Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Rupert Scott Lovejoy Papers, 1904-1979, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.loverupe
Creators:
Lovejoy, Rupert Scott, 1885-1975
Dates:
1904-1979
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.58 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of Portland, Maine, dentist and painter Rupert Scott Lovejoy, measure 0.58 linear feet and date from 1904-1979. The collection includes biographical material, letters and sketches from painter Walter Griffin, research material on Griffin collected by Lovejoy, printed material including exhibition catalogs for Lovejoy's exhibitions, two portrait reliefs of Walter Griffin and Edward Souther Griffin, and photographs and nine glass plate negatives of Walter Griffin and his home in Stroudwater, Maine.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of Portland, Maine, dentist and painter Rupert Scott Lovejoy, measure 0.58 linear feet and date from 1904-1979. The collection includes biographical material, letters and sketches from painter Walter Griffin, research material on Griffin collected by Lovejoy, printed material including exhibition catalogs for Lovejoy's exhibitions, two portrait reliefs of Walter Griffin and Edward Souther Griffin, and photographs and nine glass plate negatives of Walter Griffin and his home in Stroudwater, Maine.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as one series.
  • Series 1: Rupert Scott Lovejoy Papers, 1904-1979 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1, MGP 1-2, 4)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Portland, Maine, dentist and painter Rupert Scott Lovejoy (1885-1975), learned from impressionist painter Walter Griffin and was known for his landscapes in oil and watercolor.
As a boy, Lovejoy's interest in art was encouraged by his mother, and he continued to pursue painting in evening classes at the Portland Art School after graduating from Tufts University Dental School in 1909, and setting up a dental practice in Portland.
While receiving dental treatment from Lovejoy in 1915, artist Walter Griffin noticed Lovejoy's artwork displayed on the walls of his office. Griffin took an interest in Lovejoy's evident talent and encouraged Lovejoy to accompany him on painting trips in Maine and to his home in Stroudwater. Lovejoy subsequently observed and learned from Griffin while simultaneously developing his own style. Eventually devoting himself to painting full time, Lovejoy had considerable success with his impressionistic watercolors and oils. His work was exhibited regularly in Maine, as well as at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Baltimore Museum of Art, Bowdoin College, and other museums, and can be found in the permanent collections of the Colby College Museum of Art, the Portland Museum of Art, and The Hunter Museum of Art.

Administration

Author
Stephanie Ashley
Sponsor
Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Myrtle E. Lovejoy, Rupert Scott Lovejoy's wife, lent the Archives of American Art material for microfilming and donated papers in September 1978 and in 1979.
Processing Information
The collection was microfilmed after receipt and the glass plate negatives were re-housed in 2015 with a grant from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund. The collection was processed and a finding aid written by Stephanie Ashley in 2018.
Separated Materials
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reel 1405) including research notes and writings by Rupert Scott Lovejoy on Walter Griffin, clippings, and exhibition catalogs. Lent materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Existence and Location of Copies
Portions of the collection and material lent for microfilming are available on 35mm microfilm reels 1621 and 1405 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of 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
Rupert Scott Lovejoy papers, 1904-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painting, American Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Impressionism (art) -- 19th century Style Period Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Figureheads of ships Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Exhibition catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Griffin, Walter, 1861-1935 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Griffin, Edward Souther Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Brush'uns Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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