Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Frances Cranmer Greenman Papers, 1911-1957

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.greefrac
Creators:
Greenman, Frances Cranmer, 1890-1981
Dates:
1911-1957
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.6 Linear feet
Repository:
The scattered papers of portrait artist Frances Cranmer Greenman measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1911 to 1957. Found are letters from artists, collectors, and the subjects of her paintings; photographs of works of art and of Greenman; sketches and a sketchbook; and a draft manuscript of Greenman's autobiography Higher Than the Sky.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The scattered papers of portrait artist Frances Cranmer Greenman measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1911 to 1957. Found are letters from artists, collectors, and the subjects of her paintings; photographs of works of art and of Greenman; sketches and a sketchbook; and a draft manuscript of Greenman's autobiography Higher Than the Sky.

Arrangement

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

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Frances Cranmer Greenman (1891-1991) was a portrait painter, art critic, and author from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She painted portraits of artists, socialites, and Hollywood stars and wrote a longtime column for the Minneapolis Sunday Tribune.
Greenman was born in South Dakota and was the daughter of notable suffragist Emma A. Cranmer and lawyer Simeon Harris Cranmer. She studied art at the Corcoran School of Art and in New York City with William Merritt Chase and Robert Henri. She split her time between Minneapolis and New York City in her early career, ultimately settling in Minneapolis at the Hampshire Arms Hotel. She taught at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Frances Cranmer Greenman died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1991.

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 1958 by Frances Cranmer Greenman.
Existence and Location of Copies
Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reel 855 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.
Processing Information
The collection received a preliminary level of arrangement upon receipt and was microfilmed on reel 855. 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 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.
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.
Preferred Citation
Frances Cranmer Greenman papers, 1911-1957. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Authors -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art critics -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women authors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women art critics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketchbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Portrait painters -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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