Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Jacob Alexander Elshin

Summary

(Sound Recording)

Oral history interview with Jacob Alexander Elshin, 1965 April 21-22, Digital Sound Recording (Excerpt)
Collection ID:
AAA.elshin65
Creators:
Elshin, Jacob Alexander, 1892-1976
Bestor, Dorothy K., 1913-
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project
Dates:
1965 April 21-22
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
44 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Jacob Elshin conducted by Dorothy Bestor on 1965 April 21-22 for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Elshin speaks of his background in Russia and China; moving to Seattle in 1923; his work as a free-lance commercial artist and working as a greeting card artist; painting for the Public Works of Art Project; working on murals for the WPA Federal Art Project; political problems with the WPA; the destruction of some of the work that was produced by the project; some of the injustices he suffered during his years with the WPA. He recalls Robert Bruce Inverarity, Edward Rowan and Mark Tobey.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Jacob Alexander Elshin (1892-1976) was a painter in Seattle, Washington.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript: 35mm microfilm reel 3419 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
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

(Sound Recording)

Oral history interview with Jacob Alexander Elshin, 1965 April 21-22, Digital Sound Recording (Excerpt)

(Electronic Resource)

Oral history interview with Jacob Elshin,1965 April 21 and 22, Transcript

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
This interview 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 3 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 10 min.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art and state Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Federal aid to the arts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mural painting and decoration Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Muralists -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Inverarity, Robert Bruce, 1909-1999 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rowan, Edward Beatty, 1898-1946 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tobey, Mark Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Federal Art Project (Wash.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Public Works of Art Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Archives of American Art
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Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-7950
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions