freeman, president) and 2001 (via David Pena, president).
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.
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 Elizabeth Saltonstall conducted 1981 November 18, by Robert F. Brown, for the Archives of American Art.
Saltonstall discusses her experiences with art as a child in Boston (mentioning Frank Weston Benson as an influence) and her subsequent art education at the Winsor School, the art school of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and independent study in Paris. She remembers the various teaching styles of the Museum School faculty (Frederick A. Bosley, Henry Hunt Clark, Anson K. Cross, Philip Leslie Hale, Alexander James, and Leslie P. Thompson), especially as they contrasted with French teaching methods. She also speaks of her teachers in France and on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket (including Frank Swift Chase), and recalls some of her co-students (including Josef Presser). Particular mention is made of a lithography workshop taught by Stow Wengenroth, and of George C. Miller, who printed her lithography stones. Her cousin, Nathaniel Saltonstall, is discussed as a patron of the arts, especially his contributions to the establishment of the Institute of Modern Art [Institute of Contemporary Art] in Boston. She touches also on her own teaching career at Winsor School and Milton Academy, and her involvement with the Boston Society of Independent Artists and the Grace Horn Gallery.
Biographical / Historical:
Elizabeth Saltonstall (1900-1990) was a painter, printmaker, and instructor of Chestnut Hill, Mass.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 25 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art 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 administrators.
Occupation:
Art teachers -- Massachusetts -- Boston Search this
Biographical material, artwork, and printed material relating to the career of printmaker Stow Wengenroth. Biographical material includes diplomas and certificates for Wengenroth, his mother, and father. Artwork consists of one sketchbook by Wengenroth and Wengenroth's portfolio case, decorated by his mother. Printed material includes exhibition catalogs, programs, and price lists.
Biographical / Historical:
Stow Wengenroth (1906-1978) was a printmaker from New York, New York.
Provenance:
Donated 2016 by art historian Christine I. Oaklander who purchased the papers at auction.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Biographical sketches; 2 National Academy of Design certificates, 1942; correspondence, 1920-1950, with parents, friends and colleagues including F. Luis Mora, Louis Agassiz Fuertes and Chauncey F. Ryder; a journal, 1931-1950, listing sales and exhibitions, and recording his activities and impressions of places and people, such as John Taylor Arms, Ernest David Roth, Chauncey Foster Ryder and Stow Wengenroth; writings about art education, technique and Col. Albert Duane Shaw (with 2 letters to Shaw); printed material, 1939-1949; and 5 photographs, including 2 of Williams and one of a self-portrait.
Also included is a scrapbook, 1 v., ca. 1927- 1950, containing exhibition notices, notices of classes taught, clippings, tearsheets, reproductions, and photographs of art work by Williams and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, watercolorist, printmaker; New York, N.Y. Williams was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and trained in art at the National Academy of Design, the summer school of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Art Students League, and in Paris at L'Academie de la Grande Chaumiere. In 1929 he was made director of the art school of the Brooklyn YWCA, and by the 1930s was also an instructor at the Grand Central School of Art, NYC. By the 1930s, he was noted as a portrait painter.
Provenance:
Donated 1990 by the William Dolan Fletcher Estate via executor, James J. Gentile, except for the journal and the scrapbook, which were donated 1991 and 1997, respectively, by William Greenbaum, who had purchased them from the Fletcher estate. Fletcher, a priest and art historian, obtained the material while researching Williams. A notebook on Williams' work kept by Fletcher was also donated by Greenbaum, and was placed with the William Dolan Fletcher papers.
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.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Watercolorists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Letters, notes, business records, art works, printed material, and photographs relating to Ward's involvement in the American Artists' Congress (1936-1945), the Artists League of America (1934-1949), the Independent Citizens Committee for the Arts, Sciences, and Professions (1944-1948), the Limited Editions Club competition (1932-1957), and the Society of American Graphic Artists (1940-1964). Artists represented in the files include Grace Albee, John Taylor Arms, Fritz Eichenberg, Antonio Frasconi, Jacob Kainen, Clare Leighton, Prentiss Taylor, Max Weber, Stow Wengenroth, Art Young, Adja Yunkers, William Zorach.
Biographical / Historical:
Lynd Ward (1905-1985) was a printmaker, illustrator, and writer in Cresskill, New Jersey. Illustrated over 100 books. President, Society of American Graphic Artists, 1953-1959.
Provenance:
Donated 1972-1973 by Lynd Ward.
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.
Biographical material, letters, writings, photographs, financial material, works of art and printed material relating to the work of Harrison Cady as an illustrator and painter.
Biographical material includes a draft of Cady's will, death notices, and a certificate of merit. Letters are from Thornton Burgess, Ogden Pleissner, and Stow Wengenroth. Writings consist of 31 diaries, address books and lists, notes, 132 notebooks containing lists of stories and of works of art, and annotated sketches of Cady's travels in New England and Europe. Photographs are of of Cady, his family, friends, works of art, and scenes of his travels. Works of art include 27 sketchbooks and 2425 sketches and drawings, original ink drawings for cartoons for the New York Tribune and Life magazine, and sketches by Melinna, Cady's wife. Printed material includes exhibition catalogs and announcements, reproductions of Cady's drawings, including a drawing of Peter Rabbit given out as a "souvenir of the 1934 Easter Party", travel brochures, and clippings.
Biographical / Historical:
Harrison Cady (1877-1970) was an illustrator and painter from Gardner, Mass. He is best known for his illustrations of animals, in particular, Peter Rabbit. Cady's illustrations were published in numerous magazines, childrens' books and newspapers.
Provenance:
This collection was donated in installments from 1971-1974 by David, Harrison, Winthrop and Frances Eldredge, nephews and the sister-in-law of Harrison Cady, and again by David Eldredge in 2008.
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.
The papers of painter Ogden M. Pleissner measure 3.2 linear feet and date from 1928-1976. Found within the papers are biographical material, scattered letters, artwork, nine scrapbooks, over one foot of printed material, and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of painter Ogden M. Pleissner measure 3.2 linear feet and date from 1928-1976. Found within the papers are biographical material, scattered letters, artwork, eight scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs.
Biographical material includes Pleissner's U. S. Army Certificate of Service, an autobiographical essay, and miscellaneous notes. Scattered letters dating from 1942-1976 primarily concern Pleissner's service in the U. S. Army. There are also letters from colleagues and friends including artists Harrison Cady and Stow Wengenroth.
Nine scrapbooks contain clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and scattered letters from art organizations and colleagues including Juliana Force, Charles Vezin, and Stow Wengenroth. An additional 1.2 linear feet of printed material consists primarily of clippings, and exhibition catalogs and announcements. Also found within the papers is one etching, and photographs of Pleissner, his colleagues, exhibitions and artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 6 series. All series are arranged chronologically.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1943-1971 (Box 1; 2 folders)
Series 2: Letters, 1942-1976 (Box 1; 13 folders)
Series 3: Art Work, undated (Box 1; 1 folder)
Series 4: Scrapbooks, 1930-1953 (Boxes 1-2; 29 folders)
Series 5: Printed Material, 1928-1975 (Box 2; 1.2 linear feet)
Series 6: Photographs, 1958-1974 (Boxes 3-4; 31 folders)
Biographical Note:
Ogden Minton Pleissner was born on April 29, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York, son of George W. and Christine Minton Pleissner. He began his education at the Brooklyn Friends School. One summer while a teenager, he was sent to Charlie Moore's ranch in Dubois, Wyoming, in order to improve his health. During pack trips, camping, and trout fishing in Yellowstone Park and the Buffalo Forks country, Pleissner became devoted to the outdoor life, developing his skills as a hunter and fisherman. He began drawing images of horses, cowboys, Native Americans, and scenery and realized that his interest in art was strong enough to pursue it in school.
From 1924 to 1927 Pleissner attended the Art Students League in New York, studying under George Bridgman and Frank V. DuMond. Pleissner continued his studies with DuMond in Cape Breton, where he also met Mary Corbett whom he married in 1929. In the following year, Pleissner held his first solo exhibition at the Macbeth Gallery in New York. Although he maintained a studio in New York City, Pleissner and his wife spent many summers in Wyoming, later expanding their travel to Europe.
In 1940 Pleissner was elected a National Academician. Two years later, he was commissioned by the U.S. Office of Emergency Management on the advice of the Section of Fine Arts to visit various war industries to make a group of 10 paintings depicting the work in these plants.
In 1943, Pleissner was commissioned as Captain in the Army Air Forces to work as an artist with the Historical Division, painting a record of the Air Force activities. After training, he was deployed to Anchorage, Alaska, and from there he visited many of the Aleutian Islands. Due to lack of funding, his original mission was changed, and he was put on inactive duty in November 1943, in order to continue his work as a War Art Correspondent for Life magazine. This allowed him to complete his paintings of the Aleutian Islands. In the spring of 1944, he flew to headquarters in London, England, later following the Normandy invasion through northern France, he painted scenes from the critical battle at St. Lo. In the summer of 1945, Life magazine sent him on a tour of Europe to make a series of paintings of the most significant battle sites, including Omaha Beach, Remagen, and Anzio.
During his post-war career, Pleissner participated in many organizations, including his service as vice-president of the National Academy of Design, director of the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, and trustee at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont. He was also a member of the Salmagundi Club, the National Arts Club, and the Brooklyn Society of Artists. His work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum.
In the 1970s Pleissner traveled extensively in Europe and spent summers at his studio in Pawlet, Vermont.
Ogden M. Pleissner died of a heart attack on October 24, 1983 in London, England.
Provenance:
Ogden M. Pleissner donated his papers to the Archives in 1972 and 1976.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use 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.
