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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the James Edward Davis papers, circa 1917-1970, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.davijame
- Creators:
-
Davis, Jim, 1901-1974
- Dates:
-
circa 1917-1970
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
3.8 Linear feet
- Repository:
The papers of painter, photographer, and filmmaker James Edward Davis measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1917-1970. They highlight Davis's career through biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed and photographic material, and artwork.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The James Edward Davis papers measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1917-1970. Biographical materials consist of a resume, an interview with Davis, and certificates related to his career and schooling. Correspondence consists of letters between himself and his agent Rosalind Kossoff, Frank Lloyd Wright, John Marin Jr., and others. Writings includes notebooks pertaining to his many projects and personal business records are composed of documents relating to his career and his time spent in Princeton, New Jersey, as well as artwork appraisals. Printed material is made up of exhibition announcements and catalogs, news clippings, press releases, and other documents. Photographic materials include photographs from various film projects and exhibits, as well as personal photographs. Artwork consists of a group of sketches showing a figure in motion.
Arrangement
Arrangement
This collection consists of seven series.
- Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1954-1966 (.1 Linear feet: Box 1)
- Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1940-1969 (.6 Linear feet: Box 1)
- Series 3: Writings, circa 1920-1960 (.8 Linear feet: Boxes 1 and 2)
- Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1956-1967 (.1 Linear feet: Box 2)
- Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1945-1969 (.2 Linear feet: Box 2)
- Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1919-1970 1(.9 Linear feet: Boxes 2-5)
- Series 7: Artwork, circa 1946 (.1 Linear feet: Box 5)
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
James Edward Davis (1901-1974) was a painter, photographer, and filmmaker who worked primarily in New Jersey. Born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Davis specialized in the abstract and surrealist styles and his artwork was heavily inspired by the zeitgeist of the 1920s. He graduated from Princeton University in 1923 and studied painting and sculpture in France with Andre Lhote for three years. Davis taught at multiple places during his career including Lawrenceville School (1933-1936), Princeton (1936-1942), and the Moholy-Nagy Institute of Design (1947). Davis is also known for his experimental abstract films that use mobile designs of transparent plastics and controlled illumination. His paintings have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, the Addison gallery, and the Princeton and Yale University Art Museums. He died in Princeton, New Jersey at the Princeton Medical Center at the age of 73 on September 20, 1974.
Administration
Author
Allessandra Liberati
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.
Existence and Location of Copies
Portions of the collection and material lent for microfilming are available on 35mm microfilm reels N172, N68-86A, N738, and 430-433 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Sketches, designs, working papers related to Davis's art films, the John Marin letters, and drawings were lent for microfilming by James E. Davis in 1967 and 1968. Papers were donated in 1969 by James E. Davis and Rosalind Kossoff.
Processing Information
This collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared, by Allessandra Liberati in 2023.
Separated Materials
The Archives of American Art holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels N172, N68-86A, and N738) including sketches, designs, working papers related to Davis's art films, the John Marin letters, and drawings. Loaned materials were returned to the lender.
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
James Edward Davis papers, circa 1917-1970 Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Related Materials
Related Materials
The Archives of American Art also hold an oral history interview with James Edward Davis conducted 1971, August 10 by Paul Cummings.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Photographers -- New Jersey -- Princeton | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Painters -- New Jersey -- Princeton | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Filmmakers -- New Jersey -- Princeton | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Drawings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Marin, John, 1870-1953 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-7950
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions
