Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Managing Editor Russell Lynes Correspondence with Artists, 1946-1965, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.harpmaga
Creators:
Lynes, Russell, 1910-1991
Dates:
1946-1965
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1 Linear foot
Repository:
Correspondence with artists kept by Russell Lynes in his capacity as managing editor of Harper's Magazine, measures one linear foot and dates from 1946 to 1965. The files consist primarily of correspondence with young artists and illustrators wishing to submit material to the magazine. Biographical notes from the magazine's "Personal and Otherwise" column about the artists whose material was accepted, clippings, scattered original artwork, and printed reproductions of artwork, are also included.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Correspondence with artists kept by Russell Lynes in his capacity as managing editor of Harper's Magazine, measures one linear foot and dates from 1946 to 1965. The files consist primarily of correspondence with young artists and illustrators wishing to submit material to the magazine. Biographical notes from the magazine's "Personal and Otherwise" column about the artists whose material was accepted, clippings, scattered original artwork, and printed reproductions of artwork, are also included.
Although brief, the exchanges found in this collection offer a glimpse into the early careers of the artists represented, who often penned introductions to their work, and provided biographical information. Some of the letters are illustrated. Artists represented include Edmond Amateis, Benny Andrews, Irene Aronson, Oscar Berger, Marvin Bileck, Isabel Bishop, Carlyle Brown, Claire Burch, Ivan Chermayeff, Richard E. Davis, Robert J. Day, Eldon Dedini, Harvey Dinnerstein, Dean Ellis, Joseph Farris, Helen Frank, Frank Gallo, William D. Gorman, Douglas W. Gorsline, William Gropper, John Groth, Albert Hirschfeld, Carl Holty, Anne M. Jauss, Hans Jelinek, Kay Kato, Ted Key, Bernard Krigstein, Joseph Low, Loren MacIver, Jack Markow, Reginald Marsh, Charles E. Martin, William Mauldin, Richard Mayhew, Edward Melcarth, Glen Michaels, Nicolas Mordvinoff, Robert Osborn, David Pascal, Bernard Perlin, Ben Shahn, Bernarda Bryson Shahn, Aaron Sopher, Saul Steinberg, Susanne Suba, Peter Takal, Tony Walton, Andy Warhol, and Robert J. Wolff.
In addition to correspondence with artists there are notes on telephone calls to artists used for updating information in the Harper's Magazine files, reference letters written by Lynes on behalf of some artists, correspondence and memoranda with others regarding publishing logistics, and printed material featuring artwork.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Records are arranged as one series due to the small size of the collection.
  • Series 1: Managing Editor Russell Lynes Correspondence with Artists, 1946-1965 (1 linear foot; Box 1)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Russell Lynes (1910-1991) joined Harper's Magazine as an assistant editor in 1944, and served as managing editor from 1947-1967. As an essayist, social historian, photographer, and arbiter of taste, Lynes served informally as art editor and corresponded with many artists regarding submissions to the magazine.
In addition to gaining renown for the thoughtful articles published in Harper's under his stewardship, Lynes was known for his satirical commentary on American tastes and preferences, particularly in architecture and decoration, in such books as Highbrow, Lowbrow, Middlebrow (1949), The Tastemakers (1954), and later works including The Art-Makers of Nineteenth Century America (1970).

Administration

Author
Stephanie Ashley
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art in 1967 by Harper & Row via Russell Lynes.
Processing Information
The collection was microfilmed on reels D360 and 4961 after donation. The collection was fully processed and a finding aid prepared by Stephanie Ashley in 2018.
Existence and Location of Copies
The collection is available on 35 mm microfilm reels D360 and 4961 at the 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.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
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
Managing editor Russell Lynes correspondence with artists, 1946-1965. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Magazine illustration Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Illustrators Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Illustrated letters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Berger, Oscar, 1901-1997 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Osborn, Robert Chesley, 1904-1994 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Perlin, Bernard, 1918- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bryson, Bernarda Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Warhol, Andy, 1928- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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