Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Ruth Van Sickle Ford Papers, circa 1920-1986, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.fordruth
Creators:
Ford, Ruth Van Sickle, 1897-1989
Dates:
circa 1920-1986
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1.7 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of painter and educator Ruth Van Sickle Ford (1897-1989) measure 1.7 linear feet and date from circa 1920 to 1986. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, writings, printed materials, three scrapbooks, and photographs.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of painter and educator Ruth Van Sickle Ford (1897-1989) measure 1.7 linear feet and date from circa 1920 to 1986. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, writings, printed materials, three scrapbooks, and photographs.

Arrangement

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

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Ruth Van Sickle Ford (1897-1986) was a painter and educator active in Chicago, Illinois. She was president and owner of the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts from 1936 to 1960.
Ford was born in Aurora, Illinois. She enrolled at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, where she studied under Carl Newland Werntz, and graduated in 1918. Over the course of her career her works were exhibited throughout the United States. In addition to her painting, Ford returned to the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts to teach watercolor and oil painting, and ultimately purchased the school and served as both president and director.
In 1918, Ruth married Arthur Ford and together they had a daughter, Barbara. Ruth Van Sickle Ford died in 1989 in Aurora, Illinois.

Administration

Author
Jayna M. Josefson
Sponsor
Processing of this collection received Federal support from the Collections Care Initiative Fund, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative and the National Collections Program
Existence and Location of Copies
Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reels 3955-3956 available at 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
Barbara Turner donated her mother's papers to the Archives of American Art in 1987.
Separated Materials
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (Reel 3956, frames 187-316) including 55 handmade Christmas cards, news clippings,a booklet, photographs, and one sketch by Claude Buck. Originals are in the possession of Barbara Turner. Loaned materials were returned to the donor and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Processing Information
The collection received a preliminary level of arrangement after donation and was partially microfilmed on reels 3955-3956. The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2020.

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 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
Ruth Van Sickle Ford papers, circa 1920-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painters -- Illinois -- Chicago Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- Illinois -- Chicago Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women educators Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chicago Academy of Fine Arts Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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