Manuscripts
The Manuscript collection in the Archives of Women Artists includes artists’ personal papers, correspondence, photographs, and other unique materials.
Personal Papers:
Catharina Baart Biddle Papers, 1912–2005
Susan DeRenne Coerr Papers, 1939–2007
Eulabee Dix Papers, 1900–1987
Frida Kahlo Papers, 1907–1954
Ann Kocsis Papers, 1935–1973
Valeria Ladd Papers, 1919–1985
Doris Lee Papers, 1924–1987
Maria Sibylla Merian Papers, 1647–1717
Anna Lea Merritt Papers, 1863–1922
The Irene Rice Pereira Papers, 1928–1971
Idah Pratt Papers, 1912–1967
Edna Reindel Papers, 1926–1979
Marian Stevens Papers, 1885–1974
Louise Kidder Sparrow Papers, 1900–1986
anita steckel papers, 1940–2012
Judith Stein Papers, 1974–2001
Other collections and organizational records:
Artist and the Quilt Collection
Focus International Collection
Global Focus Collection
Dulah Evans Krehbiel Card Collection
Feldman Collection of 19th-Century Artist Correspondence
Francis Collection on Mary Nimmo Moran
Friends of Alice Pike Barney Studio House, Inc. Collection
holiday card collection
Information Service—Informationsdienst Collection
International Festival of Women Artists Collection
The letters of intemperance collection
Messenger Collection of Bookplates
Washington Women’s Art Center Records
Personal Papers:
Catharina Baart Biddle Papers, 1912–2005
Biddle (1912–2005) was an artist, educator, and philanthropist. The collection includes a variety of materials documenting her life and work, notably a large assortment of correspondence, photographs, and memorabilia. Also included are personal documents, personal writings, clippings, drawings, scrapbooks, and slides. Materials in the collection range in date from the early 1900s until 2005, with the majority of items dating from 1938 to 2002.
Susan DeRenne Coerr Papers, 1939–2007
The Susan DeRenne Coerr Collection consists of a variety of materials relating to Coerr’s professional life and interests. Many materials relate to her direct involvement with the Women’s Caucus for Art, as well as her interest in developing an index related to women in the arts. Significant portions of the collection contain periodicals and exhibition announcements pertaining to women artists. The collection comprises letters, clippings, photographs, and printed matter as well. Materials date from 1972 to 2004, with the bulk of the collection dating between 1978 and 1985.
Eulabee Dix Papers, 1900–1987
Eulabee Dix (1878–1961) is most famous for her work as a miniature painter. Her work is represented in several institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Portrait Gallery. The Eulabee Dix Papers include correspondence with friends, patrons, and galleries; photographs; news-clippings; and two scrapbooks containing reproductions of Dix’s work. Manuscripts by Dix of a memoir and a history of miniatures, several medals the artist won, and her palette and brush are all part of the collection.
Frida Kahlo Papers, 1907–1954
The Nelleke Nix and Marianne Huber Collection: The Frida Kahlo Papers consists of 369 letters, postcards, notes, clippings, printed matter, and drawings related to the life and work of Frida Kahlo. Multi-page correspondence constitutes the majority of the collection. A small group of four drawings is also present, although these have not yet been authoritatively attributed to Kahlo’s hand. The collection ranges in dates from 1930 to 1954, with the bulk of material dating between 1930 and 1935. A significant portion of the collection is a group of letters between Kahlo and her family, most notably her mother and father.
Ann Kocsis Papers, 1935–1973
Ann Kocsis (d. 1973) was a painter primarily of still-lifes and views of her own studio. The Ann Kocsis Papers contain mostly the artist’s correspondence with artists’ associations and galleries from 1935 until 1973. Also included is a scrapbook of reviews and programs from exhibitions which included works by Kocsis; carbon copies of typewritten biographies of the artist; and one photograph of the artist.
Valeria Ladd Papers, 1919–1985
Valeria Ladd was a painter of figure abstraction in both oil and watercolor, but is best known for her dance. She directed numerous groups and worked for the Noyes School of Rhythm where a scholarship has been named after her. This small collection contains photographs, an award and clipping, several dance programs, letters from Ladd to her mother, a passport, and two notebooks with Ladd’s poetry.
Doris Lee Papers, 1924–1987
Doris Lee was a highly-regarded painter who was awarded several commissions from Life magazine for travel articles and illustrations. The Doris Lee Papers consist of a great variety of materials. Personal objects such as photographs, correspondence, awards, and financial and legal documents make up a large portion of the collection. Ephemera such as periodicals, clippings, calendars, postcards, and exhibition catalogues are included, along with original work by Lee.
Maria Sibylla Merian Papers, 1647–1717
The materials in the Kleps-Hok Collection consist of biographical information, correspondence, notes, photos, facsimiles, and other items relating to the life and work of Dutch naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717). The collection spans the years 1620 to 1993.
Anna Lea Merritt Papers, 1863–1922
Anna Massey Lea Merritt (1844–1930) was a versatile artist and writer who executed several major mural commissions, portraits, and paintings on literary and religious subjects. The Anna Lea Merritt Papers consist almost entirely of photographs ranging in dates from 1863 to 1922. The most valuable item in the collection is a photograph album of reproductions of Merritt’s work. The remainder of the collection consists of review articles, a reproduction of a portrait of Merritt, and photographs of Merritt’s youngest sister, actress Marion Lea Mitchell.
The Irene Rice Pereira Papers, 1928–1971
Irene Rice Pereira (1902–1971) was an abstract painter, poet, and philosopher. The Irene Rice Pereira Papers collection contains periodicals; Pereira’s personal address book; notes and inventories on her paintings; a manuscript of Pereira’s memoir; photographs of her work; a copy of her 1957 book, The Lapis; and photocopies of Pereira’s notebooks from the originals in the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University.
Idah Pratt Papers, 1912–1967
Idah Sidonia Ambuhl Pratt Foster was a newspaperwoman who became very involved in women’s rights. This collection is composed of the contents of one scrapbook spanning 1912–1916. Constructed by Idah Pratt out of a folder sample book, the scrapbook contains a wide variety of material including photographs from the Panama-California Exposition in 1915, correspondence, and articles. Also in the collection is a copy of Pratt’s obituary laminated on a prayer card and copies of her newspaper, Redondo Breeze.
Edna Reindel Papers, 1926–1979
Edna Reindel (1894–1990) was a painter, muralist, and illustrator, known for her bold, delineated style. She was active from the late 1920s through the 1960s. The materials in this collection span the 1920s through the end of 1970s. The collection, although small, consists of a large variety of materials including biographical sketches, photographs, correspondence, short essays, awards, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and other ephemera documenting Reindel’s exhibitions and her career as a magazine illustrator.
Marian Stevens Papers, 1885–1974
This collection contains 1,116 original sketches, numerous newspaper clippings, correspondence, invitations, photographs, and the personal journal of American artist Marian Stevens.
Louise Kidder Sparrow Papers, 1900–1986
Louise Kidder Sparrow was a sculptor of portraits and busts from 1924 to 1934, earning her international recognition. The collection contains biographical essays, chronologies, and notes written by Sparrow; clippings, letters to the editor, and Sparrow’s obituary; correspondence and ephemera; writings including memoirs, poetry, and essays; and 48 of Sparrow’s sculptural tools such as rulers, calipers, wooden and metal modeling tools, loop and ribbon tools, a tape measure, and improvised tools.
Anita Steckel Papers, 1940–2012
The Anita Steckel Papers document the life and career of artist and feminist, Anita Steckel (1930-2012). Steckel was known for her shocking erotic paintings and collages as well as founding the Fight Censorship Group in 1973. The collection contains a variety of personal papers that include correspondence, photographs, artwork, personal writings, plans, promotional materials, and clippings. Materials in the collection range from c.1940s-2012, the majority of which date from 1953-2012.
Judith Stein Papers, 1974–2001
Since the beginning of her career in the 1970s, Judith Stein had written extensively and curated many exhibitions highlighting art and artists not typically part of the popular dialogue. This collection contains correspondence; copies of Stein’s published writings; ephemera relating to women artists; a single slide of an Oriole Farb lithograph, 4 generations, 1980; a single framed print of Ouzo by Maurie Kerrigan from 1989; and two artists’ books—square skyscapes by Jody Williams, 1990, and Contact, 2000, by Kathryn Clark.
Other Collections and Organizational Records:
Artist and the Quilt Collection
This collection contains clippings and correspondence related to a traveling exhibit that displayed quilts created from the paintings of various artists. The collection includes materials documenting the development, creation, and exhibition of the project, most notably correspondence between the exhibit curators and artists/quilters, photographs and slides of the artwork and quilts, and exhibit specifications. Also included are financial documents, promotional materials for the exhibit and other related exhibitions, and a quilt-covered scrapbook that includes personal stories about quilts from several individuals.
Dulah Evans Krehbiel Card Collection
This collection contains a sales brochure for the Ridge Crafts art cards; individual loose cards produced by the studio—as well as an original salesman sample book consisting of cards designed by Krehbiel and hand-painted by the Ridge Craft Girls (of the Ridge Crafts studio, also referred to as the Ridge Colony Crafts studio) during their collaboration on a line of greeting cards between 1910 and 1915.
Focus International Collection
The “Focus International,” United Nations Conference on Women Archives is part of a collection of material donated to the National Museum of Women in the Arts in 1987 by Nancy Cusick, director of the project, and Ellouise Schoettler, initiator and coordinator of “An American Album.” In addition to the administrative papers, there are also photographs, slides, postcards, and a collection of artwork.
Global Focus Collection
Global Focus: Women in Art and Culture was a project founded by artist and project director Nancy Cusick. It gave women artists the opportunity to participate in the dialogue of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women and the NGO (Non-Governmental Organizations) Forum, August 30–September 12, 1995, in Beijing, China.
Finding aid in process.
Feldman Collection of 19th Century Artist Correspondence
The collection consists of five original holograph letters, written by women artist active during the 1850s and 1860s: Frances von Sturmer, Fanny Steers, Emma Squire, Agnes Scott, and Clara L. Bell. In most cases, the letters concentrate on the art business and exhibitions.
Francis Collection on Mary Nimmo Moran
Widely considered to be the foremost American based woman etcher of the nineteenth century, Mary Nimmo Moran (1842–1899), produced a large number of prints that were celebrated for their boldness and originality. The Marilyn G. Francis Collection on Mary Nimmo Moran consists of the material gathered in the scholarly process of writing the manuscript “Mary Nimmo Moran, Painter-Etcher, 1842–1899”. Approximately one-third of the collection is correspondence, largely by Francis from 1979 to 1984.
Friends of Alice Pike Barney Studio House, Inc. Collection
This collection consists of material generated by the organization known as the Friends of Alice Pike Barney Studio House, Inc. from 1992 to 2001. The collection is separated into three sections: Friends of Alice Pike Barney Studio House, Inc., Alice Pike Barney Studio House, and Alice Pike Barney Biographical Material.
Holiday Card Collection
This collection consists of 47 20th century hand-made holiday greeting cards.
Information Service—Informationsdienst Collection
The collection consists of biographical information, books, brochures, catalogues, color copies, drawings, exhibition fliers, photos, postcards, programs, slides, videotapes, and other items relating to the work of 70 contemporary women artists from around the world. The dates of the collection range from 1982 to 1994. There are also two folders containing additional material about the Information Service—Informationsdienst exhibition and the symposium Art and Gender: German and American Perspectives. These folders include biographical information, correspondence, lectures and books about feminist theory and practice, and discourses on gender, identity, and representation.
International Festival of Women Artists Collection
The International Festival of Women Artists was held at the NY Carlsberg Glyptotek Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, July 14–30, 1980, in conjunction with the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women, and was sponsored by the Coalition of Women’s Arts Organizations. The Festival brought together women artists from more than 30 countries and provided a community for them to share their diverse creative work and freely explore various issues of the women’s art movement. In addition to the administrative papers, the collection includes a banner, photographs, audiotapes, approximately 1,300 slides, and a collection of postcards.
The Letters of Intemperance Collection
The collection is a mail art project consisting of 55 letters by artist Christine Steel, sent to notable figures in the international art world and spread out over seven acts. The materials are both textual and visual—the letters are composed of original “verses” by Steel as well as handmade paper crafts. The project ran from 1988 to 1991 and was exhibited at the Cultural Centere Scharpoord in Belgium. The collection also includes a transcript of the letters and a flyer for the exhibition of the project’s finale.
Messenger Collection of Bookplates
The Maria Messenger Collection of Bookplates is a fine example of a woman’s interest in collecting at the end of the 19th century. The collection includes over 2,500 bookplates by American, English, French, and Canadian artists dating from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Among these, 150 are by women artists.
There is no Finding Aid for this collection at this time.
Washington Women’s Art Center Records
This collection consists of brochures and records of membership for this important organization for aspiring and working artists. The collection also contains newsletters for the Center’s members, spanning 1977 to 1988, as well as exhibition and show announcements from 1977 to 1984.
