Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Subject Art Form Photographs Year 1980 to 1984

Thornton Oakley collection of Howard Pyle and his students, 1887-1951 (bulk) 1841-1992 (inclusive)

Extent:: 15.83 linear feet
Abstract:: The Thornton Oakley collection of Howard Pyle and his students covers the influential artistic career of Howard Pyle and several of his students, most notably Maxfield Parrish, Violet Oakley, and N.C. Wyeth. The collection includes a wide range of materials, which was collected and assembled by Pyle’s former student Thornton Oakley. There are tear sheets of artwork published in magazines, original illustrations, photographs, research notes, manuscripts, and correspondence. Besides Howard Pyle, artists well represented in this collection include Elizabeth Shippen Green, Jessie Wilcox Smith, George Harding, Violet Oakley, N.C. Wyeth, and a large collection of material on Maxfield Parrish. There is also a series dedicated to the children’s author and art historian, Henry Clarence Pitz, who researched and wrote The Brandywine Tradition about Pyle and his artistic influence. The collection’s primary strength is the collection of artwork by Pyle and his students, some of...(see more)

Held at: Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department [Contact Us]

Free Library of Philadelphia collection of Arthur Rackham, 1890-1938 (bulk) 1831-1996 (inclusive)

Extent:: 20.19 linear feet
Abstract:: This collection consists of material created by or about the children's illustrator Arthur Rackham. It consists of correspondence, original artwork, and ephemera collected by the Free Library of Philadelphia from a number of donors and trust fund purchases. Several hundred published volumes have been cataloged separately and are findable in the Free Library's online catalog.

Held at: Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department [Contact Us]

Taylor and Nicholson family papers, 1869-1944 1810-1999 (inclusive) 1869-1944 (bulk)

Extent:: 10.75 linear ft. (21 boxes and 2 rolled items in a tube) and 21 containers and 3 rolled photographs
Abstract:: The Taylor and Nicholson family papers contain the records of these two families from the late-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. The two focal points of this collection are William Nicholson Taylor (1882-1945), and his mother, Rebecca Morgan Nicholson Taylor (1857-1944). William graduated from Harvard in 1903 and afterwards spent considerable time abroad studying architecture. He also served as an officer in the United States Military from 1916 to 1917, and worked in diplomacy after the war. Rebecca was a noted writer and poet during this time period. The strength of this collection is the collected materials related to William's time in the military, as well as his sketchbooks related to architecture and Harvard. Researchers interested in the works of Rebecca Morgan Nicholson Taylor or Quaker women, should also consult Rebecca's notebook and correspondence. There is extensive correspondence between the various members of these two families from the 1880s to 1940s.

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

Edward F. Fry papers, circa 1947-1992 (inclusive)

Extent:: 66 boxes
Abstract:: Comprising documents related to Fry's life and career: correspondence, research, and letters from numerous artists and colleagues, handwritten lectures, typescript essays, over 1000 photographs of artists' works with special interest in Pablo Picasso, Jacques Lipchitz, Henri Laurens, and David Smith. Correspondence with artists (some include slides and drawings), curators, art historians, and museums. Highlights of curated exhibitions include the 1967 5th Guggenheim International Exhibition, the 1969 David Smith retrospective, the canceled 1971 Hans Haacke exhibition, and the 1987 Documenta 8. Materials related to Fry's special interest in cubism, specifically Pablo Picasso, include the book Cubism, lectures, notes, photographs, and research.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Ashley Bryan papers, 1823-2019 (inclusive) 1928-2019 (bulk)

Extent:: 85 linear feet (146 boxes)
Abstract:: Ashley Bryan (1923-2022) was an artist and storyteller best known for his award-winning children's book illustrations with particular emphasis on African folktales and African-American spirituals. Bryan authored, illustrated, published, and distributed his first book in Kindergarten, later graduating from Cooper Union and Columbia University, being awarded a Fulbright to study at the University of Freiburg, before becoming a professor at Dartmouth College. The collection documents his lifelong devotion to the arts including sketchbooks, artwork, and especially materials relating to the publication process of over sixty book projects. There is also material relating to his professional engagements; certificates, awards, diplomas, and plaques relating to his many achievements; and personal and family materials, notebooks, photographs, greeting cards and postcards, school children thank you cards and artwork, and research files and ephemera. Also included are foundational...(see more)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Ursula Sternberg-Hertz papers, 1923-2014 (inclusive) 1950-2000 (bulk)

Extent:: 23 linear feet (39 boxes)
Abstract:: Ursula Sternberg-Hertz (1925-2000) was a Philadelphia based artist who lived in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, England, and Canada before immigrating to the United States in 1971 with her husband, conductor Jonathan Sternberg. The collection documents her artistic career, with artwork ranging from rough sketches to finished pieces, using acrylics, charcoal, markers, pen-and-ink, stamps, watercolor, and other experimental mediums. She produced artwork on paper, metal, fabric, and leather; in sketchbooks; and on objects such as lampshades and boxes. In addition to her artwork, there is also family and personal material; correspondence; diaries, including an extraordinary run of her "visual diaries" from the early 1940s and from the 1970s until her death; and material related to her exhibits.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

J. Patrick and Patricia A. Kennedy collection of Arthur Tress photographs, 1964-2015 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3.5 linear feet (11 boxes)
Abstract:: Arthur Tress (born 1940) is an American photographer and collector of Japanese illustrated books and prints. This collection contains photographic prints from fourteen of Tress's series. His style has often been described as "staged surrealism" but his body of work includes a diverse range of approaches. Included in the collection are black and white and color prints, the majority of which were taken in New York City (including Staten Island, Coney Island, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan), San Francisco, and San Luis Obispo, California, dating from 1967 to 2015.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Luber collection of Japan Group II material, 1980-2011 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.5 linear_foot ((1 box))
Abstract:: Gilbert Luber (1918-1999) and his wife Shirley Luber collected and sold traditional and contemporary Japanese prints at the Gilbert Luber Gallery in Philadelphia from 1980 to 2000. They also founded and ran the Japan Group II, an interest group relating to the arts and culture of Japan. This collection documents the administration of the Japan Group II and includes records relating to event planning, financial planning, group chronology, legal records, meeting minutes, member obituaries, membership lists, newsletters, notices and group correspondence, and photographs.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Graeme Moore collection of Ian Hamilton Finlay material, 1972-2013 (inclusive)

Extent:: 8 linear feet (10 boxes) and 492.1 megabytes
Abstract:: Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) was a Scottish poet, artist, and landscape and garden designer, best known for his prints and pamphlets and his iconic garden Little Sparta, a collaboration with his second wife, Sue MacDonald-Lockhart. Graeme Moore is an English landscape and garden designer and critic, and former head gardener of Little Sparta. This collection contains material collected by Graeme Moore related to his relationship with Ian Hamilton Finlay and Finlay's work.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Painted Bride Art Center records, 1969-2002 (inclusive)

Extent:: 223 boxes
Abstract:: The Records comprise 6 series, the largest and most significant of which is the first: I. Exhibitions, Performances, Readings, and Events, 1970-2002 (125 boxes). Arranged alphabetically by artist/program, this series contains correspondence, publicity material, programs, funding material, and the like for each event or performance. The remaining series entail: II. Business Records, 1970-2002 (40 boxes); III. Grant Records, 1972-2002 (15 boxes); IV. Press Records, 1970-2000 (6 boxes); V. Audio Visual Records & Computer Records, 1970-2001 (29 boxes); VI. Miscellaneous Records, 1976-2000 (6 boxes).

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]