Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Olive Thompson Cowell Papers, circa 1940-1982, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.coweoliv
Creators:
Cowell, Olive Thompson, 1887-1984
Dates:
circa 1940-1982
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.5 Linear feet
Repository:
The scattered papers of art and music patron and educator Olive Thompson Cowell measure 0.5 linear feet and date from circa 1940 to 1982. Found are biographical materials including sound recordings, a photo album and snapshots, and files on artists including Claire Falkenstein, Trude Guermonprez, and Frans and Marguerite Wildenhain.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The scattered papers of art and music patron and academic Olive Thompson Cowell measure 0.5 linear feet and date from circa 1940 to 1982. Found are biographical materials including sound recordings, a photo album and snapshots, and files on artists including Claire Falkenstein, Trude Guermonprez, and Frans and Marguerite Wildenhain.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2022.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Olive Thompson Cowell (1887-1984) was an arts and music patron and educator in San Francisco, California. Cowell attended Barnard College and worked as an educator in California. Later she received an MA from the University of California, Berkeley. She founded the international relations department at San Francisco State University, where she taught until 1956. Married to Henry Clayton Blackwood Cowell, she was the stepmother to pianist Henry Cowell.

Administration

Author
Jayna M. Josefson
Sponsor
Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 1994 and 1998 by Alan W. Ford, who inherited and resided in Cowell's home and received the papers from Cowell. He destroyed all other Cowell papers at her request. Ford subsequently resided in a house designed by architect Lilian Bridgman, and donated a group of Bridgman's papers as well; these are cataloged separately.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2022 with support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.

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.
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
Olive Thompson Cowell papers, circa 1940-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art patrons -- California -- San Francisco Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- California -- San Francisco Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women educators Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women art patrons Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women educators Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Falkenstein, Claire, 1908-1997 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wildenhain, Frans, 1905-1980 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wildenhain, Marguerite Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cowell, Henry, 1897-1965 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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