Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Betty Esman Papers, 1936-1979, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.esmabett
Creators:
Esman, Betty, 1904-1996
Dates:
1936-1979
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.9 Linear feet
Repository:
The scattered papers of painter and collector Betty Esman measure 0.9 linear feet and date from 1936 to 1979. Found are artworks, artist files, biographical material, correspondence, photographs of Esman and others, printed material, and a mixed media scrapbook. Of note are files on Ray Johnson which include mail art addressed to and collected by Esman.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The scattered papers of painter and art collector Betty Esman measure 0.9 linear feet and date from 1936 to 1979. Found are artworks, artist files, biographical material, correspondence, photographs of Esman and others, printed material, and a mixed media scrapbook. Of note are files on Ray Johnson which include mail art addressed to and collected by Esman.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Betty Esman (1904-1996) was a painter, collector, and art patron in New York City, New York. Esman studied at the Syracuse University College of Fine Arts and the Art Students League. In the 1950s, Esman taught painting at Ball State College. She maintained personal and professional relationships with artists Ray Johnson, Rufino Tamayo, Jacques Lipchitz and others.

Administration

Author
Jayna M. Josefson
Sponsor
Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
Existence and Location of Copies
Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reel 4861 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Betty Esman donated her papers to the Archives of American Art in several installments between 1986 to 1994.
Processing Information
Portions of the Betty Esman papers were microfilmed in 1994 with funding provided by the Henry and Lucy Moses Fund. 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
Betty Esman papers, 1936-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art -- Collectors and collecting Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mail art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jewish artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art patrons -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- 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
Collectors -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Johnson, Ray, 1927-1995 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lipchitz, Jacques, 1891-1973 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tamayo, Rufino, 1899-1991 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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