Archives of American Art

Da Loria Norman papers

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.normda
Creators:
Norman, da Loria, 1872-1935
Dates:
1886-1980
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
10.6 Linear feet
55 Items
Photographs: (on partial microfilm reel)
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Biographical documents, diaries, letters received, writings, art works, business records, subject files, scrapbook, interviews, and photographs.
Scope and Contents
REEL 2714: Photographs, 1886-1977, of Norman, her family and friends, and her residences at Peaslake, Surrey, England, and Old Lyme, Conn.
Scope and Contents
UNMICROFILMED: Diaries, 1891-1892, 1908-1910, 1913-1915, and 1917-1920; a baptismal certificate, marriage certificate, notes on family relationships, a certificate for the Theosopical Society, a resume, lists of paintings, and address books; diaries of Norman's eldest son Geoffrey, 1913-1915, and of her friend Adah Stuart Franks, kept while Norman was living with her in England, 1904-1911; letters from family, friends, and business associates, 1904-1935, including many from British architects, sculptors, and others involved in the Arts and Crafts movement, from patrons such as William H. Clarke, Winefred Douglas, Mrs. John Sherman Hoyt, and from other notable figures such as Mabel Dodge, Helen Mears, and Alfred Stieglitz; autobiographical writings; drafts for articles on mural decoration and manuscript illumination, notes for lectures, articles on art and literature, drafts of short stories, and notebooks containing writings, notes and addresses.
Scope and Contents
Also included are a few sketches, pen and ink illustrations for Norman's short story "Pipkin," an illuminated calendar, and cover decorations and lettering for a book by Norman; business records, including price lists, expense, budget, and cash books and other financial records; subject files on projects or art works; a scrapbook, 1914; an interview of Clive Maxwell Norman, Norman's son, April 28, 1980, about his mother; and printed materials.
Scope and Contents
Letters, legal documents, clippings and other material relating to Norman's separation trial and divorce from John Thomas Norman, 1905-1929, complete the collection.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Painter and illuminator; Surrey, England and Old Lyme, Conn. Born Belle Elkin Mitchell in Kansas. Lived in England, ca. 1884-1913, and was attracted to the Arts and Crafts Movement, especially to murals and illuminated manuscripts. Among her closest friends were the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and the illustrator Walter Crane. Following a sensational divorce trial in 1914, in which her counsel was Lloyd-George, she returned to America, and worked on private commissions and exhibitions, chiefly in New York, Old Lyme, and Michigan.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
35mm microfilm reel 2714 available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Existence and Location of Originals
Reel 2714 (photographs): Originals returned to the lender, Cynthia Norman, after microfilming.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The donor is Norman's granddaughter, Cynthia Norman.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arts and crafts movement Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Illumination of books and manuscripts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Decorative arts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Illuminators Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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