Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Littlefield, William Horace, 1902-1969
| title | William Littlefield papers, ca. 1941-1977. |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Biographical information; correspondence; photographs; writings; works of art; scrapbooks and files on artists and organizations; Littlefield's painting registar and price lists; applications; printed material; address books; awards and a transcript. Correspondence is with family, friends, gallaries, and others, including letters from Paris and other European cities written while studying abroad. Photographs of Littlefield, his work, friends, and works of art by others. Writings include poetry, articles, essays, notes, and a draft for "The Son," a ballet by Littlefield, 1934. Works of art include sketches by Littlefield. Four scrapbooks and artists files contain printed material, correspondence and photographs. Organization files include the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, the New School for Social Research, and The Club; and miscellany. Also included is a transcript of a speech by Hans Hofmann given at the Riverside Museum, New York City, February 16, 1941. ADDITION: Correspondence with Vincent Grimaldi, William Stanley Hayter, Monroe Wheeler, Paul Sachs, Mary Rockwell, Lincoln Kirstein, Duncan Phillips, Muriel Draper, A. Hyatt Mayor, Peter Busa, Archibald MacLeish, and others. Works of art including sketches by Littlfield and Hayter. Scrapbooks and artists files containing printed material and photographs pertaining to Frank and Isabel Moser, and Mary Peixotto, Herman Heilborn and Alexis Arapoff. Also included are files on The Club. |
| extent | 6.0 linear ft.; Addition: 1.0 linear ft. |
| formats | Correspondence Photographs Writings Works of Art Printed Materials |
| access | Unprocessed collection. Use requires an appointment. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| finding aid | Preliminary finding aid available. |
| acquisition information | Donated 1971 by Nancy Stiner, an antique dealer who bought the papers, in 1992, by Fred J. Stone who purchased the estate and in 2007 by Peggy Stone, Fred Stone's daughter. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:35 |
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| title | Florence Weinstein papers, 1929-1983. |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Letters (1931-1983), writings, art works, printed material (1929-1976), and photographs (1952-1969) document the work of painters and ceramists Florence and Sylvie Weinstein. Twelve letters from William Littlefield and 3 from others discuss Weinstein's work and exhibitions (1952-1976). An 11-page autobiographical account also includes information about Weinstein's parents, Gregory and Eugenie Lasser Weinstein, and her sisters, Eleonore Lochspeiser and Sylvie L. Weinstein. Art works consist of a watercolor sketch by Sylvie Weinstein of a regional French costume and a greeting card decorated with a painting by Littlefield. Printed material includes 19 exhibition announcements and catalogs (1955-1976), 3 press releases (1959-1969), and 10 clippings (1955-1969) concerning Florence Weinstein's work. Photographs show Weinstein (1952), her Woodstock home (1953-1969), and her works. Unfilmed: Letters (1944-1983) written to Florence Weinstein concerning her work and activities include 4 letters from Paul-Emile Borduas, one from Andree Golbin, 6 from Robert Motherwell, and a Christmas card (1931) decorated with a print by Sylvie Weinstein. A one-page essay, "A Helpful Thrill", was written by Weinstein's father, Gregory Weinstein, in 1952. Two photographs show works by Florence Weinstein. Printed material consists of 4 clippings (1929-1941) about Florence, Gregory, and Sylvie Weinstein; and exhibition announcements and catalogs for Florence Weinstein (1956-1971) and Sylvie Weinstein (1935-1941). Bio / His Notes: Painter and ceramist; New York, N.Y. Weinstein was educated at Adelphi College, the Sorbonne in Paris, and Middlebury College and taught French until 1951. During that time she spent summers in art colonies such as Rockport and Provincetown, befriending many artists. Her youngest sister, Sylvie, a ceramist, died in 1945, leaving Weinstein with the desire to become an artist herself. Beginning with a free class with Barnett Newman, she continued her studies with Willem DeKooning and Josef Albers, and in 1948 at the "Subjects of the Artist" school with Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko, and others. After resigning her teaching position in 1951, she began exhibiting her paintings and, later, her ceramics. |
| extent | 0.4 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 1 reel) reel 3957 |
| formats | Microfilm Correspondence Photographs |
| access | Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed portion requires an appointment and is limited to Washington, D.C. storage facility. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| acquisition information | Donated 1977 and 1983 by Florence Weinstein. Reproduction: Essay is a photocopy. Location of Original: Essay: Original in possession of Florence Weinstein. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:35 |
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| title | Julius Tobias papers, 1945-1977. |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Ca. 360 letters; photographs of Tobias's work and of him; four sketches; biographical material; exhibition catalogs and press releases; teaching contracts; clippings; and a small watercolor by William Littlefield with a personal greeting. Included are materials relating to New York's East Tenth Street cooperative galleries of the 1950s. Bio / His Notes: Sculptor, instructor; New York, N.Y. Studied in Paris with Fernand Leger. Died June 16, 1999. |
| extent | 1.0 linear ft. |
| formats | Correspondence Photographs Sketches Exhibition Catalogs Ephemera |
| access | Unmicrofilmed; use requires an appointment and is limited to Washington, D.C. storage facility. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| acquisition information | Donated 1977 by Julius Tobias. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:35 |
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| title | William Horace Littlefield poem, 1958 May 30. |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Additional forms: 35mm microfilm reel D10 (fr. 1401-1402) available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Bio / His Notes: Painter; New York, N.Y. |
| extent | 1 item (on partial microfilm reel) |
| formats | Writings Microfilm |
| access | Patrons must use microfilm copy. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| acquisition information | Donated 1958 by E.P. Richardson, founder of AAA. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:35 |
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| title | Howard M. Gibbs papers, 1904-1975. |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Correspondence, sketchbooks, photographs, a scrapbook, and printed material. REEL 1255: A 27 page scrapbook, ca.1930-1969, containing letters and clippings. UNMICROFILMED: Correspondence, 1923-1975, with Erwin S. Barrie, Pietro Pezzati, Vincent L. Price, Thomas Messer, Dorothy Miller, T. Gilbert Brouillette, and others; 27 sketchbooks; 26 sketches; 1 photograph album and ca. 80 photographs of Gibbs, his family and friends, including William Littlefield and the Provincetown Art Association; exhibition announcements, catalogs, press releases, and clippings, ca. 1929-1964. Bio / His Notes: Painter; Boston, Massachusetts. |
| extent | 2.2 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 1 reel) |
| formats | Correspondence Sketchbooks Photographs Scrapbooks Printed Materials |
| access | Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed portion requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. storage facility. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| acquisition information | Material on reel 1255 lent for microfilming 1975 by Margaret Gibbs, wife of Howard. Unmicrofilmed material was donated by Margaret Gibbs, 1975, and by their daughter, Katherine Gibbs Tubman La Fleur, 1976-1978. Location of Original: Reel 1255: Originals returned to the lender, Margaret Gibbs, after microfilming. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:35 |
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| title | Oral history interview with Polly Thayer, 1995 May 12-1996 February 1 |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | An interview of Polly Thayer (Starr) conducted by Robert F. Brown for the Archives of American Art. 5/12/95 session: Thayer talks about her childhood in an upper class Boston family, thriving on drawing in charcoal from casts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, under tutelage of Beatrice Van Ness; her social debut, 1921-1922; a trip in the summer of 1922 to the Orient with her mother and brother where she was caught in the Tokyo earthquake; Philip Hale's method of teaching drawing at the Museum School in Boston, 1923-1924 and, later, privately; Eugene Speicher's urging her to free herself from Hale's teaching; the difficulty of making the transition to painting which; and winning of the Hallgarten Prize of National Academy of Design, 1929. 5/18/95 session: Studying with Charles W. Hawthorne in Provincetown, Mass. in the summer of 1923-1924, which countered the rigidity of her training at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston School; travels in Spain and Morocco in early 1929, at the time her large painting of a nude, "Circles," won the Hallgarten Prize; the importance to her of a letter in 1929 from the critic, Royal Cortissoz, urging her to not fall into the trap of the Boston School and become formulaic in her work; her first one-person show at Doll and Richards, Boston, which resulted in 18 portrait commissions; her ease with which she did self-portraits early in her career, but not so later; and her difficulty in holding the attention of portrait sitters. 5/30/95 session: Studying with Harry Wickey at the Art Students League, who taught her by boldly re-working her drawings for "plastic" values, which Starr quickly achieved; sketching medical operations and back-stage at theatres, which gave her the dramatic subject matter she sought in the early 1930s; her portraits; getting married in 1933 and the affect on her work; and her work at the Painter's Workshop in Boston with Gardner Cox and William Littlefield. She recalls May Sarton whose portrait she painted in 1936, Charles Hopkinson, and Hans Hofmann. 2/01/96 session: The distractions from painting brought about by marriage, children, acting, an active social life and much travel; her increased involvement in social concerns through her conversion to Quakerism; the simplification of her paintings beginning in the late 1930s and her steady execution of portrait commissions, which took less time; her exhibitions in Boston and New York through the 1940s and the rarity of them after that; being a board member of the Institute of Modern Art, Boston, and its co-founder, Nathaniel Saltonstall; her approach to painting which amounts to seeking the invisible in the visual world; and the onset of glaucoma which has ended her painting career. Biographical Note Painter; Boston. |
| extent | 3 sound cassettes (4 1/2 hrs.) : analog. 89 p. transcript. |
| formats | Interview Sound Recording Transcript Online Transcript |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record link | https://www.aaa.si.edu/download_pdf_transcript/ajax?record_id=edanmdm-AAADCD_oh_215859 |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-polly-thayer-12461 |
| finding aid | Transcript found on the repository's web site in electronic form. |
| acquisition information | This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1959 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:35 |
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| title | Fred McDarrah interviews, 1971 June 15 - 1971 July 15. |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | An interview of Fred McDarrah conducted by Paul Cummings for the Archives of American Art. McDarrah speaks of his early family life and extreme poverty during the Depression period in Brooklyn; family influence; his first photographic efforts in the 1930s; his U.S. Army service; going to photography school at New York University; life in Greenwich Village in the 1940s and 1950s; his involvement with rock and roll music; getting his work into publications; the comparison between the "hippie" and the "beat" cultures; working as a photojournalist for Village Voice; his techniques and equipment; experiences covering public events; his philosophy on photography and its uses. He recalls Bill Littlefield, Philip Pavia, Cyril Nelson, and The Club. Bio / His Notes: Photographer; New York, N.Y. |
| extent | Sound recordings: 3 sound tape reels (6 hours) ; 5 in. Transcript: 75 p. |
| formats | Sound Recording Transcript |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| acquisition information | These interviews are 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. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:35 |
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| title | William Horace Littlefield letters and photographs to Paul Cummings, 1951-1969. |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Letters to Paul Cummings, 1964-1969; and photographs of paintings by Littlefield, 1951-1962. Letters discuss Littlefield's efforts to sell his collection of paintings by Leslie Powell, Howard Gibbs, David (Emery Abraham) Forbes, and others; Littlefield's connection with The Club, the organization of artists and writers formed by Philip Pavia in the early 1950's; and his own painting and criticism. Bio / His Notes: Littlefield was a painter, writer and art collector; New York, N.Y. Died 1969. Cummings, an art historian, was an expert on drawings and prints |
| extent | 0.2 linear ft. (on 1 microfilm reel) |
| formats | Correspondence Photographs |
| access | Patrons must use microfilm copy. |
| record link | n/a |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/william-horace-littlefield-letters-and-photographs-to-paul-cummings-10334 |
| acquisition information | Donated 1969 by Paul Cummings. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:35 |
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| title | Budd Hopkins papers, 1956-1983. |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Correspondence, writings, printed material, an audio cassette of a lecture, and photographs concern the career of painter Budd Hopkins. Nineteen letters from artists and colleagues William Littlefield, George Mellor, Rafael Ferrer, Leo Manso, and Carol Haerer (1960-1981). A 3-page financial statement records money due to Hopkins from the Tirca Karlis Gallery (1967). Writings include artist's statements (1956-1972); a 1972 chronology of Hopkins' life; 7 typescripts by Hopkins including a manuscript on MISSING TIME: THE UFO ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE (1980) and essays on recent American painting and artists Jim Brooks, Remo Farruggio and Franz Kline; and Robert Motherwell's essay about Hopkins (1979). Printed material consists of clippings (1961-1982), exhibition announcements and catalogs (1958-1983), and 3 art school brochures (1962-1974). An audio cassette tape and a 10-page transcript record Hopkins' lecture, "Modernism and the Collage Esthetic, " delivered at Montclair Art Museum (1979). Five photographs and 2 color transparencies show Hopkins; 9 photographs and 121 slides show his works and installations Bio / His Notes: Painter; New York, N.Y. After attending Oberlin College, Hopkins moved to New York City in 1953, receiving his first exhibition at the Poindexter Gallery in 1956. Later he spent summers in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he exhibited at the Tirca Karlis Gallery. |
| extent | 0.6 linear ft. |
| formats | Correspondence Writings Printed Materials Photographs Sound Recording |
| access | Unmicrofilmed: use requires an appointment and is limited to Washington, D.C. storage facility. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| acquisition information | Donated 1980-1983 by Budd Hopkins. Reproduction: Twelve clippings re photocopies. Location of Original: Originals in possession of Budd Hopkins. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:35 |
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| title | James Brooks and Charlotte Park papers, 1909-2010, bulk 1930-2010 |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Personal and business correspondence; photographs; transcripts of taped interviews; writings on art; sketches; and printed materials. REEL N69-132: Financial correspondence with the Samuel M. Kootz Gallery; personal letters to Brooks and his wife Charlotte from George Biddle, Sam Hunter, Peppino Mangravite, James Waddell, William Littlefield, Worden Day, Wilfred Zogbaum, Julian Levi, Saul Steinberg, from collector, Ben Heller, and editors, George Plimpton and Stanley Kunitz. Also includes transcripts of interviews regarding his development as an artist, his commercial success, federal art programs during the depression, experiences with Jackson Pollock and Thomas H. Benton, and classes with Kimon Nicolaides and Boardman Robinson; clippings; photographs; catalogs; and an address book. REELS 292-293: Brief essays on painting; a notebook summarizing work on "Flight," a Federal Art Project mural; photographs, including one of Brooks standing in front of his WPA Woodside Library mural (also microfilmed on reel 1817 fr. 224-225, and scanned, with AAA's Photographs of Artists Collection II); catalogs; clippings; and correspondence, primarily with teaching institutions, museums, and galleries often regarding lectures, juries, exhibitions, and sales. Correspondents include John Baur, James Johnson Sweeney, Josef Albers, Grace Borgenicht Brandt, and an occasional letter from Thomas Hart Benton. Olin Dows and Edward B. Rowan discuss murals done by Brooks for the Treasury Department and Biddle corresponds with Brooks about his service as a War Department artist. UNMICROFILMED: Personal correspondence with Sandy (Alexander) Calder, Eurico Donate, Juilan Levi, Pierre Soulages, and others; business correspondence with Harvy H. Arnason, Trudie Grace, Grace Hartigan,Martha Jackson, Samuel Kootz, and others; income tax forms, insurance policies, and receipts; a sketchbook; 25 photographs of works of art; 31 sketches; exhibition catalogs and announcements; magazine articles and clippings on mural painting and Jackson Pollock. Bio / His Notes: Painter; East Hampton, N.Y. Died 1992. Brooks studied under Kimon Nicolaides and Boardman Robinson. He served as an artist in the War Dept. and during the Depression he painted murals for federal art programs. He was a proponent of Abstract Expressionism, and was a friend of Jackson Pollock. |
| extent | 3.4 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 3 reels) |
| formats | Microfilm Correspondence Business Papers Photographs Transcript |
| access | Microfilmed material must be consulted on microfilm copy. Use of unilmed material requires an appointment and is limited to Washington, D.C. storage facility. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.broojame.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/james-brooks-and-charlotte-park-papers-8955 |
| acquisition information | Donated 1979-1983 by Brooks. Reel N69-132 originally microfilmed in 1969. Portions that were donated have been previously microfilmed on reel N69-132. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:35 |
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| title | Artist file: Littlefield, William H. , 1902-1969 |
| repository | National Portrait Gallery Library |
| description | Folder(s) may include exhibition announcements, newspaper and/or magazine clippings, press releases, brochures, reviews, invitations, illustrations, resumes, artist's statements, exhibition catalogs. |
| extent | 1+ folders (check with repository) |
| formats | Ephemera |
| access | Folder(s) do not circulate. Folder(s) available for use only at the holding library |
| record source | http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/Art-Design/artandartistfiles/ |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:40 |
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