Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Anne Eisner Putnam papers, 1936-1968, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.putnanne
Creators:
Putnam, Anne Eisner
Dates:
1936-1968
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
40 Items
Repository:
The scattered papers of painter Anne Eisner Putnam consist of 40 items and date from 1936 to 1968. Found is an application for Who's Who of American Women, and two letters concerning her book and artwork. Printed material includes clippings (1936-1965) about exhibitions of her artwork in New York, her experiences in Africa, press releases, and her obituary. Photographs are of Putnam's paintings; of Putnam at "Camp Putnam" in the Ituri Rainforest in the Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) with members of one of the Congo Pygmy tribes; a snapshot of Putnam; and a portrait of Patrick Tracy Lowell Putnam.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The scattered papers of painter Anne Eisner Putnam consist of 40 items and date from 1936 to 1968. Found is an application for Who's Who of American Women, and two letters concerning her book and artwork. Printed material includes clippings (1936-1965) about exhibitions of her artwork in New York, her experiences in Africa, press releases, and her obituary. Photographs are of Eisners' paintings; of Putnam at "Camp Putnam" in the Ituri Rainforest in the Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) with members of one of the Congo Pygmy tribes; a snapshot of Putnam; and a portrait of Patrick Tracy Lowell Putnam.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Anne Eisner Putnam (1911-1967) was an abstract painter, a landscape painter, a watercolorist, a printer, and a writer. Additionally, she and her husband were collectors of African art.
Putnam attended the Art Students League and was the secretary for the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors. She married anthropologist Patrick Tracy Lowell Putnam and together they moved to Africa. From 1945 to 1953, Putnam lived in a Pygmy village in the Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) in the Ituri Rainforest, and devoted her painting and writing talents to portraying the life of the Congo Pygmies and African flora and fauna. Her collection of African art was exhibited in 1967 at the Museum of Natural History, New York.

Administration

Author
Jayna M. Josefson
Sponsor
Processing of this collection received Federal support from the Collections Care Initiative Fund, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative and the National Collections Program.
Existence and Location of Copies
Material lent for microfilming is available on 35mm microfilm reels N70-10 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Separated Materials
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming on reel N70-10 including correspondence, clippings, photographs and sketchbooks primarily relating to her life in the Belgian Congo among Pygmies with her husband, anthropologist Patrick Tracy Lowell Putnam. Loaned materials were returned to the donor and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
William J. Eisner, the father of Anne Eisner, donated her papers to the Archives of American Art in 1970.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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 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
Africa, Central -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- Congo (Democratic Republic) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Putnam, Patrick Tracy Lowell, 1903 or 4-1953 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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