Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Berta N. Briggs Papers, 1908-1976, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.brigbert
Creators:
Briggs, Berta N. (Berta Nabersberg), 1884-1976
Dates:
1908-1976
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1.3 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of painter, writer and educator Berta N. Briggs measure 1.3 linear feet and date from 1908-1976. Found within the papers are biographical material, scattered letters primarily discussing her activities with various arts organizations, notes and writings, artwork including sketchbooks and drawings, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs primarily of her artwork.

Scope and Content Note

Scope and Content Note
The papers of painter, writer and educator Berta N. Briggs measure 1.3 linear feet and date from 1908-1976. Found in the collection are biographical material such as curriculum vitae and awards, and scattered letters primarily discussing Briggs's activities with various arts organizations. Notes and writings include notebooks for Briggs's two books Charles Willson Peale: Artist and Patriot (1952) and To the Shores of Tripoli (1955). The papers also contain artwork by Briggs including sketchbooks and drawings of birds, scrapbooks and printed material including exhibition catalogs and announcements, and photographs of Briggs's artwork.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection has been arranged as 7 series. Documents within each series are arranged chronologically.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1932-1975 (Box 1; 3 folders)
  • Series 2: Letters, 1932-1961 (Box 1; 2 folders)
  • Series 3: Notes and Writings, 1950-1954 (Box 1; 19 folders)
  • Series 4: Artwork, 1931-1942 (Boxes 1-2; 6 folders)
  • Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1908-1968 (Boxes 1-2; 7 folders)
  • Series 6: Printed Material, 1932-1976 (Box 1; 12 folders)
  • Series 7: Photographs, 1929-1943 (Boxes 1-2; 4 folders)

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
Berta N. Briggs (née Nabersberg) was born June 5, 1884 in St. Paul, Minnesota, daughter of John William and Rosina (Reinfrank) Nabersberg. After her graduation from Central High School, she moved to New York to study art at the Art Students League under Kenyon Cox, at the Pratt Institute under Ralph Johannot, and at the Teachers College of Columbia University under Arthur W. Dow.
Upon her return to St. Paul in 1905, Briggs was appointed the first Supervisor of Handicrafts in the public schools, a position she held for three years. From 1908-1911, she organized and directed the Department of Crafts at the St. Paul Institute School of Art and taught woodblock printing, leather work, metal work, and pottery. During these years, she attended the summer school of the Minneapolis Handicraft Guild, working under Ernest Batchelder and Bertha Lum.
In 1911, Briggs moved to New York to become the head of the art department in the Charlton School, a private school for girls, where she taught art and lectured on the history of art and architecture for two years. On June 18, 1913, she married William Harlowe Briggs, an editorial executive for Harper Brothers publishers.
From 1918 to 1928, Berta Briggs lectured on the history of art at Miss Chandor's School for girls in New York. With nine other craft workers, she founded an outlet for craftwork, the Noank Studio Guild.
In 1928, Briggs began to paint landscapes and specialized in paintings birds. From 1930 to 1932, she was President of the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. She was Vice-President of the Society of Woman Geographers from 1939 to 1942, and was a member of the National Association of Women Artists.
Briggs's book Charles Willson Peale, Artist and Patriot was published in 1952, followed by To the Shores of Tripoli, published in 1955.
Berta N. Briggs died November 12, 1976 in New York City.

Administration

Author
Jean Fitzgerald
Provenance
The Berta N. Briggs papers were donated in 1977 by Mrs. Malcolm Fooshee, Briggs's niece.
Processing Information
The papers were processed to an intermediate level in February 2006 by Jean Fitzgerald.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Berta N. Briggs papers, 1908-1976. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Restrictions on Access
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
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
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women educators Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketchbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Peale, Charles Willson, 1741-1827 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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