Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Photographs of Works of Art by George Inness Compiled by Julia G. Smith, circa 1926-1929, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.smitjuli
Creators:
Smith, Julia Goodrich, 1853-1941
Dates:
circa 1926-1929
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1 Linear foot
Repository:
The photographs of works of art by landscape painter, George Inness, measure 1 linear foot, and date from circa 1926-1929. The collection comprises a comprehensive set of photographs of Inness's artwork compiled by his widow, Julia Goodrich Smith, shortly after his death. Smith's photographs are accompanied by a numbered index and also include one photograph of Inness, photographs of biographical items such as diplomas and certificates, and photographs of Inness's coffin and the Inness family grave site.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The photographs of works of art by landscape painter, George Inness, measure 1 linear foot, and date from circa 1926-1929. The collection comprises a comprehensive set of photographs of Inness's artwork compiled by his widow, Julia Goodrich Smith, shortly after his death. Smith's photographs are accompanied by a numbered index and also include one photograph of Inness, photographs of biographical items such as diplomas and certificates, and photographs of Inness's coffin and the Inness family grave site.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as one series.
  • Series 1: Photographs of Works of Art by George Inness, circa 1926-1929 (1 linear foot; Box 1)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
George Inness, Jr. (1854-1926), was born in Paris, the son of celebrated American artist George Inness, and spent much of his life traveling throughout Europe and the United States painting landscapes and pastoral scenes.
Inness was educated at the Adelphi Academy in Brooklyn, New York, and the National Academy of Design, and studied under his father and Léon Bonnat in Rome and Paris in the 1870s, before settling temporarily in Montclair, New Jersey. During the 1880s-1890s he became an established artist and in 1899 received a gold medal at the Paris Salon and became a full member of the National Academy. In 1900 he established residences in Cragsmoor, New York, and Tarpon Springs, Florida. Inness strove to distance himself from his father's approach to painting, but nevertheless remained heavily influenced by the tonalist style for which the elder George Inness was renowned.
In 1879 Inness married Julia G. Smith (1853-1941), daughter of Roswell Smith, founder of the Century Company publishers.
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Tarpon Springs holds the largest public collection of Inness's work, and he is also represented in other prominent collections including Memorial Art Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Montclair Art Museum, and the National Academy of Design. Following Inness's death in 1926, Julia G. Smith donated to the National Academy of Design a set of three binders containing the index and photographs of all her late husband's paintings described in this finding aid, with the intention of providing a resource with which to identify genuine works by Inness, and guard against forgeries.

Administration

Author
Stephanie Ashley
Sponsor
The collection was processed and digitized with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation
Existence and Location of Copies
The collection was digitized in 2019 and is available on the Archives of American Art website.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated in 2018 by the National Academy of Design, via Maura Reilley, Executive Director. The Academy received the photographs in 1929 from Julia G. Smith.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and described in a finding aid by Stephanie Ashley in 2018 and the collection was digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
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.
Preferred Citation
Photographs of works of art by George Inness compiled by Julia G. Smith, circa 1926-1929. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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