Archives of American Art

Bela L. Pratt papers

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.pratbela
Creators:
Pratt, Bela Lyon, 1867-1917
Dates:
1876-1986
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
5 Reels
ca. 450 items (on 5 microfilm reels)
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Biographical materials, letters and correspondence, photographs, diary, subject files, and printed ephemera.
Scope and Contents
REEL 2527: Biographical sketches; sculpture contracts; lists of Pratt's work compiled by his son, Dudley Pratt; a pencil sketch; photographs of Pratt at work in his studio; portraits of him; 172 photographs of his sculpture and a memorial exhibition installation; photographs of Frank Weston Benson and Alexander Phimister Proctor; clippings; and printed material.
Scope and Contents
REELS 3995-3998: An award from Yale School of Fine Arts; admission tickets; marriage certificate; identification card for his wife, Helen, from the Societe des Artistes Francais for the 1897 Salon; a 25-page diary of Helen, 1896-1898, describing the Pratts' wedding and their experiences in Italy and France; notices of Pratt's appointment to the Visiting Committee of Classical Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; biographical sketches; an anecdote by a nephew; and a letter of reminiscence by his son Dudley, 1941. Also included are letters from Pratt to his mother, Sarah Victoria Whittlesey Pratt, describing his activities, his contemporaries and his work; correspondence with friends, family, students, and associates and letters of condolence to Mrs. Pratt; subject files, arranged alphabetically by correspondent, containing letters, photographs and clippings from and about Pratt's friends and colleagues, including Frank Weston Benson, Bryson and Edith Woodman Burroughs, Daniel Chester French, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who gives Pratt advice and critiques two of his busts.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Sculptor, teacher; Boston, Mass.; b. 1867; d. 1917 Studied at Yale, Art Students League, and with Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Kenyon Cox, and William Merritt Chase, and others.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
35mm microfilm reels 2527 and 3995-3998 available for use only at Archives of American Art offices.
Existence and Location of Originals
Reel 2527: Originals returned to the lender, Thomas Leavitt, after microfilming.
Existence and Location of Originals
Reel 3995-3998: Originals returned to the lender, Cynthia Sam, after microfilming.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Material on reel 2527 lent for microfilming 1982 by Thomas Leavitt, a descendant of Pratt. Material on reels 3995-3998 lent 1987 by Cynthia Kennedy Sam, Pratt's granddaughter.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sculpture, American -- Massachusetts -- Boston Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sculptors -- Massachusetts -- Boston Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Burroughs, Edith Woodman, 1871-1916 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Saint-Gaudens, Augustus, 1848-1907 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Benson, Frank Weston, 1862-1951 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Burroughs, Bryson, 1869-1934 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions