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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Bettina Steinke Papers, 1936-1998, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.steibett
- Creators:
-
Steinke, Bettina, 1913-1999
- Dates:
-
1936-1998
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
0.4 Linear feet
- Repository:
The scattered papers of portrait painter Bettina Steinke measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1936-1998. The collection focuses on Steinke's portraits of the members of the Circus Saints and Sinners Club of America (CSSCA) and military figures and includes photographs and printed material. Also found are two buttons, depicting Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower and made from Steinke's portraits.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The scattered papers of portrait painter Bettina Steinke measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1936-1998. The collection focuses on Steinke's portraits of the members of the Circus Saints and Sinners Club of America (CSSCA) and military figures and includes photographs and printed material. Also found are two buttons, depicting Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower and made from Steinke's portraits.
Arrangement
Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Bettina Steinke (1913-1999) was a portrait painter in New York, New York. During World War II, she painted portraits for the United States War Department and was a member of The Circus Saints and Sinners Club of America (CSSCA), a national organization that raises money for local charities.
After ten years as a commercial illustrator Steinke's World War II portraits included subjects President Franklin Roosevelt, Generals Douglas MacArthur and Henry "Hap" Arnold, Admiral Chester Nimitz, and Mme. Chiang Kai-Shek.
Steinke became involved with the National Cowboy Hall of Fame (NCHF) in Oklahoma City during the 1960s, and was a founding member of the National Academy of Western Art. The NCHF held a retrospective of her work in 1995 and in 1996 Steinke received the John Singer Sargent Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Society of Portrait Artists.
Administration
Author
Jayna M. Josefson
Sponsor
Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 2001 by the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution via curator Wendy Reaves who received the papers from Susan Conway, a friend of Steinke's.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2023 with support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
Using the Collection
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 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.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Preferred Citation
Bettina Steinke papers, 1936-1998. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Women artists | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Women painters | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Circus Saints & Sinners Club of America | Corporate Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
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Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
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