Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau Papers, 1853-1977, bulk 1864-1920, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.bougeliz
Creators:
Gardner, Elizabeth Jane, 1837-1922
Dates:
1853-1977
Languages:
The collection is in English.
Physical Description:
0.4 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of painter Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1853 to 1977, with the bulk of the material dating from 1864 to 1920. Found within the papers are correspondence written to Bouguereau's immediate family; clippings and miscellaneous printed material; and photographs of Bouguereau and her husband Adolphe.
Also in the Archives are papers lent for microfilming on reel 3135 and returned to Bouguereau's grandniece, Miriam Dunnan. These papers are not described in the container listing of this finding aid and are available only on microfilm. Included are photographs of Elizabeth and Adolphe Bouguereau and Imogene Robinson Morrell.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of painter Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1853 to 1977, with the bulk of the material dating from 1864 to 1920. Found within the papers are correspondence written to Bouguereau's immediate family; clippings and miscellaneous printed material; and photographs of Bouguereau and her husband Adolphe.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 1 series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau papers, 1853-1977 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Painter Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau (1837-1922) lived and worked in Paris, France. Bouguereau was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, graduated from the Lasell Female Seminary in Auburndale, Massachusetts, in 1856, and taught French at the Worcester School of Design and Fine Arts. In the summer of 1864, she travelled to Paris with a former art instructor, Imogene Robinson, with the intention of furthering her art studies. Upon arrival, they copied paintings at the Luxembourg Museum and Bouguereau studied in a number of studios, including the studio of Jean-Baptiste Tissier, a cooperative women's studio, and the École Jardin des Plantes. In 1868, she gained entry to the Paris Salon, one of only six women invited to participate before 1870.
Bouguereau painted in the academic French style, which depicted popular subjects such as country life, biblical scenes, and children and animals. In 1973, she gained entry to the acclaimed Académie Julian, where her instructors included Jules-Joseph Lefebvre and Adolphe William Bouguereau, whom she would later marry in 1896. Bouguereau was the first American woman to be awarded a medal by the Salon, winning a bronze medal in 1887 for The Farmer's Daughter. She also won medals at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition and the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition. After her marriage to Adolphe Bouguereau, she ceased painting to care for her husband and resumed only after his death in 1905. She continued to produce works until 1914, when her failing eyesight forced her to stop, and died in her country home in St. Cloud, France in 1922.

Administration

Author
Judy Ng
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau papers were donated between 1983 and 1986 by Bouguereau's grandniece, Miriam Gardner Dunnan. She also lent photographs for microfilming in 1984.
Existence and Location of Copies
Portions of this collection are available on 35 mm microfilm reels 3135, 3464 and 3967 at the Archives of American Art offices, and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the papers as described in this finding aid does not reflect the order of the collection on microfilm due to reprocessing.
Processing Information
Materials received a preliminary level of arrangement at some point after donation and were later microfilmed on reels 3464 and 3967. The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by Judy Ng in 2014, with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. The Archives of American Art has implemented minimal processing tactics when possible in order to increase information about and access to more of our collections.
Minimal processing included arrangement to the series and folder levels. Generally, items within folders were simply verified with folder titles, but not arranged further. The collection was rehoused in archival containers and folders.
Separated Materials
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel 3135) including photographs. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau papers, 1853-1977, bulk 1864-1920. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Terms of 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.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painting, Modern -- 19th century -- France -- Paris Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- France -- Paris Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bouguereau, William Adolphe, 1825-1905 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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