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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Pen and Brush Records, 1894-1964, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.penand
- Creators:
-
Pen and Brush, Inc.
- Dates:
-
1894-1964
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
4 Microfilm reels
- Repository:
The Pen and Brush records date from 1894-1964, and include correspondence, catalogs and reports of exhibitions, a guest book, pamphlets describing the history and development of the organization, and a collection of scrapbooks.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The Pen and Brush records date from 1894-1964, and include correspondence, catalogs and reports of exhibitions, a guest book, pamphlets describing the history and development of the organization, and a collection of scrapbooks.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Pen and Brush was founded in 1893 in New York, New York, by painters Mary and Janet Lewis. It served as an organization through which aspiring creative women, including professional women writers, painters, sculptors, and craftswomen, could connect and further their involvement in the arts. The club had a section for each of the following groups: Painters and Graphic Arts, Writers, Sculptors, Craftsmen, and Music, published a monthly newsletter, and held ongoing exhibitions. Writer Lillian Hamilton French was elected the club's first president, although health reasons prevented her from active service. A governing board managed the president's duties until 1899 when author and lecturer, Grace Thomas Seton, became the club's first active president.
Seton served for approximately 14 years and oversaw the club's incorporation in 1912 and the establishment of it's constitution and by-laws. Today, Pen and Brush operates as a publicly supported not-for-profit with the stated goal of "fighting for gender equity in the arts and providing a platform to showcase the work of women, non-binary and female-identified transgender artists and writers to a broader audience."
Administration
Author
Stephanie Ashley
Sponsor
Funding for the digitization of this microfilmed collection was provided by The Walton Family Foundation.
Existence and Location of Copies
The collection has been microfilmed on reels NPBC1-NPBC4. The microfilm has been digitized and is available on the Archives of American Art website.
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals returned to the Pen and Brush after microfilming.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The records were loaned for microfilming in 1965 by Pen and Brush and were returned after microfilming.
Processing Information
The collection was microfilmed on Reels NPBC1-NPBC4 and returned to Pen and Brush after filming. The microfilm was described in a finding aid by Stephanie Ashley in 2023 and the microfilm was digitized in 2023 with funding provided by The Walton Family Foundation.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
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.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Women artists | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Arts organizations -- New York (State) -- New York | Function | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Clubs -- New York (State) -- New York | Function | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-7950
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions
