Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Dahl, Arthur L.

titleArthur L. and Joyce Lyon Dahl papers, 1926-1988.
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionLetters; photographs; writings; sketches; financial records; a scrapbook; a phonograph album; exhibition announcements and clippings mainly relating to Mark Tobey.

REEL 3829: Six letters to Dahl from Mark Tobey; a letter from Jermayne MacAgy requesting Tobey's painting "Autobiography" for an exhibit and Dahl's response; a letter from the Whitney Museum of Art regarding a Tobey painting; and a letter from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai's of the U.S. regarding a Tobey exhibit. Also included is a phonograph album, 1959, of a Tobey musical composition "Suite for Flute," performed by John Wummer, inscribed on the jacket "To Mark Tobey, composer - Marion - 12/59."

REELS 1785-1788: Correspondence; writings on Tobey; three sketches by Tobey; financial records relating to the sale of art works; organizational records of the Pacific Northwest Arts Center; exhibition announcements and catalogs; clippings; a scrapbook; and 13 photographs. Among the correspondents are Tobey, Pehr Hallsten, art dealers Otto D. Seligman, Dan Rhodes Johnson, and Marian Willard Johnson, museum curator William C. Seitz, and Tobey's attorney Arthur Barnett.

REEL 1819: Photographs of two retrospective exhibitions of Mark Tobey's paintings at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Louvre, Paris, 1961, and at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1962. Included are installation shots and photographs of Tobey, Pehr Hallsten, William C. Seitz, Joyce Lyon Dahl, Andre Malraux, Georges Mathieu, Otto Seligman, Darthea Speyer, Arthur Barnett, Marian Willard Johnson, and Jacques Guerin.

REEL 4909(fr. 972-980): Two letters 1971 & 1975, from Arthur Barnett to Arthur Dahl regarding Tobey; a black and white photograph taken by Arthur Dahl of Mark Tobey having tea with friends, including Joyce Dahl, on the occassion of his retrospective at the Louvre, 1961; and a snapshot of Dahl, his wife, Tobey, Pehr, and others taken at the home of George and Lucile Herbert.

Co-Creator: Willard, Marian, 1904-
Wummer, John
Barnett, Arthur
Guérin, Jacques
Hallsten, Pehr, d. 1965
Johnson, Dan Rhodes
Malraux, André, 1901-1976
Mathieu, Georges, 1921-
Seitz, William Chapin
Seligman, Otto D., 1890-1966
Speyer, Darthea
Tobey, Mark
Dahl, Joyce Lyon
extent3.6 linear ft. (microfilmed on 7 reels) reels 1785-1788, 3829, 1819 & 4909
formatsCorrespondence Photographs Financial Records Scrapbooks Clippings
accessPatrons must use microfilm copy.
record linkhttp://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/arthur-l-and-joyce-lyon-dahl-papers-7113
record sourcehttp://www.siris.si.edu/
acquisition informationDonated 1977-1986 by Arthur and Joyce Lyon Dahl. The second movement of Mark Tobey's composition, "Suite for Flute," was used on the sound track of "Mark Tobey," a 20-minute experimental film made in Seattle in 1952 by Robert Gardner. In 1959, Marian Willard Johnson, on the occasion of Tobey's birthday, engaged John Wummer to record this work privately. The record contained within this set of papers is the one she gave to Mark Tobey. Tobey gave the record to Dahl sometime before moving to Switzerland in 1960.
updated03/16/2023 10:29:50
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titleMark Tobey papers, [ca. 1920]-1977.
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionBiographical material; correspondence; financial records; Baha'i material; music; writings; art works; printed material; and photographs.

Biographical material includes diaries with sporadic entries, undated and 1958-1959; address books; membership cards, and honorary titles.

Correspondents include Stephen Andrus, Dore Ashton, Arthur G. Barnett, John and Betty Bowen, Adelyn Breeskin, Cliffa Carson (niece), Thomas A. Chew, Lillian Clark, Paul Cummings, Arthur Dahl, Shoghi B. Effendi, Dorothy Elmhirst, Claire Falkenstein, Lyonel Feininger, Janet Flanner, John Ford,Miriam Gabo, Colin Graham, Pehr Hallsten, Pamela Harkins, Nina Harwood, John and Anne Hauberg, Kay Hillman, Joseph Hirshhorn, David Hofman, Carl Holty, Herbert Hoover, Leroy and Silvia Ioas, Berthe P. and Claire Jacobson, Nina Kandinsky, Helen Kendall, Carolyn Kizer, Katherine Kuh,Rene Lauby, Bernard Leach, Gerald Lieberman, Andre Masson, Marjory Masten, George Mathieu,

N. Richard Miller, Joan Miro, Axel Mondell, Alfred Neumeyer, Ben Nicholson, Vincent Price, Mark Ritter, Diego Rivera, Nancy W. Ross, John Russell, Henry Seldis, Charles Seliger, Otto Seligman, Art Smith, James Speyer, Michel Tapie, Miriam Terry, Roland Terry, Juliet Thompson, Kenneth Tyler, Charmion Von Wiegand, Heloise Wardall, Ulfert Wilke, and Marian Willard of the Willard Gallery.

Also found are: notes taken while studying French; financial, legal and medical records; material relating to Baha'i, including credential for Tobey for the Baha'i World Congress, 1963, class notes, photographs, prayer books, and printed material; music, including sheet music by Tobey, recital program, and music by Harold Budd, John Sundsten,and Debussey; writings and poetry by Tobey and Dahl; writings on Tobey;

a transcript of an interview of Tobey conducted by William Seitz; sketches and sketchbooks by Tobey and by others, including Bernard Leach; printed material on Tobey, including reproductions of work, exhibition catalogs and announcements, magazine articles, and clippings; and printed material on others, including Hallsten, Leach, Seliger, Feininger, Abraham Walkowitz, Alberto Burri, and Jules Pascin.

Also included are photographs of: Tobey, Tobey with family and friends, exhibition installations, works of art, an album containing photos, sketches and notes, ca. 1920-1950, an album of photos of Tobey's Seattle studio taken after his death by Kenneth Tomlinson, 1976, and miscellaneous photographs.

Bio / His Notes:
Painter; Abstract Expressionist. Also worked as fashion illustrator, portrait painter. Born in Wisconsin, December 11, 1892. Died 1976.

Worked in Chicago, Seattle, Basel, Switzerland; New York, N.Y., Dartington Hall, Devonshire, England, and Paris. Convert to Baha'i religion.
extent11 microfilm reels. reels 3200-3210
formatsCorrespondence Financial Records Works of Art Writings Photographs
accessPatrons must use microfilm copy.
record sourcehttp://www.siris.si.edu/
acquisition informationLent for microfilming 1984 by the Seattle Art Museum. Location of Original: Originals in: Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington.
updated11/12/2014 11:29:55
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titleMark Tobey Papers, circa 1850-1985
repositoryUniversity of Washington Libraries
descriptionAccession No. 3593-001
Mark Tobey papers, 1945-1977
.56 cubic foot
Biographical features, correspondence, gallery notices, exhibition catalogs, clippings, photographs.
Photographs are 8" x 10" black & white copies; all are of his work, except two.

Accession No. 3593-002
Mark Tobey papers, circa 1923-1976
10.00 cubic feet
Scope and Content
Correspondence, writings, diaries, music, gallery notices, photographs, clippings, ephemera

Accession No. 3593-003
Mark Tobey papers, 1931-1975
14.69 cubic feet
Scope and Content
Correspondence, art works by Tobey and others, exhibition catalogs and posters, photographs and negatives, writings, phonodisc, memorabilia.
Art works from Tobey estate are those considered not exhibit quality by the Seattle Art Museum. Many are untitled and unidentified. Art works by unidentified artists are listed by dimensions only. Measurements are approximate, in inches, and for the most part are outer dimensions.
Negatives of photographs were for use of the Foster White Gallery in its exhibition of Jan 1990. Each negative has been placed with the original photograph.
Restrictions on Access
Access restricted: For terms of access, contact Special Collections.
Other Finding Aids
Inventory/container list available in Special Collections.

Accession No. 3593-004
Mark Tobey papers, 1944-1985
.28 cubic foot
Scope and Content
Exhibition catalogs, gallery notices.
All the catalogs and notices are regarding Mark Tobey. They were given to Marshall Hatch by the Willard Gallery in New York City, which sold Tobey's work from about 1943 until the gallery closed in 1986.
Restrictions on Access
Open to all users.
Acquisition Info
Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Hatch, 2/11/1988.

Accession No. 3593-006
Mark Tobey Papers papers, circa 1850-1978
2.00 cubic feet
Scope and Content
Photographs; 1850s-1978, many have no date.
Includes several hundred photographs of Tobey, others, Tobey family members, and Tobey art works. See inventory.
Restrictions on Access
Access restricted: For terms of access, contact Special Collections.
Acquisition Info
Donated by Tobey Estate, 11/19/1988.

Accession No. 3593-008
Mark Tobey painting, 1935
.33 cubic foot (1 oversize package)
Scope and Content
Painting by Mark Tobey, "Untitled (Landscape)".
Painting is tempera on paper, mounted on board; dimensions are 7.25" x 18.5".
Restrictions on Access
Access restricted: For terms of access, contact Special Collections.
Restrictions on Use
Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info
Donated by Seattle Art Museum, 3/23/1993.

Accession No. 3593-009
Mark Tobey recordings
1 phonograph record; 1 sound cassette
Scope and Content
Phonograph recording and audiocassette dub of it, of music composed by Mark Tobey.
Note: the phondisc label has misspelled words in the titles; contents should read "Aubade", "Memories are Hunting Horns", and "Hommage a Windsor Utley". The flautist for all three selections was Windsor Utley.
Restrictions on Access
Open to all users. Access to archival recordings: Due to the fragility of archival tape recordings, potential users may be required to arrange for transfer to digital format before the material can be accessed. Please contact Special Collections for further information.
Restrictions on Use
Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info
Donated by John Gibbs, 2/23/1994.

Accession No. 3593-010
Mark Tobey musical compositions, 1952-1957
.21 cubic foot (2 volumes: 80 pages)
Scope and Content
Musical compositions consisting of piano sketches and composition exercises.
Restrictions on Access
Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use
Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info
Donated by Arthur Barnett, 3/31/1994.

Accession No. 3593-011
Mark Tobey design, before 1977
.03 cubic foot (1 folder)
Scope and Content
Linoleum block designed for the Washington State Theatre; n.d.
Restrictions on Access
Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use
Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info
Donated by W.U. Libraries, 6/11/1996.

Accession No. 3593-012
Mark Tobey papers, 1956-1970
.21 cubic foot (1 box)
Scope and Content
Correspondence between Mark Tobey and Dolores and Mark McColm, and rental contract for a house rented by Tobey at 5220 University Way in Seattle. Also includes clippings.
Restrictions on Access
Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use
Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info
Donated by Marshall Hatch, 2/24/1986.

Accession No. 3593-013
Mark Tobey disc recordings , 1957
.04 cubic feet (3 disc recordings including 1 ten-inch sound disc, 33 1/3 rpm; 2 twelve-inch sound discs, 78 rpm)
Scope and Content
Phonograph records, including one 33 1/3 rpm disc containing three flute pieces composed by Mark Tobey, "Aubade", "Memories are Hunting Horns", and "Hommage a Windsor Utley", all played by John Wummer, flautist. Also present are two 78 rpm discs labelled "American Art Festival, sides 1,2,3,and 4, Mark Tobey and Lloyd Goodrich." Mark Tobey's autograph appears on the record labels of the American Art Festival discs. Only side 4 is dated; October 15, 1957.
Restrictions on Access
Open to all users.
Acquisition Info
Donated by Wesley Wehr, 4/25/1997.

Accession No. 3593-014
Mark Tobey papers, circa 1930-1939
.03 cubic feet (1 Vertical file)
Scope and Content
Drawings (one with music manuscript), exhibit catalogs. They date from the 1930's and several were previously owned by dancer Louise Soelberg, a friend of Tobey.
Restrictions on Access
Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use
May be copied and quoted.
Acquisition Info
Donated by Basil Langton, 3/30/2000.

Biographical Note
Mark Tobey was born in Wisconsin in 1890 and raised in Wisconsin and Indiana. His only formal art training was painting classes at the Art Institute of Chicago while he was in high school. Tobey's artistic career began in Chicago as an illustrator for fashion catalogs. After moving to Greenwich Village in 1911, he worked briefly as a fashion illustrator for McCalls magazine. During his early years in New York, Tobey also drew charcoal portraits and in the 1920s became known for his theater caricatures and drawings of vaudeville and burlesque figures. In 1918, Tobey accepted the Baha'i faith. He remained active in Baha'i circles throught the rest of his life. Baha'i exerted an important influence on Tobey's work, providing him with aesthetic as well as religious principles. In 1922 Tobey moved to Seattle and accepted a job teaching art classes at the Cornish School.

For the next 38 years, despite long absences in New York and Europe, he made Seattle his home. In Seattle, he was first exposed to the art of the Far East when, in 1923, he met Teng Kuei, a young Chinese artist who taught him Chinese brushwork. In 1930, Tobey moved to Dartington Hall, a progressive school of the arts in England where he taught until 1938. In 1934 Tobey visited China and Japan and spent a month in a Zen monastery. Scholars have seen a connection between Tobey's sojurn in the Orient and the evolution of his mature style. In 1934, the fledgling Seattle Art Museum presented a one man show of Tobey's works.

With the outbreak of war imminent in Europe, Tobey returned to Seattle in 1938 and worked on the WPA Federal Art Project. The 1940s were a productive time for Tobey in Seattle; in 1941 he began piano and music theory lessons.

Tobey lived in Paris from October 1954 to June 1955, and in 1960 he moved to Basel, Switzerland. Throught the 1960s and early 1970s Tobey continued to paint and achieve international recognition. Tobey died in 1976.

extent28.38 cubic feet
formatsCorrespondence Exhibition Files Exhibition Catalogs Clippings Photographs
accessSome materials are restricted: For terms of access, contact Special Collections.
record sourcehttp://www.lib.washington.edu/SpecialColl/findaids/docs/papersrecords/TobeyMark3593.xml
finding aidGuide in repository and online.
acquisition informationAccession No. 3593-001 - Received 1/1/1983. Accession No. 3593-002 - Donated by Seattle Art Museum, 3/27/1985. Accession No. 3593-004 - Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Hatch, 2/11/1988. Accession No. 3593-006 - Donated by Tobey Estate, 11/19/1988. Accession No. 3593-008 - Donated by Seattle Art Museum, 3/23/1993. Accession No. 3593-009 - Donated by John Gibbs, 2/23/1994. Accession No. 3593-010 - Donated by Arthur Barnett, 3/31/1994. Accession No. 3593-011 - Donated by W.U. Libraries, 6/11/1996. Accession No. 3593-012 - Donated by Marshall Hatch, 2/24/1986. Accession No. 3593-013 - Donated by Wesley Wehr, 4/25/1997. Accession No. 3593-014 - Donated by Basil Langton, 3/30/2000.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:04
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