Archives of American Art

Niles Spencer papers

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.spennile
Creators:
Spencer, Niles, 1893-1952
Dates:
1826-1972
bulk 1900-1961
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.6 Linear feet
(partially microfilmed on 2 reels)
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Sketches and drawings by Spencer, and art work by others; printed material on Spencer; printed material and a few photographs used as source material for paintings; photographs of Spencer's work; personal photographs including one of Spencer; and a few letters.
Scope and Contents
REEL 3948: Fourteen drawings and preparatory sketches, undated; and a clipping, 1939.
Scope and Contents
REEL 4793: Art work by Spencer includes a poster design done while a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, 1912, a self-portrait in pencil and ink, a pen and ink drawing of Abraham Lincoln, and nine pencil and ink drawings after Cezanne, Daumier, Matisse and Picasso; art work by others includes a charcoal sketch of Spencer by H.I. Smith, 2 watercolors by Spencer's father, Henry, 1900, and an engraving by Henry Hoppner Meyer, 1826, of Mexican statesman Lucas Alaman, inscribed by Alaman to Charles Naylor, 1848.
Scope and Contents
Also included are letters and two vol. of printed material on Spencer, compiled by book designer G. Alan Chidsey and presented to the family upon Spencer's death in 1952. Other printed material includes clippings, 1939-1961; an interview of Spencer conducted by Ernest Watson in American Artists Magazine, 1944; a press release for Spencer's 1954 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art; and four exhibition catalogs, including one for a Cezanne exhibition at Montross Gallery, 1916, containing a pencil sketch by Spencer on the back, and one for a Spencer exhibition at the Washburn Gallery, 1972.
Scope and Contents
Photographs are of industrial landscapes (4), probably used as source material for paintings, paintings by Spencer (16), and by others (4). A file on Slater Mill, owned by the Spencer family, containing an historical account and a photograph, 1972, is also included.
Scope and Contents
UNMICROFILMED: Clippings regarding art works by others, including two oversize reproductions of works by Cezanne, ca. 1930; and miscellaneous clippings featuring photographs of industrial sites and architecture, c.1920-1930.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Painter; New York, N.Y. Associated with the Precisionist school of painting.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
35mm microfilm reels 3948 and 4793 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 1977 and 1989 by Brett Harrington, nephew of Niles Spencer's wife.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Industries in art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Precisionism Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists' preparatory studies Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Landscape painters -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Self-portraits Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Madrazo, José de, 1781-1859 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Naylor, Charles, 1806-1872 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Watson, Ernest William, 1884-1969 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Alamán, Lucas, 1792-1853 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chidsey, G. Alan Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Meyer, Henry, 1783-1847 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Smith, H. I. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Spencer, Henry L. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rhode Island School of Design Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
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