Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Felrath Hines Papers, 1954-2002, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.hinefelr
Creators:
Hines, Felrath, 1913-1993
Dates:
1954-2002
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1.2 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of abstract artist and art conservator Felrath Hines measure 1.3 linear feet and date from 1954 to 2002. The bulk of the papers include project files concerning his work as a conservator. These files may include correspondence; condition and treatment reports; financial records, photographic materials, and printed material. Also found is scattered biographical material, general correspondence, and photographs of conserved works--many of which are unlabeled.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of abstract artist and art conservator Felrath Hines measure 1.3 linear feet and date from 1954 to 2002. The bulk of the papers include project files concerning his work as a conservator. These files may include correspondence, condition and treatment reports, financial records, photographic materials, and printed material. Also found is scattered biographical material, general correspondence, and photographs of conserved works--many of which are unlabeled.

Arrangement

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

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Felrath Hines (1913-1993) was an African American painter and painting conservator in Washington, DC.
Felrath Hines was born in 1913 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early-1930s and subscribed to art correspondence courses. He did not begin formal art education until 1945 when he enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago. Hines created abstract landscapes influenced by Cubism, and in the 1960s he was a member of Spiral, a group of Black artists concerned with the role of African American artists in politics and the civil rights movement.
In addition to his personal art career, Hines was a skilled conservator and served as chief conservator at the National Portrait Gallery and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. His clients included the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa Collection), Fisk University, Museum of Modern Art, Waddell Gallery, and many other institutions and individuals.
Felrath Hines died in 1993 in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Administration

Author
Jayna M. Josefson
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Dorothy Fisher donated her late husband's papers to the Archives of American Art in 2002.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2021.

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
Felrath Hines papers, 1954-2002. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art -- Conservation and restoration Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painting -- Conservation and restoration Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Conservators -- Washington (D.C.) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
African American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- Washington (D.C.) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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