Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Horace Pippin Notebooks and Letters, circa 1920, 1943, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.pipphora
Creators:
Pippin, Horace, 1888-1946
Dates:
circa 1920, 1943
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.2 Linear feet
Repository:
The collection measures 0.2 linear feet and consists of three notebooks, notebook fragments, and two letters written by African American primitive painter Horace Pippin. The three notebooks and notebook fragments contain Pippin's World War I memoirs written in the 1920s, one of which is illustrated by Pippin with six drawings of war scenes. Two letters are dated 1943 and circa 1943. One of the letters is written to "Dear Friends" and begins with "life story of art."; the other is written to dealer Robert Carlen about showing his painting Domino [Game] Players.

Scope and Content Note

Scope and Content Note
The collection measures 0.2 linear feet and consists of three notebooks, notebook fragments, and two letters created by African American primitive painter Horace Pippin. The notebooks recount Pippin's World War I experiences, including his being wounded. One of the notebooks is illustrated.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into one series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Horace Pippin Notebooks and Letters, circa 1920s, 1943; 8 items

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
Horace Pippin (1888 -1946) was a self-taught painter from West Chester, Pennsylvania. Pippin was inspired to paint by his experiences in France during World War I. He lost the use of his right arm when wounded during the war and, when painting, had to use his left hand to guide his right. He gained a national reputation as "a true American primitive" in the 1940s for his paintings depicting childhood memories, war experiences, heroes, and religious subjects.

Administration

Author
Eric P. Frazier and Erin Corley
Sponsor
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
Provenance
Horace Pippin's war memiors/notebooks and one letter were purchased from Robert Carlen, Pippin's dealer, in 1956. The 1943 letter from Pippin to Carlen was donated by Dr. and Mrs. Matthew Moore in 1983.
Alternative Forms Available
The notebooks and letters of Horace Pippin in the Archives of American Art were digitized in
2006
, and total
114
images.
Processing Information
The Horace Pippin notebooks and letters were microfilmed in the order that they were donated on reels 138 and 4306. The collection was digitized in 2006 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Horace Pippin notebooks and letters, circa 1920, 1943. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Restrictions on Access
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
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
Folk art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Diaries Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painting -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
African American military personnel Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
African American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Self-taught artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
African American painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
World War, 1914-1918 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Carlen, Robert, 1906-1990 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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