Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Benson Bond Moore Papers, 1902-1995, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.moorbens
Creators:
Moore, Benson Bond, 1882-1974
Dates:
1902-1995
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
5.7 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of printmaker and landscape painter Benson Bond Moore date from 1902 to 1995 and measure 5.7 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical material, letters, scattered personal business records, notes and writings, twelve scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs. The papers also contain extensive artwork in the form of drawings and sketches, etchings, lithographs, and a few oil paintings.

Scope and Content Note

Scope and Content Note
The papers of printmaker and landscape painter Benson Bond Moore date from 1902 to 1995 and measure 5.7 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical material, letters, scattered personal business records, notes and writings, twelve scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs. The papers also contain extensive artwork in the form of drawings and sketches, etchings, lithographs, and a few oil paintings.
Biographical material includes genealogical notes, biographical accounts, a baptismal record, marriage license, driver's license, membership cards, an award medal and ribbons, a death certificate, and address books.
Letters are incoming only from friends and colleagues, including Christmas cards from Clifford K. Berryman, Paul Bransom, James Russell Lowe, Rowland Lyon, and Francis Bowes Sayre. There is also a photocopy of a letter from Lou Henry Hoover.
Personal business records include a copy of a patent for Moore's design for an artist's kit, a deed for Moore's father's gallery, priced labels for art work in various media, lists of art work, price lists, records of art work sold, bank account records, miscellaneous receipts, and a ledger concerning Moore's works left in trust after his death.
Notes and writings consist of nine poems by Moore, lists of titles of art work sold, lists of art work by others, and a funeral registry book listing mourners' names. The most notable item in this series is a log book of The Ramblers containing a typescript describing the history of this early 20th century art club.
Art work comprises the most significant series in the collection. It includes 1040 drawings, 43 watercolor sketches, 526 etchings, 187 lithographs, 8 paintings and 5 relief sculptures. Subjects depicted are primarily wildlife and nature, landscapes, seascapes, and scenes of towns and notable buildings primarily in and around Washington, D.C. There are scattered portrait drawings and etchings by Moore of fellow artists Herbert F. Clark, Robert G. Cornett, August H. O. Rolle, and Charles Seaton. There are also 5 bas-relief sculptures.
Twelve scrapbooks contain prints by Moore, letters, printed materials, and photographs of Moore and his artwork. Scrapbook 10 contains a photograph of a Landscape Club banquet at the Cosmos Club.
Printed material consists of clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, a prospectus from the Society of Animal Artists, book Animals of American History illustrated by Paul Bransom, miscellaneous booklets and brochures concerning art-related topics, travel brochures for New York State, and reproductions of art works.
Photographs are of Benson Bond Moore, his family, residence, colleagues including members of The Ramblers painting outdoors, and of art work. There are also travel photographs of locations in the United States.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 8 series:
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, 1908-1974 (Box 1; 6 folders)
  • Series 2: Letters, 1912-1993 (Box 1; 40 folders)
  • Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1924-1994 (Box 1-2; 0.7 linear feet)
  • Series 4: Notes and Writings, 1902-1974 (Box 2; 8 folders)
  • Series 5: Art Work, 1904-1991 (Box 2-4, 6, OV 8; 2.2 linear feet)
  • Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1919-1973 (Box 4, 7; 0.9 linear feet)
  • Series 7: Printed Material, 1916-1995 (Box 5-6, OV 8; 1.0 linear feet)
  • Series 8: Photographs, 1924-1971 (Box 5-7, OV 8; 0.7 linear feet)

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
Benson Bond Moore (1882-1974) of Washington, D.C. and Sarasota, Florida, was a printmaker, landscape painter, art teacher, and picture restorer.
Benson Bond Moore was born on August 13, 1882 in Washington, D.C., the first child of Caroline and John Benson Moore. From an early age, Moore assisted his father in his picture restoring business. In 1902, he was employed by the Maurice Joyce Photo-Engraving Co., and soon afterwards produced a series of technical drawings for Alexander Graham Bell.
Moore studied at the Corcoran School of Art, and, in 1914, he joined The Ramblers (later the Washington Landscape Club), a group of artists who went on painting and drawing expeditions in the environs of Washington, D.C. Moore taught etching at the private Hill School of Art and was an active member of many regional art associations. He was also a founding member of the Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Society. Following the death of his wife Florence (Flossie) in the early 1950s, Moore moved to Sarasota, Florida.
Benson Bond Moore died on October 30, 1974 in Sarasota, Florida.

Administration

Author
Jean Fitzgerald
Provenance
The Benson Bond Moore papers were donated by Barbara Nikla and John J. Lyons in 1996, as representatives of the estate of the artist's sister-in-law, Mary Jane Moore. Additional material was donated 1997 from the estate by other relatives, Martha Sigmon and her sister Georgia King.
Separated Material
Printmaking tools, lithographic plates, and a 24 x 30 inch display board exhibiting specimen prints and plates and a pocket barometer were transferred to the National Museum of American History, Department of Information Technology and Society.
Processing Information
The collection was arranged and preserved in July 1997 by Jean Fitzgerald, and a finding aid created in 2010.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Benson Bond Moore papers, 1902-1995. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Restrictions on 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
Etchings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Christmas cards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Paintings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Landscape painting -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New York (State) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Travel sketches Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Relief (Sculpture) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketches Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Etchers -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Landscape painters -- New York (State) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printmakers -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Poems Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Awards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Prints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Seaton, Charles Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bransom, Paul, 1885- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sayre, Francis Bowes, 1885-1972 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rolle, A. H. O. (August H. O.), 1875-1940 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lyon, Rowland, 1904- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lowe, James Russell Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cornett, Robert G. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clark, Herbert F. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Society of Animal Artists Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Washington Landscape Club Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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