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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Samuel Adler papers, 1902-1980, bulk 1927-1980, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.adlesamu
- Creators:
-
Adler, Samuel, 1898-1979
- Dates:
-
1902-1980bulk 1927-1980
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
2.2 Linear feet
- Repository:
The Samuel Adler papers measure 2.2 linear feet and date from 1902-1980, with the bulk of the records dating from 1927-1980. The collections sheds light on Adler's career through personal and professional papers, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographic materials, and sound recordings.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The Samuel Adler papers measure 2.2 linear feet and date from 1902-1980, with the bulk of the records dating from 1927-1980. The collections sheds light on Adler's career through personal and professional papers, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographic materials, and sound recordings.
Personal and professional papers consist of Adler's identification cards, marriage certificate, scant notes on painting, and some studio insurance records. Correspondence is comprised of personal and professional letters about exhibitions, purchase of artwork, Adler's artist-in-residence position at Notre Dame University, and more. The series also contains a guestbook from an Adler exhibition at Rehn Gallery, several of Adler's sketches and drawings, lecture notes from classes he taught, and other writings on contemporary art.
Printed materials include exhibition catalogs, invitations, and announcements of Adler's solo and group shows, ephemera from Adler's speaking engagements, scant writings about Adler and reproductions of his work, and a copy of Education and the Imagination, edited by Irving Kaufman, which includes a chapter by Samuel Adler titled "Imagination and the Artist."
Six scrapbook volumes and 2 folders of scrapbook contents document Adler's career through a myriad of materials including awards and certificates, correspondence including letters about Adler's teaching positions, printed material, an inventory of artworks from Adler's estate, and more.
Photographic materials depict Adler, his family, friends, and works of art. Nine sound recordings are of interviews, radio programs, and lectures.
Arrangement
Arrangement
This collection is arranged as five series.
- Series 1: Personal and Professional Papers, 1926-1975 (Box 1; 8 folders)
- Series 2: Printed Materials, circa 1945-1977 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet)
- Series 3: Scrapbooks, 1945-1980 (Box 1, Bound Volumes 4-9; 1.2 linear feet)
- Series 4: Photographic Materials, 1902-1972 (Box 2; 0.2 linear feet)
- Series 5: Sound Recordings, 1957-1979 (Box 2-3; 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Samuel Adler (1898-1979) was an abstract painter, sculptor, and educator active in New York, New York.
Under special arrangement, Adler was admitted to the National Academy of Design at age 13 for a six-year program, studying under Leon Kroll, Charles Louis Hinton, and others. He did not graduate, and instead became a professional violinist, playing for conductors Henry Hadley and Bruno Walter, and he studied under Harold Eisenberg and Herbert Butler.
In 1933, Adler left his music career to work on his art and offered private classes in painting and drawing. During World War II, he designed radio housings for the Army. In 1948, Adler had his first one-man show at Joseph Luyber Galleries, New York, and began teaching at New York University. He went on to have solo shows at various museums and galleries including University of Indiana, Louisville Art Center, Grace Borgenicht Gallery, University of Georgia, Frank Rehn Gallery, Notre Dame University, Rose Fried Gallery, and Krannert Art Museum. His work was also featured in group shows widely throughout the United States and abroad.
In the 1950s Adler contributed a chapter titled "Imagination and the Artist" to Education and the Imagination (1958), edited by Irving Kaufman. His work can be found in the permanent collections of Brooklyn Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Newark Museum, Norfolk Museum, and others.
Administration
Author
Christopher DeMairo
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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated in several installments from 1965 to 1980 by Samuel Adler and his wife, Beverly Adler.
Processing Information
Loaned papers of Samuel Adler were microfilmed on reel D231 and then returned to Adler. These papers were not subsequently donated. The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Christopher DeMairo 2023.
Existence and Location of Copies
Material lent for microfilming is available on 35mm microfilm reel D231 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Separated Materials
Papers loaned for microfilming on reel D231, including: correspondence (with correspondents such as Morris Blackburn, Glenn Raymond Bradshaw, Howard S. Conant, Lamar Dodd, Ernest Fiene, Anthony Lauck, Sidney Laufman, Arthur Osver, John Rood, and Hudson D. Walker); three scrapbooks, 1944-1955; catalogs; and gallery literature were returned to Samuel Adler after microfilming and are not described in the collection Container Inventory.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
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 born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Preferred Citation
Samuel Adler papers, 1902-1980. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Educators -- New York (State) -- New York | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Painters -- New York (State) -- New York | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Scrapbooks | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Sound recordings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
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