A transcript of an interview with Barbara Zucker conducted between 1995 June 22 and 1995 Nov. 6, by art historian Amy Schlegel. The first part of the interview was conducted in New York City and the second part in Burlington, Vermont. Zucker discusses her work in the context of feminism. She explains her choice of materials and the development of her sculpture; her early job as a receptionist for the Andre Emmerich Gallery, her involvement in and reasons for leaving A.I.R. Gallery - an independent gallery for women artists in New York; and her thoughts about the feminist movement. She discusses the work of Eva Hesse, Lynda Benglis, Louise Bourgeois, Richard Serra and Marcel Duchamp.
Biographical / Historical:
Barbara Zucker (1940-) is a sculptor from New York, New York. She was co-founded the A.I.R. Gallery in 1972.
Provenance:
Donated 1998 by Barbara Zucker and Amy Schlegel.
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:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The Zorach family papers measure 4.4 linear feet and consist of materials relating to the lives and careers of sculptor and painter William Zorach, his wife painter and weaver Marguerite, and their children, painter and multi-media artist Dahlov Ipcar and collector and art dealer Tessim Zorach. The bulk of the papers consists of letters to Tessim regarding his parent's artwork. Additional materials include scattered letters to William Zorach; writings and notes by William, Marguerite, and Tessim; a sketchbook and drawings by William; prints by Marguerite; Marguerite's scrapbook; printed materials; and photographs of the Zorach family and of William Zorach in his studio and at work.
Scope and Content Note:
The Zorach family papers measure 4.4 linear feet and consist of materials relating to the lives and careers of sculptor and painter William Zorach, his wife painter and weaver Marguerite, and their children, painter and multi-media artist Dahlov Ipcar and collector and art dealer Tessim Zorach. The bulk of the papers consists of letters to Tessim regarding his parent's artwork. Additional materials include scattered letters to William Zorach; writings and notes by William, Marguerite, and Tessim; a sketchbook and drawings by William; prints by Marguerite; Marguerite's scrapbook; printed materials; and photographs of the Zorach family and of William Zorach in his studio and at work.
The majority of correspondence is between Tessim Zorach and various museums and galleries concerning exhibitions and donations of his parents' works of art. There are scattered letters to William Zorach among the correspondence. Business records consist of materials relating to the Collection of the Zorach Children, including lists of works of art by the Zorach's, a file relating to an exhibition of Zorach artwork at the Brooklyn Museum, and photographs of works of art considered for donation.
Writings and Notes include a typescript of an article written by Marguerite Zorach, writings by William Zorach, a typescript of Young Poems by William and Marguerite, as well as articles written by others about the Zorachs. Artwork by Marguerite Zorach includes two prints and a tracing. Also found is one sketchbook, and additional drawings by William Zorach. There is one unsigned lithograph.
The majority of exhibition announcements, catalogs, and clippings concern William and Marguerite Zorach although there are two announcements for Dahlov Ipcar. There is one scrapbook of clippings about Marguerite.
The papers include photographs of Marguerite and William Zorach, their parents, baby photos of Tessim and Dahlov, family pictures of the Zorachs, and of Marguerite and William in their studios. There are several folders of William Zorach working in his studios and additional photos of him carving a relief sculpture and a sculpture for the Southwest Bank. Most of these photographs contain detailed annotations written by William Zorach about the work. There is one folder of photographs of William in France in 1910-1911, including one of Zorach in Roi Partridge's studio. There is one photograph of Zorach taken by Ansel Adams in Yosemite, a photo of Zorach working by Arnold Newman, and several taken by Imogen Cunnigham.
Other photographs are of works of art, most of which depict William's works.
Artifacts include Marguerite's batik tools and approximately fifty commercially made printing blocks.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 9 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Information, circa 1907-1969 (Box 1, 6; 3 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1922-1982 (Box 1-2; 1.75 linear feet)
Series 3: Business Records, 1967-1971, circa 1960s-1970s (Box 2-3; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 4: Writings and Notes, circa 1930s-1973, 1987 (Box 3; 8 folders)
Series 5: Artworks, 1900-circa 1920s (Box 3, 6; 12 folders)
Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1922-1953 (Box 3; 1 folder)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1912-1982 (Box 3; 0.25 linear feet)
Series 8: Photographs, 1908-1966 (Box 3-5; 1.0 linear feet)
Series 9: Artifacts, circa 1910s, circa 1950s (Box 4; 0.5 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
William Zorach (1887-1966) was a modernist painter and sculptor working primarily in New York city, along with his wife Marguerite (1887-1968) who worked as a fauvist painter, printmaker, and textile artist. Their children were painter Dahlov Ipcar (1917-) and art collector Tessim Zorach (1915-1995.)
Born in Lithuania, William Zorach immigrated to the United States where his family settled in Cleveland, Ohio. An early interest in art led to a printmaking apprenticeship. He then moved to New York City and enrolled in the National Academy of Design where he studied painting and drawing. In 1910, Zorach traveled to Paris to study and where he met his wife Marguerite Thompson at the La Palette art school. Marguerite grew up in Fresno, California and studied art at Stanford University. Both artists were heavily influenced by the fauvist and cubist art movements.
Returning to America, Marguerite and William married and both continued to create and experiment with varied media. Their paintings were featured in the 1913 New York City Armory Show and they are credited with being among the first artists to introduce European modernist styles to American modernism. The Zorachs were very close both as a couple and as working active artists.
In the 1920s, Marguerite began to experiment with textiles and created large, fine art tapestries and hooked rugs. Also, she used batik dying techniques on fabrics. William also expanded his genre by creating direct sculpture in 1918, which would become his primary medium.
In 1915, William and Marguerite started a family with their son, Tessim. Two years later, their daughter Dahlov was born. The Zorachs divided the year and lived in New York City, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. In 1923, the family bought a farm on Georgetown Island, Maine where they lived, worked, and entertained friends.
Dahlov and Tessim were exposed to art from an early age. Dahlov showed artistic promise as a child and her parents supported her creativity by allowing her to express herself without formal training. Dahlov pursued painting and later became an illustrator for children's books. Additionally, she wrote fantasy novels and short stories. Dahlov married Adolf Ipcar in 1936. Like the rest of his family, Tessim Zorach developed an interest of art and along with his wife Peggy, he amassed a large private collection of ancient to modern art.
William and Marguerite continued to sculpt and paint until their deaths in 1966 and 1968, respectively.
Together, Dahlov and Tessim established the Collection of the Zorach Children which coordinated donations of their parents' art to many museums throughout the United States and the world. The artwork of both artists is found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, Delaware Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Farnsworth Art Museum, Portland Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Philips Collection, and educational institutions such as Colby College, University of Vermont, Williams College, Bowdoin College, and the University of Virginia. In addition William has works associated with many public buildings, among them: Radio City Music Hall, New York City Municipal Court, the U.S. Post Office in Washington D.C. as well as Farleigh Dickinson University.
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art holds the Dahlov Ipcar papers, 1906-1997. Also found is one oral history interview with William Zorach conducted by by John D. Morse on April 2, 1959 and an oral history interview with Dahlov Ipcar conducted by Robert F. Brown on November 13, 1979.
The bulk of William Zorach's papers are held by the Library of Congress.
Separated Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming on reels NY59-1-NY59-4 and NY59-19. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are now held by the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division. This material is not described in the collection container inventory or finding aid.
Provenance:
William Zorach lent papers for microfilming to the Archives of American Art in 1959. Tessim Zorach donated materials between 1976-1987.
Restrictions:
Use of originals 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.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Hilda Belcher (1881-1963) was a painter, illustrator, and educator from Pittsford, Vt. Belcher was a prolific portrait painter in New York, Washington and the deep South.
Provenance:
Donated 1984 by the Belcher family. Journals and photographs of Hilda and her mother, Martha Wood Belcher (one of the first graduates of Cooper Union art school) are expected.
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.
This microfilm collection contains photographs of Hilda Belcher in art school and working on paintings and portraits (circa 1900-1940); and photographs of Martha Wood Belcher painting in her studio (circa 1886-1920). They are annotated by members of the Belcher family.
Biographical / Historical:
Hilda Belcher (1881-1963) was a painter, illustrator, and educator from Pittsford, Vermont. Belcher was a prolific portrait painter in New York, Washington and the deep South. Her mother was Martha Wood Belcher.
Martha Wood Belcher (1844-1930) was a landscape painter and educator in Pittsford, Vermont. Born in Birmingham, England, Belcher emigrated with her family to Schenectady, New York. An admirer and patron supported her studies at Cooper Union and in Europe. She moved to Vermont to teach art at Ripley College.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Hilda Belcher photocopies of photographs of paintings, 1904-circa 1947.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1983 by the Belcher family.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Hilda and Martha Wood Belcher photographs, [ca. 1865-1940]. Owned by Jane C. and Stephen Belcher, and Barbara Belcher Mericle, Pittsford, Vermont. Filmed by Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Art.
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Names:
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Extent:
51 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2012 September 25
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Trudy Busch Schultz conducted 2012 September 25-26, by Jeannine Falino, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Schultz's home, in Brattleboro, Vermont.
Biographical / Historical:
Interviewee Trudy Busch Schultz (1927- ) is a former designer in Brattleboro, Vermont. Interviewer Jeannine Falino (1955- ) is a curator in New Rochelle, N.Y.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 SD memory cards as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hrs., 24 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.
Restrictions:
For information on how to access this interview contact Reference Services.
Correspondence, writings, personal photographs, and printed material, such as gallery announcements, magazines featuring her articles and art work, clippings, flyers, relating to Labrie's work as a journalist, children's book author and illustrator, author onhistorical subjects, and self-taught artist. Among Labrie's correspondents are Robert Bishop, David O'Neil, Jay Johnson, Mattie Lou O'Kelly, Emeline Paige, Robert Miner, Henry P. (Heinz) Kupfer, Frederick Franck, Harry Goodwin, Janet Hutchinson, Emiline Page and daughter Christie Labrie.
Biographical / Historical:
Rose Labrie (1916-1986) was an author, illustrator of children's books, journalist, gallery director and self-taught "primitive" artist in Portsmouth, N.H. Born in Boston, Mass., Labrie moved to Vermont at the age of two. Her childhood memories of West Hartford, Vt. formed the basis for children's stories and paintings. She attended the University of New Hampshire and the University of Wisconsin and studied creative writing. Her early career was in journalism. In the 1960s she turned to painting and writing on historical monuments, especially lighthouses. She contributed to magazines such as "The Clarion," 1984, "Down East," 1956- 1969, "Vermont Life," 1953- 1979, "Yankee," 1962- 1976, and was the author of "Dancer's Image" (1982), "King, The Leprechaun Pony" (1979), "Nubble Light" (1979) and "Randy, the Rooster," (1985). Labrie also was founder and first director of the Strawberry Bank Children's Festival, later known as the Prescott Park Arts Festival, in Portsmouth.
Provenance:
Donated 2000 by Christie Labrie.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Rights:
Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Christy Labrie. 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.
Occupation:
Authors -- New Hampshire -- Portsmouth Search this
An interview of Michelle Holzapfel conducted 2008 January 26-March 1, by Josephine Shea, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Holzapfel's home and studio, Applewoods Studio and Gallery, in Marlboro, Vermont.
Holzapfel speaks of her childhood in Rhode Island; her large extended family and their French-Canadian heritage; working with her father in his machine shop; early art education and exposure from elementary school through high school; the influence of high school art teacher Audrey Blake; trips to Rhode Island School of Design Museum and Boston Museum of Fine Arts; attending Marlboro College; meeting her husband, David, at Marlboro; traveling in Italy with friends and David; earning her B.A. from Norwich College; participating in craft shows; having two children in two years; teaching experiences at Worcester Center for Crafts and Wood Turning Center; the difference in relationships with galleries and museums; the woodturning field; and the struggles and success of women artists; and plans for the future. Holzapfel recalls Gilbert Taylor, Barry Friedman, Glenn Adamson, Nathan Ancell, Peter Joseph, Kenneth Trapp, Chris Tyler, Albert LeCoff, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Michelle Hozapfel (1951- ) is a self-taught woodworker in Marlboro, Vermont.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 10 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.
An interview of Barbara Bloom conducted 2012 October-2013 January 31, by James McElhinney, for the Archives of American Art, at Bloom's home and studio, in New York, New York.
Bloom speaks of growing up in Brentwood, California; her first experience with art; her childhood and exposure to creativity; the influence of art and philosophy; going to museums as a kid; living in Monte Factor and then Los Angeles; her creative process, influences, and life as an artist; art mentors and art lessons with Cathy Herman; traveling with her family; her mom being an actress; attending Bennington College in Vermont, the 1960s, the and collage aesthetic; attending CalArt; the changes in art education at the university level; drugs use; Fluxus; John Cage and attending 4'33; living in Europe and specifically Netherlands, Germany, and Holland; books and love of reading; her daughter; the post-studio era; film and meta-movies; making "The Diamond Lane;" images and objects' connection to meanings; The Gaze; undressing the wall; Homage to Jean Seberg, Godard, Berlin; East Germany; being agnostic and Jewish; Venice Biennale; collectors; cycle of shows; MFA programs; The Tip of the Iceberg; surgeries; hospital visit, personal training, and recovery; The Seven Deadly Sins; her father; Tellus Magazine; Judaism; fabrications and drawings; archives; relationship between the artist and the viewer; her husband; 010011.net; recent show; and As It Were, So To Speak. Bloom also recalls Monte and Betty Factor, Ed Kienholz, Ron Kappe, Robbie Robe, Ray Kappe, Matt Mullican, Eric Orr, Robert Irwin, Doug Wheeler, Total: digital recordings; Claire Steinman, Rosemarie Trockel, Ash Grove, James Lee Byars, Frances Rey, Sidney Tillim, Norman O. Brown, Paul Cotton, Paul Brock, Buckminster Fuller, John Baldessari, Nam June Paik, Dick Higgins, Alison Knowles, Serge Tcherepnin, Simone Forte, Charlemagne Palestine, La Monte Young, David Salle, Eric Fischl, Marcel Broodthaers, Susan Sontag, Tim Maul, Caroline Tisdale, Marcel Duchamp, Laura Mulvey, John Berger, Oscar Wilde, Ed Ruscha, Isabella Kacprzak, Octavio Paz, Leo Castelli, Allen Ruppersberg, Jay Gorney, Claudia Gould, Susan Bronstein, Donald Judd, Robert DuGrenier, Pistoletto, Anthony Coleman, Mel Bochner, and Ken Saylor.
Biographical / Historical:
Barbara Bloom (1951- ) is a photographer, designer, and installation artist in New York, New York. James McElhinney (1952- ) is an artist and professor in New York, New York.
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:
Designers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Installation artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
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:
Lilly Martin Spencer papers, 1828-1966. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The collection was digitized in 2022 with funding provided by the Lichtenstein Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art
The papers of sculptor, painter, and dancer Judith Brown measure 3.3 linear feet and date from circa 1940 to 2002. The papers document Brown's career through personal and professional files, printed material, photographs, artwork, and one videocassette recording.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor, painter, and dancer Judith Brown measure 3.3 linear feet and date from circa 1940 to 2002. The papers document Brown's career through personal and professional files such as resumes and biographical writings, awards, scant personal business records, a video recording about Brown, and some papers related to professional organizations, commissions, and exhibitions. Printed material includes announcements, posters, and catalogs related to group and solo exhibitions, holiday sales of Brown's artwork, studio open houses, and dedication ceremonies; publicity material; reproductions of her artwork; articles and newspaper clippings; and more. The photographs include snapshots, prints, slides, transparencies, and negatives of Brown's artwork, the artist working in her New York City and Vermont studios, exhibitions, installations, and some images with family and friends. Artwork consists of paintings, sketchbooks, project designs, homemade holiday cards, and other works of art made by Brown between the late 1930s to late 1980s.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as four series.
Series 1: Personal and Professional Papers, circa 1940-1992 (Box 1; .2 linear feet)
Series 2: Printed Material, 1950s-2002 (Box 1, 5, OV 6; .6 linear feet)
Series 3: Photographs, 1950s-1992 (Box 1-3, 5; 1.5 linear feet)
Series 4: Artwork, circa 1940-1992 (Box 3-5, 0V 7-9; 1 linear foot)
Biographical / Historical:
Judith Brown (1931-1992) was a sculptor, painter, and dancer in New York, New York, and Brownsville, Vermont. She attended Sarah Lawrence College and studied with Theodore Roszak, 1952-1954. Always fascinated with motion, Brown was noted for successfully capturing fleeting moments of a body's action through sculpture and paintings, with particular interest in how fabric draped and flowed along the body's contours during movement. Brown established herself by the late 1950s, and from then on had a long career of exhibiting and selling her work.
Brown's work was exhibited widely throughout the United States and Europe, featured in group shows at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts, the Boston Arts Festival, The New Britain Museum of American Art, and many other galleries and museums. Brown's one-person exhibitions include shows at Zygos Gallery in Cyprus and Galeriea de Antonio Souza in Mexico City, as well as galleries and museums in Vermont, Florida, and New York City. Brown's artwork was also displayed in windows at Tiffany's and Bonwit Teller in their New York City department stores.
In addition to displaying her work in exhibition settings, Brown received many public and private commissions throughout her career. Her public commissions may be found in many U.S. states including New York, Vermont, New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia, and California; and she has work currently housed with several museums and corporations including the Pepsi Company, Marriott Corporation, Dartmouth College, Vermont Law School, Jewish Museum, and the Museum of Dance.
During her career, Brown was a trustee and member of the Vermont Council on the Arts, member of Artists Equity Association, Creative Arts Rehabilitation, and Women in the Arts Foundation, Inc. She received honorable mention in the Gold Medal Competition at the Architectural League of New York City in 1958, an award from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation in 1970, and an award in creative art from the American Academy and the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1976.
Provenance:
The bulk of the collection was donated by Judith Brown in 1978. Additional materials were donated in 1995 and 2007 by Brown via Peter Stettenheim, Brown's brother and the executor of her will.
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. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References 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.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Judith S. Brown papers, circa 1940-2002. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
The papers of painter and writer Ethel Paxson measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1903 to 1985. Found are biographical materials; correspondence between Paxson, her father, and Lilla Yale; an album and scattered photos of Paxson, Paxson's friends, and Paxson with her artwork in Weston, Vermont; printed material and a scrapbook of printed materials; and writings by Paxson.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter and writer Ethel Paxson measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1903 to 1985. Found are biographical materials; correspondence between Paxson, her father, and Lilla Yale; an album and scattered photos of Paxson, Paxson's friends, and Paxson with her artwork in Weston, Vermont; printed material and a scrapbook of printed materials; and writings by Paxson.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Ethel Paxson (1885-1982) was a painter, illustrator, author, and educator active primarily in Connecticut. She began her art instruction with Charlotte Yale and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. After spending four years in Brazil, she returned to the United States where she exhibited her work and became a educator at the National Academy of Design.
Provenance:
Chester DuClos, Paxson's widower, donated the papers to the Archives of American Art in 1984.
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.
Biographical materials include awards, biographical sketches, gallery tags for exhibitions, and membership cards. Correspondence consists of letters between Ethel Paxson and her father, Walter Rhodes Easton and teacher, Lilla Yale. The bulk of the correspondence was written when Paxson and her husband were in Brazil. Scattered later correspondence is from organizations such as the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, Inc. and the National Association of Women Artists, Inc. A dismantled photo album includes annotations and photos from Paxson's time in Weston, Vermont. Found are photos of Paxson, of Paxson with friends and family, and of Paxson painting. Printed materials concern Paxson's career as a painter and a writer and include three printed works about her travel and poetry including My Love Affair with Brazil, Europe with Pen and Brush, and Parting Words from Ethel. A scrapbook contains additional printed materials and one photograph. Writings and notes are by Paxson and include a reminiscence of Lilla Yale.
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:
Ethel Paxson papers, 1903-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
The papers of painter Felicia Meyer Marsh and the Meyer family measure 4.9 linear feet and date from circa 1880 to 1977. The collection is comprised of biographical materials including family business records, writings by Marsh, and other family documents; and Marsh's correspondence with her husband Reginald Marsh, her parents Herbert and Anne Meyer, and with numerous artists such as Peggy Bacon, Alexander Brook, Olin Dows, Philip Evergood, Lloyd Goodrich, Edward Hopper, George Tooker, and Andrew Wyeth after her husband's death in July 1954. Also found are 24 diaries belonging to Marsh and her parents; printed materials documenting the art careers of Marsh and Herbert Meyer; artwork including 20 sketchbooks; and photographic materials containing 19th and 20th-Century photographs of Felicia and Reginald Marsh, the Meyer family, and friends.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter Felicia Meyer Marsh and the Meyer family measure 4.9 linear feet and date from circa 1880 to 1977. The collection is comprised of biographical materials including family business records, writings by Marsh, and other family documents; and Marsh's correspondence with her husband Reginald Marsh, her parents Herbert and Anne Meyer, and with numerous artists such as Peggy Bacon, Alexander Brook, Olin Dows, Philip Evergood, Lloyd Goodrich, Edward Hopper, George Tooker, and Andrew Wyeth after her husband's death in July 1954. Also found are 24 diaries belonging to Marsh and her parents; printed materials documenting the art careers of Marsh and Herbert Meyer; artwork including 20 sketchbooks; and photographic materials containing 19th and 20th-Century photographs of Felicia and Reginald Marsh, the Meyer family, and friends.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as six series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1907-1976 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1903-1977 (Box 1; 0.8 linear feet)
Series 3: Diaries, 1914-1953 (Box 1-3; 1.4 linear feet)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1931-1977 (Box 3, OV 13; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 5: Artwork, 1892-1977 (Box 3-6, OVs 7-13; 1.5 linear feet)
Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1880-1976 (Box 4-5, OV 14; 0.8 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Felicia Meyer Marsh (1912 or 1913-1978) was a painter in Dorset, Vermont and was married to artist Reginald Marsh from 1934 until his death on July 3, 1954.
Marsh was born in New York City to artists Herbert and Anne Norton Meyer. She studied at The Finch School, the Art Students League, and in Paris, France. Marsh was known for her landscapes of Vermont where she spent time during her youth and much of her time as an adult when she was not in New York City. In addition to landscapes, Marsh also painted portraits, figures, cityscapes, interiors, and nature scenes.
In her early career, Marsh showed her work in group exhibitions during the 1930s and 1940s. She held several solo exhibitions from the 1940s until 1974 at the Wakefield Gallery, Macbeth Gallery, Frank K.M. Rehn Gallery, and others.
Marsh died in 1978 in New York City.
Provenance:
The Felicia Meyer Marsh and Meyer family papers were donated in 1979 by the Felicia Meyer Marsh estate via executor Elizabeth Barlett Sturges, friend of Marsh. Other material was transferred from the Reginald Marsh papers in 2005.
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.
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Names:
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Extent:
65 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2005 August 9-10
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Karen Karnes conducted 2005 Augest 9-10, by Mark Shapiro, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the artist's home and studio, in Morgan, Vermont.
Karnes discusses her childhood in Brooklyn and the Bronx as the daughter of Russian and Polish immigrants working in the garment industry; living in a cooperative housing project built especially for garment workers and their families; attending the High School of Music and Art, New York City; going on to Brooklyn College, and fortuitously landing in the class of Serge Chermayoff, who taught primarily in the Bauhaus style; meeting her first husband, David Weinrib, with whom she eventually moved to Pennsylvania; David bringing home a slab of clay for her to work with, her first experience with the material; traveling to Italy and working in a ceramics factory there; attending a summer session at Black Mountain College in North Carolina and taking a class with Josef Albers; moving to Stony Point, in Rockland County, New York, to start Gatehill Community; her first gallery relationship, with Bonniers, New York City; the birth of her son Abel in 1956; the first time she used a salt kiln, while at the Penland School of Arts and Crafts, Penland, North Carolina, in 1967, and its effect on the character of her work; her relationship with the Hadler-Rodriguez Galleries, New York City; the pottery show in Demarest, New Jersey; her teaching philosophy and methods, including the "Continuum"; meeting her life partner, Ann Stannard, in 1970; Ann's home in Wales, and living there before settling in Vermont; the fire that destroyed their home and studio in 1998; the issues of privacy and isolation in an artist's life; her expectations about her career, especially as a Jewish woman; and her feelings on the work of contemporary potters.
Karnes also recalls John Cage, Soetsu Yanagi, Bernard Leach, Shoji Hamada, Charles Olsen, Marguerite Wildenhain, Paul and Vera B. Williams, Mary Caroline Richards, Goren Holmquist, Paul J. Smith, Mikhail Zakin, Jack Lenor Larsen, Isamu Noguchi, D. Hayne Bayless, Zeb Schactel, Warren Mackenzie, Garth Clark, Joy Brown, Robbie Lobell, Paulus Berensohn, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Karen Karnes (1925- ) is a potter from Morgan, Vermont. Mark Shapiro is a potter from Worthington, Massachusetts.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 35 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.
Papers of artist Marion Huse provide a fairly detailed account of her artistic career, exhibitions, and her related travels, through photographs, picture postcards, exhibition catalogs and announcements, clippings, sketchbooks, correspondence, sales records, and a guest register from a memorial exhibition. Her teaching career and work as a WPA administrator is not well documented.
The correspondence dates from 1932-1985, and includes personal corresondence with her husband, Dr. Robert Barstow, June-Nov. 1946, and a small group of art related letters from art organizations, artists, galleries, and others. Among the correspondents are the Boston Society of Independent Artists, Howard Cook, the Ford Motor Company, George Grosz, Tricker Galleries, and the Works Progress Administration.
Included among the photographs are many portraits of Huse and her family, members of the Barstow family and their residences in Pownal, Vermont and coastal Massachusetts, Huse with colleagues and friends, her Springfield, Mass. studio and art classes, and many of her art work. Of note is an extensive collection of travel postcards and travel photographs she assembled during her travels, ca. 1936-1962, and used as source material for her paintings, showing scenes from an ocean crossing, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Caribbean countries, Mexico, Massachusetts, Vermont, and other New England locales, and New Mexico.
Sketchbooks, 1928-ca. 1960s, contain ink drawings, watercolors, and pencil sketches depicting urban streets in Massachusetts, rural New England scenes, circus scenes, buildings, and locales in Maine and Nova Scotia.
Sales receipts are primarily from the Southern Vermont Artists, Inc., 1935-1953.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, printmaker, teacher, arts administrator; Mass.
Provenance:
Donated 1999 by Fuller Museum of Art, which received the papers through Huse's executor, along with over 5,000 paintings and works on paper comprising the Marion Huse Collection.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
REEL 2528: Letters received from Dore Ashton, Babette Deutsch, Wolf Kahn, Lois Swinoff, and others; 10 journals, 1950-1957, containing comments on her personal life and her work, quotations from books, sketches and diagrams; writings and notes.
REEL 4909: Material relating to the publication of the book, Pat Adams (Five Point Press, 1991), including photocopies of brief correspondence with publisher LaVerne George, 1990-1991, and a paste-up of the book containing color photographs of Adams' work and writings and a letter from George about the paste-up. Also included is a photocopied typescript, "Remarks at Reception for Friends of Yaddo," delivered by Adams at Zabriskie Gallery, April 16, 1992.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, educator; Bennington, Vermont.
Provenance:
Material on reel 2528 lent for microfilming; and material on reel 4909 donated by Pat Adams.
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.
Microfilm reel 2528 is ACCESS RESTRICTED; written permission required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The bulk of this collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website, with the exception of the 2017 and 2022 addition. Use of material not digitized 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:
Louise Nevelson papers, circa 1903-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for a portion of the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Additional processing received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
The papers of architect and designer Florence Knoll Bassett, measure approximately 2 linear feet dating from 1932 to 2000. Through correspondence, sketches, drawings, designs, subject files, photographs, and printed material, the collection selectively documents Knoll Bassett's education, her work with Knoll Associates from the 1940s until her resignation in 1965, and projects undertaken since her retirement. It is an important source of information on the development of interior architecture and design from the 1940s to the 1970s.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of architect, and interior designer and planner Florence Knoll Bassett, measure approximately 2 linear feet dating from 1932 to 2000. The collection selectively documents Knoll Bassett's education and her career at Knoll Associates, Inc. from the 1940s until her resignation in 1965, in addition to personal design projects and other activities after leaving the company. It is an important source of information on the development of interior architecture and design from the 1940s to the 1970s, chronicling the Knoll mission to synthesize space, furniture, and design by creating interiors based on practical use, comfort, and aesthetics.
The collection documents the growth of Knoll's international reputation for its modern furnishings and interiors and the impact of a business philosophy that encompassed design excellence, technological innovation, and mass production. The material includes a chronology of Knoll Bassett's career; a portfolio of sketches, drawings and designs; photographs of Knoll Bassett and others; subject files containing sketches and photographic material; letters from friends, colleagues, clients and others; awards received by Knoll Bassett throughout her career; and printed material.
Much of the material is annotated with historical and biographical notes written by Knoll Bassett which provide invaluable contextual information for the materials found therein. The notes are dated 1999 in the Container Listing, under the assumption that they were written by Florence Knoll Bassett as she was arranging her archival papers.
Arrangement:
Before donating her papers to the Archives of American Art, Knoll Bassett organized the material in portfolios and color-coded files and designed four containers for them. Because the method of arrangement in itself provides insight into Knoll Bassett's style and creativity the collection has been minimally processed with the addition of acid-free materials for preservation reasons and the transcription of labels which may, over time, become detached. The original order of the collection has been retained throughout.
The collection was organized into what Bassett termed "storage units," the first container being divided into three units and the collection as a whole being divided into six units. Knoll Bassett supplied a detailed inventory of the contents of each container and the subjects represented in each porfolio or folder. Subject headings from this inventory have been used in the Series Description/Container Listing. Knoll Bassett also supplied a vita summarizing her career and copies of this, and her original container inventory are enclosed with the collection and can be consulted at AAA's research center in Washington D.C.
The collection is arranged as seven series. These series represent the categories into which Knoll Bassett organized the material, with the exception that Letters and Awards are presented as two series in the finding aid. Most of the items in Series 1 to 4 are presented as portfolios in spiral-bound notebooks and the remainder of the collection is organized in folders.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1932-1999 (Box 1; 1 portfolio)
Series 2: Selected Publications, 1946-1990, 1999 (Box 1; 1 portfolio)
Series 3: Drawings, Sketches, and Designs, 1932-1984, 1999 (Boxes 1-2; 2 portfolios)
Series 4: Photographs and Printed Material, 1956-1997, 1999 (Box 2; 1 portfolio)
Series 5: Subject Files, circa 1930s-1999 (Box 3; 1.0 linear ft.)
Series 6: Letters, circa 1930s-2000 (Box 4; 7 folders)
Series 7: Awards, 1954-1999 (Box 4; 6 folders)
Biographical Note:
Florence Knoll Bassett (1917-2019) was born Florence Schust and was affectionately known as Shu by her colleagues and friends. She was orphaned at age 12 and then cared for by Emile Tessin, a friend of the family whom her mother had appointed as Florence's legal guardian in the event of her death. When arrangements were being made for Florence to attend boarding school she was given the opportunity to make the selection. Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, held a strong aesthetic appeal for her and she "made an immediate decision that it was the right place for me," beginning her architectural studies under the school's art director, Rachel de Wolfe Raseman.
At Kingswood Knoll Bassett met the Saarinen family, studying under Eliel Saarinen and developing her interest in texture and color through her friendship with Loja Saarinen who supervised the school's weaving studio. Following Florence's graduation from Kingswood in 1934, Eliel Saarinen encouraged her to spend some time at Cranbrook Academy of Art before attending an accredited architecture school. She spent the next two years at Cranbrook working closely with advanced students and artists such as the Saarinens and Carl Milles, and gaining experience in all aspects of design.
Knoll Bassett then studied for two years at the Architectural Association in London, spending summers with the Saarinens in Europe. She completed her formal training at the Illinois Institute of Technology where she studied under Mies van der Rohe, whom she credits with having "a profound effect on my design approach and the clarification of design."
After graduation Knoll Bassett worked for architecture firms in Boston and New York where she met Hans Knoll who was then in the process of establishing a furniture business. In 1943 she began working for him in her spare time as an interior space planner and designer. In 1946 the two were married and formed Knoll Associates, Inc.
As director of the Knoll Planning Unit, Knoll Bassett established herself as one of the most important and influential interior planners and designers of the second half of the twentieth century. Believing that intelligent design "strikes at the root of living requirements and changing habits," she established the practice of working closely with the corporate sector to determine the needs of the people who would actually use the spaces that her company designed. Her connections with leading contemporary architects and designers, and the company's commitment to crediting designers by name and paying them royalties, laid the foundations for the strong working relationships upon which the commercial success of Knoll Associates was built. Drawing on a pool of top architects and designers, many of whom were personal friends, Knoll Bassett directed the company's Bauhaus approach, incorporating design excellence, technological innovation, and mass production in a seamless package of "total design."
While Knoll Bassett oversaw the creative process of the Planning Unit's operations in its entirety, she was also directly responsible for many of the individual elements used in the Unit's projects. During the war years, she worked with her designers to overcome the scarcity of materials, establishing Knoll Textiles in response to the dearth of available fabrics and textile colors, and developing the company's hallmark style of spare clean lines and vibrant colors in a functional, comfortable, and aesthetically appealing space. Finding that much of the "fill-in" furniture, primarily cabinetry, that she envisaged in many of her plans was not available, Knoll Bassett designed the pieces herself. She used the Knoll showrooms as "experimental laboratories" to convince clients to use modern ideas and materials, showcasing and putting into production the classic designs of people such as Eero Saarinen, Mies van der Rohe, Jens Risom, Harry Bertoia, Isamu Noguchi, and Marcel Breuer.
After the war Knoll Associates expanded to Europe through a series of government contracts which resulted ultimately in the formation of Knoll International. When Hans Knoll died suddenly in an automobile accident in 1955 Florence became president of the company. She married Harry Hood Bassett in 1958 and began to divide her time between New York and Florida. In 1959 she sold her interest in Knoll Associates to Art Metal and retired as President of the company the following year, while continuing to work as a consultant and serving as Design Director. In 1961 she became the first woman to be awarded the Gold Medal for Industrial Design by the American Institute of Architects, one of many awards received over the course of her career. In 1965 she resigned from Knoll Associates entirely after completing the interior design for the CBS headquarters in New York.
Following her retirement Knoll Bassett devoted more time to private commissions and other interests such as her campaign against billboards in Miami in the mid 1980s. She spent summers in Vermont and winters in Florida with her husband, until his death in 1991. In July 2001, Metropolis magazine published a rare interview with Knoll Bassett in which she reflects upon the life she so skillfully documented in the extraordinary gift of her archival papers to the Archives of American Art.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art by Florence Knoll Bassett in 2000.
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.
Occupation:
Architects -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Designers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Furniture designers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Use of 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:
Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight papers, 1816, 1914-2008, bulk 1973-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the 2007 processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Funding for the 2018 processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.
