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Archives of American Art
Oral history interview of Ralph Chessé
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.chess64
- Creators:
-
Chessé, RalphMcChesney, Mary FullerNew Deal and the Arts Oral History Project
- Dates:
-
1964 October 22
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
21 PagesTranscript
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
An interview of Ralph Chessé conducted 1964 October 22, by Mary McChesney for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Chessé speaks of his background and early interest in art; experimenting in puppetry; his first involvement with the WPA mural project; working on frescos for Coit Tower; technical aspects of the work; subject matter for frescos and how it was chosen; the importance of the Federal Art Project in that period in art history; political problems with the Federal Art Project; switching to the Federal Theater Project; some of the work he did for the Federal Theater Project; building and operating marionettes; his work in silkscreen; the WPA's value and contribution. He recalls Lucien Labaudt.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Ralph Chessé (1900-1991) was a mural painter and puppeteer, in San Francisco, California.
Administration
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.
Digital Content
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
This transcript is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
More Information
General
General
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 11 min.
Keywords
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions