Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Katherine Thayer Hobson Papers, 1930-1982, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.hobskath
Creators:
Hobson, Katherine Thayer, 1889-1982
Dates:
1930-1982
Languages:
The collection is in English.
Physical Description:
0.6 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of sculptor Katherine Hobson Thayer measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1930 to 1982. Found within the collection are personal and professional correspondence; writings on art and anticommunist activities; printed materials; sketches; and photographs and slides of Hobson, her friends, and her artwork.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of sculptor Katherine Hobson Thayer measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1930 to 1982. Found within the collection are personal and professional correspondence; writings on art and anticommunist activities; printed materials; sketches; and photographic materials of Hobson, her friends, and her artwork.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as one series.
  • Series 1: Personal papers, 1930-1982 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1-2)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Sculptor Katherine Thayer Hobson (1889-1982) lived and worked in New York City. She is known for her sculptures of racehorses, war memorials, and portrait busts.
Hobson was born in Denver, Colorado and received her education in the United States and continued her art studies in Europe. Her early career focused on commissioned portrait busts, war memorials, and relief sculptures, including a relief of St. George (1945) at St. James Episcopal Church in New York City, and a World War I memorial installed in Dresden during the 1920s. In the mid-1960s, after watching the horse Buckpasser win a stakes race, Hobson sculpted his bust, after which she earned additional commissions for the racehorses Dr. Fager and Ruffian.
She was a member of the National Sculpture Society, the American Artists Professional League (AAPL), and the Society of Western Artists. Two awards, the AAPL's Katherine Thayer Hobson Award, and Pen and Brush's Katherine Thayer Hobson Memorial Award, are given in her honor. Hobson died in her home in New York City in 1982.

Administration

Author
Judy Ng
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Katherine Thayer Hobson donated her papers to the archives in 1979. Additional material was donated by Hobson's sister, Eleanor Hobson McKenzie, in 1982.
Processing Information
The collection was minimally processed and described by Judy Ng in 2013 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. The Archives of American Art has implemented minimal level processing tactics when possible in order to increase access to more of its collections. Minimal processing included merging all accretions and arranging to the series and folder level. Original folder titles were maintained; contents were verified and not arranged further. All materials were rehoused in archival folders and containers for long-term stability, but staples and other fasteners were not removed.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Katherine Thayer Hobson papers, 1930-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
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.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists -- Political activity Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Anti-communist movements 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
Sketches Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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