Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Una Hanbury Papers, 1910-1994, bulk 1966-1990, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.hanbuna
Creators:
Hanbury, Una, 1904-1990
Dates:
1910-1994
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
5.3 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of Una Hanbury measure 5.3 linear feet and date from 1910 to 1994, with the bulk of the material from 1966 to 1990. The collection documents the sculptor's career and the dispersal of her estate through business records, project files, subject files, printed material, and photographs. There is also a small amount of material relating to her personal life including correspondence with friends and family and photographs from various stages of her life.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of Una Hanbury measure 5.3 linear feet and date from 1910 to 1994, with the bulk of the material from 1966 to 1990. The collection documents the sculptor's career and the dispersal of her estate through business records, project files, subject files, printed material, and photographs. There is also a small amount of material relating to her personal life including correspondence with friends and family and photographs from various stages of her life.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into seven series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Personal Papers, 1926-1983 (Box 1; 4 folders)
  • Series 2: Business Records, 1965-1991 (Boxes 1-2; 1.2 linear feet)
  • Series 3: Project Files, 1961-1992 (Boxes 2-3; 1.8 linear feet)
  • Series 4: Subject Files, circa 1924-1985 (Box 4, OV 7; 1.0 linear feet)
  • Series 5: Estate of Una Hanbury, 1990-1994 (Boxes 4-5; 0.6 linear feet)
  • Series 6: Printed Material, 1926-1990 (Box 5; 0.4 linear feet)
  • Series 7: Photographs, 1910-1991 (Boxes 5-6, 0.3 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Una Hanbury (1904-1990) was a sculptor in Washington, D.C. and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hanbury was born in Middlesex, England, in 1904; the incorrect birth date of 1909 that she submitted to Who's Who and other biographical reference sources is cited in numerous published articles. Hanbury [née Rawnsley] exhibited artistic talent as a young child and received instruction from animal artist Frank Calderon. After graduation from London's Polytechnic School of Art, she studied for three years at the Royal Academy. Jacob Epstein was her most influential teacher.
Soon after completing her formal education, Una Rawnsley became Una Hanbury and devoted herself full-time to being a wife and mother. During World War II she left England for Bermuda and brought her family to the United States once the war was over. Hanbury settled in Washington, D.C., where she resumed her sculpting career, completing many large scale commissions for public buildings such as the Medical Examiners Building, Baltimore, and St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Springfield, Virginia, among others. She developed a fine reputation as a portrait sculptor, and commissions included busts of Rachel Carson, Enrico Fermi, Buckminster Fuller, Laura Gilpin, Richard Neutra, Georgia O'Keeffe, Robert Oppenheimer, S. Dillon Ripley, and Andrés Segovia. In addition, animals--particularly horses--were a favorite subject since childhood; sculptures were commissioned by several zoos, and horse portraits often were commissioned by owners.
In 1970, Una Hanbury relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she continued working well into old age and became a significant force in the art life of that region.

Administration

Author
Catherine S. Gaines and Kimberley Henze
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Una Hanbury papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by the artist's daughter, Jillian Poole, in 1999 and 2006.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Catherine S. Gaines. The finding aid was modified by Stephanie Ashley in October 2001 prior to EAD conversion. All duplicates were returned to the donor at her request. The second accession was processed to a minimal level, merged into the collection, and the finding aid updated by Kimberley Henze in 2015.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Terms of 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
Una Hanbury papers, 1910-1994, bulk 1966-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sculptors -- New Mexico -- Santa Fe Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sculptors -- Washington (D.C.) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Animal sculptors -- New Mexico -- Santa Fe Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Animal sculptors -- Washington (D.C.) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Portrait sculpture, American Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Animal sculpture Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women sculptors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ripley, S. Dillon (Sidney Dillon), 1913-2001 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Segovia, Andrés, 1893- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gilpin, Laura Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Carson, Rachel, 1907-1964 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster), 1895- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Royal Academy of Arts (Great Britain) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Saunders Sculpture International Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Oppenheimer, J. Robert, 1904-1967 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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